UK, 1954. Directed by Ken Annakin. Akim Tamiroff, Donald Sinden, Sarah Lawson, Bill Kerr, Naunton Wayne, Dora Bryan.
Scripted by Peter Rogers just a few years before he became the producer of the Carry On series of films, this satirical comedy feels a bit creaky nowadays, but is still mildly amusing in places. A reflection of the Cold War era, played mostly for laughs - Dr Strangelove it isn't. Cast as a naval officer, Donald Sinden seems here to be playing a comic version of the character he portrayed in the previous year's The Cruel Sea. Plenty of other British character actors pop up in familiar roles, but much of the humour is laboured by today's standards.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
American Crime
USA, 2004. Directed by Dan Mintz. Annabella Sciorra, Cary Elwes, Kip Pardue, Rachael Leigh Cook, Cyia Batten.
This thriller starts well, grabbing the attention with an intriguing spin on a formulaic plot, but quickly finds itself weighted down by unbelievable characters and situations and a plot which is so full of holes and illogicalities it can't hope to ever resolve itself to the satisfaction of the viewer. The script is woefully underdeveloped and doesn't know where it's going. By far the most interesting thing in the film is the extraordinary performance by Cary Elwes as a TV anchorman, which is in turns over-the-top and wryly amusing.
This thriller starts well, grabbing the attention with an intriguing spin on a formulaic plot, but quickly finds itself weighted down by unbelievable characters and situations and a plot which is so full of holes and illogicalities it can't hope to ever resolve itself to the satisfaction of the viewer. The script is woefully underdeveloped and doesn't know where it's going. By far the most interesting thing in the film is the extraordinary performance by Cary Elwes as a TV anchorman, which is in turns over-the-top and wryly amusing.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Cabin Fever
USA, 2002. Directed by Eli Roth. Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, Joey Kern, Cerina Vincent.
Tacky horror movie which in the right hands and with the right screenplay might have become a horror classic, but as it is it's an undisciplined mess. Director Eli Roth presents us with familiar characters and situations and a plot which lacks the fine tuning necessary to suspend disbelief long enough for us to question the logic of why people do what they do. The geography is a problem too - at some points the kids appear to be in the middle of nowhere, at others they appear to be just across the way from various homesteads which might potentially offer assistance. There's a presumably deliberate attempt to evoke a sense of the menace of Deliverance, but the hillbillies seem more like caricatures than characters. I appreciate this was intended as a horror-comedy, but it didn't really work for me.
Tacky horror movie which in the right hands and with the right screenplay might have become a horror classic, but as it is it's an undisciplined mess. Director Eli Roth presents us with familiar characters and situations and a plot which lacks the fine tuning necessary to suspend disbelief long enough for us to question the logic of why people do what they do. The geography is a problem too - at some points the kids appear to be in the middle of nowhere, at others they appear to be just across the way from various homesteads which might potentially offer assistance. There's a presumably deliberate attempt to evoke a sense of the menace of Deliverance, but the hillbillies seem more like caricatures than characters. I appreciate this was intended as a horror-comedy, but it didn't really work for me.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Orphans
UK, 1997. Directed by Peter Mullan. Douglas Henshall, Gary Lewis, Rosemarie Stevenson, Stephen McCole, Frank Gallagher, Alex Norton.
Orphans is a fascinating and highly entertaining film based around a family of siblings gathered together in Glasgow for the funeral of their mother. I loved it for its depiction of Glasgow night-life, its humanity and above all its highly irreverant humour. It's uneven, I think because it veers wildly from surrealism on the one hand to a Ken Loach-style realism on the other, but I laughed a great deal and it held my attention throughout.
Orphans is a fascinating and highly entertaining film based around a family of siblings gathered together in Glasgow for the funeral of their mother. I loved it for its depiction of Glasgow night-life, its humanity and above all its highly irreverant humour. It's uneven, I think because it veers wildly from surrealism on the one hand to a Ken Loach-style realism on the other, but I laughed a great deal and it held my attention throughout.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Money Pit
USA, 1986. Directed by Richard Benjamin. Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Godunov, Maureen Stapleton, Joe Mantegna.
"Reminiscent of Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" says the publicity, along with the line "an hilarious comedy". Well, Steven Spielberg may have been the Executive Producer and comic actor Richard Benjamin may have directed it, but I'm afraid The Money Pit is a complete misfire. As others have noted, it's one joke (couple buy their dream house only to discover too late that it's falling apart) stretched out over an hour and a half. Lots of sight gags which initially raise a smile but soon wear out their welcome when they're endlessly repeated with only slight variations. The script fails to build up sympathy for the two leads and the actors struggle to make any of it credible or interesting. Give me Mr Blandings any day.
"Reminiscent of Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House" says the publicity, along with the line "an hilarious comedy". Well, Steven Spielberg may have been the Executive Producer and comic actor Richard Benjamin may have directed it, but I'm afraid The Money Pit is a complete misfire. As others have noted, it's one joke (couple buy their dream house only to discover too late that it's falling apart) stretched out over an hour and a half. Lots of sight gags which initially raise a smile but soon wear out their welcome when they're endlessly repeated with only slight variations. The script fails to build up sympathy for the two leads and the actors struggle to make any of it credible or interesting. Give me Mr Blandings any day.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Guru
UK / France / USA, 2002. Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. Jimi Mistry, Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei, Michael McKean.
A misguided attempt to mix Bollywood with Hollywood, this would-be romantic comedy falls somewhere in the middle and sadly fails to be either romantic or funny. What passes for humour is laid on with a trowel and despite everyone's best efforts (it's a likeable cast), is never more than laboured. A shame, because there could have been an interesting (and funny) film in there somewhere, but this isn't it.
A misguided attempt to mix Bollywood with Hollywood, this would-be romantic comedy falls somewhere in the middle and sadly fails to be either romantic or funny. What passes for humour is laid on with a trowel and despite everyone's best efforts (it's a likeable cast), is never more than laboured. A shame, because there could have been an interesting (and funny) film in there somewhere, but this isn't it.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys
USA, 2002. Directed by Peter Care. Emile Hirsch, Kieran Culkin, Jena Malone, Vincent D'onofrio, Jodie Foster.
Not sure what I was expecting when I started to watch this coming-of-age drama, but it certainly wasn't what I got. It doesn't quite know what it wants to be, beginning as it does as a comedy, developing into a Stand By Me-type rite-of-passage drama and culminating in tragedy, having embraced comic-book animation along the way. It tries too hard to be too many things, which is a shame because there is a lot of good stuff here. It will remain one of the more curious choices for Jodie Foster, cast as a hard-line nun, who also co-produced. Well acted by all the young cast though and worth a look.
Not sure what I was expecting when I started to watch this coming-of-age drama, but it certainly wasn't what I got. It doesn't quite know what it wants to be, beginning as it does as a comedy, developing into a Stand By Me-type rite-of-passage drama and culminating in tragedy, having embraced comic-book animation along the way. It tries too hard to be too many things, which is a shame because there is a lot of good stuff here. It will remain one of the more curious choices for Jodie Foster, cast as a hard-line nun, who also co-produced. Well acted by all the young cast though and worth a look.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Air Force One
USA, 1997. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell.
I calculated that Harrison Ford must have been in his mid fifties when he made this film, which made some of his action-man heroics displayed here pretty hard to believe. But then, Wolfgang Petersen's film isn't the sort of movie which is built for analysing its reality or logic. It's a reasonably well made thriller, a plane hostage drama with seasoned ingredients one has seen many times before - there's nothing really new here. Gary Oldman comes on board to demonstrate how well we Brits can play ze ruthless killerz with ze frightening accent and Glenn Close pleases in a role which doesn't offer her much to work with. The "Get off my plane" line is a (literal) killer though, and made me laugh out loud.
I calculated that Harrison Ford must have been in his mid fifties when he made this film, which made some of his action-man heroics displayed here pretty hard to believe. But then, Wolfgang Petersen's film isn't the sort of movie which is built for analysing its reality or logic. It's a reasonably well made thriller, a plane hostage drama with seasoned ingredients one has seen many times before - there's nothing really new here. Gary Oldman comes on board to demonstrate how well we Brits can play ze ruthless killerz with ze frightening accent and Glenn Close pleases in a role which doesn't offer her much to work with. The "Get off my plane" line is a (literal) killer though, and made me laugh out loud.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
[Rec]
Spain, 2007. Directed by Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza. Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terraza, Jorge Serrano, Pablo Rosso.
Highly effective Spanish horror clearly influenced by The Blair Witch Project but sufficiently different and inventive in its own right. Told in the form of a live late-night TV report following the work of a Barcelona fire station, a young TV reporter and her camerman accompany two of them as they respond to a call concerning a woman trapped in an apartment block. What follows is in turns unexpected and the stuff of nightmares, as the rescuers and the other tenants find themselves trapped and ultimately under attack from each other. As with Blair Witch the entire film is shot with a hand-held camera and maintains its unsettling and frightening mood to the very end.
Highly effective Spanish horror clearly influenced by The Blair Witch Project but sufficiently different and inventive in its own right. Told in the form of a live late-night TV report following the work of a Barcelona fire station, a young TV reporter and her camerman accompany two of them as they respond to a call concerning a woman trapped in an apartment block. What follows is in turns unexpected and the stuff of nightmares, as the rescuers and the other tenants find themselves trapped and ultimately under attack from each other. As with Blair Witch the entire film is shot with a hand-held camera and maintains its unsettling and frightening mood to the very end.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Career Girls
UK, 1997. Directed by Mike Leigh. Katrin Cartlidge, Lynda Steadman, Kate Byers, Mark Benton.
Not the pinnacle of Mike Leigh's work, but nevertheless a neat character study of two friends meeting up again after six years. Told partly in flashback and partly in the present day, the film pieces together the relationship of the two young women who share a flat in their student days and become friends, despite an unpromising first meeting. There is little plot, the emphasis being on what the characters say to each other rather than what they do. Beautifully acted by Cartlidge and Steadman, with Mark Benton turning in a nicely-judged performance as the tragi-comic Ricky, fellow student and social misfit. A small film, but one well worth watching.
Not the pinnacle of Mike Leigh's work, but nevertheless a neat character study of two friends meeting up again after six years. Told partly in flashback and partly in the present day, the film pieces together the relationship of the two young women who share a flat in their student days and become friends, despite an unpromising first meeting. There is little plot, the emphasis being on what the characters say to each other rather than what they do. Beautifully acted by Cartlidge and Steadman, with Mark Benton turning in a nicely-judged performance as the tragi-comic Ricky, fellow student and social misfit. A small film, but one well worth watching.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Valentine
USA, 2001. Directed by Jamie Blanks. Denise Richards, David Boreanaz, Marley Shelton, Jessica Capshaw.
Oh dear. I do try to enter into the spirit of a film when I start to watch it, even if it's not really my type of thing. But Valentine does try the patience, with completely implausible situations, characters and events. I found myself frequently getting distracted rather than glued to the screen. If you are going to tell an unlikely or even ridiculous story, you have to tell it really well, with a good sense of style and pace and a half-decent script. If the audience is given the chance to start pondering the illogicalities of what they're watching, you've blown it. And there's certainly enough illogicality here. As for the acting, well, I don't think anyone's going to win an Oscar for their performance. And the shock moments were hardly hair-raising.
Oh dear. I do try to enter into the spirit of a film when I start to watch it, even if it's not really my type of thing. But Valentine does try the patience, with completely implausible situations, characters and events. I found myself frequently getting distracted rather than glued to the screen. If you are going to tell an unlikely or even ridiculous story, you have to tell it really well, with a good sense of style and pace and a half-decent script. If the audience is given the chance to start pondering the illogicalities of what they're watching, you've blown it. And there's certainly enough illogicality here. As for the acting, well, I don't think anyone's going to win an Oscar for their performance. And the shock moments were hardly hair-raising.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spider-Man
USA, 2002. Directed by Sam Raimi. Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris.
This comic-book action hero movie is likeable enough, with Tobey Maguire aquitting himself well in the title role. Willem Dafoe, always reliable, seems to have born to play baddies but here manages to get the most out of his Jekyll-Hyde character. Kirsten Dunst is suitably "girl-next-door" and veterans Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris excellent as Parker's uncle and aunt. The action sequences are - well - full of action, and the vulnerability of the central character is well expressed. In the hands of Sam Raimi, this delivers the goods without being outstanding.
This comic-book action hero movie is likeable enough, with Tobey Maguire aquitting himself well in the title role. Willem Dafoe, always reliable, seems to have born to play baddies but here manages to get the most out of his Jekyll-Hyde character. Kirsten Dunst is suitably "girl-next-door" and veterans Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris excellent as Parker's uncle and aunt. The action sequences are - well - full of action, and the vulnerability of the central character is well expressed. In the hands of Sam Raimi, this delivers the goods without being outstanding.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
L'Ennui
France / Portugal, 1998. Directed by Cédric Kahn. Charles Berling, Sophie Guillemin, Arielle Dombasle, Robert Kramer.
Fascinating French film about obsessional love - or perhaps simply about obsessional sex. A fairly basic plot (bored philosophy lecturer has an affair with a gauche, much younger woman) turns into a nightmare scenario as he craves her more and more whilst simultaneously despising and mistreating her. It's an exercise in showing how an intense physical relationship can be overwhelming and yet still not enough if emotional intimacy is lacking. The young woman here seems unable to give the man what he wants, despite her physical compliance with his sexual demands. Not as good as it might look on the surface, but in its graphic scenes it does succeed in showing how sex without joy can be unrewarding and, yes, ultimately even boring.
Fascinating French film about obsessional love - or perhaps simply about obsessional sex. A fairly basic plot (bored philosophy lecturer has an affair with a gauche, much younger woman) turns into a nightmare scenario as he craves her more and more whilst simultaneously despising and mistreating her. It's an exercise in showing how an intense physical relationship can be overwhelming and yet still not enough if emotional intimacy is lacking. The young woman here seems unable to give the man what he wants, despite her physical compliance with his sexual demands. Not as good as it might look on the surface, but in its graphic scenes it does succeed in showing how sex without joy can be unrewarding and, yes, ultimately even boring.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Waterworld
USA, 1995. Directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino.
Epic tale of a world gone watery, with Kevin Costner looking suitably heroic and Dennis Hopper doing a jokey version of his psychopathic character which we've all come to know and love over the years. As others have noted, it's not as bad as one might have been led to believe from the reviews, the design is excellent and the action scenes (of which there are many) are well-staged. Oh, and I thought Tina Majorino as Enola was excellent. However, I failed to really engage with the characters, and given the reportedly huge budget, I would have expected it to add up to something more than this film delivers.
Epic tale of a world gone watery, with Kevin Costner looking suitably heroic and Dennis Hopper doing a jokey version of his psychopathic character which we've all come to know and love over the years. As others have noted, it's not as bad as one might have been led to believe from the reviews, the design is excellent and the action scenes (of which there are many) are well-staged. Oh, and I thought Tina Majorino as Enola was excellent. However, I failed to really engage with the characters, and given the reportedly huge budget, I would have expected it to add up to something more than this film delivers.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Swimming Pool
France / UK, 2003. Directed by François Ozon. Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance, Marc Fayolle, Jean-Marie Lamour.
The ever-watchable Charlotte Rampling here stars as a UK-based crime novellist with writer's block who takes up her publisher's offer of staying at his villa in France. Ozon's film is ostensibly a thriller containing some nice Hitchcockian moments, but as the story slowly unfolds it becomes much more than that, developing into a fascinating character study and focusing on the psychological twists and turns of the relationship between Rampling and Sagnier (the latter playing the publisher's daughter). There's much more here than meets the eye, and after the twist in the final scene you may want to replay the movie to see if you've missed any clues.
The ever-watchable Charlotte Rampling here stars as a UK-based crime novellist with writer's block who takes up her publisher's offer of staying at his villa in France. Ozon's film is ostensibly a thriller containing some nice Hitchcockian moments, but as the story slowly unfolds it becomes much more than that, developing into a fascinating character study and focusing on the psychological twists and turns of the relationship between Rampling and Sagnier (the latter playing the publisher's daughter). There's much more here than meets the eye, and after the twist in the final scene you may want to replay the movie to see if you've missed any clues.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Inspector Gadget
USA, 1999. Directed by David Kellogg. Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher, Michelle Trachtenberg, Dabney Coleman.
Over the years big-screen versions of old TV programmes have left a lot to be desired on the whole. Films of old TV cartoon series are even more ill-advised. As someone who has never seen the original on which this is based I'm unqualified to make a comparison, but I suspect the TV version was much more fun. It certainly can't have been much worse than what's on offer here. I felt this was lazy film-making, just a succession of non-stop action sequences without anything much in the way of a plot or any real characterisation. Even Rupert Everett, an intelligent and highly watchable actor, is here reduced to a series of snarls and grimaces. I appreciate the film is targeted at children - it is Disney-produced after all - but I gather this didn't have a lot of success at the box office, which suggests even the kids weren't impressed. OK, I'm an old fogey, but I spent some of the time watching this and wondering whatever happened to the old Disney magic at producing charming, funny live-action movies - I found myself wishing I was watching Fred MacMurray in The Absent Minded Professor instead.
Over the years big-screen versions of old TV programmes have left a lot to be desired on the whole. Films of old TV cartoon series are even more ill-advised. As someone who has never seen the original on which this is based I'm unqualified to make a comparison, but I suspect the TV version was much more fun. It certainly can't have been much worse than what's on offer here. I felt this was lazy film-making, just a succession of non-stop action sequences without anything much in the way of a plot or any real characterisation. Even Rupert Everett, an intelligent and highly watchable actor, is here reduced to a series of snarls and grimaces. I appreciate the film is targeted at children - it is Disney-produced after all - but I gather this didn't have a lot of success at the box office, which suggests even the kids weren't impressed. OK, I'm an old fogey, but I spent some of the time watching this and wondering whatever happened to the old Disney magic at producing charming, funny live-action movies - I found myself wishing I was watching Fred MacMurray in The Absent Minded Professor instead.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Pitch Black
USA, 2000. Directed by David Twohy. Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David.
We’re clearly in Alien territory here, with a small group of space travellers marooned on a distant planet and threatened by vicious creatures that only come out when it’s dark. Predictably enough the small group gets smaller as they get picked off one by one throughout the course of the film. It’s OK, but ultimately fails to really satisfy because most of the characters aren’t developed enough and consequently aren’t very interesting. However, what do I know? Since this was made a whole industry has been created around Vin Diesel’s character, Riddick. Some scary moments but overall nothing to get too excited about.
We’re clearly in Alien territory here, with a small group of space travellers marooned on a distant planet and threatened by vicious creatures that only come out when it’s dark. Predictably enough the small group gets smaller as they get picked off one by one throughout the course of the film. It’s OK, but ultimately fails to really satisfy because most of the characters aren’t developed enough and consequently aren’t very interesting. However, what do I know? Since this was made a whole industry has been created around Vin Diesel’s character, Riddick. Some scary moments but overall nothing to get too excited about.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Don't Come Knocking
France / Germany / USA, 2005. Directed by Wim Wenders. Sam Shepard, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, Gabriel Mann, Sarah Polley, Fairuza Balk, Eve Marie Saint.
Twenty years after their great collaborative work Paris, Texas, director Wenders and writer/star Shepard are reunited here in a film which explores similar themes, in particular family and the need to belong. Franz Lustig's photography is great to look at throughout and gives substance to the overall mood of emotional and physical isolation. Faultlessly acted by all concerned, I especially enjoyed Tim Roth as a humourless tracer inclined to OCD. Ultimately I would have to say the earlier film is better - the material here failed to engage me in quite the same way - but nevertheless another great example of a European director showing us an alternative America to the one we're so often served up by Hollywood.
Twenty years after their great collaborative work Paris, Texas, director Wenders and writer/star Shepard are reunited here in a film which explores similar themes, in particular family and the need to belong. Franz Lustig's photography is great to look at throughout and gives substance to the overall mood of emotional and physical isolation. Faultlessly acted by all concerned, I especially enjoyed Tim Roth as a humourless tracer inclined to OCD. Ultimately I would have to say the earlier film is better - the material here failed to engage me in quite the same way - but nevertheless another great example of a European director showing us an alternative America to the one we're so often served up by Hollywood.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Turks Fruit (Turkish Delight)
Netherlands, 1973. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Monique van de Ven, Rutger Hauer, Tonny Huurdeman, Wim van den Brink.
Fascinating Dutch film from the early 1970s made by a pre-Hollywood Paul Verhoeven and featuring a young Rutger Hauer in the leading role. An interesting study of a stormy, passionate relationship unfortunately let down a little by its undisciplined style, which veers from comedy to tragedy and punctuated with erotic sex scenes. After watching the excesses here, one might feel Verhoeven was highly restrained by the time he got to Hollywood and filmed Sharon Stone crossing her legs in Basic Instinct. Monique van de Ven is convincing as the alluring Olga and Hauer is full of bohemian bravado and anger towards authority. But be warned - some people may find certain scenes hard to take (and I'm not talking about the sex!).
Fascinating Dutch film from the early 1970s made by a pre-Hollywood Paul Verhoeven and featuring a young Rutger Hauer in the leading role. An interesting study of a stormy, passionate relationship unfortunately let down a little by its undisciplined style, which veers from comedy to tragedy and punctuated with erotic sex scenes. After watching the excesses here, one might feel Verhoeven was highly restrained by the time he got to Hollywood and filmed Sharon Stone crossing her legs in Basic Instinct. Monique van de Ven is convincing as the alluring Olga and Hauer is full of bohemian bravado and anger towards authority. But be warned - some people may find certain scenes hard to take (and I'm not talking about the sex!).
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Crawlspace
USA, 1986. Directed by David Schmoeller. Klaus Kinski, Talia Balsam, Barbara Whinnery, Carole Francis.
Totally bonkers B-movie horror, with the equally bonkers Kinski coming to the end of his career somewhat ignominously. If you're in the right mood, this is a hoot, with both intentional and unintentional humour running through it. Mercifully short, it's one to watch with your mates when you've come back from the pub on a friday night.
Totally bonkers B-movie horror, with the equally bonkers Kinski coming to the end of his career somewhat ignominously. If you're in the right mood, this is a hoot, with both intentional and unintentional humour running through it. Mercifully short, it's one to watch with your mates when you've come back from the pub on a friday night.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Dog Soldiers
UK, 2002. Directed by Neil Marshall. Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham.
Agreeable British werewolf film, which offers little originality but scores well with its action sequences, which keep the storyline rattling along. Director Neil Marshall demonstrates you don't have to have a huge budget to make an effective thriller. The plot twists are predictable and signalled well in advance of their execution, but overall I found this more entertaining than many big budget movies. And not for the first time I noted how Sean Pertwee bids fair to be his father's double, both in his looks and his voice.
Agreeable British werewolf film, which offers little originality but scores well with its action sequences, which keep the storyline rattling along. Director Neil Marshall demonstrates you don't have to have a huge budget to make an effective thriller. The plot twists are predictable and signalled well in advance of their execution, but overall I found this more entertaining than many big budget movies. And not for the first time I noted how Sean Pertwee bids fair to be his father's double, both in his looks and his voice.
Friday, March 6, 2009
This Boy's Life
USA, 1993. Directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire.
Compelling human drama from director Michael Caton-Jones with solid acting by De Niro, Barkin and DiCaprio. As Tobias, DiCaprio all but steals the picture from De Niro, conveying the complexities of troubled youth, in turns swaggering adolescent and frightened child. De Niro is horribly convincing as Dwight, a study in bullying cowardice. Ellen Barkin plays one of her strongest roles here too, as the mother torn between her love for her son and her need for security. A real achievement.
Compelling human drama from director Michael Caton-Jones with solid acting by De Niro, Barkin and DiCaprio. As Tobias, DiCaprio all but steals the picture from De Niro, conveying the complexities of troubled youth, in turns swaggering adolescent and frightened child. De Niro is horribly convincing as Dwight, a study in bullying cowardice. Ellen Barkin plays one of her strongest roles here too, as the mother torn between her love for her son and her need for security. A real achievement.
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