4/4 stars
My very favorite romantic comedy. The cast is amazing, the writing is alternatingly hilarious and subtle, and the use of music is inspired. The real innovation of this movie is to apply the "hyperlink" style of film to a new genre that puts it to good use.
Written September 8, 2007.
Showing posts with label chiwetel ejiofor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chiwetel ejiofor. Show all posts
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
American Gangster
3/4 stars
A viewer coming to American Gangster expecting to see something like a formula (or even an exceptional) crime film will be disappointed to find it a somewhat different kind of movie. This isn't an operatic bloodbath, it's more of a biopic. Denzel Washington is top shelf of course, and it's not that he doesn't play a powerful and charismatic personality, but he doesn't do it in the way we have come to expect. Russell Crowe meanwhile, who I have rather pointedly disliked up until recently, gives his second inspired performance of the past year, after 3:10 to Yuma. Though separated for most of the film, when the two meet face to face, the result is a scene that I have a feeling will be well remembered. If this movie has a weakness though, it's that we can't really connect with Washington's character in the way we want to. We never get to see him hurt or challenged. In retrospect, I am also uncomfortable with the almost completely positive light in which the titular gangster is shown, given that he is a real person, and the fact that he apparently contributed a great deal to the making of the film. There are two sides to every story, but this film seems to be a little unbalanced toward the "outlaw as hero" interpretation.
Written February 21, 2008.
A viewer coming to American Gangster expecting to see something like a formula (or even an exceptional) crime film will be disappointed to find it a somewhat different kind of movie. This isn't an operatic bloodbath, it's more of a biopic. Denzel Washington is top shelf of course, and it's not that he doesn't play a powerful and charismatic personality, but he doesn't do it in the way we have come to expect. Russell Crowe meanwhile, who I have rather pointedly disliked up until recently, gives his second inspired performance of the past year, after 3:10 to Yuma. Though separated for most of the film, when the two meet face to face, the result is a scene that I have a feeling will be well remembered. If this movie has a weakness though, it's that we can't really connect with Washington's character in the way we want to. We never get to see him hurt or challenged. In retrospect, I am also uncomfortable with the almost completely positive light in which the titular gangster is shown, given that he is a real person, and the fact that he apparently contributed a great deal to the making of the film. There are two sides to every story, but this film seems to be a little unbalanced toward the "outlaw as hero" interpretation.
Written February 21, 2008.
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