Film Reviews by Steve

Australian period epic adapted from Thomas Keneally's outback novel. This in turn is loosely based on the real life murders of settlers by a mixed race Aboriginal at the start of the 20th century. These events are then situated within an undeclared war between the indigenous people and the colonials.

So it's a political film, which couldn't find an audience at home. The cruel, ignorant racism allows the approach to be broadly sympathetic to the oppressed natives, despite the horrifically bloody slaughter. Jimmie Blacksmith (Tommy Lewis) can't get a break, until he cracks, and haphazardly strikes back.

Director Fred Schepisi is a bit of a journeyman and the script isn't skilfully dramatised, though the narrative is compelling and the location photography (in Panavision) spectacular. The most effective scene is when the fugitives repair the wreckage of an ancient Aboriginal meeting place, covered in profane graffiti.

Eventually there's an editorial from a hostage schoolteacher (Peter Carroll) which lists the iniquities of the British conquistadors. Schepisi called this an Aussie western, but it's really more of a historic political drama. In prioritising the perspective of indigenous protagonists, this is ahead of its time.

*there is constant realistic racist language.

Tour de force solo performance from Tom Hardy, strapped into the driver's seat on a car journey in (more or less) real time; we hear him in multiple conversations on his carphone and in soliloquy with his deceased, deadbeat father.

And the impediment of the setup is turned into an asset... Ivan Locke is divided between his responsibilities as a construction manager and to his family. But also to a one night stand, now going into premature labour.

Writer/director Steven Knight creates an anxious, nocturnal voice within a melancholy world of dispute and isolation... loaded with relishable poetic symbolism. Though some may claim this isn't so much cinema as radio.

And yet the visuals assemble an impression of the sadness of the journey and the darkness. This is the story of a flawed man who seeks to overcome his own setbacks, in search of integrity in a country which has lost its way

Distressing account of male domestic violence, which is mostly in the procedural tradition of social realism, but includes some of the more suspenseful techniques of a mainstream thriller. It is incredibly harrowing, and also skilfully manipulative... Debut feature director Xavier Legrand takes us far from the Nouvelle Vague...

A marriage breakdown leads to a bitter custody settlement. This is unsatisfactory to the former husband, who has a history of physical cruelty- though he is resolutely defended by his hunting club... He uses his legal access to his son to to maintain control of his traumatised ex-wife and their grown up daughter.

The dialogue is rudimentary and there is no music score. The long edits unravel without haste. There is just the awful tension of slowly intensifying dread. This is maintained by the realistic performances, with Denis Ménochet terrifying as the inexorable monster and Thomas Gioria heartbreaking as the vulnerable boy.

The ultimate conclusion is the mother (Léa Drucker) and her children are unforgivably exposed by a complacent judge, and the law which doesn't go far enough to protect the victims. A warning is appropriate... this is very credible. After the nerve-shredding climax, I cried actual tears. The release is so intense.

This was released around the start of the slow decline of the Hollywood western, and its development problems suggest reasons why they went out of favour. It was made by Burt Lancaster's production company who wanted a traditional action adventure- shot in Panavision and Technicolor.

But director-for-hire John Huston made the plot about the conflict between the settlers and indigenous tribes into a parable about the emerging civil rights movement. And it seems they undermine each other. It's neither a quality classic western, nor the work of an auteur filmmaker.

Huston intended the kind of progressive, revisionist western which became standard in the '60s, but it is compromised. What mostly remains is an abundance of tiresome, melodramatic chat divided by the usual stunts; like breaking in the wild horses and fighting off an 'Indian' attack.

There's also a problem with Audrey Hepburn- a Belgian aristocrat- playing a foundling who may be a Kiowa native; plus she goes missing after breaking her spine falling off a horse... Still Lancaster as her cattleman step-brother brings some star charisma and it's a buzz to see Lillian Gish as the matriarch.

The message is the whole reason this film got made; it is agitprop which promotes the objectives of radical eco-activists who engage in newsworthy and disruptive direct action to hi-jack public debate. But it is also a well made and suspenseful thriller with interesting plot twists.

The title tells the story, which conforms to the standard heist narrative: a gang of contrasting personalities evolve a criminal plan; and then we observe the enterprise come into contact with reality. Usually the caper falls apart in the third act. But this holds back a few surprises for the exciting climax.

There's a skilfully assembled script with realistic dialogue. While it ostentatiously supports the aims of the green movement, it isn't dogmatic. There's a lo-fi aesthetic and no stars, but it doesn't look homemade. The young ensemble cast make the activists feel authentic, and the many flashbacks give them depth.

This is also about a generation which is angry, but has lost faith in party politics. These issues are emotive and will divide the audience subject to their own convictions. But it is more than a conveyance for a manifesto and isn't actual guerrilla film making. It is a compelling political thriller, but with a message.

Harrowing account of slavery in 19th century Louisiana, USA, adapted from a contemporary memoir by Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York State who was kidnapped and sold into bondage. This is as much a historic record as a screen drama and on both terms, it is a significant success.

It was also a huge box office hit and major award winner, including the Oscar for Best Film and a well deserved nomination for Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup; his long gaze into the camera might be a challenge for us not to look away. The strong support cast is led by Lupita Nyong'o as the sexual chattel of the landowner.

And there are cameos from familiar Hollywood names. The narrative doesn't deliver any surprises. Apparently slave memoirs were mostly documentation. This is a more psychological approach which deals in the religious hypocrisy, the greed and the sheer bullheaded ignorance which kept the system rolling.

And the horrific trauma. Including how cruelty degrades those on either end of the lash. These themes clearly relate to bigotry for political and commercial reward in our present time. So it is topical. There is also a detailed production with a fine (Oscar winning) script. Sure, it's a history lesson, but also a quality film.

Outstanding nocturnal neo-noir set in Los Angeles, about an unscrupulous freelance who sells footage from crime scenes to a news station which broadcasts an agenda of urban violence expanding into fearful white suburbs... And then debut director Dan Gilroy draws back to present a broader vision of post-ethics America.

This includes the growth of commercial news, which outsources to rapaciously competitive providers. What we see is a society deregulated back into a Darwinist jungle. Gilroy also wrote the pessimistic script which provides a signature role for Jake Gyllenhaal- who is astonishing as the rootless sociopath with a video camera.

He is a hollow man, who talks like the internet business modules he assimilates; a cadaverous ghoul- like Weegee for the digital age. And he's absolutely hypnotically repellant. The support cast is also unsettling, led by Riz Ahmed as the homeless, browbeaten assistant, and Rene Russo as an extremely pragmatic head of news.

But Gyllenhaal dominates. The script was nominated for an Oscar. It's a puzzle that the star was not... The atmosphere of the neon lit mean streets and the urban fatalism is pure film noir. This is deepened by a deliciously gloomy score. It's a harrowing- yet still comic- satire on the free market, and one of the great US films of the decade.

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.