THE PROMISE

Oscar Isaac     Christian Bale     Charlotte Le Bon   Tom Hollander   James Cromwell

    The Armenian apothecary Mikael Pogosian (Isaac) has aspirations to become a doctor. With his parents’ encouragement, he is betrothed to a young woman in their village.  Her dowry will pay for him to get his medical degree in Constantinople, which he calculates will be two years, after which, he will return and marry his sweetheart.  Hence, the title, The Promise; little does he know what (individual, country, international events) will threaten that pronouncement.

     He’s doing well in his studies and makes friends with a fellow medical student who introduces him to a couple of his friends and they begin sampling the nightlife.  Chris Myers (Bale) is an American reporter writing stories about the war, and his girlfriend, Ana (Le Bon) is a tutor for the children of Mikael’s uncle.  She is Armenian like Mikael, and that serves as a bond between them.  Against their will—certainly Mikael’s, but also because Ana is unsure of Chris—the two develop an attraction for one another, and the love triangle will be interspersed into the story, which is mostly about the persecution of the Armenians.

     This juxtaposition of the triangle and the sieges against the Armenians has been criticized by critics of The Promise; but I liked having a human interest story for relief from the extremely brutal, merciless attacks that constitute most of the plot.  The interactions among the three are deftly presented, and don’t follow the usual outcome of such relationships—something else I appreciated.  Although, granted, the passion shown between characters at times is unbelievable under the circumstances.

     When the Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers against the Allies in WWI, they simultaneously step up their attacks on the Armenians.  Religious hatred, animosities, and purges had been occurring for centuries in the region, and the Ottoman leadership is now deciding to systematically get rid of all Armenians.  (One and a half million of them were massacred during this period of time.)  Through a chain of events, Mikael’s medical student friend is conscripted into the military and Mikael is put in a slave labor force building a railroad.  After a chance accident, he escapes and heads home to his parents, realizing that they are now in danger. 

     Much horror transpires, and Mikael, his family, and his friends are drawn together in a bloody conflict against the Ottomans.  Toward the end of the film, Ana responds to Mikael’s urge for revenge with “Our revenge will be to survive.” 

     This is the Armenian story, which is well worth the retelling, although it is a brutal, bloody tale.  Director Terry George and writer with Robin Swicord, bring forth an account of the fate of the Turkish/Kurdish Armenians in history that officials in Turkey are still loath to admit occurred.  The cast of Isaac, Bale, Le Bon, and Cromwell are superb in their renditions and in their sensitivity to portray victims of state government discrimination.  The music of Gabriel Yared and cinematography of Javier Aguirresarobe greatly support and enhance the qualities of this film.

Ordinary lives caught up in the drama of history.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

ANTHROPOID

Cillian Murphy     Jamie Dornan     Toby Jones     Marcin Dorocinski     Charlotte Le Bon     Anna Geislerova     Jirí Simek

          Anthropoid is a ghastly account based on the Allies’ secret plan in World War II to assassinate the “Butcher of Prague”, Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), who was the leader of the Nazi forces occupying Czechoslovakia in the early days of the war.  Hedrich was Adolf Hitler’s third in command who had designed the Final Solution meant to complete the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish people.  Self-exiled Czech and Slovak soldiers Josef Gabcik (Murphy) and Jan Kubis (Dornan) were charged by the British government and the exiled Czech government officials in London to carry out the assassination. 

           It’s an extremely dangerous mission since the Nazis had all but wiped out the Czech resistance, but Gabcik and Kubis were able to connect with two who were still operating, Uncle Hajsky (Jones) and Ladislav Vanek (Dorocinski).  Vanek was openly against the mission from the beginning, and tried numerous times to get Gabcik and Kubis to abandon the plan. Two others initially opposed, but who ultimately helped were two women, Marie (Le Bon) and Lenka (Geislerová).  They were asked to pair with the men when they went out, to lessen the suspicion that a lone man would arouse. 

          The men were given a room in the Moravec household and carefully mapped out the habits of Hedrich, who was to be killed on his way from home to the Prague Castle in a Mercedes convertible.  He liked to ride with the top down to make a statement about the successfulness of the German occupation.  Gabcik was to jump into the street to shoot him when the car slowed to make a curve, and Kubis would be ready with hand grenades for backup.  Karel Curda (Simek) another resistance operative was to be further backup, but he turned out to be unreliable.

         The film shows the operation in vivid detail, as well as the horrendous aftermath, which the Nazis were so enraged about, they wiped out two villages (wrongly tied to the operation) and killed or sent to concentration camps over 5,000 men, women and children.  The final standoff takes place in a church that was harboring Gabcik and Kubis and a number of other parachutists needing protection, with the Czechs showing uncommon bravery in trying to fight off an army of Nazi soldiers storming the church after a tip from a traitor.

        Anthropoid, co-written with Anthony Fresin by director Sean Ellis presents a very graphic account of a bloody, torturous time during the war, which reminds us of how plans hatched far away from the battle scene can have far-reaching, perhaps unpredictable, consequences.  It also reminds us of how bravely men can fight when the stakes are so high our basic freedoms are jeopardized.

        Murphy and Dornan carry the bulk of the show with their excellent acting skills, showing all the emotions and thought that can roil inside a person under such circumstances.  Le Bon, Geislerová, Jones, Dorocinski, and Simek provide quality support in their roles.  Another shout-out is deserved by Ellis, who served as cinematographer of the film, along with his other roles as writer and director.  Chaotic battle scenes are clear and easy to follow visually, and there’s a nice balance between black and white and vivid colors.

A brutal account of a dark time in Czechoslovakia during WWII.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE WALK

Joseph Gordon-Levitt     Ben Kingsley     Charlotte Le Bon

          The Walk is an impressive account of a man obsessed with an idea and persistent to a fault.  Phillippe Petit is the man who walked a tight rope between the Twin Towers in New York City in 1974, became the subject of James Marsh’s Oscar-winning documentary about that experience (Man on Wire, 2008), and author of a book about it (To Reach the Clouds, 2008).  Just as impressive are the special effects rendered by Director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Cast Away, Polar Express, Flight) and his team and the photography of Dariusz Wolski.  Numerous heart-stopping shots and gasps in the audience attest to the filmmakers’ ability to give viewers an “I was there” experience in 3D. 

          Petit (played by Gordon-Levitt) grew up in a military family and disappointed his father with his preoccupation at an early age with circus tricks.  When he saw a man on a high wire for the first time, he was smitten with the feat.  He managed to talk his way into being coached and mentored by an expert performer, Papa Rudy (Kingsley), which sent him on his way toward the goal of impressing the world with his feats.  His father’s booting him from the household and sending him out on his own was of little consequence to him.

          He meets another street performer in Paris, Annie (Le Bon) by first competing with her then wheedling her into a romantic relationship.  She will play a key role in supporting him throughout his initial dream and plan to walk a tight rope between the twin towers, even moving to New York with him and encouraging him through bleak times when everything seemed hopeless.  The night before the walk, she keeps vigil on the street with binoculars in hand, waiting for the moment.

          There is much more to the planning of the walk than the naïve viewer would imagine, and furthermore, at least a half-dozen additional people are needed to gain access to the buildings, help with cables, and perform other tasks before the walk can take place.  Assistants for Petit comprise a motley crew of helpers, one of which is afraid of heights (although he is not the one who abandons the project at the last minute).  The film does a good job in demonstrating what is needed, the setbacks and frustrations that ensue, and the psychological demands on everyone in working through conflicts and sustaining motivation throughout.  Dreams can be infectious, and Petit has a gift for keeping everyone around inspired.

          Gordon-Levitt fits the role hand-in-glove, even adopting a convincing French accent and mastering the tight rope for many scenes, although he did use a double (Jade Kindar-Martin) for more difficult walks.  In an interview with Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian, Kindar-Martin points out that psychological preparation is just as important as the physical.  “I told him [Gordon-Levitt] to believe he is the master of the world” (http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/24/the-walk-movie-world-trade-centre-robert-zemeckis-joseph-gordon-levitt). 

          I was less taken by Kingsley’s performance—and surprised because he’s usually outstanding.  But his accent was a mixture of several, and a deep connection with Gordon-Levitt’s character just didn’t come through.  On the other hand, the chemistry between Le Bon and Gordon-Levitt is dynamic.

Bottom line:  A gripping tale that takes you on a tight-rope high above the streets of New York.

Grade:  A-                        By Donna R. Copeland