These
words, spoken by a supposed radical and militant Muslim academic, Changez Kahn
(a perfectly cast Riz Ahmed), echo throughout The Reluctant Fundamentalist, an
important film which superbly reflects on how a hopeful Muslim was ostracised
after 9/11.
What
director Mira Nair has succeeded in doing in this adaption of Moshin Hamed's
2007 novel is no small feat. After following
Changez's story - unreliable narrators are rarely as interesting as this -
preconceived notions about religious fundamentalism, Islam and anti-American
involvement in the Middle East are questioned. And instead of applying the cliche
trick of pitting an angry and confused Muslim against the "good guys",
the west, Nair challenges us to rethink things and seek after more than
what we are told to believe.
Blunt
where the novel is subtle, this adaption of The Reluctant Fundamentalist has
been aptly translated to Hollywood's liking by centreing on the kidnapping of an
American academic in Lahore, Pakistan and a journalist-turn-spook-CIA-agent's
subsequent interview with a "person of interest", Changez.
Through
Changez's telling of his life as a distinguished Princeton graduate and analyst
at a leading consultancy firm in New York, we are taken on a rather detailed -
and quite ambiguous at times - ride through the events in his life leading up
to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre - a day he describes as
being in "awe" of. Changez's worrying description of 9/11 signals the turning point
in the film.
At this point we no longer know what to think of Changez, who had earlier confessed
to love America.
Riz
Ahmed is terrific as the charming, witty and mysterious reluctant
fundamentalist. And in a time when it seems you either have to be on one side
or the other, Nair and screenwriter William Wheeler show how an intelligent screenplay
can superbly go against the grain. Ahmed's casting is brilliant and his
insightful and challenging dialogues with the ever-capable Liev Schreiber only
produces a greater aura around this interesting film.
The
twisting and turning between present time Lahore, Pakistan and Changez's
flashbacks in New York, Manila, Lahore and Istanbul at times can muddle
viewers, but it's Ahmed's standout performance which stops us from ever
tapping out.
The brutal side of business.
The
supporting cast sports some big guns that come in the form of a cleaned up Kiefer Sutherland, a fresh Kate Hudson and some of
the subcontinent's very best.
Too
much of the stuff coming out of Hollywood these days is bland and safe. Studios
appear to be more concerned with demolishing cities than delivering something
that makes us think. And while The Reluctant Fundamentalist could've pushed
the barrier more, I have to go back to movies like The Insider (1999) to find
something as compelling and important as this.
8/10
P.S. Check out Empire Australia's November edition for my Reluctant Fundamentalist review.
District 9 is to apartheid, what Elysium is to asylum seeking. And as
much as Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd might wish, there's little chance they'll be
able to build an Aussie Elysium after the upcoming election.
It's 2154
and Earth has turned into one massive slum. Parading as a futuristic Los
Angeles – the earth bound scenes were actually filmed in Mexico – Earth has
turned into an overpopulated, disease ridden and tattoo laden cesspool. So in
an attempt to further distance itself from the real world, Beverly Hills has
flown off – almost literally! The well-to-do of this world have headed north of
the border planet to Elysium – a synthetically made futuristic suburban
space station, which uncannily resembles Stanley Kubrick's in 2001: A Space Odyssey. With pool parties
that are the conservative equivalent of Gatsby's, and each Elysium mansion
coming equipped with a machine which can heal any illness, Elysium is
pleasantville on aristocratic crack.
If one is to blow up innocent people, one must do it in sty...lish garbs.
Holding
power in Elysium are the one-dimensional (and conventionally boring) baddies.
These evil doers, led by a snarly - and robot accented - Defence Secretary,
Madame Delacourt (Jodie Foster), seek to keep Elysium exclusive safe.
Therefore, the Defence Secretary's job consists of keeping diseased earthlings
out of Elysium by any means necessary. In order to do this Delacourt feels she
must adopt a less than humane approach to stopping earthlings from entering
Elysium. No, it's not by turning ships from Earth back, it's by ordering a
heavily accented - and horribly clichéd - henchman, played by Blomkamp's
District 9 star, Sharlto Copley, to blow up illegal space ships. (After
witnessing a shattering scene where Elysium bound ships are destroyed, I
wondered what Aussie politicians would think... Would they take notes? Or quietly give a fist pump? Would Coalition
members scribble down their next 3-word catch phrase?)
In the
midst of this grim fatalistic outlook is the blue collar underdog of the film,
Max (Matt Damon). Raised in an orphanage by Spanish nuns, Max is now grown up,
bald and trying to turn his life around. The only problem is that we've seen this
act before – many times before. And even the versatile Matt Damon couldn't save
this bloke from being chucked into the ‘been there, done that’ file. Mind you,
Jodie Foster's tight lipped Madame is just as boring and flat lining as Max.
Even when our hero embarks on his mission to get to a med bay in Elysium - Max
is pumped full of radiation at work and must get to a bay to save his life -
the plot never really pulls any punches like Blomkamp's last sci-fi adventure, District 9.
Expectations
were high that Damon and Blomkamp would reverse the recent trend of big budget
action films that care only about profits. Elysium
was supposed to mean something. And while some will argue that it does, it doesn’t
ever venture out of the overly-simplistic-left-wing-critique box. I mean, say
what you want about District 9, the
film had heart. What it also had was a unique premise - since when do aliens
lose within the first 5 minutes of a film and then help to represent apartheid?
It was daring, smart and intriguing in its premise. So this time around, after District 9 received 4 Oscar nominations,
Hollywood upped the ante and gave Blomkamp a budget in excess of $100 million.
Is it
daring to take on illegal immigration and socialised medicine? Sure. But to
oversimplify it all doesn't really do it justice. I was reminded of Andrew
Niccol's weak attempt to expose the injustice and abhorrent greed of the world
in In Time. And when Elysium descended into one big shoot 'em
up disaster, I felt like the director had thrown in the towel and reverted back
to the traditional good-guy-battles-bad-guy tropes we are used to seeing in
blockbuster action movies.
It's
not that the plot or the acting was bad – it just failed to land any thoughtful
punches. For a film which wants to be anything but safe, the final product
wreaked of it.
It had to happen...
The
action scenes are fast paced - look out for a shaky camera or two! - and come
on in torrents in the second half of the film. Although, I was shocked to see
Elysium remain in the sky since it has become the in thing to destroy entire cities, countries and planets. But don't
you fret action diehards, there's a particular face-getting-blown-off scene
which will get you bouncing in your seat. However, when Max faces off against Kruger and
his gang, all thoughtfulness behind the film is shoved into a blender and
chopped up. It gets to the point where I wonder why the plight of the human
race is really focused on in such depth in the first half of the film.
Guess who?
What's
worth seeing is Matt Damon go from playing Liberace's effeminate, tender and
eye liner wearing young partner in Benind
the Candlelabra, to this down to earth, working class bloke in Elysium. It's on the same impressive
level as Hugh Jackman, who took off from the Broadway stage in the '90s to play
the hulking mass of bad-boy muscle, known to the world as Wolverine.
You
have to give it to The Boss, he sure knows how to put on a show. And in Springsteen and I some die hard fans - and one disgruntled husband of a
die hard - also got to put on a show.
I
expected Springsteen and I to tell Bruce Springsteen's story in
that cliche, biographical rock-doco fashion. You know what I'm
talking about - the rags to riches story of an artist who
started out on the mean streets, yet still managed to find success. But in a
way which is typical of Bruce, the film is more about the
fans and the idea of brotherhood, than ego and rock 'n'
roll success. And rather than just telling the story of Springsteen's
success, director Baillie Walsh sought to use fans to explain what
Springsteen's music has meant in their lives.
Thousands
of fans, from all around the world, sent in homemade videos explaining -
in three words - what Springsteen's music has meant to them. The film only
used a few dozen entries (you can find many more entries on the film's
interactive website) but they are superbly complimented with live
footage from concerts, dating all the way back to 1975. This was a real
master stroke, as many of the stories told - including stories of being
able to meet and sometimes sing with Bruce onstage - were backed up with
concert footage. It was a true joy to be able to connect with Bruce and the fans.
Some of this concert is shown after the credits in Springsteen and I.
Director
Baillie Walsh is no newcomer to the rock/doco game. In 2004 he directed the Best of INXS film, before making the acclaimed
behind-the-scenes documentary of Oasis's 2005-2006 world tour, Lord Don't Slow Me Down. Yet
what will separate this Springsteen project from the pack is the
director's creative - and humble - decision to allow the fans to tell
the story. So if you are wanting to hear Springsteen recollect, this isn't for you. There aren't any Springsteen interviews included in the film, and Bruce's only lines come from footage of past concerts.
This Danish busker told a fantastic story about how he once saw Springsteen on the street and asked Bruce if he'd come over and play a song with him. Springsteen ended up playing a 15 minute set with the bloke.
Hollywood Reporter film critic, John Defore, commented on the film,
Springsteen and I gathers these homemade tributes into an effusive
feature that will resonate with the kind of die-hard Boss fans who
helped make it, but quickly grows tiresome for the less devout among us.
And
in a weird way, I tend to agree with John. The film wasn't tiresome for a Springsteen fan, but I can understand how someone who hasn't been inspired by Springsteen's music might feel that way. At
the end of the day though, you'd have to be a pretty selfish putz not
to be moved by this film. The sincerity and passion of the fans, in
retelling their experiences and thoughts, makes the 77 minutes fly by.
"The Philly Elvis" is a sight to be seen in the film! It's quite amazing how Springsteen and the band have asked so many fans to become apart of their shows.
Like a Springsteen concert, there's no guessing when this film
will end. There's an encore after the credits - 45 minutes
worth of footage from the band's 2012 tour in London - which is so superb
that it scoffs at the recent Magneto and Professor X feature after the
credits of The Wolverine.
Springsteen and I is quirky and at times odd, but seeing as I've been listening to Springsteen since I
was cooking in my Mum's belly, I found it thoroughly enjoyable... and I didn't want it to end.
This poster was so popular in America that people were stealing it!
L et's
just admit it, we really just want to see two things from Wolverine - his
shiny finger nails blades, and his ability to
"regenerate" faster than a performance-enhanced Lance Armstrong.
(Although... there is something about those mutton chops... and those
freakishly large biceps, which probably weigh more than Wolvie's Japanese
counterparts in the film!)
'Tis
the season to level entire cities! And in a move which attempts to
break an old cliche - where cities are only leveled after a
dramatic two hour build up - the leveling in The Wolverine comes in
less than 5 minutes. Opening in war-time Nagasaki, Japan, we follow a
group of Japanese soldiers who have just spotted a B-29 bomber which will
drop the bomb - 'Fat Man' - on Nagasaki. And what a terrifying site it is to watch this
historical event unfold before our eyes!
By
the end of this stunning opening scene/flashback, we are left to debate whether this leveling can be mentioned in the same breath
as Metropolis's destruction in Man of Steel, and pretty much every densely populated
city in Pacific Rim.
In a few seconds Wolverine will resemble a well done t-bone steak...
This
is Hugh Jackman's sixth go-round as Logan/Wolverine, which happens to be
the most caps by any superhero actor to date. Yes, it seems Hugh and Logan have something going on. And it'll astound readers to know that before Hugh became the bad-ass-with-blades, he was waltzing around Broadway and appearing in remakes of Oklahoma! How many actors sport that kind of versatility? Oh, and if we lift our eyes back up to Hugh's rippling bicep, then it appears that the 44-year-old Jackman is only getting fitter and finer as time goes by. And while Wolverine's 2009 Originmay have missed the mark, this latest installment appears to be an entertaining introduction to Logan's past
and his post-X-Men life.
In The Wolverine we first find the hairy mutant chained (and of course shirtless) at the bottom of a dank sewer in Nagasaki. And after a cavalier Japanese soldier
frees Wolverine, so that he may attempt to flee, Wolvie returns the
favour and stops the Japanese soldier from committing hara-kiri.
But
wait a second, didn't they have Wolverine invading Normandy in X-Men
Origin?! I guess he could've hauled ass from Normandy to Nagasaki... in
less than a year... but it's doubtful. I guess we have to give James
Mangold the benefit of the doubt.
After
Wolverine appears to save the Japanese soldier from being burnt to a
crisp, we jump to present day Canada, where Wolverine is doing his best
Samson-in-the-cave impersonation. Surrounded by local boof-head hunters
and threatening grizzlies, Wolverine seems more tormented by his lost
love than his harsh surroundings. Yet while I have grown tired of the
personal sufferings of superheroes, Wolverine's suffering does strike a
chord of intrigue and familiarity. When it comes to love it seems
superheroes don't seem to fair too well...
Poor
Bruce Wayne hasn't faired so well, the Hulk has always found it hard to
hold down a steady relationship, Thor has the long distance thing going
on, Supes is too busy being advised by his father's holograms, and Iron
Man can only really have a relationship with a mirror.
Jean is negligee'd up in The Wolverine... and apparently very lonely in the afterlife.
Wolvie
too is swept up in the suffering, due to his gut wrenching decision to
kill his only love - Jean Grey (X-Men flashback). As a result, a dolled
up Jean keeps entering Wolvie's dreams, begging for him to join her in
what appears to be a lonely afterlife. And so Wolverine retreats into
solitude and swears off killing... that is until one of the local
boofheads shoots a grizzly with an illegally poisoned arrow. It's now,
when Logan is tracking down the boofhead, that we discover that our hero
is being watched and followed by a Japanese ninja chick, Yukio.
It
turns out Yukio (Rila Fukushima) has been sent by the Japanese soldier in Nagasaki - who is now your stereotypical Japanese technology mogul - to
bring Wolverine back to Japan, so that the dying man can pay his final
respects.
Yukio is a character with umph ... but she disappears for far too much of the film.
It
had to be Japan, right? If Wolverine was going to be whisked away, it
had to be to Japan - a nation described by Hugh as having "a rich
history of family and honour and code." All of which Wolverine appears to oppose!
Director
James Mangold and writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank have wisely
followed the Wolverine comic series here and stuck to Japan for the
film's setting. This was partly done so that we could be taken back to
Logan's roots as an outsider. And in many ways this movie does a better
job serving as an origin film than it does in progressing Wolverine's
story past the X-Men days. In choosing Japan, the movie is also cloaked
in a certain mystique and interest which Americana superhero
movies miss out on.
Traditional Japan, meet the mutton chops!
Seeing
Wolvie embroiled in what proves to be a truly Japanese power struggle -
which spans three generations of the Yashida family and involves the
likes of corrupt politicians, ninjas, samurai wannabes and Yakuza thugs -
is all we need to be entertained. And the comical sequences, which
revolve around this idea of Wolverine being a fish out of water, are a nice touch in a
movie which has been described as "dark". Oh, and keep your eyes peeled
for ruthless grandmas with scrubbing brushes... and a kinky love
hotel!
Yet
like so many superhero/action movies, the first half of The Wolverine
is intriguing and written with flair, while the second half reverts
back to plot mechanics and absurdity. The action scenes in the first
half - led by the Yakuza, who put the 'fun' in funeral, and a
particularly unrealistic but terrifically exciting bullet-train battle -
show that we don't need to binge on CGI explosions to be entertained.
And compared to the last action scene - which is dumb, convoluted and
spoils an otherwise subtly told story - the first half shows the way
forward for future X-Men and Wolverine projects.
Bullet train fun!
Wherever
Wolverine is, mutants appear to follow! And in this installment we are
introduced to Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova - say that five times fast, or just once properly!) - the buxom blonde palliative care nurse of
your dreams. Yet looks can be deceiving, as nurse Viper has a particularly
long and devastating tongue, which she uses to put away many a men.
There's something ordinary about Viper however, you just get the sense
that you've seen this act before. And soon enough we find out that the
only reason Viper is in the movie is to stop Wolverine from regenerating
at a rapid speed. But hey, the playing field had to be leveled somehow if
we are to seriously question whether Wolverine will win the day.
The
Japanese cast delivers, but was the love story between the heiress, Mariko, and Wolverine needed? It's outside of the Yashida family that the most promising Japanese
roles are found, specifically in the ninja pairing of Yukio and Harada (Will Yun Lee).
They both bring intrigue and excitement to the movie, even if they do disappear for large amounts of the movie.
"Harada has a complicated and painful past that puts him in a very complex relationship, not only with Logan and Mariko, but with the larger plot that unfolds. He provokes and challenges Logan in new ways. This is not the kind of circumstance Logan has ever found himself in." Producer, Hutch Parker.
It certainly didn't finish with the bang it started with...
Brooding
and uncompromising, the Clint Eastwood of mutants appears to be here to
stay. And even if his solo outings haven't reached the lofty
heights of the Dark Knight franchise, expect
the hunky 44-year old Jackman to continue to wake up at 4a.m. for those Wolverine workout sessions from hell!
