Rescue DawnWerner Herzog’s film of Dieter Dengler’s true survival and escape from a Vietnam P.O.W. camp is a tale of two tales. Early scenes of peacetime military life feel staged and out of place, but once Dengler’s plane crashes, the story takes off in a major way. Christian Bale delivers another solid performance as Dengler, harrowingly depicting the daily torture of captivity, but the real surprise is Steve Zahn as fellow prisoner Duane. Zahn, finally in a non-goofy role, steals every scene that he’s in. His comedically googly eyes are ever present, though here they mirror a frantic need to survive in horrific circumstances. I may never be able to look at him the same again. Despite Duane’s authenticity, Herzog asks the audience to stretch themselves in believing Dengler’s characterization. Dengler is apparently so determined in his ways that he will yell at his captors immediately after being tortured as if he expects no consequences for his actions. If such action accomplishes anything, it’s only internal for Dengler. In interviews, Herzog has said that Dengler was a unique person and that Bale’s portrayal is entirely accurate. Without an explanation for his motivation and attitude other than “that’s just how Dieter was,” it’s hard to accept many of Dengler’s actions. Regardless of this shortcoming, the 4/5 of the film set in the jungle are some of the most powerful images of the year.
Eastern PromisesDavid Cronenberg’s latest thoroughly dark film builds on the intensity of his
A History of Violence, though topping that film is going to take an extraordinary effort. Once again, Viggo Mortensen lends a strong performance as a Russian bodyguard keeping a powerful syndicate family together despite the reckless decisions of its spoiled son (Vincent Cassel) and corrupted leadership of its father (Armin Mueller-Stahl). The male triumvirate’s exceptional strength makes Naomi Watts’ phoned-in performance as the female catalyst all the more surprising, though her character’s general mundaneness rests more on the screenwriter than her. Promises also contains the most exhilarating sequence of the year in which Mortensen engages in a steam room brawl with a pair of knife-armed rival mobsters...while in the buff. Mortensen’s vulnerability couldn’t be captured in a better way and the technical fluidity of the scene is utterly mesmerizing. Though leading the league in throat slashings and eye stabbings, the cruelty throughout is thankfully redeemed by the end, a resolution that offers more hope than similar downers such as
Seven. The surprise isn’t that the film is good. It’s that hardly anyone is talking about how good it is.
American GangsterA battle of the titans that was billed for longer than any Don King promoted heavyweight fight ends up being singular showcases instead of the hopeful unified collaboration. Ridley Scott’s most focused film since
Gladiator benefits from his commitment to an authentic 1970s setting just as much as its monster performances by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. What saves the film from being simply another Scarface is that once the inevitable drug lord (Washington)’s fall comes, it’s easier and more fascinating to deal with since the cop bringing him down (Crowe) is so appealing. Gangster hasn’t broken any social or cinematic barriers (Washington’s other film this year,
The Great Debaters, does a better job of the social aspect), but following the pattern of
Heat instead of
The Mexican, it proves that the best way to use two superstars is to primarily keep them apart.
Other notable enjoyable films:
Ocean’s Thirteen; Shrek 3; Live Free or Die Hard; Sicko; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; A Mighty Heart; Hot Fuzz; Waitress; Stardust; The Simpsons Movie; The Golden Compass; Enchanted;
The Great Debaters; and
Knocked Up.