Some of you will remember my first wave of
-
morrison-dylan-fan — 9 years ago(January 05, 2017 05:37 PM)
- This review may contain spoilers ***
After watching the superb "ripped from the headlines" Aussie Noir mini-series Deep Water recently,I read reviews by a fellow IMDber. Nearing the end of a page,I noticed a tantalising Aussie Noir title.Finding the name of the flick familiar,I found out that it was about to air on TV! Which led to me going down the mystery road.
The plot:
Returning to his old small town where his ex-wife and daughter live, aboriginal Detective Jay Swan is sent to investigate the body of an aboriginal teenage girl found at an "unofficial pit-stop." Learning that her name was Julie Mason,Swan finds out that Mason was an addict,who was a hooker that had sex with truckers at the stop. Searching for info from Mason's pals,Swan tracks down her phone,and finds messages from his daughter. Whilst trying to find out what his daughter is caught up in,Swan begins to notice that a number of his fellow officers appear very keen in stopping from going down a road that gets to the heart of the case,and the town.
View on the film:
Retaining the way he could give a calm situation an underlying sense of menace in the first Matrix flick, Hugo Weaving gives a chilling performance as cop Johnno,whose "friendly" small-talk and shoulder taps to Swan crackle with a sinister unease,whilst Ryan Kwanten (minus his fake Deep South accent from True Blood) gives a creepy performance as Pete Bailey,with Kwanten using space to open the uncomfortable mood between Bailey and Swan. Gliding in wearing cowboy boots and hat, Aaron Pedersen gives a marvellous performance as lone Noir "cowboy" Jay Swan,as Pedersen gives Swan a Noir gravitas over the horrific treatment of fellow aboriginals,with a rebellious kick to clear the town of all the outlaws standing on the road.
Stroking the brittle Noir tension with coiled crane shots scanning the decayed wilderness for figures wanting Swan to not uncover the full mystery,writer/director/editor/cinematographer/composer Ivan Sen breaths unrelenting dread into the landscape,with lingering looks at Swan's face displaying the shot of anxiety cast across his face,as Swan finds himself a Noir loner in a town that wants to keep its mystery.
Hitting Swan with bullets of racism,the screenplay by Sen exposes the mistreatment of aboriginals in its rawest form,where people who live in run-down housing projects are treated like dirt,and Swan's aboriginal roots are mercilessly leaned on for threats. Pulling Mason's body from the roadside,Swan drives down a cracking Noir mystery Thriller. Limiting the violence to short rounds of bloodshed,Sen brilliantly uses the scorching hot setting to give the dialogue a heaviness that is pulled by the murky underbelly that Swan finds under the mystery road.
- This review may contain spoilers ***
-
XhcnoirX — 9 years ago(January 09, 2017 02:57 AM)
Body Double
(1984): Struggling actor Craig Wasson just lost his job due to his claustrophobia and is out on the streets after catching his gf, who owns their apartment, in bed with another man. He catches a lucky break when fellow actor Gregg Henry, who's taking care of a fancy apartment for a friend, has to leave town for several weeks and asks Wasson to look after the apartment for him. He shows Wasson a telescope pointing at a neighboring house where each night Deborah Shelton does a sexy dance. Wasson becomes infatuated, and when he spots a menacing looking guy also watching Shelton, he senses danger, even more so when he sees the guy follow Shelton the next day. He follows them as well, but cannot prevent the guy robbing Shelton of her purse, stealing the key card to her apartment. That night he sees the guy in her apartment, but he's too late to prevent Shelton from getting killed. Distraught he spends the night watching late night TV, where he sees a trailer for porn actress Melanie Griffith's latest movie. Doing the exact same dance he's been watching the past few nights! Convinced it's her he's been watching and not Shelton, he tries to get in touch with Griffith, to find out who hired her
I watched this movie on TV many years ago, before I really knew about De Palma, neo-noir, Hitchcock, etc And it felt incredibly forced and ridiculous. What I didn't like back then tho, I love now, having already gained an appreciation for De Palma and his (earlier) movies. The guy wears his influences on his sleeve and likes to throw everything but the kitchen sink into his movies, but he also knows how to direct (both a movie as well as the viewer). In a way this movie is a follow-up to his earlier 'Dressed To Kill', which also took more than a few elements from Hitchcock's 'Vertigo', and he combines it here with another Hitch classic, 'Rear Window'. He creates a voyeuristic thriller that seems intent on making the viewer uncomfortable, with a protagonist who's not just a loser, but an actual creep who even keeps one of Shelton's discarded panties in his pocket. Yet we're supposed to root for him, and be a peeping tom alongside him. Wasson's journey into the hardcore porn business only adds to the movie's weirdness and even gives it a kitsch flavor, with British popband Frankie Goes To Hollywood performing their classic track 'Relax' on set as Wasson and Griffith shoot a hardcore porn scene for her next movie. If you didn't understand the lyrics to that song before, you will now (the band also used this scene for an alternative version to the regular video clip). De Palma also has some fun with Hollywood and film making in general by not just 'accidentally' showing the crew in a door mirror in this scene (as well as having a Gloria Swanson/Norma Desmond lookalike at the start of the porn scene), but also in the scenes involving Wasson as an actor for a cheapo horror movie (with Dennis Franz ('Dressed To Kill', 'NYPD Blue') as the director/De Palma).
Wasson ('Malcolm X') is pretty convincing in his role, it's a shame this movie didn't lead to more opportunities for him. Henry ('Payback') is great as always in the type of role he's made for, the moment you see him you know he's up to no good. Griffith ('The Bonfire Of The Vanities') is also great as a pornstar who's not ashamed of her profession (she did have De Palma destroy the original footage of her nude scenes tho), while Shelton, who did mostly TV work besides this, doesn't have a lot to do besides be very pretty and sexy. Griffith & Shelton also add to the overall creepiness of Wasson's character. At first he becomes infatuated with Shelton, but as soon as she's dead and out of the picture, he sees Griffith on TV and his infatuation is directed towards her. He's a lot of things, but a knight in shining armor saving the damsel(s) in distress he's not.
I've seen the movie listed on various neo-noir lists, but for me its noir-ness lies in the protagonist and the story, and not so much in the visuals. While the movie is very stylish, and De Palma and DoP Stephen Burum ('Carlito's Way') make effective use of long/wide shots vs cramped shots to create a visual discrepancy between the rich splendour of Shelton's world and the less glamorous world of Wasson's, it's not very noir-esque visually. It works tho, also because they use the camera to disorient the viewer, by showing things from Wasson's POV. The movie offers a sleazy ride that occasionally veers into kitsch territories and the end result is definitely not standard material, but it always entertains and fascinates. Recommended! 8+/10 -
morrison-dylan-fan — 9 years ago(January 09, 2017 01:54 PM)
Hi Spike,hope you enjoy Mystery Road (a sequel of which came out in 2016:
www.imdb.com/board/14911996/?ref_=tt_trv_cnn
) and for an Aussie Noir double bill,I would highly rec this 3 and a half hour mini-series/one-off film. After reading up on the real cases,writing this review for last 2/3 weeks,I've decided to just stick to first 10 mins of the plot.
10
Region 2 DVD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Water-DVD-Noah-Taylor/dp/B01N0CAUFX
The real case:
www.smh.com.au/nsw/police-to-review-88-possible-gayhate-deaths-20160519-goz7x6.html- This review may contain spoilers ***
Ordering the 2002 Aussie Comedy The Nugget for a family friend,I asked if there were any other Aussie titles that they were after.Whilst checking up other Aussie flicks,I got told about a 4- part Aussie Noir mini-series currently airing on the BBC. Finding a number of Aussie Noir (which include The Rover and Square) to be incredibly gritty,I decided to swim into the dark waters of Aussie Noir.
The outline of the mini-series:
Whilst the official ruling was suicide,police officer Tori Lustigman has always had doubts over the ruling of her brother's death in 1989,due to his death taking place when a serial killer was murdering gay men (a case,which due to a mix of disinterested and homophobia in the force remains unsolved.) Stuck in a messy divorce, Lustigman decides to return to her home city. Sent on the beat with Nick Manning,they get told of dead body found on the beach. Recognising marks on the victim, Lustigman starts to fear the killer has come back to shore.
View on the mini-series:
Closely based on what is still a partly unsolved case, (with there being 88 "gay-hate" victims whose deaths remain unsolved) director Shawn Seet & cinematographer Bruce Young sway between the pristine present and the Disco lights of the 80's. Cruising into the gay underground scene of the 80's,Seet rolls out a tense Aussie Noir atmosphere,where the dazzling lights from the discos are unable to reach the corners where the killer lurks. Turning the Disco lights off,Seet gives the present a stylish shine,as slow motion and jagged tracking shots pull the past up with Lustigman. Bringing the past back into focus, Seet and Young pour ultra-stylised blood-red water over the present to reflect the murky dealing hidden underneath.
Examining the attitude cops have towards gays,the script by Kris Wyld and Kym Goldsworthy cuts deep into the homophobia under the "clean" veneer of the police,via the dialogue having a confrontation edge perfectly fitting the cops wanting to be seen as Noir "tough guys." Whilst the mentions of her divorce feel well-worn,the writers give Lustigman and Manning a magnetic evil under the sun mood,where modern tech (such as a dating app) are cleverly used to coil the murders of the past into the fading sun of the present.
Attempting to turn from the Aussie Noir rules of the "old boys club" Noah Taylor gives a fantastic performance as Nick Manning,who Taylor threads with a focus of solving the case,whilst staying in the good books with "the boys." Causing a ripple across the deep water, Yael Stone gives an excellent performance as Lustigman,thanks to Stone striking a gritty emotional gravitas over uncovering the full events that led to the death of her brother,as Lustigman finds herself at the Aussie Noir deep end.
- This review may contain spoilers ***
-
mgtbltp — 9 years ago(January 12, 2017 11:37 AM)
The film is about a Surveillance P. I., Harry Caul (Hackman) an electronics nerd who incrementally becomes paranoid, alienated, and obsessed. Caul is "tops" in his field on the West Coast, a thorough and meticulous, snoop. His headquarters is in a chain link cage in the corner of an empty warehouse floor, at the edge of the rail freight yards of San Francisco. His workbench holds an array of audio equipment. He makes his office calls from various random payphones.
His standoffishness is manifest in the lack of details in his barren relationship with his girlfriend Amy (Garr). Harry has told her nothing of his past, he remains a stranger. When he calls on her, he sneaks to her flop door, putting his key quietly into the lock then flinging open the door as if to catch her doing something. He's a friendless, secretive, overly cautious schlub who wears a cheap plastic raincoat on sunny days, has installed four separate locks on his flat door, and gets anxious flashbacks to the young couple his work has put in jeopardy during a momentary power interruption on a streetcar. His only two release/retreats seem to be the confessional at his church and his saxophone, which he plays to the accompaniment of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Lady spinning on his turntable.
During a big and intricately involved high tech eavesdropping surveillance job on a target couple Ann (Williams) and Mark (Forrest) in Union Square, San Francisco, Caul neglects the first rule of surveillance and begins to get personally involved. His past nagging guilt about previous assignments begins to gnaw on his conscience. As he works on the recordings and transcripts he begins to ponder if this job going to physically hurt or possibly kill the couple under surveillance as happened to others in another job in a similar situation.
Hackman gives a great performance as the wound a bit too tight, idiosyncratic loner. The cast comprising Caul's peers are equally eccentric and nerdy. The rest of the players are more peripheral with only Harrison Ford standing out as an ominous flunkie of the nameless "director." The soundtrack is excellent. 9/10
Screencaps with full review are from the 2010 DVD here:
http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-conversation-1974-surveillance-noir.html -
morrison-dylan-fan — 9 years ago(January 18, 2017 08:21 PM)
Hi Spike,after watching both parts a second time,I've done some notes on this very good Noir mini-series.
7- This review may contain spoilers ***
Seeing a number of fine adaptations on stage in 2015,I was disappointed in missing out on a new mini-series version of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.Planning to catch up on films during the Christmas/New Year holiday,I was intrigued to find that a new mini-series of a lesser-known Christie was being shown,which led to me taking a seat in the witness box.
The plot:
Returning from WWI after joining the army with his son (who died in battle) solicitor John Mayhew goes round the prisons offering to work on cases at a low fee. Sticking his hands out of the bars, Leonard Vole cries for help. Struggling to cover costs with his wife Romaine Heilger,Vole becomes a "paid lover" for heiress Emily French,who has been found murdered. Seeing his son in Vole,Mayhew takes on a case where he will be judged by a prosecution on what he left behind.
View on the mini-series:
Coughed up in the aftermath of WWI, director Julian Jarrold lines the first ep and the outdoor scenes of the second in a thick green tint,which whilst subtly expressing the green with envy hidden in some and offering a touch of BBC Victorian Costume Drama atmosphere, drowns out all that try to rise above it. Playing on how people are perceived, Jarrold's green smog blocks out much of the facial details of the cast and the scope of the setting. Bringing a focus as Mayhew lays out the case,Jarrold peels away the green for a stylish gold which shines on the wealth that blinds Mayhew from the decayed envy retained underneath.
Sending this adaptation to post-WWI,the screenplay by Sarah Phelps brilliantly dips into Film Noir pessimism,as Mayhew's battle to bring justice to this world can't stop him being wrapped with the shadows of failure from the past. Keeping Christie's original ruthless ending sharp,Phelps wonderfully lays out the entangled relationships between Mayhew,Vole & Heilger,which are deliciously twisted into a final that recalls the Giallo sub-genre corrupt bourgeoisie.
Joined by a glamorous Kim Cattrall taking the Sex and the City socialites to a brutal death as French,the elegant Andrea Riseborough gives a fantastic performance as Heilger,whose brittle dialogue Riseborough smartly uses to carry an ambiguity with the character. Unable to free himself from the horrors of WWI, Toby Jones gives an excellent performance as Noir loner Mayhew,via Jones giving any sign of hope in Mayhew's life a harsh,isolated bitterness,as Mayhew becomes a witness to the wrong prosecution.
- This review may contain spoilers ***
-
XhcnoirX — 9 years ago(January 19, 2017 02:27 AM)
Thank you for your excellent review, which I ticked. I didn't realize it had been made into a mini-series, I'll try to check it out!
Have you seen the 1957 movie with Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich? It's excellent (altho I have no idea how close it is to Agatha Christie's play). -
Jessica_Rabbit69 — 9 years ago(January 19, 2017 06:43 AM)
Could be interesting. I'll check it out. It's hard to beat the 1957 version which differs from Christie's story a good bit, it has just been elaborated a lot. There was also a 1982 TV movie with Diana Rigg, Ralph Richardson and Deborah Kerr. It followed the 57 version very closely.
Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -
morrison-dylan-fan — 9 years ago(January 26, 2017 10:17 AM)
8
"It's like when they slurp coffee thinking it's going to change the temperature but it doesn't."
** This review may contain spoilers ***
After first seeing him in Zodiac on the big screen,it has been wonderful to see Mark Ruffalo become a part of major franchises and Oscar winning Dramas,whilst also noticing Ethan Hawke get back on track with a mix of Horror (the first Purge and Sinister) and major Art House projects such as Boyhood. Talking to a family friend about films he recently recorded off TV,I was shocked to find out about a rarely mentioned title that teams Ruffalo up with Hawke(ye),that led to me finding out what doesn't kill you.
The plot:
Growing up poor in Boston,teenage friends Brian Reilly and Paulie McDougan become petty criminals for gangster Pat Kelly. Growing up with Kelly, Reilly and McDougan become a part of his inner circle over the years,with the only thing that the guys turn down being armoured vehicle robberies. Trying to keep a family together with his wife Stacy,Brian finds the temptations too much to resist,and becomes a druggie. Whilst picking up some TVs that "fell" off the back of a truck,the guys are caught by an undercover cop who has had his eyes on them for years. Sent down for 5 years in the big house,Brian and Paulie start to find out that what doesn't kill you, will make them stronger.
View on the film:
Running out of hospital in the freezing cold for another "hit" Mark Ruffalo gives an incredible raw performance as Reilly.Spending his whole life working for Kelly with McDougan,Ruffalo subtly captures Reilly's awareness of being in a Noir tar pit,but also a burnt-out mind-set of getting free from the next mob/drug hit. Joined by a wonderfully expressive Amanda Peet as Reilly's wife Stacy, (plus a side order of two Wahlberg's for some Boston spirit) Ethan Hawke gives a great fragile performance as Paulie,who Hawke makes stand out to Reilly by holding Paulie with an optimism that is always on the horizon,but never reached.
Bringing his life story to the screen,co-writer/(with Donnie Wahlberg and Paul T. Murray) co-star (playing his former boss!) director Brian Goodman & cinematographer Chris Norr (who reunited with Hawke for Sinister) roll into Boston on a wave of blue collar Neo-Noir hovering above a frosty atmosphere of streets covered in snow that give Reilly and McDougan's "tasks" an ice cool shine. Cracking the door open to Reilly's fractured married life, Goodman gives the title a rustic tone,picking up corners of fading walls and keeping a distance to show the full misdeeds of the Noir duo.
Falling into cinemas as the studio went bust,the screenplay by Donnie Wahlberg/Paul T. Murray and Goodman fittingly presents a Noir Drama whose edges bleed with an impending sense of doom. Spanning 8 years,the writers brilliantly bring the world pushing Reilly and McDougan's out into the Noir darkness into focus with clever underhanded ways,from the cost of living in their old neighbourhood becoming un-affordable,to Reilly completely missing major family events behind bars. Tightening the grip drugs and crime have on the friends,the writers strip any darkness to expose the hopeless Noir pit that they are trapped in,as Reilly and McDougan discover what does kill you. -
morrison-dylan-fan — 9 years ago(January 29, 2017 10:39 AM)
Hi Spike,after staying away from the film due to it getting a massive kicking from reviews,I got the chance to see it this weekend,and found it to be a fantastic surprise. One of the main things that I think the movie suffered from was being pushed as a "Thriller",when to quote a headline a fellow IMDber gave it,the title is actually a "Suburban Noir." For the review,I stuck to the opening 15 minutes.
8
UK DVD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Train-DVD-Emily-Blunt/dp/B01LO7PJOE- This review may contain spoilers ***
Note:I've not read the book.
View on the film:
Getting on-board during early stage of her pregnancy, (kept secret from cast/crew!) Emily Blunt gives a blistering anti-Femme Fatale Film Noir loner performance as Rachael. Dimly looking at the "perfect" couples across the tracks with eyes caked in black,Blunt superbly unseats the staggered nature of the Noir loner, pouring Watson out in bitter blends of over-confidence in protecting her "perfect" images,and a Noir pit that lands Watson with harsh reality. Joining in this prime cut "Women's Picture" Neo-Noir and also taking a liking to twitchy Justin Theroux's Tom, Rebecca Ferguson and Haley Bennett give excellent performance as Anna and Megan,with Bennett making Megan a bundle of sexy Neo-Noir temptation, whilst Ferguson fractures Anna's suburban, picket-line fence image created by Rachel,to release the bubbling Noir Fury.
Changing tracks from the London setting of Paula Hawkins's book to New York,the screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson corkscrews the thrills for a simmering Neo-Noir atmosphere. Dovetailing fragmented flashbacks to Rachael going off the rails,Wilson presents with a sharp clarity the slurring state of Rachel,lit in sudden turns of aggression and a tense piecing together of her "forgotten" train ride. Opening the bottle to Tom's various relationships,Wilson cuts into an evil under the sun Noir mood, shining from a subtle, gradual changes in perspective,seeping a crisp Noir awareness under the nails of Anna and Rachael.
Buying a Noir Thriller ticket for the first time in his credits,director Tate Taylor & cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen stylishly tap at the burnt Noir loner state of Rachael with grubby low-lighting opening the blackened,decayed wounds of Rachael. Backed by a shimmering score from Danny Elfman,Taylor layers the darkness with chilling stylisation of slow-motion rain hitting the frosty tracks,and screams from a horror-like nightmare linking Rachel's torn ticket memories.
- This review may contain spoilers ***
-
mgtbltp — 9 years ago(January 31, 2017 02:13 PM)
Deputy Sheriff Ray Dolezal (Willem Dafoe) has a dead body and a half million dollars sitting at the edge of the Rio Grande Gorge in the New Mexico desert.
So begins White Sands a Film Soleil Noir directed by Roger Donaldson (The Getaway (1994)) and written by Daniel Pyne (Miami Vice (TV Series)1984 - 1986)). Cinematography was by Peter Menzies Jr. (The Getaway (1994)), and music by Patrick O'Hearn.
The film stars Willem Dafoe (To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Wild at Heart (1990)) as Ray Dolezal, Mickey Rourke (Body Heat (1981), Angel Heart (1987), Barfly (1987), Sin City (2005), Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)), as Gorman Lennox, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Scarface (1983), Slam Dance (1987)) as Lane Bodine, Samuel L. Jackson (Ragtime (1981), Sea of Love (1989), Goodfellas (1990), True Romance (1993), Pulp Fiction (1994), Hard Eight (1996), Jackie Brown (1997), ) as Greg Meeker, M. Emmet Walsh (Midnight Cowboy (1969), Serpico (1973), Blade Runner (1982), Blood Simple (1984)) as Bert Gibson, with James Rebhorn as Agent Flynn, Maura Tierney as Noreen, Beth Grant as Roz Kincaid, and Mimi Rogers as Molly Dolezal.
The film is initially captivating, the body, discovered by an Apache helicopter pilot hauling two amateur archaeologists, is lying in an adobe ruin, with his brains blown out. Coroner Bert Gibson declares "It's a suicide," made even more probable with the discovery of a half million dollars in an attache case. The banter between Gibson and Dolezal about Dolezal's new cowboy hat is amusing. This reprises later at the autopsy where a phone number is discovered on a piece of wax paper as part of the undigested stomach contents. The dead man is named Spencer.
Normally in Classic Noir the protagonist starts to make stupid decisions that propel the film down the road to Noirsville. In White Sands though there are way too many of these implausibilities to believe. Combined that with interesting but un important characters that appear then just vanish and unnecessary plot complications and you have a film that goes a bit off the rails.
Dolezal, posing as Spenser, calls variations of surrounding area codes plus the number and when he finally gets a connection he is instructed to go to a meeting set up at a motel. So what does he do?
He leaves his wife and son and drives off in his highly conspicuous blue 1966 Chevrolet Corvette, with a half million bucks without any backup to the meeting, implausibility number 1.
At the motel he is robbed by two women and instructed to meet a man named Gorman Lennox at a restaurant. FBI agent Greg Meeker intercepts Dolezal and informs him that Spenser was an undercover agent, an FBI mule carrying money for a payment. Since Dolezal has carelessly lost the money, Meeker tells Dolezal to posing as Spenser to recover the money or help arrest Lennox.
Dolezal meets Lennox (Rourke in a "That's one fine coat you're wearing" long coat) and his deal broker Lane Bodine. Since Lane knew Spencer she knows that Dolezal is an imposter, but since she gets a percentage of the deal she lets him slide implausibility number 2.
The money is for illegal arms. Needing more money when the arms merchants renege on the original deal, Dolezal has to romance Lane so she will attract rich humanitarian donors to fund the increase asking price on the deal implausibility number 3.
Willem Dafoe puts in a good performance but there is a lot of hesitation evident in which way the director wanted to go. M. Emmet Walsh's character is built up nicely then disappears entirely from the rest of the film, Dolezal's wife and son are treated likewise. Later two apparent lesbian goons assault Dolezal in a motel room then also are never really part of the film except as background. There are a lot of dead ends. Expectations are dangled in front of us but never followed through. White Sands, New Mexico, BTW, makes a very brief appearance in the last 5 minutes, what's up with that?
It probably would have worked better if it would stayed a bit simpler. The sum is not as good as it's parts, there was a good film in there someplace. 6.5/10 Full review with more screen caps here
http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2017/01/white-sands-1992-andy-of-mayberry-meets.html -
jgcole — 9 years ago(January 31, 2017 02:34 PM)
This film was a big hit at Cannes winning two awards, but that wasnt enough for von Trier who thought it should have got the
Palme dOr
and let everybody know how he felt, giving the jury the finger when they announced that
Barton Fink
was that years winner.
Europa
is a beautiful film to look at using classical film techniques including Dutch angles, rear projections, front projections, double exposures and bits of color in its black and white photography for effect in some scenes think blood red. Then there is the hypnotic voice over by the great Max von Sydow: as the lens speeds down a spotlighted railroad track the voice says, On the count of ten you will be in.Europa! Ten!. Its all more than a bit strange but it adds up to a mesmerizing cinematic expression of a shattered and disoriented Germany at the end of WWII.
Leopold Kessler is a young, idealistic American of German descent who comes to the old country to be part of the reconstruction because, he says, maybe we should be nice to Germany. Leo is not ready for the people he's about to meet and never fully understands what's going on around him. His uncle gets him a job as the sleeping car conductor aboard Zentropa Railways a company that, of course, had only recently been transporting doomed passengers. Zentropa is headed by the Hartmann family whose patriarch is of questionable loyalties in occupied Germany. His niece, the also questionable Katarina, seduces naive Leo and draws him into a multi layered web of espionage and counter-espionage that involves a pro-Nazi terrorist organization known as Werwolf; and a US Army colonel who wants the young American to spy for the army.
The story is a mess (which is not a problem for me) and the acting a bit skewed giving the film a Lynchian feel. The film only makes illusions to the US/German business interests during the war, the camps, the Allied occupation, etc., without dragging us down into some allegory on the moral tragedy of the whole thing. So it gets an extra .5 pt. for that. 8.0/10 -
XhcnoirX — 9 years ago(February 08, 2017 02:58 AM)
This will probably be my last review on this board
Live By Night
(2016/2017): Prohibition era Boston. Small-time Irish crook Ben Affleck doesn't want to get caught up in the territorial war between Irish gangster Robert Glenister and Italian gangster Remo Girone. But when he falls for Sienna Miller, an inside woman for one of his jobs, it's too late as she's also Glenister's mistress. When a robbery goes wrong and some cops end up dead, and Glenister gets the word about Miller and Affleck, it's only because of Affleck's dad, a police captain who knows everything about everyone in Boston, that Affleck ends up doing some hard time in prison rather than go to the chair or get killed by Glenister. But Miller's dead and when Affleck gets out again, he wants revenge and turns to Girone. Girone sets Affleck up in Florida where Glenister's been moving in on his liquor business. Affleck does well there and manages to take over most of Glenister's business. But Florida isn't just run by gangsters, it's also run by the KKK
Bloody awesome! If you enjoy the 30s and 40s gangster movies starring James Cagney and Lawrence Tierney (Affleck looks so much like him at times, I am convinced he based his physical demeanor in this movie on him), this movie will bring a smile to your face. While Affleck's character is never quite as ruthless or cold as Cagney's and Tierney's trademark roles, he definitely embodies that same kinda spirit. The movie also touches upon the more political/racial/religious aspects of the era, such as where police captain Chris Cooper tells Affleck he will turn a blind eye as long as he keeps his business to the bad (read: non-white) part of town (and of course there's the KKK as already mentioned above).
While Affleck is far from the greatest actor ever, he seems very aware of his limitations and makes them work to his advantage here. It also helps that he's supported by an excellent cast. And the movie looks absolutely stunning with some great sets and set pieces, and tons of beautiful 20s/30s cars (including a great car chase in and around Boston). Affleck, who also directed this movie, and DoP Richard Richardson, as well as the set & art directors, give this movie a great and authentic look, which by itself is worth the price of admission.
If there's a negative to this movie, it's that Affleck (also the screenplay writer!) wants to bring too much of Dennis Lehane's source novel to the table. Because of the sheer amount of plotlines some get a bit lost in the shuffle and not given too much attention (I also left out some rather important ones in this review, hah). I assume that similar to his 2010 movie 'The Town' his original cut is way longer than the current 2h9m runtime tho, so hopefully at some point a 'director's cut' of 'Live By Night' sees the light of day. For me however, the 2 hours flew by, and I was on the edge of my seat from the first second to the last. I can't recommend this movie enough, and I am even considering seeing it again in the cinema. Let me say it again: Blood awesome! 9/10
