The Town

The Town - Dir. Ben Affleck (2010)

”I’ll see you again, on this side or the other.”

As an actor, Ben Affleck won’t be remembered in the same breath as Clint Eastwood. However, as a director, Affleck is almost assured the same longevity. Affleck made a strong debut in his first directorial effort with the Dennis Lehane adaptation, Gone Baby Gone, a film not too different from Eastwood’s own adaptation, Mystic River.

The Town isn’t based on a novel by Lehane (it’s based on The Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan), but it shares similar themes. The action shifts from Gone Baby Gone’s Dorchester to Charlestown, a section of Boston just north of the city proper and once a breeding ground for bank robbers. Affleck stars as Doug MacRay, the brains behind a quartet of stick-up artists. His right-hand man is childhood friend James “Jem” Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), a hothead whose rash actions initiate the film’s central plot.

The film opens with the crew holding up a bank. When a silent alarm is tripped, Jem takes bank president Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) hostage, making their getaway, and dropping her off soon after. Doug agrees to keep a close on her after learning Claire lives a mere four blocks away from them. There’s a quick meet cute in a Laundromat as Doug becomes a strong shoulder for the vulnerable Claire to cry on. In turn, she becomes a chance for Doug to escape his old life. She's a far cry from his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Krista (Blake Lively), a drug-addled single mother and sister to Jem. With a tanned face caked in make-up, she's like the baby version of Amy Ryan's character in Gone Baby Gone.

The Town consists of many familiar elements of the crime drama, but the film is so well-crafted that it surpasses conventions. Affleck's knowledge and love of the city comes through in every frame shot. His action sequences (which are a dash of Michael Mann, a dash of John Frankenheimer) are skillfully composed without resorting to overused techniques like the shakycam. After the opening bank job, the next set piece is an armored car heist leading into a rousing car chase through the narrow Bostonian streets. It culminates in an out of left field, but very funny, conclusion. The Town climaxes in a daring daylight robbery of Fenway Park.

Affleck and the wonderful Rebecca Hall are great in their roles, even if their relationship isn't as interesting as Doug's interactions with his cohorts, in particular Jeremy Renner's Jem. The Oscar nominated star of The Hurt Locker seems to channel the spirit of James Cagney in his portrayal of the volatile Jem. However, he's a puppy dog compared to Pete Postlethwaite who plays the role of crime boss Fergie the Florist with a menacing restraint. Chris Cooper nearly blows everybody else away in his lone scene as Doug's father who is serving a life sentence for a double murder. Jon Hamm (fulfilling the legal obligation to include a cast member of Mad Men in every movie) rounds out the cast in a rather thin role as the FBI agent on Doug's trail.

Rating: ***

Inception

Inception - Dir. Christopher Nolan (2010)


”You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.”

Christopher Nolan certainly wasn’t afraid to dream big. Originally pitched to Warner Brothers back in 2002, Nolan spent almost eight years developing the intricate $200 million action-thriller, Inception. Nolan applies the blockbuster approach of The Dark Knight with the mindfuck methodology of earlier films like Memento to this high concept take on the heist movie.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a world-class thief who has taken corporate espionage to a new plane of existence. He doesn’t break into bank vaults, he breaks into dreams. Known as “Extraction,” Cobb hooks his slumbering victims to a Matrix in a suitcase in order to steal their deepest secrets or sacred ideas. Cobb and his right-hand man, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), have failed their latest extraction on wealthy businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe). However, Saito is impressed enough that he hires them for the impossible task of “Inception,” where an idea is planted into someone else’s mind.

The mark is Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), who will inherit an energy conglomerate from his dying father (Pete Postlewaite). Saito wants the son to break up his company thereby preventing a near-monopoly that would squeeze out Saito’s own corporation.

So Cobb assembles his team consisting of Arthur; Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist who is an expert at sedatives; Eames (Tom Hardy), a forger who impersonates others inside the dream; and newcomer Ariadne (Ellen Page), an architect charged with crafting the world of the dream. Nolan gets a little playful in naming her after the character from Greek mythology who led Theseus out of the labyrinth of the Minotaur.

Sharing dreams with Cobb, Ariadne discovers the dangers that have leaked out of his subconscious. Cobb is a wanted fugitive who has left behind his children by fleeing the States. His troubles stem from the death of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard). She lives on in his mind, but twisted by his own guilt, she attempts to kill Cobb and his team at every turn.

The second act of Inception follows the formula of other con game movies like The Sting or Ocean’s Eleven. The team plan and practice their scheme. The third act involves creating a multi-layered dream world to ensnare their target. These dream worlds aren’t as surreal as the ones seen in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s less Charlie Kaufman and more Michael Mann with a dash of M.C. Escher. The movie isn’t nearly as confusing as one would expect. Nolan helpfully provides more than enough exposition to keep everything clear. Therein lays the film’s biggest weakness.

The majority of the dialogue is entirely functional in that characters are simply explaining things to each other. As the eager newcomer, Ariadne serves as a stand-in for the audience. She’s there to be introduced into Cobb’s world so that we are as well. It feels a bit insulting for Nolan to hold everyone’s hand at each step. We don’t really get to know any of the characters beyond the genre archetypes of fresh-faced rookie or nerdy tech guy. One of the film’s best scenes is a quickie involving Arthur stealing a kiss from Ariadne. It’s a rare moment in which the characters are allowed to simply be themselves.

The strengths of Inception lie in its original concept and spectacular visuals. Nolan is like the cerebral Michael Bay. He’s a master at creating widescreen spectacle, yet there is substance to the style. There are some amazing images to be found here, from a crumbling cityscape to a Parisian boulevard that is literally folded in half. Nolan still struggles with crafting coherent action sequences. A car chase through the rainy streets of downtown L.A. isn’t nearly as thrilling as the chase from The Dark Knight and a James Bond-esque battle at a snowy fortress is disorienting. On the other hand, a gravity defying fist fight in a hotel hallway is well done. Nolan and long-time editor, Lee Smith, deftly intercut the various dream layers during the climax. Neither are Nicholas Roeg, but they get the job done.

The ensemble cast is excellent all around with Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt providing a pair of great supporting performances. Ignoring G.I. Joe, Gordon-Levitt is easily at the top of the heap when it comes to young actors working today. Watch him in this along with Brick and The Lookout, if you don’t believe me. For the second time in a row, DiCaprio plays a tortured widower. He’s the glue that holds the film together, playing well with the other actors. The exceedingly gorgeous Marion Cotillard is pitch perfect as the film’s femme fatale. If DiCaprio is the Batman of Inception, then Cotillard is his Catwoman. You know, I wouldn’t mind seeing Cotillard in black leather leotards and cracking a bullwhip. Either by coincidence or design, Nolan throws in a nod to her Oscar-winning turn in La Vie en Rose by utilizing Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” at a key moment.

After suffering through the inane schlock of last year (Transformers: ROTF), it’s refreshing to see that 2010 has brought us films like Green Zone and Inception, action dramas with a brain. Inception does get bogged down with exposition, but it’s saved by a great cast and stunning visuals. Even with a runtime of 148 minutes, it moves at a brisk pace. It is definitely the shortest 2 and a half hour movie I’ve ever seen.

Rating: *** ½

Solomon Kane

Solomon Kane - Dir. Michael J. Bassett (2009)


Pulp writer Robert E. Howard’s most famous creation was Conan the Barbarian. Not quite as well-known is another of Howard’s characters, Solomon Kane. A Puritan living in the 16th century, the mysterious Kane vanquished evil in the name of God. He was clad in a dark cloak, wide-brimmed hat, and armed with a rapier and flintlock pistol. While Conan has received two films starring the current governor of California, Solomon Kane has yet to receive any cinematic attention. Until now, that is.

Writer/director Michael J. Bassett helms the first of a proposed trilogy of films nominally based on Howard’s stories. While Solomon Kane is supposedly an adaptation, it isn’t drawn from any specific tale. Bassett provides largely original material and sets the picture up as an origin story.

Solomon Kane (James Purefoy) is introduced as a pirate ruthlessly killing and pillaging anything in his path. Hunting for gold in North Africa, Kane is confronted by a demon that might as well be Satan’s debt collector. Told his soul has been damned by his evil ways, Kane repents and finds his way to a monastery in England in order to live a life of peace. One day, Kane is told by his brother monk to leave the temple and find his place in the world.

Traveling to his ancestral home in Devon, Kane comes across the Crowthorne family who are soon attacked by the forces of a sorcerer known as Malachi (Jason Flemyng). The family is brutally murdered and the daughter, Meredith (Rachel Hurd-Wood), is taken prisoner. Kane renounces his vow of peace and sets off to rescue Katherine and confront the past he has tried to run away from.

Working with a medium-sized budget, Bassett has crafted a slick production. However, the movie is severely hamstringed by a weak script. Bassett follows the current Hollywood predilection for reboots and origin stories. Any mystique found in the character of Solomon Kane is lost amidst a series of flashbacks to the man’s various childhood traumas. Thus, Kane has been diluted into another grizzled and generic superhero. Honestly, what’s wrong with a little mystery to the hero? Would Fistful of Dollars be improved by a 40-minute prologue revealing in excruciating detail the Man With No Name’s entire backstory?

Trivia Note: This isn’t the first time James Purefoy has worn a cloak and wide-brimmed hat. He was originally cast as the lead in V For Vendetta before departed in mid-production, being replaced by Hugo Weaving.

Rating: * ½

Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans - Dir. Louis Leterrier (2010)


”Release the Kraken!”

The original 1981 Clash of the Titans played fast and loose with Greek mythology and is more renowned for being the swan song for effects guru Ray Harryhausen. The master of stop motion effects, Harryhausen went on to inspire a generation of top filmmakers including Tim Burton, James Cameron, and Sam Raimi. But, his brand of special effects was put out to pasture by the rise of the modern day summer blockbuster heralded by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

With CGI and digital 3D in full effect, it was only a matter of time before Clash was remade and updated with today’s technology. Sam Worthington is Perseus, the son of a human mother and Zeus (Liam Neeson), the king of the gods. At the beginning of his journey, Perseus knows nothing of his parental lineage. He is abandoned at sea and found by a kindly fisherman (Pete Postlethwaite). Perseus’s life is forever changed when Hades (Ralph Fiennes), god of the underworld, kills his adopted family.

Perseus is taken to the city of Argos where its rules have incurred the wrath of the gods with their insults. Hades issues an ultimatum for Argos to sacrifice its princess, Andromeda (Alexa Davalos), or he will release the monstrous Kraken (”Release the Kraken!”) and destroy the city and all its inhabitants. Perseus is sent on a mission to find a way to stop the Kraken and is accompanied by Draco (Mads Mikkelsen), leader of the royal guard, and the beautiful demi-goddess Io (Gemma Arterton). From them, Perseus learns how to fight and be a hero. Being half god, he learns in no time and without the assistance of a montage set to 80’s power rock.

This version of Clash is definitely not your father’s Clash of the Titans. Fans of the original are made well aware of that fact when one of its stars, Bubo the mechanical owl, makes a quick cameo only to be tossed aside like a bit of refuse. Pegasus, the gleaming white and winged steed, is now a badass black stallion who scares away the other horses.

As the film’s hero, Worthington is slightly generic, but nowhere near as bland as the well-tanned Harry Hamlin. While the original featured Sir Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and Bond girl Ursula Andress among its pantheon. In the remake, the denizens of Mount Olympus are headed up by Liam Neeson who equates himself well to the overly bombastic dialogue that always seems to pop up in these period pieces. As Zeus’s brother, Fiennes is all dark and raspy voiced, not too far off from Lord Voldemort. Danny Huston’s Poseidon only gets a couple of lines while the rest of the gods are mostly reduced to just standing around in glowing armor.

Despite some shortcomings, Clash is a rousing popcorn movie. The majority of the action is fun even if director Louis Leterrier has trouble with letting the camera stand still. The film’s best sequence is a battle against a group of giant scorpions keeping in spirit with Harryhausen’s work. An exceedingly phony looking CG Medusa knocks things down a notch. There are also some odd characters new to the remake in the Djinn, desert dwellers who look like leprous versions of the Tusken Raiders from Star Wars.

If you get the chance to see Clash of the Titans in theaters, save your money and skip the 3D version. The picture was shot in 2D and quickly converted afterwards to cash in on the 3D craze. Much of the film is flat with scenes barely registering as 3D. Secondly, this is a very dark movie and the 3D glasses darken the movie even further. Finally, Leterrier’s frenetic shooting style does not lend itself to the 3D process. The constant camera movements during the action scenes negate it.

Rating: ***