Film Reviews by GI

This sequel to The Bourne Identity (2002), shot is an almost documentary style with hand held cameras is the most direct influence on the later Bond reboots with Daniel Craig. It's fast, exciting and an extremely gritty action film and really sets the tone for the entire Bourne series that followed. It certainly ups the game from the originality set in the first film to the way action cinema would be portrayed. In many ways it's a far better film than its predecessor with some of the most earth shattering car chases and occasional shocks in the story. Here we find Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is hiding out in India with his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente), he's still trying to piece together his old life with flashbacks and dreams but he's ever watchful for danger. Framed for an assassination in Berlin and finding he's again being hunted by the CIA in the form of boss agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) he goes on the attack. The film delivers a big challenge to the then redundant Bond franchise with it's world hopping story, the use of gadgets although here every one is based on a real piece of equipment so there's no fantastical stuff, and it's brilliant espionage story involving corrupt Russian gangsters, murdered politicians and double agents. A fantastic film. If you've never seen this then it's a must.

Whether Die Hard fits into your personal idea of a Christmas film or not it's definitely one that is best watched over the Christmas period, it feels odd to watch it at any other time. This is a film that is a key action film and set a standard which has been followed ever since. But it's not action for action's sake and the film has a real panache, it never takes itself seriously and there's a good deal of humour liberally spread throughout. It made a star of Bruce Willis and cemented his wisecracking, cynical screen persona ever since. More importantly it brought Alan Rickman to a wider public audience as an actor of significant skill and personality. The story takes place on Christmas Eve when NYPD officer John McClane (Willis) arrives in Los Angeles to visit his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bodelia) for the holiday. He joins her at the Christmas party taking place in the large hi-rise building of the company where she is one of the top executives. But soon after his arrival the building is taken over by a ruthless team of raiders led by German terrorist Hans (Rickman). Their motives are unclear but appear to be political and in the confusion of their arrival John manages to slip away and then becomes a serious problem for Hans as he continually frustrates their plans. The action set pieces are mostly chases throughout the building which is portrayed like a labyrinth with bursts of violent action when John has to escape the raiders attempts to catch and kill him. The humour comes from his sarcastic abuse of Hans and the mostly comic incompetence of the police surrounding the building outside. Overall this is exciting, tense and good fun and it remains a firm Christmas favourite and it's always a joy to watch at that time making a nice contrast to the Christmas romcom etc.

This romantic comedy/social drama is a British film worthy of a fresh audience. In many ways its a companion piece to Billy Elliot (2000) in it's setting within a north England mining town dealing with the collapse of community due to pit closure although this film is more political than the later film. Set in the fictional town of Grimley where the coal mine is the lifeblood of the community. The mine survived closure during the infamous 1984 strike but now in 1992 it again faces closure despite being profitable. The story follows the colliery brass band led by Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) who believes 'only music matters' and he bullies and badgers his band to win the local tournaments with a dream of making it to the national championships. But many of his players are struggling with the likely loss of their jobs including Danny's son, Phil (Stephen Tomkinson) and young Andy (Ewan McGregor). The arrival of ex local girl, Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) perks them all up as she's a humble but gifted trumpet player and very attractive too much to Andy's delight. But the pressure of debts, job losses and the potential of the mine and the brass band ending makes the chances of getting to the finals doubtful unless Danny can get them all behind the idea. This is a serious drama with some superbly written comedy thrown in, it has sadness and romance all in the mix making it a delight. There's a great British cast and you may recognise the famous speech that Danny makes at the film's ending as parts of it were sampled in Chumbawumba's great pop hit Tubthumping. Either way this is a great little British film and well worth seeking out if you've never seen it.

Huge car chases and gunfights with stunt work galore doesn't detract from the fact this is a ridiculous, stupid and pointless film. It tries desperately to be funny, it tries equally hard to be exciting and it fails on both counts. The shame of it is that so much money was obviously spent on this that could have been used to make several really good films. Ryan Reynolds continues to play the same cynical, hard done by character he has formulated for himself over the last few years, since Deadpool (2016) and Samuel L Jackson simply plays Samuel L Jackson. Reynolds, who has the physique and potential to be a very good action star, is a trained bodyguard who has lost his 'rating' in the bodyguard world when he a big client was killed. He blames his wife for this for some reason and blah, blah, blah it matters not because he ends up having to protect international super hitman Samuel L. Jackson who is to be a witness against nasty Russian baddie Gary Oldman (who plays Gary Oldman Bad Guy and gets to speak Russian). This cues loads of banter, bloodshed and property destruction no doubt to the delight of children who are too young to see this awful film. What a load of ol' tosh and there's a sequel!! Jeez.

A beautiful and thoughtful film. This is modern film making at its very best, the film is note perfect and it's like a romantic visual poem. It really is a triumph. Set over the Christmas season of 1952 it follows young Therese (Rooney Mara), who works in a big department store in New York and dreams of being a photographer. One day she is mesmerised by the beautiful Carol (Cate Blanchett) who is in the store buying Christmas presents. Through various means they become friends and Therese becomes captivated by Carol much to the chagrin of her lovelorn boyfriend and the anger of Carol's estranged husband (Kyle Chandler). As their relationship develops into love Therese becomes heartbroken when Carol is forced to choose between her and losing access to her daughter. This is a story of love, sexual awakening and desire. It's a wonderfully told tale and both the stars give mesmerising performances. There's a beauty, sadness and a sense of hope throughout the film, which is shot in a wonderful colour palette that recreates the 1950s superbly. This is a film to enjoy on a quiet Christmas time evening where you can absorb the sheer genius of it. An intense, brilliantly crafted romance that works on every level.

The action thriller that effectively influenced all that followed it including the James Bond franchise and the Mission Impossible series not to mention the John Wick films, and basically all action espionage type movies. It set a new style and standard for gritty action, fights and a down-to-earth realism with it's car chases, plot, camera use, editing and setting. Its very loosely adapted from a celebrated novel, indeed the choice of Matt Damon is a big departure from the Jason Bourne of the book where he is a much older character. I'm sure everyone has seen this but it's very worthy of a rewatch where you'll notice that it still stands up against modern action films including the latest 007 No Time To Die. The plot is neatly convoluted where a half dead man is found floating in the Mediterranean. He has amnesia with only a Zurich bank account number as a clue to who he might be. Discovering his name maybe Jason Bourne he sets out to try and find out who he is and gradually finds he has some very unusual skills. With the help of a young woman, Marie (Franka Potente) he soon finds he's being hunted. With a great support cast of Chris Cooper (always excellent), Brian Cox and Clive Owen this is a fantastic spy thriller. It started a short series, all of which are excellent (with the exception of The Bourne Legacy where the actual Bourne character isn't involved - a rather poorly conceived film in fact) and it made Matt Damon into a respected action star. A film to rediscover, it's just as good as when it was made.

Big action adventure film based on the notorious mutiny that occurred in 1789. This is the third big film based on these events (the previous ones from 1935 and 1962 are both worth checking out) and here the attempt is to bring the story closer to the actual events. Anthony Hopkins gives a first rate performance as William Bligh, the commander of HMS Bounty, sent to Tahiti to trade with the natives for bread fruit. He asks his good friend Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson) to be one of his officers and hopes to circumnavigate the globe on the journey. But plagued with bad weather the ship eventually arrives in Tahiti where Bligh unwisely allows the crew to spend several months ashore. The sexual freedom and relaxed life contrasts strongly with the harsh discipline of naval life and tired of the lackadaisical attitudes of his men Bligh sets sail for home intent on getting his crew back to being seamen. But Christian and other's miss the native women they have left behind and mutiny setting Bligh and those loyal to him adrift. The previous big budget films make the story a good guy (Christian)/bad guy (Bligh) narrative whereas the truth was far more complicated and this film tries to rebalance the story to show Christian was far more an opportunist and selfish than usually depicted with Bligh more a man to whom duty and law was paramount but he was fair and reasonable. Unfortunately the film doesn't quite go far enough here but that aside it's a really entertaining adventure with a first rate cast that includes Laurence Olivier, Edward Fox, Liam Neeson, Phil Davis, Daniel Day-Lewis, Bernard Hill and others. Hopkins is especially good here as the ambitious officer who tries to hold his ship together against the lures of sex and paradise. This is a film that is well worth seeking out with a young Gibson setting his stall as a major star.

Almost, but not quite, a British Brokeback Mountain and a very assured first film for director Francis Lee. Set on a Yorkshire farm portrayed as a bleak, somewhat inhospitable place highlighting that living in the country can be a harsh and lonely life and is not always the idyllic one it's thought to be. Josh O'Connor plays Jack, a disheartened young man who has had to take over the running of the family's farm after his father (Ian Hart) has had a stroke. With only his grandmother (Gemma Jones) and father, seemingly always unimpressed by Jack's efforts, as company Jack resorts to drink and sullenness. All of his former school mates have gone off to University and Jack's only comradeship comes from chance encounters in toilets with local gay men. But when the family hire Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu), a Romanian worker, Jack's life begins to find a meaning as they begin a passionate relationship. Lee's use of lighting from a harsh, cold look to warmer tones as Gheorghe begins to affect Jack is clever and signposts the affect of love. Gheorghe brings ideas to the farm and his presence affects all the relationships. There's an especially touching moment between Jack and his father. Interestingly the only bias Gheorghe experiences doesn't come from homophobia by the typical locals but from being an immigrant worker highlighting the Brexit issues that were focused on immigration especially in the north of England. A tender film, unsentimental with strong central performances.

A clunky, hackneyed redemption drama that has all been done before and far better too. Ben Affleck plays Jack an alcoholic construction worker who harbours mental traumas from his past (the reasons all get revealed eventually). He's a former High School basketball star and gets approached by his old school to take up the job of Head Coach of the school's failing and ill-disciplined team. And yep you guessed it his hard ass approach gets them winning and learning to be good boys all the time. But Jack finds it all a bit too much to stop drinking which gets him into a load of trouble but it'll all turn out all right in the end. Affleck seems to be sleep walking through the role here and the story never grips in any meaningful of watchable way. A disappointment.

This true story dynastic melodrama just about manages to avoid becoming too much of a soap opera mostly thanks to the committed and rather excellent performance by Lady Gaga. But there are moments of silliness, almost pantominesque in the characterisations and depiction of the rich Italian culture. This is the story of the fall of the fashion house Gucci. Patrizia (Lady Gaga) is the daughter of a humble transport business owner who one evening meets the lanky and shy Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a party. He is studying to be a lawyer and has no interest in the famous fashion business owned jointly by his father (Jeremy Irons) and uncle (Al Pacino). Patrizia and Maurizo fall in love and marry despite his father believing her to be a gold digger. She eventually persuades Maurizio to become involved in the family business and untold wealth comes their way but the company is riddled by tax scandal and corruption. Eventually their marriage sours but Patrizia will not relinquish her hold on her privileged wealth easily. This is an interesting story and director Ridley Scott recreates the 70s through to the 90s with his usual attention to visual detail. Both Lady Gaga and Adam Driver are superb throughout. There is some comic relief in Jared Leto's heavily prosthetically portrayal of Paolo Gucci, the sort of family fool, who causes all sorts of problems for the family although the performance is occasionally too much a cartoonish caricature. But this is a Ridley Scott film and well worth checking out.

Part erotic thriller, part gangster and part film noir this is a gem of a film that you may not have come across. Written and directed by the then Wachowski Brothers (now sisters) it is a superbly scripted story that has a twist and turn plot, it's sexy and clever and is full of surprises. Gina Gershon plays ex-con Corky who is renovating an apartment as part of her parole. She meets the sexy Violet (Jennifer Tilly) from next door and very soon they begin a passionate affair. Violet's partner is Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), a money launderer for the mafia and ruthless thug. She convinces Corky she wants to escape from Caesar and together they hatch a plan to steal $2million of the Mob's money and get Caesar blamed for it. It appears a perfect plan but Caesar is cleverer and more unpredictable than they envisaged. There's some innovative camerawork that is very stylish giving the film a contemporary feel even with a plot that is reminiscent of a classic Hollywood film. It's a great little film that is excellently written and directed and delivers a story that keeps you hooked throughout with some edge of your seat bits and occasional unexpected shocks.

This is one of the key American dramas of the 1990s, an impactive film that looks at the falseness of American material society and the resulting dysfunction caused to family, relationships and ambition. It's essentially a dark comedy with tragedy and an emphasis on the ridiculous nature of America and what it really stands for. Set in California in the late 1970s Burt Reynolds (Oscar nominated here) is an adult film maker, making cheap, exploitative porn' films for a growing market. It's world that has a ridiculous veneer of false talent, false respectability and unsavoury characters. He's always on the lookout for new 'talent' and spots young Eddie (Mark Wahlberg - in his first really major role). Eddie comes from a dysfunctional family, thinks he's rather special and is easy prey for Jack. Soon he is making porn films alongside Jack's stable of 'actors' including Amber (Julianne Moore) and 'Roller Girl' (Heather Graham), another teenager lured into the industry due to her struggles at school. All the characters believe themselves destined for something great but each harbours inner turmoil from Amber's desire for motherhood having been denied access to her young son, to Eddie (porn name Dirk Diggler) who thinks he's a serious actor and potential rock star. Their world soon reveals itself to be one of crime, drugs and violence. The film takes some surprising turns making it an enthralling drama and although it's set in the world of pornography it's a restrained film and never slips into gratuitousness. Indeed this is a remarkably clever film and certainly one that I can recommend. You will not be disappointed.

This drama set in Oregon in the 1820s has been critically acclaimed and to be sure there is a visual beauty to the film that takes place in the woods on the North West frontier. It's a tale of friendship with a pre credit William Blake quote signposting the theme of fulfilment through companionship. But I found the film ultimately somewhat too contemplative and lacking. It follows two drifters Cookie (John Magaro) and King-Lu (Orion Lee) who join up and find a common goal in seeking their fortune. Cookie is a trained baker and they come up with a plan to sell buttermilk cakes to the locals who are deprived of any culinary luxuries. To do this they begin covertly milking the famed jersey cow of the local pompous bigwig (Toby Jones). He doesn't react well when this is discovered. This is a narrative that is looking closely at the search for the American Dream through the friendship of two no-hopers (I even detected a hint of a gay subtext here) but it's a slow film which I found rather limited and a bit tedious.

America has a big tradition of creating heroes and myths out of their outlaws - Jesse James, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger etc - often portraying them as the victims of oppression who find a courageous yet fatal means to overcome the times they live in. Bonnie & Clyde are two such criminals, a pair of rampaging killers who roamed the southern states during the Great Depression robbing banks and stores and murdering as they went. This film is one of the first that began a New Wave in American cinema depicting these 'heroes' as dangerously flawed and started to question the image of the screen hero. This film movement opened the doors in the 70s for directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and even Steven Spielberg. Warren Beatty plays small time crook Clyde Barrow who impresses bored waitress Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) with his boasts of being a robber. Lured by the excitement they begin to travel around committing poorly planned and small robberies and eventually form a bigger gang with Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman). Graduating to bank heists and pulling off some daring getaways from police ambushes they soon find their carefree attitude results in tragedy. With Beatty portraying Clyde as impotent, with blood spurting and slow motion violence this film broke new ground and it feels like a much more modern film when viewed today. It's certainly an important and influential American film, with a dark humour, fast action and a gripping story. If you like a good crime film then this is absolutely fantastic and if you've never seen it I highly recommend it.

The Western was once the mainstay of American cinema, the essential mythology of a young America, but then starting in the late 1960s and into the 70s and 80s the staples of the genre began to be redefined and key films revising the traditional frontier building of a nation were made. These began to de-mythologise the western and turn them into historical drama that questioned the usual cinematic take on the West. Bone Tomahawk is a film that sits within the traditional genre for the most part. It's essentially about a posse, heading out to rescue a kidnapped woman taken by savages or in other words a taming of the west scenario. But then it takes a most surprising turn and it will get you on the edge of your seat and possibly gasp with shock. Kurt Russell plays a town sheriff who accompanied by a dandy gunfighter (Matthew Fox), his ageing deputy (Richard Jenkins) and a fearful husband with a part healed broken leg (Patrick Wilson), set out to search and rescue the husband's wife and another young deputy who have been stolen away in the night by savages. Having to survive the harshness of the land and beset by outlaws along the way does nothing to prepare them for the final confrontation with the Indians. This is a film that goes off in a very surprising direction so you think you're watching one sort of film until it turns into another. It's great entertainment, thrilling, exciting, quite shocking and the cast are impeccable. Kurt Russell is one of my favourite actors, he is always a real treat. So even if westerns aren't usually your thing I urge you to give this one a try.