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The Brave One (2007)
Death Wish version 3 and a half
I just watched the movie on a Serbian cable channel, blissfully ignorant about it, and after the opening sequence in which Jodie Foster¨s character suffered that tragedy, I rushed to my computer to check the plot; I expected some boring, spiritual post-postmodern stuff like a mixture of "Ghost" movie and finding peace in meeting "a good person" who is soul twin of lost beloved one, and so on, but no - I discovered it is a "Death Wish" remake, updated in terms of political and gender correctness (and also in terms of mobile technology).
And I loved it, specially compared to move "Larry Crowne" who I saw couple of days earlier on the same channel, and I discovered I had no patience anymore for such romance lemonades, and I was happy to continue watching "The Brave One".
It's been quite a while since I wrote my last review, 15 years or so (!; in the mean time Mr. Ebert passed away...), and this probably doesn't look like a review at all, rather more like a blog of a wannabe vigilante.
However, anyways, I got thrilled by the movie. Both films - I mean both "Larry Crowne" and "The Brave One" are equally improbable and spectator must suspend indeed disbelief for both, but "The Brave One" feels so good, it so good to see thugs killed, shot, smashed, destroyed.
The plot is more elaborate and ethically better explained than in "Death Wish 1 and 2", it began as I said as predictable story of traumatized woman who needs a shrink who would tell her at the end of the film "It's not your fault", because the good shrinks always tells those words and the patient always get cured after that. I even thought it was a true story, as for example about that woman who recognized black cop as a culprit and he got sentenced to 20 years or to life, and I thought it was going to be another heavy film, only less convincing than an average episode for CBS Reality channel.
But no, "The Brave One" was more plausible than kitchen reality programme with Anthony Burdain "The Taste" with its bland, fake quarrels.
I loved silent agreement between Jodie Foster and Terence Howard. His character - homicide detective with a soul - is in fact most unbelievable character, but it is like libretto in opera: sounds silly, but singers (that is actors) make it credible. It is hard to imagine such police officer in real life, but Howard did it.
Last third of the movie is little bit too slow in this complicated fermentation of their relationship, but in that respect the movie is building some more upon "Death Wish", creating some biblical dilemmas and abandoning concept of pure urban western story line.
The film has but one comical relief but it is a good one; when young pot smoker is giving description for photo robot, and when he is describing Jodie's character and when he is talking about arrrs, breasts etc, and female police officer at the computer is just shaking her head on it. I can easily imagine audience giggling in the cinemas and long after the film is finished, when people for example stopped over in a pub for a drink.
Tho most improbable thing in the film is that point when Jodie's character lost her Ipod in the subway (after very second vigilante shooting) they did not manage to discover anything. I mean, in this time when even hotmail.com is helplessly slowed down so as NSA can read each mail first and when satellites can trace your phones via FB accounts, com'on, that is ludicrous, but I still love that film.
This is "Death Wish" free of sexism and open to women's point of view.
What a great movie. I assume this film amongst other movies and books is announcing this populist wave which was crowned by Mr. Trump's victory. Those waves alternates every 11-14 years. For example W. Wellman's western "The Ox-Bow Incident" with Henry Fonda from 1943 is typical leftist, liberal movie against lynch, and 14 years later Fonda repeated same liberal attitude in Mr. Lummet's "12 Angry Men". In the mean time we saw right-wing paranoid movies in same time circles.
What about "The Brave One", one might ask, is it leftists' movie or right-wing? It is right-wing, in disguise of lonesome woman's revenge. But it's just a theory, perhaps for some film columnist.
This movie is soothing balsam for scared people's wounded hearts. One cannot believe any more that Tom Hanks character "Larry Crowne" can seduce Julia Roberts bitchhhy character (Hanks as a producer and actor even managed to destroy "Charlie Wilson's War" which had such a potential!), nor in ghosts who can time travel, neither in guarding angels and White Light at the end of a tunnel. But one WANTS to believe that thugs get punished in a foreseeable future.
If it is not possible, it should have been possible.
The Killer Elite (1975)
Eclectic trash by a tired misanthrope
Still, better than so many other pretentious attempts.
Peckinpah still made one more masterpiece after this film (Iron Cross) and one more eclectic trash (Osterman Weekend).
Killer Elite is full of moral preaching before SPOILER the last showdown on the ship. Bo Hopkins (as Jerome Miller) and James Caan (as Mike Locken) exchange bursts of criticism of CIA, and they can't hide that they were being bored.
But Peckinpah was tired. Plot wasn't plausible enough. Even self-parodying of the great scene from Wild Bunch (rifles on the roof) only reveals boredom and lack of new ideas.
The best moments in the film we owe to Bo Hopkins (pity SPOILER OF AN ANOTHER FILM he had to die in so early stage of "Wild Bunch"!), and the highlight of the film is hilarious dialog on the bridge between Mike Locken (James Caan) and Jerome Miller (Bo Hopkins), when a policeman stops their car, full of explosives and weapons. They are waiting the clumsy police officer who might search the vehicle, and James Caan asks Bo Hopkins what he's got in the car. "Bombs, detonators, shotguns, ammunition...", answers Bo Hopkins. James Caan then asks: "Is there in this car that can't mutilate, murder or blow people in explosion?" Bo Hopkins answers with an insane smile: "Everything is lethal"
Even editing of the final showdown is slower then usual for Peckinpah.
A glimpse of a talent we can see in the scene of disabled Mike Locken, when he tries Chinese tai chi exercises and the subsequent rejection of his former CIA superiors.
Nice touch of 1970's, anyways.
Posljednji podvig diverzanta Oblaka (1978)
When there is no regular justice, demolitions man takes things in his own hands
*SPOILER* This is the film about "alienation in socialism, about lost ideals of justice." Where is humanity, understanding in a socialist society? When did we forget what we fought for in second World War? You probably think now, that it must be some ridiculous plot. But you should bear in mind that the film was made in 1978, in socialist former Yugoslavia, at time people believed "alinanted West" is doomed.
Director Vatroslav Mimica is a leftist, rooted in 1968's. This sweet, coherent, and also powerful film reveals author's resignation over above mentioned alienation in corrupted society, that betrayed ideals of old partisans who "fought for freedom and equality" not to enable a few officials to live in castles...
Demolitoons man (with nickname Oblak /meann "Cloud" in English/), played by brilliant Pavle Vujisic, faces problem with municipal administration which is apparently corrupted and wishes to force Oblak to move from his beloved home to a "tall building", i.e. a skyscraper. One can assume that there's a lot of money at stake...
Anyways, Oblak first tries ordinary ways to solve the problem, but as you can guess, without success. He then approaches his old friend form the war and asks for help. But that friend of his, played by Izet Hajadarhodzic is now a senseless official, that in his own big house cannot feel empathy for his friend's problems. There is a touching scene, when Oblak comes to visit his friend in his house, and fascinated by the hugeness of it, takes his shoes off! An old peasant custom...
**!!SPOILER!!**
Oblak lost his fate in society he fought for. And being a demolitions man, he knows how to handle explosives. And he decides to outrun authorities by blowing up his own home! He know how to set explosives, for he used to blow up the bridges during II world War...!
This isn't, however, the act of an insane man, but rather of a resigned, bitter old partisan. Bitter critic of socialism in its decline.
Pavle Vujisic is - as always - brilliant. He can act by moving his single eyebrow. He overtook whole film.