Brooklyn's Finest

Brooklyn’s Finest is the newest delivery from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, which follows that contemporary idiom of following numerous stories that throughout appear unrelated until the ultimate climax. Films such as Paul Haggis’ Crash displayed this creative format and managed to successfully interlink all of the characters life’s into a believable dichotomy. However the tag line for this film is simply ‘This is Brooklyn, This is War’, and with such premise we are presented with three very different police officers in the form of Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke, and follow the unique ways in which they tackle the crime epidemic within their city. The script was written Michael C. Martin, a subway flagger from Brooklyn who successfully secured industry interest and saw Brooklyn’s Finest venture forth to gain momentum at 2009’s Sundance Film Festival.


Antoine Fuqua took the director’s chair in his first outing since 2007’s mediocre action flick Shooter, almost on the presumption of re-creating his masterpiece of 2001’s Training Day, or at least that is the feeling one gets when bearing witness to the same direction but just in different locations, (not helped at all with the casting of Ethan Hawke in more or less the same role as before). Additional support comes with the surprise return of the illustrious (tax troubled) Wesley Snipes, in a role that is acutely perfect for him. As Wesley provides the main support, the principal protagonists are equally shared with Richard Gere’s seven days from retirement cop, who spends his spare time snorting coke and fucking hookers aside from turning a blind eye to almost all crime around him and failing to show rookie cops any kind of guidance in the treacherous conditions of Axl Roses’ coined ‘Jungle’. Gere’s said performance is especially memorable, as it marks a completely different direction to his previous incarnations.

Furthermore, Don Cheadle provides a very solid performance reminiscent of his in 2008’s stomper Traitor, in which he plays the good cop entangled in undercover operations with a daily taste of the very things he is secretly fighting against while simultaneously trying to balance the ruins of his once normal life and his allegiance to his street comrades. Ethan Hawke adds a further dimension with his every man character that is willing to take advantage of blood money in order to help his family and his mounting debts. Hawke, as always delivers a passionate portrayal but unfortunately not as convincing as his previous displays in Training Day or most notably in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. However, a certainly sustainable enough delivery to add another slice of corruption to the films satirical and seedy nature.

Brooklyn’s Finest unfortunately proves to be Brooklyn’s ok-est. It draws great parallels on last year’s Pride and Glory and previous Harsh Times, in its gritty look at the criminal under-belly. New York especially is an ever endearing climate for the investigation of criminal activity as L.A proves to be. The climax of which is although predictable, a very engaging piece of bloody adrenaline fuelled danger displayed on screen. There are certainly merits to both the direction, acting, story and it’s no bull-shit attitude in tackling notable issues of police corruption, reflecting a perhaps social critique of the real-life internal affairs dealings with certain police departments in recent years, and successfully tackles the notion of what it means to be a police-officer, that you have to break the law to uphold it and what moral connotations this evokes for society and its rules.

In conclusion, Brooklyn’s Finest is by no means the masterpiece of its predecessors; however it is engaging enough to serve as a decent addition to the crime genre, which is ever expanding and enriched with all sources of dramatic, political, psychological, religious, philosophical, instinctual and social relevancy. It has its holes throughout and is by no means perfect, but is still sharp enough to command your attention and gut in its blood-soaked cynicism. A palatable and distinguishing average watch that serves as two hours well spent.

The Horseman

At the 2006 Queensland New Filmmaker Awards, a short film was entered by Writer/Director Steven Kastrissios in competition for the Best Independent Drama award. This particular little piece managed to not only win such award but in doing so secured the creation of a feature film which subsequently became 2008’s The Horseman (Aussie slang for the workman and a title not to be confused with the Four Horseman of Dennis Quaid). The story follows Peter Marshall as Christian, a father who has recently lost his only daughter under horrifyingly violent circumstances and as such seeks to find who is responsible, while simultaneously coming to terms with the loss of his child. Christian finds solace in an unexpected encounter with a similarly troubled young woman in the form of Alice (played by Caroline Marohasy). The pair embark on a trip of immeasurable destruction that will change both of their lives forever in the long search for answers and justice.


The Horseman is through and through Steven Kastrissios’ baby, as writer and director; this film is his debut and yet proves to sustain a consummate equilibrium between gritty amateurism and refined expertise. With flawless determination and execution Kastrissios directs as if it was himself who has lost a child, piercing the audience right into the heat and heart of every breath and punch Christian lives. This is only excelled tenfold by an astoundingly brilliant performance from protagonist Peter Marshall, who manages to deliver a lead performance to rival any Norton or Bale. This film is Australia’s answer to Shane Meadows’ Dead Man Shoes, a sequel to Chopper and tribute to The Magician and yet it is far better than all of them. However In addition to the violence, there is a strong metaphysical and touching undercurrent throughout, in it’s conveying of friendship and in its unconventional meditative pace which makes it stand out as a unique revenge thriller with a dramatic potency.

There is one scene in particular, (which I shall not name for the sake of those who have not yet had the extreme pleasure of seeing this film- all I shall say is the two brothers), in which whether you are man, beast or robot you cannot help but be affected. The sheer courage and illustration of the events in which we are shown are unlike anything else seen before. This cannot be labeled as a mere slasher movie, as it would be the equivalent of naming the Sistine chapel as a sketch. However this is the most violent film I have ever encountered and I like Japanese cinema! But it is never violent for the sake of being violent; it is never soppy or silly. It never goes near the realm of action films like the great Arnie; it is in a whole other league, a one which films such as A Bittersweet Life, A History of Violence and American History X touched upon, a truly realistic and gritty portrayal of the clumsiness and adrenaline of violence in man.

This film managed to turn my stomach through every emotion I believe I have, I was a prisoner to the screen as I could not help but be both physically and mentally engaged in every facet of the story and the characters necessity for not just revenge but closure and comprehension of the truly disgusting events in which he has been subjected to. It is not a film for the weak hearted or minded, as it has no problem in telling and showing it how it is, I am quite surprised that the usually conservative B.B.F.C allowed this to be shown, as it is nightmare for people who do not understand intelligent violence and its complete necessity for the purity of the medium. However Kastrissios should be awarded for his insanely genius direction in creating scenes in which the audience feels as if we are there, or at least watching genuine police footage of such events, which manages to bring a whole new level to independent film-making, in which amateur hap-hazard shoddiness feels a million times more real than the elaborate façade of hair and makeup Hollywood action.

Furthermore, The Horseman is not for everyone, it is unashamed to convey the truest of evils of human nature; it refuses to apologize for the subject matter and the restrictions of society in its dealings with taboos. There is one unfortunate but yet memorable scene involving a football pump and a mans genitals but still even that never feels corny or stupid, it has been moulded in intelligent hands and crafted in such a way that keeps your adrenaline and suspense at maximum throughout, and as such it is perhaps one the greatest of achievements in cinema that I have ever seen and should be mandatory viewing for anyone interested in the fragility, vulnerability and brutal circumstances that humanity can manifest itself in.

The White Ribbon

Das Weisse Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte or to translate The White Ribbon is the latest offering from Funny Games man Michael Haneke. The film is set upon the eve of the First World War in a microcosmic northern German village in which Haneke utilizes his settings to comment on the psychological nature of the impending events and of society in itself. Essentially the story follows a group of families and how they inter-relate with village life together until a series of sinister events begin to upset the balance of their society. Haneke has claimed the film to be about “the origin of every kind of terrorism, be it of political or religious nature” and as his previous efforts such as Cache, Funny Games & the Piano Teacher have shown, Haneke never fails to interrogate the most taboo of subject matters with a virtuosity and delicate sensibility that ultimately makes his storytelling a completely human and compelling incarnation.


Having beaten off stiff competition from the likes of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, The White Ribbon won 2009’s Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and further won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and along with two further Oscar nominations, Haneke’s disturbing offering seems set to lead the way for World Cinema this year. There appears to be always one major international non-English film that grabs both the critics and audiences attention alike around the award season, before it has manifested with the likes of The Lives of Others & the City of God, and with this tradition continuing to prosper, it has become a staple genre and worthy category in all contemporary accolades. This is of course is an extremely positive accountancy, as foreign films can often supersede the likes of Hollywood with innovative and refreshingly original ways of film-making. The White Ribbon is certainly and deservingly prominent in this categorization.

The child actors in this film are collectively the principal antagonists, they pose the greatest threat to the fellow villagers, and yet none of this is certain, we are never shown anything, every single facet is surrendered to our imagination, leaving this film to be uniquely subjective in its room for interpretation. Haneke never dictates to you what he wants you to think or feel, he lets you decide, however every aspect of the script, casting, acting and cinematography is so zealously crafted that the intelligence of the film-maker permeates our sub-consciousness and we are ultimately forced to surrender under Haneke’s vicious and sordid spell. Haneke has almost taken the role of a magician in that, doubt is the only the certainty throughout, that we are teased with the notions of what we believe to be true and yet are never allowed to indulge. Nothing is handed to the audience, you have to work for it, and this is a rare and welcomed commodity in film-making. Hollywood is increasingly guilty of forcing everything down our throats, so much so that we have become numb to even the most extreme of issues. Haneke, however, understand the necessity for subtlety, that less is indeed more.

Furthermore, this film manages to actually make you both physically and mentally uncomfortable; it is so unnerving in its hitchcockian direction that it is impossible to not be intrigued and completely captivated in the every aspect of what you are experiencing. There are some less intense offerings in a display of some genuine and funny touches from the film’s narrator and a charming side-plot love story that manages to fluctuate around the meanderings of the principle hypothesis. However, The White Ribbon is one of the most accomplished and terrifyingly horrible films you will ever watch, without ever showing one drop of blood or psycho. Haneke is almost pornographic in his storytelling and yet paradoxically void of any aesthetics responsible for such connotations. This film manages to convey everything with suggestion without ever letting up its secrets.

In conclusion, The White Ribbon is not for intellectually challenged people or for those of you that crave Sarah Michelle Gellar’s latest attempt at remaking Japanese horror classics. This is horror of the truest nature, a film that manages to scare the living shit out of you without ever showing you anything. The horror lies within yourself and your interpretation of the events. It draws great parallels with Lars Von Trier’s Dogville in its meditation and assessment of the dark side of human nature. Haneke’s black and white drama has proven to be a true piece of art and an example of complete mastery of the medium, it is not easy viewing and it may take numerous viewings for it to digest but you will be rewarded as you enter Haneke’s misanthropic nihilistic and furiously existentialist contemplation of the nature of the human condition.

Avatar

The word on everyone’s lips (apart from those cynics of you out there) at the moment is Avatar, James Cameron’s first feature film (aside from numerous documentaries) since that little number about a boat, which most people haven’t heard of. Cameron claims to have started work on Avatar as early as 1994, and instills that cinematic technology had not begun to synchronize with his epic visions until recently with breakthroughs in the capabilities of C.G.I. This film is entirely indebted to computer generated imagery, although it is not its sole achievement, it is by no means a one trick pony in that the performances, the craftsmanship, the direction, the story, the music, in fact almost every aspect of this true modern masterpiece is so meticulously and beautifully fashioned that is impossible to be without awe of such creative production. Cameron has obviously more than proved himself in the past as up there in the elite club of Kubrick, Scott, Lucas and Spielberg with the likes of Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss & Judgment Day to name but a few.


The ‘blue man group’ world of Pandora sets the stage for the latest slice of Cameron’s imagination, where we follow Aussie newcomer Sam Worthington (from Terminator: Salvation) as Corporal Jake Sully, a disabled marine who upon his brother’s death enters the Avatar program, which allows a human being to be physically and mentally transformed into a synthetic version of the native Na’vi tribe. The film is set in a completely fictional world of 2154 in which humans are desperately attempting to conquer other worlds and find a new home. The Na’vi represent a problem for the expeditions necessary to human resources and so conflict becomes inevitable; the Avatar program is designed to set about diplomatically negotiating a solution. However, as we learn things aren’t what they seem, and Cameron takes us on a wonderful journey of exploration that is quite unique in both its inception and deliverance.

Support comes from Cameron’s Aliens muse Sigourney Weaver, The Fast and the Furious’ Michelle Rodriguez and the terrifying Men Who Stare at Goats star Stephen Lang as the principle antagonist. All of which, offer solid performances that although over-shadowed by the sheer aesthetics of Pandora, still ground the story with a much needed display of humanity in a very alien situation. Avatar has now officially beaten Cameron’s previous 1997 Titanic which was the world’s most successful film ever made. No other film-maker in the history of the medium has ever been more bankable than James Cameron, to have two films that together finance the surplus for the industry alone is unheard of and yet has happened, and yet completely and deservingly so. It is all too easy to be cynical and jealous of such extreme success, however, it is conjured and embodied in such an audacious mix of fun and sheer amazement that people cannot help but be cast by its spell, as the number of bums on seats and made evident.

To try and dissect Avatar or even really review it, is quite a hard task in itself as so much of its charm lies in the subjective experience of what you see. It is unlike any other film, in that it is the visual experience that is most exciting and yet it has enough gravity in emotion and philosophy that it creates a perfect equilibrium and social dichotomy. It can be seen as an American critique of imperialism and as a comment on global warming. It can be put in a historical perspective and be seen as a look at both America’s bloody genocidal past and that of any other Empire. It is reminiscent of Mel Gibson’s Brave heart in parts in that it invites the audience to advocate the underdog and play upon the other side of the story, the persecuted. However, it is never too judgmental and preachy, in that it is first and foremost a science-fiction film, an adventure, of course subject to a metaphorical nature but at its heart just a grown mans computer game.

Avatar is up for numerous Oscars as well as already having received various awards internationally, it seems it’s a commercial studio film of the most mammoth kind that is digestible for both critics and audiences alike. There has been little criticism, and if any usually of a very infantile nature as there isn’t really any fruit in negativity towards this remarkable expedition in what film making is capable of. Film is first and foremost a medium invented to expand our horizons and possibilities of suspension of disbelief, that instinctual necessity to require a story, from the raconteurs of cave-men around a fire to the studios of C.G.I multi-billion dollar Hollywood, at the end of the day we just want a damn good story, lots of highs and lows, lots of oos and ahhs, characters to believe in, people to champion, heroes to emerge, we want to cry and laugh, we want to be impressed and ultimately we want escapism. Cameron is now the master of escapism, the single reason the cinema has survived if not profited from the recession and will continue to prosper.

Avatar is quite simply brilliant, if you have no time for science fiction, blue people or any kind of computer trickery, than you are pretty much on your own out there, there is so much to this film, the whole family can gain something from such an experience, it is heart-warmingly funny and will ignite that childish charm and excitement by making the hairs on your arms stand to attention. It is some of the finest action sequences every cinematographically crafted, using truly the latest technological achievements to their fullest abilities, a world away from the likes of Godzilla. It has a career changing performance from Sam Worthington; it is revolutionary in its transition from 2D to 3D film viewing, and its creation in a new realm of C.G.I acting. It has a solid and compelling story which everyone can relate to, it sustains enough emotional investment for it be multi-layered rather than an elaborate computer outing and yet there is something totally unique and amazing about the fact that they pulled it off and that is has the effect is has. If at first you are skeptical, just watch it and keep quiet, as for those 162 minutes you will become Avatar.