2022 - February
Marshland (2014) 3.5/4
May God Save Us (2016) 3/4
Death on the Nile (2022) 3/4
The Hidden Face (2011) 2.5/4
The Woman in the Window (2021) 2.5/4
The Presidio (1988) 2/4
Still of the Night (1982) 1.5/4
Behind That Curtain (1929) 1/4
May God Save Us (2016) 3/4
Death on the Nile (2022) 3/4
The Hidden Face (2011) 2.5/4
The Woman in the Window (2021) 2.5/4
The Presidio (1988) 2/4
Still of the Night (1982) 1.5/4
Behind That Curtain (1929) 1/4
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8 titles
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsRoy ScheiderMeryl StreepJessica TandyA Manhattan psychiatrist probes a patient's murder and falls for the victim's mysterious mistress.02-02-2022
The opening credits can tell you a lot about a film. Not just the cast and crew but also whether it's going to be a comedy or a drama, for instance. Or what the mood of the film is going to be like. If the filmmakers are ambitious, the opening credits can sometimes be short movies all of their own. Who could forget the hilarious animated credits of the "Pink Panther" films or the expressionistic work of Saul Bass?
The credits to Robert Benton's "Still of the Night" roll over a slowly panning shot of the moon. The text font is basic, almost newspaper-like. The colour of the text - inexplicably green. The music playing over the titles - a non-indicative piano dirge. It is a lazy, unimaginative way to open a movie and is the first taste of what will soon prove to be a lacklustre film.
Just like the opening credits, the entirety of "Still of the Night" exudes a kind of indifferent laziness you'd expect from a truant high schooler's homework. Every possible screenwriting shortcut is taken. Every cliche is exploited. Exposition is relied upon to push the plot forward instead of action. Characters are stereotypical and, instead of resembling three-dimensional humans, are reduced to their functions within the plot. The plot itself is so thin and lacking in complexity that half-baked mysticism and deliberate obfuscation are relied upon to extend the film's runtime to an almost unbearable 90 minutes.
The lead character is a psychiatrist named Sam Rice (Roy Scheider). We know he's a psychiatrist because we are introduced to him during a therapy session - couch and all. We also find out he's getting a divorce through the old-fashioned exposition device popularly known as an answerphone message. (Lazy, I tell you! Lazy!) Not that any of this will prove important to the plot which kicks off after one of his patients, a brutish art dealer (Josef Sommer) is found murdered in his car.
Now at this point, as is expected in a thriller, Sam turns into an amateur sleuth trying to solve the murder of his patient. However, the problem is that the film never bothers to explain why he does this. If this were a Hitchcock film, for instance, the good doctor would become a suspect and would have to clear his name. If, on the other hand, this were a Dario Argento film, he would be in possession of a crucial piece of evidence and would have to figure out who the killer is before he himself becomes a victim. None of this happens in "Still of the Night". Instead, Sam, who wasn't particularly fond of the victim and is in no direct danger, decides to find the killer for no discernable reason except, of course, that the plot requires him to.
Soon, he also stumbles upon a prime suspect in the form of Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), the victim's mistress. Unfortunately (and completely predictably), Sam finds himself falling for the woman who may or may not be the killer. In a nutshell, it's the plot of "Basic Instinct" 10 years too soon or pretty much every film noir you've ever seen 40 years too late. Take your pick. Be warned, though, "Still of the Night" doesn't work as either.
It is altogether too anaemic and lacking in sexuality or any real sense of danger. Robert Benton's direction is curiously distant and workaday. Most of the film is shot in by-the-numbers long shots and masters like a film school exercise. There is no stylishness to his work, no brutality to the kill scenes, no atmosphere whatsoever. To call his direction televisual would be an insult to excellent TV directors of the era, all of whom could have made a far more atmospheric and engaging film. No, Benton's direction seems bored. Like he was forced to make this film. He shows none of the inventiveness, humour, or good plotting evident in his previous films such as the wonderful comedy/thriller "The Late Show" or even "Kramer vs. Kramer".
What's worse, his boredom with the material seems to have infected everyone else. The film is shot by Néstor Almendros, one of Hollywood's finest cinematographers whose work on "Still of the Night" can be at best described as an embarrassment. Besides the boring shot choices and lack of camera movements, this supposed thriller is overlit like a supermarket. There are no shadows, no dynamic range, no atmosphere. Similarly embarrassing is the booming score by John Kander which would have been more fitting for a soap opera.
The biggest problem with the film, however, are the two stars neither of whom seems at ease with the material. The usually reliable Roy Scheider delivers a performance utterly devoid of charm or charisma. He sleepwalks through the film and seems totally uninterested in the plot unravelling around him. This is the performance of a man hitting his marks and saying his lines so he can go home and get some sleep as soon as possible. He has no chemistry with Meryl Streep who delivers what must be a career-worst performance here. She is supposed to be a mysterious, sexy seducer. Someone we're supposed to believe could be a cold-blooded murderer but also is so attractive that we don't care. This is the role that made Sharon Stone famous but Streep has none of the sexiness or danger of Stone. Her attempts at playing the icy Hitchcock blonde are laughable and she comes across less like a cruel vixen and more like a Catholic schoolgirl acting out. We never believe once that she is so attractive that a man like Dr Sam Rice would be willing to risk his life for a night with her. And without that suspension of disbelief, the entire film crumbles.
Not that there's all that much to crumble. "Still of the Night" is a total failure as a thriller. Its plot is uninvolving, lacking in mystery or suspense. There is no real hook to it, nothing that would make me care who killed the unlikeable art dealer. Even if I did care, however, the reveal is so nonsensical and anticlimactic that disappointment is unavoidable. There are only three things in "Still of the Night" that are good: Jessica Tandy as Sam's psychiatrist mom, a well-executed dream sequence, and a funny moment (the only one in the film) in which Sam has to ask a mugger for help. The rest is dire, listless, and a chore to sit through.
1.5/4 - DirectorPeter HyamsStarsSean ConneryMark HarmonMeg RyanA San Francisco civilian police detective is forced to work on a series of murders with his former enemy commanding officer while dating his daughter.02-02-2022
If Peter Hyams made any other kind of movie he'd be known as one of Hollywood's greatest auteurs. The man is not only a director and often times writer, but he is also a first-rate cinematographer. So when in the credits you read "A Peter Hyams Film" you can bet your bottom dollar it really is so. Over his 40 year career, Hyams made three buddy cop movies. Of the three, the best is "Busting" - a cynical, yet frequently hilarious subversion of a genre that, at that point, wasn't even all that popular yet. "Running Scared", his second buddy cop film, is the most entertaining. A breathless romp of a movie featuring the unforgettable double act of Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. Where does that leave "The Presidio" then? Well, it's fair to say it is Hyams' most conventional buddy cop film.
In fact, "The Presidio" seems to be made entirely out of obligatory scenes. You know the kind I mean. First, there's the obligatory chase scene during which a military policewoman is killed by unknown perpetrators. Enter our heroes. We get the obligatory cowboy cop with a chip on his shoulder named Jay (Mark Harmon) who is introduced in the obligatory scene in which he calmly faces down a gun-wielding criminal. You know, like Mel Gibson did in "Lethal Weapon". Then there's the obligatory by-the-book cop, in this case, military provost and all 'round hard-ass Lt. Col. Caldwell (Sean Connery). He is introduced in the obligatory scene in which he chews Jay's ass out. So far, so obligatory.
Our two buddy cops hate each other on sight but, of course, they have to work together. No further explanation is given other than the magical word "jurisdiction". Fine. We continue on our obligatory way. The next stop is the colonel's beautiful daughter, the bad girl temptress Donna (Meg Ryan) for whom Jay falls at first sight. Oh-oh, there's gonna be trouble when daddy finds out.
The thriller plot proceeds by the book as well. Our indefatigable heroes follow the clues all the way to a former CIA agent turned millionaire CEO (Mark Blum). But what is connecting him to a group of army officers who start dying off in unfortunate accidents? Bet you'll figure it out before the characters do. I did.
This is the kind of movie that makes my thumb waver. On the one hand, it's clearly not good. The screenplay by Larry Ferguson is a conveyor belt of cliches. Every line, every scene, every plot twist is recycled from somewhere else. I was able to guess who the bad guys were in their very first scenes. I just crossed them off the list as they showed up. No sweat.
However, it is an undeniably entertaining movie, as only an 80s buddy cop flick can be. There are car chases, shoot-outs, a bar brawl, a forbidden romance, and plenty of wisecracking back and forth between Connery and Harmon. Although everything is familiar, it is exceedingly well-executed. There's no doubt Peter Hyams is a terrific action director and "The Presidio" is not a blot on his record. Each of the film's set-pieces is well-staged and exciting even though it does not rank as Hyams' most ambitious movie.
Similarly, Sean Connery is terrific value for money as he always is. I've seen him in plenty of bad movies but I've never seen him turn in a bad performance. He is right at home here playing the authoritative hard-ass full of charisma and macho energy. I'm less sure about Mark Harmon's cowboy cop, though not through any fault of his own. The way the character is written makes him seem like a petulant child. He is argumentative, disrespectful, and quite a nuisance. Pretty much every interaction he has ends with him hurling unprovoked insults. In the few scenes, however, in which he gets to be charming and funny, Harmon is terrific proving that his unlikeable character is more down to bad writing than bad acting.
Another aspect of the film which I absolutely cannot fault is the photography. The film looks beautiful, full of dark shadows and lens flares. It has that proper Hollywood sheen. Peter Hyams does not embarrass himself on "The Presidio".
Whether you'll like this film or not depends on how you approach it. If you expect a fresh take on the buddy cop genre, you'll be disappointed. To be fair, even you expect a regular take on the buddy cop genre, you might walk away feeling cheated. No, this is rainy day entertainment for someone who is willing to lap up all the buddy cop cliches for those few nuggets of gold in the form of well-executed action scenes and the scenes in which Connery and Harmon get to spar. This is a handsomely put-together film, well shot and acted, but the script by Larry Ferguson is a tough one to swallow. "The Presidio" is a low-level buddy cop film, but there's fun to be there if you're willing to turn a blind eye to its many failings.
2/4 - DirectorIrving CummingsStarsWarner BaxterLois MoranGilbert EmeryEve Mannering realizes too late that her abusive husband is a philanderer and murderer and seeks protection with her true love, explorer John Beetham.11-02-2022
"Behind That Curtain" confidently strides into every early talkie pitfall there is. For one, the acting is stagey to almost parodic levels. Everyone talks... very... very... slowly... indeed, enunciating every syllable separately, leaving long, whopping pauses between each sentence careful not to speak over his fellow actor's line. I am convinced that if everyone spoke normally the film would be over in half the time. The blocking is stilted even for 1920s standards. There are no camera movements and all the actors are positioned in flat, unimaginative tableaux, delivering their lines towards the camera without moving. They don't stand as much as pose. They don't walk as much as strut. The pace, consequently, is languid and each scene seems to run on for far longer than it should.
The acting is of variable quality. Warner Baxter and Lois Moran are fine if not particularly memorable romantic leads and Gilbert Emery makes for a convincing authority figure. On the other end of the spectrum is Philip Strange whose portrayal of the snide villain is anything but subtle and whose delivery is an insult to wood. Boris Karloff makes his talkie-debut here in an inconsequential part that could easily go unnoticed. With the sinister looks he keeps giving the camera you'd think he was playing the villain instead of a lowly Arabic servant. The problem, however, is that everyone seems ill at ease on screen. Forced to act at such a languid pace and making an uncomfortable transition from silent movies, everyone seems self-conscious and discombobulated. In several long shots, the actors even seem to forget how to walk and seem to stagger in and out of rooms like toddlers.
But no one will be watching "Behind That Curtain" for its cinematic qualities. The film is best known as the oldest surviving cinematic outing of Charlie Chan, the brilliant Chinese detective who would go on to appear in further 4? films for Fox. While the film is based on Earl Derr Biggers' novel it is no mystery. Instead, it is a distinctly torrid melodrama, one to rival even the most over-the-top Indian soap operas. The story revolves around a love triangle between Eve (Lois Moran), her husband Eric (Philip Strange), and her childhood friend, the explorer Colonel Beetham (Warner Baxter). After Eve learns that Eric is a cheater and a murderer she escapes into the Arabic desert with Beetham pursued by a dogged Scotland Yard inspector Sir Frederick (Gilbert Emery). Chan is relegated to a tiny part as Sir Frederick's honourable colleague. He appears in only a single, unimportant scene and is amateurishly played by E.L. Park.
While the screenplay by George Middleton is adapted from a mystery novel the film has no mystery in it. The identity of the killer and his motivations are known pretty much from the very beginning of the film.
"Behind That Curtain" offers some interest but not due to its objective qualities. It is a lot of fun to watch as a kind of trashy 1920s soap opera with all the trappings of the genre. The over-the-top performances, overcooked emotions, explosive bust-ups and hilariously portentous dialogue delivered in voices shivering with emotion.
But if we look at it as a serious movie, "Behind That Curtain" is a bust. Besides some eye-catching desert photography and nice musical passages, the film is entirely without merit. With its stilted performances, stagy direction and languid pace, it is frequently a chore to get through its needlessly elongated 90-minute runtime.
1/4 - DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsTom BatemanAnnette BeningKenneth BranaghWhile on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot must investigate the murder of a young heiress.14-02-2022
Re-reading my review of Kenneth Branagh's previous Poirot endeavour, "Murder on the Orient Express", I can feel the anger and disappointment emanating from the words that such a stylish, handsome, and expensive production could be so badly derailed by a confusing, muddled, pretentious script. So, when I found out that "Death on the Nile" was to be adapted by the same screenwriter, one Michael Green, my heart sank. Happily, emerging from the screening room, I can say that Branagh's sophomore outing into the world of Agatha Christie does manage to stay afloat, if barely, mainly due to its director's astounding visual inventiveness.
"Death on the Nile" does fall into some of the same pitfalls as "Murder on the Orient Express". While Christie's superb plot is faithfully executed on screen, Green does not possess her subtlety or immaculate sense of pacing. Consequently, important plot points are either overstated ("Someone has taken a tube of red paint from my paint box") or lost in the muddle of needlessly overelaborate backstories. The first half of the film, in which we are traditionally introduced to all the suspects, is also too long. The murder doesn't take place until almost the halfway point of this 130-minute movie, leaving no time for actual detective work. Frequently during this film, I got the impression that Branagh and Green wanted to make a historical melodrama and the murders simply got in the way.
The bulk of the film focuses on a love triangle between Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), a sexy yet sleazy cad, his newlywed wife, the shamelessly wealthy Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot), and the spiteful Jacquline (Emma Mackey), his previous fiancee whom he dumped as soon as he saw Linnet's bank account. Now on their honeymoon, with seemingly the entirety of Linnet's family and friends in tow, their married bliss is constantly interrupted by Jacqueline who follows them wherever they go with a .22 in her purse.
Enter Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), the world's finest detective who is dragged into the wedding party by his old friend Bouc (Tom Bateman). Sensing tragedy, he emplores Simon and Linnet to return to England but as the title clearly implies his pleading fails and Linnet is found dead in her room on the luxury cruise liner Karnak. An open and shut case surely? Even Poirot thinks so until he finds out that the only person on the ship who couldn't have committed the murder is Jacqueline.
Now back to the film's visuals. It is impossible to overstate just how beautiful "Death on the Nile" is. From the exquisite period detail in the production design by Jim Clay to the moody and aesthetically pleasing cinematography from Haris Zambarloukos. However, the real credit goes to Kenneth Branagh who has displayed an unrivalled visual imagination in all of his films so far. It is a cliched phrase but "every frame a painting" is absolutely true in this case. There is not a dull or obvious shot to be found in this film. I was impressed by the smooth, elegant camera movements, the old-fashioned close-ups, the use of Egyptian landmarks, and the mileage Branagh gets out of the distorting window panes on the Karnak. Besides several dodgy examples of CGI, "Death on the Nile" is astounding to look at.
The actors too are first-rate. Although the cast list is less star-studded than the one of "Murder on the Orient Express", the performances are better, sharper, more lifelike. This is largely down to the fact that the characters are given room to breathe and are at least somewhat likeable. I won't list all the actors here but I will commend several of them. Fascinatingly, Branagh gets a restrained and truthful performance from comedian Russell Brand, as well as two loveable turns from Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French. Brave casting choices that paid off. Also excellent are Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot who perfectly embody that expensive stylishness of old-timey Hollywood. Gadot especially seems to shine in her every close-up.
Of course, however, the finest performance comes from Kenneth Branagh. I enjoyed his Hercule Poirot before but here he is even better. It is a finely-tuned, original take on the character who here is more human, emotional, and compelling than ever before. Branagh smartly avoids the caricaturally of Peter Ustinov and the mannerism of David Suchet. His Poirot is the most real and most believably human of them all.
"Death on the Nile" has its kinks, most of which can be attributed to yet another troubled script from Michael Green. However, the astounding visuals and a wonderful cast make it an undeniably fun film to watch. It is not quite a romp as it has its dark, turbulent moments but the darkness is never overbearing and pretentious the way it was in "Murder on the Orient Express". This is an all-around better, more satisfying, and more entertaining movie that manages to actually do something new with the classic material. I won't compare it to the Peter Ustinov picture because very few thrillers could stand up to it, but also because Kenneth Branagh's "Death on the Nile" has enough charm and inventiveness to stand on its own two feet.
3/4 - DirectorJoe WrightStarsAmy AdamsGary OldmanAnthony MackieAn agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors; only to witness a disturbing act of violence.15-12-2022
Anna is an agoraphobic psychologist which is one of those paradoxes that thriller writers put into their novels to make up for the lack of genuine character traits. The novel is "The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn, the latest to be filmed as part of the relatively recent craze for glossy, twisty psychological thrillers kickstarted by "Gone Girl". I've never read it but judging from the film adaptation it must be a decent read at the beach. The premise is intriguing enough, the plot easy to follow, and the conclusion familiar enough that it doesn't make you actually think about anything. It's one in a long, long line of here-today, gone-tomorrow bestsellers that used to be monopolized by Nora Roberts and Mary Higgins Clark.
Their novels used to be adapted into TV movies which is where they felt most at home. Now they've started fashioning them for the big screen where they seem out of place. Their plots are too cliched, too familiar, too thin, and ultimately utterly forgettable. "The Woman in the Window" runs into all of those problems. There is nothing particularly wrong with the film and had I watched it with half of my attention on TV one Sunday night I'm sure I would have enjoyed it, but the big screen and the glossy production behind it only serve to enhance its weak plotting and even weaker characters.
The plot mechanism starts grinding its wheels slowly when an unexpected visitor rings Anna's doorbell. She is Jane Russell (Julianne Moore), her new next-door neighbour, a kooky, fun-loving, loveable person with whom Anna bonds easily. The two spend a pleasant if boozy evening gossiping about Jane's husband, the short-tempered businessman by the name of Alastair (Gary Oldman). Jane leaves and that's the last time Anna sees her alive. I say alive because when she looks out of her window the next night she sees Jane with a knife in her stomach, bleeding out with the words "Help me" on her lips.
But Anna is not a well woman. She spends her days locked in her house, taking tables, boozing heavily and watching old Alfred Hitchcock films. The cops take one look at her and decide she is not to be trusted. Things become more complicated when Jane Russell shows up alive! But this is not Jane Russell that Anna met the previous night. This is a different looking woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) with a cold, distanced demeanour. Quiet and mousey. Surely, she is an impostor, but if that is so why do her husband and her son confirm her identity?
The mystery unravels according to the book and all the "is it real or is she mad" cliches are checked off the list. Most of the film's suspense is built around that very question but once you decide that the murder was indeed committed and that Jane Russell is not who she says she is the plot is surprisingly easy to work out. There is nothing challenging or original about "The Woman in the Window", it merely goes through the motions like good TV entertainment should, shame it's been blown up into a feature film.
The film is directed by Joe Wright (an unusual choice) who tries his best to give the film an artsy edge. The result resembles a dollar store version of a Brian de Palma film. There are plenty of smooth camera movements, dutch angles, and disturbing hallucinations but no real atmosphere or sense of mystery. I've seen it all before, done better with more inventiveness and energy.
After all the secrets are revealed, "The Woman in the Window" eventually boils down to a cheap slasher finale and even though it's all well-acted and handsomely shot I was left shrugging my shoulders. I never found myself caring about the film's central mystery, especially when I realised that anyone could be the killer. Unlike a good Agatha Christie story, "The Woman in the Window" doesn't feature a smartly structured series of clues for you to follow and reach your answer. It is the kind of thriller in which twist upon twist is added until the plot is so convoluted that the final twist could be anything.
A good thriller can leave the viewer with all kinds of feelings. They can be disturbing, satisfying, even humorous, but one feeling they should never leave you with is the feeling of indifference. "The Woman in the Window" does itself no favours by including so many clips from Hitchcock thrillers because all they do is remind us of better movies we could be watching instead.
2.5/4 - DirectorAndrés BaizStarsQuim GutiérrezMartina GarcíaMaría Soledad RodríguezShattered by the unexpected news of their irreversible break-up, an aspiring orchestra conductor is puzzled by his girlfriend's mysterious and seemingly inexplicable case of disappearance. But can he look beyond the facts?19-02-2022
"I thought I could escape the wickedness of the city by moving to the country. The fields that are green, the singing of the birds, the faces, smiling and friendly. Huh! The fields that are green are the secret burial places of murders most hideous. The birds sing only briefly before some idiot in tweed shoots them. And the faces all smiling and friendly, what do they conceal?"
I always think of those lines written by Clive Exton for his adaptation of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" whenever I watch a film like "The Hidden Face". What kind of film is that? Well, it's a film in which a beautiful but down on her luck woman meets a dashing, young, rich lad who whisks her away from her life of poverty into a fairy tale. But not everything is as it seems and soon the magic castle of her dreams turns into a Halloween pumpkin from her nightmares.
This genre can be traced back to before the movies were even a gleam in the Lumiers' eye. Hell, it's so old that it was parodied in 1803 by none other than Jane Austen herself. It found its way into the movies back in the silent era and seems to have endured until today in the form of horror/thrillers with varying degrees of spookiness. I remember fondly, for instance, Robert Zemeckis' "What Lies Beneath" and perhaps less fondly Daniel Sackheim's "The Glass House". The gold standard, of course, remains Hitchcock's "Rebecca" but a comparison to that classic would not fare well for anyone.
Now comes "The Hidden Face", a Colombian entry into the genre which proves to be a neat little clockwork thriller if somewhat inconsequential. The princess of the film is Fabiana (Martina Garcia), a strikingly beautiful waitress. The prince is Adrian (Quim Gutierrez), an up-and-coming conductor with all the upper body strength to prove it. The two meet when Fabian spots Adrian silently crying in the bar where she works. "I hate to see a man cry," she remarks and decides to improve his evening.
The two engage in a whirlwind romance which soon sees Fabiana living in Adrian's country manor, but like a shadow of death over their happy communion hangs the memory of Belen (Clara Lago), Adrian's former girlfriend who disappeared without a trace some weeks back. Her shadow continues to grow as Fabiana discovers that Adrian is the main suspect in her disappearance. Meanwhile, strange crying echoes through the empty house punctuated by rhythmic noises in the pipes. Maybe it's Pazuzu. You never know.
We then flash back several weeks to find out that Belen's life was no dream either. Having just moved from Spain to Colombia to be with Adrian she starts feeling isolated and lonely in his vast country house. Especially after she notices how fond he is of a particular violinist in his orchestra. Is he cheating on her or is she just being paranoid? She comes up with a way to find out.
The big twist, when it comes, has a delightfully mean-spirited irony to it reminiscent of the best twists from "The Twilight Zone". However, for it to work, we have to believe that the characters are the biggest idiots in the world. I won't go into the nitty-gritty because knowing the twist definitely spoils the fun but suffice to say it does not hold up to any kind of scrutiny. I was also disappointed that the twist is not revealed slowly through Fabiana piecing together various clues to find out what happened to her predecessor. No, it is revealed to us in a single swoop, through a lengthy flashback that ultimately ends up feeling like a somewhat tedious info dump.
The rest of the film hardly matters. It is all build-up to the twist. There is no attempt from the filmmakers to flesh out the characters, create a sense of mystery or even much suspense. Everything up to and after the big reveal is just the foundation to hold it all together. This is a shame because the trio of leading actors is a charismatic and talented bunch and I, for one, would have enjoyed seeing the personal stories of their characters play out much, much more than what we do get.
I enjoyed "The Hidden Face" for what it was, a simplistic and devious little pulp. At 90-minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome even if it ends quite abruptly with only some foreshadowing as to what happens next. It is, however, too pared down for its own good and will soon evaporate from my memory like the weightless soap bubble it is.
2.5/4 - DirectorAlberto RodríguezStarsJavier GutiérrezRaúl ArévaloMaría VarodTwo cops lost in the deep south of Spain. One serial killer to catch. A lot of secrets and lies to disclose.19-02-2022
A car is slowly driving through a treacherous marshland terrain almost entirely hidden in the tall cornfield. It is almost harvest season. The rain rarely stops falling and the clouds hide the sun. Still, it is warm. Warm and humid and everyone is sweaty. It is hard to breathe the humid air. The car, rusted and banged up, stops by a canal. The water in it is murky and shallow. Standing out against the mud and the dark water is the white naked body of a young girl stained only by dried blood. On the other side of the road, the police find another body. That of her sister. Both have been in the water for two days, both have been raped.
The year is 1980, the setting is the Spanish countryside. Franco has been dead for five years but his presence is still keenly felt. Fascism has officially been overthrown and the country is transitioning to democracy. However, democracy is evoked only when it serves to undermine justice. In truth, the fascists have merely swapped their black shirts for badly tailored suits. They still sit in the same chairs, harbouring the same hatreds. A large, golden cross in a hotel room is still adorned with the pictures of Franco and Hitler side by side.
This societal tear is evident even in the two cops investigating the case. Pedro (Raúl Arévalo) is a hothead demoted from Madrid for criticising the regime. Juan (Javier Gutiérrez) is his older colleague, an ageing gigolo with a propensity for alcohol and violence. Juan's time has passed with Franco but Pedro's hasn't arrived with democracy. They both keenly feel the injustice and lies surrounding them.
Following the trail left behind by the dead girls they slowly uncover that which wasn't particularly well hidden in the first place. Most thrillers rely on either the detectives' genius or luck to unravel their plots. In "Marshland" neither is necessary. The villains have no reason to hide their schemes. After all, who'll come to get them? While everyone is busy reformating the country and concealing their past crimes, a pornography ring can operate untroubled in the deep grass of the titular marshland.
"Marshland" has often been compared to "True Detective". I think it's far better. For one, it manages to evoke just as much atmosphere while being six hours shorter. I greatly admire the economy of this film's storytelling. There are no superfluous lines, no subplots. It always cuts straight to the centre of the story. In its first 15 minutes, it covers what most other films would spend 45 minutes on. This is a remarkably subtle film, a film in which details slowly come together to reveal the bigger picture. A briefly gleaned bruise on a woman's shoulder speaks more about her family life than a 15-minute monologue ever could. "Marshland" takes its time. Especially with the characters who at first seem simplistic and cliched. It then proceeds to tell us small things about them, about their pasts, about their futures and finally, in the last shot of the movie, we understand and appreciate who they truly are.
Another aspect where "Marshland" tops "True Detective" is that it doesn't overwhelm us with poetic musings. Don't get me wrong, "Marshland" uses the imagery and symbolism of its picturesque surroundings to great poetic effect but it does so without lingering, without monologuing, without self-importance. Every scene furthers the plot, every line is a story beat and the story never stops. This straightforward, austere storytelling at times reminded me, in the best sense possible, of classic westerns.
"Marshland" is an expertly executed movie. Admirably lean, handsomely produced, and insightful. It slowly builds up an atmosphere of a pressure cooker in which the heat builds but the water never seems to boil. Even though the bad guys are caught by the end of the movie nothing has been solved.
3.5/4 - DirectorRodrigo SorogoyenStarsAntonio de la TorreRoberto ÁlamoJavier PereiraInspectors Velarde and Alfaro must find what appears to be a serial killer. This hunt against the clock will make them realize something they'd never thought about: neither one of them is that different from the killer.19-02-2022
I wonder how easy serial killer films really are to make. From the point of view of someone who's seen dozens of them, there seems to be a very clear format to them. Almost a pattern that if you follow you'll at least have a watchable thriller on your hands. After an onslaught of the genre in America following "Seven", it seems the craze has moved on to Europe. I remember a French entry into the genre called "Have Mercy on Us All" that had a serial killer infecting his victims with the plague, then more recently there was a Polish film called "The Plagues of Breslau" which disappointingly had nothing to do with the actual plague. The Spanish, however, seem to love the genre the most as there have been, as far as I know, at least 4 such films in as many past years.
"May God Save Us" is one such film and, in terms of plotting, it follows the pattern with annoying fidelity. This killer rapes and murders old women. First, he gains their trust, takes them to the theatre, charms them, then brutally murders them in their apartments. There is a graphic brutality to this film which is rarely seen in mainstream cinema but otherwise, it plays by the book. There is the obligatory beginning in which no one believes there is a serial killer, then the obligatory middle in which there is a panic and no one knows how to catch him except for one particular cop, and then the obligatory ending in which the cop finds out if he's actually as bad as the killer himself.
Where "May God Save Us" does surprise is with its characters. Oh, don't worry, there is the obligatory chalk-and-cheese odd couple investigating the case. One is Alfaro (Roberto Álamo), a short-tempered man with a serious anger management issue who recently returned to work after a suspension for beating his previous partner senseless. The other is Velarde (Antonio de la Torre), a Monk-like genius detective on the autism scale. They've been partnered up largely because no one else wants to work with them. However, in the film's first surprise, they don't argue. In fact, they respect each other from the very beginning and realise they complete each other. Alfaro is Velarde's more assertive side while Velarde becomes Alfaro's logical side.
The film's second surprise is that it actually goes on to spend more of its runtime on the characters than the cat-and-mouse game with the killer. Alfaro's story is not so interesting. He has a wife who's left him, a daughter who takes care of him, and a dog he forgets to feed. Velarde's, however, is quite unusual. While he begins the film as the more likeable of the two, we soon learn that he possesses quite a dark side to him and that his fascination with the serial killer/rapist might be more than professional curiosity.
The performance by Antonio de la Torre is superb. He balances the comedic aspects of his character with the slowly emerging darkness with skill and subtly. There is a particularly well-acted sequence in which Velarde finally invites his crush (María Ballesteros) over to his apartment. Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen lets the scene run on and on until the awkwardness becomes hilarious. But then the scene continues and soon the hilarity turns into a kind of Hitchcockian dread.
"May God Save Us" has a fair few surprises up its sleeve but none of them is in the serial killer plot which grinds along amiably if somewhat listlessly. Once you get used to the film's gore the shock value quickly dissipates and all you're left with is yet another by-the-numbers serial killer plot. Had the film been only about Velarde and Alfaro it would have been a lot more entertaining and intriguing. As it stands it is still one of the more unusual thrillers of its kind but still neither original nor exciting enough to surpass its familiarity. Furthermore, at over 2 hours in length, it becomes a wearisome experience in the third act which should be its most exciting part.
3/4