Killing Them Softly

Brad Pitt stars in ‘Killing Them Softly’, the new movie from Australian director Andrew Dominik, best known for his last collaboration with Pitt for the slow-burning elegiac western, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Eschewing a return to the old west, Dominik decided instead to adapt a 70s crime novel called ‘Cogan’s Trade’.  The story revolves around a high stakes poker game organised by mobster Ray Liotta which is robbed my masked assailants. Jackie Cogan (Pitt), a mob enforcer, is called in to investigate and clean up the ensuing mess.

The whole affair is decidedly 70s. In a post-Tarantino world of fast snappy crime thrillers, Dominik slows the action and the dialogue to a crawl, favouring a style reminiscent of classic gritty thrillers  like Get Carter and Scorsese’s early work on movies like Mean Streets. As a result, Killing Them Softly can be slow at times, requiring a great deal of patience from the audience as it’s slow to pick up at the start. Scenes of violence are few and far between, but when they arrive they pack a punch and are shot in painstaking detail. Again like Get Carter, the violence here has consequences which permeate throughout the story.  While the films is visually arresting, Dominik tends to rely on one thing throughout the movie. In almost every scene, there are TV and radio broadcasts of President Bush and the then Senator Obama, as the film is set during the 2008 election. We are treated to comments on the state of America and mainly its financial system and the financial crisis. Indeed the whole film could be seen as a parable for the financial crisis, with words like ‘collapse of confidence’ thrown around a lot. While the films ambition to make a political statement is admirable, the message is muddled at best, and the talking heads distract from what’s happening in each scene and quickly grow tiresome. Had they not been so overused, the message could have been more powerful. That said, the films decidedly quiet and anticlimactic ending, does deliver a brilliant tirade from Pitt’s character, comparing America to nothing more than a giant corporation, giving us what deserves to become one of those classic, often misquoted lines.

Overt political messages aside, the story itself is simple but layered, as one screw up after another give a sense that the whole mess will never be fixed. The main strength of the movie is the acting. Brad Pitt delivers what is probably his best performance since Jesse James, recalling the laconic slow drawl and world weary demeanour of his western anti-hero. Here he manages to make his character surprisingly likable despite little back story; he has a dislike for violence, preferring to kill people ‘softly’.  Ray Liotta gives a great performance as the shaky mobster at the heart of the mess and James Gandolfini delivers a memorable turn as an overweight alcoholic hit man, ruminate over past lover affairs.

Overall, this is a mean, well acted, violent slice of crime cinema. While its doesn’t have much new to say about America and is not as meaningful as it would like to think it is, it’s certainly  stylish and entertaining enough for fans of crime movies, who like a film which doesn’t feel the need to rush to its conclusion. While by no means a classic, Pitts performance is worth the admission price alone.

The Dark Knight Rises

It’s been four years since Christopher Nolan raised the bar for superhero movies and indeed summer blockbusters in general with the critically acclaimed hit The Dark Knight. He’s since treated us to the dream heist movie, Inception and cemented his position as the premier purveyor of smart, engaging action movies in Hollywood. Nolan has now returned to the Dark Knight series to give us what he is insistent is his final chapter in Bruce Wayne’s story, The Dark Knight Rises.

   At the start of the movie, we’re shown a Gotham City which has enjoyed 8 years of peace since the Joker’s rampage, because of a new law passed , the Dent Act which has afforded the police stronger powers to fight organised crime. Batman has not been seen since the night of Harvey Dent's death; having taken responsibility for Dent’s crimes as Two-Face and has since become a hated figure. The two men responsible for the lie this peace is based upon are both damaged men.  Bruce Wayne is physically disabled and needs a walking stick. No longer Batman, his life has lost all purpose and he’s since become a recluse. Gordon is haunted and unable to enjoy the success of a crime-free Gotham. When new villain Bane, played by Tom Hardy, threatens the city, Bruce is forced out of his self imposed exile, back into action as Batman.

   Tom hardy is certainly the stand out among the new cast members of the film as the nefarious bane. With his face covered and his voiced muffled by a cumbersome mask, he’s able to portray terrifying menace with his eyes and his physical presence and performance is brutal. Indeed you do feel as if batman has met his match and it’s hard to imagine someone else in the role. Hardy swaggers his way through the film, breaking necks and growling some of the film’s most memorable lines. Anne Hathaway also joins the cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and she brings the necessary grace and class required of the role and gives Nolan film what his others have lacked, a powerful female character. This film has two of these, with Marillon Cotillard playing Miranda Tate, a smart businesswoman, and board member of Wayne Enterprise’s board. Joseph Gordon Levitt is on fine form as John Blake, a young beat cop, who comes to play a big role in the fight against Bane.

   The returning cast members are all excellent too. Gary Oldman again brings gravitas and sincerity to his role as Commissioner Gordon, able to portray a good man suffering under the weight of the secret he’s kept for years.  Morgan freeman is reliable as ever Lucious Fox, Batman’s resident gadget man, providing him with new toys including a flying vehicle he dubs ‘The Bat’. Michael Caine, whose Alfred is often credited as providing the emotional heart of these films, is bound to jerk a  few tears.

   Much has been made about the potential political message of this movie and Nolan’s whole Dark Knight trilogy. Obvious allusion to post 9/11 America and the war on terror have run through these movies. This time there’s are shades of the global financial crisis and the Occupy movement. Some think the 99% are portrayed as villains here, but Selina Kyle and John Blake are both representatives of the 99% as well as the revolutionary Bane and his army of devotees. The 1% hardly gets a flattering portrayal, shown as arrogant, greedy and plain clueless throughout.  I don’t think Nolan  sets out to hammer home any political message, but rather raise points for discussion, leaving it up to the viewer decide. Of course each person will read into it, with their own personal politics in mind. The image of an American flag in tatters is symbolic of an America damaged by war. If the theme of Batman Begins was fear and The Dark Knight was about escalation, then the theme of this movie is consequence. Characters throughout the film are faced with the consequences of their actions. The false myth of Harvey dent, the law passed after his death (a stand in for the Patriot Act) and the war justified by a lie drives home the film’s most important message about truth.

   The story of this film harkens back to Batman Begins rather The Dark Knight, many plot points tie back to the first movie and bring the series full circle nicely without repeating what’s been done before. The first 45 minutes of the film are a little slow, covering Bruce’s journey to once again don the cape and cowl. Batman’s return is handled incredibly well and from there on in the pace picks up, as does the action, and it doesn’t disappoint.  Spectacle has always been Nolan’s strong point and he’s gone all out for the finale to his magnum opus.  There’s some terrific fights and chases, the flying ‘bat’ adding a new dimension to the action. The destruction of the football field seen in the movies trailer is staggering on the big screen.

   However, this film lacks the tension of The Dark Knight, which kept you on the edge of your seat with an atmosphere of constant dread. It also drags a little, bound to happen with a film almost three hours long. Also, for a Batman film, it doesn’t feel like you see enough of Batman. This could be seen as a weakness or strength, as the focus this time, as was in Batman Begins, is on Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is what has always made Batman interesting and relatable and Christian Bale’s quiet performance is terrific. He’s able to make us feel for this man as he overcomes physical injury and faces the demons that have been plaguing him his whole life. It’s hard not to be stirred when the Dark Knight truly ‘rises’ again. The finale of the film is suitable action packed, if a little unoriginal, but what this film lack in thrills or tension it makes up for in heart, with emotions running high throughout. This doesn’t let up until the fantastic ending, which had the crowd up on their feet and applauding by the closing credits.

   This is satisfying conclusion to a great franchise and it’s bound to entertain and keep fans guessing right until the very last scene.  It doesn’t quite reach the heights of The Dark Knight, but that was a tall ask. To paraphrase, it’s not the films we deserved, but the film we needed.

The Dictator

It's been three years since we last saw Sacha Baron Cohen on screen as gay Austrian fashionista Bruno. After the huge success of mockumentaries Borat and Bruno, hes reunited with director Larry Charles to go for a regular comedy with The Dictator, ' the story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.' A daft premise, but one rich with comic potential.

Those expecting the shocking laugh out loud moments of Borat and Bruno should proceed with caution; this film falls somewhere between crude romantic comedy and political satire. We are introduced to the latest creation from Cohen's imaginations, Admiral General Aladeen, supreme ruler of Wadiya and easily the most likable despot you'll see on film, who , runs in his own Olympics, mourns for his fallen fellow dictators , let's Osama Bin Laden hide out in his guest house and just wants someone to cuddle. The first act of the film introducing us to Aladeen and his cohorts, including his uncle played by Ben Kingsley, is one of the funniest and most effective introductions to a character I've seen in a long time. Aladeen's penchant for execution provides some great moments, especially as what appears to be an innocent game on the Wii turns out to be something far more sinister and hilarious. Unfortunately, the start of the movie is also the funniest part of the movie, but there are still laughs to be had throughout.

After we are shown Aladeen's glamorous lifestyle that would make a Saudi Prince jealous, we are jetted off to America, as the heroic autocrat has to address the U.N. to save his country from missile strikes after its discovered he has been developing nuclear weapons. After being double crossed and replaced by a double, its up to Aladeen to prevent his beloved oppressed kingdom becoming a democracy. This second act is the weakest part of the movie and feels like a disconnected collections of sketches, with awkward attempts a love story thrown in. Some of the jokes here fall flat and feel like attempts at recreating the fish out of water comedy that made Borat great. Ben Kingsley and Anna Faris are both criminally underused.

The final act sees the film pick up pace and ends with a fantastic speech by the fictitious dictator to the U.N. which showcases Baron Cohen's talent for pointed barbed satire, which is glimpsed throughout the film but only flourishes at the end. The Dictator is a good comedy, which is bound to make you laugh, the satire is not too heavy, but present enough to lend weight to the humour and Sacha Baron Cohen is hugely enjoyable to watch when he's having this much fun. The crude, lude humour that made his previous films successful makes this a must watch for his fans and new comers alike, provided you're not disgusted by the thought of man losing his phone in a pregnant woman's vagina...