New London Boulevard (2010)

London Boulevard is a big screen adaptation of Ken Bruen's 2001 fictional crime novel of the same name and a directorial debut for William Monahan of Departed (2006) fame, for which he contributed the screen play in Martin Scorcese’s seminal Oscar triumph. Monahan manages to assemble a pretty interesting cast for the job matching big name attractions notably Colin Farrell for the lead of Mitchell an ex-con trying to place his life on the straight and narrow who finds complications aplenty but centrally in the shape of Keira Knightley playing Charlotte, a reclusive actress in need of Mitchell’s muscle in order to fend off pesky paparazzi, perform some odd jobs around her abode whilst also seeking comfort in his softer side when making use of Mitchell as a confidante.

The strength of the piece is in the supporting cast who mainly transpire as conduits for Mitchells struggle with the temptations of a potential return to his old ways. Leading the second tier is Ray Winstone as crime lord Gant who genuinely creates an atmosphere of dread when on screen as he attempts to lure Farrell back to the dark-side. David Thewlis is equally adept as he plays Jordan a drug induced failed thespian who is Charlotte’s business manager. There are also roles for Ben Chaplin as a blundering hood whilst Stephen Graham and Eddie Marsan are shamefully under used in their minor roles.

As you might be thinking there is a lot a going on here and that's sort of where Monahan gets into trouble, the narrative is littered with plot-holes and semi developed ideas and characters such as Anna Friel who pops in and out the story as a Mitchell's troubled sister, this is largely a product of the derivative nature of the project. Monahan seems to be tipping his hat at the types of movie he himself has indulged, for example there is clear a sense of early Guy Ritchie in style of the visuals, soundtrack and occasional attempts at humour. The mood and tone owes more to Scorcese traits such as an angry gratuitous racism and overly proud glorification of the gangster life style. It’s a rarity when a film could be said to be too short, but one way London Boulevard could have been improved is an extra 45 minutes or so to pay attention to its many details.

The major task London Boulevard will have is proving it has any substance, it will be interesting to see if William Monahan will be encouraged to take this debut any further and perfect or enhance his directorial style with future work, if so this could be remembered more fondly as part of a bigger picture. If not it will fall through the cracks of irrelevance rather quickly.

6/10

4 the Weekend

1. Some Think Old

All the Right Moves (1983)

  

Long before the Mission Impossible franchise, Oprah’s Couch, and even 3 years before Top Gun (1986) All The Right Moves (1983) was one of Tom Cruises first steps on the road to an equal amount of Hollywood success and infamy. The story of Stefen Djordjevic (Cruise) is just one of the many personal and collective dramas that we follow through the setting of Ampipe High School,  the educational heart of a small town and steel mill community of the same name. Djordjevic is both football fanatic and realist eager (like many of his peers) to use his football skills as a method of progression as he attempts to gain a scholarship to further his education in order to enhance his future.

What I liked about All The Right Moves is its ability to work at so many levels, at its heart it’s a film about devotion to ambition, dreams, loved ones and devotion to cultural etiquettes and social preservation, which is exhibited by all characters. Alternatively the film is an impressive social dissection of the life design for steel orientated Pennsylvanian communities. The older generations languish in banality and unemployment leaving Cruise, girlfriend Lisa (Lea Thompson) and the rest of the younger generation to battle against bleak prospects whilst coping with the complexities of young adulthood.

Another layer of the piece is the use of Football (American Football if you need the distinction) which although isn’t as central or dynamic, isn’t a million miles away from Friday Night Lights (2004), here we meet egocentric Coach Nickerson played by Craig T Nelson and become familiar with his role as mentor as well as the ability to control the destinies of his players off the pitch as much as on it.

Negatives are few but obvious, technically its by no means a masterpiece the sports scenes for example lack explosiveness and will feel dated. At a swift 90 minutes we are unable to detail or develop a relationship with all the characters and the rest of the cast, possibly a product of limited vision from seldom director Michael Chapman, but still a nice piece of work. 

7/10 

2. Some Think New

Due Date (2010)

The” Road Movie” is a fairly reliable cinematic mechanism , immediately conjuring memories of some personal favourites in this field such as Kalifornia (1993) which taps into the psychological examination of tensions and the inevitabilities of conflict within the predicament. Another favourite of mine in this genre is Terrence Mailk’s Badlands (1973) which is among other things is a film about the journey of the heart, the chasing of dreams  the promise of better things to come.

Anyone who knows anything about Due Date (2010) will know that director Todd Phillips is coming at this from the comedy angle, where we have been here before with Phillips in Road Trip (2000). In mentioning this I am probably led to my first issue with Due Date as it ignores the possibilities and potential of being a good bit of genre, the journey feels somewhat empty and we don’t meet any diversified characters or encounter any cultural references or subtleties of any kind.

The comedic mileage is attained through the "Odd Couple" pairing of Robert Downey Jnr and Zach Galifianakis who feels like he is attempting to reincarnate his role from the overrated Hangover (2009). The predicament is somewhat convoluted but the basic gist is that Pete Highman (Downey) absorbed in the running of his own life which mainly include work and the impending arrival of his first born, along with budding actor, odd ball Ethan Trembley (Galifianakis) both end up on the no fly list but both must get to LA from Atlanta by car for their own reasons.

As the action grows it becomes apparent that director Phillips is looking to divide it’s audience, there are two sides Downey’s wealthy, self-righteous bully or Galifianakis’ naive but warm hearted ineptitude, leaving the audience to decide who they empathise most with. Here ultimately lies the films next issue in that neither character is particularly adhesive or worth the effort of caring. We are also victim to a rather odd and irritatingly unnecessary plot dynamic which involves the cameo appearance of Jamie Foxx, which is totally ill-judged. 

It’s not all bad I’d be lying if I said that Due Date doesn’t generate any laughs, the fact of the matter is it does produce some moments of hilarity which will satisfy those in search of light entertainment. There are plenty of “gross out” toilet gags such as masturbating dogs and people vomiting, as well as “stoner” jokes and general craziness.  However what we are reminded of is that sometimes the laughs are just not enough.

 6/10

 3. Some Think To Borrow

  
The International (2008)

“Sometimes a man can meet his destiny on the road he took to avoid it” is the adopted mantra of Clive Owen's broken down humanitarian and champion of justice Interpol agent Lou Salinger when he comes to realise the gravity of his situation. Salinger is working alongside Assistant DA Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) the pair are looking to bring down a major International Bank suspected of having some less than ethical business protocols, cutting through a fog of conspiracy and murder in the process.

Conducting the action is German director Thomas Tykwer, who seems to find strength in the films technical possibilities. Firstly The International like its shooting locations is a lavish piece in both look and feel. Tykwer starts in his beloved Berlin reminiscent almost of his finest work Run Lola Run (1998) before heading to Milan, New York and the films conclusion in contrasting Istanbul. Secondly the dialogue is crisp, tidy and well organised. Keeping up with the story feels refreshingly effortless yet somehow remains engaging throughout, whilst allowing the cast to grow with the material and the intricacies of the narrative.

Said cast is an interesting grab bag of nationalities and styles, Owen provides a steely determination to his role as Salinger, backed capably by a diligent Watts. Of the supporting cast the highlight is German veteran Armin Mueller-Stahl who plays Wexler who is sophisticatedly sage-like in presence. Ostensibly the film is an examination of it's characters limits be it more clearly defined or visual limits such as rank, law enforcement, hierarchy. As well as more inward boundaries like greed, power, loyalties and resilience.   

Seasoned espionage thriller fans will likely gain the most from the film, people indifferent to the genre will probably prefer something more exhilarating in pace or action such as a Bourne or Bond movie, remembering occasionally though that less can be more which is certainly the case here..

8/10  

4. Some Think Due

  

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Okay okay okay it's way too early to get excited about the third and final installment of the Nolan Batman series right?... WRONG news recently broke of Nolan's "end of our story" will be titled The Dark Knight Rises scheduled for release in 2012. To me the most exciting potential for Dark Knight Rising is the promise of a climax to the series where Nolan can leave nothing to chance and produce a full on assault on the senses. The spine of its predecessors are set return Bale, Oldman, Freeman and Caine have all been confirmed, whilst Inception's Tom Hardy joins the team in an as of yet unnamed role coupled with rumours that Nolan is casting for a young female lead! Cat Woman anyone?