DUNKIRK

Mark Rylance     Tom Hardy     Kenneth Branagh     James D’Arcy     Cillian Murphy    

Harry Styles     Fionn Whitehead     Barry Keoghan     Aneurin Barnard     Tom Glynn Carney

     Chaos reigns in the thick of battle, which Dunkirk exquisitely illustrates.  Christopher Nolan (writer/director) knew that it was critical to show the defense and evacuation in air, on the sea, and on land, and that cutting back and forth among these arenas was essential to a realistic account of the operation.  In 1940, before the U.S. entered the World War II, Germany had separated the northern Allied forces from the French forces in the south, and hoped to wipe out the Allies at Dunkirk.  In response, the Allies came up with an ambitious plan to evacuate their 330,000 troops from Dunkirk and transport them to England. 

     We are there as two young British soldiers (Whitehead, Bernard) find themselves in a throng on the beach waiting for British destroyers to pick them up.  German flyers saying, “We surround you” litter the beach, which is being periodically strafed, and when the two soldiers see a wounded man on a stretcher who needs to be carried to a waiting ship, they pick him up and run toward the ship.  There is chaos, and after much difficulty, they get him to the boat, only to have the boat bombed, and they have to figure out how to survive.  Nolan will get back to them time and again.

     Another arena is the air, where Farrier (Hardy) is an ace pilot on a Spitfire determined to shoot down every German fighter plane he sees.  And he sees and blasts many that we see go down and drown in the sea.

    The naval officers are waiting impatiently for British destroyers to show up, but they’re delayed, and other boats loaded with servicemen keep getting blown up, with the passengers who aren’t killed by the blasts jumping into the roiling sea.

     One of the more entertaining and uplifting—although also horrifying at times—segments in this film has to do with a private boat in the area requisitioned to rescue fallen troops in the sea.  The captain of this ship is Mr. Dawson (Rylance), who epitomizes the Wise One.  He rescues troops thrown into the sea, and instructs his son on board about PTSD (which had not yet been identified), boating, and simple human kindness.

     Stand-outs among the actors are Rylance as a brave and noble soul, Hardy as an ace pilot who is able to convey so much even with a mask covering his face, and Murphy as a crazed pilot rescued from atop his wrecked plane in the ocean.

     This is an extremely difficult film to watch, in that almost every scene is tension-filled with life-threatening struggles.  It’s not always clear what exactly is happening or what is being said by the characters.  The cinematography by Nolan’s favorite, Hoyle Van Hoytema, is brilliant in instilling a “You are there” experience in the viewer.  Likewise, Hans Zimmer’s score suffuses every scene with high emotional valence.

     For a fitting coda, Nolan includes excerpts of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s actual speech following the Battle of Dunkirk, underscoring the British spirit of never giving up:  “We shall go on in the end…we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.  We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

From the air, on the land, and in the sea, the battles wage on relentlessly.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE REVENANT

Leonardo DiCaprio     Tom Hardy     Domhnall Gleason

          The Revenant is an apt title (for one who returns after death) because Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) gets wounds severe enough to kill him—several times.  He is mauled by a grizzly bear, is stitched up by someone whose father was a doctor, and before his wounds heal he is dragged, almost smothered to death, almost buried alive, shot at…well, you get it.  I was reminded of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ when he pulls his heavy cross up a hill after he has been beaten so severely it’s difficult to see how he is alive, much less able to carry a cross.  When films go to this extreme, they lose me. 

       The one thing that compensates for this is the ever-stunning cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman, Gravity, To the Wonder, Tree of Life).  His camera revels in nature, and he enhances it with lighting, interesting contrasts and juxtapositions, and texture.  One of many examples in this film is when torches are being carried in a night scene with a red glow in the background, and stately, majestic trees towering through it all.  The trees—shown theme-like over and over—pick up on symbolic dialog spoken by Glass’s dead wife about how the branches of a tree might look like the tree is going to be felled by a strong wind, but when its roots are strong, it survives. 

        DiCaprio’s performance is a tour de force; he does not—is not able to—say much during the whole film, but is eloquent in his grunts and actions.  His eyes alone can convey the message.  The subtitle of the novel on which the film is based indicates that the story is about revenge, and the film highlights that aspect, giving it a noble connotation in that Glass has every reason to be vengeful.  And the actor is to be admired for enduring the brutal elements during the nine months of filming, which started in Canada, but was moved to Argentina when a warming trend melted the snow in Canada.

         Tom Hardy is adept in different kinds of roles, and here he plays the villain, and makes you grow to hate and disdain the character.  He is especially good at being glib but convincing when he argues about doing something that’s actually wrong.  He is one of the few actors who can keep the viewer mesmerized during a two-hour drive just talking on the phone! (in Locke). 

         I loved Innarritu’s Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, and Birdman, but this film does not measure up to those accomplishments.

        My problem with The Revenant is with the script, both in its content and in its length.  Because of the illogical content, the movie is over long.  And it’s become a cliché in action movies when two adversaries both lose their weapons and then resort to hand-to-hand combat.  Ending a story like this in hand-to-hand combat with one of the players almost dead from his wounds weakens the conclusion.

The cinematography and DiCaprio’s performance are the main reasons to see The Revenant.

Grade:  B                                      By Donna R. Copeland

LEGEND

Tom Hardy     Emily Browning

          Picture a family where the boiling point is low, the boundaries within it are so tight that loyalty takes precedence over morality, little is learned from mistakes made or punishments rendered, and at least one member of the family is psychotic, but intelligence and craftiness are high, and you will already be acquainted with the entertaining Kray family.  Twins Ronnie and Reggie (both played by Tom Hardy) seem to be chips off the old block, if glimpses of their father and mother are any indication.  They’re successful in the nightclub/casino business—at least Reggie is—and are even courted by the notorious American Meyer Lansky to share business profits.  The problem is that Reggie keeps getting put into prison, and he leaves the business to Ronnie to run.

         Legend is based on John Peerson’s book, The Profession of Violence, in which he tells the story of how the Kray twins built a huge criminal network in London in the 1960’s.  Swindling, extortion, murder—they would stop at nothing if their ire was sparked or they saw a competitive edge.  Director Brian Helgeland, screenwriter for 42, Robin Hood, and The Taking of Pelham, as well as Legend, presents what appears to be a realistic picture of the Krays and their world.  He keeps an even pace, and maintains enough suspense to keep us engaged to the end.

          One twin, Ronnie, is gay, but Reggie falls head over heels with the sister of one of his friends, who is just the opposite in personality and values as the Kray family.  Frances (Browning) is completely genuine, emotionally grounded (despite a mother who only knows how to preach instead of reason with her daughter about dating a gangster), and incredibly naïve.  This is exactly what attracts Reggie, who appears to be sincere in his intentions to make substantive changes, but is constantly torn between that and loyalty to his family.  He’s the classic abusive husband who forcefully promises to make changes, but reverts to his core under stress.

      Tom Hardy’s portrayal of the twins is noteworthy, given they are so different in personality.  He does such a good job, it makes you appreciate the power of the personality over the visual image of a person.  There are tiny things—such as the exposure of more or fewer teeth—and the manner of speaking, but the largest contrast is between how they conduct themselves socially.  Reggie is much more smooth and appealing then Ronnie, who, like the crazy person he is, blurts out whatever is on his mind—which is often a skewed picture.  Reggie is calculating; whereas Ronnie is instantly reactive. 

       Emily Browning is a fine partner with Hardy in his Reggie role.  She captures a character who is subtle, sometimes surprising, but always thoughtful, pensive even, despite being regarded as rather empty headed. 

         Another big plus to this film is Carter Burwell’s music.  He is uncanny in setting the perfect music, song, or tune that captures the emotional tone of every scene, especially the big ones, or introduces a dark, violent sequence.

          Perhaps this was only a problem for me, but I had difficulty understanding much of the dialog in Cockney.  Hardy as Reggie talking in a low indistinct voice or Ronnie as blustering and complaining was difficult to understand.  I realize the filmmakers’ interest in conveying messages about the characters in this way, but if the audience can’t understand the dialog, it detracts from the movie. 

Tom Hardy doubled is worth the price of a ticket!

Grade:  B By Donna R. Copeland

            

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

Tom Hardy     Charlize Theron     Nicholas Hoult     Hugh Keays-Byrne

In a post apocalyptic world, Max (Hardy)—the silent type—guiltily broods about not having saved his loved ones.  He is so “haunted by the living and the dead”, he doesn’t know whether he is mad or everyone else is.  The hallucinations plague him so much they distract him at critical times, causing him to slip up and allow someone else to take advantage of him.  As he’s a loner, these images are his most constant companions amidst repeated life-threatening attacks by war parties cruising the land, intent on bringing everyone under the power of Immortan Joe (Keays-Byrne).  Not only does Joe hog almost all the available water for himself and dole it out to the public in the scantiest way he can think of, he keeps a number of wives who are “breed cows” making children that will resemble him. 

           After Max manages to escape from being an attachment at the front of a fierce warrior’s vehicle, his path crosses that of Furioso (Theron) and they each grab their weapons and guardedly become acquainted, but it will be some time before a modicum of trust is built up.  She is driving a wondrous junk heap of a truck that spews and sputters, but is equipped with all kinds of tools and weapons for defense.  Secretly, she is driving five of Joe’s wives to the “green place” where there will be hope for them to establish satisfying lives.  All the women are heroically skillful in adapting tools and fighting their way out of a jam.  In fact, a strong point of the film for me is that there is little difference between the male and female roles when the women get a chance to fend for themselves and go beyond simple breeding.  Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are perfectly cast, with alarming tugs of war, then oh-so-gradual softening and respect for one another.

           Much of the film is this small motley group fleeing Joe, with his war parties nipping at their heels—or their back bumper.  There is one kind of loud violence after another, with pyrotechnics bursting in the air, sloshing mud underneath them, gunfire going in all directions, and hair-raising deaths.  Yet, George Miller, the director and co-writer with Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris, manage to weave an allegory about finding/creating one’s authentic self in the desert through much suffering and effort, so characters develop and change across time (shout-out to Nicholas Hoult).  Unlike with many action films, I wasn't waiting just for it all to be over.

           In fact, this is one of the most unusual action films I’ve seen.  Not only is there an interesting, suspenseful story, there are creative special effects that allow for elaborate stunt work (Guy Norris et al.) and contraptions to use as props, breathtaking scenery that shows a natural but ruined world, spectacular camera work (John Seale), and a soaring musical score (Junkie XL) with a red-suited, screaming electric guitarist stuck in the middle and playing for all he’s worth.

More than your usual action movie.

Grade:  A By Donna R. Copeland

CHILD 44

Tom Hardy     Noomi Rapace      Joel Kinnaman      Vincent Cassel      Gary Oldman     Charles Dance     Jason Clarke

World War II has ended, but in Stalinist Russia a reign of terror pervades, as related in Child 44 based on a prize-winning book with the same title by Tom Rob Smith.  This should be a better film than it is, with its outstanding cast.  Since I haven’t read the book, I don’t know how well the script follows Smith’s book, and maybe Richard Price (screenplay) simply wasn’t up to the job.  I also found the editing (Pietro Scalia and Dylan Tichenor) nerve-wracking and choppy.  The story does not flow easily, and it’s always several seconds or minutes into a new scene before the viewer can figure out what is going on and who the players are.  Cheap shots like showing only the bottom parts of the actors and hearing voices before speakers appear seem to be attempts to heighten the mystery, but this is completely unnecessary; the story is dramatic enough without camera and editing tricks.

           We see Leo Demidov (Xavier Atkins in early years; Hardy in later years) weeping about his father’s death, escaping from an orphanage, and ending up in military service, where he becomes a hero.  For that, he is appointed to the MGB (later to become the KGB) where he is to round up traitors.  He is shown to be more compassionate than most, particularly his fellow officer Vasili (Kinnaman).  When Vasili shows himself to be cruelly vengeful and cold-blooded, Leo attacks him publicly, which will have dire consequences for Leo and his wife Raisa (Rapace).

           We’re given a picture of the MGB when a suspected traitor (Jason Clarke) is routed out at a farmhouse, and when Leo asks him why he ran from the officers if he was innocent, the reply is, “When you’re followed, you’re arrested; and when you’re arrested, you’re already guilty; so you tell me, why did I run?”  We see many people being rounded up at home, at work, or on the street for apparently the flimsiest excuses.

           In this context of fear and paranoia, an atmosphere where the illusion of an idyllic state is more important than truth and justice, murder can go undetected, which is especially unfortunate in the case of a serial killer of children, who knowingly exploits this fact and literally gets away with murder(s).  Most of the rest of the story deals with this and the outrageous vindictiveness of Vasili who will make Demidov pay dearly for his public reproach.  But Leo is conscientious—even though he and Raisa are pursued as traitors—and doggedly pursues the cases of the murdered children.

           The whole story of Child 44 is an intriguing one that keeps the viewer keenly involved and invested in the outcome, so it’s a shame that with the fine cast and Ridley Scott as one of the producers, Director Daniel Espinosa was not able to bring about a work of higher quality. 

 

There is no murder in paradise.

Grade:  C                                         By Donna R. Copeland