To call a film “Flawless” is to impose an awfully iniquitous amount of pressure on the cast and crew to deliver a product that lives up to such a lofty title. Why anyone would choose to tackle such a thankless task is baffling, but that’s exactly what director Michael Radford (“Il Postino”) has done with his latest film. Starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine, this posh 1960’s caper tries to inject some new blood into the seemingly infinite supply of erudite heist flicks and almost succeeds in doing something worthwhile.
Caine is stellar as Mr. Hobbs, an overworked janitor with a few tricks up his sleeve and single-handedly carries this lackluster material most of the way. He sports his swanky British regality so well that we’re stuck wondering how in the world a smooth-talking wiseacre like this would be relegated to a career in the custodial arts. After divulging his diabolical plan to pilfer over two tons of diamonds from the London Diamond Corporation, his partnership with Moore’s Miss Quinn becomes a slippery slope which either of them could fall off at any moment. The only thing holding them together is Miss Quinn’s mounting consternation over the lack of respect she receives from management, so the chauvinistic overtones only fuel her contempt even more.
Moore tries her best to pull off the English accent and make people forget that it’s her they’re watching as a ritzy working woman, but I just couldn’t do it. She struggles to find the right note and never allows the character to completely engulf her rigid exterior. Not once did I actually believe that she was the kind of woman who would sacrifice her entire livelihood on a whim, but then again, her marriage to Ashton Kutcher isn’t too far off. I kid, I kid.
- ** ½ out of 4
Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games” is so unbearably disagreeable that it really defies any type of star rating. Just the thought of two baby-faced teenage sociopaths reeking havoc on an upper-class family using the most excruciating schemes possible is enough to make you wonder what unbalanced studio head actually gave the green light to this ruthless exhibition. The fact that Haneke’s home country of Germany regards this stuff as shrewd commentary on America’s bloodthirsty penchant for sadism only adds to the craziness, because every time the little Hitlers speak into the camera, we’re supposed to feel appalled by our mere presence in the theatre.
Who’s really being punished here? Us or the seemingly innocent country clubbers fighting for their lives on screen? If condemning society for its fascination with violence is what Haneke was truly after, he clearly should’ve avoided coming off so smug and ostentatious in his delivery. Every scene is just another way for him to push the envelope and see how many moviegoer’s days he can ruin before the sun comes up, so if you’re easily rattled, think twice about going in.
All cruelty aside, the performances from Naomi Watts and Tim Roth are quite extraordinary given the distasteful subject matter. I’m still baffled as to why they chose this for their latest project, but I can’t say anything negative about their dedication to making it as viciously convincing as possible. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t look away, so Haneke might not be that nutty after all. Right?
- Like I said before, no star rating is necessary.
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