The Thin Red Line review

 Number 694 on the top 1000 films of all time is Terrence Malik's 1998 epic-war film 'The Thin Red Line.'

During the World War Two battle of Mount Austen, a group of US Army infantry soldiers are tasked with taking a key position of the Guadalcanal campaign which could be the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

I've watched a lot of war films and I don't think I've seen one as slow, badly-paced and boring as the Thin Red Line. It was a blocked, drawn-out affair with an overly-large cast.

I would say it takes a while to get going, but it never truly does. For the first ten minutes, we are introduced to Private Witt (Jim Cavizel) who is frolicking with the Melanesian locals, but we don't have any reason to care about them at this point. It is only after the ten minute mark do we see any whisper of conflict where Sergeant Welsh (Sean Penn) tells off Witt for going AWOL.

Thirty minutes later, the soldiers go to the war. Seriously. It's a war film and we don't see any war until well over the forty-minute mark. It's a far-cry from the storming of the beaches in Normandy depicted at the start of Saving Private Ryan.

The Thin Red Line also suffered from a severe lack of main characters or any characters to root for. Sean Penn received star-billing as Sergeant Welsh, so you would think he's the protagonist, but the he only appears in a handful of scenes. But Private Witt is the first character we're introduced to, so you might be forgiven for thinking he's the main character, but then he goes AWOL for much of the film.  

Private Fife (Adrian Brody) was originally scripted as a key-player, but much of his dialogue was edited out. He only had two or three lines. And while the cast was dominated by high-profile names like George Clooney, John C. Reilly, John Travolta and Woody Harrelson, their roles were little more than cameos. It was all very distracting and it certainly didn't make me care for their characters, which was problematic when they were in battle. I didn't care if they lived or died. If anything I cared more about the poor Japanese soldiers they were killing.

The two most memorable and best performances came from Nick Nolte as Lt. Colonel Gordon Tall and Elias Koteas as Captain James Staros. Having been passed over for promotion multiple times, Colonel Tall sees one last chance for glory by telling Staros to capture a bunker by full-front al assault. However Staros realises the position is heavily guarded and he refuses to send his men to die, leading to a huge confrontation between him and Tall. Although their conflict only lasts for a few scenes, it was one of the most interesting and dramatic.

Much of the rest was spent hearing random voiceovers of random characters all philosophising about the meaning of war. It all became very pretentious especially since there's no rhyme or reason as to why these characters are giving voiceovers at that particular time.

Terrence Malik was ruthless with his editing, not only vastly reducing Adrian Brody's role, but also cutting out other roles completely - Mickey Rourke was supposed to appear, but only does so in deleted scenes. I do think the film was overly-edited; it is an incohesive mess of random scenes and characters thrown together without any clear storyline.

Big surprise. I did not care for the Thin Red Line. Not only was it pretentious and bloated, but it was also something a film should never be and that's boring.

Mystic River review

 Number 347 on the top 1000 films of all time is Clint Eastwood's crime-drama 'Mystic River.'

Mystic River is based on the book of the same name by Denis Lehane. It opens on three twelve-year-old boys Jimmy, Sean and Dave as they are running amuck in 1970's Boston. The cops come and take away Dave. He isn't seen again until four days later alleging he was held prisoner and sexually assaulted. Fast-forward twenty-five years and the three friends have separated. Dave (Tim Robbins) is still living with his childhood trauma, Jimmy (Sean Penn) has become a petty crook and Sean (Kevin Bacon) is a copper. When Jimmy's nineteen-year-old daughter is murdered, and Dave becomes the number-one suspect, the three friends are thrown back together.

I've always said that Clint Eastwood is a better director than an actor. Nowhere is that more evident than here. Mystic River is a taut, tight thriller that grabs viewers by the throat in the first fifteen minutes, and refuses to let go. Mystic River rightly earned Eastwood a Best Director Oscar nod.

But Penn and Robbins won the best-actor and best-supporting actor Oscars. These were well-earned. Penn gave a powerful performance as the emotionally exhausted father desperately trying to solve the murder of his daughter. But Robbins was equally good if not better as Dave. Try as he might, he couldn't put the trauma of being assaulted as a boy behind him. Becoming the number-one suspect does nothing to help his deteriorating psyche. And Robbins brought all this to the role and more.

Even Kevin Bacon surprised me. Granted, I haven't seen him in that much, but I've never rated him as an actor. Yet he brought an excellent maturity to the role. Out of the three friends, he's managed to put the childhood trauma behind him. However, also out of the three friends, he receives the least development and screentime. It is said that he has pushed away his wife in his efforts to overcome his trauma, but this plot idea wasn't as fully-explored as it could have been. When the two eventually reconciled, I couldn't have cared less.

I also thought Jimmy's relationship with his wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) wasn't well-portrayed. The actors didn't have the best chemistry. This was no better evidenced than at the film's conclusion. After Jimmy has dealt some street justice, she comes onto him in some weird faux-sex scene proclaiming him to be a king among men. It was all very cringy, but maybe it was supposed to be.

But I thoroughly enjoyed Mystic River. If only Clint Eastwood did more directing instead of acting.

21 Grams review

 Number 536 on the top 1000 films of all time is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's psychological drama '21 Grams.'

Told in a non-linear fashion, 21 Grams follows the relationship between three different characters: Paul Rivers, (Sean Penn) a mathematics professor with a fatal heart condition, a reformed convict Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro) and Cristina Peck, (Naomi Watts) a recovering drug addict and housewife. After a fatal hit-and-run their lives intersect in ways they could never imagine.

The second in Inarritu's trilogy of death after Amores Perros. Similarly to what Tarantino does in Pulp Fiction, Inarritu plays around with time. The scenes don't play in chronological order which doesn't always make for the easiest of viewing. You have to work to truly follow and understand this film, but I would argue the work is worth it. Things start confusingly, but they do coalesce as the film progresses. 

We are thrown right into the action with different clips from our three central characters: Paul is on life support, Jack is giving a pep talk to another young offender and Cristina is at an NA meeting. Separate fragments that blend into a whole. Films like this can be off-putting to some viewers. It takes a lot of work to watch and understand non-linear films and this might be work that some people might not want to put in. Film is supposed to be a method of escape and how can you escape if you're constantly trying to figure out what is going on? I would argue that the similarly structured Citizen Kane is overrated. But that was because Kane himself was an uninteresting character. 

Whereas Paul, Jack and Cristina were very interesting to watch. All three were characters with troubled pasts just trying to do better. Paul is a downtrodden man distressed by his incurable heart condition, Jack is a former convict who has now found god and Cristina is recovering from her drug addition. They are all overcoming their personal demons and were easy to root for. The three lead actors did well in bringing their characters to life especially Benicio Del Toro and Watts. Both of them received Oscar nominations for their performances and rightly so.

While this film might not be for everyone, I would highly recommend giving it a go. It might end up surprising you.

The Game review

 Number 524 on the top 1000 films of all time is David Fincher's thriller 'the Game.'

Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy investment banker in San Francisco. He is also lonely with no family, except for his estranged younger brother Conrad (Sean Penn.) Conrad enrols Nicholas in a mysterious game as a birthday present. Upon accepting, Nicholas finds his life spiralling out of control.

What David Fincher achieved in this film is taking an inherently unlikeable character and making you root for him. Nicholas is set up as grumpy, old curmudgeon. Haunted by the memories of his father's suicide at the same age he is now, he has no friends or family, save for Conrad. Michael Douglas played the fish out of water well. Nicholas' progressively growing panic was palpable to see, as the game evolves from mild inconveniences in his life to life-threatening situations. it might be tempting to describe him as a Scrooge, although I'm not sure if he performs a 180. By the film's end, he isn't welcoming Bob Cratchitt to eat with Christmas dinner with him, but there is a definite softening to his character.

This is exhibited within the character of Christine (Deborah Kara Unger) who is a waitress at Nicholas' favourite restaurant. Upon spilling wine on him, Nicholas admonishes her and gets her fired from her job. However, the two are thrown together, as Christine is also caught up in the mystery. But, by the end, the two reconcile and go for coffee. Nicholas may not have fully transformed yet, but there is the potential to do so.

Having said all that, I don't think Sean Penn was anything special as the unhinged Conrad. Yes, he kick starts the action by sending his brother down this rabbit role, but this role could have gone to anyone. Except for a few key scenes, he doesn't really do much. I guess the only reason that Sean Penn was billed second was his star power, rather than the importance of his character.

Fincher did well in always keeping the mystery high. The audience is in as much in the dark about the true nature of the Game as Nicky. And this always keeps the tension high. We have morally duplicitous characters like Christine who becomes an unlikely ally until she isn't. And, as things get weirder, Nicholas is sure that he is embroiled in some big conspiracy against him. The truth behind it all, which I won't spoil here, is far more innocuous.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable film with some edge-on-the-seat action. Douglas was great, but I do think Penn could have brought more to the role.

Carlito's Way

 Number 412 on the top 1000 films of all time is Brian De Palma's 1993 crime drama 'Carlito's Way.'

Former crime kingpin Carlito (Al Pacino) is released from prison back into his New York neighbourhood. Determined not to go back, he resolves to go straight, but when his best friend/lawyer Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) rips off the Italian mob, he find going straight will be harder than he thought. Luis Guzman, Penelope Ann Miller and Viggo Mortenson all co-star.

I love a good redemption story. Take a bad man, a ,man who knows he's made mistakes and have him repent? I'm all for that. Plus it's a great source of conflict. It's no secret that America has an awfully high recidivism rate with 2/3 released prisoners  going onto reoffended. Once released, convicts find it difficult to leave their old lives. The transition is no easier for Carlito.

Upon release, all he wants is to earn enough money to retire to the Bahamas but it isn't that simple. His cousin Guajiro takes him to a drug deal with his supplier, butt he deal is a set-up and Carlito only escapes with his life. Later on, he refuses multiple offers to go into business with the young, hotshot gangster Benny Blanco from the Bronx. When Benny later crosses a line, Carlito has a chance to kill him, but instead sets him free. To see Carlito wrestling with his true nature made for delightful viewing and pushed the narrative along.

Loyalty is a key theme of the film and is Carlito's fatal flaw. His best friend is the unstable, coke-addicted Kleinfeld. Kleinfeld is very much the foil for Carlito's character; always causing problems and upsetting his plans to go straight. And nowhere is this more obvious when Kleinfeld steals a million from the mob. The mob promises to forgive the debt if Kleinfeld breaks mob boss Tony Taglialucci out of Riker's Island prison. And who does he ask for help, but Carlito who reluctantly agrees. 

Of course, things go wrong. The whole breakout plan is a setup for Kleinfeld to kill Taglialucci and his son. Realising the truth, Carlito severs ties with his former friend. But the loyalty he shows Kleinfeld is not reciprocated. The feds later pick up Carlito and explain that Kleinfeld is prepared to testify against him. Considering how much of a slimy worm he is, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody but Carlito who has been blinded by loyalty.

I also want to give a quick shoutout to Viggo Mortenson who is always great. Although he only appears in one scene, it is one of the film's best. He plays a former associate of Carlito, Lalin Miasso, who is rendered wheelchair-bound after he was shot in the back. But it is revealed that he is wearing a wire. Breaking down in tears, he confesses that since he was shot, he has no life. He can't walk or have sex. he has to wear nappies. It was a powerful and surprising way of humanising a morally bad character. While Carlito should kill him for his betrayal, he lets him live, showing how much he wants to change. Any other crime boss would not suffer a rat to live.

Although there is one big plot hole that I would like to address. When the feds tell Carlito that Kleinfeld has betrayed him, they also tell him that his bodyguard Pachanga (Luis Guzman) has betrayed him and is now working for Benny Blanco from the Bronx. Despite knowing this, he still entrusts the safety of his girlfriend Gail (Penelope Ann Miller) to Pachanga. 

Lo and behold, right at the end, just as it looks like Carlito has won, Benny Blanco shoots him dead - thanks to Pachanga's devious ways. There was no way Carlito was ever going to walk off into the sunset, but his death was unrealistic. He is far more sentimental and trusting than any gangster has any right to be, but you think he would be more careful when it came to Gail. Especially when he knows that Pachanga has betrayed him.

But that notwithstanding, I did enjoy this film. It was the perfect telling of a redemption arc and it has a surprise standout performance from Viggo Mortenson.