Film Reviews by GI

Quirky, fun filled and action packed this is a great film directed and starring Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano, one of Japan's biggest action stars. The character of Zatôichi originates from a series of popular novels and has been a staple character in Japanese TV and films since the early 60s (the 1989 American film Blind Fury with Rutger Hauer is based on this character) and here is given a new twist with comic book style film full of swordplay and fast bloody action. Zatôichi is a blind master swordsman who wanders the countryside of feudal Japan acting as a masseur. He has lightening reflexes and reacts with deadly violence if confronted. In this story he arrives in a small town dominated by a corrupt gang who's boss remains hidden. Trying to mind his own business he soon becomes embroiled in the town's troubles and decides to help a brother & sister who have also arrived intent on revenge. Like many samurai films they follow the narrative tropes of the gunfighter westerns of Hollywood where a lone warrior arrives in a troubled community, sets things aright and drifts on unable to share in the peace he brings. Kitano adds huge slices of humour in this film (sometimes a little too zany) and has deliberately made the bloodshed exaggerated and almost cartoon like but the film is a joy and an example of the sort of delights that can be found in the cinema of other countries. There's some very adult themes riddled through the story that may be a surprise including child prostitution and sexual assault. This is a film to just go along with for it's energy and action and to find something different.

An uncompromising, gritty and realistic political thriller and a dramatisation of the CIA's hunt for Osama Bin Laden. This is first class modern film making and a serious attempt at unravelling the morals and complexities of the US' 'War on Terror' campaign following 9/11. The film gained controversy in its scenes of CIA torture of suspects at 'black sites' in that it was accused of condoning the use of waterboarding and similar methods. This is wrong, those scenes are highly impactive and shocking and Kathryn Bigelow, the director, meant them to be. The film opens the debate about the use of such methods especially by a western democracy in the 21st century and admittedly the narrative weaves a difficult and blurred line allowing the viewer to see the complexity around what is happening. But it is clear the film condemns these things and questions the political morality at play. Jessica Chastain as Maya, a CIA operative, who becomes dedicated to locating Bin Laden, is at first repulsed by the torture she witnesses but late comes to utilise it's power to get what she obsessively wants. The film mixes in real footage to make the story seem all the more potent and includes scenes of the London 7/7 bombings. Ultimately this is a riveting thriller about the dirty world of intelligence gathering against a highly dangerous enemy and the surveillance scenes and climactic special forces attack on a compound are action cinema at its best. This is a breath taking piece of modern cinema and definitely a film to see. If you've missed it then I urge you check it out you won't be disappointed.

A British comedy that has the hallmarks of the early Carry Ons, indeed it's based on the same play as Carry On Nurse (1959), directed and produced by the same team and features some Carry On stalwarts such as Kenneth Williams and Joan Sims, but this doesn't seem to have been as fondly remembered. Possibly the reason is the entire set up is a somewhat dated one. Set in a TB sanatorium at a time when the only cure was rest and fresh air this is the trials, tribulations and love lives of six men of various personalities who inhabit one ward ruled over by a sexy and benevolent nurse (Juliet Mills). There is more of drama than comedy here and in that sense the film is of interest but much of the comedy is very dated and features a cultural misogyny that will jar with modern audiences, e.g. the female characters succumb to unsolicited embraces and kisses as if this is what every woman does! Overall it's about lives lost and found in a hospital ward and at times the script struggles trying to make jokes where there are none to be made. Patients hiding in cupboards from a tyrannical matron etc etc. Established stars like Williams aren't given the room to shine here although, interestingly, he enjoyed making this film because there's less comedy. For lovers of British comedy from this period this may still hold some treasure but it's a poor relation to the Carry On series.

A heartwarming tragic-comedy that cleverly deals with the difficult subject of terminal illness. Eliza Scanlen plays 16 year old Milla who is in remission for cancer and wears wigs to cover her hair loss caused by chemotherapy. Her parents Anna and Henry (Essie Davis, Ben Mendelsohn) are devoted to her but their love is suffocating and Milla feels more and more isolated and despairing. Until she meets the energetic and wild Moses (Toby Wallace), a small time drug pusher and user and every parents nightmare. Anna and Henry are forced to make some difficult decisions very quickly when they see Moses has a liberating affect on Milla. This is an impressive directorial debut for Shannon Murphy whose clever use of colour highlights the growing bond between the two youngsters and the music score is impressive and underlines the relationships of the main characters. This is a humorous, sad and entertaining coming-of-age story that covers the difficult subject of serious child illness and first love really well making it a very fulfilling film. Well worth checking out.

The name Fred Rogers will be unfamiliar in the UK but in the US he was a children's TV icon running a popular show, 'Mr Roger's Neighborhood', from 1963 to 2001, which made him a national treasure. Tom Hanks plays the ever so kindly Rogers in what isn't a biopic story as such but is based on his relationship with hardbitten and cynical reporter, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys). Vogel is assigned to do a short piece on Rogers, a role he takes on reluctantly, but he finds that the TV persona that Rogers displays is actually not an act and very soon Vogel's interview becomes Rogers' insightful examination of Vogel's personal problems. This is a story of a man impervious to cynicism, who senses unhappiness in people and actively tries to help them and his opposite, a man embittered by his failed relationship with his father (Chris Cooper) and who is constantly angry with the world. This makes for an actually quite touching film enhanced by Hanks ability to play the inimitable Rogers so well. A film I found myself enjoying despite myself and you don't have to have any prior knowledge about Fred Rogers (I didn't) to quickly grasp who he is and what this film is about. This is really a story of a man finding happiness with his life. It's really quite lovely.

A dark, brutal thriller that oozes originality and a kind of mystical aura to the story. With the influence of Taxi Driver (1976) running through this is a compelling character study of a traumatised Gulf war veteran haunted by his past and with frightening memories of childhood who now hires himself out as a 'fixer'. He has a reputation for getting results especially in finding missing teenagers and is willing to resort to uncompromising violence when it's required. Joaquin Pheonix plays Joe, a dark. brooding man who lives with his elderly mother. He's hired by a US Senator to find his 13 year old daughter who failed to come home one evening. With one small clue Joe manages to find her in the clutches of a brothel specialising in underage girls but her rescue begins a chain of violent events and Joe finds himself caught up in a murderous conspiracy. He reacts in the only way he knows how! Pheonix gives an awesome and at times terrifying portrayal of a man bordering on insanity but managing to retain a semblance of reality as he channels the violence within him towards those in his path. He's like a seething volcano and unstoppable once erupted. But this is more than just a violent revenge/vigilante film, there's a clever complexity to the character and the events in which he finds himself and Scottish director Lynne Ramsay twists the film to imply a blending of nightmare and reality. This is a first class piece of film making and highly recommended if you've not seen it.

A strange film that has a dreamlike quality to the narrative. Clearly a criticism of the populist and nationalist government in Brazil it is set in a remote Brazilian village that finds itself more and more isolated. The water supply is cut off, coffins are being delivered to the village and the telephone network is disconnected. As the villagers start to deal with this they find that people are being shot and that a group of safari type tourists are moving in on the village to shoot people for sport. They find the villagers are not an easy push over. Satirical and very bloody this is somewhat of a weird and surreal film. It's certainly an interesting variation on films like Battle Royale (2000). Worth a look.

There is no doubt that the real events behind this film is a remarkable story but unfortunately, whilst it looks great, the film is a plodding affair. It tells the tale of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian commando trained by the British who with eleven others attempt to land in occupied Norway in the winter of 1943 with a mission to sabotage German strategic airfields and such. But they are betrayed and only Jan escapes during the German ambush. The film then becomes a long, drawn out survival narrative of Baalsrud, making an attempt to escape to Sweden across the wilderness whilst wounded and frostbitten. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays the rather clichéd Gestapo officer, with facial duelling scar attached, who attempts to hunt him down. The director, Harald Zwart, adds in various hallucination scenes where Jan is holed up, literally for weeks in some cases, to try and spice up the story but it just ends up making it more prolonged and eventually tedious. A pity because as I say the story is of an astounding feat of bravery but as a cinematic war drama it needed some action.

For a film-maker of Clint Eastwood's skill and pedigree this is a mind bendingly dull film. It's probably one of the most conservative and crass pieces of cinema I've seen in quite awhile. It's well known that Eastwood loves waving the American flag at us and in many of his films this can be forgiven because surrounding it has been a good film. Not here though. This retells the story of a genuinely heroic event where three American friends, on holiday in Europe, along with other passengers (who get scant mention in this film!), took down a terrorist on a train preventing him from mass murder. The few minutes of that actual event is strung out into a narrative that forces the viewer on a crash course into the boring past lives of these three (lives where guns, christianity and delinquency are thrust down ones throat as good American values!) and then onto their very dull European holiday where they take endless selfies, drink endless coffees and/or beers and slap each other on the back a lot. The film is not improved by the rather weird decision to have the actual three guys play themselves in the movie. They can't act....at all. The wooden performances makes them come across as rather dense and perhaps they are but it detracts from their courageous act, the purpose of the film in the first place! Either way this is a poor film, monotonous and dull.

Fantastically entertaining sword & sorcery film adapted from a graphic novel and digitally produced to give it what was then a unique look (Sin City had a similar style a year earlier). Director Zack Snyder wisely made the film bloody, violent and very adult so its cartoonish look is overridden by the sheer spectacle and the wonderful slow motion battle scenes, strange creatures and often graphic violence. The story is built around real events namely the Battle of Thermopylae that took place in 480BC when a small band of Greek Spartan warriors held off a huge invading Persian army. Graphic novelist Frank Miller turned the history into a very popular fantasy epic and this film recreates his novel for the screen along with depraved beast like men, weird orgies and macho heroism. Gerard Butler, in his best ever role, is King Leonidas who having been forbidden to go to war by the deformed priests who control the laws of his land, takes 300 of his best warriors in defiance of them to defend a small pass against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), Ruler of Persia, and his massive army. The support cast are fantastic and includes Michael Fassbender in his film debut, Dominic West, David Wenham and Vincent Egan. This is a film about heroism, utilising the old Greek myth type stories of old, a film that in earlier times would have been made with stop motion. What's great about this is it's simply great fun from start to finish. Every image is beautifully rendered and the action is exciting stuff. A film that takes facts, adds legend, myth and fantasy to make a contemporary action movie that really rocks.

A deliciously gory and entertaining modern horror film with a unique setting. Adapted from a graphic novel the film is set in Barrow, Alaska, the most northerly town in the USA and every year the town has a complete month where the sun doesn't rise. Many people leave the town for this time but many also stay and as everyone is preparing for the annual 30 days of night the Sheriff, Eben (Josh Hartnett), is baffled by a series of strange crimes where peoples mobile phones are stolen, generators are vandalised and dogs are killed. He soon arrests a stranger (Ben Foster) but the discovery of a body is quickly followed by the town being attacked by a strange cult with an uncontrollable blood lust and a few survivors try to hide out until the sun returns. This is a modern day take on the vampire film and truly gruesome they are too. Danny Huston is excellent as the leader of the nasties. This is not a film that dwells on the old tropes of the sub genre so there are no wooden stakes or garlic etc although the issue of sunlight is the key to the milieu. Horror films are thematically about some inner fear and vampire based stories are the fear of strangers, foreigners, disease and often uncontrollable lust. This film doesn't have any of the sexual desire themes but it strongly focuses on foreign intruders and consequently resonates with modern fears of immigration etc. But that aside this is action filled, bloody and downright good fun so if you love a good horror film then this is for you and even if you're not usually drawn to such films this one is worth trying because it's rather good.

Similarly themed to High Noon (1952) this tense, revisionist western is a classic of the genre. Shot in stark black and white at a time when colour was prevalent especially in westerns it creates a parched, desperate landscape that matches the growing tension of the story. After a robbery outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) lingers over a prostitute in the nearby town and gets caught. Expecting his large gang will come to free him a reward is offered for a volunteer to get him on the 3.10 train to Yuma prison. Broke and struggling rancher Dan (Van Heflin) needs the money and despite his wife begging him to stay out of the matter Dan takes on the job. The long wait for the train to arrive while Ben's gang congregate around the town ready to free him is only the beginning Dan also has the long walk to the station to overcome. The use of time to increase the sense of danger and the gradual desertion of allies makes for a top class drama here. This is a basic tale of good vs evil and ultimately a slice of redemption too. It's not an action western by any means but certainly one that began a trend in a more darker vision of the genre in the vein of a film noir. The dynamic between Ford and Heflin is superb and makes the film so good as they spar with each other and debate their respective morals. A stone cold classic and definitely a film every cinephile should make sure they see.

A tour de force performance by Riz Ahmed makes this a deeply moving and powerful drama. He plays Ruben, a former drug addict and now the drummer in heavy metal band Black Gammon along with his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke). They live life on the road together travelling America on tour in their winnebago. But Ruben's life is thrown into total disarray when he loses his hearing. His frustration and utter desperation are wonderfully portrayed by Ahmed assisted by the use of a muted soundtrack to simulate his limited hearing and the closing in of his world. He is forced by Lou to join a community for the deaf where it's taught that deafness is a condition that can be lived with and not something to be cured. But Ruben is desperate to get his old life with Lou back. A well deserved Oscar nomination for Ahmed and a host of other BAFTA and Oscar nods are all justified in this compelling drama. Mathieu Amalric has a small support role. Highly recommended.

A very original romcom filmed at the 2010 T In The Park music festival and cleverly structured around the actual festival goers who were unaware that a movie was in the making. It's a delightful and humorous film with Luke Treadaway as Adam, the lead singer of a world renowned rock group The Make, who are appearing at the festival. He gets into an argument with Morello (Natalia Tena), who heads up all girl punk group The Dirty Pinks, who are also performing. Seeing them arguing a stranger suddenly handcuffs them together and disappears into the crowd. Forced to spend time together, even with Adam having to be on stage with Morello's band, they also have to contend with their jealous girlfriend and boyfriend as well as deal with Adam's very drunk manager. This is a quirky little British film and the setting makes it very appealing especially if you've been a festival goer as it captures the sheer mania of being at an event like this. Deep down it's a lovely, heartwarming romance set in the world of contemporary music and the result is a cheeky little film of real charm. Music lovers will also enjoy the snippets of bands playing at the festival.

A new adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's classic gothic novel has much going for it but it's ultimately somewhat disappointing. This is possibly because one has come to expect something quite radical and unnerving from director Ben Wheatley but here he seems too restrained and of course there is always the temptation to compare this with Alfred Hitchcock's celebrated 1940 film. The two leads of Armie Hammer and Lily James are ok, although Hammer sort of lacks the icy English snobbery that the character demands but as two beautiful lovers they fit the bill well enough. He's Maxim De Winter, a rich country gent in 1930s England and who whilst on holiday in Monte Carlo meets and woos the naive young woman and proposes. But taking her back to his country estate in Cornwall soon brings dark memories for all concerned as the house is dominated by the memory of his first wife Rebecca who has recently drowned in a boating accident. Representing this is the scheming and malevolent housekeeper Mrs Danvers (Kristen Scott Thomas) who's devotion to the deceased Rebecca sets her on a plan to destroy the new marriage. The film has that balmy colour palette that sets it as a period piece and the mystery aspects of the story are well told especially if you are unfamiliar with it but it doesn't fully push the sheer darkness and gothic aspects of the tale. The unnamed new wife starts to find some resolve to fight back against Rebecca but all a little too flimsily and I'm not sure what the final scenes are trying to indicate. In any case this may find an appeal to a modern audience but the 1940 film is far, far better version of this great story.