Crime

Revolver (DVD)

In case you thought Jason Statham was a one-trick pony typecast (as a con man with a heart), you are in for a big surprise. Yes, he’s a con man. And, yes, he has a heart. But his character is far deeper than this – he’s pretty much a psychology doctorate thesis-in-waiting. But, more importantly, Statham proved himself as a very capable actor that will transcend the type-casting that he has been boxed in by.

This is definitely an edgy film, even for Guy Ritchie (thank god Madonna was Swept Away from casting considerations). The style and execution here are simply brilliant. Unfortunately, the story didn’t make a lick of sense. Spoiler alert – skip to next paragraph if you haven’t seen this movie: What’s with the 12s? Who is Mr. Gold, and what does he control exactly? How did Mr. Green make his money, and lose it and make it again? We know who the prison-mates are, but how exactly do they fit in? What is the history of the central conflict? What the heck does Deepak Chopra have to do with any of this? I’m only getting started here. I feel like if I watched it again several times, I would simply end up with a sore brain, versus solving any of these nagging questions. If you have any insight, please post a comment.

Ray Liotta’s character was a disappointment. He was just an angry guy lashing out. If that was the point, well, fine. But other than that, it completely lacked depth. I don’t blame Liotta for this; I think this too may have been a result of story weakness.

Andre Benjamin (aka Andre 3000 for “awful music” fans) was a delight. I’d go so far as saying that this is the best example of “singer/rapper turned actor” EVER. His character, and specifically his interaction with Statham was simply fantastic. It was a pleasant surprise, too, since I had seen Four Brothers a few years ago, and did not find him particularly memorable. Of course, neither was “Four Brothers”.

Overall, 5 stars for acting, 5 stars for directing, 5 stars for style, and 1/2 star for storyline/plot. But definitely worth watching for the good stuff – but only once!

Warning: Do not watch this movie over and over, as your head may explode.

Casino Royale (DVD)

Daniel Craig is not the most exciting Bond to come along, nor is Casino Royale truly a Bond film. It’s more a take-off on all the other blood and guts movies hitting the theatres these days.

No cars that turns into a plane or boat, no amazing gadgets to outfox the bad guys. Just smash and shoot. Oh, and hit the balls with a cement ball on a chain, through a bottomless chair. Nice touch.

Not only is this not a relaxing delve into the fantasy of sexy spy-dom, it’s convoluted story line along with the mumblings of the characters makes it an effort to try to follow.

The crowning touch of bad taste, just to be sure you have a foul taste when the movie is finally over, James really doesn’t give a damn if his martini is shaken or stirred. Yuck!

Charlie Wilson’s War (Paperback)

OK, here’s a spoiler.

According to this movie, the collapse of the Soviet Union is due, almost singlehandedly, to the relentless efforts of one U.S. Congressman named Charlie Wilson.

In short, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was countered with some secret U.S. (and Saudi Arabian) spending on Russian-designed weapons bought from Egypt, then delivered by an Israeli arms dealer to the Pakistan government, who then disbursed these to the freedom fighters of Afghanistan to fight the Soviet invaders. And Rep. Wilson (D-Texas) made it all happen using some interesting channels and spheres of influence.

This is a fantastical interpretation of history that dares to suggest that politicians with a cause are truly able to achieve great things. It was a surprise, therefore, that it was not a preachy Hollywood film about some Democrat cause du jour. In fact, the Democrats and Republicans we meet are all likable in many ways, yet despicable in others. Julia Roberts even played a likable right-wing religious zealot. (A far cry from Marcia Gay Harden in The Mist.)

While these people are truly fun to watch on the big screen, none were people you’d want to hang out with on Friday nights. The exception, perhaps, is Amy Adams who plays a very pretty, smart, fun and thoroughly likable assistant to the hero. Her only apparent personality flaws were her utter devotion to Mr. Wilson, and an unlikely career in politics.

Tom Hanks plays our hero well, as one might expect, balancing the noble and not-so-noble sides of the character in a believable fashion.

The best scenes, however, were when the world’s greatest character actor himself (and the real star of the film), Philip Seymour Hoffman, graced the screen. He plays a cynical career spy who wants to do something useful, despite his superior’s efforts to sideline him. This movie is worth seeing for Hoffman’s scenes alone. Sheer cinematic brilliance.

The movie finishes with a scene where Rep. Wilson attempts to get a mere $1 million to fund building schools in Afghanistan and is turned down by every member of the committee that just funded the war effort to the tune of $500 million. It finishes with a quote from the real guy criticizing the U.S. for leaving Afghanistan without reconstruction help after they fought off the Soviets.

The message, essentially, is “don’t go support a war, then abandon all the people that were displaced by it.” Obviously this ties into the current situations in Afghanistan (and also Iraq), but didn’t strike me as particularly preachy, left-wing, right-wing, Democrat, Republican or otherwise. In fact, and here was an interesting dash of irony, they blamed the work that needed to be done as a result of the downfall of the Soviet Union (that came about ostensibly as a result of Rep. Wilson’s hard work), for declining any help for the people of Afghanistan. Go figure.

Anyway, go see this movie. Five stars!