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Film: Get Low
Year of production: 2009
UK Release date: 23rd May 2011
Distributor: Sony
Certificate: PG
Running time: 100 mins
Director: Aaron Schneider
Starring: Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Format: DVD
Country of Production: USA/Germany/Poland
Language: English
Review by: Natalie Meziani
Having gained sufficient film experience as the director of photography in Titanic and Kiss The Girls, Aaron Schneider steps up to direct his first full-length feature with Get Low. And with Bill Murray and Robert Duvall amongst the leading cast members, Schneider has landed himself with a very fortunate advantage. Get Low is loosely based on the true story of Felix "Bush" Breazeale, a hermit living in Tennessee who planned his own funeral party in 1938 to see what stories the locals would reveal about him.
Felix Bush is a recluse, adamantly living a solitary existence in his minimalistic backwoods shack; the only agreeable communication he experiences is with his horse. Happily shooting at visitors and terrifying children, Felix’s lonesome activity has crafted him into a local legend surrounded by ominous rumours.
Upon hearing of the bereavement of a fellow hermit, Felix has the sudden realisation that he is coming towards the end of his life. A dream about death sparks him into formulating a rather eccentric plan to hold his own funeral – while he’s still alive. The owner of the town’s funeral parlour, Frank Quinn, is experiencing some business difficulties due to a frustrating lack of death, and so, out of financial desperation, he willingly agrees to Felix’s strange request of holding a pre-mortem funeral party. The townsfolk are asked to attend and divulge stories they have heard about Felix, using the chance to win his land in a raffle as incentive to participate.
We see a major publicity campaign erupt to promote such a grand occasion in what appears to be a rather uneventful town. During Felix’s unexpected return to the social periphery, a couple of characters appear who remember the warm and public man that he used to be, painting the way for the cleansing of his reputation – including Sissy Spacek as the character of Mattie, a local widow and an old love interest of Felix’s. The plot hints at a major turning point in Felix’s past, a reason why he has kept himself secluded for forty years, but nothing is embellished or revealed until the final climax…
David Boyd’s cinematography gives the film the final ingredient it needs to become a completed success; a warm colour palette and soft lighting accentuate the idea of nostalgic folklore, painting a dream-like and romantic equivalent of real life. The contrast between Felix’s dark wooden hideout and the town’s bright, idyllic scenery is handsomely executed, which is almost a shame for Schneider as he is no longer responsible for the film’s visuals. The 1930s backdrop and costumes are all perfectly considered, making Get Low an effortlessly pleasing aesthetic experience.
You may be forgiven for thinking that a film focusing entirely on one funeral party could be an arduous task, but, under the direction of Schneider, Get Low is allowed to excel by a team of radiant actors led by a great script. The film manages to perfectly balance the rather challenging combination of emotional psychology and comedy, giving it the powerful boost it needs to compensate for the absence of plot complexity or suspense.
The casting of Bill Murray as the undertaker and Robert Duvall as Felix are contributing factors to the quality of the screenplay, with Murray’s deadpan sarcasm delivering an ideal amount of humour to compliment Duvall’s exceptional standard of sombre acting. Spacek and Duvall both exhibit the fine talent of being able to communicate using just expression, which is wonderfully functional during Duvall’s long and moving funeral speech.
The predictability of the story’s clichés mean that characters are theoretically two-dimensional, however, the timing and intonation of the actors allow the entire piece to excel. There are also some nice subtle touches to make Felix’s underlying goodness believable, such as the horse which he welcomes as a companion and the introduction of characters who fondly remember him before he retreated to a lonely existence.
The fundamental error in Get Low is that, while Felix’s secrets may have been taboo in the 1930s, to a contemporary audience there is no meat to the bones of the story. 100 minutes of funeral planning could have been an unbearable watch had it not been brought together so well, supported by watertight acting and beautiful cinematography.
The brilliant construction of the film allows us to step into 1930s Tennessee, with authentic settings and great dialogue combining to depict a realistic snapshot of the era. While there are moments where the film’s slow pace feels exposed, it is always rescued by a hilarious and flawlessly timed line or an irritable grunt from Duvall which has the power to express a thousand words. NM
Film: Returner
Release date: 19th January 2004
Certificate: 15
Running time: 112 mins
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki, Gorô Kishitani, Kirin Kiki, Yukiko Okamoto
Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
When a term such as “summer blockbuster” is used, audiences are usually aware what they are in for: a lot of action, an over-reliance on CGI, and a dose of humour thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, these elements can come at the expense of the writing and the plot, but if handled in the right way, these movies can be enjoyable and, most importantly, fun. Takashi Yamazaki's ambitious movie shows us it's not just Hollywood that appreciates the value of these movies.
The year is 2084, the human race has been brought to the edge of extinction by an alien race known as the Daggra. The humans have holed up in Tibet and their last hope rests with Milly, a young girl driven by the loss of her brother, who must travel back in time to the three days before the war started. Her orders are to kill the first Daggra, who faked a crash landing on Earth as a prelude to their invasion. Things don't go as planned, as her trip back in time places her squarely in the cross hairs of Miyamoto, a gunman who, after taking out a child smuggling ring, has finally caught up with his best friend's murderer, Mizoguchi .
After shooting Milly, Miyamoto takes her home to help her recover. When she reveals her true purpose to him, his reaction is one of derision and mirth at her obvious insanity, until she attaches an explosive device to his neck ensuring his co-operation. Together, with the aid of Miyamoto's sage-like handler, the two set out to stop the Daggra and save the future.
Meanwhile, Mizoguchi has his own plans for the alien and the ship. Hoping to use the technology for himself, he will go to any length to stop anyone from gaining the power he feels he rightly deserves.
As the two groups race to find the Daggra, Milly and Miyamoto slowly start to realise that all may not what it seems as they learn what really happened on the fateful day that the Daggra began their invasion…
This movie feels like a live action anime, with a super-cool anti-hero, a cute female side-kick, mechs and set pieces that take ‘over the top’ to the next level. This is a hard task for any director to get right, yet Takashi Yamazaki manages to pull it off. This aesthetic choice on his part is easier to understand now that he has gone on to direct live action versions of popular animes such as Space Battleship Yamato.
The action set-pieces are explosive and satisfying. The addition of a wrist device that can speed up the wearer adds to this greatly. Although it is a cheap ploy to fit in some Matrix-lite slow motion, it is nevertheless used in some original and inventive ways, while also giving characters a reason for being able to pull off some superhuman feats featured in the film.
The CGI and special effects are well done. The scenes set in a future overrun by the Daggra are the best example of this, from their ability to disguise their ships as normal planes to the scenes of the mech-encased invaders laying waste to all around them. It falls down slightly when the real actors and the Daggra are shown together on-screen as the limitations of the special effects become obvious.
With his shades, long hair and trench coat, Takeshi Kaneshiro oozes cool as Miyamoto. He switches between a revenge driven killing machine to reluctant hero effortlessly. His character isn't given much to do beyond this, but scenes showing his reaction and internal struggle with the loss of his best friend, and the scenes where he and Milly start to bond show a depth to his character which gives the film a much needed touch of heart.
Anne Suzuki is a delight to watch as Milly. Her fish out of water reaction to things we take for granted makes for an amusing contrast to her original introduction as the battle hardened savour of humanity, whilst a back-story involving losing her brother to the Daggra gives her an opportunity to show an emotional side, which helps fuels the story and her friendship with Miyamoto.
The relationship is well written and thankfully the bond that develops is similar to a bickering brother/sister combination rather than used as an excuse to fit a romantic sub-plot into an already convoluted story.
Undeniably, it is Goro Kishitani who steals the show here. With a hairstyle that even a manga star would envy, he lets rip as the villain. His introduction sees him execute one of the children he is transporting in order to subdue the rest. From here, he only gets worse, as his quest to use the power he feels he can gain from the Daggra leads him to more outrageous acts of violence and deception. In essence, he is the pantomime villain of the piece, though he goes about his acts of lunacy with such darkly comic glee that it is impossible not to look forward to his scenes.
This is a movie that is literally bursting with ideas, perhaps too many. An alien race, time-travel, gang warfare, a childhood vendetta and a clunky “humans are the real enemy” message all feature. Despite this, the plot is easy to follow, though scratch beneath the surface and things to start to unravel. Miyamoto's character has no obvious motivation (his encounter with Mizoguchi being as much a surprise to him as anyone). The Daggra are extremely powerful but haven't managed to wipe out humanity in eighty years. Why would Mizoguchi be firing a rocket launcher on an oil rig? The usual problems with time travel paradoxes, an issue that plagues the Terminator series, rears its head here also, and threatens to ruin one of the movie's most touching scenes. These are elements that could easily deter the more serious movie watcher, but it is a testament to the direction, action and acting that while watching the film, these niggling issues will fade into the background.
This is a divisive movie. It is a great action/ comedy movie with some decent CGI that will please fans of anime and action cinema in general. However, gaping plot holes, limited character development, and having heroes who take time out of saving the world to get makeovers may be a step too far for some people as the suspension of disbelief can only be pushed so far. DM
Film: Tokyo Godfathers
Release date: 13th September 2004
Certificate: 12
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Satoshi Kon
Starring: Toru Emori, Aya Okamoto, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Shôzô Îzuka, Seizô Katô
Genre: Anime
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
In August 2010, the world sadly lost a truly unique talent of the world of anime direction. Though he only has four feature films (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika) and a TV series (Paranoia Agent) to his name, Satoshi Kon’s striking visual sensibilities and unconventional narrative style makes his body of work a real benchmark of the industry – something for anime directors to aim for, and something that is rarely bettered. His penultimate film, Tokyo Godfathers, is a Christmas story with a difference. Unusually for an anime (and especially unusual when compared to Kon’s other work), it is solidly grounded in reality, and can therefore discuss real-world social problems with ease.
Tokyo Godfathers tells the story of three homeless people who find an abandoned baby and decide to find her parents. On the way, the act of caring for the child changes each character in a profound way, and makes them consider what went wrong in their lives.
A truly unusual combination of characters, the group comprises of Gin (Tōru Emori), a grouchy and dishevelled former bicycle shop owner, Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki), a homeless drag queen, and Miyuki (Aya Okamoto), a teenage runaway.
The story opens on Christmas Eve, where, after a seasonal ‘family’ argument, the group stumble upon a baby girl alone in a pile of rubbish. Hana is only too eager to act as the new child’s mother, but Gin is painfully reminded of his own lost daughter Kiyoko (the same name the group agrees to give the baby girl), and Miyuki of the family she ran away from. Despite the reluctance of Hana to let go of the baby, they all resolve to find Kiyoko’s real parents and return her to them.
Their journey is far from simple, as the only clue they have is a picture of the baby and her parents. Numerous obstacles also come between the group and their goal, and even when they reach their destination, a final twist in the plot thwarts them once more.
Each of the character’s back stories is gradually revealed over the course of their journey. What became of Gin’s family and career? How does a drag queen like Hana end up on the streets? And just why did Miyuku run away?
Their story is utterly enthralling, and the more you find out, the more you become attached to each of the characters. The film also transcends genre, beginning as a social commentary, then becoming a heart-warming family drama, then a road movie, and ending up as a thriller, with a liberal dose of comedy throughout. Your emotions while watching the film are truly stretched to their limit - one moment you’ll be laughing your head off, the next you’ll be struggling to hold back tears.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the film is the well thought-out and complex relationship between this ‘family’ of homeless people. Gin, on the outside, appears gruff, drunken and quick to anger, an embodiment of the stereotypical tramp, but in reality is a caring soul, and deeply regrets the path his life has taken, especially concerning his lost family. Hana is more open about his emotions. He sees the importance of the group sticking together and, at the very least, tolerating each other, but is highly secretive about other aspects of his life such as his past, especially his unrequited love for Gin. Miyuki acts a spoilt brat (an achievement for someone on the streets) and appears, for the most part, to begrudge hanging around with Gin and Hana (calling the former “old man” and the latter “Auntie Bag”), but really she regrets her decision to run away from her family, and looks up to Gin and Hana as parental figures.
The quality of the animation is also extremely high. This is not the overly stylised and fantastical animation of Hayao Miyazaki. Satoshi Kon has made his film world seem solid and real. You can see real emotions running through his characters, you feel every one of their experiences, and even the animated version of the city of Tokyo seems to be bustling with life.
If anything really detracts from the film, it would be a particular sequence in the middle of the film which involves the characters being invited to a gangster’s daughter’s wedding (they save him from being run over by his own car). At the wedding, Gin recognises a man whom he blames for the bad turn his life has taken. Before Gin can act on his ill feelings, the man is killed by an assassin disguised as a waiter, and Miyuki, who is carrying Kiyoko, is kidnapped in the confusion. This scene is quite jarring in its change of tone. We are momentarily plunged into the world of organised crime and politically-motivated contract killers, and it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the story. The scene serves little purpose apart from splitting the characters up and forcing them to find each other again. Rather than driving the narrative, this scene stops it dead.
You could also consider one of the underlying messages of the film as being a detractor. Satoshi Kon famously made his films in a way so that you can interpret the true meaning of them in any way that you wish. It really depends on how you see the story. If taken as a tale of newfound responsibility to an infant changing the lives of three people at the bottom of the social ladder, then the film really does have something to say. However, if you focus on the religious connotations of the film, it can become a little whimsical and preachy, a clumsy reinvention of the nativity story transposed to modern Tokyo.
Tokyo Godfathers can easily be considered the most accessible of Satoshi Kon’s films. It’s not as dark and psychoanalytic as Perfect Blue, not as confusing as Millennium Actress or as downright mad as Paprika. It’s a real story about real people, but told exceptionally well. It really does express the true meaning of family. The characters may not be blood related, but they truly love and truly need each other. They squabble and sulk, they have good times and bad, but they stick together through thick and thin. Out on the streets, their deep friendship is all they have, and with the addition of a baby to look after, their family is completed.
The true joy in watching Tokyo Godfathers lies in the way the story is told, and the in-depth characterisation. Unlike the usual exaggerated, fantastical characters found in many works of anime, Gin, Hana and Miyuki really do feel real, and you’d have to have a heart of stone not to empathise with them as they try and return a baby girl to her parents. SSP
Film: Betty Blue – Director’s Cut
Release date: 13th March 2006
Certificate: 18
Running time: 185 mins
Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
Starring: Beatrice Dalle, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Gerard Darmon, Consuelo De Havilland, Clementine Celarie
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: France
Jean-Jacques Beineix’s third effort after the striking Diva (1981) and the disappointing La lune dans le caniveau (1983). The accusation of style over substance has always been thrown at Beineix, never more so than in his sophomore effort; many critics continued the tradition with Betty Blue. Nevertheless, it’s proved to be the most popular and resilient of his films and garnered multiple nominations and awards both at home and abroad. It’s telling that, out of nine César nominations including best film and best director, it won only the one – for best poster.
Zorg is living an uncomplicated life, painting the beachfront bungalows where he also lives. He meets Betty, a girl who’s as beautiful as she is volatile.
After finding Zorg’s unpublished handwritten novel and tiring of his repulsive boss, she trashes his car and burns down the bungalow. They embark on a road trip to her best friend Lisa’s empty hotel, where Betty proceeds to type up Zorg’s novel - one finger at a time.
Working at the pizza restaurant owned by Lisa’s boyfriend to make ends meet, Betty grows angrier at the rejections Zorg’s novel receives. Packed off with Zorg to the countryside after attacking one of the publishers who’s rejected Zorg with a knife, Betty finds little solace in the peaceful surroundings.
Short of cash, Zorg finds ever more inventive ways of acquiring money. Meanwhile, Betty’s mental decline continues…
Oh, that poster. If you were anywhere between puberty and middle age in the mid-80s, you’ll know the poster; it adorned the wall of any student who wanted to be seen as even remotely intellectual, and was a visual byword for French cool. “We screwed every night. The forecast was for storms.” That prediction, given by our narrator Zorg at the very beginning of the film, neatly sums up the movie entire. It was fêted on its release in 1986 and quite rightly lauded again when the Director’s Cut, or Version Intégrale, came out in 2006. Usually marketed on its erotic content due to the preponderance of extremely graphic sex and frequent nudity, this completely misses the point. The nudity and sex is relaxed, casual and fun. Betty and Zorg are completely at ease with it, as are we. Seen by many as an essay of a doomed love affair, and a misogynist one at that due to the way in which Betty and her mental state are portrayed, this isn’t seeing the film as a whole. Betty Blue is, at heart, a farce - a very Gallic view of a woman having a prolonged and somewhat violent mental breakdown.
At first, Betty’s outbursts could be taken as cute, almost justified. Who wouldn’t want to throw paint all over the prized car of an obese, lecherous bully? Or set fire to one of his properties and then run away? We’re rooting for Betty in the first act as she does the things we often daydream about yet dare not. She’s fun, vivacious and unpredictable, and we’re as taken with her as Zorg is. Sure, she’s lost him his job and home, but it wasn’t a very good job or a particularly nice home, and he’s going to be a famous author once she gets his book published anyway. The palette in these early scenes reflects this, all bright sunshine and primary colours. Once this breezy first act is played out, we then embark on what is essentially a road movie.
The absurdity and farce that peppers Betty Blue throughout can be found mainly in the myriad of supporting characters. The most memorable of these is a refuse collector, who sports a hook in place of the hand he lost in a mattress accident, and has a pathological hatred of mattresses as a result. Sure, Betty is clearly mad it seems to be saying, but isn’t everyone?
At almost three hours, Betty Blue is too long. Beineix tries to cram in too many scenes of increasing quirkiness. Some, such as a series of cross-dressing stick-up jobs, could easily have been excised without any loss. They stilt the narrative flow and seem shoehorned in. There is also no attempt to explain or investigate Betty’s mental state. Indeed, it’s clearly obvious from the very beginning that her behaviour will lead down one path and one path only. She’s clearly a very disturbed young lady, quite possibly from an event or events in her childhood, but this is never explored, discussed or remarked upon by anyone, and none of the characters, save for Zorg, want much to do with her when she kicks off. Under her spell, Zorg displays all the strength of a lovesick puppy, only occasionally confronting her. And yet it can be argued that it’s really his film, despite the title. It’s Zorg’s story we’re following, not Betty’s, and its Zorg we’re rooting for, having consigned Betty to her fate at an early stage. But then a film called ‘Zorg’ with a picture of a pouting Jean-Hughes Anglade as the poster just wouldn’t have done.
But these are mere quibbles. Betty Blue is a rich, luscious, luxurious experience and a joyous blast of realistic fresh air - a veritable smorgasbord of characters and situations. And the poster still looks damn good after twenty-five years.
Quintessentially French, Betty burst forth an icon of cinema and remains so twenty five-years after its initial release. It’s a real shame Béatrice Dalle never made anything remotely as good ever again. JMB
Film: Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles
Release date: 13th August 2007
Certificate: PG
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang & Yasuo Furuhata
Starring: Ken Takakura, Kiichi Nakai, Jiang Wen, Shinobu Terajima, Qiu Lin
Genre: Drama
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China/Japan
Yimou Zhang and his long-time director of photography Xiaoding Zhao, the pair of whom crafted the beautiful House Of Flying Daggers and Curse Of The Golden Flower, once again create a film of stunning beauty both visually and emotionally, as a father begins his quest to get closer to his son.
Gou-ichi Takata (Ken Takakura) has become estranged from his son over many years, and his only remaining link is his daughter-in-law, Rie (Shinobu Terajima), who is desperately trying to get Ken-ichi to see his father again. When Takata discovers that his son has terminal cancer, he travels into central Tokyo for the first time in more than a decade only to find his son rejecting his visit.
In a desperate attempt for her father-in-law to know his son, Rie hands him a tape of her husband’s television work on his greatest love – Chinese folk operas. In a final bid to do something for his son, Takata decides to go to China to find singer Li Jiamin, watch his performance of Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles, and film it for his son.
He is impeded every step of the way by protocol, suspicion, the fact that he is a gaijin (foreigner) and, most of all, by the fact that the performer his son wanted to see now resides in a prison. Takata works tirelessly with the help of an unlikely friend, Lingo, and a kindly translator, as his quest takes him deep into rural China to find another man’s son, so he can find his own…
Those more accustomed to Zhang’s previous works might consider Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles to be altogether more simplistic. With this film, the visuals, whilst astounding, are overshadowed by a set of heartfelt performances from a dedicated and talented cast. The performance provided by Ken Takakura is especially engaging, as his character is forced to come to terms with facts about himself and his son. His performance is both endearing and heart-rending, filled with poignancy and pain. In one conversation, realising just how little he ever knew his son, he implores his translator to “tell me about my son,” only to discover that despite their differences, they were more similar than either of them ever knew.
The film is able to tackle a wide range of complex emotions from loss, grievance and fear, to elation and comfort, and throughout the film, there are constant reminders of the level of isolation the characters are suffering. Takata is in a country where he can’t speak the language, and is dependent on a phone signal to get translations; Yang Yang is an orphan before Takata appears to take him to his father; Rie is left with only a dying husband; and the further the film develops, the further into rural China they travel, and the more isolated the environments become. The performances afforded by the cast are responsible for much of the on screen emotion. It is, however, a boon to discover a film dealing with pain and isolation that somehow still manages to incorporate a subtle humour throughout the film, such as the repeated prison scenes in which, despite being a folk opera, the warden deems it necessary to have a disco light rotating – simply because it is there. Slight elements of humour throughout the film enable a somewhat bitter film to become far more palatable.
The pace of the film occasionally develops a sluggish feeling, however, but it is rapidly compensated for by a set of astounding visuals, which might not live up to the likes of House Of Flying Daggers but still manage to create a picturesque beauty out of the most barren and inhospitable landscapes. These landscapes contribute to the isolated feeling constant within the film, and Zhao’s cinematography allows a feeling of warmth to even a sheltered cavern in the wilderness - and the very simplicity and natural beauty of the shot allows the film a depth previously unplumbed.
Whilst there is predictability within the film that cannot be denied, there is a shift in the archetypal characters, which makes the film more interesting. The seemingly generic plot of a sick father attempting to make amends to his children is sometimes overplayed after so many years, but subverting it to a surviving father trying to make amends to a dying child is slightly more novel, and allows Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles to interact with slightly different subject matters. The idea of a child burying a parent is distressing but a part of life, whereas the idea of a parent burying a child is open to a more emotional impact. The film is ready and willing to tug at the heartstrings, and does so with as much vigour as any tear-jerker out there,
This is not a standard tear-jerker – it is a film that grips you, that you feel, and one that reminds you what the important things in life really are, if only for the duration. This bittersweet film might seem slightly predictable in places, but it is a film that truly proves it’s not the destination that counts, it’s the journey. JK
Film: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Release date: 13th October 2003
Certificate: 12
Running time: 110 mins
Director: Shinichirô Watanabe
Starring: Kôichi Yamadera, Unshô Ishizuka , Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Tada
Genre: Anime
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Japan/USA
Cowboy Bebop is a critically acclaimed and influential anime that ran for 26 episodes in 1998. Due to the mass popularity of the programme outside of Japan, it was almost inevitable that it would receive a movie release. This is exactly what happened with Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku No Tobira being released in Japan in 2001, before a subsequent release in the US, with the more succinct title Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, in 2002.
Like the show, the movie follows the crew of the Bebop: Spike, Faye, Jet, Ed and Ein, who are a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters. Spike is laid-back and lazy, but also an excellent thief and martial artist; Faye is hot tempered femme fatale with a gambling addiction, as well as an excellent pilot; Jet is a gruff but kindly former cop and the owner of the Bebop; Ed is a teenage computer genius and master hacker; and Ein is Ed’s dog.
The plot of the movie centres on a deadly virus which is being released in the capital city on Mars, with the government issuing a 300 million woolong reward for the capture of whoever is behind it. As always, low on money and food, the crew of the Bebop jump at the chance to cash in on the reward, but soon find they have some serious competition, especially in Electra, an agent sent out by the creators of the virus. The crew also discover the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent Volaju, goes deeper than they ever imagined...
When making a movie adaptation of a successful television series, there are many potential pitfalls - it has to be faithful enough to the show to appease fans, particularly in relation to anime or sci-fi fans who are renowned for their dedication, while not being incomprehensible to people coming to it for the first time. Another major difficulty is to make a story that stands alone as a feature and does not merely feels like an extended episode of the show.
Luckily, the movie’s director (and show creator) Shinichirô Watanabe manages to sidestep these potential stumbling blocks well, as viewers need no prior knowledge of the show to enjoy this full-length feature. This is not to worry any die-hard fans of the show (and there are many), though, as enough of the humour and spirit of the show has been retained.
Also, as any Bebop fan will know, one of the key elements of the show was the music, and it is no different here, as after a typically humourous and smart-alecky pre-credit sequence, we get a great jazzy opening credit sequence which is enhanced by the cool blue rotoscope-like animation and good use of split screens, which can often seem pretentious or forcibly ‘hip’ but fits perfectly in place here. Fans will also be pleased to know that all the original music was done by Yoko Kanno, who also gave the series its cool jazz soundtrack and was a key element of its appeal.
Unlike the show, whose main villain was Vicious, the villain here is the dark and mysterious Vincent Volaju. This brooding and complex villain is probably not as profound and philosophical as the writers would like you to think, but equally, it is good to see a villain who is more than merely one note. The character also works well as a good counter to the laconic and wise-cracking Spike, who remains one of the ultimate ‘badass’ characters in the world of anime - the fight scenes between the two are truly quite exceptional.
One of the other great things here is while we still get plenty of time with the five major characters of the show (Spike, Faye, Jet, Ed, Ein), the new characters (Vincent, Electra, Rashida) are well developed and are given time to breathe. Also while there are many animes that provide great action, it is rare to find one with great dialogue, which, like the series, this does - the script is razor sharp, and has the wit and humour of a classic film noir.
The animation is also expertly handled, with the CGI and more traditional animation techniques working well together.
If people only want straight ahead action from their anime they may find themselves disappointed, as there is certainly quite a slow build to the film, and it often has a dream-like quality throughout, although this is central to the story. Stick with it, though, as we build to an epic showdown between Spike and Vincent, and a heart-breaking conclusion where we glimpse the rarely seen more sombre side of Spike’s personality.
Cowboy Bebop will probably go down as one of the all-time great anime shows - it was voted the greatest of all time by magazine Anime Insider - and while the movie never quite reaches the heights of the show, it is still a very good film. The crew are as entertaining as ever, in particular the irrepressible Spike, the animation is great, the dialogue is witty, the story is compelling, and just like the show, it is the very epitome of cool. Whether you’re a diehard fan of the series, or completely new to it, there is enough for all to enjoy.
Film: Das Boot
Release date: 21st December 1998
Certificate: 15
Running time: 200 mins
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge
Genre: Action/Drama/History/War
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: West Germany
Das Boot begins with a startling statistic: “40,000 German sailors served on U-boats during World War II. 30,000 never returned.” Only seconds in you have some idea of what you’re in for, a film that is representing 30,000 dead sailors is not going to be light entertainment; family fun it is not. Lauded as one of the best world cinema films ever made, The Director's Cut DVD edition adds further intensity to the running time. At 200 minutes long it may cause some to assume it somewhat tedious, but it is a solid 200 minutes of filmmaking at its best.
Based on the 1973 bestselling novel by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Das Boot charts the survival of the crew of a Nazi German U-Boat during 1941. It was a time when the British freights were winning the battle of the seas and causing mass damage amongst the German U-boats, a fact ignored by the Fuhrer with constant propaganda encouragement aimed at younger men looking to join the war effort. And this is where the film begins.
A colossal booze up is taking place amongst the new recruits, young men deluded into thinking they will be joining the glamorous lifestyle aboard the U-boat submarines where the smell of clean cut heroism is afloat and victory not far from hand. This is quickly dampened by the captain of Das Boot’s central crew and Thomsen, another of the crew’s captains. Both men inflict their cynicism upon the party, Thomsen smartly dicing his speech with anti-Nazi comments. It becomes clear both men have fought in this war prior and know the true face of it. It is a forbearer for what this drunken yet bright eyed young crew are to become…
Once the narrative takes us aboard the U-boat, the story of these men and their survival takes us under its slow boiling wing. The camera that was minutes ago sweeping around a French club with sailors stumbling from table to table, is suddenly caged in this metal tube which is filled to the brim with said men. It makes for a brilliant juxtaposition, completely justifying the opening scene of the film, showing the contrast between the two worlds. As the U-boat continues its journey we are treated to a mixture of adrenaline fuelled action sequences with the dropping of depth charges, to the simplistic everyday life of the mess hall, with a sailor sat in his bed picking his nose. Moments of boredom are somehow worked into something fascinating, Wolfgang Peterson switching from film making ploys of documentary-like camera work to suddenly altering to action film manoeuvres during the attack of the British freights.
To keep the realism levels as high as possible, Wolfgang Peterson actually had the U-boat recreated with no removable walls - the cast and crew shut away in the life-like replica for a year’s worth of shooting. It shows wonderfully - the actors fatigue growing with their beards, their pallor paling as the film continues. It is a fact that could have also brought out the stellar performance from Jürgen Prochnow playing the captain - a performance of weariness and lost hopes yet with the weight of the entire ship’s crew hanging behind his tired eyes.
With the lengthy run time, the heightened realism, and the documentary-like filming, the alignment between the audience and the characters is brought to a level not many films have ever achieved. We feel their panic, we sense their boredom, and we grimace during their pain. It is a powerhouse of emotion, a fact that would not easily be accepted when linked to a film that follows a band of Nazis. But the brilliance of Das Boot is that it does not focus upon this point - prejudices and stereotypes are put aside, and the Nazis being the main hate figure of our modern era is not a focal point of the narrative. It simply devolves into a human story of survival and bitter experience amongst men trapped within the war effort, a story that is brutally climaxed in an unexpected finale.
Das Boot is ‘the’ tough man film - a masterpiece of cinema brimming with incredibly tense nail biting moments with men being pushed to the brink of their sanity during the unthinkable times of war. It is rightly is celebrated as one of the best world cinema films of all time. JCH
Film: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Release date: 18th June 2001
Certificate: 12
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang, Sihung Lung
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Fantasy/Martial Arts/Romance
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Taiwan/Hong Kong/USA/China
Winner of four Oscars, including Best Foreign Language Film, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has taken its place as an iconic piece of martial arts cinema. The film follows three central characters as they battle over the right to possess a sacred sword and prove themselves in the eyes of their superiors. To do so, each must search for a deeper understanding of themselves and their desires.
The movie begins with Master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) relinquishing his sword, the Green Destiny, to his old friend Yu Shu Lien, so that she can pass it on as a gift to Sir Te (Sihung Lung).
In Bejing, Lien meets a fellow guest of Sir Te’s, a young and beautiful girl named Jen (Ziyi Zhang) who is desperate for an escape from her regimented aristocratic lifestyle.
When the Green Destiny is stolen by a highly skilled mystery attacker, Lien becomes determined to reclaim the sword and regain her honour. However, she begins to suspect that Jen is not all she appears to be.
From here, the film moves through a number of interconnecting subplots, involving Jen’s romance with a rugged horseman from the plains, Lien’s growing realisation of her feelings for Li Mu Bai, and Bai’s own desire to avenge his master’s death at the hands of the allusive assassin, Jade Fox. Through numerous action scenes, we see the Green Destiny changing hands as each character must confront their own doubts, fears and failures in order to prove themselves worthy to possess the sacred weapon…
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon promises much and delivers on a number of levels. The performances by the three leads are excellent, especially Ziyi Zhang who portrays Jen with a perfect mix of naïve excitement and growing maturity. Her impressive performance lends the character believability that keeps the fantastical elements of the film grounded in emotional depth. Her energy is perfectly balanced by the strong, commanding presence of Michelle Yeoh, whose air of dignity and reserve make the scenes between the two the best in the film. Yeoh brilliantly captures her character’s restraint and humility when in the presence of Yun-Fat. The latter is superb while on screen, being wise and powerful but maintaining a fragility that makes his character interesting. He is, however, sadly underused.
The Oscar-winning cinematography is awe-inspiring. The sets, ranging from mansions to city streets and taverns, are wonderfully incorporated into the landscape. It is the sequences in the desert and mountains, however, which are truly breathtaking. They are perfectly complemented by Tan Dun’s score, which encapsulates the epic grandeur of the scenery and likewise received an Academy Award. The design of the film, including its props and costumes, create a convincing vision of the historical world in which the action unfolds, and the attention to detail and majesty of visual ambition is carried through to the movie’s numerous action sequences.
One of the major pioneers of wire-work martial arts – perhaps best seen in western films in The Matrix trilogy – the film’s fight scenes unfold like beautifully choreographed ballets. The combatants float and leap between rooftops and trees, performing mind-blowing flips and summersaults, mixing fantasy and poetry as they fight. However, while at first the sequences are thrilling and mesmerising, the film resorts to action too often, and by the finale, they have lost some of the wonder they first evoked. Furthermore, the graceful movements mean the fights rarely reflect a sense of danger or pain that makes action sequences thrilling, but Tan Dun’s rhythmic, percussion heavy score elevates, and saves, many of the sequences by creating tension and excitement.
The film’s major issue is its tone. Ang Lee’s direction is generally impressive, but it, along with the script, seems to fluctuate between different moods, sometimes uneasily. At times, the film is an emotive romance, superbly coupled to a contemplative, philosophical meditation on duty and desire. However, in some scenes (such as Jen’s tavern brawl) the film suddenly shifts into slapstick comedy with weak jokes and on into a fantasy-western. Sometimes these digressions are lengthy, and while excellent in their own right, they mean the film loses momentum. When the finale comes, therefore, it feels disappointingly underwhelming. The lack of focus on a single protagonist – something which has worked in some films – is not entirely successful here, and contributes to the film appearing slightly muddled and ambiguous.
A visual triumph with compelling performances, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has much to be admired. While it does not move easily between differing emotions or genres, there is nonetheless something for everyone in the film’s beauty, action and emotion. Not quite the masterpiece many credit it with being, it remains a curious watch which, at times, is richly rewarding. CD
Film: The Karate Kid
Release date: 15th November 2010
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 130 mins
Director: Harald Zwart
Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Rongguang Yu
Genre: Action/Drama/Family/Martial Arts
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: USA/China
This is an English-Language release.
It may now be set in China, with an Afro-American child lead, but there are plenty of similarities for nostalgic fans of the original, as The Karate Kid becomes the latest ‘victim’ of the Hollywood reboot.
Dre Parker’s mother shows zero responsibility and care for her child by uprooting him from his home and friends in Detroit, USA and taking him across to Beijing, China, with minimal notice or preparation, for a standard employment opportunity.
Now alone and feeling lost in a foreign land, Dre takes a shine to young Chinese musician Mei Ying, but this does not impress the local kung fu kid, who, displaying superman-esque strength, gives Dre a thorough ass whooping.
With even less friends now, and a mother too busy to spend any time with him let alone address his ill-manners properly, Dre becomes increasingly isolated and depressed, as the bullying continues.
Looking to get his own back on these young brutes only lands Dre in even hotter water, and it’s left to handyman Mr. Han to save him from a precarious situation - by beating up a group of children.
This angers the children’s sensei, and the only way Mr. Han can think of avoiding more blood spill on the streets of Beijing is to enter Dre into an upcoming martial arts competition. Mr. Han will train him, but he has some unusual methods that will test the patience of the already testy Dre…
Of course, a remake, where so much of the original’s story has been retained (bar a completely new country), of such an iconic 80s children’s favourite will struggle for much goodwill amongst fans of the original, but, given its PG-certificate, this is being targeted at a whole new generation, who have likely never seen the original, and will no doubt relate to the petulant Dre character, and be thoroughly engrossed by its flashy, over-the-top fight scenes and loud soundtrack – they don’t need any emotional weight, moral aspect, or character relation. In fact, had they seen the original they’d no doubt find it tame in comparison, where Ralph Macchio in the role of Daniel Larusso was asked to get off his butt and do a bit of work (we’ll get to this later), whilst holding an elderly fellow in reverence as he passed on words of wisdom.
Unfortunately, for an adult viewing, The Karate Kid raises some serious questions mostly about the desensitisation of children today, who are growing up with intense, and at times fairly violent and aggressive video games and television – and nothing else. Here, in one of the film’s earliest scenes, where Dre is first confronted by his nemesis, we have a character presented as demonic, with power and strength well beyond his years, beating seven bells out of a small child with the slightest frame in a fairly graphic and bone crunching manner – this should be terrifying viewing for any child. For any adult, it makes for uncomfortable viewing, because it’s outright wrong (let’s forget all the racial stereotyping in this critique).
We’ll overlook the fact that the film is called Karate Kid, even though nobody is trained in that discipline, and that they’ve set the film in China, when, had they lived up to the film’s billing, Karate originates from Japan. This is being pedantic, and, of course, makes very little difference to the ‘boy trains to beat up bully’ premise. The biggest question has to be why they opted for such a young lead (perhaps not such a big question when you consider his father’s clout within the industry – Will Smith has a production credit here), which not only raises the aforementioned concerns, but takes the film into the realms of extreme fantasy – how does this compute in a child’s mind. In the original, Ralph was a twenty-something playing the role of a 16-year-old. He was at an age where hormones are raging and romantic interests and conflicts are commonplace; he was fighting against fellow older actors of a sizeable stature, in realistic scenarios; and everything was grounded in moral messages that ultimately fighting is wrong. Here we are expected to believe that someone who looks barely 10 is really going to be all that concerned with the fairer sex – let alone displaying the depth of emotional understanding we are shown during many of the film’s laborious moments – and that the bullies of the piece can fly around the screen with the strength to give Jackie Chan of all actors – still in decent shape - a tough time. The only message coming across is violence is good, and forget respecting anyone else – let alone an elder – unless you quite fancy them.
In fairness, Jackie Chan puts in a solid performance – a far better dramatic display than his much-hyped role in The Shinjuku Incident. But again, all the fun has been taken away. Part of the joy of the original was seeing the podgy, diminutive, elder Mr. Miyagi turning out to be an agile martial arts expert, and alongside his principles that vitally grounded the film’s events, he brought a humour to the part that was so enjoyable for a child viewer (he also disposed of these older, larger adversaries quickly – it wouldn’t have been half as cool if he spent half-an-hour knocking about infants). In this film, we have a dark, breakdown scene where Jackie completely loses it and bears his soul. Apparently, we are now expecting children to take on board such heavy issues - and amongst the fierce carnage that would leave any fully developed mind a little rattled.
As mentioned at the start of this review, fans of the original are going to pick holes, particularly in the initial training, where instead of the pupil being asked to clean and polish his trainer’s car (the infamous wax on, wax off scenes) and paint his fence - and the subsequent joyful enlightenment for both the viewer and the character when the big reveal shows all these menial tasks were actually grounding him in the basics of good karate skills - here the writers thought it would be enough to have him just hang his coat up, put it down, drop it on the floor, on repeat, for what seemed like an eternity. This is before it goes completely over-the-top as he quickly becomes the new Bruce Lee, if compensated for by some spectacular scenery.
That brings us to the running time. Unfortunately, the filmmakers got sidetracked with an unnecessaryily long romantic sub plot, which adds nothing – it certainly won’t impress child viewers where the thought of making out repulses, and who are waiting for their next fix of CGI enhanced kick ass, and neither Jaden Smith in the role of Dre or Wenwen Han in the role of Mei Ying have the acting chops to pull it off. In fact, the only commendable aspect of Jaden’s performance is in his physicality, although it’s uneasy that a child actor so young would be expected to develop in such a way – yet another unhealthy message for its target audience. Also clocking up the minutes is the big ‘visit China’ sell – all the key visitor attractions are enhanced and displayed on the grandest of scales. Whilst it may have helped with the production costs, and no doubt younger viewers will be in awe, it hampers progress of what, ignoring the moral concerns any right minded adult would have watching, is a decent, standard, big budget Hollywood action flick.
There’s nothing here for adults, the characters are too young for older teenagers, who have progressed to blowing people up on X-Box for their amusement, so this is definitely targeted at young children. Given its PG-rating, the choice should (although probably not) be with the parents as to whether they feel their child is ready to be exposed to such levels of emotional and physical distress – if they haven’t been already.
Kids today will lap it up. Fresh from smashing someone through a wall on their latest video game, they can now watch an actual person do it. For fans of the original, all the basic story elements are in place, it just lacks any of that film’s warmth, humour or soul. However, the biggest crime is the complete lack of responsibility Hollywood has again shown as those involved focus solely on boosting their bank balances. DH
Film: Kung Fu Hustle
Release date: 24th October 2005
Certificate: 15
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Xiaogang Feng, Wah Yuen, Zhi Hua Dong, Kwok-Kwan Chan
Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime/Fantasy/Martial Arts
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: China/Hong Kong
In 2001, Stephen Chow wrote, directed and starred in Shaolin Soccer, a fusion of sport, action and comedy unlike any other. The film took audiences by storm to become the highest grossing domestic film in the history of Hong Kong cinema. He then surpassed himself with 2004’s Kung Fu Hustle, breaking his own box office record and exploding into the consciousness of Western filmgoers and critics alike, with the film becoming the highest grossing foreign-language film of 2005.
Set in 1930s Shanghai, the film follows a lowly street mugger named Sing (Chow) and his hapless sidekick, Bone (Chi Chung Lam), who dream of the glamour and riches associated with becoming card carrying members of the notorious Axe Gang, who in a time of economic and social unrest, have risen up and taken control of the city. The residents of the slum area Pig Sty Alley, however, have so far been safe from the clutches of the gang, until Sing’s attempt to blackmail them while posing as a fully fledged member attracts some unwanted attention. Unbeknownst to Sing and the Axe’s boss, Brother Sum (Bruce Lee look-a-like Danny Chan), many of the Alley’s occupants are Kung Fu masters, determined to defend their home and drive the gang out of the area.
Not to be humiliated, the Axe Gang enlist the help of a pair of murderous musicians to dispatch the masters from the slum. After ridding Pig Sty Alley of their strongest defence, they grudgingly accept Sing as one of their own, using his lock picking skills to break out the world’s best killer, The Beast (Siu-Lung Leung), to finally claim the Alley for themselves. Little do they know that their abuse of Sing unlocks his dormant power, as he becomes ‘The One’ and brings the fight back to The Beast and the Axe Gang…
With Kung Fu Hustle, Chow has created one of the most unique martial arts films in memory, shamelessly fusing laugh out loud comedy with CGI enhanced combat. The film’s greatest asset is Chow himself, playing Sing with a mix of genuine emotion and superb comic timing, without overshadowing the supporting cast. His presence is an amalgamation of Buster Keaton and Bruce Lee, using his pitch-perfect script and stunning choreography to cement his place as the undisputed king of Hong Kong cinema. His grasp of cinematic language shines with his knowing references to Western pop-culture and films from The Matrix (as The Beast catches a slow motion bullet in his fingers) to The Shining (the jailbreak sequence when the sea of blood crashes down the hall). A memorable shot shows him attempting to mug his love-interest, mimicking the background poster for Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger’s Top Hat, proving Chow’s interest in Western cinematic tradition.
His supporting cast also prove to be indispensible, with many members returning from Shaolin Soccer. Danny Chan’s Brother Sum is played as a sociopathic psycho, seething with unpredictability, going from shooting a woman in the back to strutting through an impromptu dance number - the perfect foil for Sing’s charm. Bone, on the other hand, is lovable and hapless, like a Chinese Nick Frost. These central performances add to the film’s broad appeal, providing audiences with plenty of easily identifiable, colourful characters.
The 1930s setting allows Chow to draw from the aesthetic conventions of Hollywood cinema. The Axe Gang’s sharp suits and nightclub lair are all very reminiscent of Hollywood gangster films of the era, creating an interested juxtaposition with the martial arts. The music is swing and jazz influenced, fuelling the inspired setting. Chow uses a very rich palette of colours as signifiers for the narrative, with the Axe Gang’s club bathed in red, and the Alley constantly under a blue sky. The bad guys wear black and dark colours mirroring the white of the Alley’s residents, exemplifying Chow’s use of traditional cinematic conventions.
The whole film is heavily stylised, the tone seamlessly switching from dark and violent to a live-action cartoon (especially in the Roadrunner inspired chase sequence). The combat is outrageously over the top, utilising wire work and CGI to create humanly impossible scenarios. The fight between the Alley’s three masters and the musician hit men is especially spectacular, as the harpists fire sonic projectiles from their instrument which manifest as swords and eventually as a ghostly undead army. There is a complete breakaway from standard martial arts tradition, with Chow really playing with the genre to create something truly unique, and, of course, riotously entertaining, without the constraints of physical ability. He has admitted that he is by no means a martial arts master, but uses his (and his cast’s) nevertheless impressive skill and performance enhancing special effects to great effect.
Unfortunately, some of the computer generated effects look slightly dated (the film is only six years old) and, on occasion, draw the attention away from the action. One gag in particular, where Sing is bitten on the lips by poisonous snakes causing them to massively swell up, falls flat mainly because of the poorly executed CGI. This is, however, a very minor flaw, and one that can be easily ignored by the class and entertainment of the rest of the film.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Chow has created a fusion of genres the likes of which is rarely seen. Cartoon violence and physical comedy combine with over the top martial arts action to create a cinematic experience which fuses Eastern sensibilities with Western pop culture, proving that the language of cinema really can transcend cultural boundaries and speak volumes to audiences all over the world. Wildly entertaining and an insane amount of fun, Kung Fu hustle is a must-see for anyone, not just fans of martial arts or Eastern cinema. RB
Film: Run Lola Run
Release date: 10th April 2000
Certificate: 15
Running time: 77 mins
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri, Armin Rohde
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Studio: Sony
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
Director Tom Tykwer’s fast-paced and multi-award-winning thriller centres around the choices we make, and how they affect our fate.
Lola (Potente) receives a worried phone call off her boyfriend Manni (Bleibtreu). He explains that after a diamond deal, he lost 100,000 DM belonging to his boss, and if he doesn’t get it in twenty minutes then he will be killed. Lola tells him she will get there and will help him, to which he replies that if she isn’t there in time he will rob the department store across the street.
Lola now has twenty minutes to find 100,000 DM and save her boyfriend. What ensues is a frantic run through town met with choices leading to possible alternatives and the ultimate outcomes of the day…
Believe it or not, the film is essentially only twenty minutes in length. That is the plot of the film. Once the first twenty minutes are up the audience is taken back to the start to relive it all again, only this time different choices are made which affect the final outcome. This happens three times in total, and also includes a brief glimpse into the characters’ lives prior to these frantic twenty minutes.
As Lola runs through the three alternatives she encounters various people along the way whose stories are glimpsed through snapshots and, like Lola’s, differ each time. In all variations, she tries to find help from her father, who is also going through his own different versions of events which intertwine with Lola’s. As with all the minor characters his future is also subject to choices and fate relating to Lola.
Foreign cinema is always producing films that aren’t necessarily what you would expect. Unlike a lot of the stuff from Hollywood it is made mainly through passion and an idea; not just to get bums on seats. Occasionally though, a film does succeed in being both fantastically well made and massively popular at the same time. In terms of this film, it is very different not only to Hollywood films, but to other foreign films as well. The idea of the film is very clever, and is pushed throughout, which makes the film very precise - and means that every single shot is important. Every scene includes another reminder that instils the viewer to think of their own life and the choices around them.
The film uses a wide variety of shooting techniques, from dolly shots and hand-held camera to snapshot-like jump cuts and even animation in parts. All of this could seem rather hectic, but within the film it does work. The fast cutting and tracking places the viewer in amongst the action, and really conveys the urgency of the situation.
It is a real credit to the acting, the emotion we feel for the characters. Not much is learnt about them over the three versions of the twenty minutes, and with such a short running time, you wouldn’t expect to care about them so much. By the third alternative, Lola runs through the now recognisable scenes and streets towards her fate and, despite having already seen a number of the shots, there is no boredom in it - in fact it is more enthralling.
The soundtrack to the film fits perfectly, and acts as a catalyst pushing you through streets as Lola runs towards her destiny. The film is helped further by incredibly good acting all-round. Bleibtreu puts in a very good performance as Manni, however, it is Potente who definitely steals the show as Lola. All the supporting cast are solid, especially Lola’s father who has to deal with a bank robbery, a pregnancy and an affair in the various alternatives.
The blending of the uniqueness with a blockbuster feel is the real key to the films success. This makes it accessible to a very wide audience, including those who normally shy away from anything with subtitles. In this sense, it is a very important film as, for some, it could be the way in to a completely new world of cinema.
A very well thought out piece of cinema, fantastically shot, with an excellent story. AH
