The Fugitive review

 Number 505 on the top 1000 films of all time is the action-thriller 'The Fugitive.'

The Fugitive is based on the famous TV show of the same name. It tells the story of respected Chicago surgeon Dr Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) who is sentenced to death for the murder of his wife, despite protesting his innocence. He escapes from custody and aims to prove his innocence while evading recapture by US Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones.) Joe Pantoliano and Julianne Moore co-star.

At the 1993 Academy Awards, Tommy Lee Jones controversially won Best Supporting Actor Oscar. He beat out the likes of Leonardo Dicaprio for What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Pete Poselthwaite for in the Name of the Father, Ralph Fiennes for Schindler's List and John Malkovich for In the Line of Fire - with Fiennes being a shoe-in for the award. Having seen all but Malkovich's performance, I agree that the controversy was justified. Any one of the other actors would have been justified in winning the award.

Tommy Lee Jones was certainly a charismatic and entertaining presence as Sam Gerard. Was he Oscar-worthy? Absolutely not.

If anybody did deserve an Oscar nod, it would have been Harrison Ford who was great as the leading man Dr Richard Kimble. Yet despite the emotional pathos he brought to the role, he wasn't even nominated. It was a great shame, as I'm tempted to call it some of his best work. Unlike Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Blade Runner, where he played a roguish hero, Dr Ricard Kimble was an everyman.

Speaking of a shame, Julianne Moore was largely wasted in a supporting role. She plays a doctor in the hospital where Kimble hides as a fugitive. He pretends to be a janitor there. Despite scenes being shot giving her a much larger role including being Kimble's new love interest, these were eventually cut.

While we're talking about supporting actors, I've yet to see Joe Pantoliano in a leading man role. He plays supporting characters like the police detective here with so much gusto and energy. It's a shame he's always relegated to the supporting cast.

Questionable editing choices aside, I did enjoy the Fugitive. Granted, it was pure nonsense especially with Kimble surviving his jump from the dam, I was willing to suspend my disbelief. It helped that you could see it was so obviously a dummy. Maybe there were some Tommy Lee Jones' fans adamant that he was fully deserving of his Oscar, to quote Sam Gerard: "I don't care."

The Longest Day review

 Number 494 on the top 1000 films of all time is the epic historical war-drama 'The Longest Day.'

The Longest Day tells the dramatic story of the invasion of Dunkirk told from the perspective both the Allies and the Germans. It has a large ensemble cast with a whole host of famous stars like John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner and Paul Anka.

There is no denying the the technical prowess behind The Longest Day. Shot as a docudrama, director Daryl F Zanuck deliberately chose a black-and-white colour scheme so he could really zero into the human element of the war. 

His cinematographers Jean Bourgoin and Walter Wottiz went onto the Best Cinematography Oscar for black and white. Znuck's special effects team led by Robert Macdonald and Jacques Maumont also won for Best Special effects. Neither of these were a surprise as the film was gripping from the outset, making a two and a half World War Two epic, a fast-paced thrilling watch. No doubt 'The Longest Day' influenced subsequent WW dramatisations like Saving Private Ryan, Dunkirk or Band of Brothers.

However, while the film looked great on-screen and was technically proficient, it fell down on its character work. Like I said, it had a massive supporting cast with many of its actors like Mitchum, Connery, Fonda and Burton being rendered to mere cameos. It was less immersing yourself in a different world and more spot the famous face. There wasn't a single protagonist or protagonists that you could follow throughout the film.

Nonetheless, the Longest Day was an entertaining dramatisation of one of the most important moments of not just World War Two, but world history.

Panic Room review

Panic Room does not feature on any iteration of the top 1000 films of all time. However, as I watched it recently, I'm giving my views nonetheless.

Recently divorced mother Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her diabetic daughter (Sarah) have just moved into a new four-storey house in New York City's Upper West Side. The house has its own panic room. After Meg and Sarah are invaded by a trio of burglars the ring-leader Junior (Jared Leto,) the psychotic Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) and the more compassionate Burnham (Forest Whitaker,) mother and daughter take shelter in the panic room. However, that's exactly where the home invaders want to be too.

Panic Room was David Fincher's fifth full-length directorial film. He is well-represented on the 2024 edition of the top 1000 films of all time with 8/12 of his films being featured on there. It's no surprise Alien 3 isn't on the list - maybe it would be on a list of the 1000 worsen films of all time. And perhaps Mank and the Killer are too modern to be featured. But it was a surprise that Panic Room didn't make it onto the list. Don't ask me how the mind of an IMDB audience works, but they obviously love Fincher as the majority of his films make some appearance on this list.

Panic Room had all the hallmarks of your classic Fincher thriller including low lighting, tight camera angles and morally grey characters. It also had a rousing score by frequent collaborator Howard Shore. However, what separated Panic Room from other Fincher thrillers was its sense of claustrophobia. Much of the film takes place in the Altman's panic room meaning you feel every second of its stuffy atmosphere.

 Having been exhausted by the multiple sets on Fight Club, Fincher wanted to direct something far simpler and more pared down. Considering the multiple production issues he had including Jodie Foster being a last-minute replacement for Nicole Kidman (who still appears in a tiny voiceover role) or having to reshoot some of the film with Foster returning on maternity leave, I'm not sure whether this production was much simpler for him really.

Regardless of the simplicity of the shoot, I still thought Panic Room was an entertaining film. It might have lacked some of the social commentary of his most famous film Fight Club or the gore of Se7en, but it had a cracking cast. Jodie Foster, Jared Leto, Nicole Kidman and Forest Whitaker share four acting Oscars between them while Kristen Stewart is also Oscar-nominated. This was only her third film, but proved to be her breakout role. 

Jared Leto brought a great manic energy to Junior who desperately tries to keep control while his well-thought strategy to rob the panic room crumbles around him. He contrasted well with the more calm and controlled Forest Whitaker. However, I think the dark horse of the three was the psychotic Dwight Yoakam who brought a scarily calm energy to the role of Raoul. Although Yoakam is better known as a country music singer this was definitely not his first rodeo as he starred in the earlier 1996 film Sling Blade.

True, as the film progresses, it goes get slightly more absurd eventually concluding in an anti-climatic disappointing ending. 

*spoilers to follow*

Having spent much of the film locked up in the panic room with minimal mobile phone signal, Meg finally gets through to 911 only for them to put her on hold, which rather beggared belief. This was a plot point a bit too fantastical to really believe. In the final confrontation between Meg, Sarah and Raoul, it isn't the women who kill Raoul, but Burnham who has a change of heart. 

This change of heart means he is inevitably caught by the police. Right at the start, it was established that Burnham was the most compassionate of the three burglars due to his outright declaration of not wanting to kill anybody, so I guess I could buy him coming back to save the women. However, Panic Room received a lot of critical praise for its feminist themes - much of the film prior to the climax shows the female Meg and Sarah outsmarting the male burglars yet they were ultimately saved by a man - Burnham. 

True, it might be unlikely for a mother and twelve-year-old girl to overpower a murderous man like Raoul, but we already saw Meg's intelligence. I would have been willing to suspend my disbelief to have seen her fatally outsmart Raoul. While Sarah was attacking Raoul from behind, perhaps Meg could have found the wherewithal to have picked up Raoul's gun and shoot him. To not have done so, slightly countermanded the feminist messaging. But maybe I'm looking too much into it.

The film ultimately ends on a bit of damp squib with Meg and Sarah discussing new places to live. Perhaps this is what stopped it from featuring on the top 1000 films of all time - that and all the unnecessary slow-motion. 

Although it didn't earn its place on the top 1000 films of all time, Panic Room was still an entertaining and thrilling film to watch. 

Saving Mr Banks review

 Number 488 on the top 1000 films of all time is the biographical drama 'Saving Mr Banks.'

Saving Mr Banks tells the true story of famed Mary Poppins author P.L Travers (Emma Thompson) in the latter stages of her career. Resisting Walt Disney's (Tom Hanks) requests to turn the Mary Poppins books into films for years, Travers finally relents after her dire finances are revealed. She travels to LA to oversee the process. Flashbacks also show her childhood growing up in Australia as well as her troubled relationship with her alcoholic father Travers Goff (Colin Farrell.) B.J Novak, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Giamatti and Ruth Wilson co-star.

As I'm sure sick of hearing by now, I am generally not a fan of biopics or period dramas. This is particularly true of films like Saving Mr Banks where I have no interest in the subject matter. I've never given Mary Poppins a second thought beyond it being an entertaining film. I did not expect to enjoy Saving Mr Banks, but I'm glad to say I was proven wrong.

Much of that was down to Emma Thompson's absolutely delightful portrayal of P.L Travers. She really proved why she is a double-Oscar winning actress. Although Disney heavily lobbied for Thompson to receive what would have been her fourth Oscar actress nomination, she ultimately ended up being nominated for the BAFTA best actress award. Either way, she was great as the Mary Poppins author. I loved her portrayal of the author as this uptight, prim-and-proper, no nonsense Brit who soon clashes with the more laidback and easy-going Americans.

Despite that, we see her icy veneer begin to melt as she is worn down by the executives at Disney. This includes Walt Disney but also by her chauffeur Ralph (Paul Giamatti,) screenwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford,) and composers Richard and Robert Sherman (Jason Schwartzman and B.J Novak.) The actors all had great chemistry together and, despite my general grumpy old manness, I couldn't help but smile along at their antics. This was especially true with Paul Giamatti who was truly endearing as Travers' chauffeur Ralph. Despite Travers' initial hostility, Ralph's optimism never waivers, making him one of the best characters in the film.

Yet beyond the humour and warmth, there was some strong emotional depth. This was saved for the flashback scenes to Travers' childhood where we see her mother Margaret (Ruth Wilson) desperately trying to keep their family and marriage together while her father Travers (Colin Farrell) battles against his alcoholism. Like many alcoholics, he isn't an inherently bad person, but somebody who has just dug himself into a hole. Despite how his actions drive Margaret to the absolute edge, Travers still absolutely adores him. All credit to Colin Farrell for this portrayal.

I said earlier that although Disney lobbied for this film heavily at the Oscars, it was ultimately only nominated for the Best Original Score. This was a well-earned nomination, as the musical numbers were some of the best moments of the film.

Saving Mr Banks really surprised me as a film. Just like the initially icy PL Travers was worn down by American enthusiasm and optimism, so was I. And I'm all the better for it.

The Dirty Dozen review

 Number 484 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1967 war film 'The Dirty Dozen.'

In March, 1944, Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) is ordered to command Project Amnesty - a top secret mission to take twelve convicts, turn them into commandos in an effort to eliminate as many high-ranking Nazis as possible while they wine and dine in a Rennes chateau. Some of the dozen include loud-mouth and hot-headed mobster Victor R. Franko (John Cassavetes,) gentle giant Samson Posey (Clint Walker) the German-speaking Joseph Wladislaw (Charles Bronson,) the black Robert T. Jefferson (Jim Brown,) the psychotic Maggott (Terry Salavas) and Vernon L.Pinkley (Donald Sutherland.)

This was a thoroughly entertaining film and one I enjoyed immensely. It is very much your standard action film with gunfire and explosions galore, but it also had a great and memorable cast of characters. You had the psychopathic Maggott who is disliked and mistrusted by most of the gang and with good reason - he had previously raped and killed a young woman. Terry Salavas created a scary character. I also liked the gentle giant Posey who traumatised by his previous crimes becomes scared of his own strength. Clint Walker really helped to give some humanity to this goliath of a man.

You also had the iconic Charles Bronson and Donald Sutherland - two great actors who share the distinction of never being Oscar-nominated. One of the most striking characters was the rebellious Franko who goes onto becomes one of the gang's loudest voices. Cassavetes received a well-earned Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Tying this all together was Lee Marvin playing the army major forced into an undesirable position, but determined to see his mission through.

Inevitably by having such a large ensemble cast it's natural for some characters to overshadow others. This happened here with big personalities like Maggott, Wladislaw, Franko and Posey dominating screentime over some of the less memorable members of the operation. Nowhere is this more present than Jiminez (Trini Lopez) who, due to Lopez midway leaving production, receives a rather rushed off-screen death. 

No matter, as everything culminates in an exciting conclusion which sees most of our heroes dying (I don't think this is much of a spoiler - this was always going to be a suicide mission) There were plenty great set pieces and special effects.

All in all, I enjoyed the Dirty Dozen. Yes, some of the characters were better characterised than others, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.  

My Name is Khan review

 Number 495 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Indian-produced social drama film 'My Name is Khan.'

Rizwan Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) is an Indian Muslim with severe Asperger's Syndrome. Searching for a better life, he emigrates to San Francisco where he meets the single mother and Hindu, Mandira Rathod (Kajol.) However, in the wake of 9/11 and the rise of Islamaphobic attitudes, Mandira and her son suffer awful discrimination. Rizwan Khan resolves to travel across the US to speak with the president.

I've seen a few Bollywood/Indian films since starting this list, but this is the first time I've seen the Bollywood style in an American setting. It was refreshing to see. There was strong acting especially from the leads which should be no surprise considering they are both stars of Indian cinema having won 22 Filmfare awards. Shak Rukh Khan researched autism extensively and spent long periods of time with them to ensure the most accurate representation of the condition. Sure it might not have been Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man or Priyanka Chopra in Barfi! but Khan played the role with great sensitivity.

My Name is Khan also offered some pertinent social commentary regarding the immigrant, more specifically, Muslim experience in the US. Hatred of the other has always existed. This is as true now as it was twenty years ago as it was two hundred years ago. Humans are unfortunately a tribal society who distrust anybody who doesn't look like them,

Unfortunately, the film's social commentary was almost lost in its melodrama. Indian Cinema loves melodrama and that was certainly the case here. To say that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's score was over-the-top would be the understatement of the century. It reminded me of bad reality TV trying to manipulate your emotions. Director Karan Johar could have relied on his strong actors or Shibani Bathija's script for that. Similarly, we didn't need the slow-motion, montages or multiple camera angles of the same thing. It was all so unnecessary. At least there wasn't any spontaneous singing and dancing.

I would also agree with some reviewers who said that the film became lost in its own lofty ambitions. The first half of the film was definitely tighter than the second, even if it did spend too much time setting up Rizwan and Mandira's relationship. Indian film critic Vinod Mirani criticised Karan Johar's direction as being meandering and slow-paced through his desire of trying to say too much. 

This is especially true of the film's second half where Rizwan embarks on his journey across the US getting involved in lots of different obstacles along the way, most of which were either resolved too easily - like how he was falsely imprisoned by the FBI or too diversionary from the main plot like how Rizwan befriends a mother and son in Georgia, later protecting them during Hurricane Wilhemina.

My Name is Khan was an admirable film with strong characterisations and good social commentary, but a lot of that was lost in its melodrama.

Atonement review

 Number 483 on the top 1000 films of all time is the romantic tragedy 'Atonement.'

Based on the 2001 Ian Mcewan novel of the same name and set in 1930's England, Atonement tells the story of Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) the oldest sister of the Tallis family and her relationship with the housekeeper's son Robbie Turner (James Mcavoy.) However, when Cecila's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) confesses that she saw Robbie commit an awful crime, he is sent to prison, ripping apart the family.

In my Finding Neverland review, I said that Kate Winslet is one of those actresses who gets type-cast as upper-class aristocratic English ladies. I would lump Keira Knightley into the same camp. Whether that's Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean or the Imitation Game, she more or less plays the same character. In Atonement, it was more of the same, but Cecilia had a killer emotional depth. As this was a hard-hitting film. 

*Spoilers to follow*

As much of the film harbours on a lie. The young and naive thirteen-year-old Briony, who has her own feelings for Robbie, misconstrues his affections for Cecilia as rape and abuse. Yet things don't stop here. She then believes she witnesses him raping her cousin Lola (Juno Temple.) And this is all the evidence needed to send Robbie to prison for years. Upon realising her mistake, an elderly Briony (Vanessa Redgrave) tries atoning for her mistakes, but it is too little too late. In many ways, she is an unreliable narrator which gave this film a rather devastating dramatic irony.

Briony Tallis was only Saiorse Ronan's third film role, but it was also her breakout role. For Briony Tallis, she received her first of four Oscar nominations. It was well-earned too, as she showed her early promise as an actor. Similarly, this film helped to establish James Mcavoy as a leading man. Although he wasn't Oscar-nominated, he did receive a Bafta nod for Best Supporting Actor.

After Robbie is released from prison, he is drafted into the Second World War where, suffering from an infected wound, he desperately navigates to the beaches of Dunkirk so he can return home to his beloved Cecilia. Some critics argued this made the film unbalanced with a scatter-shot plot. I wouldn't agree though. Having Robbie and Cecilia separated by not only a lie but also war really underlined the tragic plot and the seriousness of Briony's lie, as well as her desperate need to atone for her sins.

This definitely won't be an easy watch. There are emotionally upsetting scenes galore, but it is also quite a powerful film with some great performances.