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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 23 November 2018

Crime thrillers often culminate with a fast-paced action finale where the cops apprehend and/or kill the bad guys.  That’s usually followed by a short epilogue and then it’s fade to black.  The curious twist in Widows is that such events take place during the opening sequence.  Experienced criminal Harry Rawlings (Neeson) and his partners are brutally killed by Chicago police officers after a botched robbery.  These characters, who you think may be the crux of the movie, don’t even last 5 minutes!

Based on the 1983 novel by English author Lynda Le Plante, Widows then asks the question we don’t often see in cinema – what happens to the families of the villains once they’ve met a grizzly demise?  In this instance, Veronica Rawlings (Davis) finds herself unwillingly thrust into her husband’s profession.  A powerful crime boss rocks up on her door step demanding the return of $2 million (that Harry had stolen) and if not paid in a month, there would be serious, likely to be fatal, consequences.

Veronica doesn’t have much experience when it comes to organised crime but she does have a gift from her late husband – a notebook with the plans for a $5 million heist that was never executed.  To link back to the film’s title, she reaches out the two widows of her husband’s fellow gang members to gauge interest.  Linda (Rodriguez) and Alice (Deibicki) are reluctant but given their precarious financial position, they decide to get involved – “she’s got money so we may as well see where this goes”.

There are other players in this large ensemble with a significant part to play.  Jack Mulligan (Farrell) is a young, corrupt politician who is trying to follow in the footsteps of his ailing father (Duvall) and win an upcoming council election.  His challenger is Jamal Manning (Henry), a middle-aged black man with an equally dubious past and a campaign manager (Kaluuya) who prefers violence to diplomacy.  It’s not much of a role but it’s nice to see Australian Jacki Weaver making a cameo as a sinister mother.

Released earlier in the year, Ocean’s 8 was a movie designed to show that female criminals could be just as entertaining to watch as their male counterparts.  It was underwhelming but that’s largely because of the weak script where everything came far too easily to the likeable protagonists.  Widows is a superior film because it feels more gritty and realistic.  These women aren’t perfect and they make mistakes.  This isn’t intended to be the start of a long-term career in crime.  They’re desperate and they’re prepared to risk a jail sentence in pursuit of this “one and done” job.

The film also wins points for great dialogue and unpredictable nature.  Quick splashes of violence and a few cool twists will catch audiences off-guard.  It’s hard to pick a standout amongst the major players given they all have a strong screen presence but the arrival of Cynthia Erivo as an energetic babysitter looking to make a little extra cash gives the film a value-adding spark.

Directed by Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and co-written by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Widows is a winning heist flick.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 November 2018

Claire Foy has already made her mark in the world of television but winning a Golden Globe and Emmy Award for her performance as a young Queen Elizabeth in the Netflix series The Crown.  She’s now using her newfound stardom (and her immense talent) to break into Hollywood.  So far this year, she’s given an intense performance as a woman incarcerated in a psychiatric ward in Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane.  That was followed by her portrayal as Neil Armstrong’s strong willed yet worried wife in Damien Chazelle’s First Man (which looks set to land her an Oscar nomination).

Her latest challenge is to step into the shoes of a character already made famous by other actors.    Computer hacker extraordinaire Lisbeth Salander was portrayed by Noomi Rapace in the Swedish trilogy released back in 2009 and by Rooney Mara in the 2011 remake from director David Fincher.  Author Stieg Larsson never had the chance to see his creation come to life on screen given he passed away a year before his famed novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was first published back in 2005.

The catch with The Girl in the Spider’s Web is that it’s the first movie in the franchise to not be based on one of Larsson’s three novels.  Rather, it’s the creation of David Lagercrantz, a Swedish author engaged by the publishing company to write two more books in the Millennium series.  We can never be sure if Larsson would have approved of the work but at least these new novels will satisfy those looking to know more about the adventures of Lisbeth Salander and her investigative journalist friend, Mikael Blomkvist.

The good news for Claire Foy fans is that she’s the best thing in this.  She portrays Salander as depicted in the novels – a person with a brilliant mind but who struggles when it comes to social skills.  When you see her goth look and rugged accent, it’s hard to believe it’s the same actor who played the prim and proper Queen Elizabeth in The Crown.  Salander has already been an intriguing character.  As we see in the opening scene, she relishes her reputation in the media as a Batman-style “vigilante” and has no intention of going into permanent hiding.

The problem with this film is its farcical, fragmented script.  Everything feels like it comes far too easily to Salander.  She can hack networks a heartbeat, she can evade capture when surrounded by bad guys, and she has an uncanny sixth sense that alerts her to imminent danger (such as a chaotic scene where she helps a reckless National Security Agency official escape confinement).

The other players in this ensemble have little to offer.  Frans Balder (Merchant) is a careless computer programmer who has engaged Salander’s services to help protect a valuable tool that could destroy the world.  Mikael Blomkvist had a strong presence in the earlier movies but he’s a helpless, pointless observer this time around.  There’s also a subplot involving Salander’s family history that comes as too much of a surprise given her acute awareness of all things in the world.

The cinematography from Pedro Luque (Don’t Breathe) deserves a mention but it’s not enough to compensate for the weak premise and lacklustre performances (Foy excluded).  If you want to see how good this series can be, hunt down the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from 2009.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 November 2018

I realise there’s value in the message but films tend to be unnecessarily simple when stressing the importance of family time ahead of work.  We often see a leading character spend too many hours in the office or too many days travelling away from home.  Lo and behold, an unexpected event gives them a fresh perspective, they spend more time with their loved ones, and they live happily ever after.

With the greatest of respect to all professions, there are some where the responsibilities of work often exceed those at home.  Can a fire fighter take their kids on holiday when a bushfire rages across his home city?  Can a doctor put down their tools half-way through a complex surgery and head home for dinner with the family?  Can a politician go out with friends for a few drinks instead of entertaining a visiting foreign dignitary?

The Children Act highlights that the role of a judge is one of the most important in society.  Their decisions shape society and have a major impact on individual’s lives.  In the opening scenes, the Honourable Justice Fiona Maye (Thompson) has been asked to rule on a tricky case involving conjoined twins.  The doctors wish to perform surgery to save the life of one child but the parents wish for them to remain joined (despite significant risk to both children).  She must weigh up case law against her own morals in making the most appropriate decision.

It’s clear Fiona has a passion for her work but the long hours spent preparing for cases and writing judgements have come at a cost.  Her long-term husband, Jack (Tucci), has grown frustrated by the lack of intimacy and openly admits that he wants to have an affair.  The film is focused on Fiona’s viewpoint (she reacts angrily as you’d expect) but thanks to the skilful writing of Ian McEwan (Atonement), audiences are likely to feel sympathy for both characters.  It’s hard to say that one is “right” and one is “wrong”.

There’s a second layer to the movie and it involves an urgent case that Fiona has been given.  A 17-year-old boy named Adam (Whitehead) has leukemia and will die within a matter of days if he is not given a blood transfusion.  However, he and his parents have refused such treatment because it goes against their religious views as Jehovah’s Witnesses.  The doctors wish to override the parents’ decision and Fiona must now pick a side as a hungry media show an increasing interest in the case.

The Children Act is both a moving drama and an absorbing character study.  Fiona has had a long, successful career but after decades of specialising in family law, she’s had to develop a tough exterior to help shield herself from the emotive, personal nature of these cases.  That changes with the arrival of Adam and his particular circumstances dwell heavily on Fiona’s mind.

Directed by Richard Eyre (Iris, Notes on a Scandal), the film is headlined by three terrific performances from Emma Thompson (Howard’s End), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) and Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk).  Their respective characters share intelligent, persuasive conversations as they argue over certain issues.  Jason Watkins adds an enjoyable splash of comedy in his role as Fiona’s hard-working personal assistant.

Offering up plenty to think about when it comes to work-life balance and religious freedoms, The Children Act is a powerful, affecting piece of cinema.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 November 2018

In 2004, 19-year-old Garrard Conley spent two weeks at a gay conversion facility in Memphis, Tennessee at the firm request of his religious parents.  The concept may sound farcical but roughly 700,000 people in the United States, many of them teenagers, have been subjected to this dubious practice going back to the early 20^th Century.

Conley first wrote about his experiences as part of a college assignment and, realising how shocked and fascinated his fellow classmates were, it inspired him to write a full memoir.  Boy Erased was published in 2016 and the film rights were quickly snapped up by Focus Features – a company with a commitment to telling LGBT stories having previously been involved with films such as Brokeback Mountain, Milk, Beginners and Dallas Buyers Club.

Boy Erased opens with powerful words from its lead character – “I wish this had never happened but sometimes I thank God that it did.”  This signals to audiences that the film will be tough to watch at times but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  The fact Conley survived the experience and published his book is further proof.  It’s also worth noting that Conley has been renamed “Jared Eamons” for the purposes of the movie.

It’s not the first time this subject matter has been explored this year.  The Miseducation of Cameron Post won the Grand Jury Prize for US Drama at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited release in Australian cinemas two months ago.  In that film, the protagonist (played by Chloë Grace Moretz) was able to deal with the absurdity of gay conversion therapy by forming a valuable friendship with two fellow “patients” and plotting a means of escape.

Boy Erased is a slightly different story in that Jared is a more isolated character who doesn’t have a group of friends to fall back on.  Writer-director Joel Edgerton (The Gift) effectively uses flashbacks to show how the questionable therapy has impacted Jared’s personality and spirit.  He was once a chatty, outgoing teenager but as a result of the treatment, he’s become quiet and reserved.  It’s heartbreaking to watch this young man supress his emotions and have no one to reach out with wise words and a helping hand.  Academy Award nominee Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) plays the character with great skill.

The inner workings of the facility and its “clients” will be an eye-opener to many.  All of Jared’s personal belongings are confiscated on entry and he’s subjected to a very strict set of rules.  He cannot make physical contact with any other person, he must always be accompanied by a member of staff when going to the bathroom, and he cannot discuss the treatment with anyone from the outside (including his parents).  There’s also a strong religious ethos which is continually reinforced by the head therapist (played by Joel Edgerton).

It’s repetitive during the second act but the themes come through strongly during the emotional finale.  The most interesting character is Jared’s mother (played by Nicole Kidman) as she tries to reconcile religion with reality.  She wants to be loyal to her religious husband (Russell Crowe) who is protective of his reputation as a Baptist pastor.  However, she also sees the damage being done to her son as he withdraws further and further into his shell.

The world is a messed-up place but Boy Erased provides hope that common sense can sometimes triumph over stupidity.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 November 2018

Brought to the screen by writer-director David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon), The Old Man & The Gun is the tale of an elderly man named Forrest Tucker (Redford) robbing a series banks across the United States.  It may sound like Hollywood farce but the fact it’s “mostly a true story” makes it both hilarious and alarming.  In 1980 alone, Tucker and his accomplices robbed roughly 60 banks across Oklahoma and Texas.  That’s more than one a week!

So how did he get away with it and evade capture for so long?  For starters, he had experience.  Tucker had been stealing stuff since he was a teenager and was first imprisoned at the age of 15.  You’d like to hope that a stint in the slammer might curb his attitude but that wasn’t the case.  He actually enjoyed being a criminal.  Some of us have fun by going to dinner, playing sport or watching a movie.  For Tucker, nothing was more entertaining than the thrill of planning a bank heist and executing it to perfection.  He didn’t even need the money!

The key to Tucker’s success was his charm.  It sounds hard to believe but he was incredibly polite when talking to bank staff and demanding they hand over all their cash.  He’d use compliments and thank them for staying so calm and composed.  His age was also a huge asset in helping fly under the radar.  I love the line from a real-life police sheriff who said “you’d more expect to see him go to the early-bird special than robbing banks.”

A few small details have been changed for the purposes of the movie but it’s still a fun “truth is stranger than fiction” kind of movie.  68-year-old Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter) is introduced as the love interest and while her character doesn’t have much to do, she’s a worthy sounding board as Tucker opens up about his thoughts and ideas.  Their first encounter by the side of the road is hilarious and there’s an equally good scene in a diner when Tucker reveals he’s a bank robber but she doesn’t believe him.

He schmoozes the bank tellers in the movie and 82-year-old Robert Redford does the same on the audience.  Yes, he’s committing serious crimes but because he’s such a polite, likeable gentleman, you’ll find yourself rooting for Tucker as he continually evades capture.  Conversely, you’ll be cheering against Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) who plays a police detective assigned to hunt down the Over-the-Hill Gang (as they were dubbed by the media).

The second act is the strongest as we learn more about Tucker and the robberies ramp up.  Cinematographer Joe Anderson adds a little style by shooting on 16mm film and occasionally having the camera zoom in on unrelated character.  I wasn’t as enamoured with the finale and the unusual epilogue (involving Tucker and his escapes from prison).  It feels like it belongs in a different movie.

In early August, 82-year-old Robert Redford announced he was retiring from acting and The Old Man & The Gun would be his final performance.  If that turns out to be true, it closes the book on a career that has spanned six decades.  His films will always be around for audiences to enjoy but for one last time, we can soak up and enjoy a new Redford flick.