Film Reviews by RP

I first saw the film 'Oldboy' from Korean director Park Chan-wook back in 2004, I think. But it was only a couple of months ago that I learned that it was part of a trilogy (the so-called 'Vengeance Trilogy'). The first part is 'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance' and the final part 'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' (aka just 'Lady Vengeance').

I've now watched the complete trilogy – and I'm very impressed. There is a clear development in directing style across the films, culminating in the very stylish (even artistic) 'Lady Vengeance'. And while the first two films are more straightforward, each tells its story in a complex fashion which unfolds slowly. The films can be watched standalone.

The storyline in 'Oldboy' is complex – until you have watched to the end and all is revealed. Suffice to say that the film title itself is revealing. As part of the 'Revenge Trilogy' the film is most definitely about revenge. The central character is a businessman Oh Dae-su who is held prisoner for 15 years and then suddenly released. As he attempts to find and seek revenge, it becomes clear that it is he who is the target for revenge by someone he wronged in the past. And that revenge on Dae-Su is terrible, from his imprisonment, the killing of his wife, and the events which befall his daughter. The film is both violent and emotional – and has a nice, confusing, ambiguous ending. Like it or loathe it, it's a film you won't forget. 4/5 stars – highly recommended.

I first saw the film 'Oldboy' from Korean director Park Chan-wook back in 2004, I think. But it was only a couple of months ago that I learned that it was part of a trilogy (the so-called 'Vengeance Trilogy'). The first part is 'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance' and the final part 'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' (aka just 'Lady Vengeance').

I've now watched the complete trilogy – and I'm very impressed. There is a clear development in directing style across the films, culminating in the very stylish (even artistic) 'Lady Vengeance'. And while the first two films are more straightforward, each tells its story in a complex fashion which unfolds slowly. The films can be watched standalone.

As in the other two films, the storyline in 'Lady Vengeance' is complex. The central character is Lee Geum-ja who has confessed to and been imprisoned for a crime she did not commit. While in prison, Geum-ja shows an angelic persona but when released seeks vengeance on the man responsible. Recruiting others, there is a collective act of revenge.

The film is visually stylish and directed in an accomplished manner, but I did not find it as satisfying as the two earlier films. And although the subject matter (child murder) is shocking, there is less of the violence or grisliness of its predecessors, which strangely is part of their attraction. Also I couldn't help but be reminded of 'The South Bank Show' as both the film and TV programme have similar theme music based on Paganini's '24th Caprice'.

I enjoyed 'Lady Vengeance', but perhaps it's a triumph of style over substance. 3/5 stars - watch it if you enjoyed 'Oldboy'.

I first saw the film 'Oldboy' from Korean director Park Chan-wook back in 2004, I think. But it was only a couple of months ago that I learned that it was part of a trilogy (the so-called 'Vengeance Trilogy'). The first part is 'Sympathy For Mr Vengeance' and the final part 'Sympathy For Lady Vengeance' (aka just 'Lady Vengeance').

I've now watched the complete trilogy – and I'm very impressed. There is a clear development in directing style across the films, culminating in the very stylish (even artistic) 'Lady Vengeance'. And while the first two films are more straightforward, each tells its story in a complex fashion which unfolds slowly. The films can be watched standalone.

The storyline in 'Mr Vengeance' is complex. The central character is Ryu, a deaf-mute (so not much dialogue there) who seeks revenge for his sister's death against nasty organ-dealers, and against the factory boss who sacked him. Following a disastrous kidnapping, the father of the young kidnapped girl seeks vengeance against Ryu. After the torture and death of Ryu's girlfriend, her anarchist/revolutionary friends seek revenge for her death. Confused? You will be – but that's part of the film's strange attraction. That and assorted bloodshed and grisly scenes, of course. While it's not as good as 'Oldboy' I enjoyed it. I rate 'Oldboy' as 4/5 stars – I'll give this one 3/5. Recommended - watch it if you enjoyed 'Oldboy'.

This won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010, it currently has a score of 8.2 on IMDB and is critically acclaimed. Perhaps I was expecting too much – because I was a little disappointed.

The film tells two stories: a story of unrequited love between court investigator Benjamin Esposito (played by Ricardo Darin) and his boss Irene Hastings (played by Soledad Villamil), and also Esposito's hunt for a solution to a rape and murder case.

The film is told in flashback. Now retired, Esposito decides to write a novel about the case that has troubled him for 25 years. Denied justice at the time by departmental political pressures, threatened by the killer, having his colleague murdered in his stead, Esposito has good reason to be troubled. He writes his novel, tracks down the husband of the murdered woman – and discovers the revenge he has taken. And at the end Benjamin and Irene get together at last. Hmmm....

I've not seen much (any?) Argentinean cinema before and not speaking Spanish I can well believe that I missed some of the subtlety of the dialogue. There are some good bits – the identification and chase of the chief suspect in the football stadium was well done, the meaningful glances are well done, the hints of corruption and violence in 1970s Argentina are well handled.

I didn't dislike it – it just didn't seem as strong a film as others have found it. I'll give it 3/5 stars.

Javier Bardem gives a superb performance as Uxbal, who makes a living on the fringes of the shady underworld of Barcelona. First running a gang of street sellers (largely illegal immigrants from Senegal), peddling fake designer handbags knocked up by sweated illegal Chinese immigrants, then later selling the same cheap illegal Chinese labour to a construction company. But Uxbal learns he is dying of cancer and this colours his whole outlook on life – he attempts a reconciliation with his wife, he tries to leave a lasting legacy and memory to his children (again, superbly well played), and in one horrifying incident tries to improve the squalid conditions of the Chinese illegals. Even if you don't usually go for subtitled foreign films, let alone films with a gloomy outlook, give this one a try. 5/5 stars – one of the best films I've seen in the last year. Highly recommended.

What a very silly film with an unbelievable plot: the diabetic wife of teacher Russell Crowe is jailed for a crime she did not commit. Her appeal fails. Hero Crowe decides to organise her escape from jail and succeeds after selling his house, learning to use a bump key to open locked doors, learning to open car door locks with a tennis ball, being mugged when attempting to buy fake passports, robbing a drug dealer at gunpoint and rescuing his son from a zoo party. Russell Crowe plays Russell Crowe in a disappointingly silly film. You should also be aware that this is a remake of the (better) 2008 French film 'Anything For Her'. I rate this Russell Crowe vehicle at 2/5 stars - and for the record, I rated the French original at 3/5 stars.

This film is #26 on the 'Time Out' list of 100 best British films, and it thoroughly deserves its high ranking.

The dialogue is sharp and witty, the black and white cinematography excellent. Even the special effects are good, given the age of the film. A superbly written and directed film, as one would expect from Powell and Pressburger.

The central character (played by Wendy Hiller) is thrown off her pre-planned course of marrying a millionaire when she is held up by a storm which delays her imminent wedding. Spending time with down to earth Scottish islanders, she falls for a man (played by Roger Livesey) whom she initially thinks is a sailor - but who turns out be the local laird. And of course, romance triumphs over materialism.

A film for a romantic evening in. 4/5 stars. Highly recommended.

A short, brilliant film by Bill Forsyth that tells the story of teenage angst in a Scottish new town.

Gregory is a gangling, awkward young man who is besotted by Dorothy, who outclasses all the boys in the school football team. Gregory and his friends yearn for their first encounter with the opposite sex, but are so awkward that they really don't know how – perhaps a situation we've all been in? It is of course the girls who set the ball rolling, and Gregory has a series of encounters which culminate in kisses with Susan. Perhaps he was not so infatuated with Dorothy as he at first thought...

I first saw this film some 30 years ago and it still holds its charm - and humour - today. Yes, the haircuts and clothes may be dated and perhaps the age of teenage innocence has passed, but the awkwardness of our teens persists. 5/5 stars. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this slight but very well made, well told, well observed film.

It tells the tale of 16-going-on-17 year old schoolgirl Jenny (superbly played by Carey Mulligan), busy studying for her 'A' levels before going (her father hopes) to Oxford, who meets an older man. He seduces both her and her parents, who trust him all too readily. Jenny drops out of school, but is (of course) let down by her new-found love, who while outwardly charming turns out to be (of course) an unpleasant character and (of course) a love-rat. By now older and wiser, Jenny re-takes her exams, enters Oxford, and lives to tell the tale.

The period backgrounds (suburban life, London on the cusp of the swinging 60s, Rachmanism, racial prejudice) are well observed, the script by Nick Hornby is excellent, and the acting suitably knowing. 5/5 stars. Highly recommended.

A Guy Ritchie film that I missed in the cinema – and perhaps with good reason...

Although set in the US, the central character is played by Jason Statham (amazingly, with hair!) and several other roles are filled with the usual Ritchie mockney accents. The central baddie is played by Ray Liotta as the ludicrously named casino owner Dorothy (!!) Macha.

Confused? You will be as Jason Staham narrates a series of pseudo-intellectual platitudes, and succeeds in conning himself.

Opinion is sharply divided about this film: you will either love it or hate it. I can't really recommend it, but I guess it's worth a couple of stars. I've seen worse.

Like I suspect many others, I had heard great things about this film. Well, they turned out to be right – I found it gripping.

The film is quite slow moving and wordy – but the slow pace is interspersed with moments of intense and disturbing action. There is plenty of sexual violence – not a film to watch with your mother. But the episodes of on-screen violence are not out of place – the story itself tells a tale of violence.

There are two interwoven stories. One is the story of a deeply disturbed young woman (Lisbeth Salander = 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', played by Noomi Rapace) who has a past history of detention in a mental hospital for reasons which are only hinted at. This character is violently raped by her court-appointed 'guardian', against whom she takes violent revenge. The second story is that of the investigation of a series of murders within a wealthy and secretive family with Nazi connections. The head of the family hires investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (played by Michael Nyqvist) to solve a family disappearance. The lives of the two main characters become intertwined, and together they uncover the serial killings and eventually uncover the killer and solve the riddle of the disappearance.

This is a disturbing and yet enjoyable film. It is not an easy film to watch and requires concentration to follow – but it deserves the praise that has been heaped on it. Highly recommended – now I must watch the two further films in the trilogy, and read the books :)

After seeing – and enjoying - the first of the films in this trilogy ('The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo') I've now seen this film, the second, and also the final film ('The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest'). My first comment is that they really must be seen in order or else you won't be able to follow the story – essentially, they are one very long single film. My second comment is that I enjoyed them so much that I have ordered the books on which they are based.

In the first film the story of the disturbing events which shaped the main character ('The Girl', Lisbeth Salander, played by Noomi Rapace) was in the background. In this second film, set perhaps a year later, there are again two intertwined stories but now the events in Lisbeth's life are very much the central story.

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (played by Michael Nyqvist) works for an investigative magazine, Millennium. The magazine hires two new young staff to work on an expose of sex trafficking and under-age prostitution. Their investigation uncovers the involvement of a Soviet defector and threatens to expose the activities of some powerful men. The two staff and Lisbeth's rapist 'guardian' are killed, her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon and she is sought by the police.

A complex interwoven story now unfolds slowly (perhaps too slowly if you're looking for an action film...) and is wordy and requires concentration to follow. There is an (unnecessary?) lesbian sex scene, but less sexual violence than the first film. Persevere, and you will be rewarded by a fascinating and complex tale with a surprising – and bloody – ending. Highly recommended.

A film about a hangman? Now that sounds just right for a happy night at home... As you might expect, it isn't exactly cheerful but with excellent actors including Timothy Spall (as Albert Pierrepoint), Juliet Stephenson (his wife) and Eddie Marsan (his friend) the story is well told. The film was originally made by Granada and screened on ITV before its cinema release, so it is essentially a low budget film – but very well done. The story goes like this: starting in 1932 and resigning in 1956, Albert Pierrepoint followed his father and uncle into the family 'trade': a hangman. This was just a part-time job - he was a delivery man for a grocer and later a publican as his main occupation. He started as an 'assistant' hangman then as 'chief' from 1941 onwards. He was the executioner for the Nazi war criminals following the Belsen trial, and carried out some 200 executions in Germany which brought his grim total up to more than 450 - although the credits for the film claim 608. The film shows how his professional approach to his duties and his detached approach began to break down as the number of executions mounted and became more personal when he executed someone he knew (his friend 'Tish', played by the always excellent Eddie Marsan), and he eventually became opposed to capital punishment. Clearly the film is a drama but it is based on real events (the credits say 'inspired by'); despite the subject matter I found the film moving and although there no grisly scenes on-screen I also found it quite shocking. It is quite slow moving and this adds to the seriousness of the subject. I enjoyed it - can one 'enjoy' a film about a hangman? But you know what I mean. 4/5 stars Highly recommended.

A classic of 1980s action films. While the ever-lengthening chain of sequels became more and more disappointing, this - the first and best – is really quite good. Yes, we know it's all rather far fetched, but Alan Rickman makes a wonderful villain and Bruce Willis (still with hair) does a good job as a tough but lone cop fighting against the odds. When the action begins it is non-stop – right to the last minute, which in an 'action' film is exactly as it should be: no soppy romantic interludes, no lengthy speeches, no wasted time. The goodies are good, the baddies are bad, everyone knows their place. The director, John McTiernan, had previously directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in 'Predator', but this is no muscle-bound 'Arnie' film – the central cop character, while physically fit, is no superman. The film is a little dated after close to 25 years but holds up well. If I have a reservation it isn't about the violence that is portrayed but that there is a little too much f-ing and blinding for my taste. 4/5 stars – highly recommended. It's a great film.

After seeing – and enjoying - the first two films in the trilogy ('The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' and 'The Girl Who Played With Fire') I've now seen this film, the last of the three. My first comment is that they really must be seen in order or else you won't be able to follow the story – essentially, they are one very long single film. My second comment is that I enjoyed them so much that I have ordered the books on which they are based.

The film ties up the loose ends from 'The Girl Who Played With Fire'. It shows Lisbeth Salander ('The Girl', played by Noomi Rapace) arrested for three murders, but recovering in hospital from her ordeal at the end of the previous film. While it is complex, it provides a satisfying ending to the trilogy as her abusive father and assorted other baddies reach a suitably sticky end, including the psychiatrist who held her captive and abused her in a mental hospital at the age of 12.

It is the acting of Noomi Rapace that makes the film 'work', and work well. The film is wordy and slow moving with intermittent violent episodes. But persevere, and you will be rewarded by a fascinating and complex tale. Highly recommended.