raphmetz Reviews

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

unofficial REVIEW complete analysis

[9/10 · 28 January 2010]

In 1944 Nazi-occupied France, the story of young Jewish woman Shosanna (Laurent), whose family has been slaughtered by SS colonel Hans Landa (Waltz), crosses over the story of the "Basterds", a squad of American Jewish soldiers led by lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt) who are dispatched into France for a "killing Nazis" business.

It has to be said, the opening scene of Inglourious Basterds is one of the single greatest cinematic achievements of recent times. The evil Hans Landa interrogates a French farmer, and we witness him toying with his prey in a tense twenty minute segment. It is a masterclass in how to build up off-screen tension through the use of on-screen dialogue, and the culmination of everything Tarantino has ever brought to the screen. Not only is he such a great writer, he is also bold enough to rewrite the history of the Second World War in his own way and make the audience rejoice at the sight of Nazis being slaughtered. At the heart of Inglourious Basterds is some heavy violence and morally ambiguous humour, for Tarantino has twisted history and morality in the name of art and entertainment. On the basis of the latter, the movie is a full-on success. All who love it will be left wondering in the end how they can possibly have enjoyed a movie that plays on the violence and murders of World War II. Some will hate it because it's wrong and disturbing, but there is no denying Quentin Tarantino's talent for entertainment. If you can watch it as nothing else than a piece of artistic fiction, then you will laugh, you'll be thrilled and you will want to see it again as soon as it's over. Inglourious Basterds is reminiscent of Pulp Fiction in that the more you see it the more you are able to appreciate the quality of the writing and performances. It is also to the director's credit that despite constantly switching languages between English, French and German, the story unfolds smoothly and never loses its momentum.

The obvious highlight of the film is Christoph Waltz's performance as the delightfully evil Nazi colonel, this brilliant turn very likely to make him Oscar front runner in the best supporting actor category. Brad Pitt is also a great piece of casting, his hilarious accent making the character of Aldo Raine all the more enjoyable. Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender and Daniel Bruhl mainly make up what is surely one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. Inglourious Basterds is accomplished film-making, mastered by Quentin Tarantino at his best and in total control. It might not oust Pulp Fiction from top spot in the QT registry, but it's certainly in the top two.

VERDICT:

In addition to being some of master Tarantino's most accomplished work to date, Inglourious Basterds is also blessed with a faultless ensemble cast and a blistering performance by Christoph Waltz. Overall, it's brilliant entertainment and a great technical achievement. It's certainly passed the moral line, but we love it. Why? That's probably the master's trick.

Public Enemies (2009)

unofficial REVIEW complete analysis

[6/10 · 20 July 2009]

PLOT:

John Dillinger was a famous American bank robber of the 1930s whose crime spree made front page news at the time. The film focuses on the year 1933, when between two robberies Dillinger (Depp) falls for Billie Frechette (Cotillard), while FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) has been dispatched to stop the brilliant criminal.

REVIEW:

Even with its real-life-story aspect, this all sounds like your average crime movie, but there is more to it than that. What sets this film apart from its predecessors in the crime/gangster genre (defined by The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Departed…) is its feeling of immersion into what is in the frame of the camera. Mann and his cinematographer Dante Spinotti decided to shoot on a high resolution format which gives the picture unprecedented neatness and clarity, and the shaky documentary style recalls Paul Greengrass' The Bourne Ultimatum or United 93, with the movements of the camera giving real urgency and raw adrenaline to the action. Such cinematography is quite revolutionary for the genre, and even if the shaky camera effects are sometimes too much to handle, director Michael Mann succeeds in using this technique to produce a movie that feels very real. Add to that the loud guns, the stylish cars and the authentic period set pieces, and you can feel like you're in the thirties.

It is Johnny Depp's effortless but powerful performance that carries the film. The actor may be most famous for his interpretation of crazy captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, but he proves that he is definitely up there ranked as one of the most charismatic actors of this decade. Public Enemies is a crime movie, and it has its share of gun fights, but it doesn't fall into the dumb-entertainment-blockbuster category. It has an unexpected emotional core in the relationship between Dillinger and French girl Billie Frechette, beautifully interpreted by Marion Cotillard (Oscar winner 2008 for best actress in La Mome). The chemistry between her and Depp makes the viewer care about their doomed romance, in a way that elevates the film to an emotional level.

On the other hand, Public Enemies somehow disappoints by its lack of character development. The story line is nicely classical and there are some good scenes (best of all when Dillinger wanders in the police department), but the screenplay is rather weak. The focus of the film is not all on Dillinger's side of things, it is often diverted to top FBI agent Melvin Purvis (played with typical style by Christian Bale), who has been sent out to stop the criminal by any means. The structure of the film apparently aims at a two-way movement in the same style as Heat, where we follow both the gangster and the cop's stories, but ultimately it does not achieve this. We never get to know Purvis or anybody else, and sadly Dillinger turns out a bit shallow. It would not be fair to say that Depp's character doesn't have enough screen time, but by the end of the film we are left wondering who John Dillinger really was, behind the public figure we follow throughout the film.

VERDICT:

It's a slightly superficial effort, but Michael Mann has tried to show us a new way of filming gangsters. Once you get passed the typical crime movie tag, Public Enemies makes for some stylish entertainment, with a pure charismatic turn by Johnny Depp.

Anything for Her (2008)

Solid THRILLER with good ACTING

[8/10 · 26 April 2009]

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.

Of course the whole idea of the plot is not very believable, an ordinary man trying to get his ordinary wife to escape from prison. That is the downpoint of the film.

However, through the great performances by both actors Vincent Lindon and Diane Kruger, and the wonderful chemistry between them, you actually care for them, and understand the psychological motivation of the husband. Add to that the perfectly paced development of the story, and you end up with a solid, entertaining thriller with real emotions.

In my opinion, you forget the unrealistic aspect of a film when the performance(s) of the actor(s) are deep and the emotions strong. So for me, even though this film provides nothing new, it is a brilliantly executed thriller.