Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 May 2001

On the case is high-profile police officer Eddie Fleming (DeNiro) and fire officer Jordy Warsaw (Burns).  Eddie’s celebrity status has him on the cover of People magazine and a regular on a trashy expose TV show, Top Story, hosted by Robert Hawkins (Grammer).  Karel sees an edition of Top Story profiling a criminal who is receiving millions in book and TV deals for his story which gives him an idea.

Welcome to America - “the country where no one is responsible for what they do” as Karel acutely phrases it.  His plan is to kidnap a high profile celebrity (and what better choice than Eddie Fleming), kill him and sell the video tape to Top Story for a million dollars.  What news network would turn down such exclusive footage?

From the above, you’d think this is a story about how cruel and sick the media can be but the plot is so ludicrous, it’s impossible to believe.  As if anything this bizarre could happen in reality and it plays more like a spoof than a serious cop thriller.  It’s ironic that the film features graphic violence given the message it promotes.  You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Robert DeNiro and Ed Burns make a great team and save the film from total degeneration.  Watching the two zip across New York hunting for clues is suspenseful and I learnt a few tricks of the trade along the way.  Where exactly has Ed Burns been lately?  This is his first film since Saving Private Ryan three years ago and his performance makes us realise what we’ve missed.

I’m often talking about censorship on screen and am tired of those trying to ban certain material.  It’s all a case of supply and demand - if you don’t watch it, studios will stop making it.  The recent Big Brother Uncut series has resulted in Channel Ten being flooded with abusive letters and emails.  Boohoo.  It is that simple - if you don’t like it, don’t watch it and don’t spoil it for those people who choose to watch.

I won’t continue with my whole “freedom of speech” essay but it’s easy for a film to criticise those that televise shocking material when it doesn’t look at the other side of the argument.  Like most decisions, you have a choice and in this instance you can either go see 15 Minutes or you can stay at home.  I’d advise you to stay home but like any of the reviews I write, is it really going to stop you?

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 May 2001

Our triumphant pair, Rick (Fraser) and Evie (Weisz), are back and this time they’re with their 8-year-old son, Alex (Boath).  When young Alex puts on a valuable Egyptian gold bracelet, he unleashes a force that threatens to destroy the planet (again).  The bracelet will guide him to a hidden pyramid where a legend known as the Scorpion King will return from the underworld and obliterate all standing in his way.  Also wanting to unlock powers of his own is Rick’s previous arch-rival, Im-Ho-Tep (Vosloo), who kidnaps Alex to ensure he gets to the temple first.

I loathed the original and this isn’t much better but do concede this film is improved by relaxing and increasing the craziness of the scenario.  There is an unrelenting and ridiculous amount of action offering little room for much else.  Dialogue is minimal and it’s only a bold music score combined with really, really, really loud sound effects that’ll keep you watching (and stop you falling asleep).  Again, this works in the film’s favour because the cast’s intended humour rarely impresses.  Fraser is too sarcastic and John Hannah’s jokes are obvious and tiring.  The only cast member with spark is Boath who’s innocence will rub off on audiences.

Special effects are becoming a feature of every film and I believe that whilst we can create effects never possible before, directors are becoming too reliant on them in thinking that great effects make a great movie.  Think of famous trilogies like Star Wars (currently screening on Showtime) and Indiana Jones.  The visual effects look primitive today but it’s the heart of the story that made those films as successful and memorable as they are today.  In ten years time, is anyone going to even remember that The Mummy Returns was made let alone what it was about?

It’s a disturbing trend.  The Mummy Returns just set a box-office record in America for the biggest 3-day opening in history.  Big studios are spending big dollars to advertise their big films to recoup the big bucks they’ve spent on big special effects.  As a mathematician, I could say that the amount of money a film will make is correlated to the cost of its visual effects.  Tell me if I’m wrong but isn’t a film supposed to be about the story?

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 May 2001

So they turn up with no idea what they’re getting themselves into.  In fact, we don't know either and credit goes to writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) for another intelligent screenplay.  Rather than reveal all about the characters, only tiny pieces are provided and some are not given at all.  For example, just what did happen in Baltimore? 

I won’t divulge more of the screenplay except that it also features two bodyguards (Taye Diggs and Nicky Katt), a wealthy businessman and his wife (Scott Wilson and Kristin Lehman), a bag man (James Caan) and a pregnant lady (Juliette Lewis).  Don’t worry if you’re confused - once you see the film it will make sense.

The film could be criticised for being dull at times (and in fact two people walked out of the cinema in which I saw it).  I disagree with that assessment and enjoyed the film for what it is.  It’s a variable mix but the cast are excellent with emphasis on Del Toro and Phillippe.  Criminals are often portrayed as dumb but these two (whilst not geniuses), know what they’re doing and how to play the game.  James Caan is also excellent in a role I’m sure he knew well.

Set over a 24 hour period, The Way Of The Gun is a really well told story.  Whilst it doesn’t have the shocking revelation provided by McQuarrie’s last effort, The Usual Suspects, you can tell he is a very talented writer and knows how to keep the audience’s attention.  Not a film you should overlook.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 03 May 2001

The President of the United States is the world’s most powerful person and is one of few that could issue that command.  Think about power in general and the effect it has on people.  Everybody wants it and yet some people change and cannot cope when even the slightest pressure is placed on them.  If the world were to go to war today, George W. Bush could control the lives of four billion people and just imagine the pressure that would be placed on any decision he made.

Crimson Tide provided a worthy illustration of power, pressure and nuclear weapons.  It was fictitious of course and one would hope that the situation depicted could and would never eventuate.  Thirteen Days cannot be classed similarly because it is a true story and the key factor that makes it so entrancing to watch.

In October 1962, U.S. spy planes discovered missiles being assembled in Cuba that had been obtained from the Russians.  Cuba believed the U.S. was planning to attack.  Joining forces with Russia, they intended using the weapons to defend themselves.  The U.S. interpreted things differently.  They never had intention to invade Cuba and saw the development of weapons as a threat to their own security.

Over the next 13 days, the world was brought to a standstill and braced for World War III.  President John F. Kennedy (Greenwood) and his adviser Kenny O’Donnell (Costner) were left to make the biggest decision of their lives.  Military leaders advised the president to strike Cuba before assembly was completed but Kennedy was reluctant given that many lives would be lost and the world would see America as breaching international treaties.

I could write a book on how detailed the crisis was but someone has beaten me to it.  The film is based on a novel by Ernest May and Philip Zelikow which was compiled from eyewitness testimony and White House audio tapes.   At just over two hours, Thirteen Days captures only a brief glimpse of the conflict but still develops incredible tension.  The film is unrelenting and keeps building until the history making conclusion.

Kevin Costner gives his best performance since JFK which is ironic - perhaps Costner prefers political material.  As Kennedy himself, Bruce Greenwood is remarkable.  He plays a subdued character who is rarely upset but on the cusp of losing control.  I’m so familiar with Greenwood playing the “bad guy” (as in Rules of Engagement, Double Jeopardy and The Sweet Hereafter) but here he portrays one of the most important people of the 20th Century and rises to a challenge that would be beyond other actors.

I’m a fan of political dramas if just to see the effect that power and pressure have on one’s judgment.  Bulworth, Primary Colours and The Contender are all A-worthy in my opinion and Thirteen Days continues the impressive trend.  We don’t often see what goes on behind closed doors and are accustomed to the usual clichés and statements politicians tout.  This film will shock you but I wonder just how many equally compelling stories are kept within the walls of the White House and the Pentagon?  If we only knew...

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 10 May 2001

In Mexico, they meet the powerful and wealthy Rocha (Blades) who owns many thousand acres and has a proud heritage in breeding horses.  Offering John and Lacey work, the two enthusiastically accept and soon develop respect amongst the townsfolk - usually a tough job for Americans.

Things change though when John falls for Rocha’s beautiful daughter, Alejandra (Cruz).  Rocha will only have the best for his daughter and John Grady Cole is not a worthy enough man.  Framing him of a crime he didn’t commit, John winds up in jail and torn from Alejandra.  His life is no longer about love but about learning to survive the brutality of the penitentiary.

After a nasty attack from an inmate in the mess hall, John thinks his life is over but amazingly he is spared and released.  Alejandra pleaded with her father to set John free and he agreed but on one condition - Alejandra must never see John again.

All The Pretty Horses spent an eternity in post-production as a result of Billy Bob Thornton’s original cut clocking in at over 4 hours.  Having heard the film was in development, I tried to track down a copy of Cormac McCarthy’s novel and finally found it in a bookshop in Tasmania in March 2000.  It’s taken 14 long months to finally see Ted Tally’s adaptation of a book I much enjoyed.

The film’s fundamental problem stems from perhaps its original length - events do not flow well and important scenes are rushed and overlooked.  As a result, it’s hard to get emotionally involved in what is supposed to be a tragic love story in the vein of Romeo and Juliet.  The final fifteen minutes were dreary and tedious which is never a good impression to leave on a departing audience.

Billy Bob Thornton is rumoured to be releasing the full 4 hour version on DVD and I am curious to see if it does improve the current product.  Until then, we are left with an inferior version that despite top marks for acting and direction, doesn’t meet expectations.  Still, with The Mummy Returns the other choice on offer this week, All The Pretty Horses looks a more attractive proposition.