Film Reviews by RP

Minimalistic, slow, and with flashes of graphic violence 'Drive' reminds me of the 'Man With No Name' films of Sergio Leone. The (un-named) central character is a man of few words who helps a neighbour in a bungled robbery, then on his death protects the widow and child. It's a stylish film noir, slow starting then building to a series of violent acts (head explodes in shotgun blast, skull crushed by stomping, artery slitting with razor, attack with hammer etc). There is certainly action in the form of three car chases + violence, but it is not really an action film, nor are any of the characters explored in any depth. The Driver himself remains an enigma, although the frog/scorpion allusion suggests that violence is in his nature and merely suppressed for the 'quiet' sections of the film. However, it has more than a tinge of exploitation about it so I can only give it 3/5 stars.

I first came across Paddy Considine through his acting in low budget films from director Shane Meadows, in particular his striking lead role in 'Dead Man's Shoes', and I've followed his career since. Not only has he appeared in a number of excellent British films but also in Hollywood productions including a role in 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (as the Guardian journalist near the beginning). And he even went to the same school as my daughters...

'Tyrannosaur' shows his talents as both writer and director – and it's first class stuff. Powerful, bleak, brutal stuff. It deal with self-destructive rage and domestic violence as it tells the tale of Joseph (Peter Mullan), a rage-filled, foul mouthed, violent drunk, who appears to seek redemption as he takes refuge in a Christian charity shop where he meets Hannah (Olivia Colman). But it emerges that Hannah has her own secret – she is the victim of appalling domestic violence from her outwardly respectable but abusive husband (played by the always excellent Eddie Marsan). The film plays out via the revelation of the revenge Hannah has taken to a – perhaps hopeful – ending which takes place a year or so after the main events.

This is not an easy film to watch and it certainly offers no easy or glib answers, but Paddy Considine certainly deserves the BAFTA he won for Outstanding Debut. 5/5 stars – highly recommended.

The Vietnam war spawned many excellent films as the US examines in excruciating detail the horrors of a war in which over 58,000 US servicemen lost their lives in an ultimately un-winnable conflict. Memorable films include 'The Deer Hunter', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Full Metal Jacket' and even 'First Blood'. 'Platoon' is another of these memorable films.

Directed by Oliver Stone and apparently semi-autobiographical, the Oscar-winning film tells the story of the day-to-day activities of a platoon serving in Vietnam through the initially idealistic eyes of Chris Taylor (played by Charlie Sheen) who has dropped out of college to volunteer. It shows how new recruits are absorbed into the culture of the war and influenced by longer serving men, and the atrocities that are casually committed. It also tells of the ultimately deadly conflict between two NCOs, Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) and Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe).

Not only is this a classic anti-war film, it is one of the best films of the 1980s. 5/5 stars – highly recommended. [Aside: Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive list of Vietnam war films – there are even more than you expected! Search for 'Vietnam War in film']

Having watched the 2011 film 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' – and despite an excellent performance by Gary Oldman - been disappointed, I re-watched the BBC TV series with Alec Guinness in the lead role. Superb stuff. And being a glutton for punishment, I have now re-watched 'Smiley's People'. [Aside: Why a glutton? Well, the film was over 2 hours, the first TV series was over 5 hours, and this one was just under 6 hours. That's a heck of a lot of George Smiley!]

Again, it's a complex tale which goes something like this... Smiley is called out of retirement yet again, this time because of his background knowledge of Soviet emigré activity. An elderly emigré ex-General has been murdered on Hampstead Heath, leading Smiley to discover that an Soviet emigré woman resident in Paris has been used by the Russians to set up a fake identity for a young woman being treated in a Swiss private psychiatric clinic. And it just happens that this is the daughter of Smiley's old adversary, Karla, who has misused his authority to first smuggle her out of the country and then fund her treatment in the West. And Smiley uses this to blackmail Karla to defect. I've given you this limited detail (no, it's not a spoiler) so you can see how complex the story is and why it takes nearly 6 hours to tell and why a much shorter film (I understand that one is planned) will have to skip much of the backstory and detail. And the resulting film may again be another good yet ultimately unsatisfying re-make :(

Because of the increased complexity of the story, 'Smiley's People' is not as straightforward as 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and requires even more concentration to follow the twists and turns of multiple characters, some of whom only appear in short scenes. But Alec Guinness as Smiley anchors the story together and makes an unlikely tale convincing. Without him it would be worth 3 stars, with him it's worth 4/5 stars. Recommended.

Disturbing, unsettling, haunting, creepy, harrowing, superbly acted yet ultimately manipulative. I guess that describes both the destructive character of Kevin – and perhaps also the film. The story is told through the eyes of Kevin's mother, Eva Khatchadourian (superbly played by Tilda Swinton), formerly a successful travel writer but who can only find clerical work in a travel agency. Eva is hated and shunned by the community and it is clear that some terrible event has occurred. The grim story unfolds through flashbacks from before and after 'the incident'. Kevin's conception and birth has echoes of 'Rosemary's Baby' and Eva is ambivalent towards him, doesn't hold him close, doesn't bond with him, perhaps doesn't love him; in turn Kevin is rebellious and spiteful, even from a very early age. Is it nature or nurture? The only time he becomes animated is when read the story of Robin Hood, after which he becomes obsessed with archery... He sees his baby sister as a rival and treats her cruelly. Kevin is not your average nice boy. The film ends with Eva visiting Kevin in prison, ending on a nicely ambiguous note. This really is a superb film and while it has won many awards it missed out on the majors, and in my opinion (and of Dr Mark Kermode!) was cruelly overlooked for the Oscar nominations. Highly recommended – 5/5 stars.

I was disappointed by the 2011 film with Gary Oldman as George Smiley, and re-watched this BBC TV series with Alec Guinness in the lead role just to make sure that I wasn't misremembering how good it was. No, I hadn't misremembered - it really is excellent. 'Atmospheric' doesn't begin to describe it: it draws the viewer in as the story unfolds, enveloping you in a strange world of spies and codenames, a world where British agents were recruited as Oxbridge undergraduates and seem never to have left the 1940s / 1950s. It is a story most definitely 'of its time', the time of the Cold War, Russia's dominance of Eastern Europe, upper class civil servants and public school educated agents who all speak with BBC accents. The length of the TV series at over 5 hours gives time for the characters to be developed and the complex tale to be told without cutting corners. Yes, it's slow moving - but gripping. Alec Guinness made the role of George Smiley his own and (despite others playing the character over the years), whenever I think of Smiley I see Alec Guinness. Superb stuff, highly recommended - 5/5 stars.

'Klute' is John Klute (played by Donald Sutherland), a cop acting as a private investigator, hunting for a missing Pennsylvania businessman who has disappeared leaving clues implicating a New York call girl, Bree Daniels (played by Jane Fonda). Klute strikes up a relationship, investigates a series of deaths and identifies the killer. Straightforward stuff you might say, but what makes this film unusual is its subject matter. 40+ years ago films dealing with a prostitute as the leading female character were few and far between, and Jane Fonda won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress. The film looks a little dated now, but is most definitely 'of its time' and gives a snapshot picture of 1970s life – typewriters, ringing telephones, 1970s hairstyles, fashions and dance styles etc. Highly recommended – 4/5 stars. [Aside: A Region 2 copy of 'Klute' on DVD can be moderately difficult to get hold of – my copy is a Spanish import. Although this is a genuine copy, the quality of the transfer to DVD is not high. But this could be explained by the film being over 40 years old...]

Regrettably, this is a film which suffers badly in comparison to the 1979 BBC TV production. Having enjoyed the book and the TV series I was looking forward to the film, particularly after its glowing reviews from the critics. Well, I was disappointed. Knowing the material I wasn't expecting an action/adventure tale, but what is a complex tale has been so condensed as to make the story not only slow moving but incomprehensible unless you have read the book. Despite excellent acting, the missing back story makes the plot hard to follow.

Before writing this review I re-watched the BBC TV series with Alec Guinness in the lead role just to make sure that I wasn't misremembering how good it was. Yes, that one is slow moving too, but it is so atmospheric that it draws the viewer in to see how the story unfolds – and it makes Gary Oldman look out of place as George Smiley, a role which (despite others playing the character over the years) Alec Guinness made his own.

The TV series also has the luxury of being over 5 hours long, giving plenty of time to set out the complex story, the complex characters and the complex background. The film is also long at over 2 hours – and it feels it, whereas the TV series becomes all-enveloping and the viewer becomes immersed in the story.

Sorry, but I can only give this one 3/5 stars – and if it hadn't been for Gary Oldman's performance it would have been 2/5.

The story goes like this: couple set out for a romantic camping weekend, fall foul of a group of feral youths, and come off second best. Frankly, it's very predictable stuff – but it is well photographed...

Is it a thriller? Or a horror film? Or a psychological drama? A social commentary perhaps? Or just an exploitation film? I suppose it's all of those – and because neither the film-makers nor audience know what it's trying to say, in my opinion it misses most of the targets. It's not a horror film – there are no shocks, just a few nasty bits. It's not a thriller – what will happen is just so obvious. There is a degree of social commentary in that the youths who torment the unlucky couple are themselves the product of poor parenting – but frankly, this part of the film is not well done and makes for an unsatisfying ending. Not good enough to rate any better than 2/5 stars :(

OK, so it's a dated, cheesy Arnie vehicle from 25 years ago – but I like it. Not only does it fall into the 'so bad it's good' category, but it has a number of really quirky things about it. For a start, the director is Paul Michael Glaser, perhaps best known for playing the character Starsky in the 1970s TV series 'Starsky and Hutch'. And Mick Fleetwood, drummer and founder member of Fleetwood Mac plays 'Mic' the leader of the resistance. And there's more: Frank Zappa's son Dweezil (???!!!) has a part as 'Stevie', a member of the resistance. And a leading member of Fleetwood Mac is another Stevie, Stevie Nicks. Coincidence? I don't think so...

As far as the film goes, it's yet another Arnie sci-fi vehicle, full of running, mayhem, and assorted violent acts which result in the death of just about everyone but Arnie. He plays Ben Richards, aka 'The Butcher of Bakersfield', who was framed for his role in the Bakersfield massacre. He gets the chance to earn his freedom by taking part in a TV show, a sort of futuristic and deadly 'Gladiators'. The TV show is (of course) rigged, but Arnie (of course) outwits his pursuers, kills them (of course), and (of course) returns to fulfil his promise of 'I'll be back' - you get the picture. It's worth 2/5 stars but I'll give it 3/5 stars - because I did kind of enjoy it :)

Not sure what genre this film falls into: it's a sort of cross between a sexual / psychological / terrorist / thriller story. It's a tale of two halves. In the first half, the story goes like this: during the Troubles in N Ireland, a British soldier in civvies (Jody, played by Forest Whitaker managing a half decent Brit accent) is picked up at a fairground and lured away by a blonde girl (Jude, played by Miranda Richardson). He is kidnapped by the IRA and held hostage, guarded by Fergus (very well played by Stephen Rea) who strike up a sort of friendship. Jody knows he will be killed and asks Fergus to 'look after' his girlfriend Dil (well played by Jaye Davidson), at home in London. The IRA's demands are not met and Fergus is assigned to execute Jody. In the second half, Fergus has travelled to England to escape his IRA ex-colleagues and is working on a building site under the name of Jimmy. He looks up Jody's girl Dil and falls for her, but all is not what it seems. And at the end, the IRA come looking for Fergus/Jimmy to get him to do one last job...

The film won an Oscar for Best Screenplay and was nominated for several other awards. The character of Jimmy/Fergus is key to the film, and apart from the excellent screenplay (written by director Neil Jordan) it is the acting of Stephen Rea which is central to the film's success. I enjoyed it, but it's not a film to watch with your granny :) Recommended – 4/5 stars.

It is the year 1327 and Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) accompanied by novice monk Adso of Melk (a very young Christian Slater) arrive at a remote abbey to attend an ecclesiastical debate between Dominican and Franciscan monks as to whether the Church should abandon all wealth. So far, so dull... But William of Baskerville is a bit of a medieval Sherlock Holmes and is able to solve the mystery of a recent death – but there are further deaths, and the monks fear some demonic cause while William looks for a more down-to-earth explanation. The monks call in an Inquisitor who soon finds three suspects and pronounces them guilty. But William is investigating an entirely different track and discovers that all of the victims have died of poisoning after reading a rare and forbidden book hidden in the Escher-like labyrinth of the Abbey library. It sounds complex - and it is - but it is an immensely satisfying film, with an excellent story (much simplified from Umberto Eco's novel), excellent acting, an excellent portrayal of medieval life and the class distinction between rich and poor, some nice gory bits and even a surprisingly explicit sex scene. The atmosphere is dark and intense, the locations, costumes and photography really well done. Great stuff. This is one of my favourite films, and certainly my favourite Sean Connery film. 5/5 stars – highly recommended.

My son – who is interested in martial arts – asked me to rent this for him after its UK release in early 2012. We have both watched it, and our verdict is the same: it's awful. I have since learned that it is a shortened and edited version of a 2008 50-episode (!) Chinese TV series. Sorry, but this is just low budget trash. Its only slightly redeeming feature is that the lead actor does look somewhat like Bruce Lee. 1/5 stars – avoid this boring tripe.

Sergio Leone's follow-up film to 'A Fistful Of Dollars' again stars Clint Eastwood as 'The Man With No Name' – but actually, he does have a name. In the first film he was called Joe (at least by the undertaker / coffin maker) and here he's called Manco (= Spanish for 'one armed' or something) – watch as he does everything left-handed, except shoot. But that's just trivia... The film is a superb example of the spaghetti Western, plenty of taut action and tongue-in-cheek dialogue, knockabout violence and a high body count. The film deserves its high IMDB rating – it's currently (March 2012) at #117 in the Top 250. This is my 3rd favourite Western after 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' and ' Once Upon a Time In The West', both of them epic tales and also directed by Sergio Leone. And among my other favourites I'll add in 'High Plains Drifter' and 'Unforgiven' both directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Spot a pattern here? After growing up watching black-and-white TV shows of Westerns and (cowboys and Indians, US cavalry, hard done by widows ranching alone etc) and black-and-white films at the Saturday morning pictures (same subjects plus the Lone Ranger) the spaghetti Western came as a bit of a culture shock after years of seeing John Ford films starring John Wayne. I'm pretty sure that the West was never quite like this, but it makes a darn good tale :) Highly recommended – 5/5 stars.

Way back in 1960 it was common knowledge that 'The Magnificent Seven' was a remake of famed Japanese director's Akira Kurosawa's film 'Seven Samurai' – and that was all I knew. I'd never seen the original nor knew of any other of Kurosawa's films. And in 1967 when I first saw 'A Fistful Of Dollars' I appreciated it for what I saw on the screen – a taut, violent Western with a lone, laconic stranger (Clint Eastwood) arriving in a Mexican border town dominated by two feuding families, the Rojos and the Baxters, whose businesses are liquor and guns respectively. Stranger plays both families off against each other. Plenty of shooting, killing, fisticuffs and general mayhem ensues. Stranger leaves town. Err – that's about it. The film is short at 97 min, the storyline compact, the landscape suitably barren, the score unforgettable, the characters divided into goodies and baddies. Superb stuff – I liked it then and I still do, and it hasn't dated (but I guess that nowadays it would show bullet wounds and more blood).

But I didn't know that it was essentially a remake of Kurosawa's 1961 film 'Rojimbo' where a lone samurai comes to town and plays two sides against each other. And it was a lawsuit about this unauthorised remake that delayed the release of 'A Fistful Of Dollars' from 1961 when it was made until its wider release in 1967.

But I'm a little more versed in cinema now and have seen all (?) of the better known Kurosawa films and appreciate him as a great director. But don't let that take anything away from Sergio Leone, the master of the spaghetti western. 4/5 stars – highly recommended.