Movie Review: 22 July

22 July **** / *****

Directed by: Paul Greengrass.

Written by: Paul Greengrass based on the book by Åsne Seierstad.

Starring: Anders Danielsen Lie (Anders Behring Breivik), Jonas Strand Gravli (Viljar), Jon Øigarden (Geir Lippestad), Seda Witt (Lara), Thorbjørn Harr (Sveinn),  Joakim Skarli (Knut Arne Pettersen , Paramedic), Kenan Ibrahimefendic (Dr. Kolberg), Trim Balaj (Odd Ivar Grøn), Anja Maria Svenkerud (Siv Hallgren), Ola G. Furuseth (Jens Stoltenberg), Maria Bock (Christin), Isak Bakli Aglen (Torje), Ingrid Enger Damon (Alexandra Bech Gjørv), Trygve Svindland (Justice Minister), Ulrikke Hansen Døvigen (Inga Bejer Engh), Hasse Lindmo (Svein Holden), Monica Borg Fure (Monica Bøsei), Turid Gunnes (Mette Larsen), Tone Danielsen (Judge Wenche Arntzen), Sonja Sofie Sinding (Lycke).

 

There was a lot of healthy – and not unwarranted – skepticism about Paul Greengrass making the film 22 July, which depicts the events of that day in Norway in 2011 when Anders Behrig Breikik, first set off a bomb with the goal of bringing down the Norwegian government, and then in the confusion that followed, posed as a policeman and travelled to the island of Utoya, where he stalked a summer camp full of teenagers with his high powered gun, killing 77 and wounding more than 200. Greengrass is the same director who made United 93 after all, and while that film garnered a lot of praise – and an Oscar nomination for Greengrass’ direction – the idea of spending an entire movie with a killer stalking teenagers in a mass shooting in Greengrass’ signature “you are there” style, especially given how often that happens in real life, was not one many wanted to sit through. And while many will still not want to sit through this film – which is understandable – I will say that I think Greengrass is smart enough to have not made the entire film about the assault. That’s the first (harrowing) 30 minutes – and then the film becomes about the aftermath – how warning signs were missed, but also how a society treats someone like Breivik, who is both so clearly evil, but also clearly human. How, even when it’s difficult, a country has to stick to its own sense of morality and justice.

 

I won’t sugarcoat it, that first 30 minutes is as difficult to watch as anything you will see this year. After a few scenes of Breivik gathering his weaponry – and the obligatory scenes to introduce us to the other plays in the film, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and the Hanssen family, who will have two sons on the island of Utoya, Greengrass dives into the chaos of that day – first the explosion that causes so much destruction and confusion in Oslo, and then what happened on Utoya, when Breivik talks his way onto the island, and then just starts killing people. Yelling at them that they are going to die today “All you Marxists, liberals, children of the elite”, he methodically sets about shooting any and every one he comes across. The most harrowing section is on the beach, where the two Hanssen brothers are hiding – but of course will be found. When the police finally get there, Breivik surrenders without a fuss – he doesn’t want to die – he wants to ensure he gets his day in court. He wants to ensure that everyone knows exactly why he did what he did. He is not a criminal, in his mind, but rather a solider in a war for the heart of Norway – and Europe – which he perceives as being under attack by Islam, immigration and forced multi-culturism.

 

The rest of the film then really does proceed on three different tracts. On one, Breivik is brought to trail – he is represented by Geir Lippestad, a good lawyer, who doesn’t know why Breivik requested him, but is under obligation to try and defend him anyway. He does a good job – but it’s clear he isn’t overly enthusiastic about doing it. The legal system itself is much the same – they want to ensure that Breivik gets what he is entitled too, but do not want to let him re-traumatize the victims – and really – the whole country by doing so. When they first capture Breivik, they are concerned about a third attack, since he talks about being a soldier – but then he makes it clear that the trail itself will be the third attack. As it progresses though, it becomes clear it won’t go the way he wants it to – he hasn’t kick started the war he wanted to, instead, he looks like the pathetic loner he always has been. The other two tracts of the film deal with the political fallout on the Prime Minister – who, to his credit, doesn’t try and hide, and wants to know precisely what happened, and why they were unable to stop it. And finally, there is the story of the Hanssen family, in particular Viljar, who was shot five times on Utoya, but survived. He needs physical therapy to be able to do anything again –and still has bullet fragments in his skull that could kill him. Still, he wants to look strong when he has to go into court and face Breivik.

 

Greengrass’ film walks a fine line here – it wants to be about this story specifically, but also use it for broader context. There is a reason Greengrass chose to use an all Norwegian cast, but have them speak in accented English – this story is both Norwegian, and universal. What Breivik stood for is at the heart of many mass shootings, and violence, around the world right now. In its own weird way, this is an inspiring story, not because of the survivors (although that too), but because it shows a way through this madness and violence, without succumbing to it – without becoming something evil to fight evil. This is a hard film to watch – many won’t want to. But for those who can, it contains a powerful message.

Movie Review: Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne

Directed by: Paul Greengrass.

Written by: Paul Greengrass & Christopher Rouse based on the characters created by Robert Ludlum.

Starring: Matt Damon (Jason Bourne), Tommy Lee Jones (CIA Director Robert Dewey), Alicia Vikander (Heather Lee), Vincent Cassel (Asset), Julia Stiles (Nicky Parsons), Riz Ahmed (Aaron Kalloor), Ato Essandoh (Craig Jeffers), Scott Shepherd (Director NI Edwin Russell), Bill Camp (Malcolm Smith), Vinzenz Kiefer (Christian Dassault), Stephen Kunken (Baumen), Gregg Henry (Richard Webb).

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about two interviews Matt Damon has given in the two days since I saw Jason Bourne. The first, around the time of 2007s The Bourne Ultimatum, was that if he returned for a fourth Bourne movie, they’d name it The Bourne Redundancy, because both he and director Paul Greengrass (who directed the second and third Bourne movies) thought the story of Jason Bourne was done. The second interview, given just recently, had Damon – like many before him – bemoaning the death of the mid-budget movie, that he said used to be his bread and butter. I cannot help but think that those movies becoming rarer in the last decade led directly to both Greengrass and Damon returning to the story of Jason Bourne after nine year away. The studios love franchises, and although The Bourne Legacy, with Jeremy Renner playing a different character in the same universe (and not directed by Greengrass) did okay at the box office, it wasn’t anywhere near the hit – or as loved – as Damon’s stint as Bourne. With Damon’s bread and butter movies becoming harder to make – not just for him, but probably for Greengrass as well, another Bourne movie probably seemed like a good idea.

 

Jason Bourne isn’t a bad movie, per se – it just seems like a movie without a real reason to exist. The best sequels feel like they are necessary extensions of the films that came before them. Jason Bourne seems like the type of film where it was decided they wanted to make another film in the franchise, and had to come up with a story to justify it. The film is basically a retread of the previous films, expanding the conspiracy theories that were revealed in the previous trilogy in ways that stretch credibility. It somewhat works because the big bad guy is the CIA Director, played by Tommy Lee Jones, one of those actors who is good regardless of how silly the story becomes, and because the film introduces a new character – played by Alicia Vikander, a CIA computer analyst, who at first seems like a replacement for Julia Stiles (also back) – but is perhaps something more sinister. Vikander is fine in the film – her accent is weird (seriously, where the hell is she supposed to be from) – but I also like weird, unplaceable accents in movies.

 

But for Greengrass and Damon, it seems like they are both just going through the motions. Greengrass is usually the only director working that can make the shaky, handheld camera and rapid fire editing action sequences work – he’s the exception that proves the rule that directors shouldn’t use this style in action sequences. For the most part, that’s true here as well – although there are times when the action verges on the incoherent, and he overuses the handheld look in some none action sequences (like a weird one, where a computer genius, played by the talented Riz Ahmed – who is wasted by the way – is giving a speech, and the camera never settles down). Damon has decided to make Jason Bourne even quieter and more unreadable than ever before – he’s pissed, but there is also a lot of chatter from Vikander that perhaps he just wants to come back in. You’d get none of that from Damon – you don’t get a lot of anything actually. To give Damon some credit, he is still a fascinating screen presence, even when he’s doing nothing.

 

This has been a summer in which unnecessary sequels and reboots have dominated the box office, without really generating all that much passion from either critics or audiences. Everything seems to have just a little bit less money than expected. I cannot help but think that it’s because for the most part, the films have been mediocre. Sure, a lot of the films are entertaining in fits and starts, and for the most part are not a bad way to spend an evening at the movies. But the films have also all been fairly forgettable. Jason Bourne is like that as well. If you saw the other Bourne movies, then you’ve already seen everything in this new film, done better.

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips
Directed by: Paul Greengrass   
Written by: Billy Ray based on the book by Richard Phillips & Stephan Talty.
Starring: Tom Hanks (Captain Richard Phillips), Barkhad Abdi (Muse), Barkhad Abdirahman (Bilal), Faysal Ahmed (Najee), Mahat M. Ali (Elmi), Michael Chernus (Shane Murphy), Catherine Keener (Andrea Phillips), David Warshofsky (Mike Perry), Corey Johnson (Ken Quinn), Chris Mulkey (John Cronan), Yul Vazquez (Captain Frank Castellano), Max Martini (SEAL Commander), Omar Berdouni (Nemo), Mohamed Ali (Asad), Issak Farah Samatar (Hufan). 

The scenes that open and close Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips are what elevate the film above the level of a typical thriller. For the vast majority of its running time, Captain Phillips is the type of intelligent, intense, well-crafted thriller that we have come to expect from Greengrass since his breakthrough film Bloody Sunday (2002) – through his 9/11 film United 93 (2006), the second and third Bourne movies, and his Iraq war film Green Zone. Greengrass is one of the few directors who is able to use handheld camera work and rapid fire editing, and still keep everything clear for an audience. Where someone like Michael Bay often tries to do the same thing, the result is often action sequences that are incoherent – but I have never felt that way in a Greengrass movie. He uses the same approach in Captain Phillips – and it’s even more effective here than in his previous films. But as good as the majority of the runtime of the movie is, it really remains the opening and closing of the film that deepens the work as a whole – and makes it into more than just a well done, intense thriller.

The story of Captain Phillips is well known by now. He was the Captain of an American cargo ship – the Alabama Maersk – in 2009, when off the coast of Somalia, his boat is attacked by two skiffs containing four, armed Somali pirates. They are able to outflank the pirates on their first attempt, but the next day when they try again, they are unable to do so. The four men board the ship, and because no one on the ship is armed, they quickly take over. The majority of the crew hides below deck, while Phillips and his officers are stuck in the control room with the pirates. They don’t just want the $30,000 they have on board – they think that taking over an American ship should net them millions. After an intense few hours, the pirates agree to leave the ship in the rickety, enclosed lifeboat – but take Phillips with them. The Marines are called in – one way or another, Phillips and his captors are not going to reach Somalia.

Because Greengrass cast Tom Hanks as Phillips, we know almost immediately that he is a good guy – but Greengrass establishes this anyway in the opening scene, where his wife (Catherine Keener) drives him to the airport. As they drive, they talk about the worries they have for their children – whether they’ll work hard enough in school, whether they’ll find a good job, etc. Everything seems to move so fast, and is so competitive, that they worry their kids won’t have the same advantages they had. Greengrass then does an interesting – and bold thing – as he cuts immediately from Phillips and his wife, to Muse (Barkhad Abdi), the leader of the pirates who will take over his ship, in Somalia. Just like Greengrass immediately establishes sympathy and humanity with Phillips in his brief opening scene, he does the same thing for Muse and the other pirates in Somalia. What choice do these men have, other than to do what they do? They are ruled by brutal warlords who demand they go out and make money. If they don’t, they’re doomed anyway. Right off the bat, Greengrass has established the complex moral world his movie takes place in by establishing the humanity of all the players. This will not just be an easy thriller about good guys and bad guys, but something far more complex.

The film is impeccably made by Greengrass. Normally, I don’t like the shaky handheld camera work, and rapid fire editing that Greengrass specializes in. However, I do think that Greengrass uses it better than any other director working right now – and here, it aids him immensely in his storytelling. As the majority of the action takes place in the small lifeboat, which rocks over the waves in the ocean, and the shaky camera work places us right alongside the characters – it immerses us in the situation, and helps to generate tension throughout.

The film is also aided immensely by the performances – particularly those by Hanks and Abdi. Abdi is a newcomer, who is asked to hold his own next to Hanks – and he is more than up to the task. His Muse is intelligent and thoughtful – more so than his accomplices, two of whom seem like little more than scared kids, and the third who is more brutal and violent. To him, this is a business transaction – nothing more – and while he is not above using violence, he doesn’t see much point in it if it can be helped. It is a dynamic debut performance. Hanks is one of the most likable, and relatable actors in movie history, and his Captain Phillips makes the most of the association we have with the actor before walking into the theater. His Phillips is heroic, but in a more subdued way than most heroes in a thriller would be. He does what he can to protect his crew once they have been boarded, and he even does what he can to help the pirates themselves on the boat. He doesn’t want anyone to die, but he knows full well that if the pirates don’t give up, they will be doomed – and they may well take him with him. It is a fine performance throughout the movie – but becomes a great one in the film’s closing scenes. Those scenes, details of which I won’t reveal here, are the type of scenes that normally do not happen in a thriller of this sort. Normally, once the action climax of the film has passed, the movie ends – this one extends it beyond that point, and gives us a view of the shock and trauma we normally never see. It is in these moments where the full weight of the movie hits us the hardest – and elevates the entire movie.

Captain Phillips is an uncommonly complex moral movie. Yes, Captain Phillips is undeniably a good guy, and the pirates are the “bad guys”, but things are not that simple. Audiences are conditioned to root for Americans in the movies, and against the invaders – and some will undoubtedly still do the same thing when they watch Captain Phillips. And yet, this is not a film where everything is quite so simple. I am reminded of the moment in Greengrass’ United 93, when he cuts back and forth between the passengers on the plane praying to God, and the two hijackers praying to Allah, drawing the similarity between the two of them – no matter if you’re the “good guy” or the “bad guy” you are praying to God when the end comes. Captain Phillips takes this link between the two even farther, making for a much more complex than a typical thriller. If you want a thriller – than Captain Phillips more than fits the bill – this is one of the most intense movies of the year. But it is also more than that. Most thrillers, you forget by the time you hit the parking lot. You won’t be able to shake Captain Phillips quite that easily.

Movie Review: Green Zone

Green Zone *** ½
Directed By: Paul Greengrass.
Written By: Brian Helegeland based on the book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran.
Starring: Matt Damon (Miller), Greg Kinnear (Clark Poundstone), Brendan Gleeson (Martin Brown), Amy Ryan (Lawrie Dayne), Khalid Abdalla (Freddy), Yigal Naor (Al Rawi), Jason Isaacs (Briggs), Said Faraj (Seyyed Hamza), Aymen Hamdouchi (Ayad Hamza).

For the first few years of the war in Iraq, Hollywood filmmakers seemed to shy away from making films about it. When they finally did, they couldn’t seem to make anything other than sermons about the subject, and audiences stayed away from the films in droves. Despite big casts of stars, movies like Rendition and Lions for Lambs completely bombed. Brian DePalma’s Redacted was barely released, and no one took any notice of it (in that case, at least, audience apathy was well earned, as it a sophomoric effort for a filmmaker who should know better). Even a great film like Nick Broomfield’s Battle for Haditha, which didn’t demonize or deify anyone, was ignored. The recent Oscar winner, The Hurt Locker, changed that somewhat – but it should be noted that the majority of audiences are just now discovering the film on DVD – and again, virtually ignored the film when it was released in theaters.

Paul Greengrass’ Green Zone looks to change that. In a way, it is as much of a sermon as Rendition or Lions for Lambs was (which is why Fox News has already attacked the film as “anti-American”), but wraps its message in the kind of kinetic action film that Greengrass perfected with the second two Bourne movies. While some critics have already labeled the movie “too little, too late”, I think it is yet another small step forward in filming the war for the movies. After all, most of the great Vietnam movies weren’t made until well after the war ended – while the war in Iraq keeps raging on with no end in sight – despite the promises of Barack Obama.

The movie takes place in 2003, and centers on Ray Miller (Matt Damon), who heads up a unit responsible for hitting all the sites that intelligence tells them that Weapons of Mass Destruction are hiding. In site after site, they come up with nothing. No WMDs, no evidence that they ever existed there in the first place. This is starting to frustrate Miller, as men are dying to secure these empty sites, and after all, the threat of WMDs was the reason they went to war in the first place.

There are three other major American characters in the film. Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear) has been handpicked by the administration to run things on the ground in Iraq, despite the fact that he has no experience in the area, and doesn’t understand the people who make up the country. He was the one responsible for the intelligence in the first place – all supposedly originating for a high placed Iraqi official known only as Magellan. He hand fed all the information to a reporter for the Washington Post, Laura Dayne (Amy Ryan), who helped make the case for war in the first place. But Dayne is getting frustrated that all her stories seem to have led to no weapons being found, and her reputation is on the line. She pressures Poundstone to give her access to Magellan, but he refuses. The third character is Martin Brown (Brendan Gleason), the CIA’s man in Iraq, who has spent his entire career studying the Middle East, and knows the players, and knows what America needs to do if the invasion of Iraq is going to lead to long term peace. He is ignored by everyone involved, and Poundstone goes out of his way to thwart his efforts. Poundstone and his people know what is right, and that’s final.

In terms of the broad strokes of the story, Green Zone gets the facts mostly right, even if the story has been “fictionalized”. Based on the great book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which used the real names, the movie simplifies things, but basically sticks to what we know. The intelligence gathered to suggest there were WMDs in Iraq was manipulated by Administration officials to make the case for war in Iraq, which was then handfed to the media, who didn’t bother to question any of it, and fed it to the American people. Once the invasion took place, the administration picked loyalists like Paul Bremmer, to lead the team in Iraq – picked for their political views and their ability to do what they were told by their higher ups in the government – who made one mistake after another in Iraq – from picking an exile who hadn’t been in Iraq for years to be the political leader of the country, to the disbanding of the Iraqi army – making thousands of armed young men angry at America. The Middle Eastern experts who rallied against these decisions were ignored, and eventually forced out. All of this leading to the quagmire we now have in Iraq (if you want to know more detailed information, but are too lazy to read Chanresekaran’s book, picked up the documentary No End in Sight, which also details the information).

While the movie makes no effort to conceal its political agenda, it is not solely about it either. It states its points, but a lot of the movie is made up of wonderful action sequences as well – as Damon and company have fire fights, and are involved in car chases, all to try to bring in an Iraqi General (who was the Jack of Spades in the deck issued of Iraq’s most wanted), who will be able to give them the real intelligence. Not only does Damon have to outmaneuver Iraqis, but he also has to avoid the Army Special Forces, led by Briggs (Jason Issacs), who are under Poundstone’s control, who doesn’t want the General captured – he wants him killed. These scenes are shot in the same frenetic pace of rapid cuts that Greengrass used in The Bourne movies. Greengrass uses this style properly, and with great skill, unlike Michael Bay, whose shots are cut so rapidly you have no idea what is happening. In the Greengrass movies, you always know what is happening, and the pace just serves to up the tension.

There are times where the two warring ideologies of the movie seem at odds – the political content doesn’t always fit in with the action movies aspects as comfortably as the filmmakers would like. However, most of the time, they come together. Greengrass and company have made a movie that furthers its point, but is also entertaining and exciting. Green Zone is not going to change anyone’s mind about the war in Iraq – people on both sides seem completely entrenched in their positions – but it is an exciting, intelligent movie. Those are rare.