On '71

British rule in Ireland and the IRA is a complex subject that occasionally rears its brutal head in film and previous to ’71 most recently in the excellent Shadow Dancer (2012) and Hunger (2008). The former dealt quite directly with the larger issues in a more general manner, while the latter focused on a very specific issue. Both explored the question of Irish devolution and were, in their own ways, unafraid to delve into the brutality of the long-standing war.

Yann Demange’s ’71 is a welcome addition to the canon and, while focusing upon the very specific issue of a soldier trapped on the wrong side of line, makes far larger statements about terrorism, the role of invasion and the political secrecy surrounding war. These statements are all boldly and vividly made. Occasionally this results in less attention being given to character development or satisfying completion of all storylines, but ’71 is an issue film and these should always be celebrated and seen.

Demange draws excellent performances from his cast, especially O’Connell who is commanding in a very taciturn role. The brutality of the film is at times difficult, but organically evolves from the situation and the story being told. This is a solidly crafted piece of suspense cinema.  

On A Walk Amongst the Tombstones

Liam Neeson doing action has become a cinematic tradition and A Walk Amongst the Tombstones appeared to be 2014’s offering. However, Tombstones is more than actor and image suggest. Less action, more slow burning thriller and this is hopefully a sign of things to come. It would be hoped that audiences are now tiring of seeing sole protagonists taking out groups of thugs single-handed. It’s implausible at the best of times, but even more so when the film aims for realism.

Back to Tombstone and the film, with its dark subject matter and grey mise-en-scene feels heavily indebted to True Detective (2014), perhaps the best thing to appear on TV since The Sopranos (1999 – 2007). It’s a pessimistic film, with very brief glimpses of humour, much like the TV show. Thematically, the film covers child killings and perversion, again much like the TV show. Yet Tombstone’s source material, the Lawrence Block book from the Matt Scudder series, predates True Detective being first published in 1993. Despite this it is hard to believe that director Scott Frank has not attempted to mirror the bleak style of True Detective that reflects the uncomfortable subject matter. Even elements of the casting, especially the ‘bad’ guys feel like a nod in the direction of the actors from the HBO success.

Tombstone is a restrained film that could do with a little more aggression. It threatens at several times to kick to life, but never quite does, leaving the film feeling anticlimactic. However, it does enough to make a sequel for the private detective not wholly unwelcome. 

On the Blueprint with A Most Wanted Man

In 2004 the Swedish director Tomas Alfredson directed Tinker Tailor Solider Spy based on the novel by John le Carre. This had a raft of famous faces and did not shy away from le Carre’s multi stranded complex narrative. This film not only went on to be a huge critical success (nominated for many awards), but also a commercial success. A smart box office hit.

This year, Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn directed A Most Wanted Man based on the novel by John le Carre. This has one major American star of incomparable talent and does not shy away from le Carre’s multi stranded complex narrative. This film has to date been a moderate critical success and time will tell if it reaches the same levels of commercial success that Tinker Tailor did. But it doesn’t look good.

Film history is full of examples of studios and producers trying to recreate the success of other films by replicating what they see as a blueprint for success. Some would suggest there is no blueprint, that films are products of their specific context more than how much they remind audiences of something previous. Although Marvel would prove this theory wrong.

A Most Wanted Man is not Tinker Tailor, although it has many themes in common: paranoia, fear, anxiety. While the latter dealt with more institutional concerns, the former looks at larger, more relatable fears of terrorism. And it is perhaps this ordinariness or seen-it-before mentality that makes A Most Wanted Man less of an impressive film that Tinker Tailor. 60s style becomes 2000s realism and despite the superb performance of Philip Seymour Hoffman the film just feels light weight, which is unusual for a film dealing with international terrorism.

However Le Carre’s narratives continue to offer gripping stories and serious, adult thrillers are always welcome. 

On Redefining Terrorism with Night Moves

Terrorism is defined as the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. This is a hazy definition, but one that cinema usually decides includes running, shouting, explosions and a ticking clock. Even the emotionally and politically intelligent Zero Dark Thirty (2012) ends with a night vision home invasion in the style of point of view computer games. However, much like in 2010 when Kelly Reichardt altered audience perceptions of what they though a Western was with Meek’s Cutoff, here she does the same with Night Moves and the terrorist genre.

Reichardt replaces running with cars crawling through quiet forests; shouting becomes the stifled talk of awkward but determined terrorists; explosions become singular and heard, but not seen and the ticking clock moves at a snail’s pace. Yet Night Moves is tense and intelligent and this reduction in what are expected genre conventions makes the film feel sharp in its representation of environmental terrorism. In fact all films depicting terrorists, whether the bombastic attention seeking style or, like here, the quiet more politically sympathetic kind would benefit from Reichardt’s careful, studied hand.

Unfortunately, like Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves will not draw in audiences like The Kingdom (2007) or Zero Dark Thirty. This is not only down to its restrained, modest style, but speaks of the importance with which audiences view environmental issues compared to more news worthy wars abroad. Many people see the issue as someone else’s problem and the same could be said of the horrendous conflicts they take place, but unlike them, trees being cut down or ice melting isn’t cinematic enough. The East (2013) is another recent attempt at showing domestic (American) terrorism with ecological leanings without the box office.

Yet Reichardt finds a way to make it cinematic and keep us gripped. Some of the shots are beautifully framed and the western state landscapes provide a stunning backdrop. The performances of the central three are laced with anxiety and a paranoia that hangs off the screen and seeps into the viewer. The juxtaposition of the two makes Night Moves a beautifully tense slow burning thriller. 

On Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For

Nine years ago Sin City (2005) gave us something that felt fresh and managed to, as accurately as possible, put a graphic novel on screen (the most faithful comic book adaptation?) The hardboiled noir like style and dialogue was carried off with skill, offering a pastiche of 40s and 50s noir cinema, which in turn paid tribute to the hard talking pulp characters of Chandler and Hammett.

What has happened in those nine years that has led to Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For is hard to say, but the results are disappointing. A Dame to Kill For, again directed and written by Rodriguez and Miller comes off as a poor attempt to parody Sin City. Much like 2008’s The Spirit. The dialogue of A Dame to Kill For is hackneyed, the direction clumsy and confused in its narrative. Only Joseph Gordon-Levitt, new to the series, seems aware of all this and embodies his character with subtle awareness that seems to prevent him from becoming a lazy caricature.

Unlike many recent comic book/graphic novel adaptations, the first Sin City is not marketed to death, so seek it out and watch it again rather than suffering A Dame to Kill For. 

On Less is Less with The Rover

The Rover (or Dude, Where’s My Car?) is a stripped back, visual and primitive film experience. The direction is stark, as is the landscape and the acting is designed to feel instinctive rather than active. Little is said and what is said is rarely explorative of the characters, simply reflecting a need to speak, rather than a desire to. In fact much of The Rover is about needs and not desires. The characters (of whom there are few) need something from each other and reach for it directly. There is no double talk or hidden agendas here. In this way it reflects the ideologies of the straight talking western hero, much like the intertextual reference Mad Max (1979) a clear point of inspiration. Both films are future dystopian westerns where life is easy to loose.

All of this makes for appealing advertising. The Rover looks good and in small bites can be made to sound good. The actors are talented and Guy Pearce carries the film by making it seem like he is doing very little when in fact he is displaying great talent. He is a lost wanderer, like the title suggests and, as with the direction, Pearce understands that with The Rover less is more. But unfortunately with the narrative less is less. The script reveals little throughout and offers nothing at the end, making its sparse narrative exasperating not intelligent. In fact, the end reveal could render much of what came before frustrating if you let it. Instead, there is a lot to enjoy in The Rover as a visual piece, just not as a narrative one. 

On Guardians of the Galaxy

It says something about the Marvel canon of films that moving into space is considered an experimental and risky move. But it’s not surprising for fans of the Marvel films; they have become so stale and repetitive that seeing Guardians of the Galaxy must be akin to regular cinema viewers seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) for the first time.

Yet this is unfair to Guardians. Compared to its little brothers and sisters of the studio it is a leap forward into a more enjoyable, sharper type of cinema. Compared to the wider genre, it is still fun, calling to mind 2005’s Serenity, but without the darkness that film had. The detail in the setting creates a ‘believable’ other world and does not feel too far from Star Wars - A New Hope (1977). This all makes for a fun film, but perhaps Guardians biggest skill is in its easy nostalgia.

For young children the film offers much, but from its opening scene of a young boy listening to a Sony Walkman in 1988, the film taps into a sense of adventure that its audience (that will be mostly male) will enjoy. It’s hard to be critical about something that calls to mind such fond memories of playing the hero. The film is very well cast and the direction is solid, moving between comedy and pathos with ease. Guardians of the Galaxy in its own way is a form of pastiche. Imitating the Marvel films, but with a greater sense of self-awareness, leading to genuine humour.