Birdhasflown Reviews

Body of Lies (2008)

Unites States Foreign Policy presented in Body of Lies- Apathy over Empathy

[8/10 · 25 January 2009]

"Body of Lies" begins with a stirring quote by poet W.H. Auden: "What all school children learn / Those to whom evil is done / Do evil in return." As the war on terror ensues, it grows more difficult for America to fight actual terrorists. They live in worlds on the verge of utter disorder. The landscape of war is muddled with new technologies and materialistic comforts.

This stark difference in realities tarnishes understanding of Middle Eastern nations, creating a serious problem in the way the U.S. deals with them. This is what "Body of Lies" explores.

The film centers around two CIA agents, Ed Hoffman (played smugly by Russell Crowe) and Roger Ferris (a whiskered Leonardo DiCaprio). Hoffman calmly gives orders to Ferris via cell phone as he sits idly by his computer or at his daughter's soccer game while Ferris conducts missions across the globe. Ferris is willing to work with other nations in thwarting terrorism as Hoffman gives little to no consideration for adhering to the moral code of foreign diplomacy.

Hoffman is always eating or inactive. He's seen in one moment loading his minivan, the back door conveniently shutting automatically. Through Hoffman, the film paints a message that Americans' lazy lifestyles have seeped into the nation's foreign diplomacy. Ferris empathizes and reasons with foreign officials; Hoffman is merely apathetic toward them.

Ferris becomes conflicted with his own ways of dealing with suspected terrorists and advisers and the indifferent idealism of Hoffman. Ferris constantly aims to protect his informants while staying focused on his objective to find terrorists. Through his orders from Hoffman, Ferris sometimes treats both one and the same. This separation of ideals makes the film enthralling to watch.

A cloud of murkiness and shadow hovers over every frame. The sounds of searing violins rise up in moments of tension and eloquently highlight an ominous threat on Ferris. Hoffman seems to constantly go behind his back in carrying out missions which hurts Ferris' stability with his mission and foreign officials in Middle Eastern nations. The film centers on his relationship with a foreign adviser from Jordon, played mysteriously by Mark Strong.

The film has jarring action scenes, and the plot moves quickly. DiCaprio shines with authentic intensity and vigor in a role similar to his turn in "The Departed." He's batted around a lot in this film, and it is a testament to DiCaprio's immersion in his roles. Crowe has never played such a bastardly obnoxious character, which makes the viewer forget it's even him.

"Lies" is an intriguing viewpoint into American diplomacy to combat terrorism, often seen as aggressive and selfish. To Hoffman, agents are as expendable as the Islamic martyrs who give their lives for their ideals.

Can there be a just way to combat terrorism without becoming something evil ourselves? "Body of Lies" begs you to ask the question. How different are we from the terrorists we're trying to pursue?

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Vintiage Coen Brothers

[10/10 · 4 December 2007]

No other film this year is more somber, cold, and morally objectifying then Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men," The Coen's latest opus is adapted by Cormac McCarthy's book. The Coen Brothers interpretation of the novel is an almost exact literate reflection of McCarthy's hard, unflinching vision of 1980s West Texas, as the vast and hot desert is as unsympathetic as the criminals who dwell in it. The Coen's genius speaks for itself as they rehash McCarthy's Western vision into vintage Coen film-making: a film-noir classic that reminds us how great movies can be.

The story chronicles welder and ex-Vietnam veteran Lewylen Moss (played by Josh Brolin) who uncovers a satchel full of money surrounded by shot-up SUV's and dead Mexicans while hunting for antelopes. Having a young wife and trailer to come home to, he takes the money of course. Soon he is tracked down by an assortment of criminals, including a psychotic expert killer, Anton Chigurh, played menacingly by Javier Bardem.

The film embodies an eerie if not unsettling portrayal of evil, as this ruthless assassin rids whoever crosses his path with no remorse or sympathy. He finds truth in the fact that if you cross his path, you are very much meant to be killed. The only thing that may save you is a coin toss, but you would have to be lucky for him to be that gracious. The killer carries a cattle gun, which is a device that shoots compressed air out of a hose. He uses this device to impale locks out of doors, and on people to. In one scene, posing as a police officer, and wielding the gun on his side, he politely asks a man to get out of his car, and prods the hose to his forehead killing him instantly. He did not want to foray the vehicle with blood.

Tommy Lee Jones gives the film a much needed reprieve from the violence and carnage as he plays wise and melancholy filled Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. He follows Anton's string of crimes and tries to ease Lewylen's concerned wife as he follows her husband's trail on the run. Sheriff Bell stands for all of us who endlessly contemplate evil's profound hold on the world, as it walks in many forms. For the entire film carries with it a nihilistic message. Its message is that sometimes the most we can do to fight evil is to remain diligent and strong, and the Sheriff, Lewylen and his wife Carla Jean realize this quite tragically.

The film's pacing is superb as the camera envelops the viewer into the reality of the situations, with steady camera shots where the actors show the actions on screen without the camera presenting it. Little to no music is present throughout the film, which makes for a more surreal experience for the viewer, as you feel you are with the actors as the actions takes place.

The film's themes of greed and how the good combat against evil make prevalent themes in Coen pictures. Another theme is how the stark imagery of the landscapes and settings connect with the conflict of the characters. The forlorn backgrounds of desolate, morbid landscapes mark their films with an eerie presence. For they give off an unsettling perspective of lands without end, where peace and safety from evil are no where to be found. This is beautifully crafted in the gaping desert of this film and the frozen tundra of North Dakota in the Coen's Academy Award winning "Fargo." If you are an avid film-goer and have been deprived of entertainment as well as profound meaning in films all year, "No Country for Old Men," is your ticket.

American Gangster (2007)

Ridley Scott fashions Crowe's intensity and Washington's commandingly cool presence in one of most entertaining crime pictures in ages

[9/10 · 4 November 2007]

Audiences know a good crime-saga when they see one, as American Gangster brought in $16 million dollars on Friday alone according to showbiz-data.com, setting itself to double the weekend take of last years destined crime-classic The Departed. The proof is in the pudding as famed British director Ridley Scott helms the true life story of drug lord Frank Lucas and the detective on his trail, Richie Roberts in Scott's greatest conceived film since Gladiator. Scott beautifully and brutally orchestrates Russell Crowe's determined and intense Roberts and Denzel Washington's smooth but fierce Lucas, in a sublime crime epic that transcends the genre.

Frank Lucas's boss passes away in the beginning of film, prompting him to step into his shoes. Denzel Washington embodies Lucas as a cool commanding criminal who wears business suits rather then super-fly fur coats and jewelry as he adheres to keep a low-profile. Lucas carries profound ideals such as "the loudest guy in the room is the weakest," and that the man who draws the most attention to himself is the one that ends up in jail. He is in a lot of ways the Michael Corleone of Harlem as his intelligence and poise promote fear in his enemies. Although a gentlemen, Lucas is not afraid to conduct vicious acts of violence as he walks up to rival mobsters in broad day light and guns them down. This is one of Washington's most multi-layered characters, and he pulls it off with ease.

In noticing the high quantity of narcotics in Asia during the Vietnam War, Lucas immediately gets on a plane for Bangkok to work out a drug trafficking deal to get pure heroin in the United States. By securing this "product" he cuts out the middle man, thus causing his power and control to grow. He executes his plan with fortitude as he quickly becomes the city's leading drug lord.

Lucas's rise to mafia kingpin paints an engrossing portrait of capitalism in its most distasteful form, as Lucas becomes $150 million dollars richer as his product baffles police, junkies, and other criminals alike with its potency and lower price; and the audience feels the same effect.

The late 1960s and early 70s are fleshed out with breathtakingly dark and menacing cinematography. Ridley Scott and cinematographer Harris Savides heighten Gangster's realism as its stage is set upon gritty, foreboding mirages of night clubs and alleyways, where desperate junkies, crooked cops, and criminals loom everywhere. Savides had conveyed such dark gloomy visions in The Game and Zodiac. The screenplay also characterizes the time period with authentic hard clenched dialogue of the streets.

The focus on Crowe and Washington's dichotomy leaves out many story lines. We want to have a better sense of Lucas's father relationship with his nephew, and we wonder what happened for Roberts to cause his wife to take away his son. Their unwavering livelihoods however distract Roberts and Lucas from their beloved families, as Lucas is determined through his police work, and Lucas becomes paranoid to protect his business.

Much like L.A. Confidential or Miller's Crossing, Gangster delves you into the characters daily lives, where you get a distinguished sense that the world of the criminal and cop are not too far apart. These conflicted worlds of the police officer and criminal are both littered with selfish depravity, greed, and envied power as Lucas and Roberts are surrounded by evil on both sides. This includes a crooked cop, who uses his power to blackmail both Lucas and Roberts, which makes for a captivating twist in this crime epic.

Ridley Scott personifies the brutal effect organized crime has on innocent people's lives. Distressing shots of dead parents OD from Heroin inhabit the screen as a motherless child cries alongside her. These apparent scenes heighten the film's realism even more. Lucas's "product," is becoming the city's epidemic as thousands of New Yorkers are able buy his affordable Heroin. These wrenchingly unsettling images prompt the viewer to cheer on honest detective Richie Robert's crusade to rid the city of drugs as he becomes the film's hero. Russell Crowe exemplifies the character's courage and integrity through much evil as his struggle becomes the film's most captivating storyline.

American Gangster is intelligent and engrossing as it eloquently takes us through the rise and fall of one of the most notorious crime figures in history. Before you know it, 3 hours go by and you wonder what hit you, maybe it was the gritty dark atmosphere of New York City that was so captivating or maybe it was the dualism of Crowe's intensity and Washington's fierce but commandingly cool attitude, Gangster is simply a crime epic for the ages.

Across the Universe (2007)

Across the Universe is a testament to the greatest band of all time.

[8/10 · 16 October 2007]

"Across the Universe," is one of those rare films that captures the turmoil of a generation, personifies it with music, and then moves us with a heartwarming love story. Not since "Forrest Gump," has a film authenticated the cultural and personal upheaval that was the 60s, and what better musical score to epitomize it, then the Fab Four from Liverpool, England.

The film circles around, Jude who is a shipbuilder from Liverpool, England who meets college drop out Max in Princeton, New Jersey. Max invites Jude to Thanksgiving dinner at his family's stuffy, conservative home in suburbia. There Jude meets Max's sister Lucy where they decide to go to New York to escape their conformed lifestyles.

Julie Taymor, who directed the play "The Lion King," is a master choreographer, who accomplishes a surprising feet in almost telling this entire story through the music of the Beatles. The musical scenes coincide with the character's personal narratives and also the cultural, social, and political overtones of the decade as Taymor brilliantly crafts "The Beatles," music into a perfect incantation of the generation's feeling and attitude.

The film's 33 Musical numbers first lends its focus on the developing romance of Jude and Lucy. Lucy's boyfriend is killed in Vietnam which prompts her to rely on Jude for comfort as she is deeply conflicted with her feelings for him. In one of the most emotionally captivating performances by the young singer, she sings "If I Fell," as she watches Jude from a distance at a party. The song fleshes out her apprehension and conflicted heart so perfectly you'd think that John Lennon wrote it specifically for a similar situation.

There is an apparent revival to many of "The Beatles," more obscure songs in "Across the Universe," as Taymor's interpretations prompt the listener to connect with them in a more profound way then the original. In one of the film's subplots we see a girl, named ironically Prudence somberly singing, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Later in the film she meets the film's central characters, but she is a troubled lesbian as she longingly gazes at a girl, wanting to hold her hand. The upbeat tempo of "The Beatles," version is suddenly transformed into a song of longing and emotional heartache for a love that will never be realized.

As the film's characters immerse themselves deeper and deeper into the 60s influences, the choreography of the film becomes more intense, creative, and elaborate. Bono lends his voice and appreciation for the Beatles as he plays a psychedelic hippy who performs "I am the Walrus," and takes the films characters and audience on one of the film's trippiest numbers as we go on a "magical mystery tour." The psychedelic musical numbers call to mind Pink Floyd's "The Wall," but thankfully "Across the Universe," evokes its abstract scenes subtly and with a sense of organization and purpose.

Jim Sturgess is impressive as Jude, as he carries himself with vulnerability and pose during a generation of many baffling cultural changes. Evan Rachel Wood is angelic as Lucy, as I and countless other males in the theater fell in love with her soft gentle voice. Both stars I believe could carry themselves on Broadway as they move through countless scene changes and sophisticated choreography.

The film's central conflict centers around Lucy's involvement with a peace movement. Jude is against the political convention and fears for Lucy's safety, but she contests, and their relationship falters because of it. I won't unveil too much, but this aspect of the story felt a bit underdeveloped. This musical is not as emotionally prolific through its songs as Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge," but that film in my mind is a masterpiece, "Universe," falls short. Sometimes in this particular musical, the song numbers seem forced or awkward in the midst of the film's story, as we see Eddie Izzard perform as Mr. Kite in an insane carnival piece to the song, "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite." Although beautifully conceived, the song has no tangible reasoning in the film's plot line.

The director may have crammed too many musical numbers into the film, but we'll let it slide. Despite the film's strained middle, its beginning and end move eloquently as a touching musical passageway of story almost as good as any Beatle album. "Across the Universe," is a delightfully sweeping testament to the greatest band that will ever be, and shouldn't be missed if you are an avid fan.

The Kingdom (2007)

"The Kingdom," not what one will expect in geo-political thriller

[6/10 · 2 October 2007]

"The Kingdom" Grade: C+ The issue of Terrorism over the past 10 years has become one of the most heated and touchy subjects for American's upon the attack of the World Trade Center at the turn of the century. Since then our sensitivity to the issue has been challenged greatly as our War on Terror, declared by our President George Bush seems to be going nowhere as Osama Ben Laden is still at large, and our stabilization of Iraq has resulted in thousands of American soldier's lives. The Kingdom, seems to confront the issue of terrorism a bit half-heartedly as the film gives the viewer little consideration for the Terrorist's reasoning beyond the film, causing the picture to feel like a gung-ho anti-terror film rather then a geo-political commentary on the feuding ideas and leadership that has overrun the Middle East.

The terrorism that occurs in the film is actually a very frightening situation, as a compound for American's in the Saudi Arabia capital of Riyadh is bombed. Subsequently, during the initial rescue operation of the victims is underway; a much larger bomb explodes killing nearly 100 people. The reasoning beyond this attack is never justified in the film. I guess the viewer is supposed to think that terrorist's go after American's and that's all she wrote, but the real life conflict runs much deeper than that.

The FBI director then is seen imploring special agent Ronald Fleury played by Jamie Foxx to track down the terrorist behind it. The film begins to falter even as a taunt thriller as there is no real, captivating step by step process laid out for these government agents to track down these terrorists. During most of the movie, we see Foxx in the U.S. and in Saudi Arabia fighting the attorney general, foreign ambassadors, and Saudi officials for the opportunity to investigate the attacks in the first place. It's awhile before we see any kind of investigation.

The team that Fleury assembles is an impressive cast, as Jason Batmen I guess is a tech wiz, Chris Cooper knows weapons, and Jennifer Garner is good at forensics. Is this another Mission Impossible film or what? Jason Batmen emerges as a very funny addition to the film's waning deliberations, but the talent of Chris Cooper goes unrealized and under appreciated as he is rarely seen or heard from.

The actual analysis of the terrorist attack was not even as descriptive or on par with the tedious analysis of television shows CSI, as we only briefly see each of these characters investigate in their fields of study. Jennifer Garner looks upon a body with shrapnel infused in its flesh, but what the hell does it mean, the film does not bother to tell me. One might think that the investigation of a terrorist attack would be more involved then a lone murder.

A strong point for the film would be the relationship sparked between Saudi Col. Faris Al-Ghazi played by the very talented Ashraf Barhom and Jamie Foxx's character. These characters work together, as they have feuding ideas and vantage points but they both want the criminals to be brought to justice. Their relationship calls to mind the conflict of races from the 1968 film "In the Heat of the Night," as dueling races have to conform for the same cause.

The director, Peter Berg's style includes tight camera angles with a hand held camera that follows actors; this had a nauseating affect which left me no room to breath. Have a wide shot for God sakes! An impressive action-set piece though involves the terrorists' actually ambushing the American's as they send missiles into their SUV's causing them to do somersaults. The action has no point in the film's serious overtones, but who cares, let's blow more stuff up. The stunts during this scene were quite breathtaking however during the special effects age.

Peter Berg doesn't depend too much on the facts and even the view point of the terrorists behind the terrorism, and the only information picked up during Foxx's investigations mainly chronicles the horror and trauma experienced by the survivors of the attack, rather then getting a keener understanding to why these attacks even took place. All of this only dehumanizes these terrorists even more. The film is an action-thriller with little to no-substance, but if that is what you like to see in films these days, then happy viewing.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Be on Time to 3:10 to Yuma

[10/10 · 17 September 2007]

The Western has been somewhat non existent in the last 5 years, with the exception of "Open Range," in 2003, and HBO's series "Deadwood," the genre has moved into extinction in movie goers' minds, as many Westerns nowadays focus on shootouts and blood and leave out the humanistic themes that the genre is built around.

These humanistic themes are exemplified through stories of men who bring anarchy to places where law and morality are hard to find on the new frontier, which give rise to bold hearted men who stand up for justice when it is no where to be found. In "3:10 to Yuma" you find such a moral story line as criminal Ben Wade comes across rancher Dan Evans.

Dan Evans is a maimed Civil War solider who fought for the North and has come to Arizona to seek refuge and peace for his family, but he has come to find nothing but pain and misery as his crops and cattle are deprived from drought, the town's businessman threaten Evans to pay off his land, and his wife and oldest son look at him like he is a coward. As Evan's barn is burnt to the ground by the businessmen and his posse, Evans decides to head into town to tell the businessman off. When he confronts him, he's told to pay up or his cattle and home will be burnt to the ground, how's that for your landlord? Now, the only way to compensate for his grievances and to pay off his debts, Evans decides to take up a job that will give him enough money to pay off the shrewd businessman. The job is to escort captured outlaw Ben Wade through perilous desert so Wade can get aboard the Yuma train and await certain execution. Wade is the leader of a band of criminals who bring down stagecoaches and rob anything on the Southern railroad. Wade is wanted for countless murders and over $400,000 stolen.

Wade is brought into Evan's home, where they wait to ride out any of Wade's posse who are certainly looking for him. There Wade brews the interest of Evan's oldest son, William, and begins to flirt with Evan's wife. William has the mentality to go out and do violence to avenge their families burnt down barn, which you can say is the Wade part of the boy. But Daniel tells his son that a man must get by with his words and not his actions.

The quiet and authoritative way of Dan Evans played expertly by Christian Bale, becomes a character that stands with Shane from "Shane," or Gary Cooper's Marshal Will Kane from "High Noon," They are regular, vulnerable men who stand up to injustice when no one else will, and are prime role models for children and young men who need to lead honest lives when there is much temptation and room to be lead astray.

What's captivating about James Mangold's crisp, authentic morality play is how it circles around the characters stories and the dichotomy between the righteous man, Evans, and the outlaw, Wade. Ben Wade is a cunning, charming, and heartless criminal who perfectly manipulates and torments his captures as they travel through deadly wilderness swarming with Apace Indians, brewing tensions, and Wade's gang of criminals on there tale. Wade however is revealed to have a humane side to him as we realize he isn't too far from Dan Evans, its just the choices the pair has made set them apart. Wade and Evans begin to bond, as the pair begin to understand one another. Many shades of Wade's character are revealed as well as he cites passages from the Bible, and takes to draw sketches in times of solitude. Russell Crowe maybe plays one of his most entertaining performances as Ben Wade in this film. Wade and Evans keep working off each other as they both force the other to question their subsequent livelihoods. Evans leads an honest and clean life, Wade points out to him, but he still suffers for it. Isn't it better to lead a life like his, Wade tries to confide to Evans. Evans though thinks different, and speaks of always doing what is hard and right when many choose the easier path. By the end of the film Evan's example rubs off on Wade, and the story calls to mind that the wildest of dogs can be tamed.

In the most stirring scene in the film, when Dan Evans is alone with outlaw Ben Wade in a hotel room, battered, tired and bruised from a hellish odyssey through sand and rolling tumbleweeds, Wade's posse circles the hotel, where Evans and Wade await certain death. All of Wade's captures leave him in fear of their own lives, but only Evans stands by Wade and promises that justice must be served and that whatever happens, he'll get him on the 3:10 to Yuma. It's almost homage to Butch and Sundance's last stand in front of the Bolivian army, but Evans sleekly leads Wade past bullets and swarming gun men, in a shoot out that will be remembered forever.

This film is surprisingly a remake but it stands alone as its own film, and also up there with my favorite Western films. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe have called for the genre's immediate revival.

The Brave One (2007)

Jodi Foster serves up a dish best served cold in revenge thriller

[9/10 · 17 September 2007]

"The Brave One," is a revenge film that is different then most revenge films. What director Neil Jordan does to separate this film from others is that he immerses the audience through the psychology and consequences when one decides to take the law into their own hands, rather then focusing on the killing spree and violence of other similar pictures.

In "The Brave One," Foster plays a radio talk show host, Erica in New York City and is caught up in the illusion of a safe, happy life. She's engaged to a handsome doctor, and carries a distinguished radio show, but all this crumbles into pieces after a fateful run in with punks in a park assault Erica and her fiancée, leaving Foster battered and bloody and her fiancée dead.

After Erica is in a coma for three weeks, the scars from the experience paralyze her emotions. Foster's raw emotion comes through in her acting with great strength, as we see this tidal wave of tragedy ruin her entire life. The city that she once loved now is seen as a dark, hostile, soulless environment as she sees the repressive pry on the weak and the law seems powerless to stop it. After failing at reaching detectives to help find her husbands killer, and her own fear for her safety, she decides to pick up a gun to protect herself.

Erica's own morality is changed forever, after she witnesses a man gunning down his wife at a connivance store. She begins to wallow and cry in fear, but her pain of her past causes her to act in anger as she guns the man down. The experience causes Erica to feel dignified and unafraid. She does not want to be an innocent, vulnerable bystander to the repressive anymore, and does not want to shy away from the repressive when they come across her.

The process of her road down to becoming an avenging angel is a slow digression, and witnessing her developing resistance towards injustice is very moving to watch. Most thrillers such as this one have plots that seem strained, but "The Brave One's" storyline gives much time for the viewer to understand Erica's emotions and the motives she chooses to signify them.

When Erica meets the detective investigating her case, she becomes fascinated with him, as she realizes that he is trying to put away a ruthless criminal who has escaped the law. To cover for her crimes, she displays interest in him through her work as a DJ and interviews the detective, played by Terrance Howard. This makes for another interesting storyline in the film. She asks him, "is there anything you can do to bring this man to justice?" His reply is, "yes, but it wouldn't be legal," Erica now decides to take the stance as a vigilante, as she decides to bring this ruthless criminal to justice herself.

Erica now becomes ensnared in the endless battle between law and justice through trying to realize where they actually diverge. Foster carries vulnerability in the film but also strength and diligence. Emotional resonance from characters that are real and relatable are hardly seen in film, giving most films a dry and unauthentic look. But Foster engrosses us in Erica's soul. Few actresses can pull off a role like Erica in film today, but Foster stands alone as one of the best character actors's working today.

The film poses controversial questions to the soul rightness of conducting vengeance on those who impart their control and power on others. How can justice prevail when the good do nothing? This question, as well as many more, is raised and the audience is left to discover their own answers on morality.