The Bourne Legacy

This is a tough film to judge as when it was first announced that there would be a fourth Bourne film, many, including myself, didn’t think that there was any real need for it. The Bourne Ultimatum pretty much tied pretty much everything that needed to be concluded into a neat bow. But when it was announced that it would be sidequel(?) of sorts, exploring the affects of the three films on other characters and expanding the world, then it began to get interesting.

The Bourne Legacy follows Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) as he tries to survive, after his own people decide to wipe out all of the operatives within certain programs, caused as a result of what Bourne did in the third film, but he needs something (spoiler free this time) that he can only get from scientist Marta Shearing who works in the biology section of many of the programs. As they search for what Cross is looking for, they are chased through America and Manila by their own people, led by Eric Byer (Edward Norton), who want to silence them and then get rid of everything that links them to the Treadstone and Blackbriar programs ( see the original Bourne trilogy for more detail).

Unlike the previous films in the series, this one takes a long time to get up an running, barring a few man versus the wilderness moments in the opening five minutes you are going to be waiting for about thirty minutes for the film to get going, there seems to be too much complicated explanation of simple problems or motivations that are only finally got to after conversations that go on for too long. The science in the film, I’m sure is accurate, however at times I didn’t have a clue about what they were talking about, until about five minutes later when it was stated very clearly and succinctly by one of the two people in the same conversation.

The action moves away from the frantic style of the previous films, especially the second two and adopts a more traditionally use of camera during the chase or fight scenes that cut through the films second half. This gives it a look of its own, which can only really help this series differentiate itself, at least stylistically from the other films. We just needed one or two shorter action sequences, earlier in the film.

The casting and performances of all the parts in The Bourne Legacy is first rate, in fact if it weren’t for the calibre of the acting, this film could have dragged significantly in it’s slower parts. The biggest question was obviously whether or not Jeremy Renner could fill the void left by Matt Damon and mostly he does a good job, the only reason he doesn’t is probably because of the attachment we have to the Jason Bourne character. Renner gives Cross a feel and personality very different to Bourne, more humorous and emotionally vulnerable throughout than we ever really see Bourne, who different in other ways.

The supporting roles, played by Weisz and Norton could have fallen into the same kind of area as previous characters from the series, but Norton plays the “villain” role as a man who is doing what he thinks is best for the country and himself, genuinely, whilst dealing with incompetency and half heartedness all around him. Weisz gives Shearings character a fully formed presence in the film, despite all of the scientific jargon that she has to get out in quick bursts to move the plot along, but as with any performance from her, it is the smaller, personal moments where she really brings the character alive, showing both her weakness and strength at the same time, which gives her dynamic with Cross an enjoyable feel to it.

I ultimately left the cinema with a somewhat apathetic and empty feeling, not sure what to really make of it. As has been mentioned in other reviews, it feels more like a set up to another series, the only problem is that this film could well turn off a lot of people to that next chapter in the story. We don’t necessarily need Jason Bourne and Paul Greengrass back, we just need the film to have that kind of excitement and tension. Cross and Shearing are interesting enough characters to use in a few films, just give them a story that matches that.

My Top Ten Films

Everyone has their own list of favourite films, some only have two or three, others have lists that rival IMDB’s top 250, so I thought I would have a go at naming a top ten of mine, a number that gave me sort sort of wiggle room to include a few more great films on this list and allowed me the opportunity to think back about some films that I hadn’t seen in a while.

As with any list there has to be some rules and this one is no exception, although I only laid down two concrete restrictions.

1. None could have been released since the start of the year (So no The Dark Knight Rises or Prometheus here).

2. Only one film from a director was allowed in, so as to introduce more variety.

There will be a few in this list that won’t surprise and some I hope will, there may even be a film you haven’t heard of or seen in here. So with that, I hope you enjoy the list.

10. Twelve Angry Men (1957)

One of the most engrossing courtroom/jury films every made, simply because it doesn’t rely on the revelations of the courtroom or the manipulating words of lawyers. It relies solely on the individual personalities and histories of the men in the jury room, who are all too ready to pronounce the defendant guilty. But one member believes that they should at least talk about it, even if he isn't complete convinced of his innocence. Over the course of the next ninety minutes, we see how these variables play into their own fluid ideas about the defendant an how they have affected their decision. Given that the film is set almost completely in the jury room, Sydney Lumet and writer Reginald Rose ramp up the tension, both with the case and the character dynamics, building it to a frantic revelatory climax.

9. The Social Network (2010)

When a facebook film was announced, a lot of people assumed it would be some kind of romantic comedy or drama based around the website, not really anything worth giving a second look. The Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher got involved and everything changed, we weren’t getting a film about how people use facebook to meet and socialize, this was about the meteoric and painful rise of the website and the betrayals that occurred during those initial years. This film is driven by two greats of modern filmmaking, Sorkin and his rapid dialogue and Fincher with his meticulously and beautifully shot visuals that really help bring the world in which these men lived in and some of them schemed in. Thankfully there isn’t a poke anywhere in this film, but it certainly gets a big ‘like’ from me.

8. The Fountain (2006)

For a film about the acceptance of death this film left in a good mood, I watched about a year after the death of my father and helped in a way to “move on” as they say, it felt personal to me, like I am sure it does to a lot of people who give it a chance, dealing with issues of accepting death and not allowing the death of a loved one to consume your life. Director and co-writer Darren Aronofsky gives each time period it’s own look, moving from the time of Spanish inquisition to the far future and travelling through space. The Fountain is a film that asks a lot of questions that don’t really get answers, but it’s more about ideas within the film that makes it really interesting. It won’t be everyone’s kind of film, that much is clear when you talk to anyone about it, it really is a love it or hate it film, but which side you fall into, it’s 90 minutes that deserve you attention.

7. LA Confidential (1997)

The first of three crime films in this list, this film pretty much became an instant crime classic when it was released 15 years ago, in which we follow three LAPD police officers as their separate paths bring them together in a case involving corruption, prostitution and organized crime all set in the 1950’s. Based on a mammoth novel by James Ellroy, the fact that writers Curtis Hanson (also director) and Brian Helgeland were able to even get the story to manageable length is an achievement in its self. But to then produce an emotionally engaging piece as this is true cinematic accomplishment, backed up by some unforgettable performances, specifically Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. This film set many standards for the genre, which most films still struggle to reach.

6. The Secret In Their Eyes (2009)

Another crime film, but this time focusing on the impact of an unsolved crime, caused by the system of the time, that being the mid 1970’s in Argentina. Focusing on the investigation in a rape and murder of a woman, we follow a department as they try to solve the case despite various interference from outside influences, but it is the affect that it has on the people where this film thrives, showing us the lengths that some people will go to, to get revenge on another or the toll an event as significant as this can have on people for the rest of their lives.

5. Barry Lyndon (1975)

Released between A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, Barry Lyndon is an often overlooked Kubrick classic, focusing on rise and fall of Redmund Barry a poor Irishmen who is tricked out of his home town by the influential and sent on his way out into the wider world, where he fights in a war, turns spy and travels the world in luxury. While is the plot is fairly easy to follow and doesn’t ask much of the audience but to invest in these characters and their tragic stories, it is in the visuals that this film stands out. Each shot looks like a classic painting, shot widely, showing the viewer the splendour of the lives that these characters live. Quite simply, every image in the film is a complete joy to behold. Like other films in this list, it’s quite long, around three hours, but with any Kubrick film, once you start watching it, the characters, visuals and story hook you in and don’t let go of you.

4. Blade Runner (1982)

Which version you prefer is a really interesting topic, especially given the varying ideas and answers that each version asks. But all ask a central question, “What is it to be human?”, it is the question of all great science fiction and is very important considering Blade Runner and it’s story. The main narrative follows a detective, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), as he searches for four replicants who have returned to earth, killing people as they did. But along the way we are asked by director Ridley Scott and his writers many more interesting questions, the above mentioned in the forefront, the others I won’t mention so as to not spoil the film. The most recent Final Cut offers the most complete visual version of the film, but to really understand this film in all it’s complexities, it’s worth working your way through all three cuts.

3. Heat (1995)

One of, if not the best heist film ever made and that is a very high accolade to say of any film within that genre. Heat features some of the most engrossing and spectacular sequences shot during the 1990’s, one a ten minute long bank robbery and the other a five minute conversation between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. I had heard about the heist from people but never truly thought it could live up to it, but as the dust settled on downtown Los Angeles after it had finished, it was hard to argue about just how close to perfect the sequence is.

But it’s not the action that defines this film, there probably only four or five big moments in it’s two and a half plus hour run time, it’s in it’s character development, especially the relationship and lives of the two central characters, a detective and a professional criminal, Hanna and McCauley (Pacino and De Niro) who are almost completely identical but at the same time very different, and it is for this reason that the film is so highly revered, it gives us the lives and motivations of the people we normally don’t get to spend time with.

2. Magnolia (1999)

I was introduced to Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic drama as part of a course presentation, I didn’t realise the run time when I chose it, but three hours later I was so thankful I did. Giving us a snapshot into the lives of about nine characters over the course of a day, each of who is subjected to a painful life changing experience. While the plot is relatively straight forward, something that often has to be the case for these ensemble films, it’s the complexity of the relationships between the characters where Magnolia comes alive, with some career best performances from most of the cast. The main theme of the film looks closely at the randomness of life, demonstrated perfectly in the films prologue, which is central to the unfolding stories, each one affecting the next. As I have said before, this film is three hours long, but if you give it that time, you will be deeply rewarded.

1. Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan’s first film that didn’t have a budget that equated to the price of a decent second hand car and arguably still one of, if not his finest films and I am an avid fan of all his work. Following a few days and nights in the life of amnesiac Leonard Shelby (played by Guy Pearce) who is searching for his wife’s killer, but is only able to remember a few minutes, before his mind wipes, unable to commit short-term memories to the long term. Away from the more obvious plot of the film, Memento delves into ideas of subjective and objective information and obviously, memories. 

Unable to remember for himself Leonard has to rely on facts that he has found and committed to writing down, even on himself, so that he will be able to recall them later as he hunts for the man. As the film runs it to tense beginning (for those of you unaware, the film runs backwards, flicking through two different time frames, one forwards and the other backwards, moving through time frame that Leonard remembers before he resets, the film explains this better than I do, you begin to question what not just Leonard remembers, but what he is happy to forget.

So there were go, my top ten. There are a few big omissions, both in terms of films and directors, but I found this list harder to write that I honestly thought it would be, and I ask anyone who reads this to do the same, then write it down to give it a sense of permanence. Then come back in five minutes and see if you still agree with your own decisions.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and feel free to send your comments or abuse in whichever way you feel most comfortable.

The Dark Knight Rises

Spoilers for this film as well as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight could crop up, so be warned.

The first time I saw it, I got pretty choked up, but managed to hold it back, the second time I saw it was close and I could feel the tears coming but somehow they were kept back. The third time, if there is (there most likely will be) I can either see myself not being as affected or quietly weeping in the darkness, no doubt worrying the person next to me. This may sound like an exaggeration for a “comic book” film, but when you are as invested in the main characters, ones that you have spent three films following, then this kind of reaction to the last ten minutes of the film is understandable, at least to me.

Once again spoilers will follow. Also for those who haven’t seen the previous two films in the series (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight), they are essential viewing as a number of plot points, etc, are dependent on what occurred these two films.

The basic plot of The Dark Knight Rises picks up eight years after the lie, Batman has been gone for that time and Bruce Wayne has spent the last three years holed up in Wayne Manor, ala Howard Hughes. Gotham has eradicated organized crime as a result of the ‘Dent Act’, but the two men responsible for the city’s peace, Gordon and Wayne are straining under the pressure of what it cost them. Unknown to both of them, a revolutionary army led by the terrifying Bane is heading to Gotham, ready take advantage of a out of shape police force and an arrogant city.

As with these previous two films, The Dark Knight Rises would be nowhere without the central performance of Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, one of the key aspects that has set this series apart. In what is being considered his best performance of the trilogy Bale takes the character of Bruce, who has always been the primary focus of the films, from his lowest point (twice), through numerous emotional revelations and weighty scenes, back up to his highest, giving us an arc in this film that parallels the combined one he goes through in the previous two films. Physically, Bale brings more to the character, as it is needed for the story, than we have seen before, especially early on as Bruce is still nursing what I assume is the affects of the events at the event of The Dark Knight. To be fair, so would you after that ordeal. Supporting himself with a cane and putting on a show for the world, despite barely leaving Wayne Manor where he has painted himself as the recluse.

Similar to the other performances he has given, some of his best moments are silent moments where he conveys the pain and loss that has dictated his whole life through his eyes and facial expressions, never over or underplayed, it is a performance that perfectly portrays both sides of the Bruce Wayne character. Will he receive the Academy nomination that some people have touted him for? It’s unlikely because of the film he is in and the way there are perceived, but this is a character that I personally have been pulled into and have invested in, both in terms of time and emotions, because of Bale’s three performances.

Visuals

Following in the footsteps of Heath Ledgers Joker was never going to be an easy task. Even picking a character from the rogues gallery who can match The Joker on a pure idea/concept level is difficult enough, without having to find an actor who can give a performance that was as engrossing as Ledger. Luckily Nolan and Goyer chose a character that couldn’t be more different from the Joker, in Bane. A massive physical presence, who is more than capable of matching Batman in a fistfight. Portrayed as somewhere between a modern revolutionary and a cult leader. Hardy brings a completely new take on the character to anything we have seen in any version of the character we have seen. Gone is the luchador mask and venom (a drug in the comics that cause Bane to physically increase in size and strength) replaced by terrifying mechanical mask that administers a pain medication constantly. Equally charismatic and frightening, Hardy shows the character as a man capable of convincing people to devote themselves totally to him, willing to give their lives in an instant at one of his commands, then switching to a cold killer who will go through anybody who stands in his way. He certainly isn’t as fun as the Joker to watch, but he isn’t supposed to, you are supposed to be scared of this character, to hate him, yet at certain times be enthralled by his personality. His is one thing that seems to have gained some sort of negativity. At times it can be difficult to hear, but this seems to be as much about the films sound mix as the cinema (I have seen it in two different cinema’s, one got it right and I could hear everything, the other didn’t and some lines were muffled), his accent is interesting, no doubt a mix of the mask and the characters history and the places he has been to. But ultimately the voice and how you feel about it and hear it, is a very subjective like or dislike.

She is never referred to as Catwoman, just Selina Kyle, but you would have been living in a cage to not know that this is Catwoman. One of Batman’s most important and long running characters, it was great to see her brought to life in an accurate portrayal, no dead cat zombie lady in this one. Many didn’t feel that great when Anne Hathaway was announced. How stupid they must feel, or at least should feel now. Like her character in the film, she does steal scenes in this; one bar sequence is so perfectly Selina Kyle that it blows any would be complainers away, not to forget her entertaining introduction at Wayne Manor with Bruce and Alfred. Like both Bale and Hardy, Hathaway brings a great physicality to the role, more than capable of holding her own against a few thugs, she also uses her body to convey her different personalities whenever she doesn’t say anything, once again, her first two scenes demonstrate this perfectly. Finally, yes she does look like Catwoman and Selina Kyle and there are “ears” as part of the cat suit.

Following in the footsteps of the previous two films, The Dark Knight Rises moves at quite a pace once it gets going, which results in them being able to get a lot of story into the films mammoth running length of 164 minutes, most of which would be hard to cut down or eliminate. As a result for the most part the story is engaging and considerably tight, this is probably the most loose and free flowing of the trilogy, the end game is set up relatively early on and obstacles put in front of the protagonists. There is one factual error involving the kind of stocks/options purchased by one character at a point in the story, which during the film doesn’t take you out of the moment due to what comes before and after it, but after the credits roll it does stick out at you. But the fact that they have tried to incorporate something like this in a “comic book” film should be praised, even if it is a little off and if this is the only issue I can really find in the film that I can say that I am completely happy with that.

Talking about the plot and building on saying that it is the most free of the trilogy is meant to be taken positively, as it allows them ask questions and introduce ideas into the narrative, much in the same way as The Dark Knight and Inception, allowing each audience member to takeaway different things from the film and being allowed to leave with their own answers, conclusion and meaning from the story and characters.

As with Bale, Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon is one of the cornerstones’ of this series, his role is slightly diminished compared to the one in The Dark Knight, but not by a large amount, once again he proves to be one of Gotham’s heroes. Here, Oldman plays Gordon as man who has paid the price for the lie that he and Batman built together to save Gotham, now eight years on, without his family with a desire to resign and admit the truth to everyone. As with the previous two films, Oldman brings the character in a complete way, giving us a man who you can see is physically crumbling and who can’t stand what the people of Gotham think of his “friend” as he puts it. It’s hard to give more detailed praise of the performance of the character other than it is completely believable and that when you see him on screen it, is Jim Gordon you see, not Gary Oldman.

John Blake, what a mystery he was prior to the film, having probably even more speculation about his character and who he really was. Who he becomes is something that I won’t completely talk about; I will save it for another blog. When Gordon-Levitt was first announced, the way his character was announced made it seem like he would have a secondary role in the film, acting as Gordon’s assistant. But as the film plays out, we see his character grow in stature, especially after things in Gotham go wrong, Blake establishes himself as a vital figure not just to the resistance, but also to everyone in the city. In a role that could have been played awkwardly and arrogantly by a lesser actor and honestly after seeing Gordon-Levitt play the role, I cannot imagine anyone else in the part, one scene early on with Bruce Wayne, featuring a monologue of his, could have come across as more of a plot point than a genuine character moment that starts his and Bruce’s relationship and shows to us just what this police office is capable of. Some people may guess where his character arc will end, even without any knowledge of the Batman mythology. Without doing it, Nolan gave us his interpretation of a critical character to Batman, the only thing I would have changed is his name, but I will say no more.

One of the main issues some people seem to have with The Dark Knight Rises is the sound, certain lines of dialogue seem to drowned out at time by the score, but it seems to vary from cinema to cinema and how their sound system is set up. There were a few moments in The Dark Knight that this issue, but were subjective to the cinema, yet they were resolved for the DVD release. My biggest piece of advice would just be to give the film your complete attention and you should have no problem.

To sum up then, is The Dark Knight Rises as good as it’s predecessors? Especially The Dark Knight, well that depends on your own personally preferences and how much you are willing to invest in the film and its characters emotionally. It may not be as fun as The Dark Knight or as a tight as Batman Begins, it is more sprawling and asks bigger questions and with any ending, it will draw more attention and opinions good or bad, as is the problem when someone brings a conclusion to a character who has never had his story end before. I for one enjoyed it immensely; it is a great ending to Bruce Wayne’s story and Nolan’s trilogy. Go and see it, ideally watch all three films close together to really get the whole story, then make up your own minds, just don’t go in hoping for your ending, theirs’ is most likely better.