The shawshank redemption movie review

The shawshank redemption is a wonderful film. An old style tale of friendship and hope, filled with complex characters. In a sea of evil, surrounded by all the dark detritus, there is always hope. Hope and friendship - real friendship - not the fakery we often come across in our lives where those people purposefully choose to be false for whatever reason. Hope is probably one of the most important of things. Something to hold onto and embrace..

Andy Dufresne is convicted of murdering his wife and is sentenced to two life sentences back to back at Shawshank prison. Not the flashiest of characters, Tim Robbins embues him with a quiet sense of humanity, a humble intelligent man with numbers. His crime being the folly we all have witnessed: neglect and apathy. It set him on a colision course that will ultimately change his life forever.

Some of the most affecting scenes are the quietest. A distant look of Brooks as the darkness closes in around him, the realisation dawns on him that he is an institutionalised man and doesn’t see a place in the world for himself anymore. The screenplay is littered with great scenes and quotable dialogue, a testamount to Darabonts skill as a writer.

Elis ‘Red’ Redding played by Morgan Freeman was initially envisioned in the screenplay as a red headed irish caucasion. Freeman makes the character his own, giving him a steely humanity and a sense of morality. In this regard Shawshank holds true, a tale of morality with honour and fortitude at the centre. I couldnt imagine anyone else playing this role, Freeman’s silken voice over a key storyteller its own right.

Although the movie is deliberately slow it never gets boring, the sedate storytelling key in building this sense of friendship throughout the years between Red and Dufresne. In truth, it is a love story of sorts, a tale of two mens platonic love for one another that transcends the steely confines of shawshank prison.

There are stock characters to be found like the Warden Norton and Captain Hadley but they are treated as the flip side of honour and hope. That without honour and morals you ultimately self destruct.

In the end when ‘Red’ reunites with Dufresne it was supposed to fade out on the bus ride to Texas (in the screenplay) which would have robbed us witnessing hope come to fruition. It is something we needed to see. The final shot of them embracing in friendship as the crystal blue ocean breaks onto the shore, gives the film finality. A resolution that hope springs eternal.

Rocky 4: Rocky vs Drago

The 80s was time for excess in every sense of the word, especially with movie making. Often times a music video approach was applied to videos, fusing them with over the top montage sequences set to toe tapping music.

The original cut of Rocky 4 epitomised this approach, a movie so full of music and montages that it bordered on turning into a music video. Sylvester Stallone was never a fan of the original cut of the movie. It was heavily jingoistic with cold war rhetoric of east vs west. Given access to recut the movie into a prefered “directors cut”, Stallone delivers a 93 minute run time which slows the pace down and dials back some of the music video aesthetics.

Opening more slowly and deliberately, Rocky 4 offers a more measured and sedate version of the movie. Gone is any hint of Paulie’s Robot maid and the emphasis on the wealth that Rocky has attained. Instead it is focussed on Apollo and his mid-life crisis. A former champion struggling to come to terms with his new life out of competition. Enter Ivan drago, a Russian amateur boxer looking to make waves, challanging Rocky to an exhibition match which he cheerfully declines. Apollo has other ideas and ropes Rocky into helping him beat the russian.

This, of course, does not go to plan as Apollo is brutally beaten in the ring. There is more of an emphasis on going ‘out on your sword’ in this cut of the movie. The boxing match attempting to be more brutal and ‘real’ but the over exagerated fight choeography not quite allowing that to stick.

Cut to Rocky agreeing to fight Drago to revenge the death of his friend. There is an interesting scene where the boxing commision wont sanction the fight go ahead on American soil for fear Rocky will be killed in the ring so it must take place in Russia without any belts on the line in a more amateur capacity.

Without being a different story per se, the film is tonally different and more serious. The montages are more selected and purposeful rather than just to transition time.

Thats not to say that its entirely succesful in this approach. The original for its flaws, had energy and urgency. The musical overlays speaking what the dialogue could not. Given the slower pace and the deliberate switching of musical cues this cut can either frustrate or intrigue. The nature of the fight choregraphy holding longer on boxing shots does emphasise the fact that they are not hitting for real and takes away from the brutality somewhat.

So in that sense its a mixed bag. You will either like it or you wont. Setting aside the politics which is still equally front and centre, it is marginally toned down. There is no east vs west boxing gloves exploding on screen.

Is this cut any better than the theatrical release? It’s hard to tell. It’s certainly a little different but wheter it improves it overall is up to interpretation. Some will prefer it while others will look at the original as superior. I’m on the fence. Some aspects I prefer in both cuts so it’s fair to say that this cut doesn’t necessarily make it better.

Robocop (1987) movie review

“In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.”

— imdb

Directed by Paul Verhoven (Basic instinct, Starship troopers) RoboCop is violent, darkly comical science fiction action film that pits a cybernetic cop against a gang of ruthless criminals.

Tinged with over the top satire, RoboCop manages to sprinkle in hints of humanity amongst the detritus making us feel for Murphy (Peter Weller) - a straight talking, honourable cop who happens to transfer to a demiliterised zone. On his first day on the job Murphy comes face to face with Charles Boddicker (a brilliant turn by Kurtwood Smith) a would be crime boss hell bent on taking a controlling interest in the sleazier side of the new ‘Delta city’.

The violence in RoboCop is, at points, extreme. Opening on a boardroom filled with obnoxious ‘yuppy suits’ who are equally as cut-throat as any criminal, we are introduced to ED-209 - a state of the art automated police guard the latest innovation of OCP - Guns down an executive turning his litteral dead body into swiss cheese. Another executive screams to call for an ambulance when clearly he belongs in a body bag.

It’s tinged with black humour, making the OTT violence almost comic book in nature. That didn’t stop the MPAA calling for trims to the violence , both in this scene and Murphy’s death - with litteral hands & arms blown off and enough lead in his chest to arm a platoon. The physical effects are brilliant, handled with explosive realism by Rob Bottin.

RoboCops suit is equally impressive, a shinning beacon of hope amongst the detritus. Peter Weller does a great job of selling a cyborg from his stilted movements to his on the nose delivery of dialogue. Other notable turns are from Ronny Cox as Jones, a sleazy corporate wolf who thinks only of the bottom line and his ascention to CEO of OCP. His would be nemesis, a snotty kid ‘Morton’ (Played by the late Miguel Ferrer) half his age who steals his thunder and undermines Jones aurthority with the RoboCop programme.

For an estimated budget of 13 million, RoboCop is an impressive film. Especially given the fact that most of the effects were achieved with stop motion puppets. A sleazy world of corporate greed and nilhilistic gangs was never done any better. Despite two sequels and a short lived series.

In todays PG-13 landscape a movie like this wouldn’t exist. When they tried ot reboot the franchise a few years back they toned down the violence and made what RoboCop wasn’t intended to be: a kids film. Gone was the satire and right wing nihilism being replaced by a sedate, glossy shadow.

For some, Paul Verhoven is a very polarising filmmaker with his in your face approach to violence and sex. In a lot of ways he’s a realist, wanting to get you as close as possible to a gunshot or a sleazy sexual act. You are a voyeaur, travelling with him into a dirty picture of a possible future world.

In some ways we seem to have travelled a lot closer to the world of RoboCop than we would like to comfortably admit.

When all is said and done RoboCop is a very tight action film with explosive violence, over the top characterisation and an iconic creation. Often repeated but never bettered.

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'Shadow in the cloud' movie review

“A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.”

— imdb

**Spoiler alert** Spoilers ahead**

Maude Garret (Chloe Grace Moretz) a female pilot who carries top secret information, boards a B17 bomber. Faced with a suspicious ‘all male crew’ who question her identity. Suddenly Maude spots a shadow in the clouds. Was it a Japanese fleet on patrol or something else more sinister?

Opening on an atmospheric setup, ‘Shadow in the cloud’ is a frustratingly silly movie that quickly deteriorates into unintentional hilarity.

Co-Written by Max Landis who allegedly sexually abused women, the opening salvo of obnoxious, predatory all male crew takes on a more sinister overtone than probably intended. Filled with gems such as ‘she has a face i’d like to fuck’ you get the general idea of the quality of the dialogue spoken here. It’s played for shock factor to a certain degree but when this continues for at least 15 minutes then you have to wonder wheter it is the only thing the writer actually has to say which is more than a little irritating.

For the first 40 minutes it is essentially a one women play. Self contained to a gun turret below the b17 bomber as Maude chats back and forth with her male counterparts. Besides the questionable dialogue exchanges it did have potential to make something claustrophobic and interesting. In the hands of a more skilled director we could have seen something different emerge. As it stands it feels laboured and forced in service of a creature that is only partially realised.

If you haven’t guessed it there is a gremlin on board the ship. Not that you needed to guess by the way, that is firmly rammed down your throat by an irrititating cartoon before the main film just in case you had a labotomy the week before and wouldn’t ‘get it’.

The other bizarre choice is how the crew is visualised when they talk to Maude. Stylised cutaways highlighted in red and green and a black background. This totally took me out of the movie and for no reason whatsoever other than to be ‘stylistic’.

But I digress the creature is for the most part well done. A hybrid rat/bat which terrorises Maude and the crew. The obvious comparison (And clearly copied) here is the episode of the twilight zone ‘nightmare at 10,000 feet’ which does a better job at creating a chaotic and suspenseful atmosphere. In this movie it seems as though suspense is an afterthought in service of trying to make something look cool.

Soon we realise that the package that Maude was carrying is, in fact, a baby and the father is one of the crew members on board trying to sequester her to a new country. No sooner has the creature invaded the bomber and he has taken the baby hostage.

Cue all sorts of death defying antics that literally make no sense physics wise to rescue her baby:

• Maude climbing underneath the belly of the bomber with a broken finger as the bomber speeds hundreds of miles an hour.

• Maude falls from the bomber hurtling through the sky to her death only to be blown back up into the plane by an explosion.

• Flying the bomber upside down to supposedly land correctly with only two functioning engines.

The list goes on and on..

By the time the finale swings around (besides the glaring fact that it makes no sense whatsoever as the creature hurtled to the ground miles away) it is a mano el mano fight to the death between the creature and Maude who suddenly has learned martial arts on her exit of the plane. She litterally beats the living shit out of the creature, pummeling it in the face, ending with a death strike using the creatures own claw as a weapon.

If the blatant over the top in your face feminism up to this point wasn’t enough then the last shot of Maude breast feeding her baby will surely tip you over the edge. My wife turned to me at that point and said to me “ God, that was a terrible movie, wasn’t it?” “Yes, yes it was” I replied.

Carlito's way movie review

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“A Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.”

— imdb

Carlito Brigante, released after five years in prison finds himself back on the streets. With a plan to go straight this time he is unwittingly drawn back into the detritus. Clinging to a dream of escape to the bahamas, he hatches a plan to leave but he finds that there is no honour amongst theives…

Directed by Brian De Palma, Carlitos way is a glossy, gritty tour de force of suspence and great acting. In a lot of ways this was De Palmas best picture, controlled, great set pieces, interesting characters and a story that engages.

The movie spends no time settling into the story. After a brief and somewhat funny, slightly over the top Pacino (Carlito) monologue we are straight into Carlito’s story. He is a complex character with a set of honour codes that the newer generation no nothing about. He will quickly find out that honour will get you killed and its usually your best friend who will do it.

Although not the most original set up - prisoner trying to go straight this time but failing - Pacino makes the character his own. He is slightly more understated this time, more controlled. We feel his plight as a haggard, oldschool gangster who doesn’t want that life anymore. He is too old and too wise now.

The world has changed so much in five short years and he struggles to catch up. His best friend Davy Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) has changed too. A wiry haired gangster wannabe who defends criminals for a living. He’s come up in the world, flashing an endless flow of cash and unhealthy addiction to cocaine. Penn creates a memorable character, a sleazy scumbag who has no honour or backbone and will do anything to slither his way out of a jam. When a hit is put out on his life, Klienfeld will ask Carlito to crawl back into the underworld with him… with devestating results.

Undoubtedly one of de Palmas strengths as a filmmaker is his ability to create suspence and hold onto it for extended periods of time. indeed in Carlitos way he creates quite a few memorble set pieces of particular highlight a train station sequence that skillfully builds and builds in tension.

He is a master technician, his camera work almost a character in its own right. To some he is a copy cat of Hitchcock while others feel he is steeped in film knowledge. To me he is an interesting filmmaker, often great, sometimes less so, but when he is on form as he is here there are very few who are better, if any.

There is a bone of contention with Carlitos way and that is the opening, which if you havn’t seen it stop reading now…

To me, on a rewatch, it slightly ruins the film. We open on Carlito as he is carted away on a gurney. The way it is shot clearly you are meant to take it that he is destined for the morgue which ruins the final act in the train station. Carlito is desperately trying to catch a train and his dream of a life away from crime when unexpectedly he comes face to face with ‘Benny Blanco from the bronx’ (a brilliant turn by John Leguizamo) - a carbon copy of a younger self that he dismissed as a ‘nickle bagger’ - coming to inflict a deathly blow and a final nail in the coffin of Carlito’s dream.

Without this opening, the ending would have been far more shocking and effective. As it stands now it is less so.. even though you could argue that he was destined never to make that dream a reality, telegraphing it like this was a misstep in an otherwise brilliant movie.

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'Mimic' movie review

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“Three years ago, entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease. Now, the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind.”

— imdb

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, ‘Mimic’ is a throw back movie similar in tone to invasion of the body snatchers. Due to studio interference by Miramax (Harvery Weinstein), Del Toro’s vision undermined and questioned, often being asked to ‘make it more scary’ and less cerebral or suffer being fired from the job. Which is hardly surprising as Weinstein is often cited as being a childish bully. To the point where Del Toro was deliberately trying to make each shot interesting visually so he at least could show future potential investers that the movie wasn’t a complete disaster should he be dismissed.

This was Del Toro’s second feature film. Coming from an independent world where you are often in charge of your own fate with no overseers looking over your shoulder, questioning every shot and dime spent. In a lot of ways it was a baptism of fire and one that nearly broke his fledgling career. Indeed Del Toro would state that if it wasn’t for Mira Sorvino he would have been dismissed and his career might not be what it is today.

The movie starts off brightly enough as an outbreak of cockroaches carrying stricklers disease cripples New York, causing kids to get seriously ill. With no chance of therapeutics or a vaccine the CDC is tasked with solving the crisis. Dr Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) engineers a noval solution ‘the judas breed’, designed to erradicate the cockroach population and take with it the disease that is killing children. Cut to three years later with stricklers disease in the rear view mirror, a new breed of predator creeps up from the depths..

It’s a visually interesting film, there are echoes of other films like the relic and aliens but it has its own sensibility. There are hints of Del Toros work there but they are sporadicaly scattered throughout it. The film has more of a B movie aesthetic than I would imagine the original concept to have been so there is a sense incoherence and jump cutting.

Characterwise the movie doesn’t fair very well, they are stock tropes there just to service the story rather than enhance it. Sorvino turning in Ripley lite; tortured by frankenstein syndrome when her creation has a life of its own. Jeremy Northam doesn’t fair so well he struggles to get to grips with an unruly american accent and a character that is just beyond his grasp.

But really are you watching a movie like this for the characters? in truth its the monsters, the situations and the creep factor. The effects are good created by Rob Bottin (The thing); slimey and grim. However, it isn’t particularily scary but it does have a selection of effective set pieces.

With far too many contrivances and convenient set ups the movie descends into silliness by the end. You are left questioning what could have been without studio interference.. but such is the long history of commerce versus creativity in the movie business. Oftentimes what could have been is the moniker for just ok or passable when it had the potential to be good or great.

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Alien resurrection movie review

“200 years after her death, Ellen Ripley is revived as a powerful human/alien hybrid clone. Along with a crew of space pirates, she must again battle the deadly aliens and stop them from reaching Earth.”

— imdb

In a lot of ways the premise for Alien Resurrection is ludicrous. Ripley, burnt in a gigantic furnace at the end of Alien 3, has been cloned back into existence. Where exactly did they got her DNA from is anyone’s guess and the subject is wisely avoided in the screenplay.

Putting aside the fact that Alien 3 gave Ripley’s character a fitting end to her character - sacrificing herself to save humanity taking an alien queen with her - Alien Resurrection does at least give Ripley’s character an interesting wrinkle: how much of her is human or Alien after the cloning. They play with this in the script for a short time but it is jettisoned in favour of action and comedy.

Written by Joss Whedon who would go on to make Buffy the vampire slayer and Avengers and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (delicatessen) as a dark action comedy.

It is probably fair to say that Alien Resurrection is the least interesting in the franchise of movies. It relies more on humour than atmosphere and dread which are the hallmarks of the alien series. Not as visually striking as the other movies in the series despite some nice sets and a bigger budget. Perhaps due to the choice of grungy aesthetics which worked better in the previous films. It’s a very mixed bag - heavy on gore and slime and weak on story and characterisation. The only character given anything to work with is Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) the others are slight and single dimensional.

Winona Ryder and Dan Hadeya should get special mention here, one playing an android like her charisma batteries had run dangerously low and the other auditioning for Spaceballs the movie - his death scene hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

Not to say that its terrible, it's not. It does have some interesting sequences primarily the underwater chase which is really good. The biggest issue besides the ott one liner approach is the fact that the movie isn't remotely scary or really that intense. Gone are the sweaty intense sequences being replaced by something more predicable and by the numbers. It feels more like a series of scenes cobbled together than a cohesive story.

The ending where the ship is on course to land back on earth releasing aliens on an unsuspecting populace is halfheartedly explored almost to the point that we don’t care. It’s an after thought to get characters from set A to set B with a few wisecracks thrown in for good measure.

I read Joss whedons original screenplay before the movie even came out in the late 90s. There was some very interesting sequences that didn't make the cut: an extended chase through a biosphere where aliens were attacking left and right and the hybrid alien which was a bizarre, albino blood sucking spider Alien. The script had potential but it was constructed the same as the eventual film. So despite Whedon claiming that they (The filmmakers) ruined his screenplay I would wager that it is largely intact. The only notable change being the ending which was much better in the screenplay than the movie.

Speaking of which the hybrid alien human match up when it is eventually revealed is very underwhelming. As a design it’s neither scary nor particularly articulate. Its a wonder this design wasn’t scrapped in favour of something better. The original screenplay called for something more interesting - a hybrid alien/human spider with distinct red markings.

Which brings us back to the budget - perhaps it was too expensive, jettisoned along with the other action sequences from the script. Taking with it a sense of originality. At its core there was an interesting premise: Ripley as a hybrid - part alien part human.

Which sort of sums up the movie really. A watchable mess that has interesting elements coupled with eye rolling moments.

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Alien 3 Movie Review

“After her last encounter, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on Fiorina 161, a maximum security prison. When a series of strange and deadly events occur shortly after her arrival, Ripley realizes that she has brought along an unwelcome visitor.”

— imdb

Very few movies have had the troubled start that Alien 3 had. Multiple screenplays - some more bizarre than others including a reportedly weird fairy tale echoing the seven dwarfs, a western influenced space station and a planet made out of wood inhabited by monks.

It’s little wonder that the film is disjointed and incomplete as it is. Without a cohesive screenplay as a road map its difficult to bring stories like these to screen. It’s nigh on impossible if you aren’t backed as a director and the studio you work for has no faith in your ability to deliver. David Fincher was in an untenable position, trying to deliver a Gothic and very bleak take on an alien movie while being constantly undermined and questioned.

I for one, would have been interested to see his completed vision. In some ways it’s present in the ‘assembly cut’ which features some of what Fincher had intended for the movie but is missing the scope and the spectacle. As reported in the making of documentary for the film he wasn’t allowed to film sequences because they were too expensive. Which is bizarre considering they had to do six weeks of additional filming when production wrapped in the UK which incurred more expense I would wager.

But such is the problem when ego, creativity and commerce clash. It is never going to end well for the film.

As it is the film looks great for the most part, (apart from the terrible optical effects work) sweeping wide angle shots filled with smoke and shadow. There is a creative vision at play. An oppressive world filled with bleak characters living out their days in the arse end of space. These ‘lifers’ choosing God and celibacy until their day ends. Enter Ripley, a female offering temptation and a glimpse of a world they have chosen to forget unwittingly bringing an Alien creature whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc with the lonely inhabitants.

Closer to the original Alien in tone, Alien 3 is a weirdly disjointed movie. Bleak, sometimes stunning and others infuriating. Its a mixed bag that never really takes off. Which is a shame as it had potential with its signature style of low angle shots and incredible industrial Gothic sets.

The physical effects work is great as well as the alien costume. It’s major failing is the optical effects by Richard Edlund which at the time I thought looked fake never mind nearly thirty years later. The ‘dog alien’ a challenge to make look real as well as do actions that we’re beyond the puppetry and fx capabilities at the time. It’s clear to see the flaws with matte lines around the alien from compositing issues.

Whenever you cut between live action and optical puppet the differences are night and day. The issue with scale apparent in the above shot compared to the life size animatronic head used for the iconic close up. In today’s CGI environment it would be much easier to achieve the desired look and blend both together almost seamlessly.

The cast deliver committed performances under what I would imagine was quite a difficult situation - Daily changes to script being one of the more demanding. Charles Dutten (Dillen) is a highlight as the ring leader of the inmates as is Sigourney Weaver and Charles Dance.

Overall it’s an enjoyable movie perhaps not quite as engaging or exciting as the previous two but certainly a worthy entry into the franchise. It is an often asked question: what would the movie have been if Fincher had been given more time to prep and left to create his vision? In that regard we will never know but suffice to say that it would have been a tonally more cohesive effort and perhaps grander in scale. What is clear is it would have been a more interesting movie as a result. As it stands, its frustrating, at times brilliantly conceived and others a bit sloppy and incoherent.

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'Underwater' movie review

Underwater movie poster - movie review blog

“A crew of oceanic researchers working for a deep sea drilling company try to get to safety after a mysterious earthquake devastates their deepwater research and drilling facility located at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.”

— imdb

Set in the murky world of a deepwater drilling facility we open on Norah (Kristen Stewart) as she dresses, we assume, for her morning stint as a mechanical engineer on board of a massive drilling platform in the depths of the Mariana trench. Set in a heavily influenced ‘Alien’ grunge design aesthetic - from the long corridors to the deliberate slow moving camera movements - Norah is thrown into an emergency situation where the drilling platform is subjected to a massive earthquake, causing an evacuation.

It’s a great, fast paced opening. The effects are impressive and it’s easily one of the better sequences in the movie. Along the way Norah finds a rag tag group of employees. Together they must embark on a treacherous journey along the Mariana trench to find escape pods to the surface.

Diving preperation

Despite its obvious nods to Alien and the abyss I found the movie mostly entertaining. Kristen Stewart is often a very polarising actress, she has a somewhat limited range, but her performance here is quite good. Even through the script doesn’t ask very much of her. In fact it’s probably fair to say that the script doesn’t ask much of any of the actors. They are single dimensional characters, stereotypical of the genre adding nothing new.

A scene early on involving a ‘baby sea monster’ is a major misstep echoing far too closely a very famous scene from ‘Alien’. In truth the movie really wants to be ‘Alien’ underwater. From it’s grunge aesthetic to the lone female heroine and nods to scenes throughout the movie. Norah is Ripley lite, the reluctant hero. But what Alien had in abundance: Tension and suspense sadly Underwater lacks.

Kirsten Stewart - underwater

What it needed was a feeling of claustrophobia, being in the deepest part of the ocean under literal pressure where one misstep will cause you to loose your life. The movie didn’t feel very claustrophobic. For me it nearly would have made a better disaster movie without creatures in it at all. As it stands there is very little story to latch onto. The main plot is a series of narrow escapes, traveling from point A to B losing one crew member after the next.

For the most part the movie looks great, the design of the underwater suits are really nice. Cinematography is great and how they shot the underwater walking sequences are really impressive. It’s just a shame the creature design is a little uninspired.

I’m a huge fan of underwater movies like The abyss so this movie should have been right up my alley. For the most part I enjoyed it but I felt it strayed to closely to Alien at times which spoiled it quite a bit for me.

Overall the movie is very watchable and moves very quickly. If you’re looking for something more than that then you may be disappointed.

THE HUNT MOVIE REVIEW

the hunt poster - movie review blog

“Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt.”

— imdb

‘The hunt’ is based loosely upon Richard Connell’s 1924 short story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ which incidentally has spawned many other movies such as Jean Claude Van Damme’s ‘Hard Target’ .

Given it’s well documented troubled release it finally landed on March 13th straight into a world wide pandemic and perhaps overly high expectations - although having watched the trailer I was less interested, it seems, than most.

Opening on a charter flight we are briefly introduced to a series of one dimensional ‘Elites’ who are carrying a special cargo for their hunt. A heavy handed revenge on a bunch of so-called ‘deplorables’ - 12 one-note men and women - equally one dimensional as the elites. This opening scene already a misstep ultimately adding nothing of real value bar setting up a mystery that isn’t a mystery involving Hilary Swank’s character. Which is bizarrely spoiled in the trailer for the movie.

I would argue that it would have been better to open the movie on the 12 ‘deplorables’ waking up in a field, tied and gagged trying to figure out what is happening to them. But I guess that would mean you would have to imbue some character beyond stereotypes to the individuals which unfortunately is sorely missing. Instead they are cannon fodder killed, in some instances, without uttering a word to camera.

As a result the writing comes across as lazy and uninspired. Not funny or satirical enough trying too desperately to draw parallels between itself and animal farm. Although there are moments of dark comedy mostly within the first 30 minutes of the movie. It is left to Betty Gilpin to give the movie interest - she is the highlight of the movie for me and her performance is very good it’s just a shame the movie around her isn’t up to the same level.

Structurally, the movie felt very disjointed. Flashbacks happen at inappropriate moments and there is very little in the way of tension or suspense. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that I’ve seen so many other movies in the the same ilk and it didn’t really add anything new to the mix.

The trailer and advertising would have you believe that the movie has some radical view point. Red state versus Blue state. In reality it didn’t take any stance at all trying to be edgy and apolitical at the same time. A sanitised product dressed up as something more.

The finale is a disappointing extended cat fight that tends to repeat itself until the silliest death in history leaves you thankful that the movie was only 90 minutes long.

When all is said and done The Hunt is average at best.

'The invisible man' movie review

“When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.”

— imdb

‘The invisible man’ is written and directed by Leigh Whannel who wrote the original Saw movies and is now firmly in the directors chair for this and his previous outing ‘Upgrade’. I initially caught a short ‘TV SPOT’ advertising the movie a while back and I really wasn’t drawn to it at all.

Thankfully the movie is a lot better than the TV SPOT for it. A twisted take on ‘Sleeping with the enemy’ it opens on Cecilia (Elizebeth Moss) as she tries to escape the clutches of her abusive husband. Silence playing a key role as she creeps around her husbands impressive mansion in her bare feet trying desperately to be quiet. It’s a creepy little scene and foreshadows what is to come after.

Cecilia is damaged by the relationship and slowly tries pick the pieces back up of her shattered psyche with the help of her friend and police officer James (Aldis Hodge). When Cecilia is notified that her Husband has taken his own life and she is entitled to five million dollar endowment from her late husbands estate she is invited to meet with Tom (Michael Dorman) her husbands estranged brother.

From here the movie is all about the slow deconstruction of Cecilia’s mind as she is seemingly haunted from the grave by her late husband. To say anymore would spoil the movie suffice to say that there are a handful of very effective scenes. My advice would be to see the movie without looking at any trailers.

Produced by Blumhouse pictures with an estimated 7 million budget its a mostly effective partially self contained movie. Not everything is perfect nor does it make perfect sense but when you are in the flow of the movie you don’t really pay too much attention.

It’s all about Elizabeth Moss’ performance as the fragile Cecilia. She makes her sympathetic and likeable. A trodden upon wife who happened to have the misfortune to hook up with a husband whose only desire was to control her completely. From her sense of dress to her hair style and everything else in between.

Even though the ending is telegraphed earlier than intended it is still enjoyable and a fitting conclusion to the movie. Overall worth a watch.

'the gentlemen’ movie review

The gentlemen - MD movie review blog

“A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.”

— imdb

‘The Gentlemen’ is Guy Ritchie returning to his gangster roots again. A gentrified cousin to ‘Lock stock’ and ‘Snatch’ it features once again a motley crew of eccentric characters, double deals and a sleight of hand.

Opening with ‘Fletcher’ (played by Hugh Grant) a sleazy investigative journalist, who seizes an opportunity to try to blackmail Mickey Pearson (Matthew Mc Conaughey) for a cool twenty million regaling his ‘Fixer’ Ray (Charlie hunnam) about Mickey’s clandestine drug business which he intends to air publicly on the front page of a sleazy rag headed by the ruthless editor ‘Big Dave’ (Eddie Mardan).

Told in a slightly muddled flashback we follow Mickey and Ray as they try to negotiate an uneasy sale of their ‘weed business’ to ‘Matthew’ (Jeremy Strong) when a young gangster called ‘Dry eye’ (Henry Golding) interferes causing mayhem.

There are quite a few subplots to the movie. Initially when we open with Fletcher (Grant) telling us in unnecessarily Tarantino-esque dialogue about his master plan I thought I was going to be in for a very long viewing experience. Charlie Hunnam really didn’t inspire me with confidence either, his performance in these early scenes slightly wooden, unsure himself of what exact way to play his character. It is fortunate for the movie that he eventually settles into the role and gives a decent performance. Grant on the other hand plays his socks off, enjoying the chance to play a vile newsman especially timely considering his recent run-ins with newspaper publications.

The dialogue exchanges here giving the movie an unintentional 90’s feel copying Tarantino’s lilt without his timing or sense of style. McConaughey fairs better but it is an easy role for him, never stretching him in any way, he glides through the movie giving him a somewhat uninspired if enjoyable character. The same could be said for Michelle Dockery who gets the least to do and is only there to be used as a ‘female in jeopardy’ otherwise her character is forgettable and could have been played by anyone. Indeed it could be said that their relationship together gets somewhat sidelined and underserved.

Not to say that the movie is bad, it’s not. It’s an enjoyable caper if somewhat muddled at points. The eccentric side characters making far more interesting viewing no more so than Colin Farrell’s ‘Coach’ who teaches boxing to a rag tag of borderline degenerates. His scenes are entertaining and witty, played with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

It sometimes, however, gives the feeling that the whole movie is a little incoherent as the main plot of the story gets somewhat sidelined in favour of more interesting things. Jeremy Strong’s character ‘Matthew’ a case in point where he had potential to be an interesting villain, he gets relegated and diffused to the point where he doesn’t seem very important at all. This gives the ending a somewhat anticlimactic feel.

Overall ‘The Gentlemen’ is an enjoyable movie. It’s not perfect nor would I say it is better than ‘Snatch’. It’s different but the same. A slightly less chaotic Ritchie gone are most of the speed ramping effects which I’m thankful for. A slightly more sedate entry into his ‘mockney’ crime filmography but enjoyable nonetheless.

'Knives out' movie review

Knives out poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.”

— IMDB

***WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD ***

Renowned novelist Harlon Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead in his estate after his 85th birthday party. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) a famous private detective is mysteriously hired to investigate the murder. Interviewing Thrombey’s kooky family one by one he is drawn into a whodunit where there are multiple suspects.

That last part is where I had the biggest problem with ‘Knives out’ - the ‘whodunit’ aspect - it’s pretty clear early on what happened in the ‘murder’. In fact the reveal is shown fairly early so you are essentially there to view how it all comes together. It’s whether you find this compelling or not will ultimately determine your enjoyment of the movie.

Marta (Ana de Armas) is a nurse who is taking care of Harlon, during one of their nightly routines Marta administers a mega dose of Morphine accidentally to Harlon. In her ensuing panic Harlon concocts a convoluted plan to try to save her from being a suspect. As a final act he slits his own throat before the morphine can take hold. Marta, now free from suspicion, is unwittingly roped into being Benoit Blanc’s sidekick as he investigates the murder. In the process she must try to hide herself as a suspect to protect her immigrant mother from deportation.

Ensemble pieces are notoriously difficult to get right ensuring every player gets his or her portion of run time. In this regard ‘Knives out’ fails. Personally, I felt a few of the players were criminally underused. Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Johnson we’re given short shrift - never really considered suspects - only there to play out an infidelity side plot that really doesn’t go anywhere. Michael Shannon (Walt Thromby) Changes character on a whim to suit a plot device and make him seem more evil than he actually is. The other side characters we don’t really know or care about including the actual ‘real’ detectives investigating the murder itself.

As soon as Ransom (Chris Evens) appears on screen you know he is the murderer. Maybe it was the way he decided to play his character or perhaps the fact that the kooky grandmother whispers ‘Ransom you’re back again’ during the night of the murder was a bit of a giveaway. It is also pretty obvious that vials of morphine had been switched out from the get go. So it essentially becomes more about ‘why’ than ‘who’.

That is answered when we learn that Marta has been given all of Harlon’s fortune including the family estate. The family an unlikable bunch of self aggrandising misfits attuned to their own self importance. Wealth and prestige their undoing, they plot to have the will overturned by any means necessary.

At 2 hours 10 minutes Knives out is a little on the long side. Not really a ‘whodunit’ more a play on a Poirot mystery where the mystery part is somewhat jettisoned in favour of mildly entertaining romp with eccentric characters. Mention must be given to Danial Craig (Benuit Blanc) who uses an over the top southern accent that quickly becomes irritating to the point where it takes you out of the movie.

Since the movie is billed as a ‘whodunit’, I personally think it failed on that score. Plot contrivances used then forgotten: Dogs barking for only one person, noisy staircase, Granny with dementia, Marta’s ability to feel viscosity of morphine etc etc

Not that I hated the movie, I didn’t. It’s what I would term a Sunday afternoon picture: easily forgettable and just there to pass the time. It had potential to be interesting but in the end it was decidedly ‘Meh’.

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Star wars: the rise of Skywalker movie review

Star wars - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.”

— IMDB

The good news is Star Wars: the rise of Skywalker is marginally better than the last jedi (which isn't saying much). The bad news is the movie is soulless and made by a corporation more interested in turning Star Wars into Marvel than creating a great movie franchise. It attempts to pander to fans in a really uncomfortable fashion where more actually means less.

For my viewing there was a mini documentary screened before the movie that played heavily on nostalgia with archive footage from the first three movies including outtakes and interviews from set. Turns out this documentary was more entertaining than the actual movie itself. Making you realise what the first movie had above everything else: passion. Idealistic young movie makers trying to make something interesting and special. It is heavily counterpointed with the hallow money making venture witnessed after it. An exercise in story by committee, haphazardly trying to re-engineer a cohesive story from the poorly crafted ‘the last Jedi'. It's little wonder they jettisoned most of Rian Johnson's world, trying to right the ship and placate fans at the same time.

When we join the story - as slim a story as there is here - lord palpatine has apparently risen from the dead hidden away on ‘Excelon', a type of sith colony creating legions of other sith's as well as thousands of star destroyers under the unimaginative title of ‘the last order'. Kylo Ren is instructed by palpatine to kill Rey to assume control of the new army. Meanwhile Rey is being trained by Leia in the ways of the force - a strange turn of events since we had no clue Leia was a Jedi before this despite her Mary Poppins flight through space in the last Jedi - she is ‘force' visited by Kylo Ren who controls her training Robot firing blaster rounds at her. This leads Rey to abandon her training to destroy Kylo Ren. Her amiable sidekicks join her and along the way they embark on a dark adventure that will see them come face to face with an ancient foe.

Visually the rise of Skywalker is impressive. It looks, for the most part every bit of 150 million. It's biggest flaw besides some really badly scripted dialogue is the fact we don't care about any of the characters in this universe. It doesn't help that every exchange between characters on screen is either exposition or decidedly unfunny quips. Even the actors I feel are phoning it in, weary by the same exchanges scene after scene.

It gives the impression that the movie was 'made up as they went along' with scenes haphazardly thrown together and a plot that contradicts itself.

Rey is now super human capable of controlling space craft, leaping hundreds of feet in the air and anything else the messy plot requires of her to fill gaps with. When there is no grounding for a character literally anything goes. The same can be said for Palpatine who has powers enviable of a god despite his cataracts and ailing health. It is world building by committee and lazily copying a trend that Marvel movies have adopted having to one up themselves to the detriment of tension and excitement. To the point we don't care when one more Lazer battle explodes onto screen.

It's contrived to showcase effects, jettisoning human interaction and passion leaving a hollow empty soul of a movie that only sometimes entertains. When all has been said and done Star Wars: the rise of Skywalker is a messy exercise in excess and it is a lesser movie for it.

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'Alien' movie review

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“After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, its landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform, and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.”

— imdb

I came to the party late watching ‘Alien’ initially in the early 90’s having watched ‘Aliens’ many years before it and thoroughly enjoying it’s action and tension. Perhaps this coloured my opinion as I was initially a little underwhelmed by ‘Alien’ when I first seen it. I did appreciate it’s dense visual tapestry something all Ridley Scott’s movie’s have in common but it lacked something in terms of character - a type of distancing approach which counterpointed ‘Aliens’ in your face aesthetics. (By that stage there had been any number of inferior ‘copies’.) Indeed you could say that the characters themselves are mostly one-dimensional bar Dallas and Ripley who play off one another with equal love and tension.

What mostly got me was the sense of claustrophobia and gradual build up of tension. It practically drips with it. Every scene a mixture of elements and atmospherics. Light and darkness, smoke and hidden shadows. It is a potent mix designed to draw you into this grunge-filled world. No more so than in the final 20 minutes where you can literally feel the sweat dripping down Ripley’s face when she comes face to face with her nemesis. This scene would be less impactful had there not been such a long build up introducing mundane tasks and underlying tensions amongst the group of space truckers. The cinematography is brilliant, designed to be looked at on the biggest screen possible and perfectly captures the claustrophobic feel.

As a designer Ridley Scott is unparalleled. He has spawned many copy cats but none have been quite able to match him in terms of aesthetics. ‘Alien’ was considered a hackneyed B-movie by executives and perhaps it could have been in another directors hands. Indeed Tom Skerrit was initially skeptical about the project citing issues with the budget. The initial budget for the project was projected at 4 million which gave you an idea of the thoughts of Fox executives. Make a low budget ‘Corman rip off’ and release it on the cheap to capitalise on the success of ‘Star wars’.

Ridley had other ideas creating a world filled with a terrifying monster from the twisted mind of H.R Giger. A creature that is silently menacing, stalking its prey in the shadows. The scene where Dallas is trapped in the airlocks a particular highlight.

Thankfully the budget increased and finally settled on 14 million. It’s small wonder what it would have been like had Fox not bought Ridley Scott’s vision for the project. What is quite clear is the fact that we wouldn’t be talking about the movie 40 years later nor have it appear on ‘best of’ lists.

Not that the movie doesn’t show the occasional minor flaw grown from the use of a man in a suit. Mostly these exchanges are clever punctuated by quick cutaways which hides the suit only occasionally can you see the alien in its entirety. But these are few and far between.

For the most part it is a slow burning ride, gradually building in tension and suspense. In space no-one can hear you scream.

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Rambo last blood movie review

Rambo last blood poster - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“
Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission.”

— Imdb

The movie First Blood was one of the seminal action movies of the 80s. Directed by Ted Kochef it brought to life the character of John Rambo, a traumatized Vietnam vet shunned by society, spit upon and denounced. A seething ball of pent up aggression unchecked by a greedy army general whose killing machine has malfunctioned into a wandering hobo in search of a home and finding none.

The first outing a chilling indictment of Vietnam a war no-one wanted, scarring the lives of those who entered it leaving them shell shocked and weary misfits. Stallone's portrayal of Rambo a career highlight.

We zoom forward 40 years or so later to Rambo: last blood a pale, almost unrecognisable photocopy of a Rambo movie. An ultra violent cartoon with some genuinely shoddy acting and unconvincing direction.

Here John Rambo is living a hermits existence at his father's ranch. Hiding himself bizarrely in a set of underground tunnels constructed around his desert home living like a tunnel rat. In this outing Stallone is subdued, seething with barely contained anger, traumatised by visions of the dead kept at bay by a cocktail of prescription drugs and clean honest graft. His love for his pseudo daughter Gabriel played by Yvette monral is tested when she crosses the border into Mexico to find her estranged father.

While there she is Groomed and sold by her supposed friend Giselle to a ruthless gang of traffickers who kidnap Gabrielle, forcing her into a life of coerced prostitution.

Once Rambo learns of this he must embark on one final mission to find and retrieve his adoptive daughter. Things however, do not go to plan finding himself initially outgunned and beaten to bloody pulp to be strangely 'let go' by these gangsters, branding him instead like cattle. Chillingly they inform him his 'daughter' will also pay a similar price and leave him to rot in the barren streets of Mexico.

Gabriel meanwhile is being hooked on Heroin and forced into grisly sexual acts with nameless patrons in the dingiest brothal ever invented. John Rambo must unleash his inner warrior once again and rescue her.

In a bloody-minded rescue Rambo escapes with Gabriel to have her die of an overdose setting in motion revenge of the bloodiest kind.

Contrived and at times poorly executed Rambo: last blood is a mixed bag filled with weirdly stilted acting and ultra violent deaths.

Initially the concept of a ‘Rambo western’ was intriguing but this concept was jettisoned in deference to a clichéd gangster setup and contrived story beats. When all is said and done Rambo: last blood isn't a very good movie. It's a shameless cash in with strangely TV aesthetics; instead of a fitting end to a franchise we get a damp squib that fails to excite, going through the motions like the story itself ticking boxes until the blood-letting begins.

When the inevitable finale in the underground tunnels comes round there is some flashes of interest but it reeks of repetition. Once you've seen one gruesome death you've seen them all. Which is a shame because there was potential to make this sequence interesting and filled with tension.

Ultimately Rambo: last blood is forgettable. A less than adequate ending to a classic character who was given short shrift by a poorly written script and lifeless direction.

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The Irishman movie review

The irishman - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“
A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
”

— Imdb

An understated and 'mature' Scorsese, gone are the crashing zooms of frenetic energy of youth in favour of control and precision mastering the best of both worlds savouring moments of character and humour, delivering a 'character study' of regret but not remorse echoing the phrase 'it is what it is'.

Its strength coming from the understated performances of DeNiro (Playing Frank Sheeran) and Pesci (Russel Bufalino) whose friendship spanning decades of quiet understanding and chilling understated menace. A simple almost wordless exchange meaning far more than anything that could be spoken. Pesci embodying a gentle underlying threat to his usual portrayal of manic sociopaths. It is a measured performance as is DeNiro’s who hasn't been better in a very long time. Neither performances are showy rather they ground themselves in melancholic strength underlying the truth that power isn't about who can scream the loudest.

Pacino plays Hoffa at his megalomaniac best, acting to his strengths as a brash overly confident control freak that never feels false. A pitch perfect performance that lends a frenetic energy counterpointing the control of DeNiro; a seemingly unlikely friendship that feels real and organic. A lunch time meeting between Hoffa and Provanzano (Stephen Graham) brilliant and darkly comedic, seething with underlying menace.

There are lots of little pockets of humour; Sheeran disposing of his revolver in his favourite spot in a river after a hit. It joining hundreds of others there he coolly states if they ever sent divers down there would be enough weapons found to ‘arm a small country’.

A cringe-worthy phone call between Sheeran (DeNiro) and Hoffa’s estranged wife perfectly encapsulates Sheeran’s Character: His awkwardness and apathy, struggling to communicate on any emotional level with her. He’s done a bad deed but he can’t be remorseful about it so he has to try to fake it.

Clocking in at around three and a half hours, there are patches where I felt the running time, particularly at the start. Perhaps that was due to certain de-aging scenes taking me out of the movie. Some were done really well and others just looked fake - in particular Pesci fares the worse of the two leads his digital make over leaping out at you to the point you’re paying more attention to his ‘digital face’ than what he’s actually saying. I couldn’t help but think what the movie could have been like in the 90s without digital interference and played for real.

Thankfully you settle into watching the movie, especially when Hoffa enters the fray. His manic energy a well needed boost to counterpoint the sedate even keel of Sheeran and Bufalino. When the trio do interact there is moments of magic highlighting why they are some of America’s greatest actors.

When all is said and done, ‘The Irishman’ is a great movie with a few slow patches but not enough to curb your enjoyment.

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Terminator: Dark fate movie review

Terminator: dark fate - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.”

— Imdb

I'm a huge fan of Terminator and Terminator 2. They we're ground breaking, had interesting stories and exciting action with characters you actually cared about. Now in its sixth outing Terminator: dark fate is a frustrating mess echoing these previous movies and plot, gender swapping this time in a lazy attempt at updating the franchise.

In this iteration Grace (Played by Mackensie Davis) is our lone warrior, an augment, sent back through time to protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), a mexican worker who has no idea that she is the future savior of mankind.

There is a trend in attempting to rewrite existing franchises to shoe horn in female characters, who are woefully underwritten for political reasons and not because it makes for a great story. Take Dani Ramos for instants, her character is almost non-existent, a cipher, forceful but single dimensional. It perhaps didn’t help that I thought Natalia Reyes seemed a little out of her depth, lacking the spunk of Linda Hamilton, her turn bland and uninteresting.

Mackensie Davis doesn’t fare much better, hampered with stilted dialogue like ‘come with me or you’ll be dead in thirty seconds’ an obvious throwback to Kyle Reece’s ‘Come with me if you want to live’ only this time rote and contrived. The movie is chock full of throwbacks some that work and others not so much.

Much of the dialogue feels forced and without character. Scenes without action are tired, lacking in chemistry almost like Director Tim Miller had only a passing interest in them, preferring to focus on the action instead. Which leaves the characters exposed, Linda Hamilton struggling to revive the intensity of Terminator 2’s Sarah Connor, leaving a faded copy xeroxed until faintly recognisable. Which is a shame as she was a seminal female character of the 90s. In this she is given short shrift in favour of introducing new ‘characters’ that don’t really work. There is an uneasy alliance between the three that feels unnatural and forced. As a result the acting is laboured and devoid of chemistry.

When Arnold appears the movie picks up, his familiar turn as the T-800 a welcome (And funny) reprise even though his presence doesn’t really make much sense. In an opening prologue we witness (Spoiler alert) the T-800 gun down John Connor after they have supposedly saved man-kind from Skynet. Throwing the first two movies under the bus to reinvigorate the franchise in favour of female empowerment to the detriment of story and everything else. It feels badly contrived and Natalia Reyes performance doesn’t sell this idea at all effectively, seemingly miscast in her role. The story involved a bad case of word swapping, the world essentially the same, Skynet replaced by Legion, Dani Taking over from John Connor. You get the idea.

The action is frenetic but without tension or a distinct style. CGI overload, rinse and repeat. Gone are the physical effects bypassed in favour of acrobatic maneuvers that look completely fake. There isn’t a successive build up of escalating tension that is characteristic of the first and second Terminator movies. Now it is a desperate case of throwing as many things at the screen as possible in the hope that something sticks. None of the action scenes are particularly memorable or for that matter involving. Perhaps in part to the fact you don’t really engage with any of the characters - they don’t exist in that realm, cynically substituting male for female without introducing ‘character’ within them.

Overall a disappointing mess.

** out of *****

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The Laundromat movie review

the laundromat - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“When her idyllic vacation takes an unthinkable turn, Ellen Martin begins investigating a fake insurance policy.”

— Imdb

The laundromat is a difficult movie to like. From the very opening scene we are introduced to Mossack and Fonsacca, the duo owners of the law firm 'mossack fonsaca' famously embroiled in the Panama papers. Wearing dinner suits and preening for the camera like pantomime puppets I had the sinking feeling that I wasn't going to like this movie very much.

Gary Oldman hamming it up a storm with an over exaggerated German accent that becomes irritating very quickly is counterparted with Antonio Baderas (who incidentally fares better in the acting stakes) to treat the audience like morons as they explain bartering and the invention of money.

In this, one of many irritating, pretentious scenes makes for difficult viewing. Utilising a similar technique by The big short where Mossack and Fonsaca are our narrators into a world of greed and corruption. Stephen Soderberg has chosen to make a semi comedic and semi serious movie that is scattershot and ultimately uningaging. The story of the Panama papers and Mossack Fonsaca deserved better. It treats them almost as afterthoughts, demeaning the impact and lessening the seriousness of greed and corruption.

In short vignettes sprawling across the globe, the central character played by Meryl Streep, fails to have an insurance claim honoured after her husband is horrifically drowned in a boating accident. She sets out to investigate realising to her horror that the insurance company doesn't exist and is only a Shell company with a Po box listed in Panama.

From here the movie goes all over the place undoubtedly trying to mirror the Panama papers where it appeared that tax avoidance was rampant across the globe facilitated by greedy lawyers and bankers who honour only the almighty dollar. We travel to Nevis, China, Panama, Nevada and even briefly Mexico in a failed attempt to insinuate that drug lords got in on the act as well.

It's this scattershot approach that makes the whole movie feel disposable as we don't really know any of the characters and the link between the stories are tenuous.

By the time the Panama papers are released the movie has warn thin. Like it's preening narrators with their sparkling dinner jackets and false demeanor it's all surface and no substance. Despite a final rally by Meryl Streep with an impassioned call to arms in a fight to change tax laws in any meaningful way, it feels strangely tacked on.

With noble intentions and a story that truly needs to be told maybe now more than ever with greed and corruption still at all time high, the laundromat unfortunately isn't that movie. It's a pale photocopy and what's worse is it dances around the subject, treating it lightly like it's narrators, all sparkle and no depth.

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'Untouchable' Documentary review

untouchable - movie review blog - maldeegan.com/blog

“A look at the rise and fall of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein featuring interviews with former colleagues and those who accused him of sexual misconduct.”

— imdb

Harvey Weinstein was on top of the world, a celebrated movie producer seemingly at the top of his game in the early 90s. An independent movie darling, willing to make movies others including studios wouldn’t touch. Under the Miramax banner they produced hit after hit , launching more than one movie stars and Directors career. But along with the glitz and glimmer of Hollywood there was a seedy underbelly of abuse and manipulation perpetuated by a sexual predator who wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer.

‘Untouchable’ recounts some of these cases, highlighting in detail the ordeals these women had to endure at the hands of ‘Weinstein’. It is difficult to hear, punctuated by pictures of Weinstein smiling for the camera, embracing these women like nothing had happened. The stories are harrowing and disgusting detailing coercion/bullying, assault and sexual assault.

Indeed at one point the Documentary shows the length Harvey went to to discredit these women hiring former a mossad-led agency called ‘Black Cube’ to target them. A low tactic to invalidate their stories with positive publicity shots showing their happiness with him. Air tight NDA agreements that painted them into a corner of complete silence. Coercion and bullying tactics. At the height of his ‘power’ it would take one phone call and that actress would never work again.

It is especially difficult when the industry itself is so cutthroat. To also deal with a megalomaniac who was so persistently predatory that saying no in itself was a difficult task. Even then saying no didn’t mean anything to Weinstein; another challenge to overcome, to conquer. Indeed it would seem, from his very skewed perspective, that these encounters we’re acceptable and condoned because it ‘happens all the time’ in the industry.

If that statement wasn’t shocking enough by itself it is the condoning of these actions by others in the industry who turned a blind eye that are truly abhorrent. Commerce taking precedent over humanity, decency and morality. In this regard it took Disney 12 years to part ways with Weinstein, taking his prized possession ‘Miramax’ in the deal in 2005. It is in this area that the documentary felt a little light, marginally highlighting those who we’re complicit in keeping this abuse quiet for so long while making boat loads of money in the process. Disney seemed to provide shelter for his actions, an unlimited check book and the power for him to be ‘untouchable’.

It is worth noting that only after Disney parted ways with Weinstein did any of these allegations get to see the light of day even then it wasn’t an easy task. Ronan Farrow breaking an explosive story in ‘The New Yorker in 2017 which included a recording of a ‘sting’ operation by New York police headed by Italian model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez where Weinstein is recorded in their second encounter - the first he allegedly touched her breasts - in this he is trying to coerce her to watch him take a shower in his hotel room.

What’s highlighted is the deep shame that these women felt that somehow they were complicit in these actions and the stigma of being branded a survivor and the ‘machine’ at work to keep them silent forever. It is worth noting that the use of an NDA to hide sexual assault is disturbing to say the least. That those in power can use this mechanism to keep abuse away from the public eye is staggering. In the end I can see a more comprehensive documentary being made on this subject which goes behind the scenes exposing the lies.

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