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Reviews
Road to Perdition (2002)
Some nice touches, but these don't save an uneven and ultimately syrupy gangster flick
First off, I didn't see this on the big screen but on the TV screen with an interruption every 30 minutes for adverts. I admit that is not the best way to view a film, and maybe I'm therefore being more negative than I might have been if I had managed to see this at the cinema. Nevertheless, given the cast, the cinematography, and the efforts that went into recreating the depression-era US I found this a hugely disappointing effort.
My main problem was that the pace and feel were so uneven. It begins promisingly enough as a conventional gangster flick seemingly studying the relationship between Paul Newman's character, his real son played by Daniel Craig, and his surrogate son played by Tom Hanks. But all too suddenly, and before the relationships between the characters have been fleshed out properly, the film tips into a tale of family murder and revenge. Later it turns into a light-hearted road movie when Hanks begins robbing money from the mob with his 12-year-old son acting as getaway driver. The ending is tragic, sentimental, and also highly implausible.
The problem with The Road to Perdition is that is really doesn't know what sort of film it wants to be. It's a great shame considering some of the talent that went into it.
Le conseguenze dell'amore (2004)
An absorbing and original psychological thriller
I've read that Paolo Sorrintino's inspiration for The Consequences of Love came from simply observing a businessman alone in a Brazilian hotel, and speculating what he might be doing there. The film unfolds to us in a similar way. We view the existence of Titta who has lived alone in a hotel in Switzerland for 8 years. He is secretive and avoids friendship. His life is dominated by order and regularly. Gradually, the truth of his existence is revealed to us until, finally, his world begins to fall apart.
The mystery of Titta is central to The Consequences of Love and it works thanks in large part to the superb performance by Toni Servillo. His character becomes all the more intriguing to us as little details are revealed - that he injects heroin once a week, that he has no imagination. Although some here criticise the dialogue for not being naturalistic, that doesn't matter in my view - this is not that sort of film, and I think the script is great. The camera work is also excellent.
If you have to criticise, the film does lose its way a in the later scenes as the mystery of Titta's existence is revealed to us, and as his world begins to fall apart. However, the tragic final scenes are every bit as good as the earlier build-up.
Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (2004)
I guess I'm a class enemy then
Trying not to give too much away, The Edukators is the story of 3 surly and not particularly likable political activists who invent their own novel form of protest against the wealthy. On one occasion their protest goes wrong, and they end up kidnapping a 'victim' (I am not sure in the context of the The Edukators we are meant to see the wealthy as possible victims, but I will call them victims nevertheless). However, as the film progresses it becomes apparent that the activists have more in common with their victim than they could ever have expected.
Potentially, the changing relationship between the activists and their victim could have made an interesting film. However, the makers did not exploit the comedy or drama of the situation in the way they could have. Also, the wealthy victim turns out to be a far more interesting and likable character than his kidnappers. But again, the opportunity to develop his character is missed. Instead, the film focuses more on the 3 activists and their relationship. However, they are not sufficiently interesting or appealing to keep our attention, and we have no proper insight into their political motivations. On this last point, it seems the makers assumed that the audience would simply agree with the activists' actions, and they would not need to justify or explain them. I would claim that I did see The Edukators with an open-mind, and was willing to take in any political message. However, the politics were of the crudest and most simple-minded variety.
A final flaw with The Edukators is the camera-work. Although a shaky hand-held camera worked for a couple of scenes, on the whole the effect was similar to the sensation of mild seasickness.
I saw (endured?) The Edukators in North London and was very surprised by the reception it received. A lot of people laughed (many did so before the punch line to a joke arrived) and a handful applauded at the end. However, I don't think all the laughter or applause was genuine. Some in the audience probably saw The Edukators as a kind of political test if you enjoyed it you passed the test, if you didn't you must be a class enemy.
Garden State (2004)
Over-rated and under-written: Zach Braff's ego trip
Garden State must rate amongst the most contrived and pretentious films of all time. The plot is a simple one, involving a young man returning home after his mother's death and discovering love. But really, the plot isn't important. What is important to Zach Braff - writer, director, and star is that he is able to hang from the plot all the necessary accoutrements of an 'indie' or 'arty' film. We therefore are presented with endless cute and quirky characters and scenes that don't exist for reasons of plot or character development, but simply to give some artistic credibility to the film (à la Wes Anderson - or so Braff hopes). Unfortunately and somewhat astonishingly, Braff has not only fooled many on IMDb, but also some critics who really ought to have known better.
Of course, Braff's gratuitous use of the quirky alone does not make Garden State a bad film. What really makes Garden State a stinker is Braff's script. He simply does not have the writing skills to carry this film off, and the dialogue and characterisation are abysmal. Braff often has to resort to blunt devises and symbolism to achieve what he can't achieve through the writing. For example, the numbness of the Braff character is shown to us by his indifference to an impending plane crash (this can't be worked into the plot, and so has to take place in a dream!), later he is shown fighting back against his circumstances by screaming into a bottomless abyss (life = a bottomless abyss, very clever Mr Braff). Those two scenes must rank amongst the most ludicrous and contrived ever seen on a cinema screen.
On the plus side, the acting is passable despite the lack of material for the cast to work with (by which I mean a script), and I do admire Natalie Portman for her efforts as the love interest - a character so badly written and implausible that she is little more than a mindless doll that Braff moulds into his fantasy woman.
It apparently took Braff 3 years to write the script for Garden State (3 years to write a script this bad - he really is inept!). Hopefully therefore it will be some time before he makes another film.