2.5/4 stars
In the Valley of Elah is a movie that tries to be a mystery, a tragedy and a political statement. As a mystery it is dense and unpredictable (if somewhat dry), as a tragedy it is well acted and strikingly composed. However, the film's political agenda derails its success in other areas.
Tommy Lee Jones is the protagonist, a father who tries to solve his son's murder even as he grieves. His quiet intensity and constrained emotion are the film's greatest asset, and a reminder of Jones' incredible talent. He plays a character struggling with many emotions; anger, guilt, courage and determination, and he balances them all with great restraint. Charlize Theron gives a well drawn performance as the ambivalent police detective who helps him. The supporting cast includes numerous talented actors and strikes the right note as well, even if this often only requires them to be somber.
Whether or not they agree with the film's political sentiments (a condemnation of war in general and the Iraq war in particular), viewers will find that they rob the film's conclusion of the emotional payoff we should be feeling. Instead of playing as ingenious plot twist, the mystery's solution seems like an arbitrary deux es machina, designed to take us by surprise in the most tragic way possible. The use of a flashback at the end to twist the knife undermines the spare and direct storytelling style that the movie has established, and its powerful final image seems an unearned contrivance. Paul Haggis, while a highly talented writer and director, also has a history of such heavy-handedness (see Crash). In the Valley of Elah is another entry in his catalogue that overshoots the correct balance between drama and message.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Quantum of Solace
3/4 stars
The comparison that seems to be on the lips of most reviewers of Quantum of Solace is with The Bourne Trilogy, and I can certainly see the elements that prompt it, although I feel they are not prevailing. It's true that the film's frenetic (there's this film's reviewer buzzword) editing and cinematography meet sort of halfway between 2006's Casino Royale and Paul Greengrass's first Bourne film (The Bourne Supremacy). And there's a rooftop parkour chase that will bring back memories of the Tangiers chase scene in Bourne Ultimatum. Still, the feel of the new Bond series is distinct from the Bourne series, which eschewed the tuxedo and cocktail dress elements that are still a major part of the 007 flavor, even in spite of its more gritty character. Like The Bourne Supremacy though, Quantum of Solace does take quick cutting a bit too far, making the action scenes difficult to appreciate or follow. This, along with a preposterous main theme (a pretentious stylistic exercise by Jack White in lieu of actual songwriting) and some uneven sequences, make for very noticable flaws.
In spite of that, I did not dislike the film. This is the first 007 movie to be a sequel to another 007 movie in terms of continuing the other film's plot. At this, it is essentially a success. Daniel Craig continues to bring a solid emotional being to the character, his performance is fierce and moody. Other returning actors include Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright and Judi Dench, all of whose characters have interestingly complicated relationships with Craig's Bond. Quantum of Solace is a partner film to Casino Royale, and its events succeed at feeling relevant and necessary to the story that is told. The last half hour of Casino Royale introduced a new premise for a Bond film, that they can be character rather than event driven. QoS is singular in the series in that it is the only movie that follows this logic from start to finish. Yes, it has a primary villain, but neither his plan nor his demise are the main focus, and neither are the mechanations of the umbrella organization Quantum (who were also behind some of the events in the last movie). Instead, the cohesive logic of this movie is formed by Bond's drive to pursue them, his need for closure. In an impressive way, this film's subject is what it says it is.
The comparison that seems to be on the lips of most reviewers of Quantum of Solace is with The Bourne Trilogy, and I can certainly see the elements that prompt it, although I feel they are not prevailing. It's true that the film's frenetic (there's this film's reviewer buzzword) editing and cinematography meet sort of halfway between 2006's Casino Royale and Paul Greengrass's first Bourne film (The Bourne Supremacy). And there's a rooftop parkour chase that will bring back memories of the Tangiers chase scene in Bourne Ultimatum. Still, the feel of the new Bond series is distinct from the Bourne series, which eschewed the tuxedo and cocktail dress elements that are still a major part of the 007 flavor, even in spite of its more gritty character. Like The Bourne Supremacy though, Quantum of Solace does take quick cutting a bit too far, making the action scenes difficult to appreciate or follow. This, along with a preposterous main theme (a pretentious stylistic exercise by Jack White in lieu of actual songwriting) and some uneven sequences, make for very noticable flaws.
In spite of that, I did not dislike the film. This is the first 007 movie to be a sequel to another 007 movie in terms of continuing the other film's plot. At this, it is essentially a success. Daniel Craig continues to bring a solid emotional being to the character, his performance is fierce and moody. Other returning actors include Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright and Judi Dench, all of whose characters have interestingly complicated relationships with Craig's Bond. Quantum of Solace is a partner film to Casino Royale, and its events succeed at feeling relevant and necessary to the story that is told. The last half hour of Casino Royale introduced a new premise for a Bond film, that they can be character rather than event driven. QoS is singular in the series in that it is the only movie that follows this logic from start to finish. Yes, it has a primary villain, but neither his plan nor his demise are the main focus, and neither are the mechanations of the umbrella organization Quantum (who were also behind some of the events in the last movie). Instead, the cohesive logic of this movie is formed by Bond's drive to pursue them, his need for closure. In an impressive way, this film's subject is what it says it is.
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