Film Reviews by GI

Red Dawn is a typical John Milius film, the law of the gun with heroic American underdogs overcoming greater and more evil odds. It's been cited as a 'right wing' film if you want to put a political angle onto it and Milius is certainly in favour of violence as a justified means of moral redemption but really this boils the film down to an action war film that certainly entertains but really lacks any real depth even with the addition of the Cuban former revolutionary turned soldier character who has a rather soppy role as the moral moment of tender mercy as if he's embraced the American Dream. The story certainly has promise and the opening information of the collapse of political structures in Europe leaving the USA in isolation mode (again!!) lends itself to an epic story of a dystopian future but basically here it leads to an invasion of America by a joint Russian/Cuban & others force. In a small Colorado town the oppressive invaders gain an early foothold and ruthlessly establish control. But a small band of high school students have fled into the nearby mountains where they evolve into an effective guerrilla force. This cues plenty of warlike set pieces that are well executed but none of the characters are well developed and these young people are just violent warriors intent on killing and they do a lot of it and often in a cold blooded fashion too. The whole thing is quite implausible simply because it relies on action only and even the presence of solid American stalwarts like Ben Johnson, Roy Jenson and Harry Dean Stanton do little other than solidify the flag waving aspects of the narrative which is emphasised by the film's coda. Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen are obviously enjoying the moment as the two main fighters aided by Jennifer Grey amongst others and even the big baddie played by William Smith is never really allowed to get to grips with his job of snuffing out these annoying brats. The 2012 remake added little to this but if you like a straight forward action shoot em up this one and that one does the trick.

There seems to be a plethora of demonic possession films around all of which have the same visual tropes that include gloomy rooms, spine cracking contortions, gruff voices and nuns! This one offers nothing new although it's all presented very well but it simply lacks any excitement or scares and follows a routine storyline that is fairly predictable. A nun (Jacqueline Byers) feels the pull to train as an exorcist despite it being a men only club. She persists and is allowed after her apparent connection to a suspected to be possessed child. It all appears that the 'demon' in question has an issue with the nun going way back so it's a battle of wits between them. Some of the special effects are well done but as I say they are nothing new so the film simply plays out its story and runtime with little to recommend it.

The fourth film in this enduring franchise is the first really great Mission Impossible film. The whole thing is a full on hi-octane action thriller with some fantastic set piece action sequences, a great story and many homages to the original TV series. The opening and the incorporation of the trademark lit fuse into the action sets the tone for the entire film which is a thrill ride from start to finish. A new cast too that includes Jeremy Renner as a new addition to the team, Paula Patton as Carter ( a distinct nod to the TV series which had a female agent called Carter) and Simon Pegg returns as Benji but in an enhanced capacity lending some well written humour into the plot. Ving Rhames only has a small cameo after being a main player in the first three films. Tom Cruise continues as Ethan Hunt who has to be sprung from a Russian jail before he can be given his new mission to recover nuclear weapon launch codes from a dangerous terrorist. The story is truly Bondian as it moves from Russia to Dubai to India and there's a fantastic stunt on a very tall skyscraper. This is first class entertainment and all you could want from an action film. In short it's great stuff.

As you would probably expect from Guillermo del Toro this is a dark version of the famous tale and with very detailed, indeed at times impressive, stop motion animation. I must say I was sceptical that this would work in that telling the story of a wooden boy utilising a filming method that sort of makes all the characters look wooden but it works very well. The story has been moved into 1930s fascist Italy and is narrated by a cricket, Sebastian (voiced by Ewan McGregor). A gentle carpenter is grieving for his son killed in an air raid during the First World War and makes a gangly puppet in a drunken moment of sadness. That night a kindly wood sprite (voiced by Tilda Swinton) gives it life and names it Pinocchio. And off he goes on a journey of discovery encountering the inevitable selfish and nastiness of people before reuniting with his 'father' and learning how to be a real boy. The story differs from the famous Disney version (a surprisingly dark and strange film) and it's quite sombre and at times thought provoking with its themes around grief, childhood, parental control and political ideals. An interesting version that might be a treat for anyone unfamiliar with the story and the cast are good and includes Ron Perlman, Christoph Waltz and Cate Blanchett (as a monkey!).

Coming after The Bourne Identity and in the same year as Casino Royale it is no wonder that this third instalment is grittier, faster and much more hardcore action in the hands of director J.J. Abrams in his first feature film. It certainly set what was yet to come in the later additions to the franchise. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt now a trainer in the IMF and happily engaged to Julia (Michelle Monaghan) but he goes back on operations to rescue his protegé captured by evil arms dealer Owen Davian played with gusto by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The plot becomes a battle of wits between the two and with some excellent action set pieces with great car chases there remains big hints of the TV Mission Impossible legacy again utilising the masks and managing to break into impregnable buildings including the Vatican. Cruise gets to do lots of heroic stunts and with a cast rounded out with Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup and the first appearance of Simon Pegg as Benji, as well as a returning Ving Rhames this is a highly entertaining action thriller.

In the hands of action director John Woo this belated sequel is a much more hi-octane shooting and chasing film and much of the espionage roots that the first film used are lost. The familiar use of masks (from the TV series and used in the first film) are key to the plot here but this is really Woo's attempt at getting as close to a James Bond film as he possibly can and there are many similarities to the Pierce Brosnan series. Somehow this is often cited as the least favourite in the MI franchise by many and I can see why. Woo's over stylised use of slow motion in the fight and action scenes is just too much and there is much too much gung-ho shoot 'em up stuff when Mission Impossible is supposed to be about covert espionage and surprise plot twists. Here Tom Cruise is still a covert agent working for the IMF branch of the CIA. He is given a mission to find a lethal virus that has been manufactured along with an antidote. It's to be found in Australia and a psycho former IMF agent Sean (Dougray Scott) is also after it. Cruise recruits Sean's former lover Nyah (Thandie Newton) to help and soon a very unprofessional relationship begins. So we have a romance chucked in for good measure. Ving Rhames returns as the computer wizard and Anthony Hopkins has a great cameo. As action thrillers go this is actually very entertaining and it's worth re-evaluating if you've not seen it in awhile. It's definitely not as good as other films in this series but equally it's not as bad as you might remember.

A well meaning drama that is all just a little too neat and risk free to make it really good despite the first class performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry. We get a good glimpse at the Lawrence who shot to acclaim in Winter's Bone (2010) here in this sincere film about a mentally and physically wounded soldier trying to recuperate. Lawrence is Lynsey who was involved in an IED attack in Afghanistan and the film begins with her recovery with the help of a nurse but her recovery is rushed through the narrative until we get Lynsey back at home having to reignite a relationship with her rather insensitive mother (Linda Emond) and where old family traumas prove just as hard to overcome as her battle injuries. Her journey to happiness comes from her relationship with a sensitive local mechanic played by Henry. Both are excellent but the narrative is all a bit light and over sentimental making for an unrewarding film. It's all a bit risk free and whilst it's worth checking out it lacks the actual drama that is always hinted at.

A plainly bland and dull title gives way to a reasonably entertaining if fairly routine action thriller. Gerard Butler does another action hero job here as an airline pilot (with a history of a bit of justified violence) who is forced to emergency land his aircraft after it's struck by lightening. Finding themselves on a jungle island near to the Philippines and without communication means a long wait by the passengers and crew for rescue but unfortunately the island is occupied by nasty rebels who are only too eager for foreign hostages. Luckily for the hero he has help from a murderer who was on board being escorted by the FBI back home for his trial and sets out to foil the baddies with some traditional violence. Thereafter it's all Die Hardish action with plenty of shooting and the whole thing is wrapped up in a decent runtime making for a gutsy action film that keeps you watching even though it's all been done before somewhere else.

Whilst this spy thriller stretches implausibility to the extreme limits it is very entertaining. Based on the popular 60s TV series it is heavily influenced by the early Bond films and filled a gap that wasn't satisfyingly filled until The Bourne Identity (2002) and when the Bond franchise rebooted in 2006 with Casino Royale. The only character to cross over from the TV series to this film is Jim Phelps, here played by Jon Voight, who leads a covert intelligence team of young agents from a top secret branch of the CIA. One of his team is Ethan (Tom Cruise) who ends up being the only survivor when a mission in Prague goes wrong. Suspected of being a traitor Ethan has to go on the run and come up with a plan to prove his innocence. The scene is then set for great set piece action including a break in at CIA HQ, some very clever plot twists (some of which seriously upset fans of the TV series) and a 007 style ending. Cruise proves his action hero credentials here in a film that is aimed at a wide audience although there is some brutality. The gritty realism will come later in what has now emerged as a highly popular franchise. Great support cast includes Ving Rhames, Jean Reno, Kristin Scott Thomas and an uncredited Emilio Estevez. If you've seen all the series then this, the first, still stands up well and slightly apart from the rest of the films.

With it's slight European feel and a look very much of the Hammer Horror style this horror (with sci-fi) has become a bit of a cult favourite although I suspect that's more a nostalgic issue with people who flocked to see it back on its first release when it was the go-to late night film at many cinemas. It had benefitted from a big TV advertising campaign which focused on the infamous flying sphere sequence and drew audiences in and that sequence still garners excitement from some even today. The film is a sort of one man band effort with director Don Coscarelli writing, producing, directing and editing and it shows because it's really a poorly written and very clunky film that makes little sense and has some clumsy continuity errors. The narrative is influenced around the Hammer like vampire and zombie films with lots of coffins, shadows and strange things glimpsed every so often and there's even a pair of boobs for good measure. The story is simple and daft. A young boy (Michael Baldwin), mourning his recently deceased parents, becomes suspicious about the funeral home that is in a big country house and overseen by weird 'Tall Man' (Angus Scrimm). The boy and his elder brother investigate and discover the whole thing is a cover for aliens who reanimate human corpses into murderous dwarfs and send them back to their home planet for use as slave labour. None of it is presented in any remotely believable way and the presentation is about effect over good story telling. The final ending still rankles with many! Viewed today it's a cheap B movie horror more laughable than scary and if you've never seen it then don't expect too much.

A relationship drama centred around the appalling duplicity of a narcissistic man. It's essentially a love triangle narrative with a mercurial young film director Tomas (Franz Rogowski) married to artist Martin (Ben Whishaw) who begins a passionate affair with Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Tomas is a selfish, self absorbed young man who can't make up his mind which relationship to commit to and causes an emotional avalanche between the three of them. There's a lot of sex in this film although it's presented sensitively and in keeping with the story. The frustration here is that whilst this is a study of modern relationships the three main characters are either awful (Tomas) or naïve in the extreme and unable to fathom what fools they are in being gaslighted by Tomas. It's superbly acted and Exarchopoulos is especially good here. Ultimately though the film didn't really grab me although it is on occasion very funny.

Basically a heist movie and the first in the series I found entertaining. It's a full on action film with a decent plot and while it's an occasionally clunky script and all very 'Grand Theft Auto' it holds the attention nicely. The old frenemies of Dom (Vin Diesel) and ex-cop Brian (Paul Walker) are now on the run and hiding out in Brazil. Brian and Dom's sister, Mia (Jordan Brewster) are a loved upon couple now but they need cash and so get involved in some daredevil action, cross the big bad mob boss and decide to steal his fortune. To add to their troubles we have the addition of Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) as a DEA agent on their tail. We get a full on scrap between Diesel and Johnson and of course they have to join up to take down the big nasty but leave their issues for another film. There's less of the lingering close ups of female bottoms and only one real car race as this instalment moves into a Mission Impossible style although without the cleverness and characters of that series. Entertaining but simple.

Whilst there are several plot holes this is one of Steven Spielberg's best science fiction films. Based on a Philip K. Dick short story and set in 2054 it gives an interesting vision of the near future where genetic experimentation has resulted in the birth of three gifted humans who can see murders before they happen. A police unit led by Tom Cruise is able to arrest the murderer before they commit the crime. But when he is predicted to be the next killer of a man he doesn't know he has to go on the run and try and unravel the mystery behind this future event. Spielberg presents the film with a bleached look which adds to the bleak vision of the future where commercialism dominates daily life with retina scanning and people still live in over-populated projects controlled by a very powerful police force. There's plenty of action including some great chase sequences and for the most part Spielberg avoids his tendency towards over sentimentality. Colin Farrell excels as a cop who is out to discredit the system and the great Max Von Sydow is the man who invented it. There's some fantastic details to be enjoyed and this is a great story however implausible it all sounds. Well worth checking out if you've never seen it.

The Coen Brothers subversive gangster film is a real treat. Utilising clichéd gangster speech as if laughing at old Hollywood gangster films that featured Paul Muni, George Raft, James Cagney etc but bringing a convoluted, twist and turn plot and cartoon style violence intermixed with gruesome reality this is a film that defies expectations and makes the gangster genre fresh and exciting. Indeed it could be argued there's almost a Fordian style to the film. Set in the Prohibition era it has Gabriel Byrne as Tom, the chief adviser to top mobster Leo (Albert Finney). But rising gangster Caspar (a hilarious Jon Polito) has ambitions and when Leo refuses permission for him to kill Bernie (John Turturro) Tom senses Leo has made a mistake and that their downfall may result. From then the film becomes a cat and mouse game of changing sides and loyalties. It's tremendous fun and has a great script and some beautiful cinematography. This is one of the Coen Brothers great tributes to classical Hollywood and a unique film in it's own right. Simply fantastic this is a film to enjoy time and time again.

This is a routine French police procedural that starts superbly but fizzles out to a most disappointing ending. In 2016 a young girl on her way home is brutally murdered and a top investigative team is drafted in to save the crime. hey soon discover the girl was promiscuous and several 'boyfriends' surface as suspects. meanwhile some of the police team have their own relationship issues to deal with. I won't give away the ending over than to say the investigation drags on and you'll be very disappointed. A shame really as this had potential.