The Fifth Element Review

 Number 669 on the top 1000 films of all time is Luc Besson's 1997 science-fiction action film 'The Fifth Element.'

Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a former army major and now taxi driver in 23rd century Earth. He receives an unexpected fare when Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) falls through the roof of his cab. It is revealed that she is the fifth element needed to safeguard the survival of the human race against an evil alien entity hell-bent on destroying the Earth. It's up to Dallas to bring her and the four other elements together before the planet is attacked. Ian Holm, Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker all co-star.

Luc Besson had a very specific vision when he created The Fifth Element. Rather than emulating the dingy, techno-dystopias of Blade Runner, he wanted a bright, vibrant and colourful world. That's why The Fifth Element has such eye-popping visuals and off-beat humour. In many ways, it seemed like a low-budget, science-fiction B-movie. Even for the 90's the special effects didn't look great. 

Rather than being depressing and downbeat, everything was over-the-top. And that's why I didn't like the film very much. Bruce Willis was just Bruce Willis. Korben Dallas was not unlike John Mclane - just another wise-cracking ex-military guy who becomes an unlikely hero. He certainly didn't bring anything other than a cheesy energy to the part. I don't think he had much chemistry with Milla Jovovich. 

And if we're talking about cheesiness, let's mention Chris Tucker. His performance has been divisive to say the least. Some critics liked him others hated him. I am in the latter category. He was so over-the-top to be completely annoying. Every time he was on screen I rolled my eyes. His character was just ridiculously loud and obnoxious. I guess he was supposed to be a comic relief character of sorts, but I didn't find him very funny.

I was also very disappointed with Gary Oldman. He played the film's villain Jean-Baptise Emanuel Zorg - an industrialist pawn working for the entity that wants to destroy Earth. But Oldman wasn't particularly villainous or scary or malevolent. He had no threat to his character. Perhaps that was because of how he spoke with a rather inconsistent Southern American drawl or he was just as over-the-top as Chris Tucker. It was very difficult to take Zorg seriously as a villain. His performance was a far cry from his excellent effort in Leon: the Professional - also directed by Luc Besson.

The film's saving grace was Milla Jovovich who was very charming as the eponymous fifth element Leeloo. She brought a great chaotic energy to the role, as well as a lot of humour. And unlike Chris Tucker, she was actually funny.

Overall, I wasn't impressed by the Fifth Element. From its b-film visuals to its over-the-top performances, it wasn't for me at all.

Lucky Number Slevin review

 Number 504 on the top 1000 films of all time is Paul McGuigan's 2006 neo-noir thriller 'Lucky Number Slevin.'

Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett) is a victim of mistaken identity. Believed to be his friend Nicky, he is thrust into a war between two mob bosses - the Boss (Morgan Freeman) and the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley.) This is all while Slevin tries to evade the ruthless hitman Goodkat (Bruce Willis.) Together with the love interest and coroner Lindsey (Lucy Liu.) Slevin has to survive however he can. But all is not what it seems.

The general problem with the noir and, by extension, neo-noir films is that they are so overly-convoluted. The Big Sleep is notorious for its incomprehensible plot. Lucky Number Slevin is no exception. Major spoilers lie ahead.

Things are all relatively straightforward until the film's conclusion where everything is explained in the most complicated way possible. Slevin has actually been playing both mob bosses against in each other. This is to take revenge for how they murdered his father when Slevin was a child. To top everything off, a corrupt cop Brikowski (Stanley Tucci) murdered Slevin's mother. And, of course, he is the cop investigating the Boss and the Rabbi. Naturally he comes under Slevin's radar too.

This was a contrivance too far. I don't see why they had any reason to connect Brikowski with the main pot. it was all so unnecessary. Plus Slevin was supposed to be killed at the same time at his parents. Carrying out the hit was none other than the ruthless Goodkat who spares Slevin as he is a hitman who has suddenly developed a conscience because of ... reasons. And then Goodkat becomes a mentor to Slevin helping him to take revenge.

And despite having some major acting talent, Kingsley and Freeman are both Oscar winners, none of the characters were particularly memorable. Maybe that's because the characters weren't particularly memorable.

Although the mistaken identity element did produce some funny parts earlier on, the overall convoluted plot and one-dimensional characters made this an unenjoyable watch.

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.

The Sixth Sense review

 Number 190 on the top 1000 films of all time  is the psychological thriller 'The Sixth Sense.'

Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a child psychologist whose latest patient is the nine-year-old Cole Sear (Haley Joe Osment.) However, Cole is deeply troubled by his ability to see and speak with the dead.

This film kicked off M. Night Shyamalan's directing career and it's easy to understand why. He created a movie that uses atmosphere to scare its audiences. What Shymalan does so well is keeping the scares subtle and understated. There isn't any gratuitous gore or overused jumpscares, so when do we get scares, they're all the more effective. The film opens with one of Dr Crowe's patients shooting him in the stomach before blowing his brains out. yet the camera pans away and we only hear the gunshot. When Cole is around a classmate's house for a birthday party, he is scared of a particularly locked cupboard. We don't see what's inside it, but we hear a terrified voice screaming not to be put in the dark. Another of the ghosts that Cole sees has been shot in the head, but we don't see the violence itself; only the bloody wound in the back of his head. These allusions were far more powerful than seeing any outright violence.

Shymalan also brought a touch of tragedy to the horror. Cole's sixth sense leads to him being a social outcast while Dr Crowe has a difficult relationship with his wife. The two find a kindred spirit together. Willis and Osment were great opposite each other. In fact, Willis is so well-known for his action man roles, you would think he is little more than a big slab of meat. But this meat can act, and act well. Osment, at eleven-years-old, was equally good. No surprise that he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Toni Collette who played his mother also deserves some praise. She plays a woman under the incredible stress of raising her son by herself. On top of this, he also has a sixth sense that drives a stake between her and Cole. This all culminates in a tearful climax. Collette was also worthy of the Best Supporting Actress nod.

And, although, I won't spoil it here, the ending twist has to be one of the best in movie history, perhaps only second to Old Boy.

Although Shymalan might never have been able to replicate his early success, the Sixth Sense proved that he is a brilliant director who can craft a simultaneously tragic, but scary film.