Moonrise Kingdom review

 Number 467 on the top 1000 films of all time is Wes Anderson's coming-of-age drama 'Moonrise Kingdom.'

Scout Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) and theatre star Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) are both social outcasts and pen pals. Upon meeting for the first time, the two quickly fall in love and run away on the New England island of New Penzance. They are pursued by a slieu of adults including policeman Captain Duffy Sharp (Bruce Willis,) Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton,) Suzy's mum and dad, Laura (Frances McDormand) and Walt (Bill Murray) and an unnamed social worker played by Tilda Swinton.

I think it can be all too easy to dismiss Wes Anderson's films as style over substance. He is well-known for emptying distinct colour patterns and symmetrical compositions. Academics Stephanie Williams and Christen Vidanovic said that almost every frame could have been a beautiful photograph. They weren't wrong. Moonrise Kingdom looked gorgeous on-screen with its visual style complimenting the whimsical nature of the film.

Was it style over substance? I'm not so sure. Underpinning the visual flair was a charming and heartwarming love story between Sam and Suzy. Anderson intended to depict a fantasied young love with all its innocence and idealism. That's what he did. Despite being acting novices, leads Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward were both great. They served as emotional anchors in an otherwise zany film.

Nowhere is it zanier than with the adult characters who were all just a little bit peculiar. This is especially true of Suzy's parents and Captain Sharp. While Suzy and Sam's relationship is blossoming, Walt and Laura's marriage is falling apart, least of all, because of Laura's affair with Captain Sharp. This was a nice distorted mirror image of young love even if it could have used a little more screentime.

Overall, I really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom. Rather than being an example of style over substance, it was style AND substance with its distinct visual style contributing so much to the fantastical, timeless nature of the film.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) review

 Number 466 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Swedish thriller 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

Mikael Blomkyist (Michael Nyqvist) is a disgraced journalist who has just lost a high-profile libel case. He is enlisted by Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) the patriarch of the wealthy Vanger family - to solve the four decade disappearance, and suspected murder, of his niece Harriet. Mikael joins forces with the brilliant, but troubled hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to solve the mystery.

Two years ago, I watched the 2011 American remake of this film which starred Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. It was ranked forty-three steps above the original. IMDB thought the remake was better - perhaps it was with Rooney Mara deservingly receiving a Best Actress Oscar nod. However, the 2011 remake could only run because the original walked first.

This film was gripping and enthralling with plenty of twists and turns. Nyquist and Rapace were every bit the quals of Craig and Mara. Best of all, the accents were more in line with what I would from a Swedish film; in the remake, the accents were all over the place. Not the case here.

One thing I didn't like about either film was the romantic subplot between Lisbeth and Mikael. In the remake, it was more romantic, but in the original, it was physical. In both films, Lisbeth is the initiator. However, Lisbeth was subject to a horrific rape from her legal guardian - of which she took an awesome but vicious revenge. But she then initiates sex with Mikael. And I thought this was unrealistic. Surely the last thing an SA survivor would want to do is to have sex with another man. It was unbelievable and contrived.

This isn't to disparage Rapace's performance of course. She earned numerous awards for a reason. Salander was a difficult character to play, but Rapace did her justice - like I said, she was every bit as convincing as Rooney Mara. Nyquist was also good as the journalist who upon stumbling upon an even bigger mystery, soon finds himself dangerously out of his depth.

Unconvincing and unnecessary love story aside, I thought the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo was a thrilling watch. Perhaps even better than its 2011 American remake.

From Here to Eternity review

 Number 465 on the top 1000 films of all time is the romantic-drama 'From Here to Eternity.'

Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is a soldier and former boxer stationed in 1941 Oahu. Despite pressure from his unit he refuses to join the regimental boxing team. They then proceed to make his life hell. His only friends are the Italian-American Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra) and Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster.)

This is the film that famously won Frank Sinatra the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. It was just one of his many successful film roles. Yet I think labelling it "supporting" is stretching things just a bit too far. He only seemed to feature in a few key scenes before going AWOL to only reappear at the film's conclusion. He was certainly good enough - maybe not as quite as good as his performance in the Manchurian Candidate, but did he have enough screentime to justify a Best Supporting Oscar?

I was also confused to see that it was Burt Lancaster and not Montgomery Clift who received the Best Actor nomination. Lancaster also received star billing over Clift. Yet it was Prewitt and his tortured past that was driving the film forward. Clift was great in the lead role too, as he conveyed Prewitt's inner turmoil. Of course, this isn't to diminish Lancaster either, but of the two, Clift was the star of the film.

The film culminates in a thrilling conclusion, as we see the Pearl Harbour attack happen in real time. This was an enthralling ending which surely captured the confusion and tragedy of the time.

From Here to Eternity was certainly an enjoyable film, but I'm not sure it was Oscar-worthy.

Run Lola Run review

 Number 464 on the top 1000 films of all time is the German experimental hyperlink thriller 'Run Lola Run.'

Lola 's (Franka Potente) boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) has just lost the the 100,000 Deutsche marks he owes to a fearsome drug crime lord. Lola has twenty minutes to help him find the money otherwise he will be killed. However, when her first attempts end in failure, she has the chance to try again and again until she succeeds.

Run Lola Run had a good if thin concept spreader even thinner over an eighty-minute run time. Thankfully, it wasn't any longer otherwise it would have been stretched to breaking point. If anything 'Run Lola Run' would have done better as a forty-minute Twilight Zone episode.

Run Lola Run employs a hyperlink structure allowing Lola multiple opportunities to achieve her goals, starting from scratch over and over again. We see the theme of chance put under a microscope as different events play out differently in each time. It's a cool idea, but not one that can sustain a whole film. Even an eighty-minute one.

And that's even without considering the central plot of Lola and her boyfriend having to find 100k in twenty minutes - a seemingly impossible task. So impossible, it made it difficult for me to suspend my disbelief.

It didn't help that I didn't care for either Lola or Manni or their relationship. I first saw Franke Potente in the Bourne Identity where, despite being Matt Damon's love interest, she had very little romantic chemistry with him. The same applied for Potente and Bleibtreu. As their relationship was central to the film, it wasn't good that I didn't care for it.

And I just didn't care for this film. It was an interesting concept, but it became repetitive after eighty minutes. Thank God, it wasn't any longer. 

The Magnificent Seven Review

Number 456 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Sturges' 1960 Western The Magnificent Seven.

A poor Mexican village is constantly being exploited by the cruel Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his gang of bandits. Having had enough, the villagers rally a posse of seven cowboys led by the Cajun gunslinger Chris Adams (Yul Brynner) to battle against Calvera's gang.

The Magnificent Seven is a famous remake of Akira Kurosawa's epic 'the Seven Samurai.' At three hours long, the Seven Samurai is not for casual film fans or even supposed film fanatics like me. Thankfully, the Magnificent Seven managed to tell the same story in a far more palatable two hours.

And it was certainly a great story - seven of the biggest actors of the time including Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson team up to face off against Eli Wallach. Even for casual Western fans like me, it was certainly entertaining.

The on-screen, and at times, off-screen, rivalry between Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen underpinned much of the film, but all of the cast were good. Despite having a large ensemble cast and a limited two-hour run time, John Sturges took the time to develop each character into somebody interesting. You had the young upstart Chico (Horst Bucholz) as well as Lee (Robert Vaughn) who is haunted by a troubled past. Vaughn was a dark horse as he brought a quiet intensity to the role.

Eli Wallach's villainous Calvera wasn't as memorable as he could have been. Although it was probably overshadowed by his later and most famous role of Tuco in Sergio Leone's iconic 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.'

Nevertheless, John Sturges directed a fun and entertaining film, which balanced humour, heart and terrific set-pieces with a palatable two-hour run time.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Review

 Number 454 on the top 1000 films of all time is the science-fiction horror film 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.'

Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is a doctor in LA who soon starts to be convinced that everybody around him has been replaced by copies. This includes everybody except for his girlfriend Becky (Dana Wynter.) However, as things start to become more serious, Miles struggles in getting anybody else to believe him. He endeavours to prove the truth no matter the cost.

I think it can be all too easy to dismiss films like these as just another science-fiction flick capitalising on the Red-Scare panic of the 1950's. And while Don Siegel certainly captured the paranoia of McCarthy's America, this film is certainly more than your average B-movie sci-fi film.

Although it was initially forgotten by critics, it has since grown into one of the pre-eminent science fiction/horror films and for good reason. Despite having a minimal $400,000 budget and a paltry 80 minute runtime, it grossed over seven times that. Probably due to the small budget, it was simple, but incredibly effective. Siegel did well to really convey a fearful atmosphere. 

Perhaps that's because he deliberately under-played things. Despite hearing throughout about the pod people who have replaced the town, we only see glimpses of the pods themselves and never anything of the actual aliens. Instead, they these people look like the average person on the street, again showing the paranoia that was rampant at the time. It was the simplicity that, I think, made this film stand out against some of its contemporaries like Forbidden Planet.

Kevin McCarthy - no relation to Joseph McCarthy who gave his name to the anti-communist policies that dominated the 60's - was very good as the lead Miles Bennell. He brought an everyman quality as we see Bennell trying desperately to expose the truth while not falling to hysteria. And, best of all, unlike most science fiction, Bennell was actually an interesting character that you want to root for.

If I were to criticise the film for anything, it might have been the overly-optimistic ending. It was far more hopeful than I would have expected for a film as bleak as this. Although Miles' and Diana's relationship was every bit as a cheesy as I would expect for a film like this.

I enjoyed Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Although it was low-budget, this by no far impacted it quality. And it was certainly more than your average 1950's sci-film which exploited the McCarthyismesque paranoia of the time.

I saw the Devil review

 Number 462 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Korean action-thriller 'I saw the Devil.'

Kim Soo-Hyun  (Lee Byung-Hun) is an NIS agent whose fiancee Joo-yun is brutally murdered. Soo-hyun swears revenge on her murderer - the sadistic Jang Kyung-Chul (Choi Min-Sik.)

I've seen quite a few Korean films since starting this list and I think it's fair to say that Korea is the America of the Asian film world. Nothing is done by half-measure. Everything is over-the-top and ridiculous. There is no subtlety. Just larger-than-life plots and daft plot developments.

This was certainly true for I saw the Devil which was a textbook example of horrible people being horrible to each other in particularly horrible ways. There was a lot of violence and most of it was completely gratuitous. I Saw the Devil was a film that could have left a lot more up to the imagination. It was a difficult watch.

Perhaps that's because we didn't really have a main character to root for. Soo-Hyun is supposed to be the antihero type, but his dogged determination to sadistically torture Kyung-Chul blurred the line between anti-hero and villain, but more in favour of the villain. Sure Kyung-Chul was a despicable killer, but Soo-Hyun was supposed to be better than him. He isn't though, least of all, because of his silly decisions to catch him, torture him, set him free and then repeat this process over and over again. This is all well and good, but it allows Kyung-Chul to kill more innocent people - he almost rapes and murders a schoolgirl.

I know revenge is a dish best served cold, but this seemed beyond stupid. Not to mention dangerous to Soo-Hyun and his family. Surely he would know by repeatedly catching and setting Kyung-Chul free, he is putting their lives at risk?

Spoilers

Speaking of loved ones, the film concludes with Soo-Hyun manufacturing a reunion between Kyung-Chul and his estranged parents and son, only to have him killed right in front of them. Yes, Kyung-Chul was a vicious killer, but what did his family do to deserve seeing something so traumatic? It was stupid and unnecessarily cruel.

Lee Byung-Hun is best known to international audiences as the Front Man in the hit series Squid Game. And Choi Min-Sik has also starred in the famous Vengeance trilogy. Both of them are great actors in their own ways, but here their characters were little more than soulless, emotionless monsters. They didn't get the chance to really show their acting chops.

I really didn't care for I saw the Devil. It was complete nonsense and unbelievably over-the-top. Not even the considerable acting talents of Choi Min-Sik and Lee Byung-Hun could save it.

Gattaca review

 Number 460 on the top 1000 films of all time is the science-fiction film 'Gattaca.'

Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) wants nothing more than to be an astronaut and go to space with the Gattaca Aerospace corporation. The catch? He is an "in-valid" - a child that did not receive any gene-editing before birth. To achieve his goals, he impersonates quadriplegic Jerome Morrow (Jude Law.) However, when Gattaca's mission director is killed, Vincent is framed and his secret is in danger of being discovered.

Gattaca was a disappointing attempt to engage in some important ideas. Gene-editing is no doubt a sensitive topic. Sure if you have the chance to stop your child from developing cancer or dying from heart disease by the time they're thirty, why wouldn't you take that chance? But where do you stop? Do you remove any arbitrary characteristics you don't like like? What happens if you don't edit your child at all? Will they be discriminated against?

Gattaca attempts to answer these questions in a cold and sterile way. Despite having some talented actors like Ethan Hawke, Jude Law and Uma Thurman, who played Vincent's love interest Irene, I didn't care about any of the characters. All three actors are Oscar-nominated and I've enjoyed Ethan Hawke as a romantic and action lead, but I wasn't invested in Vincent. I don't think he was either, as it wasn't one of his most charismatic performances.

He also lacked on-screen chemistry with Jude Law. Jude Law plays Jerome who helps Vincent impersonate him by providing him with plenty of DNA samples. Despite some arguing, the two develop a begrudging respect for one another, but I still didn't find their relationship very believable.

I also saw attempts to create heart through a love story between Vincent and Irene. Although Hawke and Thurman began dating off-screen and later married, as a result of this film, this off-screen chemistry failed to translate to on-screen.

The same can be said through a subplot between Vincent and a reunion with an apparently long-lost brother who is investigating Vincent's involvement in the murder of the director of Gattaca's space programme. Yet this storyline fell emotionally flat too. The murder subplot never felt immediate enough to have any tangible effect on the plot. Plus there was never any on-screen rift or conflict to suggest that the two brothers had fallen out with each other after their childhood.

Sadly, like many science-fiction films, Gattaca became so obsessed with exploring its key ideas, it failed to create interesting characters.

The Triplets of Belleville review

 Number 455 on the top 1000 films of all time is the French animated adventure comedy-drama 'The Triplets of Belleville.'

Champion (Michel Robin) is a little boy who dreams of being a cyclist. Growing up he realises his dream by riding in the Tour De France. However, he and two other cyclists are kidnapped by the French mob. His grandmother Madame Souza (Monica Viegas) and her dog Bruno resolve to rescue them. They are helped by the eponymous Triplets of Belleville - former music hall singers.

I've been working through this list for longer than I care to remember. Every so often, I've come across an animated film that has really surprised me with its uniqueness. You had the incredible stop-motion Mary and Max, as well as the beautiful 2-D animated Persepolis. Now you have the wholly special Triplets of Belleville. I haven't seen anything like it. Considering I've watched over 700 of the film on this list, that is really saying something.

Similarly to Persepolis, the Triplets of Belleville utilises a simple 2-D style to tell an unchanging story. It's all complete nonsense obviously, yet I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief. I could totally see the plot happening in the weird steampunk-esque universe they created.

The animation style paid homage to the Jazz era initially, as well as the Post WW2 era. It evoked a grimy, industrial but also timeless feel. This film could be set in the thirties, the fifties or in its own little universe.

The animation also allowed for plenty of absurdity and therefore offbeat humour like Madame Souza and the Triplets of Belleville taking on a whole room of French gangsters with nothing but a frying pan. Yet it also had plenty of scares too like when we find out what happens tot he kidnapped cyclists if they displease the mob.

The most unique aspects of the Triplets of Belleville was how the story was told through minimal dialogue. Pantomime and music were used instead. This betrays the confidence of director Sylvain Chomet and his animation team. This confidence was not misplaced, as it allowed for some brilliant visual story-telling. There was no script full of cheesy one-liners and corny speeches, but striking imagery and memorable music. The Triplets of Belleville sung the film's most famous song Belleville Rendeyvous, which was Oscar-nominated.

I would definitely recommend watching The Triplets of Belleville. I can guarantee it won't be like anything you've seen before.

The French Connection review

 Number 453 on the top 1000 films of all time is William Friedkin's 1971 neo-noir crime thriller 'The French Connection.'

NYPD detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider) are trying to bring the influential and wealthy French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier (Fernado Rey) to justice.

The French Connection was William Friedkin's fifth film, but also the one that arguably made his name. Considering that this film netted him Best Director awards from the Academy, the Golden Globes the Directors Guild of America, I think it's fair to say this was his breakout film. No doubt the success of this allowed him to go onto even, arguably, greater heights of directing The Exorcist a few years.

 Supposedly the scariest horror film of all time. I say supposedly as I really hated the Exorcist. Although evidently I'm in the minority with that opinion as The Exorcist went onto receive ten Oscar nominations including Best Director for Friedkin.

However, I think the French Connection was a much better film to warrant a Best Director win. True, The French Connection is a bit complicated and confusing like most neo-noir films are, but it was still very entertaining. After all, Friedkin directed what some label to be one of the greatest car chase scenes in movie history. Popeye drives hell-for-leather to catch a would-be assassin. This is complicated by how the assassin is on the train and Popeye is in a car, yet in a thrilling sequence, we see him stop at nothing to bring this killer to justice in one way or another.

Although I think Friedkin earned the Best Director Oscar, I'm less convinced by Gene Hackman winning the Best Actor Oscar for Popeye. True, he was good, but I don't think this was one of his best performances. 

He was better in Mississippi Burning, where he was also nominated for Best Actor Oscar losing out to Dustin Hoffman, or the Conversation where Hackman wasn't even nominated. The Conversation's biggest theme was paranoia and we saw that through and through in Hackman's performance. Here I think he was more your every-day hero. Nothing wrong with that, but not Oscar worthy.

Anyway, this is a minor criticism in what was a thoroughly entertaining film. Just a shame, Friedkin went onto direct the Exorcist. 

Amour review

 Number 450 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Michael Haneke's French psychological drama 'Amour.'

Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) Laurent are former music teachers and elderly couple in Paris. When Anne suffers a stroke that leaves her unable to take care of herself, Georges dutifully accepts the role of carer. However, the stress of the work becomes too much for the both of them.

Upon directing this film, Michael Haneke constantly reminded his cast to avoid over-sentimentality at all costs. This is what stopped the film from being a cheesy love story. Instead it was an utter devastating tragedy. Like Georges, I worked as a carer, so I saw first-hand how this stress can impact a couple's relationship.

I can attest there was nothing corny or overly-romanticised in Amour. We saw the authentic side of caring in all its brutal detail. We also saw the pour of amour - French for love - nowhere was this more present than in the relationship between Georges and Anne. Amour was the perfect title for the film - if you are taking care of a loved one, you need nothing less than love itself. And to allow somebody to take care of you, you need to trust and love somebody implicitly. It was obvious Georges and Anne loved each other unconditionally.

This was obvious from Trintigant's and Riva's excellent characterisations. Anne was obviously in an awful situation. Nobody ever wants to suffer like she does, but despite being in a pitiful situation, she wasn't a pitiable character. Riva played her with the utmost humanity. Despite being in a sorry situation, she never surrenders her humanity. Not once. It was this brilliant portrayal that saw her win the BAFTA and Caesar award as well as receiving an Oscar nod.

Trintignant was equally good as Georges. As Anne's carer, the stress quickly takes its toll - his position is almost as bad as his wife's. Yet similarly to Anne - although we feel sorry for Georges, Georges is not a sorry character. He remains faithful to his wife all the way up the shock ending that I didn't see coming. Just like Riva, Trintignant also won the Caesar award for his portrayal of Georges.

Amour was a powerful but tragic film which depicted one of the hardest parts of life with the utmost humanity. And if my praise wasn't enough, it also won the Best International Film Oscar. Well-deserved.

Tombstone review

 Number 444 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1993 Western 'Tombstone.'

Tombstone details the events that led up to the famous Gunfight at the Ok Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and his brothers Virgil (Sam Eliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) are three retired men who are looking for a quiet life in Tombstone. However, when the Cochise County Cowboys, led by Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) start pushing their way around town, the Earps are reluctantly drawn out of retirement to deal with the threat, helped by their close friend Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer.)

Anybody who knows me knows that I've never been a big fan of Westerns. The Gunfight at the Ok Corral as well as the Earps and Doc Holliday might be legendary parts of American folklore, but it's never been a topic that has really interested me. I'm not sure this film did too much to move the needle.

Of course this isn't to say that the film was explicitly terrible unlike some others I have seen, but it just wasn't for me. I can see what they were going. The charismatic Kurt Russell plays the sheriff who is reluctantly drawn back into his old life. He was good enough, as were his deputies Virgil and Morgan played by Sam Eliot and Bill Paxton. They played very different characters than in Frailty or the Big Lebowski. I think the good guys had a better characterisation than the Cochise County Cowboys. 

Perhaps that's because they were little more than a lawless rabble without more hierarchy or organisation. They were led by Curly Bill Brocious - Powers Boothe always gives recognisable performances, but the rest of the gang largely blended into one.

For me, the best part of the film was Val Kilmer. He played Doc Holliday - a cherished friend of the Earps who was suffering terribly from tuberculosis. Kilmer was definitely a dark horse considering his role was little more than just giving support to the Earps. Despite that, Holliday was a very tragic character who was also loyal to his friends. Kilmer's performance helped to demystify one of the most interesting characters of the Old West.

I'm sure there are many people who would love this film. These guys would also be big fans of the Wild West. I am not a fan of the Wild West, so I didn't much care for Tombstone, but that's just me.

In America review

 Number 448 on the top 1000 films of all time is Jim Sheridan's comedy-drama 'In America.'

Irish family, father Johnny (Paddy Considine,) mother Sarah (Samantha Morton) and daughters Christy (Sarah Bolger) and Ariel (Emma Bolger) have just moved to New York. As they settle into their new life, they are haunted by a dark secret which threatens to tear their family apart.

This was a good film, but also sentimental - dare I say overly-sentimental? Was it good enough to overcome its sentimentality? I'm not so sure about that. The principle cast were great. Samantha Morton rightly scored a Best Actress Oscar nod while Emma and Sarah Bolger showed a remarkable maturity for their young ages. They're real-life sisters which explained their great on-screen chemistry. 

Paddy Considine was also good, but his character of Jonny was rather annoying considering he was the main character. Johnny is a struggling actor who does whatever it takes to support his family. This includes really stupid things which he does for no reason but to add pointless conflict. He gambles the rent money on winning an ET toy in a carnival game. He walks through traffic to bring back an AC unit for his family. All of this undermined the emotional payoff his actions brought. Having said that, this film was partly based on Jim Sheridan's life, so maybe all this happened in one way or another.

As they say truth is stranger than fiction and the semi-autobiographical nature of the film did give it a generally authentic feel even if some parts were probably exaggerated for dramatic effect. No part felt more exaggerated than with the supporting character - the enigmatic Mateo (Djimon Hounsou.)

Initially, he's presented as an eccentric and dangerous man before it's revealed he has a heart of gold. I don't really know why Sheridan chose to depict him as such as an aggressive recluse who progressively softened up as he befriended the Sullivan family. This culminated in him leaving them an incredible amount of money. I don't think there had been enough groundwork to have justified such a decision. This isn't to discredit Hounsou - he quite rightly earned an Oscar nod, but Mateo's characterisation could have been improved.

And that summarises my opinion of this film. It was by no means bad, but it wasn't as good as it was trying to be.

The Motorcycle Diaries review

 Number 438 on the top 1000 films of all time is Walter Salles' biopic coming-of-age drama 'The Motorcycle Diaries.'

The Motorcycle Diaries tells the true-life story of Che Guevara's (Gael Garcia Bernal and Alberto Granada (Rodrigo De La Serna epic motorcycle road trip across South America. Che Guevara went onto become one of the biggest figures in the Cuban Revolution.

If you don't recognise Che Guevara's name, you will definitely recognise his face. He has become one of the biggest symbols of rebellion and counterculture featuring on everything from badges to necklaces and T-shirts, somewhat ironically considering his anti-capitalist leanings. Safe to say he has become a legendary figure regardless of your political bias.

The Motorcycle Diaries served to demystify this almost mythical figure beginning from his humble origins as a medical student to the blossoming of his revolutionary ideals. Although the film stops short of depicting the latter parts of his career. Exec producer Paul Webster described his depiction in this film as closer to Jack Kerouac than Vladimir Lenin.

Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was given the difficult job of bringing this heroic figure to life. Bernal was good in the role as the portrayal Guevara as a three-dimensional figure with his own flaws and mistakes. There are some who criticised the for over-idealising Guevara, but his idealism was his greatest flaw. Che's commitment to his ideals fuels much of the film's conflict.

Rodrigo De La Serna also excelled as Che's best friend and travelling buddy Alberto Granada. The two actors had great chemistry together as their friendship and conflicting ideals contributed to the film's conflict. International audiences might know De La Serna better as the morally dubious bank robber Palermo in the hit Netflix series: La Casa De Papel, but De la Serna showed he is always an impressive actor regardless of the moral leanings of his characters.

It might be more accurate to describe this more as a coming-of-age drama rather than biopic, as it stops short of charting Che's life as a revolutionary, but it is an entertaining film nonetheless.