Movie Loner

I’m not a gamer and I’ve never liked Mark Wahlberg as an action star. Nevertheless, the trailer for the upcoming video game adaptation Max Payne looks damn cool. Technically, this is the second trailer released for the movie. Have a looksee:

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Viggo Mortensen is one of those actors that has quietly carved out an impressive career filled with varied performances. A misanthropic ex-con, smooth-talking drug lord, conflicted Navy Lieutenant, Lucifer, and Aragorn, King of men are just some of the memorable characters Mortensen has ably tackled. However, it’s his recent collaborations with Director David Cronenberg that have garnered him the most accolades. Both A History of Violence and Eastern Promises provided Viggo opportunities to play violent men who deftly circumnavigate criminal worlds.

Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a London midwife, is present at the birth of a baby girl to a teenage Russian prostitute. The young woman dies during pregnancy prompting Anna to seek out relatives for the orphaned baby girl. A business card in the teenager’s diary leads Anna to Semyon, a local restaurant owner and Russian mafia boss. Anna needs the diary translated, so Semyon willingly offers his services. Unaware who Semyon really is, Anna hands over a copy for him to translate. Meanwhile, Anna’s Russian Uncle Stepan reads the diary and reveals Semyon and his loose-cannon son Kirill are responsible for raping the teen and forcing her into prostitution.

An angry Anna goes to confront Semyon but is stopped by Kirill’s driver Nikolai (Mortensen), and intimidating but friendly subordinate. Nikolai takes a liking to Anna and realizes he must protect her from the vindictive Semyon. However, the ambitious Nikolai also has plans of his own. He’s climbing the ranks inside the mafia family with eyes on the power seat. Semyon recognizes Nikolai’s loyalty, but he will do anything to save himself and his son, even if that means sacrificing Nikolai. Threatened by betrayal, Nikolai will place himself in harm’s way in order to save Anna and the baby girl.

Cronenberg, known for choosing odd narratives like Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch and Crash, has hit a couple of home runs with mainstream subject matter. Eastern Promises is a tightly woven plot with a couple clever twists. An intense, grisly bathhouse fight scene highlights a potent story that explores the repercussions of living a criminal life. Mortensen really delivers in a performance that nabbed him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and Watts is equally good playing the courageous Anna. But the highest praise belongs to Armin Mueller-Stahl as Semyon, a grandfatherly mob kingpin with an ice cold heart. Not for the squeamish, Eastern Promises is a solid crime drama worth a look.

The trailer for Eastern Promises:

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Back in 1997 Writer/Director Andrew Niccol created one of the best sci-fi movies I’ve ever seen. That movie was Gattaca, a masterful and prescient glimpse into a future controlled by genetics. It showed a world where perfect humans were manufactured prior to conception and those unfortunate enough to be conceived without science were deemed “Invalid”. The following year Niccol penned The Truman Show then he pulled a Keyser Soze and disappeared. He resurfaced in 2002 with the forgettable S1m0ne but would redeem himself three years later with this overlooked gem, Lord of War.

Nicolas Cage plays Yuri Orlov, a Russian immigrant growing up in the Little Odessa enclave of Brooklyn. In the early 80s Yuri decides that the gun trade will be his profession of choice. He cuts his teeth selling to local mobsters before taking his business overseas. Partnering up with his brother Vitaly, Yuri spans the globe becoming a major player in the international arms dealing game. Money and power boost Yuri’s confidence, so much so that he pursues his dream woman, a famous model named Ava (Bridget Moynahan). A successful courtship leads to marriage, landing Yuri on top of the world.

The fall of the Soviet Union proves fruitful for Yuri as one of the world’s largest weapon caches is at his disposal. A growing reputation comes with a price. Yuri makes enemies with a competing dealer named Simeon who doesn’t take kindly to losing customers. Personal problems also rear their heads. Vitaly becomes a cokehead and leaves the business. Ava grows suspicious of Yuri’s time away. A dogged FBI agent named Jack Valentine vows to take Yuri down. Yuri seems impervious to danger and raises his cred by building a profitable relationship with a lunatic African warlord. However, the walls soon close in on Yuri and everything in his life begins to crumble.

I find it disconcerting that socially relevant, albeit simplified, films are largely ignored. Lord of War acts as a step-by-step manual on how third world countries acquire weapons. Africa and South America don’t manufacture guns, the United States and Russia do. How these armaments end up in the hands of warring factions is both fascinating and unsettling. Cage, who has been wildly inconsistent since winning an Oscar in Leaving Las Vegas, is quite good playing a man skilled at his job with questionable morals. Yuri justifies his actions at every turn and never allows guilt to raid his conscience. Looking for a nice sleeper movie? Check out Lord of War.

The trailer for Lord of War:

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I consider myself well informed geographically speaking, but I have to admit I never heard of Bruges prior to watching this movie. The tiny Belgian city has managed to maintain a low profile. Everyone knows about Brussels, not only the capital of Belgium but also the capital of the European Union. If your familiar with World War II history you know that a major battle was fought in Antwerp in 1944 with the British liberating the city from German occupation. As far as Bruges goes, I was at a loss until now. Thanks to In Bruges, I know a little bit more about Belgium.

Ken and Ray, two professional hitmen, just completed a bloody job in London. Ordered to lay low by their boss Harry, the two killers are sent to Bruges, a quaint medieval city located in Northern Belgium. Bruges, a colder, less romantic version of Venice, is definitely an acquired taste. Ken takes an immediate liking to the ancient architecture, quiet canals and cobbled streets, while Ray’s disdain is apparent due to his repeated use of the term “shithole.” Immersing himself in the Flemish culture, Ken makes the best of the situation. Ray, haunted by his actions in London, fights boredom by making a date with a local drug dealer named Chloe. Ken and Ray find themselves at a moral crossroads as both begin to question their current occupation.

A call from Harry further complicates things for the boys in Bruges. Ken is tasked with eliminating Ray, but his fatherly affection for the younger man prevents him from doing the deed. A softened Ken feels an obligation to keep Ray safe from harm. Enraged by Ken’s defiance, Harry heads for Bruges to confront his brazen employee. Harry’s arrival sets up a gruesome finale that reveals even killers operate by a code of conduct. Along the way we are introduced to an eclectic mix of characters that include a pregnant hotel owner, an obese American family, a perturbed Canadian couple and a dwarf actor, all of whom are vital parts to an intricate story.

Writer/Director Martin McDonagh crafts a darkly comic original script that is both odd and charming. His characters are multifaceted, conflicted people and therefore wholly human. Ken, Ray and Harry are all likable and amusing, but McDonagh doesn’t allow them to escape the consequences of their actions. They may be as normal as the next guy, but they are still murderers. Brendan Gleeson is superb playing the older, reflective Ken. Colin Farrell delivers one of his best performances as Ray, a moody romantic battling a host of demons. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Ralph Fiennes’ exact portrayal of psycho boss Harry. He is as funny as he is scary. In Bruges slipped through the cracks earlier this year but it is more than deserving of finding an audience.

The trailer for In Bruges:

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Peter Weir has been one of cinema’s consistently good Directors since the early 1970s. Before conquering U.S. markets with movies like Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Weir cut his creative teeth in Australia directing such renowned films as The Last Wave, Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously. One of his first projects, and in my opinion his best, was Picnic at Hanging Rock, an eerie puzzler certain to stay with you long after you see it.

On Valentine’s Day 1900, in Victoria, Australia, the girls of Appleyard College take a carriage ride to Hanging Rock for a picnic. Shortly after arriving, three girls and a teacher venture off to explore the paths surrounding the ancient rocks. A little while later, the four women vanish. The police are notified, a search party organized, and the area around Hanging Rock is thoroughly canvassed. Witnesses are gathered, students are interrogated, but no trace of the missing women is found. Is foul play involved? Did the girls simply fall into one of the many crevices? Or is an unnatural aboriginal force at work?

The repercussions of the disappearance ripple throughout the local community. Despite dogged efforts, the police remain perplexed. The future survival of Appleyard College is placed in jeopardy as frightened parents fear for their girls safety. Remaining students and faculty struggle with grief while desperately clinging to the small hope that the women will be discovered. And one young man, haunted by the vanishing, will risk his life to locate the lost girls. As shocking as the actual disappearance is, it’s the destructive aftermath that delivers the movie’s most profound moments.

Weir creates an ethereal atmosphere that perfectly fits a story steeped in mystery. Questions are abundant while answers are few. The psychological damage inflicted on the characters is both harrowing and sad. An ambiguous conclusion might disappoint some, but it adds to the veil of intensity that permeates the film. A mostly young cast provides very effective performances, and striking cinematography adroitly captures the mystical Australian outback. Peter Weir chooses his films carefully and therefore his catalog is relatively small, but his exceptional talent as a filmmaker is showcased in movies like Picnic at Hanging Rock.

A scene from Picnic at Hanging Rock:

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I have to admit, I know very little about Finnish cinema. Quick research enlightened me that the first film produced in Finland was in 1907. A country populated by a mere 5.2 million people still releases 15-20 features annually. Its most recognized and lauded Writer/Director, Aki Kaurismaki, has put himself on the proverbial movie map with titles like Drifting Clouds and The Man Without a Past. Completing his “loneliness” trilogy is Lights in the Dusk, a deliberately paced gloomy comedy about, what else, a lonely guy.

Koistinen (Janne Hyytiainen) is a sad sack security guard living the dullest of dull lives in Helsinki. The chain smoking, laconic also-ran frequents dim pubs and uncrowded eateries when not visiting his sole friend, a demure lunch truck owner named Aila. Koistinen’s predictable existence gets derailed after meeting Mirja, a Russian femme fatale with illicit motives. A chance meeting leads to an impromptu date. Dinner, movie and a trip to a disco is all it takes for the lovelorn Koistinen to become smitten. Unfortunately, Mirja and her crime boss boyfriend are setting poor Koistinen up for a big fall.

Naive and trusting, Koistinen makes a perfect patsy in a planned jewelry store robbery. Once the heist is completed a broken hearted Koistinen is under arrest and out of a job. He willingly accepts blame and resigns himself to a fate of incarceration. Only Aila shows concern, but Koistinen’s time away deepens his desire for isolationism. Upon his release from prison, his life continues a downward spiral. Anger and a need for vengeance erodes all hope and places Koistinen in a dangerous position. Aila’s unconditional love provides a glimmer of light in Koistinen’s otherwise dark life, but he must open his eyes to see it.

Deadpan and glib, Kaurismaki seems to relish anything and everything miserable. It’s difficult to feel sorry for his protagonist because the guy is such an insufferable loser. But that’s the point. You keep waiting for some sort of redemption that will never come. If it did, it would ring false. Koistinen is who he is, significant change while not impossible, appears unlikely. Janne Hyytiainen’s performance is spot on; he never strays from playing the misfit, but still manages to be endearing. If Lights in the Dusk is representative of Finnish film, I look forward to discovering more of what this little country has to offer.

The trailer for Lights in the Dusk:

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