The Imitation Game.

When is a British film, albeit about a very British subject, not a British film? Venturing an opinion I would say when its financed with American money, directed by a Norwegian born director (Morten Tyldum best known for his adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s Headhunters in 2011), the cinematography is handled by a Spanish DOP (Oscar Faura), the screenplay is adapted by an American (Graham Moore) and the soundtrack is by a French composer (Alexandra Desplat). But one must admit as far as I know the actors are British! (These include Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong). Does it make much difference? Well certainly not to the quality of the film. Although I’m not sure if this is the story of Homosexuality, before the water shed that was 1967, or the story of an attempt to save the British Empire. My candid suggestion would be to go and see The Imitation Game (2014) for yourselves and make your own mind up, but either way I’m sure you will agree it’s a cracking film, from which ever of the two-view point’s you choose to see it from.

 

The Team.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who did nothing to enhance one of my own personnel favourite characters in literature Mr Sherlock Holmes, gives an award winning performance as Alan Turing the pioneering British computer scientist and mathematician.  The movie covers Turing’s life back from 1952, when he was prosecuted under the archaic act that governed sexual relationship’s between people of the same sex, essentially back to the time when he worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park where he was credited in breaking German ciphers known as the Enigma Code which it is said shortened WW2 in Europe by two to four years. Although I believe the Soviets had a lot to do with that as well!

 

The Turing 'computer' that broke the German codes. 

The most sickening part of the Alan Turing story is how he was basically forgotten, unrecognised for his work but persecuted for his sexual orientation when, as I have said, he was prosecuted for homosexual acts between consenting adults. Accepting chemical castration, as an alternative to serving a prison sentence. The film intimates that this affected his brainpower and therefore his continuing work. Two years after his sentence the forerunner of the modern computer died mysteriously from cyanide poisoning. But the Turing family had to wait until 2009 before an official public apology was made by the then British Prime Minister Gordon ‘the Vow’ Brown and in 2013 the Queen of England, the one whose son is alleged to have chased underage girls in America, gave the scientist a posthumous pardon, which was very generous considering he did not break any ‘real’ laws?

Before I Go To Sleep.

You can almost guarantee a full house at my local cinema, the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, when certain criteria are met. The film must star household names, and its story should be based on a best selling book. At this weeks RBC Film Club the criteria was well and truly met with a complete sell out proving the point. 

Showing was the second film directed and written by Rowan Joffe Before I Go To Sleep (2013). His debut feature film you may remember was Brighton Rock (2010) a remake of the 1947 film of the same name. He has also been responsible for writing the screenplays for other movies including Last Resort (2000) and The American (2010).

The evening was hosted by a very welcoming Rachel Findlay who explained that Joffe’s adaptation was based on the debut novel of English born author Steven “S J” Watson published in the spring of 2011. It soon became a bestseller in many countries, having been translated into over 40 languages. Watson studied Physics at the University of Birmingham before moving to London where he worked at various hospitals and specialized as an audiologist in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing-impaired children. He worked on his book in the evenings and at weekends. It was Ridley Scott that bought the film rights shortly after the book was published and it was Scott that hired Rowan Joffe to direct and write the script.

Rachel explained that because of the plot twists in the movie she would refrain from giving too many details about the film so as not to spoil it for the audience members that had not previously seen the film or read the book. But I think its safe to say that’s it’s a psychological thriller in the vain of say Henri-Georges Clouzot or perhaps Roman Polanski, but to be fair not quite up to their class.

Can you imagine waking up each day not knowing who you are....

Christine Lucas is in her forty’s; she is suffering from anterograde amnesia brought on by a traumatic incident that took place ten years earlier. She wakes each day with no recall; not knowing who she is or who the man is sharing her bed? He tells her he is her husband Ben, her only contact with the outside world, that is until she starts seeing a Dr Mike Nasch a neurologist at the local hospital who gives her a camera to record her thoughts and progress each day, and calls her every morning to remind her to watch the video in the camera hoping that this will lead to her regaining her memory.

....even with a loving husband by your side!

The story is very seductive and the movie is fine until its spoilt by a very cheesy ending that’s not really required and does not increase your understanding or enjoyment of the film. Basically it’s a “three hander” with the always excellent Ms Nicole Kidman playing Christine, RBC heart throb Colin Firth as her husband Ben, with a non villainous Mark Strong portraying Mike Nasch. All play their parts with a believability that is a credit to both the story and the film.  And despite its disappointing ending and the slating it got from some of the critics it still offers a pleasant diversion for those of you that enjoy a good intelligent thriller.

Welcome to the Punch

Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) is an ex bank robber who cripples Detective Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) in a shot out following a robbery. Sternwood retires to Iceland but three years later he is forced back to London after receiving a phone call from his estranged son who has been involved in a robbery that has gone wrong where one man has been killed and Ruan Sternwood has received a stomach wound.  When Lewinsky hears that his old adversary is back in the capital he becomes obsessed with catching and arresting the master criminal. The strength of the hatred the detective has for Jacob is due to a psychological scar left by the belief that his career and his life has been ruined by the shooting incident that took place three years ago. Assisted by his partner Sarah Hawks (Andrea Riseborough) he sets out on a pursuit that will go far deeper than a simple matter of cops and robbers.

What no Bankers?

This British thriller/crime drama has been written and directed by Eran Creevy whose promising debut film Shifty (2008) was very well received. Creevy admits that Welcome to the Punch (2012) is, as they say, something completely different. It’s sets out to be a cool, slick action drama set in London that attempts to ape not only Hong Kong action cinema but also movies like Heat and The Departed. It has a superb supporting cast including Peter Mullan, Johnny Harris, Daniel Mays, David Morrissey, and Jason Flemyng, unfortunately most of whom are under used.

Another cup of tea son!

It took Creevy two years to write the story, which at times is a little far fetched but the set pieces are very well done especially the opening car chase through Canary Wharf. London’s chrome and steel has never looked quite so polished, thanks to the smart cinematography by DOP Ed Wild. But a superficial film that shows the overindulgence of its executive producer Ridley Scott and would of benefited from a little more grittiness. It was also a mistake to downsize a large amount of the back-story of our two main characters that leaves the narrative a little shallow. Creevy skill as a director does shine through at times with his best scene being the segment that takes place in Dean Warns grandma’s front room with a stand off between Warns (Harris) and Jacob, Max and Roy Edwards (Peter Mullan) that ends with a great slow motion gun battle.  Essentially a good B-movie masquerading as a main feature. 

Zero Dark Thirty.

Another lengthy film at this week’s Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre Film Club, but one that certainly justified its running time. Billed as the greatest manhunt in history for the world’s most dangerous man and introduced by Alec Barclay to a capacity audience. The award winning Zero Dark Thirty (2012) was a tense and exciting watch (even if we did know the ending) that every body seemed to appreciate. It dramatizes the USA’s decade long hunt and subsequent execution of Osama bin Laden leader of a multinational, stateless army known as al-Qaeda who carry out a physical struggle against those they see as enemies of Islam.

Kathryn Bigelow.

The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who was jointly responsible for the production, with the writer of the screenplay, Mark Boal, the same team that collaborated on the Oscar winning film[1] The Hurt Locker (2009). Alec explained to the RBC audience that Bigelow and Boal were in the process of making a film based on the unsuccessful attempt to find bin Laden, and the screenplay was virtually complete when in May 2011 it was announced that bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan. At first it appeared as though they had got a good third act, but this finally became the whole story. Boal was an experienced war correspondent before becoming a screenwriter, and the story is strongly based on his skills as an investigative journalist. Alec went on to explain that the film opened to very mixed responses, with some critics being very vitriolic in their condemnation of the scenes featuring the torture of suspects. The controversy about torture is that some critics (political as well as journalists) saw the film as advocating the success of torture as a means of gaining useful information. In America the hawks branded the director a traitor while doves suggest she supports the efficacy of torture.[2] Even John Pilger wrote that Zero Dark Thirty promotes torture and murder and is directed by, someone he calls ‘the Leni Riefenstahl of our time, promoting her master's voice as did the Fuhrer's pet film-maker’

A group of senators claim that, Zero Dark Thirty makes the ‘clear implication’ that intelligence derived from enhanced interrogations eventually led to finding bin Laden. In a letter to Sony they state: ‘we are fans of your movies and we understand the special role that movies play in our lives, but the fundamental problem is that people will believe that the events it portrays are facts. The film therefore has the potential to shape American public opinion in a disturbing and misleading manor’. As well as the controversy about the films depiction of torture an Academy voter also urged fellow members not to cast a Best Picture vote for the film (American politics!).  

The American administration watch as the action unfolds.

Remarking that the film reportedly appears to take a morally neutral tone to torture, Alec told us that the director states in its defence that she was,’ trying to capture the essence of this decade. Capturing it in a way that would stand the test of time and had we omitted the harsh tactics that would have been whitewashing history. It was definitely a part of that past (administration), but there were many tactics used that resulted in finding the compound in Abbottabad’.

bin Laden is dead........

.......or is he?

Personally I think that the torture scenes are an integral part of the story, but the film makes it quite clear that the use of ‘enhanced interrogations’ did not enable the CIA to track down bin Laden, that, if the film is to be believed, was down to a junior assistant finding overlooked information contained in a discarded file. If you can separate the politics from the film, difficult I know, you end up with a very thrilling and enjoyable movie.

Navy Seals storm bin Laden compound.

Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain. 

The movie received 5 Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing. But in the end only shared the Oscar for Best Sound Editing with Skyfall. In The Golden Globe Awards Jessica Chastain, who plays the CIA agent Mia, was deservedly given the accolade for being the Best Actress.

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[1] Kathryn Bigelow won the Academy Award for Best Director and the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture

[2] Jeff Sawtell 24 Jan 2013

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The latest film from the Sherlock Holmes franchise is far from elementary my dear Watson. Re-reading my blog on Guy Ritchie first film about the great detective I’d be as well just to repost that. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) is made well enough evoking what you would imagine 1891 and late Victorian society to look like, Robert Downey Jnr as before, is well over the top as the great detective, Jude Law supplements his privacy litigation pay out by playing Watson again. The biggest surprise is how beautiful Noomi Repace is without her punk carb although completely wasted as a mysterious gypsy fortune-teller. Like the previous film the narrative is a shambles, unless it’s just me but I could not make head or tail of any thing that was going on. It has something to do with terrorists bombing’s, 19^th century European politics and James Moriarty’s quest for world domination! Still, my wife enjoyed it so I’ll probably have to go to see Sherlock Holmes 3?