directed by Christopher McQuarrie
written by Drew Pearce and Christopher McQuarrie
Mission Impossible movies, like James Bond movies, are relatively simple affairs: there's a mysterious, megalomaniacal threat somewhere in the world, and Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt accompanied sometimes by his Impossible Mission Force, at other times just his buddy Luther, played by Ving Rhames, must hunt in down and neutralize it. The fun, of course, is in watching Ethan and company do their thing, particularly considering that it invariably involves high-speed chases, death-defying stunts and bone-crunching fight sequences. To wax cliche, it's about the journey, and not the destination.
That said, while the MI series has had its ups and downs over the course of five films (and counting), I personally feel the series received a real creative shot in the arm when J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Star Wars Episode VII) took over the directing duties around ten years ago and produced the next couple of films, including this one. There's a bit more cleverness to the way Hunt and his friends take on the bad guys and the introduction of supporting characters like Simon Pegg's Benjie Dunn (who has quite a lot of screen time here) has really made the movies more entertaining overall.
In this particular installment, Hunt and his team take on the mysterious Syndicate, a collection of secret agents from all over the world who have either been declared missing or dead, who are apparently in the business of destroying governments. Led by the ruthless former MI6 agent Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), the Syndicate seems to perpetually be one step ahead of Hunt and his IMF, who are also facing the problem of having their budget cut off as Central Intelligence Agency Director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) seems intent on demolishing them during Congressional hearings. Fortunately, however, Hunt and his team may have an unexpected ally in double-agent Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) who may or may not be an MI6 agent also fighting the Syndicate. Time, however, is running out.
Truth be told, after the inventive and entertaining Edge of Tomorrow which was basically Groundhog Day but with a sci-fi/action flavor, I'm vaguely disappointed that Cruise went back to his comfort zone, though to be fair he did try a number of different kinds of films between this film and his last MI film. The good news is that as well-worn franchises go, Cruise and his crew have done a great job of keeping things fresh with some tightly-filmed action sequences, the highlights of which include a really good motorbike chase scene and a death defying underwater sequence.
Cruise's Ethan Hunt and Pegg's Benjie Dunn see the most action here, though Jeremy Renner's William Brandt and Ving Rhames' Luther Stickell have crucial roles as well. I guess Renner was taking a break from all the action he saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron in which his character Hawkeye had a dramatically expanded role; he doesn't throw a single punch in this film.
Cruise, on the other hand, goes all out with his stunts here, and considering he's dangled from a cliff connected to only a thin wire in Mission Impossible 2 and did the same thing, except from Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, that's saying a lot. The very first sequence, featured prominently in the trailers and other marketing materials, has him clinging to the side of a flying plane. He apparently has ambitions of being the Jackie Chan of Hollywood.
McQuarrie, probably best known as the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects, has only directed two films previous to this one, Way of the Gun, and Jack Reacher (which also starred Cruise), both of which had a bit of a crime noir sensibility, which makes it even more impressive that he was able to handle this high octane affair with such panache.
The thing about this movie is that it really is a case of not fixing something that isn't broken. It's a good thing in that it makes for an entertaining film viewing experience, but Cruise and crew don't really reinvent the wheel here, so there really isn't much by way of original thrills either. It feels that way after a while, too.
Still, this was good fun.
7.7/10
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Jake Does a Jake: A Review of Southpaw
directed by Antoine Fuqua
written by Kurt Sutter
This title is a bit of a misnomer; the only similarity between Jake LaMotta, the real-life man whom Robert De Niro portrayed in the 1980 film Raging Bull, and Billy Hope, the fictional man whom Jake Gyllenhaal plays in the current film Southpaw, is that both of them are professional boxers. It was worth drawing the parallel (apart from the identical names) because it seems to me that the only reason this movie was made was for Gyllenhaal to take a shot at the Oscar glory De Niro's performance thirty-five years ago earned him.
Southpaw is the story of Hope, an undefeated prize fighter from Hell's Kitchen who starts the film on top of the world, having fought his way to the very top of the heap. Having accompanied him from his humble origins to the top is his lovely wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) with whom he has a lovely daughter Leila (Oona Lawrence), and the two of them are his whole world. Tragedy strikes, however, when the arrogant up-and-comer Miguel Escobar (Miguel Lopez), who yearns for a title successfully goads Hope into a fistfight (not the sanctioned kind) and the subsequent melee between the two fighters' entourages results in a horrifying death. Billy loses everything; his title, his money and even his daughter when the government deems him an unfit parent, and as a result he must fight his way back from the brink. Fortunately, he might have a little help in washed-out former boxer Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker), but it will take more than the bravado and brute strength on which he has gotten by so far. Billy will now have to learn how to box as he has never boxed before.
To be perfectly honest, I watched this movie for only two reasons: I was trying to sit out a terrible traffic jam and I wanted to hear one of the final film scores of my favorite film composer, the late James Horner. Not only was Horner's music among his less remarkable work, there was nothing else about the movie that was particularly compelling, either before, during or after the viewing.
As a boxing film, Southpaw commits the usual (and understandable) Hollywood sin of depicting modern-day boxing as simple brawling, with the fighters exchanging blows like their jaws and bodies were made of granite instead of trying to actually duck. This is actually made a plot point later in the movie, but it still doesn't make the depiction of fighting any less silly. Still, if they were going for utter hard-edged realism, audiences would most likely be treated to several minutes of clinches, ducks and backpedaling, which is what they saw during the last fight featuring a real-life undefeated boxer. Still, whether the film was justified or not in taking liberties with the reality of boxing, it ultimately brought nothing new to the table.
As human drama, the film is serviceable, and Gyllenhaal and Whitaker really sell the heck out of their characters' arcs, both as individuals and as an onscreen duo. Particularly impressive for me was Gyllenhaal's rapport with Lawrence, who played his daughter. The thing was, again, this wasn't anything that hadn't already been done before. The father seeking to be reunited with his daughter was done as recently as Ant Man, and quite frankly, that was a lot more enjoyable to watch.
The film isn't a complete waste of time; Fuqua certainly knows how to create atmosphere, and quite honestly I'd like to see what he could do with a less cliched script and a more compelling story, as the potential is clearly there. Also, I marveled at the makeup artists who not only did a good job of turning Gyllenhaal's face into hamburger, but in showing how boxing injuries to the eyes actually look after they've just started to heal. I doubt they'll win any award, but I think they deserve a shout-out.
Still, this was a movie I could just have easily waited to see at home, and had it not been for a traffic jam and the prospect of listening to one of James Horner's final works, I would have.
6/10
written by Kurt Sutter
This title is a bit of a misnomer; the only similarity between Jake LaMotta, the real-life man whom Robert De Niro portrayed in the 1980 film Raging Bull, and Billy Hope, the fictional man whom Jake Gyllenhaal plays in the current film Southpaw, is that both of them are professional boxers. It was worth drawing the parallel (apart from the identical names) because it seems to me that the only reason this movie was made was for Gyllenhaal to take a shot at the Oscar glory De Niro's performance thirty-five years ago earned him.
Southpaw is the story of Hope, an undefeated prize fighter from Hell's Kitchen who starts the film on top of the world, having fought his way to the very top of the heap. Having accompanied him from his humble origins to the top is his lovely wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) with whom he has a lovely daughter Leila (Oona Lawrence), and the two of them are his whole world. Tragedy strikes, however, when the arrogant up-and-comer Miguel Escobar (Miguel Lopez), who yearns for a title successfully goads Hope into a fistfight (not the sanctioned kind) and the subsequent melee between the two fighters' entourages results in a horrifying death. Billy loses everything; his title, his money and even his daughter when the government deems him an unfit parent, and as a result he must fight his way back from the brink. Fortunately, he might have a little help in washed-out former boxer Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker), but it will take more than the bravado and brute strength on which he has gotten by so far. Billy will now have to learn how to box as he has never boxed before.
To be perfectly honest, I watched this movie for only two reasons: I was trying to sit out a terrible traffic jam and I wanted to hear one of the final film scores of my favorite film composer, the late James Horner. Not only was Horner's music among his less remarkable work, there was nothing else about the movie that was particularly compelling, either before, during or after the viewing.
As a boxing film, Southpaw commits the usual (and understandable) Hollywood sin of depicting modern-day boxing as simple brawling, with the fighters exchanging blows like their jaws and bodies were made of granite instead of trying to actually duck. This is actually made a plot point later in the movie, but it still doesn't make the depiction of fighting any less silly. Still, if they were going for utter hard-edged realism, audiences would most likely be treated to several minutes of clinches, ducks and backpedaling, which is what they saw during the last fight featuring a real-life undefeated boxer. Still, whether the film was justified or not in taking liberties with the reality of boxing, it ultimately brought nothing new to the table.
As human drama, the film is serviceable, and Gyllenhaal and Whitaker really sell the heck out of their characters' arcs, both as individuals and as an onscreen duo. Particularly impressive for me was Gyllenhaal's rapport with Lawrence, who played his daughter. The thing was, again, this wasn't anything that hadn't already been done before. The father seeking to be reunited with his daughter was done as recently as Ant Man, and quite frankly, that was a lot more enjoyable to watch.
The film isn't a complete waste of time; Fuqua certainly knows how to create atmosphere, and quite honestly I'd like to see what he could do with a less cliched script and a more compelling story, as the potential is clearly there. Also, I marveled at the makeup artists who not only did a good job of turning Gyllenhaal's face into hamburger, but in showing how boxing injuries to the eyes actually look after they've just started to heal. I doubt they'll win any award, but I think they deserve a shout-out.
Still, this was a movie I could just have easily waited to see at home, and had it not been for a traffic jam and the prospect of listening to one of James Horner's final works, I would have.
6/10
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