"Mirrors," "Tropic Thunder," "Red," "In Bruges," and "Righteous Kill"

It took a lot for me to push aside my electric disdain for films such as “High Tension” and “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006), but I walked into Alexandre Aja’s latest crackpot endeavor “Mirrors” with a sense of optimism not usually reserved for the horror genre. I thought that the presence of the “Master of Psychotic Tension” himself Kiefer Sutherland would at least bring a degree of reputable star power that had been missing from Aja’s previous incoherent schlock and, I have to say, the results aren’t half bad.

Sure, the running time could’ve been abridged and the blood flowed as freely as the Nile, but the creepy narrative actually amounts to much more than just a gratuitous assault on the eyes. Sutherland’s tortured detective exhibits poignant emotional profundity during his familial interaction and as he descends into irrepressible madness, we actually start to believe that mirrors can play a role in altering someone’s perceived state of reality.

Since it’s essentially a one-man show, the film tends to drag a bit when Sutherland isn’t on screen and even when he is, the possibilities for evolution are limited until the Shyamalan-esque twist of fate comes along to make you question everything you’ve just spent one-hundred minutes watching. It might not have the most ground-breaking title in the universe, but compared to some of 2008’s other suspense offerings, I’d say it falls somewhere in the middle. And for Aja, that’s a momentous upgrade.

- ** ½ out of 4

Ben Stiller’s long-awaited satirical smorgasbord of war cinema “Tropic Thunder” is everything I hoped it would be. The acting is exceptional, the action is hyperbolized, and the music contains just enough Vietnam homage to be taken seriously as an enlightened addition to the genre. Did I mention it’s also one of the funniest studio comedies of the decade and blatantly pushes the envelope more than any Will Ferrell comedy could ever dream of? Well, under the brilliant control of Stiller, Black, and Downey Jr. it strikes the right note every time and provides a perfect night out at the movies.

- *** ½ out of 4

I might be in the minority on this one, but I think that Brian Cox’s stoically intimidating performance in “Red” is one of the finest thespian undertakings of 2008 thus far. His face is weathered, his voice is gravelly, and the only thing he loves more than his dog is the tantalizing possibility of dispensing justice to a spoiled, spineless troublemaker who thought he was above the law. When his dog is mercilessly eliminated as part of a robbery, he goes out of his way to maintain a sense of Christ-like objectivity, but the shallow pomposity of the assailants eventually leads him to settle things in true Bronson-esque fashion.

Now, if you’re thinking that the story is just another brute retribution saga, I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken. The deeply rooted themes of honor and restitution resonate heavily throughout Cox’s solo campaign for justice and are much more plausible than the slick invincibility made famous during the later half of Steven Seagal’s career. He doesn’t have a magical bag of tricks to extract from, so he approaches the conflict just like any over-zealous, pro-gun good ol’ boy would. The only difference is that for Cox’s character, emptying the clip wouldn’t be the first option.

- **** out of 4

Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges” plays like a beautifully operatic Shakespearean tragedy in which the laughs come early and often, but are later supplanted by a sinister climax that forces the “protagonists” to come face to face with their ill-favored life decisions. I put the word “protagonists” in quotes, because when you consider the fact that the main characters are cold, calculating assassins, somehow the concept of heroism doesn’t exactly seem appropriate. That’s not to say that they don’t have feelings. I just think they’re not the type of crowd that assigns a high value to sensitivity training and would throw someone out a window if only for the hedonistic purpose of watching them fall to their death.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson capture the bruising camaraderie of pub life in a wickedly comical manner as two hit men sent to Belgium on vacation and both deliver career-best work in the process. Their initial reactions to being exiled to what Farrell’s character refers to as a “shithole” are priceless and provide much of the boredom-fueled hi-jinx that occurs in the film’s blistering first half. Even with their spectacular performances, the real star of the show becomes the glorious city of Bruges. It possesses a captivating “old country” feel that we don’t usually see in mainstream pictures and the more we see of it, the more we realize that it’s far from being considered the doldrums of Europe.

- **** out of 4

Am I the only one who had a feeling that “Righteous Kill” would be less than impressive? I sure hope not, but I can see how swarms of moviegoers can be duped into believing that De Niro and Pacino would be able to recapture the same high wire explosiveness they so effortlessly toyed with in Michael Mann’s masterpiece “Heat.” I mean, they waited thirteen years before deciding to pair up again, so the prolonged anticipation must’ve been worth it right?

If I said yes, I’d be lying and if I said no, that wouldn’t be entirely accurate either. Actually, I’m still trying to fathom how they agreed that a third-rate buddy cop flick with a plot better suited for Saturday afternoon television would be the best way the work off each other. Couldn’t they have chosen something that wasn’t practically begging the audience to solve it within the first ten minutes? I suppose they thought the performances would be enough to overcome the idiotic denouement and, to a degree, they do just that.

De Niro is strong as usual and Pacino looks to be having a wonderful time cranking out one dirty joke after another, but we all know they’re slumming it. Personally, I find it distressing to think that Travis Bickle and Frank Serpico are so far in the past, because I often wonder if they’ll be able to turn in something truly amazing ever again.

For people inclined to use “Heat” as a litmus test, might I say that Jon Avnet is nowhere near the director than Mann is and if he ever played poker, he’d lose pretty quick, because he opts to put all of his cards on the table before the betting has even begun. If you’re still trying to piece together the poker analogy, I’ll make it easier by saying that you shouldn’t expect anything close to what happened in 1995.

- ** out of 4