Rush

Rush - Dir. Ron Howard

Nobody could accuse Ron Howard of being a visually stylish filmmaker. In fact, if you asked me to name any specific trademarks in Howard's techniques, I'd draw a blank. However, Howard's career has blossomed from 80's comedies like Gung Ho and Cocoon to prestige dramas like Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Frost/Nixon, the latter of which was written by Peter Morgan. Morgan is well known for penning movies based on real-life events from the British royal family in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death (The Queen) to a harrowing account of Idi Amin's brutal regime (The Last King of Scotland). Howard and Morgan have teamed up again for Rush, a story lighter in tone, but no less compelling.

Rush is set in the world of Formula-1 racing during the 1970's, a time when technology and safety guidelines seem downright archaic compared to today. Injuries and deaths were a regular occurrence as 42 drivers lost their lives between 1950 and 1980. F1 spectators were enraptured by the rivalry between champion racers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). Hunt is a blonde Adonis, a brash and cocky Englishman who fit perfectly in the era of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Even Hunt's failures were spectacular. His brief marriage to supermodel Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde) ended when she left him for screen idol Richard Burton. On the other hand, Lauda is cold and calculating, a veritable Vulcan. His bluntness doesn't make Lauda any friends among his fellow racers, who see him as arrogant. But, Lauda is driven, no pun intended. Shunned by his wealthy family, Lauda bought his way onto his first F1 team and rebuilt his car from the ground up to his specifications. Later, he joins Ferrari to win his first championship.

A rain soaked course in West Germany changed their lives forever. Lauda argued to postpone the race as weather conditions made the already dangerous track more treacherous, but Hunt rallied the other racers to his side and the race was on. Lauda suffered a near fatal accident that caused severe burns to his face. Against all odds, Lauda was back in the driver's seat six weeks later.

Rush is undoubtedly Ron Howard's best looking picture and his strongest work since 2008's Frost/Nixon. Howard and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (who won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire) make liberal use of car-mounted cameras to drag the audience along for the ride. Some snazzy graphics help to jazz up the requisite montage sequences. There's a slight graininess to the look of the film that, along with excellent make-up and costume design, accurately capture the heyday of the 70's. Rush won't have enough racing to satisfy enthusiasts, but this is primarily a character study.

Morgan doesn't go the easy route by painting one of the leads as the villain. He finds the right balance and makes Rush equally Hunt's story as much as it is Lauda's. The screenplay builds an antagonistic relationship between the characters while naturally growing them into a mutual understanding and respect. Hemsworth is pitch perfect as the golden boy James Hunt. He is, after all, the god of thunder. Hemsworth's charisma could have overshadowed his co-star, but Daniel Bruhl is just too good to recede into the background. It's a shame Bruhl's performance was lost in the shuffle during awards season. Lauda isn't the most likeable guy around, but Bruhl imbues him with an unwavering determination and subtle charm. If that doesn't work, Lauda will earn your sympathy as he undergoes the painful procedure to have fluid drained from his damaged lungs.

Since Rush focuses on the macho world of Formula-1, the female characters get the short change. Olivia Wilde and Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones mostly serve as arm candy for Hemsworth though Alexandra Maria Lara gets the meatier role as Lauda's wife, Marlene. Thankfully, she's not the stereotypical worrywart. She's a woman with a quiet understanding that the dangerous world of racing is her husband's life.

Rush doesn't reinvent the sports drama, but it is a well-made picture built around two solid performances from Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl. The beautiful presentation of the Blu-ray makes this an easy recommendation.

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

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Dir. Tomas Alfredson (2011)

"We're not so very different, you and I. We've both spent our lives looking for the weaknesses in one another. Don't you think it's time to recognize there is as little worth on your side as there is on mine?"

John le Carré became a prolific author of spy fiction, who was inspired by years of working for British intelligence. Unlike Ian Fleming's James Bond series, le Carré's spies aren't dapper agents clad in expensive tuxedos jet setting around the world and sipping on martinis. In his acclaimed novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, there are no megalomaniacal supervillains bent on world domination or exotic locales. The murky events transpire under the equally gray and murky skies of London, England. Tinker Tailor had previously been adapted into highly regarded BBC mini-series starring Sir Alec Guinness as protagonist George Smiley. Tomas Alfredson, the director of Let the Right One In, and the husband-wife screenwriting duo of Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor (who passed away in 2010 of cancer) had the unenviable task of turning le Carré's incredibly dense narrative into a feature-length film. The results are absolutely stunning and, if not for Drive, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy would have been my pick for best film of 2011.

Set in the 1970's, the film opens with a botched mission in Hungary when Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) is shot and captured by enemy agents under the guise of contacting a defector. The failure and embarrassment leads the head of British Intelligence, known only as Control (John Hurt), to retire in disgrace along with his right-hand man, George Smiley (Gary Oldman). In their place is a new inner circle consisting of Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds), Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), and the obsequious Toby Esterhase (David Dencik).

Following Control's death, Smiley is called back into action when it is discovered that Control had been attempting to root out a mole within their highest ranks. Each suspect is given a codename taken from the nursery rhyme, "Tinker" (Alleline), "Tailor" (Haydon), "Soldier" (Bland), and "Poorman" (Esterhase). Smiley himself was not above Control's suspicions, having been tagged with the nom de plume of "Beggarman."

One of the most striking qualities of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the overwhelming aura of authenticity that starts with the colorful terminology used by le Carré. British Intelligence is referred to as "the Circus," the CIA are "the cousins," and interrogators are "inquisitors." It also helps that the plot is loosely inspired by the real-life events surrounding the Cambridge Five, a group of intelligence agents who were secretly working for the Soviets. To top it off, there's the immaculate direction of Alfredson and the production design by Maria Djurkovic. These aspects go beyond accurate fashion, but the way in which every shot is so precisely composed. When we are taken into the den of the Circus, we see a series of winding staircases and endless shelves as if the building were designed by M.C. Escher. The labyrinthine offices symbolize how easily it is for these men to become lost the deception and politics of their work.

Each of those men is brought to life by a wide array of talented British thespians that include noted character actors like Ciarán Hinds, Mark Strong, Simon McBurney, and Stephen Graham. At the center is Gary Oldman, who earned his first ever Oscar nomination for his portrayal of George Smiley. Oldman is known for playing wildly over-the-top villains, but his Smiley is the epitome of understated. He hardly ever raises his voice and the one time he does will snap you to attention. In one of the film's most gripping moments, the camera closes in tight on Oldman's weathered face as he flows into a monologue about his one encounter with his Russian counterpart, the spymaster codenamed Karla, whose face is never seen. Also never seen is Smiley's adulterous wife, Anne. Both are like looming specters in Smiley's life and constant testaments to his personal and professional failures. Then, there's Colin Firth as Bill Haydon, who is handsome and suave, everything Smiley isn't. Firth is the master at playing these smooth Brits.

Younger actors also get their chance to shine with the vets. It's hard to take your eyes off Tom Hardy as Ricki Tarr, a fugitive agent (and a bit of a scoundrel), who initially revealed the existence of the mole. Benedict Cumberbatch from BBC's Sherlock is another actor to watch out for. He had a strong 2011 with the second season of Sherlock. a solid supporting turn in War Horse, and an excellent performance here as Tarr's handler, Peter Guillam, who becomes Smiley's protégé during his investigation. Cumberbatch is a part of one of the film's major set pieces and it doesn't involve a car chase, a shootout, or hand-to-hand combat. The sequence sees Guillam attempting to sneak documents out of the Circus's archives.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy explores the effects of Cold War paranoia on the men and women charged with protecting the Western world from the Communist menace as a richly layered and engrossing potboiler. It's the rare picture that reveals more of itself upon each repeated viewing and gets better every time.

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

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Dir. Woody Allen (2010)

"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." - William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

Woody Allen's latest picture opens with a reworking of that same Shakespearean quote. Knowing Allen, the irony was most definitely not lost on him. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is full of sound and fury, but ultimately amounts to nothing.

Tall Dark Stranger features an ensemble of A-list actors who likely signed on so they can finally say they starred in a Woody Allen movie. The glue that holds the cast together is Gemma Jones as Helena, who has just suffered a devastating divorce from her long-time husband, Alfie (Anthony Hopkins). In her despair, Helena seeks guidance from a dime store fortune teller named Cristal (Pauline Collins). Helena's daughter, Sally (Naomi Watts), knows Cristal is an obvious fraud, but any comfort mother finds is good enough. Alfie, meanwhile, has fallen for a ditzy blond named Charmaine (Lucy Punch), who is a third of his age and works as a call girl.

Sally's marriage is also on the rocks. Her husband and Allen analogue, Roy (Josh Brolin), had a hit novel and struggles to write a follow up. He is forced to work as a limo driver to pay bills. Roy finds his spirits lifted by the beautiful Dia (Freida Pinto), who lives in an adjacent apartment building. Sally gets a new job as the assistant to a successful art dealer played by Antonio Banderas. Of course, she is smitten by him because he's Antonio freakin' Banderas. Allen's screenplay bobs and weaves through the multiple relationships as fickle lovers make their ultimate decisions about who to be with. Eventually, nearly everyone is miserable with their choices in life. Then, just when you think the movie is about to really get going, it abruptly ends as if Allen finally fizzled out and decided to just go home.

Though it's a drama with light comic overtones, Tall Dark Stranger is all about pessimism. However, Allen never reaches the farcical levels of fatalism that the Coen Brothers achieved in A Serious Man. All Allen manages to achieve is a middling sense of cynicism. Gone are the films full of wit and insightful observations about love and life. This is a film that seems cobbled together from a recycling bin left overflowing by refuse from the cutting room floor. These are stock characters wandering about in a London rendered completely indistinct by a director seemingly content to coast on his reputation.

At 75, Allen continues to plug away with a new film released each year. Perhaps, his prolific body of work is its own worst enemy. Anything new of Allen's will immediately be compared to classics such as Annie Hall or Hannah and Her Sisters. Alas, his recent movies will always fall short. Aside from Match Point, none of his new stuff has been particularly spellbinding. Even passable fare like Vicky Christina Barcelona couldn't live up to the expectations that come from the name Woody Allen. If it had been directed by someone else, it might have been more highly regarded. No such arguments will occur with You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, it would have been bad no matter who was behind the camera.

Rating: * ½ (*****)