| Loyal readers know I hate to be critical - and I do, heaven love me, I do. Now, the friends I saw this movie with HATED it venomously, but could concede that Kenneth Branagh, as usual, could do no wrong. I saw so many offenses to the senses earlier this year that at worst I was only mildly bored by the film. Yes, I should have expected that from a Robert Altman film, but I always hope. |
| Lots of Altmanesque weird subscenes that mean nothing but add "color" - additionally, tons of shoeleather. Walking, walking, enter room. Camera stays on corridor, another door opens, someone else comes out. Music shifts, they walk off camera. NOW cut. ZZZZZZZ. The mood is forced by Mark Isham's incredibly portentous score, which was way cool but totally out of place in this film.Da-dunh! He walks along the corridor. Daaaaa! He sets down his briefcase. |
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| No big Grisham fan, I went to see this based on the strength of Branagh and Robert Downey Jr. alone. Naturally, I was very pleased by their performances, and Ken's Georgia drawl is better than many native Atlantan's. But by gum, was this one predictable little flick. Robert Duvall has a supporting role as a filthy-footed nutcase, ambiguously drawn as either sympathetic or evil, depending on the screenwriter's whim. Grrr. Embeth Davidtz, formerly of Schindler's List, stares out of glazed-eyes and does not seem particularly desirous of sympathy or full of cunning, even though you know perfectly well what her role is as soon as she has any semblance of real dialogue. But no one has a motive for any of their behavior - finally Branagh claws one out of what I am sure a lot of rewrites. |
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A surprise casting choice - Daryl Hannah, as one of Branagh's colleagues - she is unrecognizable and actually quite good. Downey's character is that sleazy sort of charming so often lived out by actors who are only capable of sleeping with people and never with relating with people - oh, and his character is loaded all the time too. Poor Downey - having to act out being loaded while being straight - perhaps Embeth got into his stash to keep him clean on the shoot, hence her daze. |
| As a side note, I am deeply troubled by Downey's trouble with his addiction, and I don't mean to poke fun at him. I think he is incredible on screen and I just hope he doesn't kill himself. Robert, if you're listening - remember Indio needs you! Anyway. I don't know if Branagh signed on to this film before seeing the final script but it seems that the Bardic genius within him OR the control freak director within him was squelched along with his better judgement. This was a role better wasted on a lesser Baldwin than on Emma Thompson's redoubtable ex. Actors love to work with Altman and I think it's because his scenes are shot so naturalistically, people talking over people, a lot of hand held stuff, you know. Yet for all this cinema verite flavoring, the soup still comes out all stock. |
| A blessing in disguise - Al Hayes screenwrote from Grisham's book, and he skips over a lot of the dry legal mumbo jumbo that his novels-turned-films rely so heavily on, and in doing so 1. avoids being even more boring but 2. turns into a simplistic legal manipulation "thriller." I use quotes because I was watching scenes that should have been gripping but were more predictable than Mystic Pizza (sorry ABG) - |
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I know if I were living them out the tension would be enormous, but it was only thanks to my hyper-cuddly empathic nature that I was able to squeeze more out of it than my trendily jaded ex-LA friends.
I say it's worth a rental because Branagh is just always so great, you know, and that guy, in my opinion, kicks Meryl Streep's dialectical butt. Plus the production design is great too. Go, Stephen Altman! Rent this, then cleanse your palate with the always perfect Dead Again. You'll be glad you did. |
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