Twelve Monkeys review

 Number 252 on the top 1000 films of all time is Terry Gillam's 1995 science-fiction thriller 'Twelve Monkeys.'

Set in a post-apocalypse world where 99% of the world's population has been wiped out by a disease and the remaining 1% are living underground, convict James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to gather as much information as possible. He is aided by psychiatrist Dr Kathryn Railly (Madeline Stowe,) as the two of them investigate 'the Army of Twelve Monkeys' who is believed to have released this virus. Brad Pitt co-stars as Jeffrey Goines, the leader of this group. Christopher Plummer also stars as the villainous Dr Leland Goines.

This is Terry Gillam's seventh outing in the director chair having helmed productions including Time Bandits, Jabberwocky and the virtually incomprehensible Brazil. Thankfully, Twelve Monkeys wasn't anywhere near as surreal or convoluted or abstract as Brazil. While that film was weird for the sake of being weird, Twelve Monkeys was a different beast entirely. 

Time travel can prove confusing for all but the most discerning of viewers. Although, maybe I'm just not that observant, but sometimes I do get lost following the different timelines. Despite that, Twelve Monkeys is easy enough to follow. But, more importantly, considering only three years ago, we were all living under the threat of the pandemic, Twelve Monkeys did take on a different meaning. We were all living the apocalyptic nightmare that was being played out in the film: the dystopia, state-control, paranoia was all too real for us. Unfortunately, we didn't have Bruce Willis travelling back in time to save us all.

Twelve Monkeys came out seven years after Bruce Willis established himself as a solid-action star in Die Hard. But I fear that he wasn't able to step out of this huge shadow and into a quieter, dramatic role. I didn't find him very convincing as the lead character of James Cole. He is supposed to be a man embodying a Cassandra complex, but ironically, I found a hard time believing Willis in the role. Maybe he was miscast, but I don't think he carried the drama as well as he carried the action.

However, I thought Brad Pitt was great. He played the mentally unstable Jeffrey Goines who is initially in the same psychiatric institution that Cole is imprisoned in when he is sent back to 1990. He brought such a manic energy to the role that it was impossible not to be engrossed by his character. Christopher Plummer was also very good as his slimy and evil father.

The world of Twelve Monkeys is one that isn't too far from our own reality. It's revealed that the Army of Twelve Monkeys are little more than would-be eco-warriors spreading mischief. However, we only need to look into the shadier origins of the Covid virus to draw parallels with this film. I won't dive into that rabbit-hole now, but Terry Gilliam certainly presented an interesting world which is perhaps too scarily similar to our own.

Inside Man review

 Number 642 on the top 1000 films of all time is Spike Lee's crime-thriller 'Inside Man.'

Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) robs a bank in New York City. Keith Frazer (Denzel Washington) is the NYPD's hostage negotiator sent to deal with Clive. Meanwhile, the bank's owner Mr Case (Christopher Plummer) is harbouring a dark secret in one of the bank's security boxes. He sends fixer Madeline White (Jodie Foster) to stop this box getting into the wrong hands.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was a clever take on the heist genre. I have seen a few other heist films on this list that made me wonder whether the genre was dead-and-buried, but that was not the case for Inside Man. It was a refreshing reinvention of the heist genre. But also a far deeper imagining of it.

While the money is obviously a bonus for Dalton, he is more interested in the artistry of creating the perfect bank robbery. And that made him an engaging character to watch. He and Denzel Washington were very good together as they play a deadly cat-and-mouse game. I find Denzel Washington very hit-and-miss, but he was very engaging as the maverick, rough-around-the-edges cop Frazer.

Yet underpinning this all is Mr Case and the mystery he was trying so hard to hide. *Spoiler alert* 

It's revealed that during WW2 he collaborated with the Nazis trading high-profile Jews in exchange for diamonds. It's a dark secret that he does not want coming to light. It added another layer of intrigue to this film.

While Owen and Washington were good together, I was less convinced by Washington and Foster. Both Frazer and Madeline were a similarly cat-and-mouse relationship, but thought there scenes were more on-the-nose with less imprecise dialogue.

And I know that Spike Lee's trademark is the dolly-tracking shot making it look like the MC is on a travellator, but I always thinks it looks a bit silly. I was also very confused as to why the theme tune was some late 80's Bollywood song. It was very out of place.

But these are minor criticisms of what was a very good film.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo review

 Number 423 on the top 1000 films of all time is David Fincher's 2011 remake of the Swedish 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.'

Mikhail Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a Swedish journalist who has lost everything in a libel case brought against him businessman Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Businessman Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) offers him a chance of redemption if Mikhail can solve the forty-year old disappearance of his grandniece Harriet. Mikhail enlists the help of emotionally damaged hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara.)

TGWTDT was the latest offering in the Scandi-noir trend that was dominating the airwaves in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Based on Stieg Larsson's book of the same name, TGWTDT joins the tradition along with Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, the Bridge and the Killing. So much of Scandi-noir is rooted in its Scandinavian setting. The mighty mountains, imposing glaciers and remote settings lend themselves well to grisly murders. Frosty temperatures and frostier attitudes all add to the Gothic horror.

And that's why I found the accents so weird. I understand this is an American remake, so I wouldn't expect the actors to be speaking in Swedish, but the accents were inconsistent. Christopher Plummer did well, but Rooney Mara and Robin Wright, who played Mikhail's editor and occasional lover, less so. Daniel Craig didn't bother with one at all. He chose to do this, as the thought it would sound silly otherwise. And it did. Either have all the actors do accents or none of them.

Daniel Craig received star-billing for this well-crafted thriller, but Rooney Mara was the true star. She received a Best Actress nod and it was well-earned. Lisbeth Salander - an emotionally shut down, misanthrope would be a difficult character to play. How do you make her likable without making her annoying? But Rooney Mara brought an excellent amount of vulnerability to the role. And, of course, we have to talk about the horrific scenes where Salander was raped and sodomised. These were brutal, intense scenes and Mara was fantastic.

If I were to criticise the film for anything, it would be the ending. *Spoiler alert* After the main mystery is solved, Plummer rewards Blomkvist by providing him evidence that will help him take down Wennerstrom. However, the evidence proves fruitless. So, Salander helps by hacking him and discovering he is laundering money for organised crime. She then empties his accounts. It was all good, but it seemed like a strange addendum that didn't match the rest of the film. I guess they were bringing everything full circle, but it seemed like Fincher was setting up a second film, rather than finishing this one.

Nevertheless, TGWTDT was an expertly-crafted thriller with a career-high performance from Rooney Mara.