IMDB Review #33: Leon

When Leon was originally released in cinemas back in 1994, most reviews commented on the fact that it was morally dubious for a film to portray the training of a 12 year old girl as a hitman. It can’t be denied that Leon is amoral by nature - this is a graphically violent film, which also hints at a sexual relationship between a 12 year old girl and a much older hitman – however, what also can’t be denied is that this is a wonderfully entertaining film which breaks many conventions of the modern day thriller.

When 12 year old Mathilda’s family are killed by a drug infused maniac (Gary Oldman) over a drug deal gone wrong, Mathilda (a young Natalie Portman) is adopted by Leon (Jean Reno), the hitman next door. In return for cleaning the apartment and reading lessons, Leon agrees to teach Mathilda some of the secrets of his craft. With an impending sense of dread, the film slowly builds up the tension until a final confrontation between Leon and the man who killed Mathilda’s family.

Everything about this film is over-emphasized, from Gary Oldman’s drug crunching (and completely over the top) manic bad guy to the explosive final confrontation. I must admit that this didn’t really bother me too much as it added to the overall interest and intrigue of the film and resulted in a stylised urban thriller which is clearly devolved from reality (unsurprising given this is a Jean Luc Besson film). Everything in the film is overly stylised, from the character’s clothes and dialogue to the soundtrack and set design. This is an approach which I think works superbly and gives the film a sense of originality and freshness which very few films manage to achieve (although it is doubtful whether any film can claim to be truly original in the modern era).

For me, it was the performance of the two central characters which really drives the film. Many would think that a graphically violent thriller would be strongly driven by story and action, but I think this is one of the few exceptions whereby the strong characterisation is the reason that this film is so highly rated on IMDB. The interaction between Leon and Mathilda is quite frankly captivating and deals with some interesting concepts, most importantly being the appropriateness of the relationship between the two. For me, I think that whilst Mathilda and Leonboth love each other, they are two very different kinds of love. Mathilda clearly logves leon like a lover (even though she is 12), however Leon reciprocates that love as a father figure and clearly demonstrates in the final scene that his only desire is to protect Mathilda from harm.

Overall, I thought Leon was a superb film. It is entertaining, feels fresh and original (or at least I imagine it would have done at the time of release) and has characters which are fundamentally interesting. Sure there may be some plot holes and the whole thing may be entirely over the top and removed from reality but it is that wackiness which captivates. This is one I will watch again.

Rating 9/10

IMDB Review #245: The Philadelphia Story

James Stewart is by far my favourite actor. He gives such an amazing amount of energy to each and every character he portrays and can turn his hand to such a variety of different genres that I can honestly say I have never enjoyed watching an actor as much as I have enjoyed watching James Stewart. This all bodes well for The Philadelphia Story – the only film that James Stewart won an Oscar for – and when you through in the wonderful Katherine Hepburn and the smooth Cary Grant, this really was a film which had me salivating.

Tracy (Katherine Hepburn), is a wealthy Philadelphian socialite who is about to get married for the second time. On the eve of her wedding, her ex-husband (Cary Grant) turns up along with an undercover reporter (James Stewart) and as Tracy gets to know these two men further through the course of the night she begins to learn the truth about who she really is and what she really wants from life.

Adapted from the 1939 stage play of the same, The Philadelphia story is a romantic comedy (almost farcical in nature) which features some outstanding dialogue. In every scene the witty dialogue flows at such a pace that it is worth the price of admission alone just to allow it to grace your ears. Credit for that has to go in part to the Broadway play from which this film was adapted but also to screenwriter Donald Stewart, who deserving walked away with that year’s academy award for best screenplay.

Likewise, the acting in the film is superb. James Stewart gives what is a contender for his career best performance and Katherine Hepburn is also outstanding in a seductive lead female role. Making up the leading trio, Cary Grant is fine as the role of the ex-husband, however in almost every scene he is overshadowed by Stewart and Hepburn. That is more a compliment to the two leads as opposed to a criticism of Cary Grant, who I personally think gives his best performances in his collaborations with Hitchcock.

With all good things comes the bad and in this case the predictable storyline lets the film down a little. However, it is a testament to the great cast that they keep the film enjoyable, witty and entertaining despite the obvious plot points and I really did enjoy this piece of golden cinema. 

Perhaps it is too generous to call this a classic, but a finer romantic comedy I have yet to see.

Rating: 8/10

IMDB Review #247: Shutter Island

There are some films which are difficult to discuss without giving away a spoiler, and Shutter Island is one such film. It is one of those films that the less you know about it, the better the first experience; therefore if you have not seen the film, please stop reading now.

Set in the 1950’s, US Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Di Caprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) are called to investigate the disappearance of a young woman at a mental asylum on the mysterious Shutter Island. Upon investigation, it soon becomes clear that things are not as they should be on the island and Teddy begins to suspect that the mental asylum, headed by Dr Crawley (Sir Ben Kingsley), is actually being used for some mysterious government tests.

Shutter Island is by all means a good film. The story is excellent (as one would expect from a Dennis Lehane adaptation), it contains some excellent performances, most notably by Di Caprio who is outstanding in the title role, and the production design is so lovingly rendered that the film really brings to life its 1950s setting.

Out of all of Scorsese’s films, Shutter Island is perhaps most close in style to Cape Fear. It is a psychological horror which harks back to the classic suspense of films of the great Alfred Hitchcock, whose work clearly has a large influence on the film. The score in particular recalls the work of the great Bernhard Herrman, a long-time collaborator of Hitchcock and one of the highest regarded film composers of all time.

The film does have its flaws; my main issue being that it is over long and suffers from slow pacing in places. However, overall this was a film which I really enjoyed the first time I watched it, and, unusually for a ‘film with a twist’, it retained its appeal on a second viewing (unlike The Sixth Sense for example). 

Not a classic by any means, and certainly not Scorsese’s best, but overall Shutter Island had enough period authenticity and atmosphere to keep me entertained. 

And that much debated final line? – well, let’s just say it stayed with me for days. Definitely worth a watch.

Rating 8/10

IMDB Review #248: Rain Man

It has been a rather busy week for me and unfortunately this has result in the neglect of my blog. However, now that the weekend is near, I am back in business and will be continuing with my Top 250 challenge. On that note, let us move on to number 248 on the list: Rain Man.

In Rain Man, Tom Cruise plays Charlie Babbit, a self-obsessed car dealer who would do anything to make a quick buck. When Charlie’s father dies, Charlie is outraged to find out that an unnamed beneficiary is to inherit his father’s $3m fortune. When Charlie finds out that the unnamed beneficiary is an autistic older brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who never knew, he sets out to obtain guardianship of Raymond in order to obtain the cash.

The performances in the film are fantastic, with Hoffman in particular standing out, and fully deserving of his Oscar, for his portrayal of the autistic Raymond. Hoffman plays the character with subtlety when it would have been very easy to overstate the impact of autism on the character of Raymond and this results in a completely believable performance which engrossed me from start to finish.

Tom Cruise is also in good form as Raymond’s brother Charlie, albeit the character arc he is given is a very familiar story of redemption – changing from a selfish egotist into a loving brother during the course of the film. Whilst he is overshadowed by Hoffman, Cruise still manages to hold his own and plays the self-centred Charlie superbly.

Aside from the performances, Rain Man is a pretty bog standard road movie which lacks any real originality. In one sequence, we find Charlie exploiting Raymond’s numerical abilities to count cards in a Las Vegas casino, thereby winning a small fortune. This riffs off the common perception that people with autism have savant skills when perhaps a more original take on the issues of autism would have been more rewarding (albeit it is probable that Rain Man helped to create that perception in the first place).

Having said that, Rain Man does have some genuinely funny moments and some moments of real emotion – the scene in which Raymond imitates sex noises made by Charlie and his girlfriend (Valeria Golino) is particularly amusing. However, despite the odd moment of humour and emotion, I cannot say that I loved this film and it is certainly not one which would make it into my Top 250 films of all time. 

Overall, the performances of Cruise and Hoffman lift Rain Man above mediocrity, but there are many other elements of a good film (such a strong storyline) which are missing. Dustin Hoffman’s performance is definitely up there with the best and is a career defining role, but apart from that there really is not much else in this film to suggest that it should be considered a classic.

Rating 7/10

Absent Friends #1 - Mulholland Drive

Whilst the IMDB Top 250 contains some of the films which I rate amongst the best films of all time, there are several films which would be high up my list which don’t feature in the IMDB Top 250. I therefore feel I have the moral obligation to highlight those glaring omissions which definitely should be higher up the list – hence the title of this blog post ‘Absent Friends’. This is all based on my opinion and of course others may disagree with my choices.

So to the first glaring omission; the contemporary classic and masterpiece that is Mulholland Drive.  At the end of 2009, I recall sitting down and making a list of my top 100 films of the last decade and there were two films vying for the top spot of my list – Mulholland Drive and There Will be Blood (which thankfully is in the IMDB Top 250, albeit much too low).

For me, Mulholland Drive is a fine example of thoughtful cinema: it’s a mystery thriller that remains a mystery even after the end credits roll. It is only after you have watched and re-watched the film several times that you can truly start to understand the film. With each viewing another piece of the puzzle falls into place , although you never get the feeling, even after tens of viewings, that you have managed to fully understand every aspect of the film.

The performances are also superb, particularly that of Naomi Watts. The scene in which Betty (played by Naomi Watts) auditions for a film role is probably the best scene of Naomi Watts’ career and one of my favourite scenes of all time. It really is gripping stuff.

For me, this is a film which should easily be up there with those at the top of the IMDB Top 250. Perhaps it was a bit too obscure to achieve mass market appeal and maybe that has hindered its rating on IMDB (I believe the film is sitting just outside the Top 250 with a rating of 8.0), but for those like me who have embraced the initial madness of the film and spent the time and effort trying to unravel the mystery, what you get in return is an entirely rewarding film experience. Quite simply a masterpiece.

Rating 10/10