octoberth1975 Reviews

Babel (I) (2006)

Strangely lacking

[3/10 · 19 February 2007]

Though I didn't think much of Amores Perros, I liked 21 grams very much. So when I saw that Alejandro González Iñárritu had a new film out, starring some actors I respect, I was looking forward to something powerful, well-acted and intelligent. What a disappointment! I walked away from the cinema feeling empty about the whole experience.

I really didn't see the point this film was trying to make. It's as though three unconnected short stories have been adapted into a screenplay, with very tenuous and predictable links joining them into one overly-long film. None of the issues raised is explored in enough detail, and none of the characters is developed well enough to provoke even the mildest interest, never mind sympathy.

The acting, while okay, is not phenomenal. I don't think Brad Pitt created a character in Richard that will stand out in my mind. And poor Cate blanchett had little to do but lie around looking spaced out or pee in a pot! The Moroccans came across as brutal, backward people; the Japanese segment was typically imbued with techno-obsessed schoolgirl fetishism; and the Mexicans were depicted as jolly-but-poor yahoos who like to party. Writing doesn't get much lazier.

I'd assumed, because of the title, that this would be a film about the basic inability of people to communicate, or the struggle of completely different cultures trying to understand each other. Brad Pitt's story was a wasted opportunity in this regard. How much more interesting and frightening it would have been if he and Cate Blanchett had been backpacking on their own and had to get help without knowing the language or customs. But the fact that they have a translator who speaks perfect English and is very eager to help means they have a pretty easy time in the end.

Another waste of a potentially dramatic scenario is when Ameila and the kids get stranded in the desert. What a great dilemma! And yet, ten minutes later, she's picked up and the kids are found safe and well - though this happens off-screen and is brushed over quickly. What was the point of stranding them out there in the first place? They could have been stopped at the border and had the same deportation scene without a pointless car chase - we never did find out what happened to Santiago.

Other unanswered questions: Why was it necessary to have the subplot of the Moroccan boy masturbating over his sister? Why did Chieko lie about her mother's suicide by simply describing a different kind of suicide? And what did she write in her note to the cop? I get the feeling this is supposed to be something deep and mysterious that the audience should ponder for themselves. Instead, it's just annoying.

There's nothing more irritating than a film that is so sure of its own importance and dramatic credentials, but is actually just a complete mess of po-faced ideas that could have been interesting if handled differently. I don't understand why Babel is being nominated for awards. I'll be staying away from Iñárritu's films in future.

The Football Factory (2004)

Tedious, predictable piece of film-making.

[1/10 · 19 January 2007]

The Football Factory, is poorly written, poorly acted and crammed full of lazy, half-hearted political statements that try to give weight to what is really just another glamourisation of violent idiots. How strange that a study of people who use football as the catalyst for fervent, tribal head-kicking features absolutely no football! It's a low-budget mish-mash of every other mockney hardman film, directed by someone with delusions of being Martin Scorsese - see freeze-frame/voice-over, manic editing or, worst of all, the scene in the pub between Billy and Zeberdee, which is basically a carbon copy of Joe Pesci's 'How am I funny?' scene in Goodfellas, except with all the real tension removed. There are no characters that provoke any sympathy, unless you're the type of brainless Neanderthal who idolises football hooligans. If you are, then crack open a few cans, put your true-crime book down and enjoy the film; probably fastforwading some of the boring 'talking' bits. If you expect more from a film than a bunch of Guy Ritchie extras slurring gangsterisms and punching each other, look elsewhere. I suggest The Firm, starring Gary Oldman, which tackles the same subject but is a superior film in every way.

Miami Vice (2006)

I really wanted to like this film.

[5/10 · 13 December 2006]

I'm a huge fan of Michael Mann's work. Heat remains the all-time best thriller I've ever seen. I came to Miami Vice expecting the same level of character detail and involvement, but found it sadly lacking. I realised, of course, that it wasn't going to be anything like the TV show, which made it feel slightly wrong that all these characters still had the same names. The film was so different in every way that I wonder what was the point of even calling it Miami Vice. It would have been better if Mann had just made a separate film about undercover cops and called it something else. Keeping that association with the TV series made it seem awkward and constrained, as though Mann was obliged to call them Crockett and Tubbs even though they don't resemble the original characters in any way. Then there's Lt. Castillo, a Latino character in the original series, with a distinctly Latino name, here played by African-American actor Barry Shabaka Henley. Again, it feels like the character is stuck with that name no matter who plays the role.

Having said that, the direction and cinematography are as faultless as any Michael Mann film, and the locations are utterly astounding. The action and suspense are tight but widely spaced. Jamie Foxx was surprisingly good as Tubbs, yet Colin Farrell brought no humanity to his role whatsoever. I felt that what was missing first and foremost was dialogue between the two leads. I get the point that they've worked together so long that they don't have to say much, but they hardly say a word to each other through the whole film! They're partners, and yet most of their scenes are apart, and when they are together they just simultaneously brood. I didn't want wisecracking buddy dialogue, but something that brought out their personalities and friendship would have made me care for them a bit more. It's the little details that make a difference. In Heat, simply knowing that McCauley wants to go to Fiji gives his character some depth. In Collateral, Jamie Foxx's desire to open his own Limo service adds something to HIS character. Just a couple of tiny personal insights into Crockett and Tubbs would have done it for me.

I will probably give this film a second viewing at some point, but I didn't immediately add it to my collection when the DVD came out because it didn't inspire the same excitement or involvement in the story that is usual with Michael Mann's work. In this case, it felt like the characters and director knew all they needed to know, so why bother telling us.