MY 2011 TOP TEN - 9: 13 ASSASSINS

Takashi Miike is a director that, if you've heard of him at all before, courts controversy. His films Audition and Ichi the Killer are the definition of what the modern audience would call moral bankruptcy. I'm actually inclined to agree with them on this one. I find Miike's jet black humour often wildly misplaced, despite a clear artistic vision often on display. The degrading nature of Miike's content often tarnishes whatever other ideas he is trying to put forward.

13 Assassins is the sole exception (in my personal case) where that is not the case. Yes, the film is exceptionally violent. This time though the violence feels justifiable. A sadistic character commits sadistic acts, but importantly the character feels like a character rather than a caricature. His actions feel motivated, rather than aimless. Similarly, this is Samurai movie (the title itself recalls Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai), and thus the lopping off of a limb is more likely than say hanging a man by hooks in a warehouse. The blood is within a context that makes sense.

The plot (loose term) concerns a Shogun's bastard brother Naritsugu sadistically travelling around and out of apparent boredom is committing atrocious acts of violence on servants and his hosts alike. The growing rage in Japan is marking Naritsugu out as a man who needs to be disposed of. Unfortunately, the man has a cult of personality accumulating about his person and his legion of followers is willing to protect him, or if it comes to it, die for him.

Thus a disgraced ronin (read: masterless samurai) assembles a team to take on the force and assassinate Naritsugu. The film, like Kurosawa's, is long but rewarding. We witness the team assemble. Admittedly, few of these characters register beyond 'spear guy' and 'mohawked bredda with short sword', but that is actually not a bad thing in this case. The nature of ronin being masterless goes beyond mere employment but status. These men are isolated from the world they have been charged to protect. The chance to go out in a blaze of arrows and swordplay gives their death meaning. Their deaths do register on the thematic level and thus we feel their passing though admittedly as cool a title as 13 Assassins is, Seven Samurai are a more manageable amount of characters.

The reason to stick with the film is for its second half. The 150 minute running time is divided into a distinct two halves. One is meeting all the characters; the second half is the battle. And boy, is it a battle. Easily the most thrilling action sequence of the year and almost entirely without the aid of CG, the battle never once drags or pauses for air. Constantly evolving and throwing in surprises there is never a dull moment.

WHILE THE MOVIE STRUGGLES IN ITS OPENING HALF, THE SECOND HALF IS WHY WE GO TO THE MOVIES.

MY 2011 TOP TEN - 10: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

When David Fincher was announced as the director for the English language adaptation of Steig Larsson's bestselling thriller two things came to mind.

1. Perfect choice
2. He's done this before

There are a variety of problems looming over Fincher's latest film, not the least of which is the already strong Swedish adaptation of the book that bares many of the same beats that this version does, but the largest is Fincher himself.

His films Se7en and Zodiac follow investigations into serial killers, and The Game and Panic Room mark out his further entries into the thriller genre. Whereas those films felt strong, assured, fresh and, occasionally, historic The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo feels by-the-numbers. Not to do the film a disservice (it is after all in my Top Ten) but this is the first time in Fincher's career it doesn't feel like he's breaking any new ground. Undeniably, his style is toned down here, feeling more like a professional as opposed to a master of the medium. There are no quirks or flourishes of style that mark out the film. There is no IKEA catalogue scene, as there was in Fight Club, nor a visceral foot chase a la Se7en.
If anything one of the main problems with the film is that it lacks incident. The ‘incident’ that everyone talks about is undeniably visceral and shocking, but to what end? The film, at the end of the day, is about trying to catch a killer and the incident does not serve the narrative in the least. These problems are at the core of the book, rather than the film, its talking points outweighing the narrative drive.

But enough about the problems, why is it a good film?

The answer here is the leads. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara excel in their respective roles. Neither outdoing nor in the shadows of their Swedish counterparts, Craig and Mara are every bit the equals of the parts. Craig displays an everyman quality often absent from his other works. It is the first time we have seen the actor play vulnerable for quite some time, and it reminds you (as Layer Cake did before) that when he is good you remember why he is now firmly in the A-List. Mara also brings a fragile anger to her portrayal of the sociopathic Lisbeth. She is at times both horrifyingly vulnerable and respectably fierce. Mara's interpretation brings more warmth than Noomi Rapace's interpretation but that is not really a problem, given the film's tangent into the progress of her relationship with Craig’s Blomkvist. The final shot is all the more painful, given the glimmers of humanity in Lisbeth. The film as a result stands alone, as opposed to a curio, down to these two performers.

Despite the hesitations one has about Fincher's 'for the money' approach to directing this film, when he responds to a scene he seizes the occasion. A dolly shot of a closed door does more for unsettling the audience than the graphic scene that follows it. Similarly, the scene in the killer's lair at the end is an undeniably chilling experience that ranks alongside the horrors in Se7en. When the moment strikes him Fincher takes the audience by the head and slams their senses against a brick wall.

DP Jeff Cronenweth, a long time collaborator of Fincher's, shoots the whole thing with a cold sleekness that makes every shot in the film evoke a sense of decay and malaise. The film's primary theme of long forgotten history is suggested in every frame. Equally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score is utterly spellbinding. Always hauntingly beautiful and driving the key themes home - it is a departure from their Social Network score, far more melodic and less synthesised - without sacrificing their signature in the process. Its signature movements will haunt longer than any image will.

Steve Zaillian's screenplay displays scenes of absolute power and force. His dialogue provides characters a humanity that often lacks from thrillers of this ilk. Rapists seem civilised, rather than sociopathic (for our heroine holds those traits). Many scenes are downright horrifying given the sheer normalcy of these people.

However, the film is Fincher's least interesting film. It feels entirely commonplace rather than wholly unique. A first for the director. That does not mean that it lacks vision; many elements impress. Even if this is a 'for the money' job for its director, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is still the best thriller of the year, bar none.

BLOATED, OVERLONG BUT WITH MORE THAN ENOUGH ON DISPLAY FOR YOU TO ADMIRE.

2011: The Year It Almost Happened

2011 in film (let's not forget what this blog is about folks) was overall the year people came but nothing changed. We're all still unsatisfied. British Film did well overseas both financially and critically. A number of the great directors returned to the screen. 3D limped on. And we had more forgettable comic book movies and two hour trailers for next year's The Avengers than anyone could have imagined.

The King's Speech was a motion picture no-one knew at the beginning of the year, yet it emerges with $414,211,549, four Academy Awards and it brought people back to the cinema who had turned their back on the cinema for years. It remains a personal favourite of mine this year (A Top Ten will naturally follow) and everyone elses. Like Slumdog Millionaire previously, the international audience embraced it and it proved that the appetite for adult cinema is still out there.

Not only did that film succeed on a monumental level, but both Harry Potter (most popular book in the Solar System sold a lot of tickets at the box office - surprise sur-fucking-prise) and, more interestingly The Inbetweeners Movie brought in huge audiences both here and abroad. The three films all told are wildly different yet brought people to the cinema. This is always a sign that we, the Brits, can still make home grown films that work both here and abroad. Keep that going and one day we can coax a top director here rather than to Hollywood (un-fucking-likely).

The Summer was an interesting time. With Joss Whedon's The Avengers looming. Marvel had to get its other key players in step for what they bill THE MOVIE EVENT OF THE DECADE. Both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger arrived to fill in audience's gaps but a large problem loomed.

Unlike The Incredible Hulk or Iron Man, the new titles this year did not have the same cultural register. Captain America was a cartoon designed out of US Patriotic Propaganda and Thor was pure fantasy, several steps removed from the reality of the comics that Iron Man and, even Hulk existed in. Essentially despite occasional strengths (Art Departments and Chris Evans)the films acted as nothing but a two-hour back-story for Marvel's behemoth film.

Elsewhere, X-Men: First Class was a prequel that despite being the most interesting of the comic films this year managed to arrive with no-one really interested. While Green Lantern was a film that rather evidently had suffered at the hands of a thousand interfering hands.

The more pressing concern of course is the lack of originality on display here. The Summer tent pole picture is now almost entirely reliant on pre-existing audiences. The cultural recognition of the X-Men or Thor supposedly outweighs the notion of an original movie. Take for example, a film like Source Code. Whilst an original screenplay with name talent like Jake Gyllenhaal behind it, the film had an incredibly low budget (£22 million) next to a standard summer release, like Captain America ($140 million). In fact, the only notable films this year that did well at the box office that were not based on pre-existing material were Bridesmaids and Super 8. Originality is dwindling in Hollywood (as is England, The Inbetweeners is, after all, based on a popular sitcom) and there are no signs of that changing. Super 8 could almost certainly be tried on its own account though. The film is a mish-mash of cultural touchstones that help assuage an audience's reservations. The film is essentially every family film Spielberg ever put his name to. Not to shit on the film inherently though. I actually adored its nostalgic style and period detail, with astonishing child performances and a real sense of the personal mixed with the eventful. Not to totally criticise Hollywood business model, mind you. Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes was actually a wonderful film that managed to be both a well told story with ideas, as well as a blockbuster filled with explosions.

My own list of favourites, both this year and previous ones, are filled with films that themselves adaptations or a blend of films past (like I said, stay tuned for them) but there's nothing to say original films don't score well.
Nolan's Inception last year was a gigantic smash hit and a phenomenal film. Similarly, there are filmmakers and films within the English speaking film community that are making great original films, but their endeavours should never be so fraught. Paul Thomas Anderson and Alexander Payne should never have to spend five years getting films financed.

That said I am my own worst critic. With 2012 now getting started I find myself once again anticipating The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus and The Avengers the most. All of which are based upon pre-existing franchises and characters. But by God, let's try harder people.