Film Reviews by GI

This motor racing drama, unbelievably based on a true story, is formulaic but entertains. This is a sports story of the underdog who, of course, overcomes the odds, rivalry, tragedy etc etc to ultimately reach success. Much to his parents chagrin (Djimon Hounsou & Geri Halliwell-Horner) Jann (Archie Madekwe) is a dedicated player of the Playstation game Gran Turismo, designed to simulate real motor car racing. He enters a competition organised by Nissan marketing guru, Danny (Orlando Bloom) with the winner getting to be trained as a real racing driver. No one expects him to succeed least of all the cynical chief engineer (David Harbour) tasked with training him in the realities of motor racing but of course he does. The entertainment comes from director Neill Blomkamp's blurring of the lines between the artificial world of the 'game' and the real world of the racing. This involves some impressive effects and some gritty racing scenes and set pieces including crashes and close encounters. The film has the air of a science fiction film and you can't help but remember The Last Starfighter (1984) which I'm sure must have been an influence here. Harbour and Madekwe add a human touch as their relationship as mentor and student deepens but it's in the racing that fans will be enthralled especially if you're a fast & Furious series fan.

Is this an attempt at righting history here in regards the cinematic treatment of the American Indian? It certainly looks like it on the surface but I think it's actually a competent western with the wrong title. This isn't really about Geronimo (Wes Studi) but more about the men who hunted him and were responsible for persuading him to surrender. With Jason Patric and Matt Damon the main protagonists. The film dwells on deep orange sunsets in its depiction of the dry Arizona desert scapes and in between are a series of chases, long scenes of exposition and some bloody shoot outs with a narration by Damon's character to fill in the gaps. It steals from several other westerns not least the famous Ten Bears speech from The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). Ultimately this is a meandering tale that is a big anti climax despite the prestigious cast that includes Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall.

Adapted from a popular novel that spawned a series of books with the main character this is a neat and enjoyable British thriller starring Rod Taylor, an Australian actor who made some very interesting but often forgotten films during the 60s and who made a recent guest appearance in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). In this little gem he plays Scobie Malone, a hard Aussie Detective, who is sent to London to bring back Sir James Quentin (Christopher Plummer), the Australian High Commissioner, on a charge of the murder of his first wife many years earlier. Scobie soon finds the task is a lot more complicated than he'd anticipated as he soon gets embroiled in a political conspiracy. Full of some tough fight sequences and with a twist and turn plot this is a potboiler that shows that the 60s were littered with some great little films especially British productions that used real locations for the action. A film worth seeking out as it's great fun and to see Taylor at his best. NB: The film had an alternative title of The High Commissioner in some other countries.

Burt Reynolds directorial debut and a sequel to White Lightening (1973). This is a poorly scripted film that suffers from an uneven structure and timing probably due to Reynolds inexperience and it can't seem to make up its mind whether it's a comedy or thriller. it managing to be both and neither at the same time. Reynolds made a bit of a career out of wisecracking, hillbilly style comedies with his infectious laugh and boyish good looks with characters that are on the edges of criminality but ultimately harmless and in narratives filled with zany, madcap chase sequences. Here he plays moonshiner Gator McKlusky, fresh out of jail, who is blackmailed by a cop trying to nail the crime kingpins the County who also happens to be Gator's boyhood friend. Reynolds has the boyish charm here and there's an early boat chase where he gets to flummox the inept cops setting the film as a comedy of the likes of Smokey And The Bandit (1977) but quickly drifting into crime thriller territory. There are long and dull exposition scenes, a lacklustre romance with Lauren Hutton as a TV journalist, and a rather unexciting final showdown. The film tries to be somewhat controversial with a baddie who has sex with under age girls who he likes to give drugs to but ultimately it's a very 70s style film that struggles when viewed today and lacks the sharp comedy of Reynolds other output.

In many ways this is like an extended SNL skit that deliberately subverts the Marvel Cinematic Universe and essentially smashes the fourth wall to get its in-jokes across in rapid fast time. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the title roles are a madcap double act in this action/superhero bromance that is really funny, occasionally excruciatingly so and Reynolds can be periodically a bit unbearable. What is good here is the premise where the MCU tradition of a multiverse narrative where characters can be resurrected with ease is very roundly laughed at and in that sense you do have to be fairly familiar with past Marvel 'heroes' to get all the jokes. The fight scenes, and there are lots and some are very long, are fast and very bloody intermixed with comic asides that those who love the first two Deadpool films will love. This isn't as good as the first one but it's fun if a little exhausting and in it's mocking of the MCU it works brilliantly. The story is fairly irrelevant but basically Deadpool, having been rejected for the Avengers, has to find Wolverine in another universe in order to save his own universe. There's a great support cast that includes Matthew Macfadyen, Emma Corrin, Lorena Baccarin and cameos from Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Garner, Channing Tatum and others who resurrect various characters that you'll either know or be baffled by. Overall this is fun but a little tiring.

Big, bold, macho and downright silly this edition to the 20 year + franchise pushes the boundaries into the realms of the ridiculous but, of course, it's all entertaining and mostly great fun. The main trouble is that it's getting harder to distinguish one film from the other. The crew are all reunited to retrieve a gizmo weapon that is coveted by various baddies with the main reveal here being one of them is Dom's (Vin Diesel) baby brother, Jakob (John Cena) who have been estranged since the death of their father. So we get the backstory and flashbacks intermixed with the new mission as these basically street racers take on another super covert mission across the globe. There's plenty of gritty chases in various cities and a minefield, all of which stretch credibility to the limit not least the trip into space to disable a satellite; there's the usual stares either longingly or hatefully in the midst of the action and all the cameos pop up including Kurt Russell, Helen Mirren, Jason Statham (in an end credit sequence), Charlize Theron and Michael Rooker. And the obligatory family barbecue at the end just to remind you which franchise you are watching. This series has a huge fanbase and as effects laden action adventure goes it delivers. What we need now is something fresher and I must say I enjoyed the 2019 Hobbs & Shaw spin off much better than this rehash of the F & F plots of old.

A Boys Own Second World War crowd pleaser from Director Guy Ritchie who can never seem to rise quite to the occasion of his early films. This is all played for comic book styling and is very reminiscent of Inglourious Basterds (2009) but without that films panache. This is a fictionalised telling of a commando type mission to destroy German U boats and their supply ships in an African port. It's apparently based on a book by Damien Lewis and is about a real Operation codenamed Postmaster. The characters are all based on real people but the film goes for a fun, romp style that is all gung-ho, exaggerated and perhaps a little silly. Henry Cavill leads the ragtag team of ill disciplined soldiers on the mission who all treat war as a big game and relish in the killing of Nazis which Alan Ritchson as his No. 2 does most of. Henry Golding, Cary Elwes and Eiza González co star and Freddy Fox plays Ian Fleming, it being the case that Cavill's character was an inspiration for James Bond. Like much of Ritchie's output in recent times this has an infectiously entertaining veneer but lacks the zing that is promised. The witty banter is just not quite witty enough. It's good fun and there's a lot of explosions and shooting but it's fairly forgettable.

This surreal horror from Director Ken Russell is a typically off kilter work that doesn't live up to the frightening and depraved image of the film's poster. That scene does occur as a dream sequence but blink and you'll miss it, whereas the rest of the film is a mishmash of dark, haunted house scenes, with sexual tension, much of it with a strong hint of that depravity and body horror. The actual plot surrounds a drug induced night hosted by poet Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne) with his guests Percy and Mary Shelley (Julian Sands & Natasha Richardson), Dr Polidori (Timothy Spall) and another young woman Claire (Miriam Cyr). It's a fairly plotless film with Russell possibly over indulging in his own reputation to produce a film that is based allegedly on a real event, one which reputedly gave Mary Shelley the idea for her famous novel, Frankenstein. As a horror film it's all rather unfrightening, somewhat tedious and whilst the cast are earnestly giving it their all its a film lost within itself making for a joyless viewing experience.

There's a significant poignancy to this film in not only the story but also in seeing two giants of cinema, Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, together in their final film performances. Both bring gravitas and utter delight to this true story of D-Day veteran Bernie Jordan who, unable to get onto an official trip to France for the 70 year anniversary of the battle, snuck out of his care home early one morning and made his own way there. Jackson as his wife, Irene, covers for him to make sure he makes it ok. When the staff guess he's missing a media furore begins, unknown to Bernie, where he is dubbed The Great Escaper. Of course he hadn't 'escaped' at all and the film maturely tells the truth that the media embellished the affair for a good story. But the film does give us a heartwarming story of Bernie's trip where he finds the grave of a lost friend and there's a backstory that comes with flashbacks to the war, and these are the weak part of the film and in some ways detract from this story of nostalgia, regret and the pain of memories. Of course there's some comedy in the aged characters coming up against the young but it's Jackson and Caine who exude the charisma and spark for the story of this elderly couple who still love one another deeply and respect each others feelings. They give the film, which some may think a bit overly sentimental, a real sense of true life.

The film that launched Kevin Costner's career as a leading actor and a super smart, cat & mouse thriller it is too. He plays US Navy Intelligence officer Tom Farrell who is appointed as the intel' liaison for Senator Brice (Gene Hackman), the Secretary of Defence. He gets the job through a friendship with Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), Brice's aide-de-camp and who is fiercely loyal to Brice. The trouble is Tom begins a passionate relationship with Susan (Sean Young) who is also Brice's mistress. When she refuses to tell Brice who she is seeing he flies into a rage and kills her. To protect his boss Pritchard begins a cover-up investigation claiming she was murdered by a Russian spy and he puts Tom in charge and he quickly suspects the spy story is false and that Brice is the killer. This is a twist and turn plot with espionage aspects and some fantastic chase sequences. It's a really good gem of a film with a surprise ending and even if you've seen this and know the ending it's definitely worth checking out again. If you've not seen it then it's a real treat.

An assured directorial debut from John Patton Ford, a crime drama with a solid central performance from Aubrey Plaza. She plays Emily, a talented artist who its trapped in low paid jobs due to a stifling student debt and some criminal convictions which prevent her getting the jobs she yearns for. In desperation she turns to credit card fraud under the tutelage of Youcef (Theo Rossi). As she is lured by the ease and increased money she dives deeper down the rabbit hole of crime despite a couple of tense encounters. In deed Emily begins to gain greater confidence in her life. This drama pokes a stick, with admittedly some pretty broad strokes, at the American problem with getting out of debt and living with youthful misdemeanours that continually are used to prevent people realising their proper potential. The film doesn't excuse the path that Emily takes but attempts to explain her. The film rattles along at a good pace and even when this causes big leaps in how Emily progresses to clever criminal it's Plaza who keeps the whole thing grounded and believable. A good solid crime drama that is well worth checking out.

A revenge thriller set during the 'Troubles' and a gritty recreation of a grimy 70s London where most of the film is set. It begins, however, in Northern Ireland where IRA terrorist Michael (Colin Morgan) is ambushed by the British army while taking his heavily pregnant wife to hospital. She is killed in a moment of poor judgement by soldier Henry and Michael escapes. Facing a possible murder charge Henry agrees to join a shady unit run by Holland (Mark Strong) whose team are engaged in hunting IRA operatives in London. Both sides are fighting a dirty war where the issues of right/wrong and lawful/unlawful are totally blurred. Michael makes his way to London to join a bomb team but he has plans for revenge. This is a solidly made, well directed thriller that some may find a hard watch especially as there's no good guy to root for as everyone is equally as bad. In many ways this gives the film more strength as it tries to evoke the essence of the ruthlessness employed by both sides. Felicity Jones co-stars. It's a gripping film and well worth checking out.

This is a fairly typical British social drama, with doses of comedy mainly from the depiction of the local yokel, that is based on a true story and with the inevitable lean towards schmaltz. It tells the story of Jan (Toni Collette), a bartender in a small welsh village, who convinces friends and relatives to chip in to buy and breed a racehorse. With no experience and some financial guidance from racing fanatic Howard (Damien Lewis) and the expertise of trainer Hobbs (Nicholas Farrell) they take their horse, named Dream Alliance, and go onto win the Welsh Grand National. The narrative has the usual highs and lows, including one especially difficult event, but its all done with that heartwarming feel that films like this provide. There was a documentary about this released in 2015, entitled Dark Horse, a better title methinks than Dream Horse, but what you have is a warm, utterly watchable little film that entertains throughout even as it follows the predicted path you'd expect.

Most definitely a film of its time, a clumsily scripted, poorly edited and exploitation film that strives for as many breasts as it can squeeze into a scene. Set in the strip clubs of 80s New York I suppose there might be some underlining theme of the exploitation of women and the voyeurism and deep rooted sexual violence inherent in men, if so it's even more nonsense than it is on the surface. It's basically a serial killer narrative, albeit a weak one, where a martial arts crazed killer stalks and slashes strippers. The victims are in the 'stable' of Tom Berenger's ex boxer with a guilt complex who is under the control of the mob and must find the killer before business suffers too much! There's a racist and shouty cop on the case too played by Billy Dee Williams and Melanie Griffiths plays a stripper and Berenger's lover who, of course ends up targeted by the killer. Griffiths role seems limited to her prancing about half naked or sprawled on the floor in a heroin daze. The acting is at times really wooden and the narrative is clichéd and silly. It's a glitzy production but endless scenes of bright neon lit and wet streets don't make for an interesting or entertaining film.

This Oscar winning crime thriller is about as flawless a film as you will ever see. Like all the Coen brothers films it takes basic genre conventions and utterly subverts them so the narrative and plot go in unforeseen directions and the film is a constant surprise. There's a lot of classic Sam Peckinpah to be found here, this is the sort of film he would have made in his heyday, and consequently it's a work of genius. Set in Texas in 1980 humble working man Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is out poaching one morning in the desert when he comes across a drug cartel massacre. He makes off with the stash of money he finds but an act of mercy results in the bad guys on his tail trying to get it back. The baddie here is frighteningly original in the form of Javier Bardem, a psychopathic hitman with a bizarre haircut who relentlessly pursues Moss throughout the film. Overseeing these events is Tommy Lee Jones as a tired and cynical local sheriff trying to put everything right but always finding himself always a step behind. To that end this is actually a film about a passing time, it's a reflective lyric about 'the old days' and the events are presented as a sign that Jones' character is no longer effective or indeed relevant. In any event if you've never seen this then I urge you to watch it as this is a masterpiece of modern cinema, you'll struggle to find a modern film as good as this one.