Film Reviews by GI

Classic and superb mystery thriller set in a small desert town in 1945 just after the Second World War has ended. The small population are overawed when the train stops at their station for the first time in four years and a stranger gets off. This is John Macreedy (Spencer Tracy), a veteran of the war where he lost an arm. He is baffled by the hostile and suspicious reception he receives from the locals. But they have a dark secret and Macreedy's reason for being there goes to the heart of it. This is a contemporary western and it follows a very common narrative arc often found in film and literature of a stranger who arrives to disrupt the calm of a place and unravels a sinister underbelly of corruption. There are also strong themes of racism, greed and bullying here and the film gets to the heart of when ordinary people turn a blind eye to a heinous crime. This is a brilliant and tense drama with a great cast that also includes Robert Ryan, who made a career out of playing bad guys, Anne Francis, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. A topnotch film and one to seek out if you've never seen it.

Fantastic action drama set in the world of the Chicago Fire Service. Great story with a crime mystery, some political intrigue, family drama and romance all thrown into the mix. The action set pieces are all tense and exciting stuff with the effects all physical rather than CGI and some very impressive stunt work. The story follows rookie fireman Brian (William Baldwin) who is trying to live up to the hard nosed reputation of his brother Stephen (Kurt Russell), a highly respected and heroic fireman. Both live in the shadow of their famous father who was killed in an explosion but they are constantly at odds with one another. A series of dangerous fires that have scary 'backdrafts' are occurring over the city and Brian gets involved with trying to find out who's causing them and why. With a superb support cast that includes Robert De Niro as a cynical arson investigator, Scott Glen, Jennifer Jason Leigh & Rebecca De Mornay as the love interests and a creepy cameo from Donald Sutherland as a psycho arsonist this is a great film, superbly directed, a great plot with stunning action and with the fire portrayed as a character (Sutherland's character refers to it as 'the animal') it makes for a very entertaining film. Well worth checking out if you've never seen it.

One of the great family films of the 1980s and one of the best time travelling stories too. It holds up really well and remains a real treat when watched today, a glorious mix of teen comedy/romance, science fiction and with themes about bullying and friendship. It's an existential movie that asks you to contemplate that you'd not exist if your parents hadn't met and fallen in love. And of course it's Michael J. Fox' best role as Marty McFly. Marty is a typical teenager who despairs of his weak willed father, George (Crispin Glover) and alcoholic mother, Lorraine (Lea Thompson). He has a friendship with the eccentric boffin Doc Brown, (a suitably manic Christopher Lloyd) who has, against the odds, invented a time machine and built it inside a DeLorean sports car. When Marty helps Doc on its first excursion Marty is inadvertently sent back to 1955 and ends up stranded there. He seeks out the younger Doc for help but also finds that his own future is at stake unless he can get his mother and father to fall for each other. Unfortunately Lorraine seems to fancy Marty much to his consternation and horror. The story is cleverly written with the odd plot hole but who cares this is simply great fun with Marty trying to fit in in 1955 including inventing rock 'n' roll! It's so pleasing that there has been no attempt at remaking this wonderful film because it's perfect as it is and deals very cleverly with the paradox of changing the past to affect the future. A film to rediscover and one to show your children today who will love it.

A pure adrenaline rush of entertainment. A heist thriller with a lovely romance thrown in and plenty of fantastic car chases and action set pieces. Ansel Elgort plays 'Baby', a young man with a traumatic past who suffers from tinnitus and is in debt to crime lord, Doc (Kevin Spacey) who forces him to be the getaway driver on a series of daring robberies. Baby is a top driver but needs to listen to music to drown out his tinnitus and to motivate him to action. When he meets waitress Debora (Lily James) he's determined to escape the criminal life but other members of the crew are not keen on him leaving. What especially marks this film is the pounding soundtrack that includes everything from Queen to The Damned to The Commodores and is cleverly mixed to coincide with the action on screen, most of the gunshots are timed to mirror drum beats for example. This is one of those great crime stories where the reluctant criminal finds love and then seeks redemption but has to deal with his former criminal cohorts first. Exciting, fast paced, great fun, humorous and a real treat this is a film I guarantee you'll enjoy. With a great cast too that includes Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm as nasty bad guys you cannot go wrong.

A stark social drama set in Northern Ireland at the time of the Troubles and filmed in a realist style that was fashionable in British arthouse cinema in the 80s but has since waned in popularity. It's an enigmatic, almost poetically structured film that follows the trials of a young woman, Maeve (Mary Jackson), who is growing to reject the violent patriarchy of the society she has grown up in dominated by men who control the religious doctrines, the brutality of the British army and their routine sexist controls of the local girls, the police and the paramilitaries who dictate how she should think and feel. Maeve escapes to a life in London but returns to visit her sister and parents and finds little has changed. The film has an episodic structure as it jumps forwards and backwards in recounting Maeve's life. This is a film about sadness and it very effectively highlights the plight of Northern Ireland both politically and in its deprivations. Ultimately this is a feminist themed film and it's a strong one at that. A tragedy that captures strongly the Belfast of the times. This film has been recently restored by the British Film Foundation and it's worth checking out if only to see this style of film and it's realism of a time that shouldn't be forgotten.

I admit I was a bit worried that this would be a tired old rehash and spoil what was in essence an almost perfect trilogy with the first three films (No. 3 seemed to have the perfect ending!). But after a slightly similar beginning the film soon picks up and had me laughing and really enjoying what definitely seems to be, and should be, the last instalment in the adventures of Woody and his pals. What I love about these films is the emphasis on devotion, loyalty and friendship that runs consistently through them. Each of the films provides some really interesting ideas around such a huge variety of modern issues so that adults can be as enthralled as children. Here we have Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and the toy gang now passed to new child Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw). Woody harnesses the toys to be devoted to Bonnie and when she goes off, very sad, to school for the first time Woody sneaks along to ensure she's ok. It's here we get a new character Forky (Tony Hale), a toy made from bits & pieces by Bonnie, who has to be educated by Woody about his new life (he thinks he's trash) - there's some interesting parallels here to refugees and immigration - but it's when they all go on the cinematically ubiquitous road trip that the adventure begins. The visuals created by Pixar are fantastic especially in the dusty old antique shop where the toys have to rescue Forky from the clutches of Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), a doll who yearns for love. A stand out though is Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom, a motorcycle stunt toy that never lives up to his commercials and those of a certain age will remember the Evel Knievel toy just like it that was advertised as being able to do impossible stunts but was a damp squib. Reeves is hilarious as the wonderfully dorky Duke who is filled with self doubt. All the old characters return here too and whilst Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) has a bit less of a role he still delights. If this is really to be the final Toy Story film then it's definitely a worthy one, not quite as good as the others but still a sheer delight.

A powerful, intriguing and cleverly constructed drama with three interlocking stories. It's basically a cause & effect narrative that weaves a connection that stems from a moment of childish stupidity by two Moroccan goatherd brothers which affects married couple Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett) who are holidaying in Morocco, their two children and their Mexican nanny in the USA and a deaf Japanese teenager grieving over the death of her mother. The film has strong themes around human nature and communication focusing on relationships, love and sadness. There are some traumatic events in the film as the initial incident ripples outwards causing events that change peoples lives across the world. It's a remarkably intricate and compelling set of stories, well written and directed with some very original camerawork and with a structure that creates a mystery vibe at times. For first time viewers of this film it's a treat as the various scenarios gradually align together. Starkly realistic this is a drama that will draw you in and occasionally have you feeling on the edge of your seat so it's well worth checking out if you haven't seen it.

A sequel to We Still Kill The Old Way (2014). Whereas the original was an entertaining London gangster film about revenge this one is a sort of heist/prison break/gangland mixture that has an even more clichéd script than the first, a stupid story and a lacklustre ending. The story is so preposterous it will elicit groans from you as it veers around trying to be a cohesive tale and failing. The old boy gangsters of Richie Archer (Ian Ogilvy), Butch (Tony Denham) and Roy (Christopher Ellison) get themselves purposely sent to jail to then break out with their old pal George (Patrick Bergin), who is desperate to see his dying wife. The plans are all in place until more nasty gangster Vic (Billy Murray) arrives with a vendetta against Richie to thwart their plans. The characters are all stereotypes, there's the hard man violence that every prison drama has and some quite funny moments including a couple of Shawshank Redemption gags. Overall this is silly but not without it's entertainment value. If you quite enjoyed the first one this will disappoint.

A revenge thriller that has feminist overtones and a realistic feel about a woman, Sadie (Olivia Wilde), who has decided to help people in domestic violence situations. She herself is a victim of an abusive husband who murdered their son and disappeared. The film steers a careful path to avoid being exploitative and we are spared any scenes of nasty violent abuse, although the after effects are highlighted. Vowing not to kill anyone Sadie is skilled in martial arts and uses them to violent effect. Eventually the narrative drifts into a chase story which is ok but ultimately a little underwhelming. This is not bad and well worth watching and it's an impressive debut feature for the director Sarah Daggar-Nickson.

Whilst the overall story is nothing new, ie Dances With Wolves (1990) or The Last Samurai (2003), this is a really entertaining epic ecological science fiction film and director James Cameron's passion piece. His themes are rich and entertaining from anti-colonialism to environmentalism but ultimately this is an adventure film, with action, romance and jaw dropping special effects. It's set in the future on a distant jungle planet where humans have arrived to mine a valuable ore. But the local tribespeople, the Na'Vi, are seen as a problem by the military, led by tough megalomaniac Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and company man Parker (Giovanni Ribisi), although grumpy scientist Grace (Sigourney Weaver) is trying to win them over by integration and education. She has devised a way for humans to transfer their consciousness into a Na'Vi body, called an avatar, and to befriend them. Jake (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic ex soldier, joins her team and he soon finds that his Na'Vi body is preferable to his own and he comes to love the Na'Vi way of life. But Quaritch is planning to massacre them all to clear the way for a new mine. This sets up the story for some stunning action set pieces and Cameron utilises aspects from his own Aliens (1986) and steals shamelessly from the Star Wars franchise (the Force is alive and well on this planet) to create a really stunning world. Lang is superb as the psychopathic soldier ready to kill everyone and Zoë Saldana co-stars as the Na'Vi warrior who tempts the hero. It's only Worthington who doesn't quite have the leading man chops to carry this all off so it's a bonus he's mostly camouflaged by the CGi. But nothing can be taken away from the sheer spectacle of this film, it's exciting, fun and worth a revisit (try and catch the extended edition it has some interesting backstory for the Jake character) and if you've never seen it then it's a great family film too so worth an evenings viewing especially as sequels are on their way and likely to be big box office.

A controversial horror film that is a major influence on the 'torture porn' horrors of the Eli Roth and others. It's certainly a creepy story and quite shocking too. You have to be a fan of this sort of thing to really appreciate it and it has its big fans not least Quentin Tarantino who described it as a masterpiece. I wouldn't describe it as anywhere near that although its influence cannot be underestimated. The problem with this and any film like it is that it's only memorable because of the controversial scenes and the remainder is often ignored or forgotten. Whilst this boasts a quite nasty torture scene it's in the earlier half of the film that you get the slow build up of tension and creepy horror. If the infamous torture episode was absent this could've been a more interesting film. It's a story of misogyny with a widowed man seven years after his wife's untimely death begins to think about remarrying. But no longer understanding the dating scene he and his friend set up an audition for a leading actress for a film but really for him to check out a future wife. He settles on Asami, a quiet, shy younger woman and he begins to woo her but predictably she has her own agenda fuelled by a sinister past. The film obviously has some resonance today after the revelations of the Weinstein crimes but it's not really a narrative that can be viewed as a feminist or #MeToo one as this is more about a disturbed psychopath. Whichever way this can be textually read it's always going to be renowned for the 15 minute gross out stuff which is a shame.

A rather bleak and maudlin melodrama and a fictionalised story about real life horror writer Shirley Jackson played here by Elisabeth Moss. It's not a biopic but really a story about emotional control, abuse and selfishness. Jackson is a cantankerous and anti social author stuck in writer's block and constantly sparring with her shallow and philandering husband played by Michael Stuhlbarg. They take in a young couple Rose (Odessa Young) and Fred (Logan Lerman) who see the older pair as an exciting and interesting pair of mentors. In reality Shirley and her husband use them for their own ends in cruel emotional put downs. Whilst the performances are sincere the narrative here lacks its own convictions. It sets itself up as a film about empowerment with some real menace but sort of feebly jogs along to no real confrontation or conclusion. Ultimately the film fizzles out and lacks any real gumption.

This new adaptation of the popular children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett is no doubt a big production and the CGI use is extensive but the story has been played around with too much and the essence of it lost. It also does some very weird things that make no sense even when the fantastical elements have been ramped up considerably. For reasons that I cannot fathom the setting has been moved from Edwardian England to the late 1940s where spoilt 10 year old Mary (Dixie Egerickx) is living in India. Her parents die and she is sent to live with her grumpy Uncle (Colin Firth) in a gigantic mansion on the Yorkshire moors. Under the control of the strict housekeeper Mrs Medlock (Julie Walters - very underused) she explores the house and grounds finding a walled off garden, a sick cousin, a dog and a sudden flash of niceness! Bringing these all together to bring happiness to the maudlin household. Now here's the problem, the titular garden is a veritable Amazon jungle and huge. It's like Mary finds herself in a Jumanji film. The sickly cousin Colin (Edan Hayhurst) is too much a horrible kid and redemption seems wasted on him. The film has upped the magical elements of the story to the extent you're never sure if you're watching a fantasy film, a drama or a hybrid. You can never quite believe that somewhere near to the bleak, windswept house you see early on there's a veritable paradise, I was expecting lions etc to be living in it! A rather pointless new version that doesn't work, takes forever to get going and then is way over the top. Stick to the 1993 version it was much better.

China's first big budget effects movie, a disaster film with a childish script, flatly drawn characters and effects that are somewhat lacklustre. In the UK the British Board of Film Classification set this at a 12 certificate and for this film you need to be under that age for this to mean anything. Meng Li (Hannah Quinliven) is a young volcanologist based on an island with an active volcano that erupted years before killing her mother. For reasons that cannot be fathomed a smarmy entrepreneur has been allowed to build a resort on the island and gives tours into the volcano to rich tourists. He's played by Jason Isaacs with a dodgy South African accent (maybe they thought this would make him even more sleazy) who ignores warnings that an eruption is imminent. The film doesn't wait around to build up much tension because it erupts fairly quickly and then its a simple case of lots of running away and nearly dying for the main characters and death to all the extras. Quinliven makes for a decent action hero but her character is a sort of Alicia Vikander Lara Croft rip off. There's lots of quite daft set pieces and overall it'll make you groan and chortle in equal measure.

A fast, sexy, gritty and action packed Cold War thriller adapted from a graphic novel and with a bright, neon colour palette and driving soundtrack that gives it a rock video vibe. And it's great fun too. Charlize Theron doubles up on her action star credentials as top MI6 agent, Lorraine Broughton, sent to Berlin to investigate the death of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of covert operatives (searching for missing agent lists seems to have taxed most screen spies lately - 007, Jason Bourne, Ethan Hunt have all been on the look out for one at some point!). She is assisted by James McAvoy as a Berlin based spy with a drug problem. There's also a double agent somewhere amongst all the various factions at odds with one another and ultimately identifying this agent is the priority of MI6. Impressive support cast includes Toby Jones as Lorraine's boss, John Goodman as the CIA man, Eddie Marsan as a defecting East German spy and Sofia Boutella as a French agent. Most memorably are the very tough fight set pieces which are brutal and bloody and very, very exciting. There's car chases, double crosses, twists and turns of plot, gunfights and lots of surprises. It's highly entertaining and well worth checking out if you've never seen it.