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Film: Sukiyaki Western Django
Release date: 2nd February 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 121 mins
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Hideaki Itô, Masanobu Ando, Kôichi Satô, Kaori Momoi, Yûsuke Iseya
Genre: Action/Western
Studio: Contender
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
This is an English-language release.
Takashi Miike’s name is synonymous with the effect and style of Asian extreme cinema. Most notably Ichi The Killer, Audition and Three Extremes displayed a penchant for gore, twisted characters and the sickest of themes. With Sukiyaki Western Django, we are given Miike’s take on the spaghetti westerns of old. If this director’s reputation is anything to go by then this project promises a depiction of gun slinging worlds apart from the works of Sergio Leone and John Sturges.
The film starts sometime in the past as loner cowboy Piringo sits by his campfire with rattlesnake for dinner. As a small gang of enemies approach him, he tells the story of an ancient rivalry between the Genji and Heike clans, one which has been going strong since the Genpei war. He reveals a prophecy, “the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind,” and in a flash he kills his attackers.
Many years later, and the rivalry lives on as strong as ever in the rural western town of Yuda. The white warriors of the Genji are lead by master swordsman Yoshitsune, and they live in hatred for the red warriors of the Heike and their talisman Kiyomori. The small town is growing poorer by the day, but there is great wealth to be found there - legend hints that lying somewhere in the hills is an ancient treasure of staggering value. The two rival tribes are each determined to find it before the other.
One day a gunman rides into town, and although mystery surrounds his past and his appearance, it soon becomes apparent that he is a highly skilled shot and warrior. Both tribes offer him riches beyond his wildest dreams for his help in finding the treasure. As speculation rises as to who he will join, so too does intensity between two lifelong enemies. Soon the small town breaks into a frenzy of murder, backstabbing and split allegiances...
One of the most striking and eye-brow raisingly strange elements of Miike’s film is the language in which it is spoken. This is technically the Japanese director’s first English-language film, but the delivery of the language comes in a way that is so stalled and disjointed that it is barely coherent. With subtitles throughout, this is no doubt deliberate, and it serves to produce the biggest of eastern/western contrasts - it also brings a smile to hear lines like “paybacks a bitch,” and “smells like victory,” spoken in an accent that makes it sound utterly foreign.
The presentation of the script reeks of homage to the type of dialogue you would expect to find spoken by Eastwood or Brenner - it does indeed borrow much from Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 script for Django, which is the film’s main basis. The homage’s come thick and fast, and not only offers the most comedic of parody but shows the director’s infatuation with the genre. We are treated to showdowns, femme fatales, and a mass of other genre conventions - the notion of the lone gunman who comes to town played by Hideako Ito has Charles Bronson written all over it, and the film’s cowboy town is called ‘Yuda’ based in ‘Nevada’.
With a wealth of spaghetti western elements on show, Takashi Miike’s attention to style is still the most effecting part of the film, and its slight downfall. The film has a cameo role for Quentin Tarantino, and it would seem this film has been done much in the same light as 2007 geeked out parody fest, Grindhouse . Unfortunately, it also shares a very similar smugness, and although you must admire Miike’s ability to create remarkable imagery, this film is not as smart as it thinks it is. The bizarre nature of his work may be his trademark but it comes across in many places here as thoughtless – take, for example, the hyper schizophrenic sheriff whose presence on screen is utterly grating.
The imagery, though, is at times beautifully weird and wonderful. We see a range of heavily painted backdrops, a wardrobe that is a pleasing mix of rugged western and Asian robes and, of course, the gore is top notch. Miike is able to show the most stomach churning and explicit visuals to the most comic effect - in one laugh out loud scene, a protégée of the Heike clan has a sword embedded into his skull to the shock of a silenced room, but as blood spurts from his head, he continues to attempt a block.
Unfortunately, the film’s superior style seems to sacrifice any clear plot, and the narrative is often too busy. A cast of unbelievably perverse and crazy characters compete for the screen, and the action is so hectic and relentless that it is all a bit too much to comprehend – the fight scenes are ruined. That said, for fans of Takashi Miike, this is pure indulgence, and to many, its mindless violence is not necessarily a bad thing.
In the context of Miike’s back catalogue, this is not one of his better films. Although this will divide audiences, the prospect of seeing a man as peculiar in his ways as Takashi Miike tackling something as classically revered as the western is a sight to behold. For fan boys especially, this is very worthy of your attention, with enough action and incident for three western epics. LW
Film: Life Is Beautiful
Release date: 22nd January 2001
Certificate: PG
Running time: 122 mins
Director: Roberto Benigni
Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano, Sergio Bini Bustric
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance/War
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Italy
Life Is Beautiful was a surprise hit when it scooped awards galore at both Cannes and the 1999 Oscars. In a film industry that is awash with various visions and tributes to World War II, Roberto Benigni’s film chose to incorporate something very new into the genre, comedy. Set in an Italy under the influence of Mussolini and Mr. Hitler, how did Benigni’s take on the holocaust become such a widely recognised addition to films such as Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List.
Guido, a young Jewish man, moves to Arezzo in Italy with hopes of starting a new life, and one day owning his own book shop. In the years leading up to World War II, he struggles to fund his business plans, and so takes a job working with his uncle as a waiter in an esteemed city hotel. Guido meets a young school teacher, Dora, and is determined to win her heart. He goes out of his way to set up seemingly chance meetings with her going to the ballet, crossing paths on the street, and even posing as a governor at her school.
Dora is charmed by Guido, but reluctant to get involved with him. She is a non-Jew with a wealthy upbringing and, whilst working at the engagement party, Guido discovers she is engaged to marry a well-to-do Italian aristocrat. Guido finally wins her over, and despite the disapproval of her parents, Dora leaves her fiancée to be with Guido.
Years later, the couple are living happily together; Guido has his bookstore and a young son called Giosue. At this time, the war has already begun, and Italy is sliding closer towards Nazi law. Guido’s status as a Jewish Italian is becoming more and more vulnerable, and before long, he and his son are taken away to a concentration camp. Determined to protect Giosue’s innocence, Guido begins the facade to his son that everything going on around him is a game...
The enjoyment of this film lies heavily in the way audiences respond to leading man Roberto Benigni, the man who not only starred here but directed and co-wrote the film. This was no small feat, and with the weight of his involvement in the project came a mass of recognition and critical praise, most notably he beat Tom Hank’s to the 1999 Best Actor Oscar to the surprise of many. This surprise came not only as Life Is Beautiful was a little seen foreign film in America, but because, as a depiction of World War II, Hank’s Saving Private Ryan appeared a much more accomplished and historically relevant piece of filmmaking.
It is not unlike The Academy Awards to get it wrong (perhaps the Cannes success was even more of a shock), and it seems that what they missed in the cut throat realism of Hank’s performance was distracted by the charm and sentiment of Benigni’s. As a character, it is easy to see how so many fell for Guido, a man who is part cheeky chappy, part romantic, and part devoted father - even his final act is one of comedy in the face of fear. Certainly in the first half of the film, his almost Chaplin-esque antics are cleverly worked with the upmost charm, and even the most implausible of scenes (he rides on horseback into a dining hall) comes into the spirit of things.
It is in the second part of the film that Guido’s behaviour becomes more tiresome and evidently inappropriate to the subject matter. Benigni’s vision and ambition for this most unlikely of Holocaust films is clear and indeed commendable; he attempts to show that, even in the face of evil, the human spirit, love and a sense of humour can overcome all. This sentiment is an intriguing one but ultimately an unrealistic one, and as the horrors of the concentration camp are hinted at, you can’t help but feel Benigi should stop being the centre of attention.
His performance makes sure he steals every scene, and beyond all his endearingly lively charisma, we soon long for him to tone it down. This might not be felt so strongly were it not for the fact that to truly conceive the horror and proportion of these events, they should be shown with realism that truly reflects how unbelievable they were. With the arrival of the tank at the end, all the uplifting triumph of the story is unfortunately transformed in to the type of schmaltz that the Oscar’s go for time and time again.
In light of this film’s accolades, it should be considered a monumental success, but the knowledge that it swept awards with critical aplomb makes viewing it for the first time a complete surprise – it seems the Academy were more interested in recognising an underdog than awarding on merit. However, it is a sweet idea, and for many, Benigni will provide enough extravagance to make you smile throughout. LW
Film: The Kite Runner
Release date: 2nd June 2008
Certificate: 12
Running time: 122 mins
Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub, Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada, Zekeria Ebrahimi
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: DreamWorks
Format: DVD
Country: USA/China
Khalid Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner was a surprise hit when published in 2003. Not only did it become a bestseller but it went on to stir up its fair share of controversy. Despite themes of friendship, loyalty and respect, the book’s lasting effect in the media was its portrayal of the Taliban, which at the time was a freshly touchy subject. Years later Dreamworks and director Marc Forster saw past such controversy to bring Hosseini’s vision of modern day Afghanistan to the screen.
Young Amir is growing up fast in Kabul. In the months leading up to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, he spends his time fascinated by literature, writing stories and hanging out with his best friend, Hassan. Hassan is a young Hazara boy and the son of the housekeeper at Amir’s father’s wealthy home. Despite their social standing, the two young boys form a friendship around a mutual love for Steve McQueen movies and flying and running kites.
Amir lives alone with his father, who worries about his son’s inability to defend himself against neighbourhood children who pick on him because of his friendship with a Hazara boy. After winning a kite flying contest in the middle of Kabul, Hassan is attacked by three Afghan boys. Amir watches his friend as he is tortured by the bullies, but he is too scared to help him. Hassan is then raped and beaten. As time goes by, Amir and Hassan grow apart, as Amir is shamed by what he has done, and uncomfortable in Hassan’s presence - he frames Hassan for the theft of his watch, and subsequently, the young boy and his father leave the house.
Years later and Amir is now a published author. He and his father have been living in the USA since fleeing the Russian invasion. As he settles with a young wife, he is still shamed by his actions towards Hassan in his past. One day, he receives a call from Pakistan where he is offered a chance to redeem himself by returning to Taliban ruled Afghanistan…
As a novel, The Kite Runner was both probing in its look at the demise of Afghanistan and heartfelt with its themes of friendship and redemption. There are elements of this here, but sadly Hosseini’s novel does not translate as well on screen, as the film gets lost halfway between realism and thick melodrama.
Throughout the film we are treated to moments of less than authentic compassion, less than feasible plot twists and, with the film’s conclusion, one big fat metaphor so unsubtle it shows no trust in its audience. The story of the novel can be seen in this light, too, as Amir returns to his past to overcome his childhood adversary and finally become a man. This all sounds a bit familiar, yet Hosseini’s novel disguises a conventional arc with good storytelling and subtlety.
That is not to say that the film fails to induce any emotion in its audience, as there are many engrossing moments, unfortunately they mostly come at the beginning of the film. This is due to the two fantastic child performances, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada’s doe-eyed Hassan shows a bravery and devotion that make his mistreatment all the more empathetic, and Zekeria Ebrahimi brings food for thought as the young Amir. Amir’s act of cowardice leaves you somewhere between anger and sympathy. Ebrahimi portrays this inner turmoil as a child struggling to comprehend his own actions perfectly, and it is essential to the story that we still care about his character.
The film provides many harrowing images in its portrayal of an Afghanistan in ruins, even if it fails to enlighten us on an image of the Afghan people not already suspected by media stereotype. It does, however, enforce and build upon this image to chilling effect. In one particular scene, a truck load of Taliban officials bring an adulterous woman into a football stadium during a football match and she is stoned to death in front of the crowd. This is one example of how realism is superior to melodrama in evoking emotion.
As a director, Marc Forster has a history of making fairly underwhelming films. Take 2001’s Monster’s Ball, or the more recent Finding Neverland, which both had similar elements of melancholia and crowd pleasing fights with adversity. Here he has taken a low key novel and tried to produce an epic, perhaps with award season in mind, but his treatment offers yet another story of the human spirit that doesn’t quite relate. Perhaps Hosseini’s story could have been put to better use in someone else’s hands.
Readers of the novel may feel let down by a film that fails to capture the appeal and effect it was attempting to adapt. That said, there is a lot of plus points, including a good cast and some very involving moments. It is just a pity that the plus points are outweighed by the negatives. LW
Film: Read My Lips
Release date: 6th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Emmanuelle Devos, Olivier Gourmet, Olivier Perrier, Olivia Bonamy
Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France
Audiard has made waves with his twist on the crime genre. If A Prophet was the film that made his name, then Read My Lips is the film that first got him recognised. After A Self Made Hero and See How They Fall in the mid-90s, this 2001 release went on to cause a huge buzz in France. With Cesar nominations and awards galore, Audiard creates a probing look at the not so pretty side of Paris that has gone on to become his trademark.
Carla is a thirty-something office worker in central Paris. She is single and deaf with only a hearing aid to give her partial hearing. When she faints at work, Carla is offered an office assistant to help with her workload in the building industry. The agency sends her an attractive young man named Paul for the position - an ex-convict desperate to make an honest living whilst he is on parole.
Paul starts work, shakily struggling to get to grips with the office environment that is so foreign to him. When Carla finds him spending the night in one of the store rooms, she offers him a place to stay, giving him the keys to a flat in one of the company’s unfinished buildings. In response to Carla’s charity, Paul makes a sexual advance on her, but she turns him down much to his frustration.
Carla’s timid nature is not only affecting her personal relationships but is getting her no respect in her job - she has the ability to lip read and constantly picks up on her cruel colleague’s snipes and jeers about her. When she is overlooked for a lucrative opportunity at work, she asks Paul to help her get an upper hand on her disrespectful superiors, and he reluctantly steals files that help her seal a big deal with one of the company’s partners.
When Paul is called up by club owner Marchand, he is forced to leave the office to repay his debt, and Marchand makes him a bar-man at his club. When Paul dreams up a plan to scam Marchand, he calls Carla back into his life. He has thought up a plan to use Carla’s lip reading, and it’s time she repays him for his help...
Audiard is a director whose heart lies in his roots. Parisian born, Audiard is dedicated to telling stories in the backdrop of his home city. The French capitol is famed for its beauty and iconic scenery, but in Audiard’s Paris there is rarely a postcard picture in site - he surrounds his films with run-down buildings, dank city streets and ominous night life. This bleak version of the city is not an entirely new concept when considering the realism of classics like Irreversible and La Haine but Audiard installs an atmosphere entirely of his own.
He does this by portraying the mundane struggle of the inner-city as well it’s very exciting dangers. In The Beat That My Heart Skipped we saw the daily bump and grind of a real estate broker, in A Prophet the solitude of prison, and here the utterly dull routine of office work. Audiard’s world is an uncomfortable place to be, as it displays an air of discontent and turmoil in surroundings that are bleak with a capital B.
This discontent is felt most strongly here by Carla. She is an oddball whose behaviour is more empathetic than it is endearing - scenes of her stood naked in the mirror show her longing with agonising pain. She is an outcast as much for her timid nature as she is for her deafness - subsequently she is unappreciated by friends, disrespected by co-workers but also intriguing to Paul. With themes of crime and the complexity of the heist the two dream up, it is their relationship that is the film’s main drive and most appealing arc.
Their relationship is something all together uncomfortable and fascinating to watch. It evolves with a tension that is both sexual and emotional - Audiard puts his main focus on the complexity of his characters. The two leads are a most unlikely pairing, but what they lack in common ground they make up for with a shared vulnerability and lack of social place.
This leads to them having the most bizarre of cinematic understandings. They show a fair amount of contempt for each other also - their relationship is heated stemming from an early advance from Paul which is aggressive and entirely miscalculated. However, throughout the course of the film, we see how their extreme differences compensate for each other’s shortcomings. We see Paul defend Carla against an attacker in the same way we see Carla lying for Paul to his parole officer. They are two characters that alone are hopeless but together are something extremely special.
The romance is central to the film but the crime-drama motif that features is also done with the upmost conviction. Paul’s scam is simple but engrossingly risky. Working in a bar for Marchand, he is sent to deliver bottles of champagne to his boss and two of his shady associates in a flat opposite the club. He steals a copy of the key and tells Carla to watch and lip read the gang’s moves so they can steal the expectedly large riches they bring back to the flat. As Carla sits on a rooftop clad with a sleeping bag and binoculars, you can’t help but think of Rear Window - it is the tension and discomfort of watching them carry out their plan that truly matches the suspense of a Hitchcock film.
Emmanuelle Devos won the Cesar award for her performance, and it is a treat to see a strong female role stand out in Audiard’s work. He has made a habit of revolving his films around strong male leads, such as Roman Duris and, more recently, Tahar Rahim, but despite a great turn by the consistently watchable Cassel, it is Devos who really stands out here. Supported by a fantastic script, she plays the part as a timid loner for whom we feel every blow and put down, but simultaneously feel every piece of progress she makes.
For fans of A Prophet, this is a film you should strive to see. Audiard starts here his attack on the crime drama with a piece that is daringly erotic, entirely compelling and, despite its grim facade, beautiful. LW
Film: KM31
Release date: 31st March 2008
Certificate: 15
Running time: 102 mins
Director: Rigoberto Castañeda
Starring: Adria Collado, Raul Mendez, Iliana Fox, Carlos Aragon, Luisa Huertas
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Yume
Format: DVD
Country: Mexico/Spain
KM31 excited Mexican horror enthusiasts with its release in 2006, following a lengthy baron period. Castaneda’s ambitious project looked to combine style with a Mexican folk legend. With the Latino horror crown firmly on del Toro’s head, this is the first horror eye-opener to come from Mexico since his chiller Cronos.
Agata, a young woman, is driving through KM31 on a Mexican highway when she hits a small boy. Shaken by the crash, she calls her boyfriend, Omar, before approaching the child, who she presumes is dead. As she reaches out to the unconscious boy, he turns towards her revealing wide undead eyes. Agata steps back and is hit by a passing truck.
At the hospital, Agata’s twin sister, Catalina, waits anxiously to hear her sister’s condition. Agata is in a deep coma, and has had both of her legs amputated. In the wake of the accident, Catalina begins to experience hallucinations connected to the highway where her sister’s accident took place. She is haunted by images of the young boy, her dead mother and her drowning sister - it is as if she is experiencing a terror felt by Agata from within her comatose state.
The visions persist, and as it becomes clear that Agata is calling for her sister’s help, Catalina sets out to uncover the secrets behind KM31, discovering a dark history of death and disappearances. To save her sister, she must delve deep into a long forgotten Mexican folk tale that haunts the highway and has captured Agata in a world half way between life and death...
Hype surrounding this film led to anticipation of a very new Mexican style of horror, however, the presentation of this film borrows heavily from Asia. Casteneda’s emphasis on the film’s stylistics serve to give an array of visual pleasures and terrors, and thus it is glossy and extremely well crafted, but it’s difficult to see past the highly derivative production.
From the outset, we see a young, ghostly child, pale skinned with black hair and eyes. This creation is one that is frustratingly familiar when you consider the likes of The Ring and The Grudge. Modern horror has a penchant for producing its scares with the warped faces of young children, and whereas those J-horror classics did it with terrific effect, it is becoming a less and less appealing facet of contemporary horror.
Casteneda does attempt to install a little Mexican flavour into his first feature with the incorporation of an old Mexican wives tale. The story of ‘La Llorona’, or “the crying woman,” as accounted by a mysterious inhabitant of KM31, is a tale of a woman who killed her children to win a man’s heart. One would have hoped this would have been the sole focus of the story, but Castenda mixes in sub-plots of romance between Catalina and her closest friend, a fumbling Nuno, and the death of the sisters’ mother through tragic circumstances. There are too many threads in this tale, and as a viewing experience, it is needlessly complicated.
There are some scares, and the film succeeds with its technical mastery. One particularly disturbing image is that of Agata as she lies in her hospital bed, bandaged and bruised, with two stumps where her legs used to be. Although the film fails to be truly engrossing, those who stay with it will in no way have a comfortable experience. There is an array of unsettling backdrops visited that create a very daunting spectacle - in the final scenes, the two worlds of a Mexican sewer and a very haunting riverside slide between each other in Catalina’s conscious.
There are also some very good performances on display. Iliana Fox plays the two sisters with enough wide eyed terror for both herself and a less enthusiastic audience, and Adria Collado is likeable as her doting and slightly goofy love interest. Unfortunately, there are some very predictable character types included - the familiar figures of an insightful middle-aged mystic and a suspicious police officer only serve to make this film feel even more processed.
KM31 went on to become one of Mexico’s biggest box office successes, but it’s difficult to understand why. Casteneda has sacrificed good storytelling for poor imitation of an already tired style of filmmaking. This is not a terrible horror film, just a terrible disappointment. LW
Film: The White Ribbon
Release date: 15th March 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 144 mins
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesh, Burkhart Klaussner, Ulrich Tukur, Steffi Kühnert
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD
Country: Germany/Austria/France/Italy
Michael Haneke is a master of suspense - a director whose focus has lay solely on his power over his character and his audience. His past successes, of which there are many, have all probed a little deeper than the horror at their surface, and his name has been made not just by his signature direction but by his ambition also. The award-winning, Oscar-nominated White Ribbon showcases another string to his bow.
The film follows the lives of the inhabitants of Eichwald, a rural village in pre-First World War Germany. The villagers are mainly employed as farmers by the baron who is the lord of the manor. The baron runs the village with a tight hand, and the villagers depend on his favour and a good harvest.
The pastor is also a figurehead in a very protestant village; he preaches the strict word of God to the villagers, and most strongly to his young children, who wear white ribbons to symbolise their innocence and purity.
The villagers depend upon their doctor, too; he is a single man whose wife passed away during the birth of his young son. The doctor treats the villagers with care by day, but by night, he takes advantage of his young daughter and housekeeper who is the local midwife.
In the months running up to Ferdinand’s murder and the declaration of the First World War, a series of mysterious and vengeful events begin to take place in the village. The doctor is knocked of his horse by a wire placed between two trees and he is hospitalised; the farmer’s wife falls to her death through the roof of their barn; and then on the day of the town’s harvest festival, the baron’s crop is destroyed. The events cause a stir in the village as the baron urges the villagers to find the culprit of the crimes, and as fear spreads, the baron’s young son is captured and tortured before being found hung upside down in the woods.
Word of mouth and suspicions are spreading around the village as the baron’s wife takes her young family away from the dangers of their home. Events continue to worsen as more acts of sabotage, including the burning of a barn, disrupt the peace. The village’s teacher, who primarily had been more concerned with his growing romance with the young Eva, begins to notice a pattern to the acts that could inclinate the very children he teaches…
The White Ribbon is Haneke’s most accomplished work. He instils a tension that is felt even stronger than his past thrillers Funny Games and Hidden - the anxiety is as affecting as it is subtle. He presents the scrupulous details of the narrative without a soundtrack or any backing music, and this creates an eerie silence around the otherwise disturbing events of the film, and installs an atmosphere of uncertainty that has viewers on tenter hooks even when watching the most trivial of conversations.
Haneke’s direction relies on non-glorious effect as he captures the events through a still and often lingering camera. Shots of closed doors only alert the viewer to the horror of the sounds inside, and we are treated to a consistently off centre camera, which really brings a higher appreciation of the scene in front of it. As the farmer sits at his wife’s death bed, he is hidden by a cupboard - we only see the ripples of his back as he weeps, and as the camera loiters, we are treated to a portrayal of pain that could not have been simulated with a standard close-up.
Cinematographer Christian Belger is no stranger to Haneke’s films, having previously worked with the auteur on both The Piano Teacher and Hidden. He received an Oscar nomination for his work here, which is more than justified as he provides an authenticity to the film’s events. It’s hard to imagine the film in colour – filming in black-and-whitet echoes the peculiarity of the village with cutting realism.
Haneke’s portrayal of the village is very well realised as he shows us a hierarchy, religious infatuation and family life that has rarely been touched upon, particularly to non-Germans/Austrians. The men rule the roost over the women and children with a strictness that is hard to comprehend, and sometimes disturbing to watch. The pastor ties his young son to his bed at night to prevent him “succumbing to the urges of his young body,” and a scene in which the doctor ends his affair with the midwife is shocking in its cruelty and lack of restraint. The attack is verbal but wounds deeper than any physical act as he tells her of his disgust at her bad breath and aging body.
These characters and their lifestyles are for Haneke the perfect roots for the evil of his film to grow. Perhaps none are more affected than the children, whose faces, full of desperation, live on in your memory long after the film’s end. Haneke’s ambition to show this growing evil is applaudable, and the film’s meanings are as susceptible and ambiguous as its conclusion. This may be somewhat frustrating to audiences who may feel, after serving an undoubtedly overlong running time, they are deserving of more closure.
That said, a return to moral balance or a simple resolution to the story would hardly be fitting of the film, or of Haneke. Instead, it seems better to consider the reasons why the mysterious events took place as opposed to the mystery man or woman responsible. As the baron’s wife notes the village is a place of “malice, envy, apathy and brutality,” and these seem to be results in the lifestyle of the villagers.
We consider this also in the light of the school teacher, a man who is portrayed ultimately as good. He does not concern himself with the envy of the other villagers and ultimately looks to serve others. His good nature is shown in particular with his pursuit of Eva to whom he is ever respectful - he contrasts the other villagers not just with the way his story ends but his actions leading up to it.
Eichwald is one of cinema’s most haunting locales, and the events there carried out between July 1913 and August 1914 (in Haneke’s world at least) are some of the most thought provoking and chilling cinematics of the director’s illustrious career. The talent on display from both cast and crew make this film not just a must see but Haneke’s greatest vision to date. LW
Film: Martyrs
Release date: 25th May 2009
Certificate: 18
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Pascal Laugier
Starring: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Robert Toupin, Patricia Tulasne
Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France/Canada
Martyrs was one of the most talked about films at the Cannes Film Festival 2008. Pascal Laugier has created a film that has stunned all who have seen it, and it has emerged, overseas, too, as a stand out piece in the ever familiar ‘gore porn’ genre. Not for those of a nervous disposition, what is it that makes this French gem get under your skin so much? Expect no constraints, no rest and no mercy.
A young child named Lucie escapes the torments of a torture chamber in an abandoned slaughter house. With police and carers baffled by the ordeal she endured, Lucie stays silent about her abusers, and refuses to shed any light on this heinous crime. She is placed in an orphanage where she meets Anna, a friend she can trust. It soon becomes apparent to Anna that Lucie is still being abused by unseen and perhaps supernatural forces.
Years later, Lucie arrives at the house of a seemingly idyllic family. She is intent on revenge, and convinced the parents are her abusers, she kills the family with a shotgun. Anna is called to the house to help Lucie who is in a state of distress, but whilst she waits her supernatural tormentor shows herself in the form of a malnourished, abused and ghoulish girl. The creature attacks and nearly kills Lucie, but she is saved by the arrival of Anna, as the creature disappears.
As Lucie rests upstairs, Anna begins to bury the family. She finds the mother still alive and, despite her loyalty to Lucie, decides to help her. Lucie finds Anna dragging the mother to safety and stops the rescue, finishing the mother off. As Lucie lashes out at Anna, she is attacked once more by the creature. As she is stabbed and sliced, Anna watches on but sees no creature. The creature is seemingly one of Lucie’s imaginations, and as the creature kills her in her mind, she commits suicide in front of Anna.
As Anna is left in the house alone, she makes the most disturbing discovery. The house has an underground dungeon filled with pictures of child torture, medical records and a bound and heavily abused girl. Soon she is taken hostage by a society intent on making her a martyr...
There is a lot to set this aside from the mindless excess of the Saws and Hostels that brought this genre into popularity. Laugier’s script is strong, and he puts an involving twist on the torturer’s motive, and enough mystery surrounds the creature that plagues Lucie, and the events of her ordeal, that when her torturers are revealed, the audience really feel the perversity of their experiment.
As the viewer is left begging for a breather by Lucie’s suicide, the society is revealed. They are a highly organised team whose objective is to seek enlightenment on the afterlife; they achieve this by exposing young girls to such degrees of torture that they see life beyond death and achieve ‘Martyrdom’. This arc serves for the filmmaker to produce some of the most explicit, skin shredding and effecting visceral afflictions seen on screen - beyond this, it raises the question of what it is one really seeks by playing voyeur to such horror.
Like Haneke in Funny Games, Laugier is concerned by the viewer’s pleasure and intrigue at such an on screen spectacle. As a title reveals at the end, the word Martyr is taken from the Latin for witness, and it is us who play witness to the nature and effect of gratuitous human abjection. Martyrs in its success plays on a natural human desire to see the lengths of extremity the film goes to. As the hype grew, and word spread of Laugier’s attention to pushing the boundaries, more and more wanted to see it.
You feel for the two leads, as Laugier really puts them through their paces. Mademoiselle notes that “women are more responsive to such treatment,” and it is certainly women who seem to be the most popular victims in this genre. Laugier is aware of this, and ever conscious of viewer response, he creates a bond between the girls that has all the sex appeal and suggestion that is so prominent in French new wavers such as Baise Moi.
This film will not please everyone. After a fast paced and engrossing beginning, the film slows into the almost casual daily abuse of Anna. For anyone watching, this is a commitment, as you are asked to endure beating after beating, slicing after slicing and scream after scream. Her degradation comes in the form of a gradual experiment, and you feel the weight of the relentless attacks - repelled but still captivated.
This is 108 minutes of film you will never forget and, although some may want those minutes back, it will live much longer in the memory. This is a true filmic experience rich in thrills and even more in spills. As an addition to a genre that is far too easily re-done, Martyrs possesses an intelligence and intent that goes beyond just gore. There is, however, a hell of a lot of gore. LW
Film: Infernal Affairs - The Complete Trilogy
Release date: 27th December 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 332 mins
Director: Andrew Lau & Alan Mak
Starring: Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Shawn Yue
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Palisades Tartan
Format: Blu-ray
Country: Hong Kong/China/Singapore
Infernal Affairs is Hong Kong’s most celebrated export. With awards galore in its native land, and cult attention over the ocean, the trilogy went on to inspire Martin Scorsese’s first Oscar triumph. With The Departed came a resounding success but it is Lau and Mak’s original where the betrayal, shifting allegiances and inner turmoil of the story was born. With a stunning vision of a Triad ridden Hong Kong, this was a true event in Asia, one that sadly many have passed up for its Hollywood counterpart.
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Chan Wing-Yan is part of triad boss Hon Sam’s prestigious collective. He is a hood who enforces the gang's multi-million pound dealings - and he is a police mole. Lau Kin Ming is a decorated member of the Hong Kong police force, his proven track record sees him climbing the police ladder of promotions and accolades - and he is a mole for Sam’s gang.
Tensions between the police and the triads grow when a drug raid goes wrong, and it becomes clear that both sides have an informer playing for the other team. Police superintendant Wong is Yan’s only allie in the police force, and the only man who knows of his true identity - he gives Yan the task of sniffing out Sam’s rat. Meanwhile, whilst balancing the trust of the triads, police and girlfriend Mary, Lau is instructed by Sam to discover which member of his team has been placed by the cops.
As suspicions rise and leads are followed, the two moles fight to preserve their hidden identities. As each side closes in on the truth, an urban battle between both sides of the law is coming dangerously closer to a bloody end...
Infernal Affairs II (2003)
The second instalment of the trilogy begins in 1991, nine years before the events of the original. Lau is a young member of Sam’s gang, preparing to join the police force, whilst Yan, a promising young trainee officer, has been kicked out of the academy for his triad family routes. Howver, he is contacted by Wong to become an undercover agent.
As the two become more involved with their covers, Yan is torn between his police duty and half-brother Hau, who is a triad. Hau’s time as boss is coming to an end as Sam, now an up and comer in the Ngai family, is climbing the ladder in the triad family, whilst working with Wong as an informant. Wong helps Sam as he considers him a mob boss he could control. Lau assists Sam’s rise whilst establishing himself in the force and harbouring secret feelings for Sam’s wife, Mary...
Infernal Affairs III (2003)
Following the deaths of Billy and Yan, Lau is under investigation and has been demoted in the police force. His reputation tarnished, he returns to Infernal Affairs with the knowledge that Sam had installed five moles in the division all along. He suspects SDI Yeung - and is determined to find him out.
Meanwhile, Lau’s impending divorce, fear of being uncovered, and guilt over the murder of Yan are catching up with him. Hallucinations lead him to question his sanity as he begins to feel Yans presence long after his demise...
Each film is a true genre piece, and its American influences are clear. The police/criminal relationship is played out with all the tactics and mind games of Michael Mann’s Heat, and the organised crime of the triads and the decade spanning narrative echo The Goodfather series and Goodfellas - you can imagine the filmmakers’ delight to hand the reigns to Scorsese, someone they have seemingly learnt a lot from.
Lovers of Scorsese’s stylish violence and ever memorable multi-head shot sequence will be less thrilled by killings accompanied by black-and-white, slow motion and haunting opera tones. However, whirring cameras, painful close-ups and the beautiful capture of Hong Kong and its skyscraper roof tops give the trilogy a fantastic spectacle. A lack of excessive violence and action is more than made up for by the installation of dramatic tension that is utterly engrossing.
This is due to writing of the highest quality that is acted with complete conviction by its talented cast. Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu Wai play the two moles with all the self-convolution, shame and denial that form the story’s most evocative theme. Mary is writing a novel about a man with twenty-eight faces - a look at a man who plays out so many different identities that he has lost his own true being. She notes, “I don’t know if he’s a good guy or a bad guy.” The two moles have spent so much time on the other side that they are losing touch with their allegiances.
Their connection is strong as they contrast each other’s situation. Yan exclaims, “You don’t know what it’s like to be undercover,” as Lau fakes a smile knowing he too has lost his identity. The tragedy of their rivalry is that they are the only two who know each other’s pain. They are by no means opposites, but they are ultimately living out each other’s lives. Yan is kicked out of the police academy and the instructors threaten, “Who wants to be next?” Lau replies under his breath, “I do.”
The second film sees Edison Chen and Shawn Yue reprise their roles as the young Lau and Yan. Unfortunately, the characters, which Lau and Wai made their own in the original, are considerably less convincing, as you are sometimes left struggling to relate them to their elder selves. The film does build on the relationship between Wong and Sam, and a scene at the beginning reveals Sam to be an informant to Wong. As Sam sits eating a police prepared meal, our memory takes us back to a far more hostile encounter between the two in the first film, which ends with Sam flinging his food aside in anger. Their friendship, mistrust and eventual rivalry is an absorbing layer to the story.
As a trilogy filled with sub-plots, flashbacks and red herrings, this film maintains a great consistency, whilst elaborations and reveals answer nagging questions from the first film satisfactorily, and offer new meaning to the characters’ actions.
The third film sees the introduction of Leon Lai as SP Yeung. The character is suspected by Lau of being another mole in the police department, thus ensues a battle of wits between the two. This rivalry never reaches the intensity or intrigue of Yan and Lau’s fight for discovery; attempting to re-create a rivalry between two undercover cops that was so riveting in the first film. This serves to emphasise that, despite the reprisal of Andy Lau and Tony Leung’s roles, the main battle of the trilogy is over. Lau and Yan both occupy different strands of the narrative, and their direct rivalry is sorely missed.
This film does, however, provide closure. With the demise of Yan, Sam, Shen and Wong in the threequel’s predecessors, we are shown the final downfall of Lau. For a character that shows such a personal struggle between good and bad, his loss of control and self educed death seems fitting, as well as tragic.
Truly an Asian giant. The first film alone is enough to make this trilogy a must-see, the second is a worthy accomplice and the third is, as genre dictates, a bit disappointing. With a complex insight in to lives of the undercover, there is enough powerful drama, cerebral pondering and complex characters to make this a classic of the crime genre. LW
Film: Hansel & Gretel
Release date: 6th April 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 116 mins
Director: Yim Pil-sung
Starring: Cheon Jeong-myeong, Shim Eun-kyung, Jang Young-nam, Ji-hee Jin, Kim Kyeong-ik
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery
Studio: Terracotta
Format: DVD
Country: South Korea
The Grimm’s classic fairytale Hansel and Gretal is one that lives forever in the memory. With its gingerbread house and wicked witch, it is a children’s tale that possesses joyful wonderment and creepy scares in equal measure. When Yim Pil-sung released this film in 2007, he promised to pay homage to such beloved fairytales; however, the famed story which lends its name to Pil-sung’s film is observed but not adapted here.
Salesman Eun-soo, on his way to visit his sick mother, drives down a deserted bypass when he receives a phone call from his pregnant and irate girlfriend. As the two argue, Eun-soo loses control of his car and crashes into the surrounding forest. As he awakes in a state of shock, he is greeted by a young red-hooded girl named Hee. He follows Hee to her house with the promise of hospitality for the night.
The house lies deep in the forest in beautiful surroundings. Eun-soo is amazed by the picture perfect state of the house and its grounds - the sign on the outside reads: “House of Happy Children”. Inside the house, he is greeted by Hee’s older brother Man-bok and younger sister Jung Soon. The children’s parents complete this ‘perfect family’. They offer to take Eun-soo in for the night until they can get him help, as the family has no phone and no means of contacting the nearby town.
The next day Eun-soo gives his thanks and heads back into the forest to recover his car. He walks and walks through the seemingly endless forest but becomes more and more lost amongst the trees and bushes. Hours later, he arrives impossibly back at the house. He stays another night still eager to return to his pregnant wife, but in the night he is troubled by strange noises from the attic as well as arguing between the kid’s seemingly scared parents.
The next morning he awakes early to find the parents have left for town without him. When he again winds up back at the house, after getting lost in the forest, his suspicions begin to grow. The parents are missing, the forest is inescapable and the children seem intent on keeping him at the house to look after them. It is growing ever clearer that this fairytale house and these perfect children are hiding a sinister secret...
It is in the film’s attention to minor details where it succeeds. Ryu Seong-hee worked as production designer on Oldboy and The Host, and here he transforms the world of the film into something rich in eerie macabre and tirelessly faithful in its legacy to fairytales. A lasting tone of weird is set about as Eun-soo sits down to dinner with the family at a table filled with candy, colourful cakes and buns. This imagery extends to the children’s toys, storybooks and paths laid with breadcrumbs. This achieves the feel of an early Tim Burton, transforming the idyllic ‘50s style family into something altogether unsettling.
It is refreshing to see an Asian horror that does not rely upon extreme measures to give its kicks. Asian horror is, of course, revered for producing extreme terrorfests such as The Ring and Audition. Hansel & Gretal is not another demonic kid horror either, although the children are disturbing with their innocent facades. In truth, the film plays out more like a thriller, as we are presented a series of plot twists and red herrings. The discovery of the mother in the attic is particularly mind-bending, and there are an abundance of mysterious adults, acts of the supernatural and secrets hidden in the forest. All of these factors continue to rouse your suspicions and keep you engrossed until all is revealed at the end - this is despite its overly-long running time.
Kim Min Suk’s story appeals more to your emotions than your fear. Like in the The Orphanage, the focus on the characters and the tragedy of their story washes away the tones of horror to leave a heart warming and lasting conclusion. Misconceptions of the children’s motives and confused wrong-doing are changed with the story of how they came to be. The film looks at the effects of unrequited love and a want to belong, and these shine through as the film’s most effecting themes.
In a film that depends so heavily on mystery and fantasy, it is also refreshing that the ending doesn’t give too much away. The predictable last half hour of explanation is in keeping with the films surreal atmosphere - we are enlightened but are left with plenty to base our own personal interpretation and experience of the film on.
Hansel & Gretal works on many levels. The film has a magical and original script supported by equally magical visuals. The capture of the snow filled Korean forest and claustrophobic house create a feeling of wonderment straight out of a fairytale. This has maybe gone a little unnoticed outside of its native Korea, but it is well worth chasing up. A big surprise for its charm and inner delights, this is a horror film with a very sweet tooth. LW
Film: Night Watch
Release date: 24th April 2006
Certificate: 15
Running time: 114 mins
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Valeri Zolotukhin, Mariya Poroshina, Galina Tyunina
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Thriller
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
'Russian' and 'blockbuster' are two words you rarely see next to each other. Night Watch had a modest budget but promises an abundance of spell-binding special effects, explosions and an emphasis on action. Costing around £4 million to make, it went on to triple this in its homeland alone, and become Russia’s first and most loved blockbuster fantasy movie. With an ambitious trilogy lined up, just what has captured our comrade’s imaginations so much?
The forces of light and dark go to war in medieval Russia. The battle rages as two armies of warriors, known as ‘others’, fight for superiority. Gesar, Lord of the Light, realises that the battle is too evenly fought and will result in both sides’ annihilation. Along with Zabulon, Lord of the Dark, a shaky truce is formed between the two mega powers to forever hold a balance. This truce is to be policed by guardians of each side: Night Watch are ‘others’ on the side of light and Day Watch on the side of dark. A prophecy tells that one day a ‘great one’ will come and bring the battle to a head once more.
Moscow in 1992, Anton Gorodetsky seeks to win his girlfriend back through the practice of dark forces. He visits Daria who offers to kill the girlfriend’s unborn child, the son of another man, to send her back to him. Daria performs a ritual to miscarry the child, as the room shakes and the spell is nearly in effect, Night Watch arrive to arrest Daria. Anton realises that he too is an ‘other’, as he is able to witnesses the supernatural scene in front of him.
Twelve years pass, and Anton is now working with the forces of light on Night Watch. When a vampire and his girlfriend conspire to entrance and feed on a young boy, Anton is sent to his rescue - and to arrest the vampires who are directly disobeying the truce. On this job, he crosses paths with a cursed woman who could cause major problems to the balance; the truce is becoming more and more vulnerable. Anton rescues the young boy, Yegar, unaware of the boy’s significance to the prophecy - and to his own past...
Despite the film’s blockbuster status, it has a distinctly Russian flavour. This is felt especially with the film’s lead, Konstantin Khabenskiy. His slackeresque appearance, vodka swigging and lack of fighting prowess make him hard to imagine in any other big movie scenario. The themes of the occult and epic nature of the story’s battle call out for warriors, but here we are treated to a very unlikely bevy of oddball Russians. The Night Watch team could be easily mistaken for proprietors of a lesser cause with their boiler suits, bushy beards and garbage style truck. When we see said truck flying down a Moscow city street kicking flames out the exhausts, it is made all the cooler by the teams rag tag image.
Bekmambetov squeezes every last drop out of a budget that would otherwise not accommodate the picture’s scale. The special effects suck you in with dizzying effect, as they come thick and fast - a particularly memorable image is that of the Night Watch’s truck flying through the air with a perfect forward flip, only to land on back on all four wheels. There are also some very appealing stylistics, too, with the animation of the cursed virgin, and some very sleek animal imagery in the shape of an owl and tiger. All these things and more cause an amazing spectacle but simultaneously are the cause of the film’s biggest problem.
Unfortunately, an emphasis on visceral stimulation gets in the way of clear storytelling. Based loosely on a novel by Sergei Lukyanenko the film is overly busy, and this jeopardises any coherence in the narrative. There is simply too much going on, and watching the film is not just a commitment but very frustrating. Somewhere in the midst of prophecies, vampires, morphing and curses you realise the film has lost its way. The complexities in the story such as ‘the gloom’ and ‘the twilight’ present rules similar to the Matrix but are in serious need of elaboration.
Considering the hype, this is a disappointment. This film does have some big ideas but fails to create a piece of fantasy that is easily subscribed to. Although it is pretty on the eye, with enough action in one film to pack out an entire trilogy, it won’t stay long in your memory. It does however set up a lot of possibilities for the sequel; hopefully this will do the opposite to The Matrix and get better as it goes on. LW
Film: Battle Royale: Limited Edition
Release date: 13th December 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 109 mins
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Chiaki Kuriyama, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Noriko Nakagawa, Tarô Yamamoto
Genre: Action/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Japanese cinema never fails to stun its audiences. With its release at the turn of the century, Battle Royale not only caught the attentions of the Japanese Academy Awards but the Japanese government also. Putting a capital E on extreme, this film went on to achieve global recognition. Battle Royale possesses a penchant for blood-splattering violence and political comment that makes it the most explicit comment on ‘reality television’ to date.
In an alternative reality, Japan has reached the millennium in tatters. With an ever-increasing unemployment rate of ten million, and students in their thousands boycotting schools, the government passes an education reformation act called ‘The B.R. Act’. The act states that once a year a class is let loose on an isolated island to play the deadly Battle Royale game. Each student is given a random weapon, an electronic collar, and three days to kill or be killed. The winner is the last survivor, and if there is no winner after three days then the collars self-destruct killing any remaining students.
Former teacher Kitano abducts his former class and takes them to the island, having left their tuition after an act of violence against him by student Nobu. The bewildered teens are terrified to see that Kitano has hand-picked them to play his warped game, and are sent out with only a briefing and survival pack, which includes a flashlight and compass.
As the children begin a three day survival of the fittest, young Shuya is determined to escape the island with Noriko to whom he has sworn to protect...
Koushan Kutami’s little known novel of the same name was not nearly as revered as its filmic adaptation. This perhaps is because although on screen it incorporates the dark comedy, satire and political comment of the book, it is the action that makes this classic so appealing.
Veteran director Kinji Fukasaku installs a narrative pace that makes the multi-deaths and elaborate violence undeniably compelling. With decades of onscreen violence and breakthrough shock fests, Fukasaku became a hero to cult Japanese cinema with hits such as Tora! Tora! Tora! and Virus. He brings this wealth of knowhow with cartoonish action that is irresistibly satisfying in its gore and bloodshed. One particularly memorable demise is that of Nobu - as his collar explodes in a cloud of red blood, a class load of children look on at a spectacle that is as shocking as it is a sign of things to come.
The cartoonish nature of the violence does not just extend to the buckets of blood on show, with every punch comes an exaggerated thrusting sound, and with every stab an exaggerated squelch. Battle Royale doesn’t just glamorise violence, it makes it extremely fun - it’s nearly impossible not to get on board with the bizarre comic tone. Each death is accompanied by an onscreen title that gives the victims name, time of death and place in the contest - this is just one stylistic that trivialises the graphic action. You will blush also as Kitano addresses his class over a loud speaker in the most casual manor - the subject matter is unique but not self-indulgent, with the film happy to poke fun at itself.
Although the political drive is not completely stifled by the onscreen antics, you would imagine it played a much bigger part in the book. The extremity of the situation comments on the Japanese government’s incompetence, as well as growing problems within society. The most biting of the social comment comes with its portrayal of youth, and the similarities with Lord Of The Flies are clear.
The story places a dynamic that brings into question the capabilities of kids - we see some of the youngsters committing suicide, others protecting their friends, whilst many look out for number one. A clique of girls eventually wipe each other out in a show of backstabbing that makes Mean Girls look like child’s play.
It also puts into question the garish nature of reality television. A growing phenomenon at the time of the film’s release, shows like Big Brother have continued to stamp their place into contemporary culture. This is a play on these shows’ ideals, as we watch to see who gets killed as eagerly as we watch for the next Friday night eviction. All the elements of the ‘social experiment’ are there, but the selfish nature, attention seeking and two-faced plotting we see on television are shown here tenfold.
Takeshi Kitano shows why he is such an iconic figure in Japanese cinema as the contrived creator of the game, Kitano. Famed for the direction of films like Boiling Point and Brother, Kitano has starred in classics such as Zatoichi, and is even responsible for the much loved Takeshi’s Castle. He brings here a trademark cool, and acts as a perfect figurehead for the signature madness of the picture.
One of the boldest films of the century so far, Battle Royale is not to be missed. If you are a Japanese extreme cinema connoisseur this is no doubt an essential part of your collection, if you are a novice, it is the best possible starting point. This is essential world cinema. LW
