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.

City Of God

Every once in a while a movie comes along that challenges, redefines, even revolutionises the world of cinema. They push boundaries, introduce new techniques, creates timeless characters, unforgettable quotes, heart-wrenching scenes, and go down in history as a film that didn't simply follow conventional formula, and as a result, they rose above the mediocrity. Today, for my 50th review, I'm going to look at one such film, one that took critics and audiences by storm. The 2002 Brazilian crime drama City Of God.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles (who would go on to direct the Oscar-winning The Constant Gardener) and set in the Cidade De Deus suburb of Brazil, City Of God stars Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino De Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, and Sue Jorge among many others. Taking place in an overpopulated slum, it naturally features a plethora of characters. The movie follows the lives of numerous individuals as they go about their increasingly turbulent lives in the ruthless city of City Of God. It's such an incredible film I can't wait to get to it, so let's dive right in.

The movie opens with our main character Rocket (Rodrigues), a budding photographer, being confronted by a notorious gang in the streets of Brazil, when a flashback takes us abruptly back to his childhood. Here we see the children of the slum going about their daily lives. Life is tough, as the area is impoverished, but the children seem to live relatively carefree lives.

But things are not all fun and games as gang activity is rife, and 3 of children, including Rocket's brother Goose, are part of a group called the Tenderness Trio. They spend their time robbing business owners, and sharing their loot with the citizens of the slum, and are protected by them in exchange. But one particular robbery irrevocably chances them all. Lil' Dice, a child who idolises the trio, encourages them to hold up a motel and rob it's occupants, while he keeps an eye out for the authorities. But the plan goes awry when Dice kills the motels inhabitants and causes the death of 2 members of the Trio.

We then cut forward in time to where Rocket is a member of the 1970's hippie movement, and is pursuing his photographic aspirations. Dice on the other hand, now going by the name Lil' Zé (De Hora), has become an ultra-violent, sociopathic drug dealer and crime lord. With childhood friend Benny (Haagensen) by his side, he plans to eliminate all rival gangs and become the head honcho. Being fairly underground, the gang doesn't attract much police attention, and Zé tries to use this as his chance to take out the leader of an opposing group called 'The Runts', but Benny convinces him otherwise.

Benny plans to leave the city and start a new life with his girlfriend, but during his leaving party things get ugly and Benny is killed, leaving Zé free to take out whoever he desires, and rain fresh Hell down upon the locals.

                                                           Playtime in the City Of God

I was literally astounded by this movie when I first saw it. It was years ago but it left such an impact that I still remember it to this day. Its so gripping, so intense, so unrelenting in the way it draws you in and so merciless in the way it tells the story. The central characters are all engaging and none are superfluous, the action is gritty and authentic, the atmosphere is harsh and at times actually quite unnerving, and the director demonstrates his undeniable flair for film-making. It's like a documentary into a war zone, all seen through the eyes of a wide-eyed kid who grew up in a world of violence and loathing; not trying to escape it, but analyse and understand it.

On top of all this, Zé is by far one of cinemas greatest villains. He is horrible, absolutely despicable; aggressive, abrasive, uncaring, unsympathetic, and utterly indifferent to any form of suffering. All he cares about is being the top man, and he will challenge anyone, ANYONE, who gets in his way. But unlike many films where the villain is just nasty for no reason, we see him as a child, how he grew up, who he associated with. We know why he is the way he is, and the moulding of his personality is given so much weight and depth that we can actually understand his motivations.

If you haven't guessed yet, I adore this movie immensely. It creates it's own world, one that's barbaric and uncompromising, yet teems with life in all shapes and forms. It has unforgettable performances, unforgettable characters, unforgettable moments and an unforgettable storyline. That's City Of God in a nutshell: Completely unforgettable.

Mad Max II: The Road Warrior

Thanks to all of you who read my previous review of Mad Max, today I bring you the sequel, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.

Know in some places as simply The Road Warrior, the movie, directed again by George Miller, was released in 1981, and features Mel Gibson reprising his titular role, and is joined by Bruce Spence, Emil Minty, Kjell Nilsson, and Vernon Wells. It has everything that made the first movie a success, and stands as one of the greatest follow-up movies of all time, one that could truly stand alone.

Following on from the events depicted in the last movie, mankind has moved further into decay, with an almost complete collapse in civilisation. The world is no longer ruled by governments and elected leaders, but by gangs and factions, who fight for ever-diminishing fuel supplies by means of violence and terrorism.

We rejoin our protagonist Max, who, still heartbroken over the loss of his family, now drives aimlessly through the desert in his car, accompanied by a dog that he has acquired from an unknown location. Like all the other people in the desert, he is on a constant search for fuel to keep himself on the move. After being attacked by a gang of bikers, led by a red-mowhawked psychopath named Wez (Vernon Wells), he comes across a gyro-copter, owned by the 'Gyro Captain' (Spence). After some 'friendly' coercion, the Captain takes Max to a small oil refinery, where there is a tanker full of fuel.

Just as they arrive, they witness the compound and its inhabitants being intimidated by a hostile group know as The Marauders, commanded by the disfigured Humungus (Nilsson), who's main henchman turns out to be Wez. He tells them that if they abandon the compound and leave behind their fuel, they will be granted safe passage away from the base. Reluctant to surrender their fuel, which they have fought so hard to keep, they do not agree to the idea. After some of the group try to escape, they are brutalised by the Marauders, and when Max brings the only survivor back to the compound in exchange for fuel, he gets far more than he bargained for.

Aided by a feral child (Emil Minty), who resembles a prepubescent caveman, and communicates only in grunts and growls, Max offers to retrieve a Semi that the group can use to haul the tanker of fuel out of the compound and towards the coast, where they can live in peace. They offer Max the opportunity to come with them if he drives the truck, but he declines, finding that aimlessly driving through the wasteland is his only way of life.

As far as sequels go, it's one of the most faithful I've ever seen. It continues the story from the original but also maintains its bleak atmosphere, it's dark characteristics, it's fast-paced action scenes and it's technique of letting the interactions and behaviour of the characters tell the story rather than the dialogue. The characters all leave an impression, even if it's difficult to remember their names. Gibson gives yet another terrific performance as the lonely outlaw, and the supporting cast hold up well too. But possibly the greatest part of the film is the car chase at the end, which I find to be one of the best action scenes in movie history. Its fast, it's tense, it's dramatic, has spectacular stunts, and a great build-up to an epic payoff. Is it better than the original? I can't really decide. At the very least, I'd say it's just as good.

NB. For those of you are wondering, no, I'm not reviewing Beyond Thunderdome next week, and this is for 2 reasons:

1. I've never actually seen it all the way through.
2. It's been so long since I watched it that I honestly don't remember much about it at all.

Mad Max

Believe it or not but there was actually a time when Mel Gibson wasn't one of the world's most loathed celebrities, but was among Hollywood's most prominent actors. With starring roles in Braveheart, The Year Of Living Dangerously and the Lethal Weapon series, Gibson was beloved by movie-goers everywhere. So to celebrate the man that (once) brought us so much joy, I'm going to take a look at the film that single-handedly propelled him to super-stardom, the Australian thriller Mad Max.

Directed by George Miller, previously a doctor from Victoria, Mad Max was released in 1979 and stars Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Steve Bisley, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Tim Burns and Roger Ward. Initially receiving very divided reactions from critics, it was a huge financial success, and is still considered by many to be one of the greatest and most influential movies in history. So let's see what this masterpiece of cinema is all about.

The film is set in a dystopian, quasi-post-apocalyptic Australia, where the Earth's oil supplies have nearly been exhausted, and law and order has broken down, and the streets are ruled by violent and sadistic motorcycle gangs. A member of one of these gangs, The Nightrider, is attempting to evade the police in a stolen Pursuit Special. The officers have no luck in apprehending him, so they call in their top pursuer, Max Rockatansky (Gibson), who out-drives The Nightrider, resulting in his crashing and burning to death in the car.

Max and his close friend and fellow officer Goose (Steve Bisley) are after the gang, and manage to arrest one of it's members, Johnny Boy (Tim Burns), a new member, who was found at the scene of a rape from which the gang had just fled from, but Johnny was too stoned to ride. Unfortunately, with no witnesses turning up at his trial, the courts are forced to dismiss the case. An enraged Goose attacks Johnny, and this leads the gang's leader, The Toecutter (Keay-Byrne), to convince Johnny to partake in a plot to kill the Goose, who dies in a similar manner to The Nightrider.

Mortified by the death of his friend, and disillusioned with the Police Force, Max announces to his boss Fifi (Ward) that he wants to leave the force. He takes his wife Jessie (Samuel) and their son away on a vacation and tries to forget about the biker gang. But this doesn't work out quite how Max had planned, as the gang attack both Jessie and the baby, forcing Max back into action, this time with a very personal vendetta.

                                      A replica of Max's Pursuit Special, a Ford XB Falcon 

Upon it's release over 30 years ago, the film was called 'ugly and incoherant', 'depressing' and 'a film for sadists'. But since then it has become known as a landmark for modern cinema. A movie that reinvented the revenge flick and subsequently epitomised it. Max's retribution is biblical. The build up is griping, the action intense and the pay off leaves you to draw your own conclusions about what could possibly follows such a brutal and unforgiving affair.

This movie has so much going for it, it's not hard to see why it is so beloved. Slick direction, dark and gritty themes, great action, authentic atmosphere, a terrific turn by Gibson and very realistic antagonists. All in all, it's a perfect story taking place in a perfect setting; truly one of Hollywood's finest achievements. And as an added bonus, next week, I'm going to be reviewing the sequel, The Road Warrior, so stayed tuned.

The 51st State

The inimitable Samuel L. Jackson makes his return to my blog with yet another of his many awesome cinematic exploits. You thought he was cool as ice in Jackie Brown, you ain't seen nothing yet! This time, he's bringing his bad-assness to the UK with a tale of drugs, deception, football and Kilts. This is The 51st State.

A Canadian-British co-production, The 51st State was released in 2001 under the direction of Ronny Yu (Snakes On A Plane, Fearless), and stars Mr Jackson alongside Robert Carlyle, Rhys Ifans, Emily Mortimer, Sean Pertwee and Meat Loaf. It tells the story of a Master Chemist who travels to Great Britain with the hopes of selling a prototype drug. It's slick, racy, a barrel of laughs, and it has Samuel L. Jackson in it. What more could you possibly want?

The film opens in California, where recent college graduate and Isaac Hayes impersonator Elmo Mckelroy (Jackson) has just obtained a degree in Pharmacology. Unfortunately, he is pulled over by a police officer while on the road, and caught with a cache of drugs. As a result of the prosecution, he is unable to practise his desired profession.

Cut to 30 year later, and we find Elmo has resorted to working for renowned drug entrepreneur The Lizard (Loaf). Keen to show off McElroys latest invention, a new 'wonderdrug', Lizard rallies a group of equally unscrupulous characters for a demonstration. Unfortunately for Lizard, Elmo has tired of his employer, and rigs the place to blow, killing all except Lizard, who fell through the floor and avoided the blast.

Following this unconventional way to quit your job, Elmo heads for Liverpool, where he has a deal arranged with a crime lord named Leopold Durant (Ricky Tomlinson), who is interested in Elmo's creation. To help secure the deal and the drug, Durant sends one of his underlings, a local fixer named Felix DeSouza (Carlyle), a foul-mouthed, bad tempered, Americanophobe, to meet Elmo at the airport.

Back in California, The Lizard takes the whole 'attempted murder by former employee' thing very personally, and hires hit-woman Dakota (Mortimer) to fly to England and eliminate Elmo, in exchange for $250,000 in cash, and erasing her gambling debts. She agrees to this, but upon discovering that what Elmo has to offer is still of critical value to him, Lizard has second thoughts.

With several people now after Elmo and the formula to his revolutionary new party drug, DeSouza find himself stuck together in a class mismathced scenario, throwing up some side-splitting arguments, encounters and conflicts as Elmo attempts to sell his product to it's new prospective buyer Iki, (Ifans), an unhinged night club owner and narcotic enthusiast. Finding himself in the cross hairs of top-notch hired gun Dakota, and the target of much scorn from local Detective Virgil Cane (Pertwee), who see Elmo's plans as threat to his own agenda, what results is one of cinemas most deranged and chaotic bodies of work. The characters are crazy, the story, while non-sensical, is always surprising, the action scenes are wonderfully gratuitous, it's non-stop excitement and risibility from start to finish. While a critical and commercial flop, it remains, to me, one of Jackson's most underrated films. If you love mindless fun, be sure to add this to your collection.