Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

Throughout history several authors have perfected, epitomized, or even created a style of writing. James Joyce: stream of conscience; Ernest Hemingway: understated; and the focus of today's review, Hunter S. Thompson: Gonzo Journalism. Never heard of it? Gonzo involves a style of writing in which the author becomes involved in their stories to such an extent that they themselves become the focus, & Thompson's 1971 drug-fueled search for the American Dream is regarded by many as his finest work. So to celebrate this, I'm going to take a look at the 1998 film based on this adventure: Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas.

Directed by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python Fame), and starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, Fear & Loathing follows a journalist and his attorney traveling to Las Vegas in the hope of finding the American Dream, only to discover that it is long gone. Surreal, insane, grotesque, and completely over-the-top, it's one of the craziest movie experiences of all time, so let's find out why.

After a montage of protest clips, we cut to our 2 main characters: Raoul Duke (Depp) and Dr. Gonzo (Del Toro). The men are on their way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, ostensibly to cover the Mint 400. In actual fact, they are heading their with a suitcase chock-full of mind-bending pharmaceuticals, preparing themselves for, quite literally, the trip of a lifetime. Within the first 5 minutes they are off their heads on a combination of weed and mescaline, and after an unsavoury encounter with a timid hitchhiker (a Tobey Maquire cameo), Raoul indulges in 'Sunshine Acid'. By the time they arrive at their hotel, Raoul is so tripped-out that he beings to freak out when they get to the reception.

Duke sets out to cover the Mint 400 for his magazine, but quickly loses interest, reverting back to taking copious volumes of drugs and wandering around Las Vegas and causing all kind of havoc.

To be honest, there's not much else I can say about the films plot, because this is pretty much it. They go to Vegas, get stoned and perpetrate outlandish antics. So you would think the movie is incredibly dull right? Wrong. This film is a ton of fun to watch. It has some of the most surreal images, wildest scenarios, and watching it feels a bit like going on a really mad road trip with a group of random people. They set out to find the American Dream., but all they find is a city overrun with greed, corruption and cynicism. Duke himself is a pessimistic character, but even he can't believe the attitudes of some of the unscrupulous characters that they encounter.

Thompson's writing is just like the man himself. It's fearless, cynical, unflinching, to-the-point, and pulls absolutely no punches. This film captures this beautifully. It's so tasteless, so foul, and so difficult to watch, it's impossible not to enjoy. If you're a fan of Thompson, you'll love it. If not, you'll still find something to marvel at.

Enter The Dragon

Bruce Lee, God rest his soul, was one of the most popular and influential martial artists back in his day, and remains arguably the most iconic of all ass-kicking movie stars.  He was tough, fast, and had skills and abilities that, even after several decades, still have not been equalled. He was the quintessential quick-fisted movie hero, and today, he is going to receive the acknowledgement he deserves. I am going to review a Bruce Lee film that celebrates its 40th birthday this year. It's the one and only marital arts action epic Enter The Dragon

Directed by Robert Clouse (The Pack, The Ultimate Warrior) Enter The Dragon stars Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, Shih Kien, and Robert Wall. The plot centres around a martial arts tournament taking place on an island at the behest of a mysterious individual with unknown intentions. Regarded by many as the greatest Kung Fu film of all time, it's time to celebrate this little marvel and give it the credit it so richly deserves. Let's dive right in.

Lee (his actual name in the film) is a Shaolin martial artist with, you guessed it, unrivalled skills in hand-to-hand combat. He is contacted by a British Intelligence Agent named Braithwaite, who is attempting to expose the clandestine activities of a former Shaolin monk named Han (Shih Kien). Han is hosting a martial arts tournament on his private island, ostensibly to recruit the world's best fighters, and arrangements are made for Lee to compete.

Once on the island he runs into 2 other competitors: Roper (Saxon) a gambler on the run from the mob, and Williams (Kelly), an African-American activist, and old friend of Roper.

Lee makes contact with a woman named Mei Ling, an informant placed on the island by Braithwaite. From her, Lee discovers that many of Han's women often disappear and are never heard from again, generally turning up dead from Heroin overdoses. Lee begins to sneak out of his room at night, an action strictly forbidden within the compound, and tries his best to investigate Han's shady organisation.

                                    Jackie Chan getting beaten up by Lee in his first film role.

It's a pretty basic set up. the plot and characters are nothing special. Naturally, what makes this movie are the fight scenes. If you asked me to named the greatest movie fight scene, it would almost certainly be one from this film. Most notably the scene where he fights Han's guards using his fists, feet, and whatever weapons he liberates from his opponents.

But one of the things about it that makes it so great is that, unlike many other martial arts movies, it isn't simply mindless fighting, it actually also has some emotional backing. Lee's first fight one the island is against one of Han's bodyguards, who was responsible for his sisters death many years ago. And after the final battle, Roper discovers the body of a woman that he shared a bond with while on the island.

In it's day, the film was a phenomenon. Today, it's regarded as a masterpiece, and one of the most sought-after martial arts films, and the defining moments of the 'Golden Age of Kung Fu Cinema'. It's slick, it's well acted, it's engaging, has an easy-to-follow storyline, legitimate emotion, and some of histories greatest fight scenes. It could only have come from 1 man, often imitated, never bettered. Bruce Lee, you are sorely missed.

Brubaker

Prison movies have been a staple of cinema for decades now. The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, 12 Monkeys, The Longest Yard, Shutter Island, the list goes one. Well I decided it was time I took a look at one. It's not very well known; in fact I know only 2 people who have seen it, and one of them is me, but it is very deserving of the praise it received, and should be acknowledged for the real-life story it depicted with such unhindered realism. Today's movie is the 1980 Academy Award nominated film Brubaker.

Directed by Stuart Rosenberg (who also directed Cool Hand Luke, one of the most reknonwed prison movies in history), Brubaker stars Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, David Keith and an extensive supporting cast. It follows a prison warden and his attempts to reform a prison that seems completely beyond hope. It's harsh and gritty, but also makes space for humour and some great plot twists.

The movie opens with a prisoner named Stan Collins (Redford) on a bus bound for Wakefield prison. Once inside, he witnesses unjust prisoner treatment, including whippings, sexual abuse, poor sanitation, unhygienic food, and decrepit living conditions. He also notices that there are no guards in the complex, and instead, the day-to-day running of the place is handled by the trustees, who, as you may have surmised, abuse their position to the point of forgetting that they themselves are criminals.

During a stand-off, Collins reveals that he is actually Henry Brubaker, the new Warden. He plans to reform the facility, and stamp out the cruel and vicious treatment of the inmates. This revelation disturbs the trustees, as they believe that they will now be punished for what they have been doing with their authority, and that the prisoners will no longer be on a lower level than them.

Brubaker seeks help in his quest in the form of non-abusive trustee named Dickie (Yotto), and street-smart habitual car thief Larry (Keith). With their aid, he discovers that the corruption extends much further than uninhabitable conditions and inmate abuse, and in doing so attracts the wrath of several compromised politicians, who benefit greatly from the Wakefield's previous conditions.

The movie itself is based on the real-life exploits of Tom Murton, who undertook a similar mission in a prison in Arkansas, and was successful in prosecuting its administrators for prisoner abuse and human rights violations. Brubaker struggles against almost insurmountable odds, fully aware that all the officials want is for him to leave things as they are. Every step he takes is met with castigation and hostility, but he keeps doing what he thinks is right, and the movie does a great job in showing us what the character is going through. Many of the things he does actually blow up in his face, and you are left to ask whether or not he is often doing the right things.

But whatever you think about his morals, his politics, or his methods, you always believe he is trying his best, and fighting for what he believes in. With that, we get not only a stark, moving, and often shocking movie, we get a character study of one of the bravest men in American history. A man who fought from the heart, and despite all the scorn and criticism, was ultimately victorious.

Withnail & I

Welcome to my 52nd review! That's right, my blog officially celebrates it's 1st birthday as of this day. So, as with my very first review, I thought long and hard about which movie to look at, and as I did with my incipient review, I decided to look at one of my favourite movies. But whereas my first review was of one of my favourite serious films (Leon) today's review is going to be of one of my favourite comedies. To commemorate my Blog turning 1 year old, I am going to critique one of the most revered comedies in history, the 1987 laugh-riot Withnail & I.

Directed and written by Bruce Robinson, and starring Richard E. Grant (in his film debut), Paul McGann and Richard Griffiths, Withnail & I follows the exploits of 2 unemployed actors as they take a holiday in the country, finding it less peaceful and therapeutic than they had expected. In the 25 years since it's release it has graced practically every 'Greatest Comedy' list every conceived. So for this extra special review, let's find out why.

The film opens in Camden Town, in the closing months of 1969, where we find our 2 protagonists, Withnail (Grant), a volatile, acerbic, outspoken alcoholic, and 'I' (McGann), an anxiety-prone, unpublished writer, and the films narrator. Both of these characters are struggling actors living in a squalid flat, drowning their abject misery with copious volumes of drink and drugs. I has recently had an audition, which Withnail has not had for several months. Withnail is unhappy with how his career has progressed, but blames others for his failings, fabricating stories to make himself seem more successful, and denouncing others who have done better than him, citing reasons such as favouritism and unfair advantage.

Fed up with their monotonous lives, they decide to head North to Penrith, and spend some time in the country in order to 'rejuvinate'. They obtain they keys to a country cottage owned by Withnail's flamboyantly homosexual Uncle Monty (Griffiths), and head off to begin their holiday. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a disaster. While the scenery is beautiful, the weather is unpleasant, they have little supplies, the cottage is run-down, and the locals are rude, uninviting, and in the case of 'Jake the Poacher', hostile.

Prepared to give up and head back to the London, Uncle Monty pays them an unexpected visit. He brings with him a plentiful supply of food and booze. But, much to I's dismay, he also brings his insatiable lust for him, resulting in a wealth of tension and discomfort.

From this relatively simple set-up comes one of the funniest films ever to grace the silver screen. Not a financial success in it's day, Withnail & I quickly became a cult classic, and rightly so. The film slays me every time. The scenarios, the characters, but above all, the dialogue. I adore the screenplay. If you asked a fan of this film to describe it in 1 words, chances are the word they would pick is 'Quotable'. The only other comedy I can think of that has so many recitable lines is The Big Lebowski. Nearly every single line (particularly from Withnail) has become a kind of catchphrase; it's like the 'Dead Parrot Sketch' of movies. 'I'm gonna pull your head off', 'We are multimillionaires', 'We want the finest wines available to humanity, and of course,  'I demand to have some booze!' Grant's portrayal of Withnail is just perfect. Apparently before this movie Grant was teetotal, but Robinson insisted he get drunk and experience a hangover in order to get into character. The way Withnail is constantly struggling with his own unfulfilling life and career while simultaneously piling the blame on everybody else for his shortcoming is irresistible, and makes for some of the funniest and most farcical scenes in cinematic history.

McGann's role as I is also fantastic. It's almost impossible to explain how the 2 are friends, and I's connection to Withnail is very much akin to the friend that everyone had growing up. You know the one who you don't really like but you hang out with because you are terrified of what they might do if you don't. Firecracker Friends as Russel Howard described it.

Watching this film is like watching an Oscar Wilde play. It's so ludicrous, so wild, so farsical and so over-the-top that's it's impossible not to enjoy it. I've seen it countless times and I laugh just as hard each time. See it now, it will have you in tears, I promise.

Tango & Cash

We're all familiar with the 'Buddy Cop' movie: 2 mismatched police officers are teamed up to fight crime. They don't get along, have conflicting techniques, constantly bicker, but by the end they set aside their differences, become friends, and bust the bad guys. Cop Out, The Other Guys, Hot Fuzz, Lethal Weapon, Seven, Rush Hour, Point Break etc etc. It's probably the most cliched genre in movie history. Well today, as you may have guessed, I'm going to look at a buddy cop movie, one of my favourites in fact: 1989's Tango & Cash.

Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palace and Teri Hatcher, Tango & Cash tells the story of... well, do I really need to explain what the gist of it is? I already stated in the first paragraph what path these movies always follow, and this one pretty much does it to the letter.

The movie opens with a well dressed, by-the-book cop called Ray Tango (Stallone), intercepting a tanker full to the brim with cocaine. Meanwhile, scruffy, play-by-his-own-rules cop Gabriel Cash (Russell) narrowly avoids being killed by a gun man at his apartment, and chases the assailant down, capturing and bringing him to the Police Station, where he coerces the gunman into telling him about a drug deal taking place that evening.

By a happy little coincidence, Tango also finds out about the deal, and the 2 converge in, are you ready for this, an abandoned building; where the 2 discover a dead body with recording equipment strapped to him, and Cash's gun on the floor. FBI agents storm the place at that moment, and arrest both men, who, as it turns out, have been framed for murder by a crime lord called Yves Purret (Palance), who is tired of them interfering in his nefarious schemes.

So through a collection of doctored evidence and suspect witnesses, Tango & Cash wind up in a prison that would make Alcatraz look like the Hilton, where Purret's goons make their lives inside a misery. But the duo escape, and with the help of Tango's sister Kiki (Hatcher) they set about unravelling the conspiracy that landed them in the slammer.

So there it is, Tango & Cash, not original, not groundbreaking, but in my opinion, still very enjoyable. While it certainly doesn't do anything new, it still delivers with what it has. I can't remember the last time I seen a movie that was so constantly watchable. I don't think it has even a single dull or uninteresting moment. The writing, while silly and over the top, has some really great jokes, and Stallone & Russell work off each other pretty well. The back-and-forthing between the 2 leads is what makes it enjoyable. Nothing much else to say really. The concept, story and characters are as old as time itself, but if your just there for the jokes, I still think you'll enjoy it.