Film Reviews by Steve

Thrilling horror/adventure hybrid adapted by James Dickey from his own bestseller. Maybe it's tenuous, but this effectively takes the Old Dark House formula outdoors! Four urban weekenders make a canoe trip downriver on the rapids of Georgia, USA and run into some inhospitable Appalachian rednecks.

At first the outsiders mock the locals as inbred halfwits. But these are the normal ones... Once inside the southern wilderness, they encounter the real menace. And their own social constructs break down. So it obscures the exploitation premise with a few thematic diversions to appeal to a more mainstream audience.

There is also some topical eco-anxiety. And it worked, this was huge box office, received four Oscar nominations and the Duelling Banjos theme entered the pop charts. It made Burt Reynolds a star as the charismatic outdoorsman whose survival skills are exposed as pseudo-philosophical hogwash.

Which leads to Ned Beatty's unforgettable ordeal; one of the most infamous scenes in cinema. The decent- if reckless- stunts, are mostly performed by the cast.  Ironically- and sadly- the appeal of offgrid adventure turned this unspoiled backwater into a popular tourist destination. 

Anyone without an interest in the '08 sub-prime mortgage crash is not going to want to see this; though it's arguably the biggest news story of the century- so far! This is billed as a comedy, but that's really just the narrative tone which has the matey jocularity of unsolicited junkmail from Virgin Media.

Plus the pop promo visuals and celebrity cameos. So it really wants your attention. This is really a compelling docudrama (based on a nonfiction bestseller) which focuses on this specific financial catastrophe and then pulls back to look at capitalism more broadly. And the big picture is... a scandal.

The three interwoven stories are based on some real life oddballs who made billions from observing the house of cards was about to collapse. Each is led by a star name: Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Steve Carell. But their characters are cyphers; a shuffle of mannerisms. This is all about the message.

There's a blizzard of jargon about arcane financial transactions. But... there is no exam. And if there was, the answers would all be- corruption and greed. Carell gets the killer payoff: 'In a few years people are going to be doing what they always do when the economy tanks. They will be blaming immigrants and poor people'.

The first of six western collaborations between Anthony Mann and James Stewart is the only one in b&w. Though like the others, it's attractively photographed in rugged rural locations. There's one of those episodic stories where the action follows an item passed between several characters.

So there's an ensemble cast, led by Stewart as a nomadic westerner who wins a Winchester '73 in a shooting contest but loses it in a punch-up... And then travels through 'Indian country' while several antagonists acquire possession of the repeat rifle and he continually bumps into Shelley Winters.

There's a fine cast of genre stalwarts, but sleazy noir bad guy Dan Duryea is the standout as the loud, sneering outlaw, Waco Johnny Dean... Guess what happens to him? There are standard adventures including a wagon pursued on horseback by some stereotypical Native Americans... who go on to attack a cavalry camp. 

Anthony Mann directs the action with a sure hand. Best of all is the script (Borden Chase) which sparkles with far more wit than is usual for this sort of film, plus some understated thematic content. It's also fun that Rock Hudson (as a tribal chief) and Tony Curtis turn up in minor roles. This is a western classic.

Polemical political thriller which explains how corporations decide policy to the detriment of the public interest; and why liberal causes fail. In this case, it's the US gun lobby which manipulates the media conversation. In the title role, Jessica Chastain gives an award-worthy portrayal of a lobbyist for gun control- with the standard messed up personal life.

Only she intends to confront her opponents with their own dubious methods, even while her progressive colleagues advocate for an ethical approach. Every scene is dense with overlapping dialogue and editorial speeches, though the subterfuge isn't difficult to follow. The diversions are illuminating and compelling, and conclude with a satisfying twist.

There's a buzzy narrative energy driven by Chastain's dominant star performance. Her final speech is a showstopper. The best of the support cast is Sam Waterston as a pretty toxic adversary who intends to make this a personal crusade against Miss Sloane. Jack Lacy makes a memorable impact in a small role as a male escort.

He's actually the unexpected hero! As well as an exciting thriller, this makes persuasive political arguments for gun regulation and especially how American women are overwhelmingly opposed to business as usual. This proved divisive in the US and didn't find an audience. But there is much to admire, even if you have to be a nonpartisan to appreciate it...

Dazzling live action/animation pitched somewhere between its two sources: Rudyard Kipling's stories for children and the classic Disney cartoon version (1967). This is an exciting coming of age tale, an odyssey of action and adventure set in a detailed habitat with great characters voiced by proper stars.

The standouts are Bill Murray as Baloo the laidback bear, and Scarlett Johansson as Kaa the seductive, psychedelic snake. The US accents initially feel incongruous, including child actor Neel Sethi as a bright-eyed, plucky Mowgli. But that soon passes.

There's some cutes for younger viewers; this is a child-friendly story about finding a family. For mum and dad there's subtext about conservation. For the grandparents, Christopher Walken references Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (1979) for his role as head-monkey... the king of the swingers. The jungle VIP.

There is some friction between the cuddly stuff and the violence. This is so much more realistic than the cartoon. The widely loved songs are either absent or undersold. And while this is still impressive entertainment, it is less fun. And remember, all the peacenik, eco-warrior spin is brought to you by Disney, Inc!

Pessimistic, ultra-violent crime film; the mean streets of New York have never been more sordid. Yet this is arthouse-noir more than a thriller, with the nocturnal sadness and the slow creep of despair, darkened by Jonny Greenwood's melancholy soundtrack. Joaquin Phoenix plays a black market enforcer who sells outcomes favourable to his clients, by any means.

Which includes murder. With a hammer. We get brief flashbacks which offer some insight into his alienation and misery. The main plot references US politics as the psycho-for-hire attempts to rescue a girl from a paedophile ring, which supplies a prominent politician, among others. And this awakens bloody retribution from the goons of organised crime.

This isn't really entertainment, and a normal reaction is to find it deeply upsetting. And yet it is expertly directed by Lynne Ramsey who drills down into the wretchedness until it's possible to sense an immense sorrow for the innocent victims of urban life, and the terror dispensed by the sociopathic parasites who exploit them.

Which gives the film a moral dimension. Phoenix contributes a profound and exposing performance as the killer/victim. This is a horrifying, though hypnotic experience. Personally- the cynicism about a morally indecipherable society, expressed in a heightened style, surely evokes Raymond Chandler... But this is more extreme. And not for everyone.

Some long ago film maker said a good picture makes the audience want something really badly, and then at the climax... gives them it. Which is what this is. It's essentially a standard western revenge plot... except it's a brave Roman general (Russell Crowe) who is left for dead and his family slaughtered. And the bad guy is a corrupt Roman Emperor.

The script is patchy, with some resonant sloganeering ('are you not entertained') but also tiresome dialogue and contrived plot twists. The characters are broad archetypes; no screen Emperor was ever more creepily decadent than Joaquin Phoenix! But they are still functional in a production which is more about the scenery, the battles and the stunts.

The history is distorted, and there is minimal thematic content. This is a successful reboot of the '50s antiquities blockbuster because the action, the period ambience, and especially, Crowe's charismatic star turn ensure the entertainment factor boldly exceeds its flaws. Which are mostly just typical genre motifs anyway. 

The CGI is dated, but the elaborate recreation of the Roman empire is still satisfying. It is extremely violent, but most of the blood spills from the edge of the frame. The spectacular production design was Oscar nominated and this deservedly won for Best Film and Crowe's brawny performance. It's even fun that he impersonates Richard Burton!

Harrowing social realism about a bullied teenage boy who finds a family among the skinheads of the No Future generation of the first Thatcher government, which offers him an identity he can't find in his council home from his single mother.

This England is bleak, but with a sense of humour. The child is played by Thomas Turgoose who was not an actor, but is well cast... if inevitably raw. He is in need of a role model after his father dies in the Falklands war.

And that leads him into the politicised delinquents who attach themselves to working class discontent; badly educated, poor,  distorted by prison, exploited by the far right. Which makes it disturbingly relevant to the present time.  

A well chosen ensemble cast brings life to Shane Meadows' deeply felt, personal story, which conveys an authentic vision of a time and a place and accomplishes what only the best films can ever do; it feels utterly real.

*There is authentic racist language and violence.

Weird cult western which like all Nicholas Ray films, subverts its own genre. The narrative outline is broadly conventional, but this plays out more like romantic melodrama. Plus there is the pessimism of classic noir... Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) arrives out of the past to complicate a frontier love affair. Like Gilda (1946)

Except it's two women who prowl the embers of burned out romance. Joan Crawford appears on the balcony of her saloon in cowboy duds with a six shooter strapped to her belt. And faces down a posse led by Mercedes McCambridge. They hate each other worse than Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford...

Meanwhile, Hayden has thrown away his pistol! This gender reversal is presented with the amplified theatricality of a Tennessee Williams play. Except the B-picture dialogue is juvenile and pretentious and the psychosexual complications absurd. Preoccupied with this symbolism, Ray tells the story so badly it's difficult to care. 

There's an artificial poverty row studio production with buzzy ersatz-Technicolor, which gives the picture an appropriately fake look... And Ray saves one final disappointment for the closing credits. Anyone hanging around to hear the glorious heartbreak-noir of Peggy Lee's theme song only gets a single verse! 

Complex, understated drama with a political edge, set among the Turkish diaspora in Germany. It's got one of those interwoven, multi-narrative plot designs that were everywhere in the noughties, which demonstrate the interconnection between seemingly random events. 

A Turkish immigrant (Baki Davrak) in Bremen goes to Istanbul to locate the estranged daughter (Nurgül Yesilçay) of a sex-worker killed by his father; meanwhile she claims political asylum in... Bremen, bringing tragedy to a German family. Their lives intersect without them ever quite being aware.

The edge of heaven may be how close their destinies take them to sanctuary. Or simply reflects Turkey's geographical proximity to the EU. The unexpected redemption is the middle aged German mother (Hanna Schygulla) drawn back into political engagement.

But what elevates this above many similar films is the interesting plot device which shifts in time creating a circular narrative that can be entered and exited at any point; the long final shot is like a loop on an old vinyl record. Maybe this is schematic, but still quite satisfying.

Contemplative coming of age comedy-drama about a boy growing up in a working class Italian district of New York in the 1960s. Maybe at first there is some friction in hearing yet another American voice telling such a personal account about a community deeply alien to anyone born in some other place...

And especially in how this humanises the street-corner corner mafia enforcer/killer, played by Chazz Palminteri- who also adapted his own successful one man memory play. And yet, this is so well accomplished, with a compelling feel for the location and the period, including a well chosen soundtrack of hits.

And such lively dialogue. The child ages from 9-17 (Francis Capra, Lillo Brancato) torn between two contrasting role models: the charismatic, ultra-pragmatic wise guy who controls the mean streets with fear; and the proletarian family values of his father (Robert De Niro), who drives a bus.

And he advocates for more honest choices. The crisis comes during the race riots that follow the arrival of black Americans*. It's more realistic than Damon Runyon, but the minor characters are similar grotesques. With the extensive voice over narration, it's not all that cinematic; but still thoughtful, and evocative.

*the racist language is realistically offensive.

High-concept US civil war picture, with a superior period production and exceptional photography. The twist is that this is based on the real-life story of a company of Union soldiers drawn from black volunteers. These were either fugitive slaves from the south or free northerners.

There is narration taken from the actual war correspondence of their leader. Liberties are taken to shape this into a story arc which conveys the men from oppression to glory, through valour. So rather than the realism of war-is-hell, the conflict is primarily a vehicle for their protest and emancipation.

This is more compelling than authentic. The lovely soundtrack is uplifting, but sentimental. Matthew Broderick as the colonel is weak, but essentially the white saviour... Though there can't be many historic stories about black Americans which are inspiring, rather than deeply shameful, to modern US audiences.

There are engaging performances from Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher.  Denzel Washington won an Oscar and is clearly a star in waiting. Broderick is fine as the flawed officer. But the real-life General who planned that climactic raid on Fort Wagner deserves a court-martial.

In a decade when Ken Loach portrayed the economic liquidation of the industrial north to a diminishing arthouse audience, this filled multiplexes doing exactly the same. And it draws on the film that most inspired him- Bicycle Thieves (1948). This is about the humiliation of a parent who cannot provide for his child.

Except... there is a commercial hook, loosely based on a true story. Some laid-off Sheffield steelworkers develop an act inspired by the Chippendales (rather than Italian neorealism). There's a decent ensemble of minor UK actors, led by Robert Carlyle. Lesley Sharp pumps up the emotional intensity in a support role.

It reflects on many issues related to unemployment. The politics is understated, but the consequences are examined in detail, including rather a lot of editorialising. At key moments, this is quietly overwhelming. Although it doesn't confront the possibility that it was time for changes in gender roles anyway...

The plot is on a level with Last of the Summer Wine; some blokes with time on their hands- away from female supervision- get up to idiotic hi-jinks. Yet it is gratifying that during the long recession, not all UK cinema was heritage drama. Millions paid to see a comedy about male strippers, but experienced something more personal.

Arthouse genre mashup which is simultaneously horrific and hallucinogenic. As if the Hardy Boys strolled off the page into an alternate fictional world of psychedelic criminal grotesques. Which feels uneasy, rather than pure escapism. This is a head-movie, a high-school romance, a black comedy and primarily, a neo-noir.

Most of all it exposed the multiplexes to the idiosyncratic vision of David Lynch, which is a fantasy of small town America. This is a place of conflicting juxtapositions- between the ideal and the dystopia; the facade and the concealed truth; the ultra-normal and the theatrical; the sentimental and the brutal. 

The approach is self-referential. The performances are brave, but cartoonish. Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern are teenagers who investigate a mystery which leads them into Dennis Hopper's criminal insanity and Isabella Rossellini's masochism. But it's uneven and after the introductions, the story loses momentum.

So we find diversion in Lynch's tracking shots and motifs. And all that dreamy atmosphere. There are antecedents in the studio era, including The Night of the Hunter (1955) and The Naked Kiss (1964), but now the signature belongs to Lynch. The director's personal style and symbolic subtext has sustained a lasting cult. 

*there is a scene featuring an extreme sexual assault.

This seems rather conventional for a surrealist like David Lynch; as if Dali painted a pastoral watercolour, just to show he could. Even so, it's about an elderly WWII veteran who undertakes a long cross country trip by lawn mower to see his estranged brother, which still makes for a fairly outré road movie.

And there are classic Lynchian riffs, like the opening tracking shot which recalls Blue Velvet (1986).  Plus a score by Angelo Badalamenti. This is slow moving- naturally- and sensitively observed Americana about old age and the condition of the vast US interior, which reaches a gratifyingly understated conclusion. 

There's a minimalist performance from Richard Farnworth as Alvin Straight who made the real-life journey from Iowa to Wyoming. Which is a great state for parties... A mostly amateur support cast plays a generation soon to be lost to living history. 

Credit is due to John Roach and Mary Sweeney for the bittersweet script, with a glimmer of the absurd. Freddie Francis contributes some expansive photography of the great midwest without straying far from the highway. It presents an idea of American individualism which never resorts to waving the flag. RIP.