Change Your Image
joelknight-03681
Reviews
The Informant (1997)
Depends on Which Side You Are On
This isn't bad film by any means, it's well shot, and the premise is highly plausible. However it does really paint the British/Loyalist side as the hero's when like all conflicts it's not that black and white.
Clearly written by someone who hated the IRA cause and as an English person myself it's down the fact that many aren't taught about this in school.
To get a more unbiased story of the Troubles and the History of Ireland, I recommend 71, or The Wind That Shakes The Barley.
Take it for what it is.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Watchable but hasn't aged well.
I used to love this movie, I mean it was a simple 80's feel good, watch anytime comedy like so many.
No matter how many times I watched, I still got a laugh from some of the scenes.
However having not seen in well over 10 years and coming back to it, I must say is not aged particularly well.
The premise can be forgiven as it is a remake of a 1964 movie featuring Marlon Brando.
It's about two con men, who basically try and outdo the other, and eventually they both set a challenge that decides who leaves the town in the French Riviera the film is set in.
One is a slap happy, causal American played by Steve Martin and the other is a more refined and elegant man, played by Micheal Caine.
They target rich women, in order to extract money off them in a web of over the top lies and pretenses.
Then they meet their match with a woman played by the late. Glenne Headly. The plot takes off when they set her as the challenge and try and outwit each other to extract the set amount of $50,000
I'll start with the good and I'm sure I'll be visiting my nostalgic side on this.
I really loved all the locations and the movie is set in the glitzy French Riviera and since I was younger this movie always made me want to visit it
From beautiful cliffside resorts, 5 star hotels and James Bond style casinos, the locations are superb.
The acting is a well as you can get from the stars and Micheal Caine plays off with deadpan style to fit his character, while Steve Martin is as himself, over the top and discerning.
Glenne Headly plays the seemingly naive Jannet Colgate, and plays a good part as you'll find out who the real mistress of deception is in the movie.
The actor's characters are playing parts in the movie itself and they are interesting as well as broadly stereotypical.
There are laughs, and even though a lot of the jokes are not high brow, and offensive in today's world. You will get chuckles from time to time, as the movie does it's best to shock the audience.
It's wrong but Ruprecht the Monkey Boys part was so ridiculous and over the top. I still get a chuckle more at the set of his quarters behind him than the character himself.
The story has an expected but well delivered twist at the end and for new viewers this will raise an eyebrow and garner maybe a smile of victory from the female audience at least.
Now the bad and I'll start with the fact that the plot is ridiculous. Why would Lawrence( Micheal Caine) agree to leave town that he's made a lavish home from in perfecting his art of scamming to some American he's just met and who he can have in put in jail at anytime. He does have the chief inspector of police bought and on his side after all. It's silly and as much as Freddie( Steve Martin) can try and blackmail him, by calling a woman, Lawrence duped surely that wouldn't create that much of a dent on Lawrence's persona.
After all its 1988 and that lady was on her way to back to America. This is far beyond the days of social media and anyone can find out about anybody or discredit someone online.
The plot is thin and it's little things and coincidental cliches that move it along.
In today's world this movie wouldn't be able be itself.
The plot wouldn't work due to the fact we have social media , camera phones etc and that two con men would be easily found out and shared at the first scam.
It's offensive to anyone that's disabled, mentally and physically. We see Steve Martin take on the con aspect of using disability to gain sympathy from his wheelchair, which shows how low and dislikable of a character he is. It does show though how low he'll go to win this challenge of loser leaves town.
But then I found myself rooting for Lawrence who plays a psychiatrist to make "Freddie walk again" and to do this he taunts a supposedly disabled man to achieve this.
It's pretty tasteless in today's standards.
Next we have the use of the mentally challenged faux brother of Lawrence's "Prince Persona" and this will garner a laugh I'm sure, it did back in the day, but now it's uncomfortable to watch an over the top mentally disabled act to push away the women, that want to be involved in Lawrence's life and help his cause.
Finally the whole movie is ridiculously misogynistic, even for 1988, If this was set in the 60s then perhaps it would be plausible.
The men are scamming predators who I doubt have had any qualms in bringing these overly naive rich women to bed to achieve their goals.
Also are rich women that stupid? At least the movie is trying to make that out. Yes the female character Janet wins her task at the end but most of the time she is used as a carrot on a stick the whole time to get Freddie to walk.
It makes the characters especially Freddie just so dislikable and predatory.
All in all
This movie for those who haven't seen it will give you a laugh but you will have to leave today's world and standards. That might suit some.
As for me who was a female fan of this movie I think the time has passed on it.
It shouldn't get a remake as for one. It's already a remake and two, the premise and most of the gags just wouldn't work in today's world.