Film Reviews by GI

A riveting political crime thriller based on the best selling novel by Frederick Forsyth. Filmed with a documentary style realism this is a tense, almost nail biting drama that has now, rightly, been hailed as one of the best British films of the 1970s. Casting the then unknown Edward Fox as the lead was a risk which affected the initial box office but over the years this has become recognised as a first rate thriller and definitely one of those films everyone should try and see at least once. Set in the early 1960s and just after the French president, Charles DeGaulle, gave the African country Algeria its independence. This led to the formation of a terrorist organisation, the OAS, formed by disaffected members of the French army who felt betrayed after so many French soldiers died in fighting in Algeria. All this is based on facts. The film begins with the OAS attempting to assassinate DeGaulle and having failed they recruit an enigmatic and very clever English hitman to kill him. Codenamed The Jackal (Fox) he plans the assassination in complete secrecy but a leak reveals his existence which starts a manhunt led by top detective Lebel (Michael Lonsdale). The hunt for this man forms the centre of the story and The Jackal seems always to be one step ahead. It's a gripping and interesting story and omits the clichés often found in films of this genre. There's no heroics or big set piece action scenes and Fox as the outwardly pleasant gentlemen is revealed as a very cold blooded killer. A superb film, brilliantly directed and beautifully paced to keep you watching right to the very last, key moment.

A fantastic, enjoyable apocalyptic disaster film where extreme weather events presage an ice age. Forget the science here because this is a piece of hokum but it's all done with panache and spectacular story telling making for a great survival adventure film. Dennis Quaid, a highly underrated American actor, plays climatologist Jack, who, whilst witnessing strange climate changes predicts that the Earth is about to undergo a major atmospheric climate shift. Of course all the politicians don't listen until massive tornados, huge hailstorms and tidal waves start happening. As the world begins to freeze over Jack and a couple of his compadres trek across the now frozen wastelands trying to reach his son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is trapped in New York with some of his student friends who have had adventures of their own trying to survive. There's some great CGI effects especially the various storm and weather events from the opening scenes of a huge break in an Antarctic ice shelf to the massive tornadoes devastating Los Angeles and the tidal wave that floods New York. Director Roland Emmerich has made a reputation for himself making these big budget effects film and this one just hits all the right notes especially with following various storylines from the students trapped in New York to Jack making his way to rescue them to a small group of scientists in Scotland trapped in their weather station (Ian Holm and Adrian Lester). If you've never seen this then I really recommend it, it's great fun, exciting and very well done.

A post-apocalyptic thriller that is a real gem. One of those films you occasionally come across that grabs you and keeps you watching throughout. Shot with a washed out palette, almost in black & white, to highlight a ravaged world and following a group of five young survivors as they make their way across the wilderness looking for food and trying to stay alive. With one of them feeling unwell they shelter for the night in a ramshackle old farmhouse but it's a trap! I don't want to give too much away here suffice to say this is a gutsy thrill ride of a film. The cause of the dying world is not revealed and in many ways it's similar to The Road (2009) and could even be set in the same time and events, but the environment seems to be eroding and so the film hints at a climate crisis. Food and water is scarce and the land holds big dangers. There are elements of Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) in the way this story unfolds and the relatively unknown cast are all excellent including Shawn Ashmore (recognisable from the X-Men films) and Dominic Monaghan (from Lord Of The Rings) and Ashley Bell is outstanding as one of the group with a dark secret. A superb film and one that is definitely worth seeking out, it's a great story, violent and tense and well as being something quite different and clever.

Highly entertaining action horror film and a general remake of an earlier 1978 film directed by horror meister George A. Romero. Here though Zack Snyder has made a contemporary graphic novel stylised film with some Hammer Horror touches. This is a zombie apocalypse story but not the traditional reanimated corpse type that shuffle around but a virus induced fully mobile type, these zombies race at their victims! This makes for a very adrenaline fuelled action film with some big bloody shocks to keep you on your toes. It's all great fun and very well done too. One day, without warning, a virus breaks out turning victims into cannabilistic zombies and one bite from an infected is enough. Ana (Sarah Polley), a nurse, just manages to escape being attacked by her infected husband and joins up with a small group of survivors including a cop (Ving Rhames). They barricade themselves inside the local shopping mall but, after the initial relief of finding safety, realise they have to form a plan to break out and find a better sanctuary. But they are surrounded by a horde of zombies. This is a story of survival and the real issues and themes come out in the struggles the survivors have with themselves as their individual loyalties, prejudices and selfish needs come to the fore. There's a great use of panoramic scenes, plenty of jump scares and a combination of tense, dark moments combined with full on gunplay. It's all tremendous fun and well worth checking out even if you don't normally like this sort of thing.

A somewhat tepid erotic psychological thriller that fails to ignite into anything other than a routine murder story with stock characters. This is a surprise considering director Adrian Lyne brought us such gritty and shock thrillers like Fatal Attraction (1987). The one saving grace here is Ana De Armas who delivers a performance that exudes the warmth of youth and beauty juxtaposed with the cold, selfish control of the femme fatale. This is a story of a poisoned relationship where Melinda (De Armas) is married to the much older and wealthy Vic (Ben Affleck). He allows her to have affairs with a stream of younger men on the promise she'll stay in the marriage. Her casual flings that she conducts almost as a challenge to Vic are the catalyst for his seething anger. His subtle boast to one of her paramours that he killed an earlier one sets him on a path of emotional rage. The question of whether he did or not is soon abandoned for a plain murder story. Can you see the issues here? The story is all too plain and obvious. The delectable trophy wife openly bonking and assuming the cuckold of a husband is going to accept the situation even though he says he will. It doesn't add up and the film becomes predictable and disappointing. Affleck's character just does a square jaw, mean look throughout the film which reflects the lacklustre script and direction of what could have been a very interesting marriage character study.

The final film in Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy is slightly overshadowed by the class of the previous film but it remains a great action adventure film that brings the stories from the two earlier films together and makes a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. The story picks up eight years after the conclusion of The Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has retreated into seclusion having taken the blame for the crimes of Harvey Dent. But when a very powerful criminal, Bane (Tom Hardy) takes over the city and holds it to ransom with a huge nuclear bomb Wayne has to return to his alter-ego and bring Batman back. Unfortunately he finds he's now broke and that Bane is no pushover. The regular cast - Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman - are back and new characters played by Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard amongst others enhance the story. And it is a great one too, from the opening set piece that rivals anything in a James Bond or Mission Impossible film to incredible action scenes scattered throughout. Hardy is superb as the powerhouse bad guy, hidden behind a mask that keeps him alive and with a very original accent. It's great stuff and makes the whole trilogy worthwhile viewing. Nolan's ability to make big budget, spectacular action cinema for grown ups that feel like intimate crime films is what makes these so special.

After the well received and very good Maleficent (2014) Disney has seen the potential for the origin stories of its iconic villains. DC Comics has cashed in on this and so it's probably fairly obvious that Disney would get round to Cruella de Vil eventually. There's much to admire here not least in Emma Stone's full on charismatic performance as the punk fuelled young orphan, Estella, living on the streets of London with two young thieves Jaspar (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser - doing a bit of a Dick Van Dyke with his accent). She dreams of becoming a major fashion designer just like The Baroness, played with gusto and cold evil by Emma Thompson channelling a bit of Meryl Streep from The Devil Wears Prada (2006). As things turn out the two characters have a history which fuels Estella's decision to create her alter-ego, Cruella. In short she has to out bad guy another bad guy. It's all very lavish and has its entertainment moments although many of the side characters have little to do including Mark Strong, although I suspect there's s sequel on the way which will bring some to the foreground. All very watchable but lacking a certain something.

A cheerfully silly comedy that is held together by Ryan Reynolds goofy charisma. A huge CGI extravaganza that is set inside a popular video game where an NPC (non player character) named 'Guy' (Reynolds) lives a routine life as a bank clerk and accepts the daily bank robberies and shoot outs that goes on around him. He gradually becomes self aware and realises what world he's trapped in and starts to affect and influence the game much to the consternation of the real world gamers and especially the game's evil corporate owner, Antwan, played brilliantly by Taika Waititi. The revelation that Guy is a program that has is the first evidence of artificial intelligence prompts game designer Millie (Jodie Comer) to enter the game as a character and with the help of Guy find the evidence that Antwan stole the computer codes from her and her partner. This cues plenty of comedy action and allows Reynolds to display his full screen talents. The whole thing is a riff on The Truman Show (1998), The Matrix (1999) and a host of other films and there's a heavy splattering of in-jokes that you'll have fun spotting as well as some funny cameos some of which are the character voices. I found myself enjoying this despite myself, I didn't expect much but this entertaining and great fun.

A police corruption thriller that has achieved a bit of a cult status but lacks the style and tension that for example a director like Michael Mann has brought to his Los Angeles set crime films. Here Kurt Russell, usually always a good action lead, seems to be a bit out of sync as corrupt LA detective Eldon Perry, an alcoholic who is in thrall to his very corrupt boss played by Brendan Gleeson. Perry has a new partner, Keough (Scott Speedman) and feels it's his duty to initiate the young impressionable cop into the tough world of police work by having him shoot a bad guy in cold blood. The results begin a spiral of deceit and betrayal between these cops that will ultimately bring them all down. Told against the backdrop of the Rodney King trial where the LA cops are acquitted and riots break out this film is attempting to take a moral and liberal stance on the state of modern policing in the US. The message may be right but it seems a little crass to mix it up in a genre picture that just about keeps up its entertainment values. A little too talky when more action is required and less cliché such as the bad marriage, the exalted yet bent boss and the anti-hero cop who tries to make good in the end and the narrative coincidences are at times just a little too much. Worth checking out if you've never seen it but ultimately a film that is wanting and a bit lacklustre.

A playful yet profound comedy drama about mid life crisis and a stunning central performance from Mads Mikkelsen. He plays Martin, one of four school teacher friends who have lost their mojo, have become bored by their job teaching in a high school and with their marriages and relationships all suffering. They embark on an experiment after reading of a theory that humans have a natural alcohol deficiency and need to top it up! They set rules for themselves and begin to benefit from the small amount of drink they have each morning soon feeling energetic and free from anxiety and rediscovering their zest for life. But when they decide to escalate their intake to see what happens the opposite soon manifests itself. Here is a film that takes a sharp look at society's relationship with alcohol from the mediocrity of everyday life to the delights and the buoyancy that social drinking provides and it especially has things to say about young people and drinking. It's a clever and entertaining, indeed at times very funny, film confronting serious issues with a wry and intelligent eye and with first rate performances. Highly recommended.

A routine post apocalypse sci-fi thriller set during a new ice age. Survivors are holed up in various underground installations where they struggle with the confinement and fears of illness. In Colony 5 leader Briggs (Laurence Fishburne) battles with Mason (Bill Paxton) over how they should control the colony. So it's a strange decision Briggs makes when communication with the neighbouring Colony is lost and he decides to head out with two others including Sam (Kevin Zegers) across the winter wasteland to check on the neighbours. They find something very horrific and have to hurry home with a horde of cannibals chasing them. This cues a load of gore and sudden death and a final confrontation with Mason. There's any number of films that take cannabilism as the new threat and which are far more interesting - The Road (2009) being the obvious example - and essentially this reads like 30 Days Of Night (2007), which is also better. This has some entertainment value and some nice Cgi shots of the snowy wastes but it's instantly forgettable.

If you like historical drama then you'll not get better than this one set at the height of the French Revolution and telling the story of the political rivalry between top revolutionary leaders, Georges Danton (Gérard Depardieu) and Robespierre (Wojciech Pszoniak). It's based on real events and superbly recreates 17th Century Paris at the height of the 'Reign Of Terror'. Both the main leads are exceptional and this is a good film to see the talents of Depardieu, then at the height of his fame. Danton, a popular leader of the revolution with the mob, is considered a threat by the radical and despotic faction led by Robespierre, who decides he must bring Danton down even though to do so risks the revolution itself. A show trial is held at which skilled orator Danton soon gets the upper hand. All the while the guillotine awaits to losers. If you are versed in this period of history or indeed know someone studying the French Revolution at school or college then this is a must see. Admittedly it may not be for everyone but it's definitely a film that draws you into the visual accuracy and the complexities of the times. An interesting study of these famous French historical figures.

A rich and very rewarding film, epic in length and structure but with a beautiful story that incorporates romance and action and has deep thematic ideas around man's place in the world and the environment. Set in the 1860s this is the tory of John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), a Lieutenant in the army who after a suicidal act of gallantry during the American Civil War, chooses a posting on the western frontier where white man have yet to colonise. Finding his ramshackle post to be deserted Dunbar tries to adapt to the wilderness which begins to affect him spiritually. He soon attracts the attention of the Sioux Indians who live nearby and, his initial suspicions of them as potential murderous savages soon gives way to the realisation they are a gentle, happy and generous people who adopt him and where he finds peace and love. Unfortunately his past will soon catch up with him. There's been several key films that look at the plight of Native Americans and this is arguably the most famous and possibly significant. Yes it's a western by genre definition but a western that western haters love. It looks at the destructive nature of capitalism for profit and importantly that humanity needs to be a part of nature and not pillage it for selfish gain. As a story it's fantastic, lovingly directed by Costner, and with a great support cast that includes Mary McDonnell as a white woman rescued and raised by the Sioux. A warm, exciting and at times very moving and tense film that everyone will love. If you haven't seen this then I can't recommend it highly enough. If you have but its been awhile then seek it out and be reminded just what a great film experience this is. (Check out the Director's Cut, it has additional and very interesting scenes)

A revenge thriller which is basically London gangsters take on cowboys in a pseudo western that makes little sense and promises lots of bloody violence and delivers little. The big tough guys here seem half asleep most of the time and the women characters are given very little to do other than have fighting factions moon over them. Vinnie Jones stars as Neelyn, an enforcer for top London gangster, Harris (Malcolm McDowell), who is in Virginia sorting out a money laundering deal with corrupt oilman Preston (Ron Perlman). When Preston's psycho son (Brandon Sklenar) takes a fancy to Neelyn's girlfriend and she goes missing Neelyn insists on finding out what's happened to her. This is all predictable, has been done before and better and the characters are all stereotypical. Jones hasn't the acting chops nor the screen charisma to carry a film, this needed the Jason Statham touch to liven things up a bit. For a super hard man he's pretty useless all round in this!! Give this a miss it's mediocre.

Based on a real story this British comedy is a classic underdog story. It tells the story of Maurice Flitcroft, who in 1976, having never played a round of golf before, entered the British Open tournament and played the worst round in the competitions history. What makes this film such a pleasant, heartwarming delight is that Maurice is an amiable, optimistic, kind man who exudes an almost childlike innocence, he has that scent of British eccentricity and has to overcome some traditional class snobbery. All of which makes him a character that British audiences especially love. This is also a family drama about Maurice, played so excellently by Mark Rylance, his wife, Jean (Sally Hawkins) and their three boys. Maurice is a humble crane operator in England's north west and he raises his family of a step son and twin boys to always try and follow their dreams. So when redundancy looms Maurice decides to apply to play in the British Open although he's never played golf before. How he does this I won't spoil suffice to say he soon finds he has to face the bureaucracy and stiff lipped snobs of the golfing world, mostly epitomised in the guise of the top golf official played by Rhys Ifans. But Maurice believes in following ones dreams and he won't be put off. Much laugh out loud moments follow as essentially Maurice, his family and some friends take on the establishment and find support in some surprising quarters. The film, at times, has a bit of the Carry On about it but still manages to combine good comedy with effective drama. A delight and well worth seeing.