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Film: The Past Is A Foreign Land
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 127 mins
Director: Daniele Vicari
Starring: Elio Germano, Michele Riondino, Chiara Caselli, Valentina Lodovini, Marco Baliani
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Vita
Format: DVD
Country: Italy
Although still in the fledgling era of his directorial career, Daniele Vicari takes on a challenging narrative in the form of the classic good-guy-meets-bad-crowd in The Past Is A Foreign Land. Despite a not so original premise, Vicari endeavours to explore the dishonesty of the subterranean gaming world, and the moral abandonment of the players involved.
Set in the southern Italian city of Bari, the film follows the story of Giorgio (played by the compelling Elio Germano), a straight-up law student from a well-off family who support his ambitions to the full, forever throwing money at him, whether he requests it or not. With girlfriend in tow, Giorgio appears readymade for greatness.
Giorgio’s life takes a turn when he meets Francesco (Michele Riondino) at a party. Francesco lives a charmed life as a swindling card-sharp, having learnt various twists and tricks to assist in conning fellow poker players out of vast amounts of cash. “We challenge fate and we beat it,” is Francesco’s retort of rationality when Giorgio becomes aware of his dark intentions.
Like clockwork, and perhaps as expected, a downward spiral is just around the corner, as Giorgio’s priorities switch from the pursuit of academic success to chasing the quick buck. Loved ones fall by the wayside as the new version of Giorgio begins to take hold, but the extent of the havoc Francesco wreaks stretches far deeper than dodgy card games and flash cars, towards an astonishing and disturbing drug-fuelled climax…
Rather commendably, Vicari employs only characters that are paramount in telling the story. From Giorgio’s mother, and her disappointed parent routine, to the tempestuous nature of his indignant father, through Francesco’s multiple-personality disorder, and ultimately, the psychological breakdown of Giorgio - every character; every look; every conversation has a purpose. Nor does Vicari waste any time with unnecessary scenes or dialogue, refusing to pay any homage to Bari as a setting, instead diving unapologetically into the narrative from the first minute to the very last.
Elio Germano and Michele Riondino deserve much credit for bringing the script to life. The two anti-heroes bond like long-lost brothers, with conversations regarding morality of particular focus throughout. As Francesco slowly manipulates Giorgio’s previously honest demeanour into something far more menacing, and, more importantly, into someone he can use for his own financial benefit.
The methods utilised to con fellow poker players at the table, coupled with the constant danger of someone discovering what they are up to, raise the level of intrigue, and make the opening hour of the film slightly more compelling than the second. However, one minor complaint is Vicari’s reluctance to really focus on the card games. Too often Giorgio and Francesco come away from games with several thousand Euros, but we have witnessed only one key hand, and in too many cases we only hear the characters talking about the cards or the winning hand, rather than being shown.
The second half of the film, whilst devoting itself entirely to the psychological and moral breakdown of the two leads, is more than watchable, but it is clear that we are not supposed to be comfortable with what we see. Whereas earlier in the film, Giorgio’s conscience would often pipe up at any sign of trouble, Francesco is able to stretch the boundaries of morality much further, while Giorgio remains worryingly quiet. As Vicari takes the film to the point of no return, it becomes clear that fans will be won and lost in the final shocking twenty minutes.
Atmospherically, Vicari has constructed something impeccably eerie, particularly in the latter stages, as he toils with the darkest aspects of the human psyche. Although it is arguable that The Past Is A Foreign Land ends up in a slightly far-fetched place, the two leads succeed in maintaining our interest in their final fates. MC
Film: The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Release date: 27th March 2006
Certificate: 15
Running time: 102 mins
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Romain Duris, Neils Arestrup, Jonathan Zaccai, Gilles Cohen, Linh Dan Pham
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama/Romance/Thriller
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD
Country: France
Jaques Audiard recently stunned audiences with hard-hitting prison drama A Prophet, which has made him a very celebrated name in European cinema. He won a BAFTA for the film but it was not his first, Audiard got his first nod from the British Academy in 2005 with crime drama The Beat That My Heart Skipped. With a string of Cesar awards also, and the inclusion of rising star Romain Duris, this is not just about crime and punishment, it’s about the music, too.
28-year-old Tom Seyr is a forceful and foul tempered real estate broker. He lives alone, and is growing weary of his day to day crooked dealings; his work sees him planting rats in rival buildings, cutting corners on housing regulations and intimidating squatters out of his buildings. He works with like minded thugs Fabrice and Sami, but his roots in the business lie firmly with his low-life father Robert. As a son, Tom is overly-protective of his dad, and does him favours and collects his debts against his better judgement.
Tom’s departed mother was a concert pianist, and one evening he crosses paths with a former associate of hers, where he is offered the chance of an audition - the chance to re-live his childhood passion of playing music. Unsure at first, Tom balances business and pleasure, enlisting the tutelage of Miao Lin to help him prepare for a musical step up. She is a musical student and prodigy, and offers to teach Tom despite her inability to speak French. He begins to grow as a performer.
As Tom becomes more engrossed in his music, he becomes more disenchanted with his tainted occupation. Having previously covered for partner Fabrice’s infidelities, he begins an affair with his wife Aline. Things even more complicated when Robert begins to attract attention from a notorious Russian gangster, and with the audition coming in the very near future, Tom needs to decide where his priorities lie...
Audiard installs the realism here that went on to feature so prominently in A Prophet. He maintains a balance between the action and the mundane that allows us to feel the strain of Tom’s story, and all the sub-plots it diverts into. It also installs a sense of unease that is felt in all manner of situations, from Tom’s jumbled earlier piano practises to when he is seen tearing apart a guy in a bar fight. The origins of the constant menace of A Prophet is seen here with a dynamic that caters for sudden bursts of violence, musical interludes and afternoon cups of coffee in equal measure.
Another winning Audiard-esque quality is his ability to attract intensely talented young men as his protagonists. Recently we have seen Tahar Rahim as Malik, Vincent Cassel as Paul in Read My Lips, and here we have Romian Duris. Duris plays the part with hard-faced petulance - from the moment we see him he is an animated sight, twisting a lighter in his hand, with his face a frowning picture of unease. The focus of the story is a character study of Tom, and we see in Duris a range that allows this to become the most relevant issue to the audience.
2001’s Read My Lips featured a central relationship between Vincent Cassell and Emmanuelle Devos as a man and woman who form a relationship despite one of them being near deaf. A similar relationship is seen between Tom and Miao Lin, she can only speak Cantonese, Vietnamese and some English, yet their connection is one of the most heartfelt of the story. A scene in which we see Tom prompting his teacher to speak French with kitchen appliances is truly touching, and creates further empathy for Tom. Audiard again places a great emphasis on the altered ways that people connect; in this instance, music becomes the language that allows the two to understand each other.
Frustration can be found in the stories narrative. Tom’s life contrasts the ugliness of his job with the beauty of his music, and this personal battle does leave some things unresolved. Audiard complicates both sides of Tom’s life, but we never get to see him choose between the two. However, the realism and tone of the story does prevent any sort of happy ending from seeming out of place, and, in truth, there is some satisfaction felt with Tom’s final act of violence. Perhaps the way some things teeter out or drag on is all too honest of life.
Some mention should go to Niels Arestup. The actor, who went on to captivate audiences as bulldoggish mob boss Cesar in A Prophet, shows why Audiard thinks so highly of him. As Tom’s dad Richard, he transforms himself into an overbearing and toxic influence on Tom’s life.
This is a fine example of why Jaques Audiard is such a special talent. He features his mix of compelling characters, dominant realism and stunning violence to harrowingly portray the absorbing underbelly of Parisian life. Expect to see lots more of Romain Duris also after a performance that serves as a call card for his budding ability. All those who saw A Prophet and loved it are urged to jump on the Audiard bandwagon immediately. LW
Film: A Prophet
Release date: 7th June 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 149 mins
Director: Jacques Audiard
Starring: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, Reda Kateb
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller/Action
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France/Italy
This release brought about the return of the celebrated Jacques Audiard to award-winning form. Following the success of 2005’s The Beat That Skipped My Heart, Audiard was again given the nod by BAFTA, this after recognition at Cannes. Delving into a genre that has been ever present in modern cinema, how has A Prophet emerged as such a recognised crime classic amongst its contemporaries?
The film spans the six-year prison sentence of 19-year-old degenerate Malik El Djebena. Brecourt is a notorious hellhole where inmates rely on their connections to protect them against their ever present violent way of life. Malik’s North African descent places him bang in the middle of an ethnically split prison run by Corsicans and heavily inhabited by Arabs. Despite his illiteracy and minimal prospects, he concentrates on his future release and is a loner within the prison walls.
After Malik is forced to do a favour for prison ‘fat cat’ Cesar, his prison education begins, and he is taken under the wing of the Corsicans sitting on top of the prison pile. The years pass as Malik climbs the institutional ladder under the wing of the ruthless Cesar; he deals in drugs, takes part in hostage exchanges, and even facilitates assassinations. Malik’s cooperation has changed to enthusiasm as he begins to develop the know how to transcend his status as a petty errand boy.
Using his newly found status, and with connections that stretch outside the prison walls, Malik sets out to go in to business for himself. He is not just working to leave the shadow of Cesar and his crew but to survive his sentence...
The most forceful device of Audiard’s film is the realism he installs from the get go. The fear and bursts of ultra-violence go hand in hand with the drab solitude and boredom of prison life. There is an ever present sense of the length of Malik’s sentence, as the hours and days pass we see him in his cell, enduring mindless jobs, bored in classes and alone in the yard. The contrast of action and daily grind makes for engrossingly uneasy watching as we feel Malik’s trepidation in such unpredictable surroundings.
Malik’s journey is in no way a typical rise in the crime world. From the moment we see him, he is the picture of an awkward teenage troublemaker; irritable, aggressive and irreconcilable. For him, this is not about moral discovery or redemption as genre character typing may dictate. He has no morality and he is not fighting for redemption, the only thing he cares about is finishing his time in one piece.
Such moral inclination is demonstrated in the film’s most effectively violent scenes, as Malik is forced into his first job for the Corsicans, a hit on potential rat Reyab. The blood spilling tussle is hard to watch but impossible to turn away from as Malik frightfully botches the planned hit - the realism of the film extends to its many layers and this sets an ominous tone for the two hours ahead. If visions of Reyab’s ghost are appealing to Malik’s guilt or integrity, he dismisses them with his typical nonchalance - he is doing what needs to be done.
Rahim Tahar’s hard-faced performance sees him emerge from this film as a face to watch but he’s not the only actor to make an impression. Niels Arestup plays the part of Cesar Luciani with terrifying effect. He is a chain smoking, vicious and erratic mob boss whose presence in the film is consistently menacing and never trustworthy. If classics such as Goodfellas showed off camaraderie between criminals, A Prophet focuses on a shifting of allegiances and self-preservation that is just as absorbing. Do not expect to see a father like mentor in Arestup’s character, he rules with a bulldoggish resolve and fear. The altercations between Cesar and Malik show how Audiard is able to shift tone to the greatest effect.
A lack of empathy set about by Malik does not derive from the pleasure of seeing him grow and succeed. He juggles with the loyalties of the Corsicans and the Arabs with a newly found cunning and under the influence of those who try to control him. His rise comments heavily on the influence of incarceration, starting as a boy with nothing to offer on the outside Malik is honed with the skills to succeed on the inside - his transformation shows the value (or danger) of a prison upbringing. Malik is a product of his environment.
The violence is harrowing and provides some of the most unforgettable images ever seen in prison drama. That said, A Prophet succeeds where so many have failed by not making this the sole focus of the picture. Audiard achieves a much more cerebral approach to the criminal world; a vision of prison being that is intensely believable. Oscar buzz and awards galore aside this is a film that deserves your attention. A true benchmark in a done-to-death genre. LW
Film: Velvet Revolution
Release date: 1st November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Oleg Stepchenko
Starring: Alexey A. Petrukhin, Aleksey Kravchenko, Aleksandr Karpov, Oleg Taktarov, Michael Madsen
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
Studio: Scanbox
Format: DVD
Country: Russia
Fledgling Russian director Stepchenko tackled that ‘difficult second movie’ phase with this frenetic crime film. Delving deep into the soviet drug trade, his film is a curious mix of action and film noir.
Major Vershinin is a cop dedicated to toppling the crime in his district. A loose cannon with a dark past, he focuses all his energies on the capture of two mob lieutenants, Pike and Rock.
After a botched operation at an American football game, Vershinin begins to doubt his own capabilities, and suspects someone has been plotting against him - every step of the way.
Vershinin must contend with a drug addled wife and his daughter’s hedonistic lifestyle, while at the same time attempting to thwart the plans of crime kingpin Kurkov and his dealings with an American drug lord and a mysterious benefactor. He must do this under the watchful eye of Suvorovtsev, a new partner assigned to keep him in check...
Michael Madsen used to be a big pull back when the memories of psychopathic killer Mr. Blonde (Reservoir Dogs) were still fresh in the collective film going mind. Now his presence on the cast list of any film usually indicates a production lacking in quality. This may seem like unfair stereotyping of a jobbing actor, but, sure enough, Velvet Revolution starts off with a short cameo from Madsen and from then on, it’s all downhill.
Attention deficit editing makes the films opening act nigh on unbearable for anyone wanting any semblance of story or character introduction. Stepchenko bombards us with firecracker imagery and lightning fast location changes handled with all the finesse of a golf club to the head (which may or may not happen in the film’s opening moments, it all depends on your ability to not blink).
The film slows down a bit as we are introduced to Vershinin, who is played with little subtlety by Aleksey Kravchenko. This is a considerable shame because it is Kravchenko who so impressed in the 1985 masterpiece Come And See - here he uncomfortably spits out samples of the hackneyed script and makes an occasional stab at playful comedy.
Velvet Revolution’s key failing is its confused identity. Vershinin’s world-weary narration and troubled family life have an air of noir-ish cop drama, while interludes of playful bickering between himself and Suvorovtsev suggest a buddy comedy. As the confused story draws on, we enter Bond-style action territory, complete with nefarious evil schemes and overblown action set pieces. It’s difficult to pin down the film’s motives, as most of the time it doesn’t seem to have any.
The cast are patchy across the board, with Kravchenko giving a confused central performance replete with forced emotional outbursts and posturing. Alexey Petruhkin is a bit more engaging, perhaps because the script requires nothing more from him than stoicism. Anna Chipovskaya and Viktoriya Tolstoganova are good value as Vershinin’s misanthropic daughter and junkie wife respectively, but they aren’t given enough screen time to make enough of an impact.
Action fans won’t be disappointed; explosions come thick and fast and serve to break the monotony. A skirmish in an underground drug lab is one particular highlight, which manages to throw an awkward phone conversation and a couple of chickens into the fray. It seems Stepchenko is adept at overseeing a great shootout, but flounders when it comes to orchestrating a decent exchange of dialogue.
Some solid action aside, Velvet Revolution fails to do anything but bore with its one-dimensional characters and convoluted plotting. There is a pre-credit dedication to those who “stand guard over the future of our children,” suggesting a message lost amidst all the frantic edits and bad acting - and highlighting the muddled tone of Stepchenko’s film. KT
Sex, gore, ultra-violence, psychotic Yakuza hitmen, the blackest of humour, Sonny Chiba, a pounding proto-metal soundtrack, and gratuitous and inappropriate use of a tire iron and a hand-held rocket launcher – it just has to be a movie from Japan’s most prolific and unpredictable cult filmmaker and master of Asian extreme cinema, Takashi Miike (Sukiyaki Western Django; Ichi The Killer; the Dead Or Alive trilogy; Audition).
Written by Shigenori Takechi (Blood; Izo) and produced by Tsuneo Seto (Blood) – both real-life Yakuza before taking up careers in the movies – Takashi Miike’s Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is an expertly crafted tale of vengeance and betrayal set in Japan’s vicious criminal underworld.
Following the death of his boss, crazed killer Kunisada embarks on a violent quest for revenge, one that takes him on a deadly and surreal road trip as he searches for those responsible for the killing.
Driven by madness and a volatile temper, he soon finds himself up against both his enemies and his own Yakuza allies. Pursued by a pair of hitmen, Kunisada is at once the hunter and the hunted, a pawn in a complex game being played out by a cast of double-crossing villains.
With his situation spiralling out of control, he realises that to be the winner will require him to take matters to furthest extreme.
Stylistically inspired by Japanese hard rock pioneers Flower Travellin’ Band’s 1971 album, ‘Satori’, the music of which constitutes the film’s entire soundtrack, Deadly Outlaw: Rekka is a must-see (and must hear) movie for Takashi Miike fans. Featuring a standout lead performance by frequent Miike collaborator Riki Takeuchi (the Dead Or Alive trilogy; the Fudoh trilogy), plus amusing fan-pleasing cameos from the legendary Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill) and Flower Travellin’ Band members Joe Yamanaka and Yuya Ichida, this is pure visual rock’n’roll!
This release features a brand new transfer of the film with new and improved subtitle translation, and is packaged with a booklet containing stills; an essay on the film by Tom Mes, author of ‘Agitator: The Cinema Of Takashi Miike’; and notes on prog. rockers Flower Travellin’ Band, the stars and providers of the soundtrack to the film, which have been written by Sam Jones.
Film: Deadly Outlaw: Rekka
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Takashi Miike
Starring: Riki Takeuchi, Sonny Chiba, Joe Yamanaka, Yuya Ichida, Ken'ichi Endô
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
DVD Special Features:
•
Original trailer
•
Video interview with director Takashi Miike
•
‘Deadly Outlaw: Miike’ – Takashi Miike discusses key scenes from the film and working with his collaborators
Film: Hana-Bi
Release date: 26th February 2001
Certificate: 18
Running time: 99 mins
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Ohsugi, Susumu Terajima, Tetsu Watanabe
Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance/Thriller
Studio: Momentum
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Hana-Bi marks Takeshi Kitano’s seventh successive film, and as well has having directed and written the film, Kitano himself also plays the lead role. Since its initial release in 1997, Hana-Bi has gone on to win countless awards, including the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. The unexpected international success of Hana-Bi, coupled with Sonatine’s critical acclaim, established Kitano as a pioneer of Japanese filmmaking.
Kitano plays Nishi, a former police officer who is dealing with: the trauma of losing a friend on the job; the guilt that another colleague is wheelchair bound; the upset of caring for his dying wife; and debt problems – continually hounded by loan sharks.
Nishi takes it upon himself to help those around him by robbing a bank and borrowing more money from the debt collectors, before embarking on a road trip with his wife, which enables them to spend some long overdue quality time together.
However, Nishi’s wrong doings soon catch up with him, as the film heads towards an inevitable tragedy…
Hana-Bi is a masterpiece of filmmaking and, without a doubt, still Takeshi’s best piece to date. Almost every aspect of this film is unbreakable and unwavering. Much like the spirit or message the film carries with it, Hana-Bi is the unsung hero of cinema. A film that quite rightly set Kitano on his way to total success within the Japanese film industry.
Hana-Bi’s soundtrack is composed by musical genius Joe Hisaishi, a man familiar with award-winning scores, who has worked on many of Kitano’s other projects, as well as a number of Studio Ghibli pictures. The music captures the mood perfectly, and adds so much to a scene it becomes integral to Hana-Bi’s overall plot. The music often lends scenes a melancholic feeling, which is then enforced by the cast’s performances.
Takeshi gives an unforgettable performance as the sublime anti hero who is willing to sacrifice the rules in order to help others. Much like many of his other performances, Takeshi shows signs of knowing exactly what works and exactly how he wants his character portrayed - intimate and touching scenes with his wife during her final days, for example, really allow Takeshi’s raw persona to shine through, and allows the audience to experience the mind of someone who has to deal with the situation that surrounds him.
Other honourable mentions go to Ren Ôsugi and Susumu Terajima, both of whom have worked with Kitano before, and deserve a mention in their own right. They both make great use of the script, and give outstanding performances as the crippled wheelchair bound retiree and the young hot shot detective. Ôsugi, in particular, is granted a lot of screen time, and is often left holding the audience’s attention for lengthy scenes - one depicts Ôsugi contemplating painting, and the scene lasts long enough to really emphasise the point of Ôsugi’s isolation, and inability.
Another notable element to Hana-Bi is its cinematography, which is, at times, both imaginative and picturesque, but can change unexpectedly towards the shock and horror factor, depicting scenes of extreme violence – for instance, the shoot out in the mall that instigates Takeshi’s downfall has a bleak and long lasting image of Takeshi’s blood spattered face, which really drives the point through. Hana-Bi’s violence, however, doesn’t serve Japanese horror/gore fanboys looking for their next fix. Instead, Hana-Bi’s violence is used as a tool or instrument. Kitano has made this clear in past interviews, and persists that his films are not glorified violence but violence with a message.
Although extreme at times, the violence in Hana-Bi is distracted by its heart-warming sense of humour. The happiness of Takeshi’s life steams from the charming scenes of him and his wife on their road trip, where the humour is touching and sensitive. A sense of humour that can be found in most of Kitano’s works, and one that’s more than welcome when a film like Hana-Bi tackles dark themes and issues not often found in films with comedy.
Hana-Bi is a cinematic masterpiece. Its dark content balanced with light humour and amazing visuals gives the film a unique and original feel. Along with its imaginative and artistic style cinematography, and an ending that will truly leave an impression, Hana-Bi is a triumph not only for Kitano but for Japanese cinema as a whole. LS
Film: Brother
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 109 mins
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Beat Takeshi, Omar Epps, Claude Maki, Masaya Kato, Ren Osugi
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Park Circus
Format: DVD
Country: USA/UK/Japan
Takeshi Kitano is a man who needs no introduction. The charismatic filmmaker, actor, painter, poet and presenter is revered in his native Japan, but has also received global recognition for his work in film, most notably for 2003’s Zatoichi. Brother, released in cinemas in 2000, was a deliberate attempt by Takeshi to bring his films to a wider, Western audience, and sees him covering familiar ground with its story of warring yakuza members.
Under the threat of assassination, a high ranking yakuza flees Japan under an assumed identity and joins his younger brother in America to start a new life. It’s not long before he begins to build a new crew, bringing the brutal methods of the Japanese yakuza to the streets of Los Angeles.
One by one, he mercilessly dispatches or assimilates his competitors on his new territory, and establishes himself as the head of a powerful new crime empire. It’s not long, however, before his merciless assent to power has repercussions very close to home in the form of reprisals from embittered rivals, and Yamamoto’s world begins to crumble around him…
This is undoubtedly Takeshi’s film, and his central performance as Yamamoto is captivating; cool, effortlessly slick, wry and brutal. Whether cheating at dice, shooting rival gang leaders in the knees, or slinking about the dark city streets in his immaculate suit, Takeshi oozes charisma in every scene. The film happily pivots around this magnetic performance, and Takeshi carries it easily. He is backed by some strong, solid work by the supporting cast, most notably Claude Maki as his younger brother Ken, and friend Denny played by Omar Epps.
The idea of a yakuza abroad building a new empire on American soil feels like a fresh new take on both the gangster and yakuza genres, and Takeshi should be congratulated for finding a new approach to this well-trodden ground. Much is made – both comedic and otherwise – of Yamamoto finding his way in unknown territory, and the use of dual languages (English and Japanese) is a clever tool which actively engages the audience in the culture clash happening onscreen.
Brother is all about style. The suits are flawless, the dialogue is snappy and dry, and the colour palette is dark and monochromic. It could be argued that there isn’t too much substance under all this – the story itself is very simple, and the relationships between the characters aren’t that more complex – but the film never pretends to be more than is. Takeshi’s direction style is typically functional and no-nonsense, often bordering on the static, but this is no bad thing, allowing the characters plenty of room to breathe. The city of Los Angeles, where the action takes place, is shot beautifully, and full credit must go to Katsumi Yanagijima’s cinematography for some extraordinary work. Things are paced slowly and patiently, and this suits the slowly unfurling story of Yamamoto’s growing empire perfectly. Also prevalent is Joe Hisaishi’s beautifully elegant and sorrowful score. This was Takeshi’s fifth film collaboration with the composer, and, by the results here, it is easy to see why.
Morally there are some issues. Brother is a film which arguably glamorises gang violence and lionises gangsters, but it’s all done with such taste and, crucially, a healthy sense of humour and sense of itself that it’s easy to forgive. The death count is high, and there are enough fingers being sliced off and gang brutality to please gore-fans, but overall the violence stays over-the-top and cartoon-like enough to keep things from becoming truly unpleasant. It’s a ratio which works well - Brother emerges as a thoroughly entertaining, satisfying experience which happily leaves no bitter aftertaste.
If there are any criticisms, it is a tendency towards sentimentality and melodrama towards the end, but it’s not too much to become cloying or spoil all the good brutal, stylish fun that’s gone before. There’s also an area of confusion in the middle where it’s not quite clear who’s being killed by who, in which gang and why, but, again, it’s not something which detracts from the film.
Brother is a hugely enjoyable, multi-cultural gangster epic which has been seen by some as a low point in Takeshi’s catalogue, but actually deserves far more recognition. Violent, morally questionable it may be, but it’s also sharp, stylish and wicked funny - and rooted by a captivating central performance by the man himself. LOZ
Film: Revolver
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Sergio Sollima
Starring: Oliver Reed, Fabio Testi, Paola Pitagora, Agostina Belli, Frédéric de Pasquale
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Country: Italy/France/West Germany
Region 1 release.
A labyrinth of gritty intrigue, Sergio Sollima’s Euro crime opus Revolver is an often beguiling synergy of tough-guy tropes. Italian genre star Fabio Testi is paired with British icon Oliver Reed in this pessimistic ‘70s thriller which imbues the form with a characteristically Italian élan. Loyalties are tested and torn out on the mean streets, where the last and loudest word is a silenced bullet – but will our heroes live long enough to find out why?
An elegiac prologue sees thief Milo (Italian hunk Testi) tenderly burying his mortally wounded accomplice, as Ennio Morricone’s lugubrious title theme heralds the dawn. Anticipation of a doomed underworld bromance is punctured by the next scene, however, which ditches sentiment for calculating brutality. A politician is brutally slain in a choreographed daylight hit; a genre shift that dumps us on the shadowy, blood-stained boulevards of the political thriller. The last part of this head-scratching triptych unfolds when Oliver Reed’s bad-ass prison governor, Vito, returns home to find his wife missing – and a mysterious voice on the end of the phone demanding the release of Milo (now ensconced in Vito’s gaol) – or else.
Reluctantly going rogue, cop springs criminal, intent on apprehending the blackmailers. But events spiral out of control in a way neither man could have foreseen – and they must forge an uneasy alliance to untangle a murderous conspiracy which threatens to devour them both . . .
An oblique and unusual entry in the early-70s Italian poliziotteschi (crime thriller) cycle, Revolver (1973) is an intriguing melange of classic crime motifs, enlivened by some good ol’ fashioned buddy/baddy bonding, and a malign helter-skelter of plot twists. Whilst it lacks the relentless action and explosive denouement many fans may demand, this stylish, thoughtful work crafts empathetic characters and culminates in a resonant payoff far more effective than the dispatch Godfather: roll credits approach typified by much of the competition. And! It also includes a cameo role by an Italian pop icon wielding surely the most outrageously virile moniker in cop movie history: Daniel Beretta!
Oliver Reed’s alternately anguished/brutal performance here recalls a similar role in the superb and little heralded British thriller Sitting Target. A bullish, imposing physical presence and quasi-fascistic approach to law enforcement (and his frequent threats to “rip your f**kin’ guts out!”) are tempered by moments of pained introversion and – in a harrowing climax – moral turbulence, as Ollie’s true creed is revealed. There’s certainly a lot more going on here than a gratuitous Dirty Harry facsimile, though Reed’s interrogation techniques seem to frequently result in his charges “falling down the stairs.” Sollima competently moulds (or should that be restrains?) this exuberant lead performance, pulling off a dexterous balancing act which ensures the relationship between his two stars remains at the core of the movie – even when the complexities of the plot become near baffling.
Sollima’s rich script explores reversals of status between his leads, a classic theme which bears similarities to his earlier spaghetti westerns, which use mis-matched doubles to explore the complexities of human ‘nature’. In The Big Gundown and Face To Face, the anticipated moral polarities of ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ are undermined. Here, the criminal gains tragic nobility, whilst our hero is ultimately rendered impotent through chilling pragmatism. Reed is even lobbed into jail at one point; his raving accusations blithely dismissed by the authorities. At the outset of the film, Reed coldly subdues a ‘crazy’ inmate, and it’s a frighteningly effective parallel – ‘sanity’ is clearly arbitrated by those in power. And who’s to watch those watchmen?
Us. But are you going to stand up and be counted? Revolver scathingly depicts murder as a tool of authority, a bureaucratic adjustment: a blameless act of self-defence. As a cog in the almighty System, it’s this profound realisation – the crumbling edifice he’s shoring up is a murderous sham – that gives Vito’s character another degree of pathos, as his hubristic righteousness implodes. It’s where he ultimately stands – in what is revealed as practically a neo-fascist state – that precipitates the ultimate moral dilemma of the film, and also provides an unexpectedly sombre slant to proceedings
Morricone’s sumptuous score also deserves plaudits. Married to image, it proves irresistibly moving. The mournful central theme potently amplifies the downbeat mood, and other incidentals deftly shift in tone and style to counterpoint action and intrigue. Where necessary, the sonic aesthetics get innovatively down and dirty, unleashing discordant, oscillating eddies of music concrete and lacerating riffs of fuzz guitar. Revolver offers excellent examples of the composer’s dynamic scoring of (to paraphrase the title of a fine compilation) crime with dissonance.
The film does include a few forgivable inconsistencies, however. Reed’s peculiar dub is perhaps the most glaring. Voicing the role with an American accent that seems dramatically inexplicable: this seems motivated purely by commercial considerations. Another glaring incongruity is the actual weapon brandished by Vito throughout the movie. A stylish silhouette of this is prominent in the trailer, and it’s, well, a magazine loaded piece: certainly not the firearm one might expect, given context. What gives? Did someone consider ‘pistol’ to be a less enticingly exploitative title? Well, this relates to a key line of dialogue in the film; one which candidly underlines its savage expose of realpolitik: “Society has many ways of protecting itself. Red tape…prison bars…and the revolver.”
Low expectations of cops, robbers and a de rigeur chase scene with Fiats were rewardingly surpassed by this spaghetti flavoured shoot ‘em up. In its good ol’ fashioned emphasis on human drama, coupled with bracingly gloomy cynicism, Revolver is an ambitious and gripping film that ultimately transcends the clichés of its genre. If you enjoy stylish, intriguing fare such as The Conformist and Investigation Of A Citizen Under Suspicion, but prefer a little more pulp in your fiction, you’ll dig this! DJO
Film: Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema
Release date: 30th August 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 118 mins
Director: Ralph Ziman
Starring: Daniel Buckland, Robert Hobbs, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Motlatsi Mahloko, Jafta Mamabolo
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
Studio: Anchor Bay
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: South Africa
Hoping to follow the success of 2005’s Tsotsi and last year’s District 9 comes another film from South Africa in director Ralph Ziman’s Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema. Based on real events, the movie recounts the rise of carjacker-turned-property-racketeer Lucky Kunene against the backdrop of post-Apartheid South Africa.
The story moves from 1994 to the present, starting off in the slums of Soweto, as young Lucky works his way up from stealing cars at gun point with his best friend Zakes, before moving into the more hazardous world of ram-raiding and bank heists.
After one such robbery goes awry with only the two young boys escaping from a shoot-out with the police, Lucky makes his escape to Johannesburg, a ‘new Jerusalem’ of unrivaled opportunities opened up by post-Apartheid social transition.
The story then jumps forward a number of years, and we find the adult Lucky now involved in an ill-fated taxi business, struggling to compete with ruthless and violent rival taxi gangs. Soon Lucky seizes on a plan to control the lucrative housing projects of the Hillbrow tenements, scheming rent-strikes and squat-takeovers against the nervy white landlords. By his own admission, happy to play the race card when it suits him, Lucky exploits the poor black tenants in Johannesburg’s shabby housing blocks while simultaneously condemning the white slumlords for creating the conditions that allowed him to gain a foothold.
An ambivalent character, it is never made entirely clear whether Lucky is motivated by genuine social altruism or simply the desire to realise his dream of a villa by the sea. In any case, Lucky soon proves too good at his new post, and it is not long before the police begin to take a closer interest in the activities of this self-styled modern-day Robin Hood.
The attentions of an innately suspicious police detective combined with an escalating conflict with a Nigerian drug lord threaten to bring Lucky’s growing empire tumbling down…
Ziman’s movie will inevitably draw comparisons with Brazil’s City Of God, with its shanty towns and young protagonist drawn into a life of crime offering the only chance of escape from grinding poverty. In reality, it owes more to the standard Hollywood crime and hood genres, resulting in the overwhelming feeling that we’ve seen this all many times before. When the gangsters stage a heist on a security van inspired by a scene from Heat, it’s symptomatic of a film possessing few original ideas of its own. After Ziman proceeds to poach parts of Scarface, Goodfellas, Superfly and American Gangster, it only results in a movie too derivative to have any real impact.
Though it gets off to an explosive start, any early promise is soon diminished by an overreliance on a number of hackneyed plot devices. The voice over from what we take to be the dead protagonist (à la Casino); the story told as an elaborate flashback structured in the form of a journalistic interview; and the “Inspired by real events” caption, which often reveals less a concern with authenticity than a lack of conviction in a movie’s ability to stand on its own. There is also a reluctance to hold a shot for more than five seconds at a time, the hyper-activity of its jump-cuts owing more to MTV than to Godard (an impression that strikes you even before learning of Ziman’s past life as a music video director for the likes of Toni Braxton and Ozzy Osbourne).
That said, as a thrill-a-minute action movie, Gangster’s definitely delivers. Ziman clearly has a target audience in mind, and its set plays of bank heists and violent gun battles between rival gangs and the police are well staged. The incredibly eventful plot proceeds with such furious pace that you barely notice its 118 minute running time.
In Johannesburg, Gangster’s Paradise has a cityscape to rival Chicago or New York. Ziman also makes good use of contemporary African pop music. The real star of the film, though, is the actor who plays young Lucky, Jafta Mamabolo. He’s easily the best thing here, and his performance contains the perfect measure of compassion and steely determination. The best moments involve him – be it scenes where he’s shown caring for his younger sister and brothers in his mother’s absence or the humorous episode where he and Zakes hijack a car only to realise neither of them can drive, forcing them to bring their terrified victim along with them for an impromptu driving lesson. It’s a shame, then, when the movie jumps forward ten years and he’s replaced by Rapulana Seiphemo in the lead role. He’s a formidable presence but slightly lacking in charisma, and neither his relationship with a woman from a wealthy Jewish family nor the ease with which he charms (usually female) bureaucrats and journalists is entirely convincing. The film continues to whizz along, but much of its heart seems to go with Mamabolo’s departure.
The breathless pace of the movie is part of its strength, but it also betrays its main weakness. There’s little room left for reflection, and it provides even less scope for examining any deeper moral or socio-political issues, which is really the most intriguing aspect surrounding the film. When Ziman does make tentative attempts to shape the work politically, and acknowledge the historical and cultural repercussions of the country's painful racial history, it is both didactic and crudely applied, personified largely in the figure of a racist police detective determined to bring Lucky down.
Finally, when Lucky is shown reading a biography of Donald Trump, it’s indicative of a film that suffers not only from its debt to Hollywood but also from its unquestioning assumption of US-style capitalism as the only way forward. Rejecting his mother’s advocacy of the Bible, Lucky invests his hopes in a system whose promises may be every bit as distant and illusory as any biblical promised land. Not that you’d guess it from the decidedly celebratory feel of the movie’s ending, however.
There’s a fascinating story about post-Apartheid South Africa and the division between rich and poor, white and black, behind Gangster’s Paradise, but it all gets rather lost amid the relentless action and breakneck pace of Ziman’s movie. A well made and entertaining enough picture - albeit a fairly uninspired one. GJK
Bollywood gangster drama.
In the 1970s and '80s, Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgun) is one of Mumbai's most powerful gangsters. Having worked his way up from a boyhood of poverty, he has taken on the mantle of 'Messiah of Mumbai', owing to his reputation for looking after the city's poor.
When policeman's son Shoaib Khan (Emraan Hashmi) comes to work for Mirza, he soon makes himself indispensable, and Mirza comes to rely on him as his right-hand man. But a power struggle is building up between the two men that threatens to destroy them both, and cause shockwaves through the city that depends on them.
Film: Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 12
Running time: 135 mins
Director: Milan Luthria
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Randeep Hooda, Kangna Ranaut, Prachi Desai
Genre: Bollywood/Crime/Drama
Studio: Tip Top
Format: DVD
Country: India
Law student Giorgio is a fine young man, with nice friends and good parents who give him everything he needs. But why for some is that never enough?
One night at a party he befriends a mysterious guest, Francesco. Francesco is cool, handsome and trouble. He invites Giorgio to join him for a poker game, and Giorgio, looking for a bit of kick in his life, goes along, and to his amazement wins. But it was inevitable - Francesco, a cardsharp, is in control.
They start entering big games with high rollers and lowlifes, playing for big money and getting away with it every time, taking bigger risks, until they finally enter the big league - drugs.
Frighteningly in thrall to Francesco, a trip to Barcelona to buy cocaine to sell takes Giorgio over an invisible internal line. No longer a fine boy. No longer a dutiful son. No longer hanging out with nice friends. The extent of Francesco’s influence is brutally revealed putting at risk Giorgio’s future, security and freedom.
The Past Is A Foreign Land is the slacker movie updated for the generation who want luxury without working for it, thrills without consequences, and responsibility for no-one except themselves. It’s a cautionary tale of how the weak are consumed by the strong, seduced by the aura of danger and left for dead in the endgame. Only the very lucky find their good side again.
Film: The Past Is A Foreign Land
Release date: 4th October 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 127 mins
Director: Daniele Vicari
Starring: Elio Germano, Michele Riondino, Chiara Caselli, Valentina Lodovini, Marco Baliani
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Vita
Format: DVD
Country: Italy
Film: Le Cercle Rouge
Release date: 13th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 140 mins
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Starring: Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Bourvil, François Périer, Gian Maria Volonté
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: Blu-ray
Country: France/Italy
Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge was originally released in 1970, and is an outstanding example of the director’s style. The film was the second collaboration between the director and actor Alain Delon, and represented the same sort of artist/muse relationship as exemplified by the likes of Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro, John Ford/John Wayne, and John Woo/Chow Yun Fat. Delon’s stoical style of acting lended itself well to the cool laconic characters of Melville’s films, such as Le Samourai and Un Flic.
Whilst being transported to prison via overnight train, convicted murderer Vogel (Volonte) makes a daring escape from inspector Mattei (Bourvil), the policeman guarding him. A huge dragnet exercise ensues in an effort to recapture him, but Vogel is able to evade the police by stowing away in the boot of a car. That car has just been purchased by Corey, just out of prison.
Corey has already managed to upset his old mob boss since his release, and is now planning a big jewellery heist based on a tip-off from a prison guard. Together, with the help of former policeman and expert marksman Jansen, they pull off a daring robbery, but the police and the mob are hot on their heels…
Le Cercle Rouge contains almost zero exposition, the audience expected to pick up on details as depicted on screen. During the opening scenes, we witness two men racing to the train station to catch their train at the last minute. It is only when the two men are inside their compartment that we learn something of who they are and what their relationship is: Inspector Mattei, handcuffed to his prisoner Vogel. Another example is the soured relationship between Corey and his old mob boss, which is never explicitly explained, but the fact that his ex-girlfriend is sharing the boss’ bed when Corey calls on him in the middle of the night just might have something to do with it. Similarly, we never discover why Vogel was being sent to prison, only that he is a murderer.
The people who occupy the world of Le Cercle Rouge are all men of few words (there is only one female character of note, and she has no dialogue at all). Despite the amount of intricate visual detail on show, there is very little discussion, and what there is takes place in a very oblique manner, and any information or exposition discussed between characters occurs either just before the start of a scene, or just after the scene cuts away.
Modern audiences more used to quick-fire editing and visual short-hand might find the meticulous pace of Le Cercle Rouge a bit tough-going. Melville likes to show the detail and process of every little action. Take, for example, the scene where Corey and Vogel finally come face to face, after Vogel has stowed away in Corey’s trunk. We watch as Corey drives his car into the middle of a muddy field. The camera slowly pans around 360 degrees to show that there isn’t a living soul between here and the horizon, so Vogel will know that he is safe for the time being.
Similarly, with the jewellery heist, Melville’s deliberate pacing mirrors the perfectly planned and executed robbery. Modern films would showcase the planning, taking the audience through it before it takes place, allowing the film to take short-cuts in its presentation. Melville, instead, chooses to leave the audience in the dark, forcing them to follow each step as it takes place.
Despite the glacier pacing, the film still manages to provide a number of surprises. When we first meet Jansen (Yves Montand), he is a wreck of a drunk, collapsed in a bed surrounded by empty bottles. He’s also suffering from some bizarre hallucinations, which Melville chooses to treat as real, physical manifestations to both Jansen and the audience. It’s a very surreal moment in a film which is set very firmly in the everyday. Another exemplary shot is towards the beginning, as we see Inspector Mattei framed in the window of the speeding train, as the camera pulls back into the sky. It’s the sort of shot which would only be attempted these days with the use of CGI.
Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge is a meticulous, drawn-out affair which may leave modern film fans restless. For everyone else, the film is a treat of cool posturing and intricate plotting. The Blu-ray edition is so picture-perfect that you’d think it had been filmed just last week. MOW
Film: À Bout De Souffle
Release date: 13th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 87 mins
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville, Henri-Jacques Huet
Genre: Crime/Drama/Romance/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: Blu-ray
Country: France
A Bout De Souffle has influenced countless modern filmmakers, such as Quentin Tarantino, whose pop-culture literate style owes a lot to Godard. Michel’s plight is always on our mind – the film is peppered with reminders of how the police are closing in on him – but mainly we’re just hanging out with this young hip couple as they discuss contemporary music, films and novels, and smoke an incessant number of cigarettes.
Small-time hood and car thief, Michel Poiccard (Belmondo) kills a policeman with a pistol he found in his stolen car. Returning to Paris, he goes to see an American girl called Patricia (Seberg), with whom he had a fling with in Nice.
Michel needs to leave the country, and is trying to track down some colleagues who owe him money. In the meantime, he and Patricia hang out, as he tries to convince her to leave with him, while Inspector Vital closes in…
Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature was quite shocking for its time, not for its content but the way in which it was filmed and edited. Using lightweight equipment meant that Godard could set up a shot in a moment, filming on the busy streets of Paris in ways that had been impossible before. Many of the external shots of A Bout De Souffle seem to have been shot ‘guerrilla’ style, with members of the public passing by, oblivious. There’s a classic, blink-and-you’ll miss it shot of a girl with a similar haircut to Jean Seberg’s walking close to her, giving her hairstyle a critical look before walking on. This style of filmmaking works against the film at times though – some of the scenes shot at night utilise natural back-ground light and its nigh-on impossible to make out any detail. The dialogue was recorded in sync, too, and there are times where conversations are drowned out by traffic and sirens.
The most controversial element of the film is the editing. Godard had originally shot the film in a more traditional manner, with the requisite establishing shots and reverse angles, but the first cut running time came in well over two hours in length, needing to be closer to the ninety minute mark. As he wanted to achieve this without losing any scenes, Godard trimmed the scenes down, discarding establishing and reverse shots. This gives the film it’s strange, jump-cut look.
The jump-cut editing has a tendency to wrong-foot the film’s audience, giving the impression of an amateur filmmaker who has more or less cut-and-pasted scenes together, mismatching shots in the process. However, the camera-work is exemplary, never losing focus on the film’s protagonists. There is what looks like a crane-shot as Michel first catches up with Josephine, and they walk together down the Champs Elysee. Another wonderful shot is the finale, as the camera follows behind Michel as he runs down a busy street. Apparently, this was created by Godard pushing the cameraman in a wheelchair.
The story itself is paper-thin: Michel needs to call in some debts so he can flee the country, and spends the running time tracking down his erstwhile friends, and trying to convince Josephine to come with him. The problem is that Michel is a casually violent, sociopathic man-child. He’s a little older than Josephine, but a lot more immature. He gets away with it by being incredibly handsome, and has any number of women fawning over him. He’s obsessed by American-made cars - and makes a point of stealing them at any opportunity. Josephine, meanwhile, an American about to study at the Sorbonne, isn’t exactly wise beyond her years. Her attempt to rationalise a major decision she takes towards the end of the film is full of awkward adolescent musings.
Actress Jean Seberg was already a well-known star, having previously starred in Saint Joan, while Belmondo was a relatively unknown actor – at least until the film was released. The man just effuses Gallic Cool. Seberg is very easy on the eye, and gives her character a confident sexuality - someone who isn’t afraid neither to discuss sex nor to deal maturely with her lover’s more overt sexual advances.
Famously, Godard started production without a finished script (the original story was worked out by himself and Francois Truffaut), and was writing dialogue in the morning for scenes he was shooting that afternoon. This may have lent the characters their contradictory nature.
Studio Canal’s Blu-ray release contains a restored version of the film, colour-correcting some scenes and restoring shots which had previously been edited due to damaged stock. This edition contains a number of extras, including a great introduction by Colin Maccabe, who goes into some of the background to the making of the film. There are two documentaries, one interviewing American artists who came into contact with Goddard and how he influenced them, the other set in the hotel room rented by Michel in the film.
The subtitles for A Bout De Souffle need mentioning, especially in regard of the film’s final lines of dialogue. It seems that every new release of the film contains a different translation for this sequence, and Studio Canal’s version is no different. In each case, Inspector Vital takes Michel’s last words and twists them into an insult towards Josephine. Here, Michel utters, “I am such a creep,” and when Josephine asks what he said, the inspector replies, “He said, you are such a creep.”
Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature was a daring experiment in defying the conventions of cinema, almost by default rather than design. It established him as a darling of the French New Wave, and made a star of Jean-Paul Belmondo. Goddard focuses on the seemingly trivial rather than the conventional drama of a criminal evading the police, which becomes mere background noise in the face of the sheer sex appeal of the two leads. MOW
