Battle Cry (1955)
Based on the novel of the same name which is in turn based on the authors real life experiences in WW2 this film is directed by Raoul Walsh. A group of raw recruits go through training, meet various women and eventually go into battle.
Despite starting out as an ensemble piece somewhere along the line the film gets a bit bogged down in the middle by the story of a specific marine and his New Zealand girlfriend, the story also seems fairly light on actual war which is what you would assume has the biggest impact on the experiences of the young men involved. In the end this film is a little on the long side and is more of a melodrama than a war film but is still watchable even if it seems to lack a consistent narrative path.
3/5
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
The name's Lee, Bruce Lee.
Enter the Dragon (1973)
This was Bruce Lee's final screen appearance which he contributed both to the screenplay and the fight sequences. A Shaolin martial artist goes to a fight contest to infiltrate the bad guys operation and avenge the death of his sister.
When it comes to a film like this it is clear the main draw is Lee's unique fighting ability and athleticism but the problem here is that none of the other characters can keep up so the fight sequences are unimpressive, especially compared to say the face off between Lee and Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon (1972). When it comes to the plot what you have is essentially a James Bond lite plot that audiences are over familiar with by this point. If you keep your eyes peeled you can spot an early screen appearance as a henchman from Jackie Chan.
3/5
This was Bruce Lee's final screen appearance which he contributed both to the screenplay and the fight sequences. A Shaolin martial artist goes to a fight contest to infiltrate the bad guys operation and avenge the death of his sister.
When it comes to a film like this it is clear the main draw is Lee's unique fighting ability and athleticism but the problem here is that none of the other characters can keep up so the fight sequences are unimpressive, especially compared to say the face off between Lee and Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon (1972). When it comes to the plot what you have is essentially a James Bond lite plot that audiences are over familiar with by this point. If you keep your eyes peeled you can spot an early screen appearance as a henchman from Jackie Chan.
3/5
Monday, 27 February 2012
Bunk
The Ministers (2009)
Written and directed by Franc Reyes this film stars Florencia Lozano, John Leguizamo and Harvey Keitel. A female cop tries to hunt down the killers who shot her father when she was a child and have recently started killing again.
Nearly every element of this film is predictable from about 20 minutes in so the rest of it you are sitting there bored waiting for the usual events to play out which rely on coincidence on occasion and has the odd hole in the plot. It does not help that the direction of the film is decidedly dodgy, the music used is completely out of place a lot of the time. When it comes to the acting even Harvey Keitel is poor here so ultimately I do not think there is anything to recommend this film on at all.
2/5
Written and directed by Franc Reyes this film stars Florencia Lozano, John Leguizamo and Harvey Keitel. A female cop tries to hunt down the killers who shot her father when she was a child and have recently started killing again.
Nearly every element of this film is predictable from about 20 minutes in so the rest of it you are sitting there bored waiting for the usual events to play out which rely on coincidence on occasion and has the odd hole in the plot. It does not help that the direction of the film is decidedly dodgy, the music used is completely out of place a lot of the time. When it comes to the acting even Harvey Keitel is poor here so ultimately I do not think there is anything to recommend this film on at all.
2/5
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Redundant
The Company Men (2011)
This directorial début from veteran TV producer John Wells has a cast that includes Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello and Kevin Costner. Three corporate high fliers have to deal with the affects of the recession on their company and losing their jobs.
Given all the talent involved it is not surprising that this is a well made film but it ends up falling rather flat. There are plenty of important and contemporary issues raised in this film but the script seems to lack any real depth or detail to fully explore what went wrong and how men in particular struggle with suddenly being unable to support their family. Another side issue of the film is that it is a little harder to empathise with rich people losing their jobs when the affect on the less affluent is much harsher.
3/5
This directorial début from veteran TV producer John Wells has a cast that includes Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello and Kevin Costner. Three corporate high fliers have to deal with the affects of the recession on their company and losing their jobs.
Given all the talent involved it is not surprising that this is a well made film but it ends up falling rather flat. There are plenty of important and contemporary issues raised in this film but the script seems to lack any real depth or detail to fully explore what went wrong and how men in particular struggle with suddenly being unable to support their family. Another side issue of the film is that it is a little harder to empathise with rich people losing their jobs when the affect on the less affluent is much harsher.
3/5
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Soars?
The Eagle (2011)
Based on Rosemary Sutcliff's novel this film is directed by Kevin Macdonald and stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland. A former Roman soldier and a slave venture north of Hadrian's wall to recover a lost legion standard.
As always Scotland provides some excellent scenery for this film but it is a shame that the English based parts (which are local to me) were shot in Hungary. This is a fairly basic action film but the script does feel fairly weak and the friendship between master and slave does seem completely unearned. Nothing is especially impressive about this film and a few more scenes are needed to really flesh the film out.
3/5
Based on Rosemary Sutcliff's novel this film is directed by Kevin Macdonald and stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland. A former Roman soldier and a slave venture north of Hadrian's wall to recover a lost legion standard.
As always Scotland provides some excellent scenery for this film but it is a shame that the English based parts (which are local to me) were shot in Hungary. This is a fairly basic action film but the script does feel fairly weak and the friendship between master and slave does seem completely unearned. Nothing is especially impressive about this film and a few more scenes are needed to really flesh the film out.
3/5
Friday, 24 February 2012
Not so true
True Crime (1999)
Based on the novel of the same name this film is directed by and stars Clint Eastwood alongside Isaiah Washington. With 12 hours till the execution a reporter tries to prove the innocence of a man on death row.
This is pretty much your average anti capital punishment film that has few surprises but as with all Eastwood films is well made. Despite having a clear deadline with in the narrative the film does lack a sense of tension and drive which is probably the biggest let down given the predictable plot. The characters do little to help the film rise above the average nature of it's other components either.
3/5
Based on the novel of the same name this film is directed by and stars Clint Eastwood alongside Isaiah Washington. With 12 hours till the execution a reporter tries to prove the innocence of a man on death row.
This is pretty much your average anti capital punishment film that has few surprises but as with all Eastwood films is well made. Despite having a clear deadline with in the narrative the film does lack a sense of tension and drive which is probably the biggest let down given the predictable plot. The characters do little to help the film rise above the average nature of it's other components either.
3/5
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Reds in the saloons
Johnny Guitar (1954)
Based on the novel of the same name this film was directed by Nicholas Ray, written by blacklisted Ben Maddow with stars Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge. Rivalry between two women comes to a head as the railway approaches a western town.
This film works on two levels, first as a tale about about sex with all the rivalry, jealousy and frustration that comes from it without ever actually mentioning it but also as a metaphor for the McCarthy witch hunts. As the antagonist Mercedes McCambridge gives an excellent performance but Joan Crawford does seem miss cast and that does have a negative affect on the film. Certainly this is a good western but it does fall short of the comparable High Noon (1952).
4/5
Based on the novel of the same name this film was directed by Nicholas Ray, written by blacklisted Ben Maddow with stars Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge. Rivalry between two women comes to a head as the railway approaches a western town.
This film works on two levels, first as a tale about about sex with all the rivalry, jealousy and frustration that comes from it without ever actually mentioning it but also as a metaphor for the McCarthy witch hunts. As the antagonist Mercedes McCambridge gives an excellent performance but Joan Crawford does seem miss cast and that does have a negative affect on the film. Certainly this is a good western but it does fall short of the comparable High Noon (1952).
4/5
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