Film Reviews by GI

A great murder mystery and courtroom drama from the 80s and written by the then much celebrated Joe Eszterhas. It's certainly a great script with the mystery cleverly layered and carefully peeled back as the narrative progresses. There's plenty of twists and turns making it a fantastic film when watched for the first time. Once the plot is known it possibly loses some of its power but still the performances and story remain tense and compelling. When a rich heiress is ritualistically murdered in her own home her handsome husband, Jack (Jeff Bridges) becomes the prime suspect mainly because he inherits all her wealth. The ambitious District Attorney (Peter Coyote) is convinced of his guilt and builds his case seeing his own career on the rise once he secures a conviction. But Jack, insisting on his innocence, hires reluctant lawyer, Teddy (Glenn Close) to defend him. Teddy becomes convinced her client is not guilty and as the trial begins she's soon identified who she believes is the real killer. There's some great backstory that involves the two main lawyers which builds a dynamic animosity between them making the case a very personal matter for them both. It is all very well written and Eszterhas was famous for his twist plots that he utilised in films like Basic Instinct (1992). Both Bridges and Close are wonderful here and ooze a charisma that sits just right with the plot. A film worth rediscovering and if by chance you've never seen this then it's a film to check out.

This is a charming family fantasy musical with a hugely talented lead actor and I've no doubt children everywhere will be in raptures watching it. But it is all a little lacklustre and the dark edge of Roald Dahl's famous character is nowhere to be seen here. Timothée Chalet portrays him as a thoroughly likeable and naïve young adventurer who arrives in 19th century Paris with the ambition to open a chocolate shop using his late mother's recipes. The Willy Wonka from the book and even the Gene Wilder film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) has that scary side of the character that children are meant to fear. This film has the stereotypical cartoonish baddies (Olivia Colman and Tom Davis) who trap the young Willy in their sweatshop laundry at the behest of the nasty chocolate kings who dominate the market and don't want any cocky new competition. So Willy has to escape and expose all these baddies so he can finally realise his dreams. There's an orphan story running alongside the main plot and Chalet handles the average songs with aplomb. But it's Hugh Grant as the original Oompah Loompah who steals the show. There's a host of British talent here and Sally Hawkins cameos as Wonka's mother in a high production and pleasant enough film that is ok. Director Paul King hasn't really captured that magic he managed to bottle in Paddington (2014) and it's sequel.

This is rather good, an apocalyptic thriller that builds slowly with an ominous edge to the soundtrack and strange events that periodically occur while the characters try to fathom what on earth is happening! Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke are husband and wife, Amanda and Clay. Cynical and disgruntled with the regimented life of the city she rents a luxury house in the country so they and their two children can get away from it all. The loss of all internet, phone and TV signals combined with a strange event on the local beach baffles them and then two strangers, a father and daughter, claiming to be the house' owners arrive late at night. The story arc is neatly controlled as matters become more and more confusing with the characters struggling to know what to do. There is some great visuals and intriguing twists in the film but there's a deeper study here of the torments in American society. The attitudes to race, wealth and paranoia caused by lies in media and politics are all on offer here. Mahershali Ali costars here as the house owner arriving with his tough minded daughter (Myha'la) and Kevin Baco has a great cameo. Adapted from a bestselling novel this is well worth checking out, a surprising film in a well worn sub genre where it oozes originality.

A gigantic, bloated action/fantasy film that is apparently a sequel to a film from 2014 (The Forbidden Kingdom??) which I've not seen and am unlikely to either. The presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger and other acting luminaries as Charles dance and Rutger Hauer does nothing to save this trashy film, a huge Russian/Chinese production. The basic premise is that in the late 17th century a cartographer (Jason Flemyng) is tasked with mapping ancient China but before he gets on his way he discovers, held in the Tower of London, a prisoner in an iron mask who might be Peter the Great and a mysterious Chinese warrior (Jackie Chan) who are guarded by eccentric Arnie. This cues fights and loads of green screen shenanigans before we head off to China for battles involving a dragon, strange characters etc etc. It was all a complete mishmash and incomprehensible to me but may appeal to younger viewers as it's all very comic book in style and presentation. The closest I can think of that compares with this is the 60s/70s Sinbad films but either way this is really a load of tosh.

One of the sharpest and most stylish crime thrillers you'd ever wish to see. This is one of director Michael Mann's best films and there's a fine selection to choose from. Based on Thomas Mann's novel Red Dragon (later remade by Brett Ratner following the success of 1991's The Silence of The Lambs) this is the first film to feature Hannibal Lecktor (spelt like this in Manhunter) and here played by Brian Cox, in a very sleazy and creepy performance. The story is a fairly basic psychopath/serial killer narrative where two entire families have been ritualistically murdered and, at a loss, the FBI turns to former agent Will Graham (William Petersen) to help them find the killer. Graham has the ability to get into the mindset of the killer, an ability that almost cost him his sanity in a previous case involving Lecktor. This is where this film stands out above similar films. The clever editing and visual shots evoke a gradual clarity as Graham begins to puzzle out who the killer is. In a departure from genre convention we the viewer get to know who the killer is quite early on and it's then that Mann's theme of two men, on opposite sides, but who are very similar centre the film's plot. (This theme can be seen in many of Mann's films, 1995's Heat being a classic example). The best scenes are when Graham visits the horrific crime scenes and Mann intercuts with flashbacks of the killer arriving to commit the murders. The use of bright colour and a thumping soundtrack where the musical beats follow the action are all Mann trademarks and highlight this film as something totally different from the usual fare. This is a mini masterpiece and if you've not seen this then I highly recommend it.

A suitably atmospheric ghost story with a murder mystery thrown into the narrative. Veteran American actor George C. Scott plays John, a celebrated composer, who moves into an old gothic house for some isolation and quiet in order to finish a musical piece he's been working on. He's grieving after a terrible tragedy so when strange occurrences begin at the house it's thought it's all in his mind but John begins his own investigation and unravels a decades old murder. There's some nice subtle moments especially early on in the film as the poltergeist events ramp up. The actual murder mystery is fairly routine stuff and has been seen in many similar films and the final climax is a little disappointing. But this has many fans as an effective horror tale that eschews gore and 'cattle prod' effects for a more tense and slow build up. Worth seeking out if you've never seen it.

Epic, spectacular and rich in visual detail as you'd expect with a Ridley Scott film. Indeed it's both beautiful and harrowing in equal measure with the battle scenes grittily realistic but simply riveting to watch. Joaquin Phoenix inhabits the titular role and manages to deal effectively with Napoleon as a young man through to late middle age without the need for any de-aging processes to be used. This is a full scale biopic of the legendary French military genius and self proclaimed Emperor who rose to power off the chaos of the Revolution to become a European conqueror and whilst there are extended battle scenes particularly of the recapturing of Toulon, the battle of Austerlitz and finally Waterloo. These are all executed with Scott's usual panache for the grand scale but the film becomes more intimate in its focus off the dysfunctional relationship with the aristocrat Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). Kirby is mesmerising in the part but the script shies away too much from her and concentrates on Napoleon's flawed, child like approach to love and sex. This I found left me wanting although this is clearly Pheonix' film and he dominates as the man who rose to power but was undone by his own ego. There has been the expected controversies over historical accuracy that Scott has been quick to attack and I admit some of them did rile me somewhat but for anyone unfamiliar with the actual history this won't matter but be advised there are glaring inaccuracies so this must be treated as drama based on rather than an accurate portrayal. Definitely worth seeing on the biggest screen you can as this is a film to savour for its rich spectacle and detail. Not Scott's best but a cinematic treat all the same.

This is one of the great psychological thrillers of the 1960s and it's often overshadowed by the 2004 remake, which pales in comparison to this tense, taut and wonderfully acted film from director John Frankenheimer. Frank Sinatra is Major Ben Marko, a US Army officer who returns home with his platoon at the end of the Korean War. On Marko's recommendation one of his men, Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) has been awarded the Medal of Honour for saving the platoon during an attack. But Marko begins having recurring nightmares that Shaw murdered two of the platoon in front of an audience of enemy officers. Shaw, the son of a famous politically ambitious and domineering mother (a brilliant Angela Lansbury), is now a respected journalist but he soon begins to exhibit strange behaviour. The plot twists and turns and there are some surprisingly violent incidents as the truth behind what happened in Korea and the effects on the men is revealed. Frankenheimer delivers a compelling story, a complex narrative that deals with issues of McCarthyism, political corruption and the traumas of war. It's easy to forget that there are great films like this out there waiting to be rediscovered. This is a classic and well worth seeking out if you've never seen it.

This is one for devoted horror fans only. A very gory, blood splattered film no doubt influenced by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) where a group of cocky teenagers arrive at a remote hotel only to find it's run by an inbred group of Neo nazis with a taste for human flesh. There's plenty of corpses in various states of decay and dismemberment and some quite nasty violence along the predictable journey to the somewhat ridiculous climax. Wrapped around all this is an attempt to say something about extreme right wing politics as the events are set off by huge riots in Paris caused by the election of an ultra right wing government and then you have the Nazi baddies and a holocaust imagery from the use of language, costume and the milieu of an old mine that looks like a nazi extermination camp. It's a pretentious and silly film and as I say for fans of this sort of thing only.

Perfectly edited, funny script and some cracking acting makes this a rather endearing film that keeps you watching as it goes in some unexpected directions. This is one of those narratives that follows three different storylines centred around the same set of events. All three have laughs, shocks and weirdness that will have you intrigued and constantly smiling. Sarah Polley is a stand out here as the bored check-out girl, Ronna, in a rundown supermarket who needs cash and having been approached by two partially famous TV actors after some drugs she agrees to score some for them. This entails her going with her two friends (Katie Holmes & Nathan Bexton) to the home of drug dealer Todd (Timothy Olyphant) but the 'deal' sets off a chain of events that affects these three, the two actors who have a secret behind their need for drugs, and Ronna's cocky workmate Simon (Desmond Askew) who is on a lads weekend with his mates in Las Vegas. The three stories are great and link together to form an amusing and fun film with some adult themes. Worth seeking out if you've never seen this.

Despite the sheer implausibility of this story and the slightly over written characters this is an entertaining drama about redemption and offering a story of what happens when a good person does a bad thing. Florence Pugh as usual lifts the narrative and gives a great performance even when the story goes a little too far in what its trying to achieve. She plays Allison, a gifted, popular, beautiful young woman engaged and beloved by family and friends. A moment of carelessness results in her causing a car accident in which tragedy strikes and her life descends into a hellhole of grief and opioid addiction. Her path to recovery comes from a very unexpected person. Co starring Morgan Freeman this is a film that has some fierce critics mainly for the too good to be believable plot and characters and indeed some of their actions here test the bounds of credibility but by the end I found it too be a very watchable film that is quite satisfying.

A fantastic, exciting adventure film from veteran director John Huston and starring real life friends Sean Connery and Michael Caine. It doesn't get any better than that. Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling and set in the 1880's this tells the tale of Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnahan, two ne'er do well former British soldiers who have remained in India after leaving the army to seek adventure and riches. They come up with a dangerous plan to travel north into the unmapped area of Kafiristan in search of treasure. After a tortuous journey they rally the local tribesmen into a rebel army and march on the holy palace where due to a bizarre incident Daniel is mistaken for the descendant of Alexander The Great and worshipped as a God. It's not long before this goes to his head and their deception starts to unravel. Caine and Connery are magnificent and the film is a rollicking good yarn aided by Christopher Plummer as Kipling. It's a super film and arguably one of the greatest of adventure films.

A tremendously important film and John Ford's last masterpiece. A film about the dying of the old west, about equality, freedom of the press, of law and order and the passing of the old ways. James Stewart plays Senator Ransom Stoddard, who arrives unexpectedly in the small western town of Shinbone with his wife to attend the funeral of an old man that few in the town even knew existed. His arrival sparks the interest of the local newspaper editor who demands a story. The town is now a civilised one but thirty years earlier it was a lawless frontier town. Stoddard recounts the story from his arrival as a greenhorn lawyer, his relationship with the deceased man, Tom and his immediate run-ins with the sadistic gunfighter Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), a story that culminates in Valance's death and the legendary circumstances behind it. Shot in black & white at a time when westerns were being made in glorious technicolour and normally filmed using the huge vistas of the American West this was also mostly filmed on a sound stage. As a result this film was considered a minor work but it's brilliance has subsequently been recognised. And rightly so, this is a film that highlights the containment of the west as civilisation takes a firm grasp. It should really be Ford's swansong in that it effectively deconstructs the western mythologies he had spent a career making film about. John Wayne plays Tom, a true westerner who's role is to ignite the new west by his own destruction. It's a fine performance from Wayne, full of ambiguity and restrained anger - one of his best. The film also boasts the magnificent Edmond O'Brien in a scene stealing performance as a drunken journalist. This is one of the finest American films you could ever wish to see so if it's passed you by try and get a copy and enjoy this masterpiece. It deserves a modern audience.

A rich, compelling and enigmatic science fiction film from director Nicolas Roeg. This is one of the great science fiction films of the 1970s and often underrated due to its complex structure and narrative. Perfectly cast, David Bowie is Thomas Jerome Newton an alien from a planet dying through drought. Having left his family behind Newton has travelled to Earth in order to take back precious water supplies. To do this he builds a multi-billion dollar corporation that he then attempts to use to build a spacecraft for the return home. He is thwarted by a shady organisation trying to protect the economy of the world from the dominance of Newton's company and it's power but also by his exposure to human vices especially alcohol and sex. The story unfolds through Newton's relationship with Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), a humble hotel valet who becomes his lover and introduces him to drink and debauchery. There's lots to observe in this film which, on first viewing, will baffle and confound, and I always advise first timers to just go with the film and not try to unravel it's sub-texts and meanings as many will remain a mystery. This is typical of Roeg and many of his films are complex and defy easy analysis. But The Man Who Fell To Earth is a powerful film with themes of corruption, human greed and vice. It has some quite extreme sex scenes for it's time and the big reveal of Newton's true form remains a quite horrific and unsettling scene. With Rip Torn as a scientist who works for Newton and begins to suspect what he really is and Buck Henry as the lawyer who helps him set up the corporation this is a great film. It won't be what you'd expect from a normal science fiction film but it will leave an impression.

Despite lots of accolades especially on the festival circuit I found this coming of age comedy to be excruciating and dull. It's dark, bizarre and mostly in bad taste to the extent that I couldn't find anything in it at all funny. Talented young graphic artist, Robert (Daniel Zolghadri) who longs to work in comic books shuns his comfortable life with his parents and heads off to squalor and an entourage of misfits on the idea that he has to suffer for his art! This brings him into contact with some truly disgusting people including the weird Miles (Matthew Maher) who he eventually takes home to his parents with disastrous results. As an indie comedy I'm sure this will have fans but it did nothing for me mainly because it dwelt far to hungrily on grotesques and nerds to the detriment of a decent story and script.