The Marksman

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Marksman follows a former Marine turned rancher as he aids an orphaned Mexican child across the border and to his family in Chicago, all the while remaining fugitives to a group of cartel assassins hot on their heels. While the film has a very generic approach to Mexican cartels there is a strong depiction of wild and unpredictable violence from these antagonists that lends some tension to the film. I also liked how the film had a theme around preserving the innocence of the child character, 'Miguel'. Keeping him away from the violence as best as the feature could in order to hold him in a state that could be considered 'good' while leaving the protagonist and antagonist as the ones capable of the capacity for murder was an interesting take.

 

The best performance came from Liam Neeson, who played Jim. As a lead Jim isn't always the easiest to relate to but he is certainly a very grounded role. He's an older man who is tied to a day to day routine and seems lost after the death of his wife. Neeson really shows him as a bit of a desperate figure at first, wanting to save himself and his land but finding little options at every juncture. He has a small temper and lashes out at things that irritate him or cause him problems. Yet as the film goes along and we see Neeson push this sense of growing compassion for his child co-star through, we get this warm feeling about the bond they now share. Jim isn't a complex role by any means but his sense of humanity and the resolution in him all stems from Neeson.

 

The Marksman is a feature that doesn't really understand much of what it's talking about; I certainly don't believe the screenwriter has any competency at understanding the Mexican cartels, Mexican culture, the process of immigration or illegal immigration. As a result of this we get this really warped sense that the Mexican gangs are glorified thugs, the process of illegal immigration is really simple and that the protagonist is fairly justified when he says ridiculous statements like "the government should really sort its shit out" in relation to the immigration situation. The whole film tiptoes around its evident prejudice against Mexican people while promoting old, reckless Americans with a vigilante knack for wielding a gun as some sort of martyr-like champion. It's a very rotten film riddled with a lazy plot, generic story elements and empty themes. Watching the main character treat his dog better than he ever treats any of the Mexican characters left a bad taste in my mouth and it never really felt like his bond with he kid was a sincere one. Watching things like a military medal palmed around as an empty symbol was weak writing and even worse than that was was watching the main antagonist stumble through an impassioned speech about never having a choice in being a soldier. The cinematography only ever held its ground when it was showcasing an establishing shot, with many scenes feeling very contained and hasty. The editing set a dull tone, with a lot of the cuts and transitions actively looking quite bad. The score for the film had a rustic country ballad feel, which served the setting more than the tone and left The Marksman with quite a fatigued musical accompaniment.

 

Jacob Perez and Teresa Ruiz, who played Miguel and Rosa respectively, were very generic as the foreign victims in need of rescuing in this feature; Perez never had a strong bond with Neeson which cost the film a lot of its emotional mileage. Juan Pablo Raba, who played Mauricio, was laughable as the main antagonist for the feature; he never felt much more than a henchman for some bigger threat and his big character monologue in the final confrontation was one of the worst deliveries in the film. Katheryn Winnick, who played Sarah, really struggled to find some kind of emotional bond with Neeson as his on-screen daughter; her stiff approach as a law enforcement official and unfulfilled story arc made her an unnecessary addition to the feature.

An underwhelming film that highlights a lot of flaws in American film-making and is notably a career low for Neeson. I would give The Marksman a 3.5/10.

 

The White Tiger

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

The White Tiger is a story about a poor Indian villager's struggle to escape poverty by manipulating and breaking free from his rich masters. What I enjoyed most about this narrative was how it took a deep look around what true poverty in India looks like, offering a glimpse that isn't softened by silver linings such as 2008's Slumdog Millionaire. In fact the film even makes a pointed dig at this type of storytelling, offering the alternative that instead of a chance miracle to escape it takes a cruel cut of ambition. The White Tiger reveals how large an extent of the Indian population live in poverty while also discussing how this need to live in servitude to another class is almost bred into social mentality from a young age. Watching our protagonist, Balram, struggle by his dying father's side for days while no doctor comes in aid or seeing him physically abused by his employers at a whim is a harsh but constant reminder of an unjust aspect of our world. The soundtrack for this film has a strong blend of Indian and American music, which really fits the narrative structure of the film, even heightening this dark and twisted tale of ambition.

 

Rajkummar Rao, who played Ashok, is an immensely charismatic individual and it is interesting watching his good nature wilt over the duration of the feature; Rao has this intense sincerity about him that makes whatever emotion he portrays in a scene very convincing. Mahesh Manjrekar and Vijay Maurya, who played The Stork and The Mongoose respectively, are really dominant as the antagonists of the feature; I liked Manjrekar's cool temper as the leader of his family while Maurya's blunt aggression made him an excellent thug. 

 

However, the best performance came from Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who played Pinky Madam. There is a sense of almost complete detachment from the wealthy family who govern over our protagonist in CHopra Jonas' role. Pinky is a free-spirited, independent individual who isn't afraid to raise her voice or offer her opinion in what is clearly a patriarchal criminal household. Chopra Jonas has this way of radiating immense amounts of joy, having developed a very close chemistry with her onscreen-partner, Rao. She is constantly a point of challenge in the film; challenging authority and even the class system that Balram has to adhere to. Yet as the feature continues and we see Pinky's empathy only extends so far it becomes interesting to see the cracks in her righteousness, and even the moments in which she wrongs our lead role. Chopra Jonas plays a kind-hearted role with a range of portraying happiness to intense grief, to insightful wisdom. One of her best characters in years.

 

The White Tiger has all the potential to tell a well-crafted story about the class system and poverty in India, a story that even bears some resemblance to an Indian Parasite. However, unlike Prasite the film crumbles apart with the focus of the main narrative, that being the character of Balram. Balram isn't a character you are ever really taught how to like in the film, you feel bad for his life but as a person he is mean-spirited and quick to betray anyone else in the story at the drop of a hat. His entire rags to riches story actually all happens very quickly, mostly all taking place in a very anti-climatic final act. The first two acts are this sluggish examination of his life as a servant, showcasing his steady detachment from his family and how warped his way of thinking becomes due to ambition. The film never engages me as a viewer because the leading role isn't a compelling character, his story has been done before in a far better manner. The film also features this incessant narration that is quite grating and often feeds you more exposition than is ever really necessary; even going so far as to give away plot points before they happen. The cinematography and the editing both boast a lot of potential in some scenes but for a lot of the feature there is some very clunky camerawork and cuts that slow the pacing right down.

Adarsh Gourav, who played Balram, really struggles as the leading performer of the film; Gourav is often overshadowed in scenes with other cast members and tends to overact whenever he is placed in a moment by himself to compensate. Nalneesh Neel, who played Vitiligo, is a creepy role that seems forced in for some perverse comedic relief, yet Neel struggles to draw a laugh and his role's presence only creates a tone of discomfort. Kamlesh Gill and Sanket Shanware, who played Granny and Kishan respectively, aren't very compatible with Gourav as a family unit; no one interacts in a way that makes me convinced that they have that type of bond and Gill's inability to portray authority causes some scenes to fall flat.

A hollow and dull effort to capture the spark that 2019's Parasite already mastered. I would give The White Tiger a 4/10.

A Call To Spy

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

A Call To Spy is a fictional account of the World War II-era spy organisation SOE and the period in time during which they recruited and trained female spies. The film takes an intimate look at the inner workings of how London managed these operations, and how said operations were carried out in the field by famous operatives, Virginia Hall and Noor Inayat Khan. This film had a strong ability to build and maintain a tense scene, particularly during the first and second act. This did a good job of immersing you in the perilous livelihood of the spy operatives during this time. A Call To Spy is also remarkable in that it draws some clever parallels to modern day society, observations that are certainly a tough pill to swallow. The film takes the stance of an allied country fighting the Nazis but even within Britain you see a lot of prejudice against Jewish people, whom this war has affected so severely. Further to this later in the film, we see how the Nazi power influence the types of media and literature people watch and see, even cycling false information to further their agenda. So this examination of history and how it links to some troubling aspects of our own society drum a few of the themes home quite potently.

 

Stana Katic, who played Vera Atkins,  is the true intensive spymaster of the film; Katic has a shrewd way of navigating scenes in a fashion that always marks her as the most capable and intelligent. Radhika Apte, who played Noor Inayat Khan, is the conscience of the fight in this feature; Apte plays this kind-hearted and determined woman with overflowing amounts of passion. Linus Roache, who played Maurice Buckmaster, has a wonderful chemistry with Katic as the pair play joint spymasters in operation together; Roache does a good job of depicting a character torn between his political duty and the morally right thing to do.

 

However, the best performance came from Sarah Megan Thomas, who played Virginia Hall. This is a role who seems fuelled by an ambitious need to help or be involved in the war effort, right from her introduction you get the sense that she is driven by a need to go further than administration work. Thomas does a great job at portraying the outrage and frustration her role often encounters in response to the judgements made in relation to her disability, even giving a harrowing recount on how she lost her leg at one stage. Once we see Virginia Hall begin her spy training it is like watching her come alive, she has this relentless drive to succeed and an inability to break under pressure. Watching Thomas coolly navigate tense scenes and become a well respected leader amongst the spy movie is the driving force behind this film and one of the main reasons to watch.

One of the most common historical features I tend to see are examinations of the World War II-era, and a consequence of this is struggling to find films that actually manage to stand out in a sea of very alike media. A Call To Spy may very well have some clever insights and tense scenes but it lacks the ability to do anything noteworthy, to truly set itself apart from the crowd. The entire feature examines this spy operation but you never really feel like there's a big successful moment that transpires, in fact a lot of tense scenes build to an anti-climax. This is an honest film that reveals facts about the history of said military operations but it never adds anything that makes you excited to be watching the film. The main trajectory of the movie makes me feel like the protagonists fail more than they ever succeed, and the minor personal dramas along the way never impact the main story in a way that matters. Even the capture and execution of Noor, one of the main roles in the film, isn't given as much impact as the moment deserves; in fact the circumstances of her death are almost delicately tip-toed around. The cinematography throughout the feature is quite blocky and any time the camerawork goes free-hand it doesn't look good. The editing for the film turns a slow-paced drama into a very sluggish story to watch, with a very simple approach to how scenes are pieced together. The score for the film is unremarkable and never manages to lift the mood of a scene, leaving all the work of establishing the tone to the script and performers.

Rossif Sutherland, who played Dr. Chevain, is quite a soft presence in amongst this tense war environment; you never felt the desperation or fear of living under Nazi occupation from Sutherland. Samuel Roukin, who played Christopher, is a rather simple role who is designed to be abrasive for the sake of it; any scene he enters he is there to engineer conflict without ever actually fleshing out a character. Andrew Richardson, who played Alfonse, is there for Thomas to bounce off but struggles to leave his own mark playing a freedom fighter; this is a very muted character who is seated right in front of the action but lacks serious screen presence. Marc Rissman and Joe Doyle, who played Klaus Barbie and Father Robert Alesche respectively, weren't very strong antagonists for the film; Rissman was a very generic bellowing Nazi officer while the wilting turncoat we got from Doyle wasn't particularly inspired either.

While this film has some nice points to make it is most decisively a very bland historic drama. I would give A Call To Spy a 4.5/10.

Promising Young Woman

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Promising Young Woman follows Cassie, a woman whose close friend was preyed upon in their college days and due to the outcome of that event has turned vigilante against men who prey on vulnerable women. Cassie spends her nights confronting men who would otherwise seek to take advantage of her in unconventional ways. But when those who wronged her friend come back into her life, Cassie stops at nothing to see justice done. I was blown away by just how unique of a concept it was to watch Cassie in this vigilante role and coming to understand how it worked. Initially you wonder if she's a killer but as the film peels back layers of the sort of person Cassie is, you begin to understand she has a few basic underlying values that always make her crusade against these predators just. She never crosses a line, instead looking for crime and intent before acting out her vengeance upon her chosen target. The film made me uncomfortable initially because of what I first thought was Cassie's very dark targetting process but I came to realise that wasn't it. The truth is this is a film that holds up a lot of the behaviours we might see in our day to day lives as normal and condemns them; it's a terrible time watching these men prey on Cassie over and over again. Worse is seeing the small talk or casual behaviours that then lead to the truly repugnant behaviours; as a male viewer I certainly got some education out of it and think it's a worthy message for any viewer. As the film progresses into the final act and we see Cassie's vigilante lifestyle intertwine with her personal vendetta the thriller element all pulls together perfectly. I could not imagine a better plot twist than what happens in those final fifteen minutes, nor could I describe anything more satisfying, yet bittersweet than the fallout from this twist. The camerawork is very thoroughly mapped out, each scene framed to perfection with a number of significant shots that highlight the protagonist as not just the focus but a true thematic symbol of the feature. The soundtrack for the film boasts a distinctly fierce group of tracks that highlight the fight and anger behind the narrative, this film feels so fresh because it blends covers and indie artists together to create a powerful collection of music.

 

Clancy Brown, who played Stanley, is an extremely likeable father figure in this feature; his constant ability to empathise with his on-screen daughter makes him a figure truly good in an otherwise tragic story. Laverne Cox, who played Gail, is a more minor figure in the film but a nice pillar of support to Mulligan's Cassie; Cox delivers lines in a fun,teasing manner while developing a very warm friendship with her co-star. Bo Burnham, who played Ryan, might well have found the best performance of his career thus far; Burnham's character is extremely funny and easy to like but he has an instance in the film that will really challenge your perception of him that I think is played brilliantly. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played Neil, is one of the creeps who takes intoxicated Cassie home and it is one of the standout scenes in the film; Mintz-Plasse has such a wild and awkward energy that it's really fun to see him act out a scenario with a role like Cassie in it. Alison Brie, who played Madison, has this haughty, unbalanced personality in her role that marks her as a young mother to be wary of; Brie's arrogant character coming apart at the seams due to over-drinking and being manipulated by Cassie is a nice descent to watch play out. Connie Britton, who played Dean Walker, is a very formal character who has a descent into desperation much like Brie's role; watching Britton have this almost false sense of remorse turn into serious personal despair made for an extremely thrilling scene to watch. Max Greenfield and Chris Lowell, who played Joe and Al Monroe respectively, are the perfect antagonists for the final act of this film; this pair portray very smug and entitled men who panic over their actions but are never willing to accept the consequences for them.

However, the best performance came from Carey Mulligan, who played Cassie. As a leading character I found myself infinitely intrigued by Mulligan's Cassie. When first we meet her you get to see how exceptionally she transitions from an 'intoxicated' state to this cold, ruthless exterior. In fact throughout the film Cassie comes across as hardened, she has walls up all the time and the only thing behind those walls is cement and broken glass in my opinion. Mulligan chooses to play the grief her role feels over the incidents that happened to her friend as this merciless rage, her pain can only ever really be satisfied by obtaining some type of justice for the past. I found it really interesting to watch her become this chameleon in different scenes; hiding behind different personas to punish others before resuming her own guise. The irony was seeing Cassie turn back to this stoic, blank slate after all the vigilante moments; she seemed hollow in her own life. Watching her gain happiness in the film, and even become content with said happiness is a wonderful sight to see and seeing that rage flare back when it is yanked out from under her is a tragic full circle. Carey Mulligan struggles to find a role she doesn't absolutely crush it in and Cassie is one of my favourites yet.

Promising Young Woman encounters most of its issues in the second act of the film, in which is tones down the vigilante aspect and tries to examine more of Cassie's personal life. Watching the film trying to stretch out scenes in which Cassie is going around seeking retribution all the while awkwardly exploring her rather wholesome boyfriend/dating storyline is an awkwardly set pace to say the least. Because we watch Cassie shrink back so much from the identity we have come to associate her with throughout the film, the thriller angle seriously loses its edge and it takes a very strong tilt into the final act to pick things back up again. I was also disappointed that the editing really showed up with a very clever display of timing in the first twenty minutes of the film but then moved back into more of a standard format style for the rest of the feature.

Adam Brody, who played Jerry, wasn't a strong start to the examples of predatory men in this film; Brody almost restrains himself before dialling things way over the top for the reveal of his character's true intentions. Sam Richardson, who played Paul, really dials up the fact his character is a jerk to the point you never really buy into his role being genuine; Richardson struggles not to leap to the comedy of the scene and doesn't seem to understand how to ground his character. Jennifer Coolidge, who played Susan, is very heavily miscast as the uptight mother figure; her constant deadpan worrying for her on-screen daughter is never very convincing nor compelling. Molly Shannon, who played Mrs Fisher, gives out very hollow sounding advice in her big scene of the film; it felt like the bridge between Shannon and Mulligan needed to be a lot closer in their scene and Shannon just didn't know how to navigate to that. Alfred Molina, who played Jordan, might be one of the most over the top performances in the film; watching Molina scrabble about in a weak effort to show a man recovering from a psychotic episode made for a strange performance.

More than just a satisfying thriller, this is a loud and proud discussion around rape culture and toxic masculinity that deserves to be heard. I would give Promising Young Woman an 8/10.

Monster Hunter

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Monster Hunter is a loose adaptation of the Monster Hunter video game series, in which a squad of US military rangers are transported to another world. Here they must ally with the local hunters in order to survive the giant monstrous creatures that call this foreign world home. The film really hits its peak in the first act, taking a group of recognisably tough and capable soldiers and placing them in somewhere completely unknown. Watching the protagonists respond to and attempt to survive this hostile landscape is a thrilling watch, particularly when things go seriously wrong and main characters start dropping long before you expect them to. It crafts an element of horror and danger that really raises the stakes early on. In the second act the strength comes from Lt. Artemis forming a bond with the Hunter, seeing these conflicting warriors come together and raise one another up brought a bond that this film seriously needed. The cinematography holds attention well throughout, packed with large expansive shots that flaunt the impressive setting and visual effects. The special effects are the real triumph of this film, containing some really great designs for all of the major monster threats we see our heroes come up against over the course of the feature.

 

Tony Jaa, who played The Hunter, is a fun, if not irritable fighting companion to pair against Jovovich; Jaa has this boundless charismatic energy that plays well in the scenes where he is character bonds or jokes with Artemis.

 

However, the best performance came from Milla Jovovich, who played Artemis. I honestly was hesitant to see Jovovich lead an action video game-based franchise again, she seemed tired enough of Resident Evil by the end. But this was a role who seriously carried the weight of the narrative through and she did a solid job at it. Every scene in which soldierly camaraderie had to be portrayed, you would find Jovovich right at the heart of that charismatic energy. She also really lent herself to the role of leader, often taking charge of the performers in front of her and commanding respect as a character throughout. Artemis is a tough role, she has this hardened flinty exterior that is worn away and built back over the course of the story. I was really impressed with how Jovovich portrayed the grief her role felt for her fellow fallen soldiers and the deep longing you could see exuding from her to return homeward.

 

Monster Hunter has a fairly sturdy first act but the problem with the film is just how little plot there really is. The entire premise of the feature is to be transported to the Monster Hunter world, to survive it and then hopefully to make it home by the end of the film; and maybe kill a couple of monsters on the way. But there isn't enough to fill these acts to make the story seem richer than it is; in the first act you barely bond with the soldier team before they are all wiped out and the second act takes a very long time to show the Hunter and Artemis fight each other before fighting a big monster. By the time you reach the final act you expect something like one more big monster before our hero goes home. Instead we get this big exposition dump about a magical tower, magical portals, some beings called the Ancients and the great Guardian protecting all of this. Suddenly there is a dump of information right as there is next to no film left to watch, which makes the conclusion to the feature feel both overstuffed and rushed. The final fight in a weird moment because the majority of it doesn't even take place in the Monster Hunter world, the film yanks us back rather roughly into the cruder and more plain 'real' world for our final showdown. All in all the film is a lackluster blockbuster that seriously trips over itself right at the end, and even after all that it still has the nerve to sell us on a sequel. Hard pass, thank you. The editing for the feature had some very rushed cuts and often big action scenes that looked good were cut up in a way that ruined the pacing of the sequence. The score for the film felt like it had been made for an entirely different movie, like it should've been made for a B-grade Blade Runner knock-off rather than this fantastical action romp.  

T.I., Meagan Good, Diego Boneta and Josh Helman, who played Link, Dash, Marshall and Steeler respectively, were such a generic group of soldier personas that they were each quick to forget about in the film; none of these roles ever really left much of a mark on the plot and really just served the feature by dying. Ron Perlman, who played the Admiral, was a very odd role that Perlman didn't know how to ground; this was a bravado role that bumbled through a lot of exposition without ever really placing meaning behind the words.

Considering this is from the creative team behind the Resident Evil franchise it certainly exceeded my expectations. I would give Monster Hunter a 4.5/10.