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Reviews
Gau ngao gau (2006)
Deeply effecting and moving film that defied my expectations
Despite being quite far removed from my expectations, I was thoroughly impressed by Dog Bite Dog. I rented it not knowing much about it, but I essentially expected it to be a martial arts/action film in the standard Hong Kong action tradition, of which I am a devoted fan. I ended up getting something entirely different, which is not at all a bad thing. While the film could be classified as such, and there is definitely some good action and hand to hand combat scenes in the film, it is definitely not the primary focus. Its characters are infinitely more important to the film than its fights, a rather uncommon thing in many Hong Kong action movies.
I was really quite surprised by the intricacy of the characters and character relationships in the film. The lead character, played by Edison Chen (who is really very good), becomes infinitely more complex by the end of the film than I ever thought he would be after watching the first thirty minutes. The police characters also defied my expectations thoroughly. In fact, the stark and honest portrayal of the seldom seen dark side of the police force was quite possible my favorite aspect of the film. I don't know that I would say Dog Bite Dog entirely subverts typical notions of bad criminal, good cop, but it certainly distorts them in ways not often seen in film (unfortunately). So many films, especially Hong Kong action films I find, portray police in what is frankly a VERY ignorantly idealized light. This is one of my least favorite things about the genre. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dog Bite Dog actually had some very unique, and really quite courageous, ideas to present about the police force. There are negotiation scenes in this film that I have never seen the likes of before, and doubt I will ever see again, and am sure I will remember for quite a while. Also, the criminal characters are shown from an interesting perspective as well, there is some documentary footage in the film of Cambodian boys no older than ten being made to fight each other to the death with their bare hands, which I thought was one of the film's most powerful and moving moments. It says a lot about the reason these guys are the way they are, rather than simply condemning them. Also, the relationship between Chen's character and the girl he meets in the junk yard reveals a lot about his character. It wasn't until this element entered the film that I really started to see the film as an emotional experience rather than only a visceral one. There is something about most on screen relationships that doesn't quite get through to me, but for some reason this one really did. The actress does an incredible job with this role which I imagine was not easy to play.
Dog Bite Dog also features some really breathtaking cinematography, all though it is unfortunately rather uneven. There were some moments that I found really striking, particularly in the last segment of the film, but there was also a good deal of camera work that was just OK. Another slight problem I had was with the pacing, which I also felt was uneven. I found a lot of the "looking for a boat" scenes to be a little alienating, all though it quickly picks up after that. The action scenes are short and not too plentiful, but are truly powerful and effecting, particularly towards the end. The fight choreography is honestly not all that impressive for the most part, all though to its credit it is solid and fairly realistic, but the true strength is the emotional content behind the fights. The final scene, while not a marvel of martial artistry or fight choreography, is one of the most powerful final fights I have ever seen, and I've seen quite a few martial arts films.
I suppose the biggest determining factor of whether or not one will get much out of Dog Bite Dog is whether or not you can connect with the characters. All of them are certainly some of the more flawed characters one is likely to see in a film of any kind, but there was something very human about all of them that I couldn't help but be drawn to and really feel for them, particularly Chen's girlfriend. I should say that I doubt most people will like the film as much as I did simply because I imagine that most people will not like or care about the characters in the same way, but I still recommend it highly all the same. It is truly a deeply moving and effecting film if you give it a chance.
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Very impressive film on all fronts
3:10 to Yuma is easily one of the finest films I've had the privilege to see this year, and one of the best westerns to come along in quite a while. The film shines in all aspects, performances particularly, but the direction, cinematography, music, sound design (really startling gun shots, much more realistic than most films, sounds like a small detail but I found it made a big difference), and writing are all excellent.
I was genuinely surprised at how great the dialog was throughout the film, and its made all the better by the excellent actors delivering it. Doc Potter (played by the brilliant and hilarious Alan Tudyk) gets some of the best lines in the film in terms of humor, Wade (Crowe) has some great bad ass moments as well, but I was most impressed by Evan's (Bale) dialog throughout the film. It has a really wonderful way of cutting through to some really brutal truths that most films barely touch on or avoid altogether, and Bale's delivery is really, truly astounding. While I am a huge fan of Christian Bale, he's been on my bad side after Harsh Times (which I really, really, hated), but with this, he's back in my good graces, and I have a higher opinion of him than ever before. His intensity in this role is unbelievable. He doesn't have a great deal of dialog really, but he uses his silences to his advantage and really conveys an amazing amount of emotion through the desperate look on his face for most of the film. He has a short conversation with his wife before leaving to deliver Wade to the train station that is one of the finest pieces of acting I've seen in quite a while. I can't even describe the depths of Bale's performance, especially after seeing the film only once. This is certainly a film that requires multiple viewings, and I can only imagine how much better it would be on a second viewing.
Russel Crowe also turns out a really incredible performance, and this is coming from someone who is not much of fan of his. I have only really liked about half of what I've seen of Crowe's work, and while he obviously has talent, I always considered him rather overrated. This is the first time that I have really seen what other people have apparently been seeing in him for years. There is a certain simplicity and straight forwardness in his performance, he just is Ben Wade. The character is actually quite charming, in fact some of my favorite moments in the film were the stories he tells to his captors over the course of the journey about his visits to Dodge City, people he's killed, women he's been with , and the like. Watching the interactions between Wade and Evans is always fascinating as well.
While I have only recently gotten into watching westerns after seeing Once Upon a Time in the West not quite a year ago (I've been hooked since then), this is one of the finest I've yet to see. It evokes all the things one associates with classic westerns, but at the same time, it transcends them in some way which I hope to understand more once I am able to see it a few more times. Highly recommended.
Fast Food Nation (2006)
An American Lament
This is more than just a film. It is indictment of America's insane consumer culture, at all levels, not just within the fast food/meat industry. It deals with issues of consumerism, salesmanship (the fine American art of giving someone less than they pay for), unrestrained suburban growth, corporate dishonesty, and corruption. I honestly can not believe this film hasn't gotten a better reaction, and the fact that it hasn't is quite discouraging. It's one of the better films I've seen recently. It is truly a triumph, and I usually hate how that word is used by critics to describe mediocre, Oscar bait films that never had any trouble getting financed, made, or distributed, but it is an apt term in this case. I honestly can't believe that this film was able to be made under a major studio (Fox Searchlight is still Fox), especially when theaters have such close relationships with the soft drink industry (which I believe has the same parent company as many fast food chains), and studios have such close relationships with theaters (see This Film is Not Yet Rated for more on that if you're interested, it's fantastic). Fast Food Nation is one of the more socially and politically significant films to come out lately, and it really gives me a sense of hope that someone is saying something about the terrible machine that has taken over this country, and I'm not just talking about meat.
I do eat meat, and I really don't know if I could give it up, but I haven't eaten fast food in almost a year (as it's incredibly unhealthy) and this film made me infinitely glad that I haven't. I do, however, think that people are getting FAR too wrapped up in that aspect of the film and not seeing the bigger issues at hand. Immigration, greed, corruption, destruction of the delicate balance between man and nature are all at play here. We have severed our umbilical cord to the earth (and NOT by eating meat) by our vastly inhumane and out of control plundering of all of it's resources, including animals. It is not wrong to eat meat, but the way that most meat in this country is produced is the problem. I loved that this film touched on so many aspects of the problems created by psychopathic institutions of greed, of which the fast food industry is only one facet. I thought this film did a great job of addressing that and it saddens me to see that it is not getting as good of a reaction as it deserves. It is about so much more than just fast food.
I must admit that I am somewhat biased, as I am a big fan of Richard Linklater's work (A Scanner Darkly is also excellent, and is an equally important film with a much needed message). I think that the performances here are truly excellent. Honestly, the interactions between Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette (again, I am biased, as I LOVE both of these actors) is worth watching the film by itself, and has more chemistry in a single moment than the formulaic crap that has flooded theaters these last few years. Ethan Hawke's character was a big highlight for me, and I think we would all do well to heed his words. I can only hope that people like his character still exist somewhere in this brainwashed, shopaholic, greed infested, corrupt country. Kris Kristofferson also does an excellent job as the rancher who raises cattle (HUMANELY, unlike the great capitalist institutions of factory farms) and has to struggle to keep from losing his land to eminent domain lawsuits. Greg Kinnear's character is also interesting as the fast food executive, I think that the way his story dropped off a little too soon was one of the few things I didn't quite like about the film. The real heart of the story, I think, is the immigrants. We spend most of the film with them, and we see the terrible trials and tribulations they go through only to come and work at the most dangerous job in the country. It really is heartbreaking to see.
This film is an excellent and MUCH needed indictment of the monster that American culture has created. I think that this one of the most important films I have seen recently and I can only hope that it is seen more widely by people, particularly Americans, and that hopefully it inspires some change in this country. It is severely needed.