A selectively shot London of chrome and glass serves as the backdrop for an efficient, minimalistic thriller which focuses on a surprisingly linear*1 plot rather than character development*2. It works in this instance, but you wouldn't want all your films to be like it. Eran Creevy does a decent job of ramping up the tension, and an even better one of sustaining it; in the final twenty minutes, there really are no guarantees as to who'll walk away.
I could actually envision this film taking place in the same universe as last year's Sweeney (which I still stand by. What?). As with that film, …Punch isn't Guy Ritchie territory, and works all the better for it. James McAvoy and Mark Strong do the majority of the heavy lifting, albeit with very solid supporting roles from all around them. The script is as free from extraneous banter as it is from tertiary characters, and this leads to quite a claustrophobic atmosphere at times (the best example being a four-man shootout in a nightclub which has no punters and no music playing).
I can see why the film isn't for everyone (and even I wasn't convinced by the trailer), but it's great to be pleasantly surprised. Not as raucous as Rocknrolla, but not as downbeat as Harry Brown, Welcome To The Punch has an intensity that's not easily matched these days.
Largely.
Yes.
Yes.
…Cinema ideally, but DVD will still work.
No.
Yes.
YES!*3
*1 Which is to say that there is a structure to the events, but it doesn't waste the viewer's time with twists, turns and red herrings. The unfolding plot is revealed in one neat scene. This would never happen in the Hollywood version.
*2 Seriously, this is not a character-piece. The characters are fine, but you find out very little about them, and it doesn't really matter anyway.
*3 During the shootout at the container-yard. Get in!
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Side Effects Cert: 15 / 106 mins / Dir. Steven Soderbergh
Although Soderbergh's latest film is slightly less along the lines of Daily Express panic than one of his recent efforts, it's still not too far off. Once The Incident™ occurs*1 the story settles more into problem-solving mode and less 'make people needlessly (even more) scared of pharmacautical companies'. Unfortunately, the downside of this is that we spend more time in Jude Law's company and less in Rooney Mara's. While I genuinely believe Mara's performance in this film is nothing short of outstanding, everyone else seems to be phoning it in (with the exception of CZJ, who seems to be aiming even lower by reprising her role from Rock of Ages, but without singing).
And it all coasts along quite nicely until the last twenty minutes, which seems to have been when the cleaners came in late one Friday afternoon and typed a new ending because they'd accidentally destroyed the original. From a story point-of-view, it makes some sense, but stylistically, it's quite baffling. A bit like falling asleep watching a thriller on Channel 5, then waking up to their late-night schedule. I imagine.
All in all, Side Effects works well enough, but it's nowhere near as smooth as it'd like to be. That said, it's worth watching for Rooney Mara. The woman has a serious talent.
MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS (highlight to read):See? It wasn't the evil pharma companies what done it this time! It was THE EVIL LESBIANS! You had your hand, and you played it like a fucking hero, Steven. I look forward to your film, The Evil Immigrants Done It. What's that? You're retiring?. Yes, I suppose that is for the best…
The whodunnit? is nicely executed; the whydunnit?, not so much.
Mmmm, not really.
Mostly.
Yeah.
DVD.
No.
No.
No.
*1 And in fairness, when The Incident™ did occur, I winced and heard plenty of audible gasps in the cinema. That moment was well played.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Imagine, if you will, what you expect a co-headlining Jim Carrey / Steve Carrell movie to be like. Now if you're still on-board, welcome in, that'll be £8.60 plus your drinks and popcorn, sit where you like there's plenty of room. Everyone else? You're right, it's not for you. Although it was never going to be.
The film is as entirely predictable as that trailer, (you've just seen the best gags) if nowhere near as tight. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is so mechanically structured and delivered you can almost see the scriptwriters pedalling in the background. When it works, it's chucklesome at best. When it doesn't, it's painful*1. Although there's an intentional campy one-upmanship to the proceedings, I suspect this storyline about two ageing performers constantly trying to shout louder than one another for desperate attention has been applied without a shred of self-awareness or irony. I'm genuinely amazed that Adam Sandler doesn't have an appearance anywhere.
But it's not all bad. The film shrugs its shoulders and asks '…well, what were you expecting?' And it has a point. This crudely applied slapstick of torn-trousers and drillbits-to-the-head is exactly what I expected. I did chuckle at some of the jokes, and I did smile at the end when the soundtrack told me to. In its own half-arsed way, it delivers. It doesn't deliver much, but it never promised it.
I expect many people to tear this film a new one and be very sniffy about it*2, but you already knew what was on the menu when you saw the poster, never mind watched the trailer. You only have yourselves to blame. As do I.
Yeah… yeah.
Sometimes.
Oh, probably.
DVD. At a push. Pay no more than £4.
Afraid so.
Not unless drunk.
No.
*1 You have to wonder what kind of scriptwriting meetings resulted in the decision to use the word 'rapist' as a running joke. Nope, not even kidding.
*2 Yes, including me. What of it?
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Broken City Cert: 15 / 108 mins / Dir. Allen Hughes
What a mess. Director Hughes, writer Brian Tucker and editor Cindy Mollo don't seem to know the difference between "complex", "convoluted" and "makes no sense".
Broken City fits neatly into one of these categories.
Elsewhere, CZJ looks thoroughly embarrassed as she delivers dialogue written as part of a teenager's homework project. Too many minor characters are platespun ineffectively, and the whole thing screams contractual obligation.
Some nice ideas, horribly executed.
Kinda.
Occasionally.
No.
Telly.
Yes.
No.
No.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
