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Film: The Horde
Release date: 20th September 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 93 mins
Director: Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher
Starring: Claude Perron, Eriq Ebouaney, Aurelien Recoing, Doudou Masta, Jean-Pierre Martins
Genre: Action/Crime/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Momentum
Format: DVD
Country: France
They’ve had nights, dawns and days, plagues in cities, lakes and lands from London to outer space - zombies have been resurrected so many times over the years it’s difficult to get all that excited about The Horde, the debut feature by Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher. However, having picked up awards for Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography at the 2010 Fantasporto Film Festival, plus a pretty cool trailer, you’ll be forgiven for thinking this latest effort shows promise. But will it live up to its Assault On Precinct 13 meets Dawn Of The Dead billing – or is it another Flight Of The Living Dead?
When a police detective is found murdered by a gang of barbaric thugs, four rogue cops take it upon themselves to exact revenge. But holed up in a tower-block, the gang sees it coming, overcoming the vigilantes and taking them prisoner.
Torturing their victims, they are unaware about the breakdown of society happening quite literally on their doorstep. As sirens and the sound of explosions fill the air outside, it isn’t long before those inside are introduced to the doom-laden din of terror - that of the zombie apocalypse.
Trapped, and each with a score to settle, those that still have a pulse must somehow join forces if they are to survive the onslaught…
Although the opening is bleak and gritty, first timers Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher lack the originality to make The Horde truly stand out – so much so, we are made aware of something dangerous lurking in the shadows only when the guard dog gets slaughtered, out of shot - its whimper echoing the viewers’, as we yearn for something fresh to chew on.
And it continues: a metal bar is conveniently left and found to wedge a door shut, two of the hunted decide to have fun with a corpse in a scene lacking humour, while another decides enough is enough and takes them all on by himself. For all the good on offer here (and there is plenty), soon enough, something will come along and ruin what went before it.
A shame then that the first zombie to appear is the toughest of the bunch. It’s also a shame that the dilapidated building, hinted at early on, is underused. The biggest gripe, though, is that our female protagonist lacks the personality of even the lowest ranking zombie witnessed during The Horde’s duration (the one that gets taken out by a fridge). Her only good moment arrives when she makes it abundantly clear that she trusts nobody, not even the guys she’s worked with for so long.
This is a huge problem, because during the opening ten minutes, it’s hard to feel sorry for the four vigilantes as their fragile false sense of togetherness is tested time and time again, before finally being shattered by the gathering hordes of the living dead. Not only are the apparent villains of the piece, the gang, given more screen time, they’re also much more endearing.
Still, the script is loads of fun without being remotely original, and The Horde manages to escape joining the masses of zombie dross with a plot that never fails to ignite every so often. Loner ‘watchman’ Rene (Yves Pignot) really steals the day, his unpredictable personality topping anything the zombies manage to pull off, bringing with it some of the best scenes: an amputation stand-off and the well-scripted truce that follows.
Another satisfying performance is that of Aurelien Recoing, playing Jimenez – even if his one major fling, taking on two stiffs without the need of a weapon, sums up The Horde’s problem. As a zombie piece it lacks originality or the chills to warrant interest, yet as an action movie it supplies just as many thrills and surprises as many of those before it.
The two-on-one fight in a dingy corridor, although at first disorientating, soon becomes the greatest moment this film has to offer. Which, considering the trailer, is disappointing - the stand-off between Tony and a thousand zombies never works because, although the living dead aren’t exactly credible in the real world, this scene takes it further still and just isn’t believable, no matter how easy-going we are. Seriously, just bite his ankle!
The ending is pleasantly downbeat, even if one of the more appealing characters meets the worst fate. It would’ve worked better, and a lot more satisfying to boot, if the roles were reversed here, but then it’s probably in keeping with the slightly disappointing movie as a whole. Negativity aside, there’s enough good stuff going on that help disguise the fissures, but if you’re looking for scares or something fresh then you won’t find it here.
The grim visuals and giddy sense of claustrophobia compensate for a score drowned out by gunfire (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), and, as genuine entertainment, it will easily hold your interest until after its finale thanks to neat twists and conflict by the bucket load.
Fast-paced and filled with friction, The Horde is definitely a cut above most standard zombie movies, yet it lacks the freshness and originality to challenge the cream of the crop. As an action movie it works better - think Red Dawn rather than Dawn Of The Dead. DW
Film: The Crimson Rivers
Release date: 26th November 2001
Certificate: 15
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring: Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda, Karim Belkhadra
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: France
The Crimson Rivers (Les Rivières Pourpres), based on the best selling French novel of the same name by Jean-Christophe Grangé (who also co-wrote the screenplay) is an unabashed attempt to make a French Hollywood-style thriller.
A mutilated body, tied in the foetal position and missing both its eyes and hands, turns up high in the French Alps. Super detective Pierre Niemans (Reno) is called in to investigate, enlisting local glaciologist Fanny Ferreira (Farès) to help him understand the extreme conditions in which the body was found.
Meanwhile in the town of Sarzac, Detective Inspector Max Kerkerian (Cassel) investigates his own mystery, the desecration of a young girl’s tomb and apparent theft of her body. Kerkerian pursues the case, desperate to find any information he can about the girl, but somebody seems to be erasing her from history, and nobody is giving any answers.
The two cases soon become intertwined, and the reluctant duo team up to begin an unsettling tour of the local university, where everyone seems just a little too perfect, and the nearby town, where everyone seems the complete opposite. Something’s very wrong in this quiet mountain town, kept afloat by the all powerful university, but what Niemans and Kerkerian discover will horrify even these two hardened detectives…
The Crimson Rivers starts so well, an intriguing and atmospheric police story that unsettles initially with the gruesomely mutilated bodies, then, once the conspiracy begins, draws you in with a compelling plot.
Where The Crimson Rivers really excels is in its aesthetic department. As with La Haine, director Mathieu Kassovitz creates a striking visual aesthetic - a stunning pallet on which to play out his macabre tale, with blood red playing out against an overwhelmingly snow white landscape. The model effects of the mutilated corpses are unnervingly realistic, with the production team producing the grimmest representation they could - particularly during the opening credits, where the camera investigates and probes every minute detail of the first corpse.
The score is haunting and sits with the big budget aesthetics perfectly, recalling John Carpenter’s classic Halloween, so instantly recognisable as a chilling accompaniment to the horrific events being investigated.
Reno is perfectly cast as the constantly exhausted Commissaire Niemans. It seems Reno has become typecast as a cop, even within his native France, so he’s not really stretching himself. Vincent Cassel, at this time poised on the cusp of international superstardom, deliverers a frantic performance that runs in parallel to Reno’s slow and methodical Niemans. The pair truly gel together onscreen and are a joy to watch playing off each other’s opposite personalities. Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel carry the movie with their performances, but the plot unfortunately does descend into the realm of lunacy.
Thematically drawing heavily on the works of Fincher, De Palma and Hitchcock, The Crimson Rivers makes no apologies for its Hollywood influences, instead it revels in the style, but this sees the early promise descend into a run-of-the-mill Hollywood action movie. Cassel, for his part, is involved in perhaps the most bizarrely out of place scene in the film, a kung-fu battle between himself and a gang of skinheads. This scene, with its use of video game aesthetics, feels so superfluous to the film.
Another problem is that for all the interesting ideas and larger conspiracies alluded to, the film doesn’t deliver with its grand finale - a cop-out that leaves the viewer feeling short changed.
The Crimson Rivers is highly watchable as a popcorn police thriller. It’s just such a pity that the film is let down by its final third after producing an initially compelling plot line. CSA
Film: A Bittersweet Life
Release date: 24th April 2006
Certificate: 18
Running time: 120 mins
Director: Kim Ji-woon
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Mina Shin, Kim Roe-ha, Hwang Jeong-min
Genre: Crime/Action/Thriller/Drama
Studio: Tartan
Format: DVD
Country: South Korea
A tale of love, loyalty, betrayal and revenge, A Bittersweet Life offers a critically acclaimed and award-winning insight into South Korea’s underworld.
Kim Sun-woo is a stoic criminal tasked with spying on his boss’ new girlfriend, Min-gi, while he is away, with the express instruction to kill her if she is seen with any other men. Meanwhile, gang leader Baek and Sun-woo’s chief rival Moon-suk target Sun-woo after a confrontation between the two crime families.
After discovering that the girl he is watching is seeing another man, Sun-woo contravenes his orders, as well as his better judgment, and spares the girl’s life. Sun-woo’s boss returns, discovers his employee’s indiscretion and promptly gives his lieutenant up to the rival gang.
Beaten, humiliated and buried alive, Sun-woo survives to take revenge on all that have betrayed him…
A delicate human drama punctuated by extended scenes of brutal, stylised violence, A Bittersweet Life is one man’s journey towards his inevitable death.
The action drama has become popular in eastern cinema over the last decade, the films of Chinese director Johnny To, in particular, juxtaposing slow burn emotional drama with balletic, Woo-esque violence. The violence within these films often serves to be a cathartic release, designed as a bloody conclusion to any tension built throughout the story, a stylish deus ex machina to tie up (or shoot) any loose ends. In Kim Ji-woon’s revenge thriller, the abrupt outbursts of choreographed violence are a direct representation of the central character’s volatile nature.
The film’s opening act is a sombre affair, at odds with the carnage that will later ensue. Hopeful moments between Sun-woo and Min-gi are undercut by the futility of their relationship - Sun-woo seeing a future with this woman, but knowing he will never be able to live it.
Kim Sun-woo is a wonderfully engaging character, and Lee Byung-hun is a magnetic screen presence. A man of few words and whose reactionary nature incurs the wrath of a rival gang boss at the film’s opening, and later causes him to disregard a direct order from his boss. Sun-woo is rage buried under an ingrained discipline that is counteracted by a woman he loves and knows he must kill. A man of barely contained emotion in a world where such a thing is forbidden, it’s Sun-woo’s anger and grief that drives the film.
Elsewhere, Kim Roe-ha impresses as the envious Mun-suk and Hwang Jeong-min’s psychotic Baek is comically OTT - all bang and bluster in contrast to Sun-woo’s smooth skills. Aside from this, the cast is disappointingly skeletal, the story choosing to focus almost exclusively on Sun-woo, a man who punches more than he speaks.
The action itself is highly impressive, from a lightning fast skirmish in a restraint booth to an epic final showdown, Kim Ji-woon and fight choreographer Heong Ji-jun (who tragically died in 2008 on the set of The Good The Bad The Weird) craft some truly beautiful set pieces. The climactic shoot out, in particular, is shot and scored like a Leone western, with Sun-woo playing out his last moments as the tragic anti-hero.
A bold mix of genres and styles, A Bittersweet Life shifts from western gangster flick to eastern crime fable, all the way to bloody revenge drama and back again. The film is often tonally muddled, yet it retains coherence thanks to Kim Ji-woon’s confident direction and Byung-hun’s charismatic lead. KT
Film: Princess Mononoke
Release date: 27th March 2006
Certificate: PG
Running time: 133 mins
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura
Genre: Anime
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
During the release of Princess Mononoke, it is very likely that a lot of cinema fans would not have heard of Studio Ghibli and their tremendous output into the world of animation. That all changed with the release of Spirited Away, which brought acclaim and audiences tired of the usual Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks fare. The Oscar buzz that came totting along with the infamous Spirited Away assured Studio Ghibli’s recognition, but this was a few years too late.
Princess Mononoke begins in a small quiet village that is home to our protagonist, Ashitaka. When this cosy environment is threatened by a beast, a giant hog with a bad case of the worms, Ashitaka is called upon by the village elders to traipse into the surrounding forests and discover, and hopefully solve, the reason for this wild attack. Naturally, he does, but, in the process, a plethora of other threats are raised as our allegiances are thrown back and forth between the colonising humans and the forest creatures that are under attack from the tree cutting ventures of the humans. Of course, violence is greeted with violence, and the age old battle of man vs. nature commences.
During his mix up between the humans of Iron town, and the animal packs of the forest, Ashitaka meets our leading lady, Princess Mononoke. They form a complicated friendship that is initially rooted in mistrust, but Ashitaka is eventually invited into the clan of the wolves that Mononoke is a part of, and therefore becomes the man stuck between the two warring worlds…
Princess Mononoke came a few years before Spirited Away, and was set to become Miyazaki’s swansong, the film that would effectively signal his goodbye to directing as he planned to quietly fall into retirement. As we all know this didn’t happen, with the follow-ups of Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo filling our imaginations with yet more enchanting characters and worlds. Maybe it is because of the fact that Princess Mononoke was going to be his final film that it is imbued with everything that makes Studio Ghibli so magical and inspiring. From the vibrant animation to the twisting plot and the epic musical score, everything manages to fall into place to create a truly awe-inspiring fantasy that still manages to ground itself within reality and modern day issues.
The film’s true strength lies in its narrative and plotting. At 134 minutes, it is one of the longest-running animations ever made, yet it still manages to hold the viewer’s attention throughout as everything unfurls.
The quality of the animation is top-notch, filling the world with luscious fields, eye catching characters and mind searing action set pieces. This is no surprise, as allegedly Miyazaki drew 80,000 of the 144,000 stills. It must be said that the animation does not match the sheer beauty of more recent titles such as Ponyo, but it stills showcases a stepping stone in the world of hand drawn animation.
Switching to the voice acting, many Ghibli films are viewed in the English dub, and things are somewhat lost in this American translation, but it still makes for a highly entertaining film, with the translated script being penned by famous fantasy scribe, Neil Gaiman. Of course, Princess Mononoke should be viewed with its original Japanese casting.
Outside of the narrative and the voice acting, the score is the third factor that propels this film from being just a children’s animation into a fantasy epic, rounding everything off wonderfully as the music brims with emotion.
Princess Mononoke stands toe to toe with more famous Ghibli productions, such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. As exciting and entertaining as the rest of the studio’s back catalogue. JCH
Film: Late Spring
Release date: 19th July 2010
Certificate: U
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Yasijiro Ozu
Starring: Chishû Ryû, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura, Hohi Aoki
Genre: Drama
Studio: BFI
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Beginning his six film partnership with muse Setsuko Hara, Late Spring is the first of Yasujiro Ozu’s Noriko trilogy, three films that explore the fragility of the Japanese family unit in the wake of World War II. Along with Tokyo Story, this film is widely regarded as the director’s best work.
Noriko Somiya is the 27-year-old daughter of a kindly professor Shukichi, and she leads a happy life alongside her father. Single and with no plans to marry, Noriko has classical opinions of love and marriage, illustrated by a visit from her father’s colleague Onedara, who she believes to be “dirty” because he has re-married.
Following this is a visit from Noriko’s aunt, who mentions to Shukichi that Noriko should be wed, suggesting that she pursue the interests of his assistant Hattori. Hattori is already engaged. Noriko’s aunt soon finds her another potential husband, while at the same time attempting to find a partner for Shukichi to fill Noriko’s role. Soon Noriko resigns herself to the arranged marriage, yet a trip to Kyoto with her father shows Noriko how much she does not want things to change. Noriko goes ahead with the wedding anyway and finally separates from her father…
The Noriko trilogy is essentially a series of variations on the same tale; a girl is badgered into marriage by her family, friends and societal convention. This girl is played by Setsuko Hara, whose creative relationship with Ozu is equally as important as the great cinematic partnerships, such as Mifune and Kurosawa or Wayne and Ford. Hara is the heart and soul of these films, and in Late Spring her performance is often heartbreaking.
The film is certainly the most sombre variation on the Noriko tale, as it deals with the sundering of a loving relationship between father and daughter. As usual with Ozu’s narratives, exterior forces surround the protagonists, pressuring them into choices they do not agree with. Noriko’s aunt meddles in the lives of her and Shukichi’s - kick starting a chain of events that will eventually tear them apart. Noriko’s sister lives a leisurely life after divorcing her first husband, she dutifully informs her sister of the dark side of love and men. Meanwhile, Shukichi (played by the brilliantly versatile Chisu Ryu, who would go on to play characters of varying ages in the other Noriko films) only wants what he thinks is right for his daughter, even if he does not want it himself - the scene in which Noriko asks if he really wants her to leave and be replaced is truly heartrending.
A highly technical director, Ozu employs many bold stylistic methods in his films, many of which are evident here. What is most noticeable in Late Spring is the fluidity of the editing, showcased in an extended sequence of a Noh play. The film’s centrepiece, this scene captures both the inner turmoil of the central character and the blissful ignorance of her father. Static close-ups and wide angle mid-shots transition between the haunting beauty of the performers and the slowly deteriorating mood of Noriko - it’s a bravura sequence, one of Ozu’s best.
Ozu’s films are never concerned with narrative convention, and are often stark and minimalist in terms of plotting; as such we never really experience anything here other than Noriko’s central dilemma. This singular focus may seem like a failing, yet as the film’s closing moments approach, and Noriko disappears from view, both Shukichi and the viewer experience an overwhelming feeling of sadness.
In this bleak tale of love and loss, Setsuko Hara is dazzling in her first role as Noriko. Among Ozu’s finest work, Late Spring sees the maverick director at the very peak of his power. KT
Film: Merantau Warrior
Release date: 26th April 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 106 mins
Director: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Christine Hakim, Mads Koudal
Genre: Martial Arts
Studio: E1
Format: DVD
Country: Indonesia
In the Sumatran region of Indonesia, there comes a time in a young man’s life when he must undertake “Merantau”, a rites-of-passage journey whereby he leaves his village to try and find his place in the world. Writer/director Gareth Evans has taken that premise and spun it into a dangerous adventure.
Yuda’s Merantau starts with a number of setbacks which would have most people running back to their village – the house he’s meant to be staying in has been demolished, there’s no work for a Silat instructor and just now he’s been robbed by a street urchin called Adit. Chasing him through the increasingly narrow alleyways brings Yuda to the point where the momentum of the plot starts to change gears.
Adit’s sister, Astri (Sisca Jessica), is a dancer in a nightclub run by Johnni, and Adit has inadvertently led Yuda (Iko Uwais) there. As Yuda confronts the little thief, Astri and Johnni come out of a side-door, arguing. Turns out, Johnni wants a portion of Astri’s tips. Things get violent, and Yuda steps in. Astri isn’t particularly pleased with her unsolicited knight-in-shining-armour, believing his interference is only going to make things worse. Johnni isn’t too happy either.
Johnni, it turns out, is providing girls to a pair of Eurotrash sex-traffickers called Ratger and Luc, who are in town to pick up their latest shipment of girls. When Ratger points out to him that he’s a girl short, Johnni immediately thinks of Astri as a perfect replacement...
Merantau starts with a deliberate slow pace, grounding the story in context as we are introduced to Yuda, his family and his village life. Evans captures the rolling hills, the grass terraces and the air of tranquillity. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but Yuda is going to sorely miss this lifestyle.
Ratger and Luc get an excellently shot introduction, as they survey the latest consignment for their brothels. Whilst Ratger reclines in a sumptuous looking leather armchair, the girls are given a rather crude medical examination. The treatment of the girls is likely to make your skin crawl. Of the two, Ratger is the hot-headed dominant one, while Luc is the cool-headed voice of reason. When Yuda bursts in and rescues Astri, Ratger demands revenge, but Luc councils a more reasonable course of action – they need to get the girls shipped and don’t have time for vendettas. Of course, Ratger wins out and hires more guys to take on Yuda and get the girl back.
The second half of the film is basically “chase–fight-chase” as Yuda tackles increasingly skilled fighters in his quest to help Astri and Adit. This leads to a scene which could be described as a microcosm of 90s Hong Kong action cinema, when Yuda re-encounter’s Eric. Sparks really fly between these two. Having met and bonded at the beginning of the film, they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides. The ensuing fight, inside the constricted space of an elevator is of epic proportions. As good as the fight itself is, the following unspoken act of honour and brotherhood is even better.
Director Gareth Evan’s approach to the martial arts genre is exactly what fans have been crying out for. Firstly, the fights are choreographed rather than edited together. Secondly, the actors are all proficient martial artists (the exception being Mads Koudal, who has put the time and effort in to ensure he isn’t embarrassed onscreen). And thirdly, the fights are filmed in a straight fashion, rather than the du jour in-your-face shaky-cam. In fact, the length of shots seems to increase as the film progresses, to the point that an attack on Johnni’s bar is a one-take shot which lasts over a minute of screen-time (although the DVD extras point out that that scene in particular took over fifty attempts to complete!).
The acting is very impressive. Iko Uwais was discovered by Gareth Evans when he was making a martial arts documentary and was taken with the young man’s screen presence. It’s certainly not apparent that this is his first film role. Although he doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, he carries it off very well. Sisca Jessica manages to bring some life to a “damsel in distress” role, and delivers a heart-rending monologue about why she and her brother are in the predicament they are in. Yayan Ruhian is another newcomer. He only has a couple of scenes but proves to be very memorable in them.
Best of all, though, is Mads Koudal as Ratger, You can really imagine there are people like him roaming around Jakarta and Bangkok preying on young women with no better futures. It would have been so easy to over-play the part, but Koudal gets it just right, allowing flashes of temper to get the better of him now and again, then reigning back in.
Gareth Evans has studied the competition and delivered a martial arts movie which delivers the drama and acting as much as it does the amazing fights and stunt-work. Fans of the genre owe it to themselves to check this film out, and remember the name of Iko Uwais for the future. MOW
