Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow - Dir. Doug Liman (2014)

Live. Die. Repeat.

If you ever thought Groundhog Day would be infinitely improved if it had explosions, robotic mech suits, aliens, and a massive body count, then Edge of Tomorrow is the movie for you. The latest action opus starring Tom Cruise was based on the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, which was also adapted into a manga by Viz Media.

The Earth has been invaded by an alien race known as the Mimics. Nearly the entire continent of Europe has fallen to the relentless extraterrestrials. The United Defense Forces hope they will be able to turn the tide with new high-tech exoskeletons. Major William Cage (Cruise) is a glorified publicist for the military. His job is to sell the war and boost enlistment numbers. However, he's never been in combat and when General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson) orders him to the combat zone, Cage attempts to blackmail his way out. Brigham has him arrested, stripped of his rank, and labeled a deserter.

Sent to the frontlines in Normandy, Cage is exposed to the blood of an Alpha Mimic and gains the ability to reset time. Whenever he dies, he goes back to the morning when he awakens at the forward operating base in Heathrow. Of course, nobody will believe him with the exception of Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), alternately nicknamed the "Angel of Verdun" and the "Full Metal Bitch. Vrataski has become the face of the military propaganda after leading the human forces to their first victory against the Mimics. As it turns out, Vrataski had temporal powers too, which were lost following a blood transfusion.

Edge of Tomorrow might be the best video game movie ever made that's not actually based on a video game. The screenplay by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (with a rewrite by Christopher McQuarrie) plays with video game conventions by allowing their protagonist to respawn and begin the level all over again. This allows Cage to train indefinitely under the tutelage of Vrataski. He attempts to survive while saving his fellow troops through trial and error, memorizing situations and enemy movements. Despite some sequences being repeated, the movie never feels repetitive. The filmmakers find unique methods to double back over specific scenes to convey new information or show it from a different perspective. They are able to keep the audience on their toes by keeping them guessing as to whether or not Cage has done this a hundred times or just once.

The budding relationship between Cage and Vrataski serves as the heart of the film, a love story that doesn't fall into the standard issue clichés. They share a bond due to circumstances only the two of them could understand, the burden of dying and watching others die countless times. Vrataski is one of the best female characters to be featured in a major blockbuster in a long while. Emily Blunt is more than up to the task to simultaneously portray fierce and vulnerable, not to mention she's drop dead gorgeous. Meanwhile, Cage fits into the two personas that Cruise has excelled at for decades. Cruise isn't ashamed to start Cage as a smarmy and cowardly individual. This is the smirking, cocksure pretty boy we've seen before in Top Gun, Rain Man, The Color of Money, and many more. With Vrataski's help, he transforms into the steely action hero from Mission: Impossible and Jack Reacher. While the supporting cast has a few colorful characters, only Bill Paxton's Master Sgt. Farell stands out. He's a good ol' boy from Kentucky with a sharp tongue and little patience for shirkers.

Doug Liman cut his teeth on low-budget comedies Swingers and Go, before emerging as an incredible action director with The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Unfortunately, production problems on those pictures along with the failure of Jumper left Liman struggling to hit a home run. He does so with Edge of Tomorrow, which he'll follow up with a big-budget version of Splinter Cell. Liman's direction is energetic and enhanced by the gritty cinematography of Oscar winner Dion Beebe. There's a clear homage to Saving Private Ryan with the chaotic invasion of Normandy and it's no coincidence the movie was released on the battle's 70^th anniversary. Aliens is briefly referenced when Farell and his J Squad are surrounded by blips that happen to be coming from underneath their position. The digital effects are realistically rendered and the Mimic designed as undulating masses of tendrils ala the squiddies from The Matrix Reloaded.

There's a surprising layer of humor to Edge of Tomorrow that adds to the overall experience. Cruise becomes a human Wile E. Coyote as the film finds interesting ways for him to die. At one point, Cage tries to roll away only to be crushed by a passing truck. When he suffers a debilitating injury, Vrataski casually puts him out of his misery with a bullet to the head.

Edge of Tomorrow is easily the best blockbuster to emerge during this summer's always crowded marketplace. There's action, drama, and comedy built around two stellar performances from Cruise and Blunt. It's a shame the movie hasn't gained any traction at the box office likely due to the general public being burnt out on Tom Cruise. Or maybe it's the generic title, which sounds like the name of a daytime soap. Edge of Tomorrow deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

Rating: **** (*****)

Safe House

Safe House - Dir. Daniel Espinosa (2012)

During a pivotal sequence in Safe House, Denzel Washington's character is subjected to waterboarding. Washington himself did multiple takes where he was given the controversial torture method for several seconds. Some snide film critics will suggest watching Safe House is akin to receiving the Guantanamo Bay treatment. No, Safe House is merely guilty of unremarkable mediocrity.

Ryan Reynolds is Matt Weston, a young CIA agent tasked with minding a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. His job as a glorified house sitter doesn't sit well with him. Weston urges his handler, David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson), for an assignment with a little more action. Well, be careful what you wish for. The agency has recently apprehended the notorious and awesomely named Tobin Frost (Washington), a rogue agent who has been on their wanted list for years. Minutes after arriving at Weston's safe house, armed assailants breach security and kill everyone in the place while Weston and Frost barely escape.

The screenplay by Davis Guggenheim strings together all the worst clichés of the post-Jason Bourne spy genre. There's a stale romance between Weston and his pretty French girlfriend Ana (Nora Arnezeder). Of course, Ana has no idea that her paramour is a CIA agent and their love is doomed because of his dangerous line of work. Not only is the story derivative, but so are the visuals. The action sequences are done shaky cam style. No surprising since the film was shot by Oliver Wood, the cinematographer for the first three Bourne films. Due to Denzel's involvement, the hyper kinetic feel, and the overly saturated color palette, you'd swear Safe House was directed by Tony Scott. But, no, the director is Swedish-born Daniel Espinosa doing his best Tony Scott impression.

The one redeeming element of Safe House is its ensemble of award winning actors. Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Shepard all play high ranking CIA officials, filling in the roles that Joan Allen, Brian Cox, and Scott Glenn played in the Bourne series. Farmiga really is wasted, especially when you consider she is the closest the movie has to a strong female protagonist. The supporting cast includes character actors like Robert Patrick, Liam Cunningham, Ruben Blades, and Joel Kinnaman, who will be playing Alex Murphy in the upcoming Robocop remake. Each man is a welcome addition, but the focus is on the antagonistic relationship between Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington. It's clear the filmmakers were gunning for a Training Day dynamic with Reynolds as the naïve, fresh-faced rookie and Washington as the dangerous loose cannon. Unfortunately, their interactions are nothing more than a pale imitation of those by Washington and Ethan Hawke. Safe House doesn't even have the fun interplay that Washington and Chris Pine had in Unstoppable. Reynolds, who is naturally charismatic and funny, is rendered dull as dishwater with a thinly drawn character with traits we've seen a dozens of times. Meanwhile, Washington barely registers, despite possessing a commanding screen presence.

Safe House was hit theaters in February during the doldrums of the Hollywood studio release schedule. It came out right alongside other formulaic action films such as Contraband and Underworld: Awakening. Despite featuring great actors like Denzel Washington, Safe House suffers from a script that is utterly predictable and generic. Still, the film did well at the box office pulling in $202 million worldwide off a budget of $85 million. If you're a fan of Denzel and Ryan Reynolds and aren't looking for anything challenging, you could do worse than Safe House. Not exactly a glowering recommendation.

Rating: ** (*****)

Green Zone

Green Zone - Dir. Paul Greengrass (2010)

Green Zone is easily the best film of the first half of 2010. It’s an exceptionally rare breed of action film. It’s an action film with a brain, something you don’t see very often.

Based on the non-fiction book, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Green Zone follows the U.S. occupation of Iraq following the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Matt Damon stars as Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller whose squad is tasked with the search for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Miller’s searches are fruitless. One location is a playground; another is an abandoned toilet factory. Miller is less than assuaged by his superiors’ assurances that the intel, provided by a source code-named Magellan (an allusion to real-life informant "Curveball"), is thoroughly vetted.

In search of the truth, Miller encounters several individuals that help or hinder him. Among them are reporter Lawrie Dayne (Amy Ryan), an analogue for real-life journalist Judith Miller, who was oft-accused of being a shill for the Bush administration. Miller is also stuck in a tug of war between Martin Brown, the bureau chief for the CIA, (Brendan Gleeson) and Pentagon official Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear). Brown believes in utilizing the remnants of the Iraqi army to enforce order in the country. Neo-con Poundstone believes in playing hardball, weaving half-truths, and installing a glorified puppet to head up the new government.

Of utmost importance is a one-legged Iraqi who goes by the name, Freddy (Khalid Abdalla). He provides crucial information that puts Miller on the trail of Gen. Al-Rawi (Yigal Naor), one of the military's most wanted men. The relationship between Freddy and Roy Miller acts as an obvious parallel to the plight of the Iraqi people. Freddy is a representation of the hope and fear of his nation following the fall of Saddam Hussein. For Roy's part, there's an oblivious nature to some of these emotions. During one sequence, Miller and his men tackle Freddy to the ground, accidentally yanking off his prosthetic leg, because they believed he was escaping with valuable intel. In actuality, Freddy was hauling ass out of there after witnessing a black ops team (led by an almost unrecognizable Jason Isaacs) place hoods over prisoners' heads and herd them into a chopper.

The script by Brian Helgeland is blunt and lacking in nuance. However, the events are compelling enough for you to overlook any nitpicks. The same goes for the acting and the direction. Damon carries the film as the unflappable Miller. He plays well against his former Siamese twin brother (remember Stuck On You?), Greg Kinnear who takes smarmy to new levels.

Yes, Greengrass employs his trademark shaky cam, but it's not as nauseating or disorienting as his earlier work on the Bourne pictures. Teamed with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker), Greengrass brings an immediacy and authenticity to the film. Green Zone feels like you've been dropped into the middle of Baghdad, despite the fact that the movie was shot in Spain, Morocco, and the UK.

Green Zone doesn't purport to be an accurate portrayal of the war in Iraq. Indeed, there is a sense of revisionist history and wishful thinking when it comes to the idea of a righteous soldier exposing the lies of his government. No, the film cements the tenant that it is the soldiers who bravely fight the wars that the politicians create. Perhaps, the most infuriating moment in Green Zone comes when Miller and his men (covered in sweat, sand, and grime) arrive at Saddam's former palace to find American VIPs lounging around the pool. After risking their lives in the desert, they are surrounded by politicians, contractors, and officials drinking margaritas and eating steaks.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

In Bruges

In Bruges - Dir. Martin McDonagh (2008)

The bastard love child of Mamet, Tarantino, and Fellini.

Wicked dialogue and a splendidly written script by playwright McDonagh, who makes his feature film debut.

Does tend to veer far too sharply from slapstick to dark humor to just plain dark.