Episode 1
Episode 2 of Hunted picks up exactly where the first episode left off. The Hunters are on the door step of Nick Batchelor and Paul James - two ex-drug addicts and convicts who are determined to show it is possible for people to change.
The Hunters have tracked them to a friend's house in Bristol and have sent in a ground team to catch them. Nick is outside having a cigarette where he is spotted. A chase ensues and he is caught. In the chaos, Paul escapes, but not for long, as he is caught hiding in a truck. After five days, the two friends have been caught by the Hunters. Honestly, I think they were a little sloppy. They made grand claims about not letting their guard down, but that's exactly what happened. Nick should have known better than to have a cigarette in the open air.
Time on the run: 5 days
Status: Caught
We now move onto our next fugitive: Royal Marine commando Matt Mason. His plan is to go rural, specifically to hide out in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. He is an experienced mountaineer and is confident that the Hunters won't find him here. He has no qualms about sleeping rough or using a compass and map to navigate. However, what he has in confidence and experience, he lacks in technological saviness. The Hunters interview Matt's wife and search his house. While Matt's wife stays mute, the Hunters recover Matt's phone and external hard drive.
Upon further investigation, they learn that Matt is naive when it comes to technology. The Hunters discover reams of search results all relating to Matt's plan while on the run. They find clues and maps concerning where he is heading and they discover he is planning to move through the Brecon Beacons.
But Matt is so confident in himself that he decides to taunt the Hunters. He washes in a mountain lake and uses a T-shirt to dry himself. A t-shirt that says "come and find me." He mails it to the Hunters with the plan of being 150 miles south in Abergevenny when they receive it.
However, unbeknownst to him, the Hunters know his next step and send ground teams, a dog and drone to intercept him. Matt plans to travel to Abergevenny, where he desperately needs to resupply, by bus. But as time wears on, his cockiness erodes, as he wonders whether he has made a mistake. He asks the locals whether they can drive him to Abergevenny. They refuse and then grass him up.
He decides to get on the bus and the Hunters think they have him trapped. They are watching every road and aim to box him in. However, Matt becomes increasingly anxious on the bus and ditches out early. And, more than this, he has completely evaded the Hunters. The last we see of him, he is planning to go off-grid again.
To be honest, I think Matt demonstrated a naivety that I wasn't expecting from him. Everybody knows just how much information is being collected from us via the internet. While deleting your search history doesn't actually do all that much, it is still a precaution worth taking. And it's also not a good idea to use buses or trains. The Hunters could be waiting for you at the other end.
Time on the run: 10 days
Status: At large
Our final fugitives are our two nurses from Devon, Emma Davidson and Jess Kirkham. They've hitch hiked to the Lake District where they are staying in a caravan park. Their plan is to hitchhike to Penrith and catch a train to Glasgow where they will stay with a friend.
We quickly see that Jess is the leader of the two - she describes herself as very bossy and this bossiness rapidly becomes a bone of contention between the two friends. They have a fight and this definitely won't be the last fight they have. They approach a garage owned by a Keith Dawson and ask if they can have a lift in exchange for doing some work. Keith agrees, but then tweets out a picture of them.
The Hunters of course see it and contact Keith. However, Keith doesn't rat them out, which was a bit weird. I'm not sure why he tweeted the picture of the girls. Was it just a taunt? Anyway, the Hunters access the CCTV at Keith's garage and spot the girls being driven to Penrith. At the station, they don disguises and decide to travel separately without communicating until they reach their contact.
But the Hunters see right through their disguises and send ground teams to Glasgow. While on the train, Emma starts becoming paranoid and anxious. Their relationship was founded on the confident Jess always comforting and supporting the nervous Emma. Without Jess by her side, Emma feels lost and she decides to break the plan. She sneaks a note to Jess saying that at Glasgow, Jess will follow her a safe distance away until they reach their contact.
Jess is angry at the change of plan feeling that Emma has placed an immense amount of pressure upon her. They argue and just as it looks like the two will fracture, they reconcile. Emma holds the information for the contacts and the two realise they're stronger together than apart.
The two reach their contact who takes them into Perthshire. Their contact is an old family friend called Grenville Botham - an ex-marine. He has a network of ex-marine associates and plans to use them to help the girls. However, the Hunters spot both he and the girls on CCTV and start tracking them.
Grenville takes the girls to a safehouse where they will stay for forty-eight hours. In the meanwhile, he gives them a phone and says he will send a coded text containing instructions. But the Hunters are of course tracking Grenville's phone and see straight through the message. They discover the girls are going to be picked up by an Ed Anderson who shelters them within the Royal George Hotel. They send teams to intercept, but Ed has already arranged for Stewart Mcrae to pick them up.
Suspecting Ed will take the girls to his house, the Hunters send teams to lie in wait. But Ed unknowingly outsmarts them by instead taking them to his sister's house, as she is out of town. The girls are hidden there, but let their guard down by sunbathing out in the garden. The Hunters refused to give up and prowl around searching for Ed's car. They spot it, just as Ed spots them and warns the girls. Have Jess and Emma been caught? We'll have to wait until next week to find out.
But it'll be interesting to see what will happen if they aren't caught. Will they stick together or will they separate? Although they reconciled here, as the pressure builds, they may split for good. Historically, pairs that have separated have done very well. Lauren and Emily separated and won the first series. Ayo separated from Madu and won series 2, although Madu was caught. And the legendary Bob and Alex Ayling separated and once again won. We can only wait to see what happens.
Top three tips for going on the run
1. Wipe your internet history. You don't need to be a tin-foil hat conspiracy theorist to know the government has reams of data on all of us. And where do they get that from? The internet.
2. Don't use buses or trains. Both Matt and Jess and Emma did this and were lucky not to get caught. What do you do if you get off at the other end and the Hunters are waiting for you?
3. Don't get cocky. I know the temptation is always there to taunt the Hunters, but it rarely ends well.
And, as always, don't tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below. As we've discovered in this episode, the Hunters pay a lot of attention to internet and social-media based information. Although, I wonder what the Hunters would make of my little blog if I ever went on the show.
Saturday, 19 January 2019
Sunday, 13 January 2019
Heat review
Number 140 on the top 1000 greatest movies of all time is Michael Mann's 1995 neo-noir crime film: Heat.
Based on a true story and set in LA, Heat follows professional thief Neil McCauley - the leader of a group of bank robbers. He plans one final heist before retiring and will let nothing stand in his way. However, he faces tough opposition in the form of Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) a veteran cop who isn't afraid to fight dirty. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Danny Trejo and Natalie Portman appear in supporting roles.
At its heart, Heat is a story about loyalty and the different moral codes that everybody has. This is present right from the beginning where one of Neil's men: Waingro (Kevin Gage) breaks the rules by killing a policeman during a heist. As punishment for this, Neil attempts to kill him, but he escapes. As revenge, Waingro makes a deal with notorious fence Roger Van Zant (William Fichtner) to execute McCauley and his crew.
These actions have far-reaching consequences, as Wain and Van Zant extract information from McCauley's man Trejo. (Danny Trejo) In an especially poignant scene, McCauley confronts the near-dying Trejo who begs him "not to leave him like this." Because of Wain, McCauley is forced to euthanise his friend.
Also Wain bails as a get-away driver for McCauley's bank heist forcing him to recruit old friend and ex-con Donald Breedan. (Dennis Haysbert) Breedan is trying his best to go straight by working as a grill chef. However, as his boss is a jerk, he accept McCauley's offer. But the heist goes wrong when a shoot-out occurs and Breedan is killed. This was a sad storyline that highlights the struggles ex-cons go through when trying to reform. The allure of their old lives is all too seductive, especially when they're still loyal to their new friends.
McCauley also displays great loyalty to his friend Chris Shiherilis. Chris is having problems with his wife Charlene (Ashley Judd) and McCauley is determined to help him through it. After the argument, Chris seeks shekter at McCauley's house. Later on, McCauley spots Charlene with another man and confronts her, telling her to give Chris one more chance. When Van Zant tries to kill McCauley, Chris has his back. During the final heist, Chris is shot and McCauley is determined not to leave him behind. He takes him to a friendly doctor before arranging him safe travel away from LA.
Hanna also has his own moral code. This is particularly evident with his step-daughter Lauren (Natalie Portman.) The mentally unstable Lauren has a bad relationship with her real father. After he lets her down one too many times, she attempts to commit suicide. Hanna discovers her and moves heaven and earth to get her help. This storyline was undeveloped and I'd've liked to see it explored more, but it was still a touching display of the love a man has for his daughter even if she is a step-daughter.
But the exploration of loyalty culminates within the film's thrilling conclusion. In an earlier scene, Hanna confronts McCauley and we see the level of mutual respect that is shared between the two. The men are equals to one another. McCauley tells Hanna about his '30 second rule' or "don't become attached to anything you're not prepared to leave in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat of the police." The scene ends with the men, despite their mutual respect, vowing to kill each other if the situation calls for it.
And this is what happens in the conclusion. In a great ending, Hanna pursues McCauley to LAX airport. After a gunfight on the runway, Hanna shoots McCauley. As he lies dying, Hanna takes his hand and the two share a reflective moment. And this was a reflective moment, I found myself partaking in. It was a powerful note to end the film on and one that left me thinking. Ultimately, I did enjoy this film. At almost 3 hours, it was a bit longer than it had to be, but the narrative was good and the action sequences tense. And any film that leaves me thinking is a good film in my book.
Based on a true story and set in LA, Heat follows professional thief Neil McCauley - the leader of a group of bank robbers. He plans one final heist before retiring and will let nothing stand in his way. However, he faces tough opposition in the form of Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) a veteran cop who isn't afraid to fight dirty. Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Danny Trejo and Natalie Portman appear in supporting roles.
At its heart, Heat is a story about loyalty and the different moral codes that everybody has. This is present right from the beginning where one of Neil's men: Waingro (Kevin Gage) breaks the rules by killing a policeman during a heist. As punishment for this, Neil attempts to kill him, but he escapes. As revenge, Waingro makes a deal with notorious fence Roger Van Zant (William Fichtner) to execute McCauley and his crew.
These actions have far-reaching consequences, as Wain and Van Zant extract information from McCauley's man Trejo. (Danny Trejo) In an especially poignant scene, McCauley confronts the near-dying Trejo who begs him "not to leave him like this." Because of Wain, McCauley is forced to euthanise his friend.
Also Wain bails as a get-away driver for McCauley's bank heist forcing him to recruit old friend and ex-con Donald Breedan. (Dennis Haysbert) Breedan is trying his best to go straight by working as a grill chef. However, as his boss is a jerk, he accept McCauley's offer. But the heist goes wrong when a shoot-out occurs and Breedan is killed. This was a sad storyline that highlights the struggles ex-cons go through when trying to reform. The allure of their old lives is all too seductive, especially when they're still loyal to their new friends.
McCauley also displays great loyalty to his friend Chris Shiherilis. Chris is having problems with his wife Charlene (Ashley Judd) and McCauley is determined to help him through it. After the argument, Chris seeks shekter at McCauley's house. Later on, McCauley spots Charlene with another man and confronts her, telling her to give Chris one more chance. When Van Zant tries to kill McCauley, Chris has his back. During the final heist, Chris is shot and McCauley is determined not to leave him behind. He takes him to a friendly doctor before arranging him safe travel away from LA.
Hanna also has his own moral code. This is particularly evident with his step-daughter Lauren (Natalie Portman.) The mentally unstable Lauren has a bad relationship with her real father. After he lets her down one too many times, she attempts to commit suicide. Hanna discovers her and moves heaven and earth to get her help. This storyline was undeveloped and I'd've liked to see it explored more, but it was still a touching display of the love a man has for his daughter even if she is a step-daughter.
But the exploration of loyalty culminates within the film's thrilling conclusion. In an earlier scene, Hanna confronts McCauley and we see the level of mutual respect that is shared between the two. The men are equals to one another. McCauley tells Hanna about his '30 second rule' or "don't become attached to anything you're not prepared to leave in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat of the police." The scene ends with the men, despite their mutual respect, vowing to kill each other if the situation calls for it.
And this is what happens in the conclusion. In a great ending, Hanna pursues McCauley to LAX airport. After a gunfight on the runway, Hanna shoots McCauley. As he lies dying, Hanna takes his hand and the two share a reflective moment. And this was a reflective moment, I found myself partaking in. It was a powerful note to end the film on and one that left me thinking. Ultimately, I did enjoy this film. At almost 3 hours, it was a bit longer than it had to be, but the narrative was good and the action sequences tense. And any film that leaves me thinking is a good film in my book.
Saturday, 12 January 2019
Hunted season 4 Episode 1
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Channel 4's hit reality TV series Hunted has returned for a fourth season and so have my reviews. Ten ordinary men and women surrender their identities to become fugitives. Their goal is to avoid government capture for 25 days; if they do so, they'll win a share of £100k. They cannot break the law and must stay on the British mainland. However, they'll be going up against a fearsome team of ex-policemen, criminal psychologists, intelligence analysts and military personnel. Armed with sniffer dogs, ground teams, ANPR software and all of the tools of the state, the Hunters will not make things easy for the fugitives.
The Hunters are led by Peter Bleksley - a man more cockney than Delboy. He is an ex undercover policeman. He has deputies in the form of Julie Clegg and Ben Owen who were both intelligence officers. Amongst others, there is also Donna Young - a criminal psychologist.
With so many fugitives, to keep things simple, the series focusses on a few at a time, which is what I'll do too. But firstly, we'll have a break down of the 10 fugitives.
Nicholas Bachelor: a 51 year old Youth Worker and ex-convict and drug addict from Kent.
Paul James: a 48 year old Construction Worker. Paul is a close friend of Nicholas and helped him through the worst of his drug addiction
Emma Davidson, a 23 year old nurse from Devon.
Jess Kirkham: a 27 year old nurse also from Devon.
Harry Savage - a 20 year old drama student from Essex. Harry is also gay and he is participating to challenge stereotypes about gay people.
Frank Savage - a 23 year old campsite owner and Harry's older brother.
Nathaniel Watt - a 26 year old architecture student from Nottingham
Ismail Haruna - a 27 year old architectural technologist also from Nottingham.
Matt Mason - a 29 year old Royal Marine from Devon.
Loren Hannon - a 26 year old personal banker from Essex.
Every season begins with the fugitives gathered in one place ready to go on the run. This year, it began in Liverpool with the fugitives on a boat going up the River Mersey. They reach the port of Liverpool and bail out.
This episode focusses particularly on Loren and Nick and Paul. But here is a quick rundown on the other fugitives.
We quickly learn that Matt Mason is very cocky. Due to his background as a Royal Marine, he feels he has the expertise to outsmart the Hunters. He is seen using an ATM in a heavy disguise. He then ducks behind a lamppost and changes his outfit, before changing it again later on. He is last seen successfully escaping the city centre. As a Royal Marine, the smart money would be on him. However, as time and time again have proven, contestants like Matt Mason have never done as well as you think they would.
Season 1's Ricky Allen was a hot-favourite but crashed out halfway through. Season 2 featured two overconfident ex-soldiers who were caught after a week and season 3 had a police officer who was also caught halfway through.
Next up, we have our two nurses from Devon - Jessica and Emma who we see very little of, but we do learn they successfully escape the city centre.
Harry and Frank Savage - the two brothers from Essex escape the city centre to the countryside, where they have to get fend off a herd of cows. Here we see Frank's brotherly instincts emerge. Harry is scared by the cows, but Frank is there to comfort him and get him through it. The last we see of them, they are walking along a canal, before hitching a ride on a canal boat. Although, canal boats aren't particularly fast, so I'm not sure how good of an idea that is.
Lastly, we have Nathaniel and Ismail who have the novel - and highly conspicuous - idea of using roller skates to escape the city. While the Hunters spot them, the two friends escape to the countryside.
The Hunters' immediate tactic is to go for the weakest link - that is the fugitive they think they can catch the easiest.
This seemingly appears to be Loren Hannon - the personal banker from Essex. In intercut interview footage, we learn that Loren is ditzy and scatterbrained. Before she became a personal banker, she spent a lot of time caring for her agoraphobic mother. She wants to win the money for her.
The Hunters identify her as the weak link, as they think she is disorganised. Case-in-point, she is wearing a bright yellow jacket which can be spotted from a mile away. And worse, as she is running, her backpack busts open and everything falls out. She has to spend vital seconds packing everything back up, which is enough time for the Hunter's helicopter team to spot her. The Hunters send a ground team to catch her.
Knowing she is standing out like a sore thumb, Loren ducks under a flyover and loses the jacket. With the Hunters seconds away, she escapes by hitchhiking a ride out of the city centre. From there, she is driven 300 miles to Fort William in Scotland by her cousin. It's here we learn that she has lived a very sheltered life. The Hunters search through Loren's home and interrogate her mother who claims it is unlike Loren to have a fully-thought out plan.
However, the Hunters find a vague itinerary in her bedroom. For me, this is a rookie error. Loren should have known the Hunters would search her home, so she shouldn't leave a paper itinerary just lying around. She shouldn't have written anything down in the first place, but, rather committed to memory. However, as previously discussed, Loren isn't the type to plan things like this. Loren has also received a lot of backlash online for using this tactic, which I don't think is entirely fair.
It's always easy to say these types of things sitting at the sofa at home. But when you're in that situation with the pressure building, it is easy to make mistakes. Last year, Alex Ayling made a schoolboy error where he told his getaway driver the exact place to find him, which wouldn't be so bad, if the Hunters weren't listening in. Alex went onto win. In season 2, Nick Cummings was also an unlikely winner. It is only early and Loren did make a mistake. But she doesn't deserve the criticism she received.
While the Hunters suspect the itinerary could be a trap, they see that she has plans to travel to Fort William. Knowing it is only a small village, they tell local businesses to watch out for Loren.
While in Fort William, Loren stumbles upon the Ben Nevis distillery and explains her situation to the workers there. They tell her to go to the North Face car park where they have a car she can use. After promising not to grass her up, they promptly grass her up. The Hunters send a ground team to the distillery, but they're too slow to catch Loren.
Not knowing how close she came, she meets more locals and asks if she can camp on their land. They agree, but also warn her about the Hunters in the area. She decides not to stay there and the locals drive her to safety before the Hunters can catch her.
The next fugitives are Paul James and Nicholas Batchelor. Both of them are recovering drug addicts with Nick serving time for his drug offences. To aid the fugitives, a new rule has been introduced. If so they recruit an accomplice to help them. Nick and Paul use their accomplices to help them escape Liverpool city centre. However, the Hunters catch them on CCTV and send ground teams to intercept.
But Nick and Paul ask two of their friends to act as decoys. The plan is for them to distract the Hunters by diving onto public transport allowing Nick and Paul to escape. While the plan works for a little while, the Hunters identify the decoys as being just that. However, the plan has worked enough for Nick and Paul to reach Cromer, Norfolk. They were driven there by their associate David Seaman.
On Nick and Paul's social media, the Hunters learn more about Nick and Paul's past as drug addicts. They see that they have been members of various support groups and suspect they will be using their network of recovering addicts to aid them. The Hunters focus on one such associate - the aforementioned David Seaman. They monitor his calls and find he's called up another associate of Nick and Paul - George Goody who will drive them to another location.
However, when George is 45 minutes late to the rendeyvous, desperation drives Nick to call him up through a burner phone. The Hunters track the call and send teams to intercept. Turns out that George screwed up and drove to the wrong rendeyvous. But he corrects his error and picks up the boys to drive them to Bristol along a series of A roads. The Hunters use ANPR to track George's car, where they discover Nick and Paul's plan to go to Bristol.
Once at Bristol, Nick and Paul hole up at the house of their friend, Caroline Hogan. However, the Hunters have identified Caroline Hogan as a port in the storm and send ground teams to intercept. Meanwhile, the boys plan to lie low at Caroline's - wash their clothes, eat some good food, before moving on. They don't want to become too comfortable or they'll let their guard down. But then, in the next shot, we see them smoking outside, which undermines their plan.
While, the Hunters think they've found Nick and Paul, they decide to keep a low profile, in case they spook the locals who in turn will warn Nick and Paul. But the Hunters screw up and are caught snooping around a field by one of Caroline's neighbours. Back at the house, we see Nick and Paul becoming increasingly paranoid. When they see an unfamiliar car approach, they fear it's the Hunters, but it turns out to be the Piano Tuner.
If they're panicking like this on the first day, they're going to be in trouble further down the line. The neighbour warns them about the Hunters. Thoroughly spooked, Nick and Paul have a big choice to make. With the Hunters closing in, just where do they run to next?
Top 3 tips for going on the run
1. Don't write things down. Commit them to memory.
2. If you're using decoys, make sure they're wearing similar clothes to you and are of a similar build.
3. Invest in a good bag that won't fall apart when you're running around.
And, as always, if you're going on the run, don't tell me your plan in the comments below. The Hunters could and probably are watching.
Season 2
Season 3
Channel 4's hit reality TV series Hunted has returned for a fourth season and so have my reviews. Ten ordinary men and women surrender their identities to become fugitives. Their goal is to avoid government capture for 25 days; if they do so, they'll win a share of £100k. They cannot break the law and must stay on the British mainland. However, they'll be going up against a fearsome team of ex-policemen, criminal psychologists, intelligence analysts and military personnel. Armed with sniffer dogs, ground teams, ANPR software and all of the tools of the state, the Hunters will not make things easy for the fugitives.
The Hunters are led by Peter Bleksley - a man more cockney than Delboy. He is an ex undercover policeman. He has deputies in the form of Julie Clegg and Ben Owen who were both intelligence officers. Amongst others, there is also Donna Young - a criminal psychologist.
With so many fugitives, to keep things simple, the series focusses on a few at a time, which is what I'll do too. But firstly, we'll have a break down of the 10 fugitives.
Nicholas Bachelor: a 51 year old Youth Worker and ex-convict and drug addict from Kent.
Paul James: a 48 year old Construction Worker. Paul is a close friend of Nicholas and helped him through the worst of his drug addiction
Emma Davidson, a 23 year old nurse from Devon.
Jess Kirkham: a 27 year old nurse also from Devon.
Harry Savage - a 20 year old drama student from Essex. Harry is also gay and he is participating to challenge stereotypes about gay people.
Frank Savage - a 23 year old campsite owner and Harry's older brother.
Nathaniel Watt - a 26 year old architecture student from Nottingham
Ismail Haruna - a 27 year old architectural technologist also from Nottingham.
Matt Mason - a 29 year old Royal Marine from Devon.
Loren Hannon - a 26 year old personal banker from Essex.
Every season begins with the fugitives gathered in one place ready to go on the run. This year, it began in Liverpool with the fugitives on a boat going up the River Mersey. They reach the port of Liverpool and bail out.
This episode focusses particularly on Loren and Nick and Paul. But here is a quick rundown on the other fugitives.
We quickly learn that Matt Mason is very cocky. Due to his background as a Royal Marine, he feels he has the expertise to outsmart the Hunters. He is seen using an ATM in a heavy disguise. He then ducks behind a lamppost and changes his outfit, before changing it again later on. He is last seen successfully escaping the city centre. As a Royal Marine, the smart money would be on him. However, as time and time again have proven, contestants like Matt Mason have never done as well as you think they would.
Season 1's Ricky Allen was a hot-favourite but crashed out halfway through. Season 2 featured two overconfident ex-soldiers who were caught after a week and season 3 had a police officer who was also caught halfway through.
Next up, we have our two nurses from Devon - Jessica and Emma who we see very little of, but we do learn they successfully escape the city centre.
Harry and Frank Savage - the two brothers from Essex escape the city centre to the countryside, where they have to get fend off a herd of cows. Here we see Frank's brotherly instincts emerge. Harry is scared by the cows, but Frank is there to comfort him and get him through it. The last we see of them, they are walking along a canal, before hitching a ride on a canal boat. Although, canal boats aren't particularly fast, so I'm not sure how good of an idea that is.
Lastly, we have Nathaniel and Ismail who have the novel - and highly conspicuous - idea of using roller skates to escape the city. While the Hunters spot them, the two friends escape to the countryside.
The Hunters' immediate tactic is to go for the weakest link - that is the fugitive they think they can catch the easiest.
This seemingly appears to be Loren Hannon - the personal banker from Essex. In intercut interview footage, we learn that Loren is ditzy and scatterbrained. Before she became a personal banker, she spent a lot of time caring for her agoraphobic mother. She wants to win the money for her.
The Hunters identify her as the weak link, as they think she is disorganised. Case-in-point, she is wearing a bright yellow jacket which can be spotted from a mile away. And worse, as she is running, her backpack busts open and everything falls out. She has to spend vital seconds packing everything back up, which is enough time for the Hunter's helicopter team to spot her. The Hunters send a ground team to catch her.
Knowing she is standing out like a sore thumb, Loren ducks under a flyover and loses the jacket. With the Hunters seconds away, she escapes by hitchhiking a ride out of the city centre. From there, she is driven 300 miles to Fort William in Scotland by her cousin. It's here we learn that she has lived a very sheltered life. The Hunters search through Loren's home and interrogate her mother who claims it is unlike Loren to have a fully-thought out plan.
However, the Hunters find a vague itinerary in her bedroom. For me, this is a rookie error. Loren should have known the Hunters would search her home, so she shouldn't leave a paper itinerary just lying around. She shouldn't have written anything down in the first place, but, rather committed to memory. However, as previously discussed, Loren isn't the type to plan things like this. Loren has also received a lot of backlash online for using this tactic, which I don't think is entirely fair.
It's always easy to say these types of things sitting at the sofa at home. But when you're in that situation with the pressure building, it is easy to make mistakes. Last year, Alex Ayling made a schoolboy error where he told his getaway driver the exact place to find him, which wouldn't be so bad, if the Hunters weren't listening in. Alex went onto win. In season 2, Nick Cummings was also an unlikely winner. It is only early and Loren did make a mistake. But she doesn't deserve the criticism she received.
While the Hunters suspect the itinerary could be a trap, they see that she has plans to travel to Fort William. Knowing it is only a small village, they tell local businesses to watch out for Loren.
While in Fort William, Loren stumbles upon the Ben Nevis distillery and explains her situation to the workers there. They tell her to go to the North Face car park where they have a car she can use. After promising not to grass her up, they promptly grass her up. The Hunters send a ground team to the distillery, but they're too slow to catch Loren.
Not knowing how close she came, she meets more locals and asks if she can camp on their land. They agree, but also warn her about the Hunters in the area. She decides not to stay there and the locals drive her to safety before the Hunters can catch her.
The next fugitives are Paul James and Nicholas Batchelor. Both of them are recovering drug addicts with Nick serving time for his drug offences. To aid the fugitives, a new rule has been introduced. If so they recruit an accomplice to help them. Nick and Paul use their accomplices to help them escape Liverpool city centre. However, the Hunters catch them on CCTV and send ground teams to intercept.
But Nick and Paul ask two of their friends to act as decoys. The plan is for them to distract the Hunters by diving onto public transport allowing Nick and Paul to escape. While the plan works for a little while, the Hunters identify the decoys as being just that. However, the plan has worked enough for Nick and Paul to reach Cromer, Norfolk. They were driven there by their associate David Seaman.
On Nick and Paul's social media, the Hunters learn more about Nick and Paul's past as drug addicts. They see that they have been members of various support groups and suspect they will be using their network of recovering addicts to aid them. The Hunters focus on one such associate - the aforementioned David Seaman. They monitor his calls and find he's called up another associate of Nick and Paul - George Goody who will drive them to another location.
However, when George is 45 minutes late to the rendeyvous, desperation drives Nick to call him up through a burner phone. The Hunters track the call and send teams to intercept. Turns out that George screwed up and drove to the wrong rendeyvous. But he corrects his error and picks up the boys to drive them to Bristol along a series of A roads. The Hunters use ANPR to track George's car, where they discover Nick and Paul's plan to go to Bristol.
Once at Bristol, Nick and Paul hole up at the house of their friend, Caroline Hogan. However, the Hunters have identified Caroline Hogan as a port in the storm and send ground teams to intercept. Meanwhile, the boys plan to lie low at Caroline's - wash their clothes, eat some good food, before moving on. They don't want to become too comfortable or they'll let their guard down. But then, in the next shot, we see them smoking outside, which undermines their plan.
While, the Hunters think they've found Nick and Paul, they decide to keep a low profile, in case they spook the locals who in turn will warn Nick and Paul. But the Hunters screw up and are caught snooping around a field by one of Caroline's neighbours. Back at the house, we see Nick and Paul becoming increasingly paranoid. When they see an unfamiliar car approach, they fear it's the Hunters, but it turns out to be the Piano Tuner.
If they're panicking like this on the first day, they're going to be in trouble further down the line. The neighbour warns them about the Hunters. Thoroughly spooked, Nick and Paul have a big choice to make. With the Hunters closing in, just where do they run to next?
Top 3 tips for going on the run
1. Don't write things down. Commit them to memory.
2. If you're using decoys, make sure they're wearing similar clothes to you and are of a similar build.
3. Invest in a good bag that won't fall apart when you're running around.
And, as always, if you're going on the run, don't tell me your plan in the comments below. The Hunters could and probably are watching.
Monday, 23 July 2018
Rebecca Review
Number 139 on the top 1000 films of all time is one of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films: Rebecca.
Based on Daphne DuMaurier's book, Rebecca follows an unnamed young woman (Joan Fontaine) who is a companion to the snooty Edyth Van Hopper (Florence Bates.) This young woman then falls in love with recent widower George DeWinter (Laurence Olivier.) After a whirlwind marriage, the second "Mrs DeWinter," soon suspects things to be out of place, as she realises that George might not be over the death of his first wife.
Rebecca struck me highly as a great example of film noir. The film began slowly with perhaps too much focus on the set up of the DeWinter's relationship. Obviously this is important to see and to set up, but I feel it was overdone. While it was amusing to see the demanding and bossy Edyth Van Hopper at first, after a while it became a little tedious.
However, once the setup was over, we were left with an interesting murder mystery, as the circumstances surrounding the first Mrs DeWinter's death became suspicious. Laurence Olivier was great as the conflicted Mr DeWinter, even if his character was used as an exposition device at times.
Joan Fontaine was equally good, as the naive, but well-intentioned second Mrs DeWinter. It was difficult not to feel for her, as she felt further out of place in her husband's opulent lifestyle. Yet she also has agency, as when she discovers the truth behind the first Mrs DeWinter's death, she is determined to protect her husband at all costs.
With stylistic angles, a complicated narrative, strong performances and Hitchcock a.k.a the Master of Tension, steering the ship, this is a must-see for fans of the noir genre.
Based on Daphne DuMaurier's book, Rebecca follows an unnamed young woman (Joan Fontaine) who is a companion to the snooty Edyth Van Hopper (Florence Bates.) This young woman then falls in love with recent widower George DeWinter (Laurence Olivier.) After a whirlwind marriage, the second "Mrs DeWinter," soon suspects things to be out of place, as she realises that George might not be over the death of his first wife.
Rebecca struck me highly as a great example of film noir. The film began slowly with perhaps too much focus on the set up of the DeWinter's relationship. Obviously this is important to see and to set up, but I feel it was overdone. While it was amusing to see the demanding and bossy Edyth Van Hopper at first, after a while it became a little tedious.
However, once the setup was over, we were left with an interesting murder mystery, as the circumstances surrounding the first Mrs DeWinter's death became suspicious. Laurence Olivier was great as the conflicted Mr DeWinter, even if his character was used as an exposition device at times.
Joan Fontaine was equally good, as the naive, but well-intentioned second Mrs DeWinter. It was difficult not to feel for her, as she felt further out of place in her husband's opulent lifestyle. Yet she also has agency, as when she discovers the truth behind the first Mrs DeWinter's death, she is determined to protect her husband at all costs.
With stylistic angles, a complicated narrative, strong performances and Hitchcock a.k.a the Master of Tension, steering the ship, this is a must-see for fans of the noir genre.
Die Hard review
Number 138 on the top 1000 films of all time is the action block-buster Die Hard.
John Mclane (Bruce Willis) is an NYPD, visiting his estranged wife, Holly Gennero-Mclane (Bonnie Bedelia) in LA, wanting nothing more than a quiet Christmas. However, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) a West German terrorist, has other ideas. He and 11 others invade a soiree held by Holly's work place and takes everybody hostage, with the intention of stealing $67 billion worth of bearer bonds. It is up to John Mclane to save the day.
If you're not a fan of action movies, then I recommend giving Die Hard a miss, because Die Hard is the quintessential action film. It has your lone hero (Mclane) forced to overcome incredible odds (12 terrorists) to save the attractive, but largely useless love interest (Holly.) Throw in a few explosions and shootouts for good measure.
While this might be boring for some, and understandably so, I did really enjoy Die Hard. It was an entertaining and engaging watch. Also two things helped it surpass the average action movie. The first was its self-awareness. There were multiple references to action movies and actions stars like Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These helped to provide some light-hearted relief.
The second aspect was Alan Rickman. In his debut film role, Rickman served up a great villain in the form of Hans Gruber. The best villains are never the evil cackling, moustache-twirling, let's kill everybody villains. In fact, these villains are usually the most one-dimensional. The far superior ones are the more emotionally controlled, cold and calculating ones with Hans Gruber definitely falling into the latter category. Gruber was utterly ruthless and his sheer emotionless about his heinous acts made him even more frightening. He was a great adversary for John Mclane and Rickman did a great job as Gruber.
Sure you could argue his henchmen were 2D meatheads, but what could you expect from henchmen?
So, while some may scorn Die Hard, as a tedious repetitive action film, I think it was a great watch, with some lovely meta-humour and a masterful performance from Alan Rickman.
John Mclane (Bruce Willis) is an NYPD, visiting his estranged wife, Holly Gennero-Mclane (Bonnie Bedelia) in LA, wanting nothing more than a quiet Christmas. However, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) a West German terrorist, has other ideas. He and 11 others invade a soiree held by Holly's work place and takes everybody hostage, with the intention of stealing $67 billion worth of bearer bonds. It is up to John Mclane to save the day.
If you're not a fan of action movies, then I recommend giving Die Hard a miss, because Die Hard is the quintessential action film. It has your lone hero (Mclane) forced to overcome incredible odds (12 terrorists) to save the attractive, but largely useless love interest (Holly.) Throw in a few explosions and shootouts for good measure.
While this might be boring for some, and understandably so, I did really enjoy Die Hard. It was an entertaining and engaging watch. Also two things helped it surpass the average action movie. The first was its self-awareness. There were multiple references to action movies and actions stars like Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These helped to provide some light-hearted relief.
The second aspect was Alan Rickman. In his debut film role, Rickman served up a great villain in the form of Hans Gruber. The best villains are never the evil cackling, moustache-twirling, let's kill everybody villains. In fact, these villains are usually the most one-dimensional. The far superior ones are the more emotionally controlled, cold and calculating ones with Hans Gruber definitely falling into the latter category. Gruber was utterly ruthless and his sheer emotionless about his heinous acts made him even more frightening. He was a great adversary for John Mclane and Rickman did a great job as Gruber.
Sure you could argue his henchmen were 2D meatheads, but what could you expect from henchmen?
So, while some may scorn Die Hard, as a tedious repetitive action film, I think it was a great watch, with some lovely meta-humour and a masterful performance from Alan Rickman.
Thursday, 10 May 2018
The Carnivorous Carnival review
The Ersatz Elevator review
Dear Reader,
we have come to the end of the second season of a Series of Unfortunate Events. In this series, the Baudelaire orphans have met bullies, traitorous guardians, far too many rules, mysteries and paperwork. Their journey has not been enjoyable to watch and yet you are still watching it and you are still reading my reviews. From this I can only assume you are a masochist and you like to hurt yourself by watching this distressing television series. Why, oh why, you want to do this, I do not have the faintest idea.
The Carnivorous Carnival immediately shakes up the status quo. Instead of beginning with Lemony Snicket's pleas for you not to watch this show, we are treated to a flashback of the VFD headquarters in their prime. Set in the Mortmain Mountains, we see Dr Montgomery, Aunt Josephine, Jacquelyn, Larry-the-Waiter and even Lemony and Jacques Snicket, enjoying a costumed ball. And then Lemony reveals the terrible news that "Olaf knows." He runs out and sees that Olaf is about to attack Lemony's love, Beatrice, which is when we cut back to the main narrative.
This was an enjoyable diversion, as it was interesting to see something that hitherto we've only heard about. We've been dripfed information about VFD across these two seasons and while this was enticing, it only works as long as we get a satisfying payload. And this definitely qualified.
Anyway, from this great little flashback, we then jump to Count Olaf who is driving to the Hinterlands to reach the Caligari Carnival. He wants to speak to the psychic, fortune-telling, Madame Lulu, who he hopes can tell him whether one of the Baudelaire parents is still alive. We've already discussed why placing Olaf front and centre has led to him quickly losing his menace. However, there is another reason why he and his henchpeople aren't as villainous as they are in the books.
And that's for the simple reason that they are not treated as villains. In the books, they are scary, because they are presented as such. They are threatening and nefarious. However, within the series, they're portrayed as bumbling buffoons. They're constantly making mistakes and squabbling with one another. While this provides a lot of the show's humour, it does seriously hurt their role as villains. Maybe if they did more to qualify their villainy, rather than buffonery, they'd be scarier.
But unbeknownst to them, they are carrying the Baudelaires who have hidden in the car trunk and are also looking for answers. They arrive at Caligari Carnival - an amusement part which has seen better times. The paint is peeling, the roller-coaster has broken down and the souvenirs are lousy. In charge of the carnival is the fortune-teller Madame Lulu. She entertains Olaf and his henchpeople, while the Baudelaires plan their next move. Suspecting that Lulu is a fraud, they don costumes to look like "freaks," and then apply for work in the freakhouse.
Violet and Klaus share a costume to become the two-headed freak "Beverly and Eliot," while Sunny dresses up like a wolf to look like "Chabo the Wolf Baby." Their costumes trick Lulu, Olaf and the others and the Baudelaires go to meet the other freaks in the carnival: Hugo, Colette and Kevin.
And from here, the satire of the Carnivorous Carnival becomes clear. This episode is very much a parody of freakshows from Victorian times, where people used to laugh at people with deformities. This is pushed to the max with Hugo who is a hunchback, Colette who is a contortionist and Kevin who looks seemingly normal, but is actually ambidextrous - a word which here means, his right and left hand are equally strong. Hugo, Colette and Kevin have become resigned to their labels, constantly thinking of themselves as freaks.
This was a sad point, which I think is strongly poignant today. Some people with physical or mental deformities feel like freaks, when, of course, they have absolutely no reason to feel so. This is pushed even further when the "freaks," are made to perform in a show. Audiences pay to see Hugo struggle to put on a coat and to see Kevin write his name with his left and right hand. The fact that this is entertainment is pure ludicrousness, but, by being so, also highlights the ridiculousness behind freakshows.
Furthermore, this episode also pokes fun at fortune tellers in general. Suspecting that Madame Lulu is a fraud, the Baudelaires break into her tent and quickly have their suspicions confirmed. They find that her 'magic crystal ball' is fake and that she uses dry ice to create a smoky atmosphere effect. But then they find the most damning piece of evidence, the fact that she has a secret cabinet, which is bursting to the brim with documents, manifestos, newspaper articles and books. They deduce that this is where she is getting her information from and realise that Madame Lulu doesn't know if one of their parents is still alive.
And this includes a film tape, which has the flashback we saw earlier. The Baudelaires watch it and think and they discover the true meaning of VFD - Volunteer Fire Department. Eagle-eyed viewers will know that this was actually revealed to us, right in the very first episode. The Baudelaires rifle through the library and discover another film, which actually features Lemony Snicket himself. It was certainly nice to receive some answers after all the questions that have been raised.
But the biggest reveal comes right at the end of the episode, where Madame Lulu reveals herself to the Baudelaires as Olivia Caliban. She was the school librarian at Prufock Preparatory School who left to help the Baudelaires along with Jacques Snicket who was killed by Count Olaf.
In classic ASOUE style, this episode begins with Lemony Snicket deconstructing a popular phrase - in this case -"the Belly of the Beast." By the episode's end, he promises that all three of the Baudelaire orphans will be in the belly of the beast - in some rather ominous foreshadowing.
From here, we pick up where the first episode leaves off. Madame Lulu explains that 'Madame Lulu' is just an alias for whatever VFD member is stationed at the Caligari Carnival. The identity of Caliban's predecessor isn't revealed, but I strongly suspect it being Kit Snicket. Book readers know who I'm talking about.
And then Caliban explains to the Baudelaires what she's doing in the carnival in some unnecessary exposition. While it is obviously important that the Baudelaires know the full story, we as readers have already seen it unfold, and thus we didn't need to hear it again. Anyway, Olivia and the Baudelaires begin planning their escape to the VFD headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains, but they are interrupted by Count Olaf.
In classic ASOUE style, this episode begins with Lemony Snicket deconstructing a popular phrase - in this case -"the Belly of the Beast." By the episode's end, he promises that all three of the Baudelaire orphans will be in the belly of the beast - in some rather ominous foreshadowing.
From here, we pick up where the first episode leaves off. Madame Lulu explains that 'Madame Lulu' is just an alias for whatever VFD member is stationed at the Caligari Carnival. The identity of Caliban's predecessor isn't revealed, but I strongly suspect it being Kit Snicket. Book readers know who I'm talking about.
And then Caliban explains to the Baudelaires what she's doing in the carnival in some unnecessary exposition. While it is obviously important that the Baudelaires know the full story, we as readers have already seen it unfold, and thus we didn't need to hear it again. Anyway, Olivia and the Baudelaires begin planning their escape to the VFD headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains, but they are interrupted by Count Olaf.
Olaf announces that he has found some starving lions in the Hinterlands and in the next freak show, he will feed one of the supposed freaks to the lions. The Baudelaires return to the caravan where they join Hugo, Colette and Kevin. They are then visited by Esme Squalor who is wearing a "I love Freaks" dress in a transparent attempt to prove that she sympathises with the so-called freaks. This was a nice comment on how some people will act in the insincerest of ways to get what they want. Esme is a manipulator and her manipulation works on Hugo, Colette and Kevin. Having internalised their "freak status," they are deeply flattered by Esme's dress.
Angered by Madame Lulu's flirtations with Count Olaf, Esme demands that whichever "freak" is chosen to be thrown to the lions, should push Madame Lulu in instead. In return, they will be admitted into Olaf's acting troupe. Having been constantly beaten down, Hugo, Colette and Kevin are desperate to be accepted into a community and thus jump at the opportunity. This was a nice comment on self-fulfilling prophecies. Despite having nothing wrong with them, they've been so demeaned by society, they've come to accept and believe in their labels.
While they are receiving this news, they're eating some Tom Ka Gai - a Thai soup cooked up by Sunny Baudelaire. Her cooking talents are well-known in the books and it's nice they're being included within the TV series. It's some good character development.
The day of the show arrives and as promised, Count Olaf has brought a the pack of starving lions roaming the Hinterlands, back to the carnival. It attracts a large crowd including the familiar faces of Mr Ramona and Miss Bass - the Baudelaires' teachers at Prufock Prepatory School.
And it is Beverly and Eliot - Violet and Klaus' freakish, two-headed alter ego who is chosen to jump to the lions. Abhorrent to the pure idea of Esme's plan, they try to lure Olaf into a trap by asking him to throw them to the lions. He chickens out and chaos ensues, as everybody rushes to throw Violet and Klaus to the lions.
Madame Lulu pushes them to safety and they escape with Sunny, before Olaf throws her to the lions. The crowd, once delighted at the thought of violence are disgusted by Lulu's gruesome death. This in itself is an interesting comment on our relationship with fear and violence. Some of us love watching horror films for the thrill of being scared. However, when the violence becomes too real, the thrill quickly dissipates.
Another reason why Lulu's death was effective was because it helped to raise the stakes. Just when it looks like the Baudelaires have found another friend and ally, they are cruelly taken away from them. it is another obstacle placed between them and their goals.
After Madame Lulu's demise, the Baudelaires return to her tent in the hopes of finding the answers to the questions surrounding their lives. They find a map to the VFD HQ in the Mortmain Mountains. before they can investigate further, Count Olaf intrudes and announces his plans to burn down the carnival, beginning with Madame Lulu's tent. He steals the map and plans to go to the VFD HQ. He invites the disguised Baudelaires to go with him. Knowing their only alternative is to wander the Hinterlands, they reluctantly accept. Olaf then takes Sunny with him to ride in the car and instructs Violet and Klaus to burn down the tent, along with Madame Lulu's vast library of information. With the new additions of Colette, Hugo and Kevin, there isn't room for Violet and Klaus, who will have to ride along behind in a trailer tied to the car.
And as Count Olaf begins driving along the Mortmain Mountain trail, he reveals that he's known who the Baudelaires were all along. He knows he only needs one. Baudelaire - in this case, Sunny - to get the fortune, so he orders Hugo, Colette and Kevin to cut the trailer loose. The episode and the season ends with the trailer hurtling downhill and all three Baudelaires firmly within the belly of the beast.
VFD and Cultural References
1. Caligari is a reference to the 1920 German horror film: the Cabinet of Dr Caligari.
2. The final film sees Lemony Snicket talking about Stain'd-upon-the-Sea, which is the setting for the prequel series of ASOUE: 'All the Wrong Questions.'
3. The title of this series is said a few times within the episode...could this series get any more meta?
4. Vicious Feline Display
5. Various Fakery Disguises
6.Verified Film Distribution
7. Volunteer Feline Detectives
8. Volunteer Fire Department - the real meaning of VFD.
9. Valley of Four Drafts
9. Valley of Four Drafts
Judgement at Nuremberg review
Number 136 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1961 courtroom drama, Judgement at Nuremberg.
Inspired by the infamous Nuremberg Trials, Judgement at Nuremberg focusses on Chief Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) an American district judge in charge of the trial of four Nazi officials. Defending them is Hans Rolfe (Maximellen Schell) Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and William Shatner appear in supporting roles.
Courtroom dramas by definition take place within a courtroom. To stop these kind of films from becoming stilted and boring, you need strong writing and even stronger performances. Judgement at Nuremberg certainly delivered on this front. Ethical issues a-plenty were presented and tackled with great skill. This was most evident through Spencer Tracy's great performance as Dan Haywood. It was clear the moral dilemma that he was struggling with. What's important to remember is how the film is set at the birth of the Cold War. America, terrified of the threat of Communist Russia, wanted Germany as an ally.
This meant that judges like Haywood were under high pressure to treat Nazis leniently. And this is exactly what happened. At the end of the film, it is revealed that of the 99 Nazis who were sentenced to jail, by the film's 1961 release, none of them were still serving the sentences.
But the other element which comes into play is Haywood's conscience. He knows that these officials played a part in the Holocaust and finds it difficult to believe that they weren't aware of the full atrocities of the Holocaust. Also, unlike the American prosecutor Tad Lawson who staunchly condemns the officials, as cruel-blooded murderers, Haywood wanders whether if it was really that simple. Haywood's struggle with this dilemma was one of the diving forces of this film and Spencer Tracy played the part well.
Maximillen Schell was also brilliant in his role as Herr Rolfe, the lawyer defending the Nazi officials. He was utterly convincing as Rolfe. You could tell that he believed everything he said, and his own arguments posed their own moral questions. He argues that his defendants were acting out of a misguided patriotism - post-WW1 Germany was humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles - and they were only following orders. Although does this excuse their actions? Perhaps if ever single soldier recognised the immorality of their actions and stood up against their commanders then maybe the worst of the Holocaust could have been avoided. Obviously, that's an oversimplified version of a vastly complicated subject, but it's interesting to think about. Schell won an Oscar for his role and it was well-deserved.
Rolfe also argues about the moral implications behind the American decision to drop a-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombings killed 200,000 people, most of which were civillians. True, this helped to bring WW2 to a close, but do the ends really justify the means in this situation. Again, this is only my oversimplified opinion, but it is still an interesting question to ponder.
But, most interesting of all, is the quandary about whether we should condemn the majority for the actions of the minority. Haywood is reluctant to do this, hence his efforts to come to as an objective decision as possible. It's easy to let emotion guide us and say that all Germans were Nazis, and wonder how any of them could claim to be ignorant of the horrors of the Holocaust, but again, are things really that simple?
With a 3-hour run time, things do get a bit slow in places, but be patient and give Judgement at Nuremberg a chance. Just be prepared to put your thinking cap on as it poses some real ethical quandaries.
Inspired by the infamous Nuremberg Trials, Judgement at Nuremberg focusses on Chief Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) an American district judge in charge of the trial of four Nazi officials. Defending them is Hans Rolfe (Maximellen Schell) Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and William Shatner appear in supporting roles.
Courtroom dramas by definition take place within a courtroom. To stop these kind of films from becoming stilted and boring, you need strong writing and even stronger performances. Judgement at Nuremberg certainly delivered on this front. Ethical issues a-plenty were presented and tackled with great skill. This was most evident through Spencer Tracy's great performance as Dan Haywood. It was clear the moral dilemma that he was struggling with. What's important to remember is how the film is set at the birth of the Cold War. America, terrified of the threat of Communist Russia, wanted Germany as an ally.
This meant that judges like Haywood were under high pressure to treat Nazis leniently. And this is exactly what happened. At the end of the film, it is revealed that of the 99 Nazis who were sentenced to jail, by the film's 1961 release, none of them were still serving the sentences.
But the other element which comes into play is Haywood's conscience. He knows that these officials played a part in the Holocaust and finds it difficult to believe that they weren't aware of the full atrocities of the Holocaust. Also, unlike the American prosecutor Tad Lawson who staunchly condemns the officials, as cruel-blooded murderers, Haywood wanders whether if it was really that simple. Haywood's struggle with this dilemma was one of the diving forces of this film and Spencer Tracy played the part well.
Maximillen Schell was also brilliant in his role as Herr Rolfe, the lawyer defending the Nazi officials. He was utterly convincing as Rolfe. You could tell that he believed everything he said, and his own arguments posed their own moral questions. He argues that his defendants were acting out of a misguided patriotism - post-WW1 Germany was humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles - and they were only following orders. Although does this excuse their actions? Perhaps if ever single soldier recognised the immorality of their actions and stood up against their commanders then maybe the worst of the Holocaust could have been avoided. Obviously, that's an oversimplified version of a vastly complicated subject, but it's interesting to think about. Schell won an Oscar for his role and it was well-deserved.
Rolfe also argues about the moral implications behind the American decision to drop a-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombings killed 200,000 people, most of which were civillians. True, this helped to bring WW2 to a close, but do the ends really justify the means in this situation. Again, this is only my oversimplified opinion, but it is still an interesting question to ponder.
But, most interesting of all, is the quandary about whether we should condemn the majority for the actions of the minority. Haywood is reluctant to do this, hence his efforts to come to as an objective decision as possible. It's easy to let emotion guide us and say that all Germans were Nazis, and wonder how any of them could claim to be ignorant of the horrors of the Holocaust, but again, are things really that simple?
With a 3-hour run time, things do get a bit slow in places, but be patient and give Judgement at Nuremberg a chance. Just be prepared to put your thinking cap on as it poses some real ethical quandaries.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)