Argo

Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan

Dir. Ben Affleck
Scr. Chris Terrio

Critics have piled praise on Argo, heaped it on, up to its eyeballs. I have to admit I was underwhelmed. The film does one thing very well – tension. I felt nearly physically sick from the opening scenes until near the end of the film. It’s uncomfortably tense, which is good. But aside from that … It just was. Not terrible. Just not particularly memorable either. If you have an interest in the era and the events, I imagine you’ll enjoy it, so by all means see it. And if you’re Canadian, see it – it’ll give you warm fuzzies.

Argo is based on true events. In 1979, angry revolutionaries stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took more than 50 Americans hostage. A group of six escaped and took refuge in the Canadian Ambassador’s residence, holed up for weeks while awaiting some sort of rescue. Enter the CIA and a plan so crazy that it just has to be true. CIA specialist Tony Mendez (Affleck), posing as a movie producer scouting exotic locations for a sci-fi movie called “Argo”, attempts to retrieve his fellow Americans and leave Iran right under the noses of their wannabe captors.

Argo is a ‘film within a film’ film, a classic caper flick. And while there is certainly humour – some of it quite dark, some of it in-jokey – this is a pretty grim film. It’s sobering and, as I said, tense. Interestingly this doesn’t jar against the Hollywood satire elements of the story, although it certainly (on paper) had potential to. And all credit to Terrio and Affleck for this. While it doesn’t jar, it doesn’t always mesh either. It tends to jump around a bit too much not to be distracting.

My biggest problem, however, was that I just didn’t care enough. The onslaught and maintenance of tension didn’t necessarily equate to actually being concerned about whether the diplomats lived or died, were rescued or not. It’s a cold film, which is hardly surprising. But a certain something is lacking that meant not only didn’t I care, but I had also largely forgot about the film hours after seeing it. I accept that I seem to have taken up residence in an extremely lonely minority on this, but it is what it is.

The acting is mixed, though I don’t think it’s fatal to the film. Affleck is just fine as Mendez. He’s never going to set the world alight with his acting prowess, but he’s not awful here. And he has pleasing and era-appropriate facial hair. The actors playing the hidden Americans are largely forgettable, which is unfortunate and certainly problematic. There are some shining lights. Cranston, playing Mendez’s supervisor O’Donnell, is his usual excellent, watchable self. And Arkin and Goodman – the Hollywood connection – are funny and engaging.

Argo seems to be a little confused about what it’s trying to be. Is it a caper? Is it a docudrama? Should it have been funnier? Or less funny? For me, it didn’t gel and it certainly didn’t shine. And that’s seems quite unforgivable for a film with so much crazy plot potential. See it, by all means, I don’t care. I don’t recommend or not recommend. Which is an odd place for me to occupy.

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John Chambers: You need somebody who's a somebody to put their name on it. Somebody respectable. With credits. Who you can trust with classified information. Who will produce a fake movie. For free.

Looper

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Noah Segan

Dir & Scr. Rian Johnson

I’m a complete and utter sucker for time travel movies. Often, though, they get so bogged down in explaining themselves, the joy of the whole idea is whittled away. Looper is certainly not without its faults. It’s hugely derivative, full of holes (pretty glaring holes, if you want to see them) and is, at times, unintentionally funny. But, you know what, I had a ball watching this film. Not your run-of-the-mill time travel tale, Looper has humour and thrills and horror and a pleasing amount of heart. The performances are all well above average and, in the case of the two leads (which are, errr, the same lead), stellar. A truly entertaining night out.

In the not-too-distant future, 2074, time travel has been invented and instantly outlawed. Offing people in this particular future is not an easy task, so the mob uses time travel to covertly send people back in time to be killed and disposed of by “loopers”. Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is a young looper, in a grim 2044, living the high life with the blood money he gets paid. The only way out of the business is to “close your loop” – when the loopers’ older self gets sent back for the younger self to kill and collect a massive pay check. When Joe fails to close his loop, letting Old Joe (Willis) escape, all hell breaks loose – both men are on the run, each trying to protect their own future.

This is a creative, surprising, thrilling film. Without offering up plot spoilers, it takes the audience in unexpected directions – it’s science fiction, sure, but it also has a healthy dose of horror thrown in. This isn’t jarring though – writer/director Johnson handles the action with ease and the story moves along at a pleasing pace. For a movie of just under two hours, it sure felt like he managed to get a lot in. Although we do get some Looper Universe 101 at the beginning, Johnson (to his credit) doesn’t get bogged down in explanation or revelation.

Sure, there are holes. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say, time travel mythology isn’t easy. One glaring scene in the middle of the film hangs by a tenuous thread of explanation. And the whole second half of the film – where the two Joes exist in the same time, with largely their own memories – defies belief. This will frustrate some viewers, those of the pedantic persuasion. I suspect most will just let it ride. For me, there is an emotional weight to the film (lacking in so many of this genre) which makes its flaws much easier to forgive.

Much of that weight comes from some very fine performances. Gordon-Levitt transformed himself for this role. His appearance is only one part of this – he has Willis’s mannerisms and speech patterns down to a fine art. And it’s a credit to him and a boost to the film. Willis himself is somewhat against type. A not-so-nice man driven by pure selfishness to protect his future. We’re so used to rooting for Willis in movies; it’s refreshing to be conflicted. Willis also brings a lot of the emotional highlights. When he first does the particular thing that he thinks he has to do (sorry, vague I know, but it’s for your own good), his reaction is gut-wrenching and almost had me in tears. The conversation in the diner between the two Joes is a particular highlight for both actors. Blunt is, as always, wonderful. Tortured but utterly strong. Dano’s appearance is brilliant but all too brief as Joe’s fellow looper, Seth. And Daniels, as mob kingpin Abe, is delightful, with some of the best dialogue at his disposal.

This highly-stylised science fiction/horror/action film manages both depth and heart. Quite a feat. It’s compelling, entertaining and exciting. Highly recommended for anyone who likes the genre and recommend even for those who don’t.

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Abe: This time travel crap just fries your brain like an egg …

Dredd 3D

Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, Domhnall Gleeson

Dir. Pete Travis
Scr. Carlos Ezquerra, Alex Garland & John Wagner

After the absolute debacle that was 1995’s Judge Dredd, it’s not surprising that no one has touched the comic book franchise until now. But with a legion of loyal fans, fans who tend to be men in their 30s and 40s with plenty of disposable income, Dredd and his fellow Judges were always going to appear on the big screen again. And, damn, it was worth the wait. Dredd 3D is ultra-violent, ultra-stylised and awfully good. There was even cheering and whooping in my screening. I’m already looking forward to the next instalment.

Set in a futuristic America, where daily violence and hardship is commonplace, the police from the Hall of Justice have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner. Judges, as they are known, are uber-cops. And Dredd (Urban) is the most uber of them. Teamed up with a rookie with psychic abilities (Thirlby), Dredd takes on Ma-Ma (Headey) and her gang who deal in the reality-altering drug, Slo-Mo. Explosions and generally a lot of violence, along with a pleasing smattering of super-dry humour, ensue.

Dredd is both super ambitious and utterly unambitious. Each in perfect measure. As mentioned, taking on Dredd again after Stallone managed to mangle the character so utterly was a risky venture. And to do so in pricey 3D, with an 18 certificate and an unknown lead took some guts. But there is certainly a market for Dredd alongside the shinier Captain Americas and Iron Mans. Where Dredd is unambitious is its storyline. A snappy Future Reality 101 lesson and we’re into the action. And the action itself is confined to a single building block with a suitably evil villain and her henchmen. This simplicity suits the action and the mood very well. It’s bloody and violent and grimy and very effective.

The 3D, as much as it pains me to say, isn’t bad. Not overly gimmicky but, when it is, it’s pretty effective (mostly in portraying those high on Slo-Mo). I’m unconvinced that outside the Slo-Mo moments it adds a great deal, but it wasn’t too distracting.

There is, of course, a wonderful New Zealand connection that comes with this flick – Dredd himself. And Urban does a truly splendid job. Acting within the confines of a helmet that he (thankfully and faithfully) doesn’t remove, his strong jaw and serious scowl are perfect. He utilises the pause and tilt of the head to great effect. It would be so easy to descend into hamminess (see Stallone or, for that matter, don’t), but Urban manages to deliver Dredd’s signature lines with authority and subtlety. And his drier-than-dry comic delivery is spot on. Thirlby, as the rookie Anderson, is nowhere near as annoying as she has the potential to be. In fact, she does a great job as the very human face of the film. Headey is absolutely horribly wonderful as drug baroness and criminal queenpin Ma-Ma. And a very good turn from Gleeson, son of Brendan, as Ma-Ma’s troubled computer nerd.

Dredd is certainly not for general consumption. I had to hide behind by hands a couple of times. But if you can stomach it, see this film. This is how comic books should be adapted. It doesn’t try to be more than what it is. And what it is, is very entertaining indeed.

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Judge Dredd: In case you have forgotten, this block operates under the same rules as the rest of the city. Ma-Ma is not the law... I am the law.