Prime Time: Spy Game (2001)

When Robert Redford died about six months ago I ended up seriously procrastinating when it came to deciding on the movie I wanted to revisit to be reminded of his talent. There were a number of greats, some of which are all-time classics (especially when he was paired up with an effective co-star, best illustrated by his work with Paul Newman), but I was more familiar with those than with some of his other films. Sneakers was very tempting, especially as I don't think I have rewatched it since I owned it on VHS, but Spy Game was another one I couldn't stop considering. I'm glad I made time for it this week.

A sharp script from Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata shows us the last day on the job for Nathan Muir (Redford), a top CIA operative looking forward to relaxing in his retirement. Unfortunately, his last day becomes more problematic when he hears that his past protégé, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt), has been caught while trying to extricate someone from a Chinese prison. Because he was there on a personal matter, and because of some upcoming deal being negotiated, the U.S. government decides that Bishop will have to be left in the hands of the Chinese. Muir doesn't like that thinking, but he'll have to use every trick in the book if he wants to keep Bishop alive, which is all the more difficult while he remains in a building full of suspicious colleagues and peers.

Although you can still recognise this as a Tony Scott film, from the visual style and editing, it's one of the less frenetic of his films, making good use of his technique to provide a full backstory to the relationship of Muir and Bishop, as well as ensuring that the camera can move around and focus on details that are also being spotted by our smart and scheming main character. Nothing detracts from the more cerebral aspects of the film, and it feels like the consistent level of intelligence throughout is something that undoubtedly would have appealed to Redford, as well as the commentary on the shifting morality and landscape of the spy games on display.

Redford is effortlessly cool and calm throughout, making use of his undeniable charisma and charm with just enough of self-deprecation on the side to keep people off his scent while he tries to circumvent those officially in charge of a politically-charged situation. Stephen Dillane and Larry Bryggman are two other main players alongside Redford, and both do very good work in their roles. Pitt may have the lesser of the main roles, but he's good at being idealistic and just vulnerable enough to make his mentor stay invested in him, even as they start to strongly disagree on rules of engagement and what collateral damage is worthwhile for the greater good. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is wonderful as Gladys (a secretary and very strong ally), and is room for enjoyable performances from David Hemmings, Benedict Wong, Omid Djalili, and Charlotte Rampling. Cathering McCormack is a bit disappointing, but the rest of the writing and characters do enough to make up for that weak spot (which is more to do with the screenplay than McCormack's acting).

If you're looking for a classic Robert Redford movie then you're obviously going to go elsewhere, but if you're looking for something that feels like it epitomises the blend of entertainment and intelligence that he so often delivered then I highly recommend this. Everything is done well enough to keep it plausible and grounded, relative to a number of other movies in the same vein anyway, and it's an even better Redford-Pitt project than A River Runs Through It (and you can all hush now . . . I LIKE A River Runs Through It). I'm sure I'll make time for Sneakers soon, and maybe a rewatch of The Last Castle, as well as a few other Redford treats.

8/10

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Netflix And Chill: The Outrun (2024)

While I was sad that this wasn't actually a film about the arcade machine that took most of my change whenever I was on a holiday trip to the exotic and sun-kissed land of Dunbar, the fact that it was a well-received drama with Saoirse Ronan in the lead role gave me some confidence that I would not regret my viewing choice.

Based on a memoir by Amy Liptrot, The Outrun is about alcoholism, and shows some of the many elements that can factor into that particular monkey that many struggle to shake off their back. Ronan plays Rona, a seemingly outgoing and hard-partying young woman who ends up in a very dangerous situation that serves as a wake-up call to how her drinking has impacted her life. She moves back from London to her childhood home in the Orkney Islands, hoping to recalibrate her life in a way that will allow her to find a spark of passion that was long ago drowned by the alcohol.

Although she has a number of films to her credit already, I am not familiar with the work of director Nora Fingscheidt, who also worked with Daisy Lewis and Liptrot to adapt the source material into a screenplay. Despite the difficult subject matter, I'm impressed enough by Fingscheidt to want to see more of her filmography. Jumping around in time, the film is structured to show the whiplash that can affect those who consider themselves to be having fun until that fun comes grinding to a halt, sometimes in the worst possible ways.

It seems redundant already to say how well Ronan does in the main role, considering how brilliant she has been almost every single time she has performed onscreen. She truly is brilliant here though, and some of her behaviour and erratic mood swings were scarily familiar to me, considering my own experiences throughout my life. Saskia Reeves is also doing her usual great work, playing a caring and concerned mother trying to tip-toe around a tricky issue that she doesn't quite know how to deal with, and Stephen Dillane is a father with his own particular mental health issues that require professional assistance. Paapa Essiedu is Daynin, a young man in London who struggles to maintain a relationship with our lead while her behaviour continues to worsen as she moves from one drunken spiral to another.

I'm currently coming up on five years of sobriety, and that was a choice made because of a pattern of bad choices when I ensured that alcohol was accessible to me. (and people often ask "can you not just have one drink on a special occasion?", to which I always say "yes, no problem, but that occasional one drink will eventually lead to that one big night out when I spend too much, stay out too late, and probably get myself in some sort of trouble") What The Outrun does well is show how things can build in a way that is much more obvious to onlookers than it is to the person just "having a bit of fun". It also works well in showing the rewarding satisfaction of fighting back, the ability you have to find new pleasure in things like a normal day without a hangover, a nice cuppa and chat with a friend or loved one, a lack of embarrassing memories or blackouts, and just a general appreciation of the world around you.

It's about problems stemming from alcohol, but just as equally applies to so many other afflictions that can sit on our shoulders like a crushing weight. I hope others watch it and either recognise how well they are doing with whatever life has dealt them or see what can lie ahead if they grit their teeth and expend even more energy just trying to bat away that little devil that keeps trying to whisper in your ear. It's not easy, and it's often not pretty, but neither is waking up the morning after a big night out with mysterious stains on your clothing, a damaged relationship, and no money left in your bank account.

8/10

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Boxing Day (2021)

Although a seasonal rom-com with plenty of extra drama, Boxing Day, as the name suggests, is also a film about that time during the holidays when the focus isn't necessarily on the gifts and messages of love and peace. Boxing day is when people enjoy leftovers, and it's when the warm glow of Christmas Day starts to turn into a roaring fire, one that can either keep you energised and glowing or can have you raring to restart that long-running feud with your cousin that used to steal all of your best Matchbox cars and Action Man figures.

Aml Ameen is Melvin, a young British man who is about to reluctantly head home for the holidays to visit his family. He'll have to make an appearance, despite the fact that his main reason for heading back to the UK is to help promote his new book. Melvin's family will all be meeting his partner, Lisa (Aja Naomi King). More importantly, Lisa will be meeting them. There are the usual ups and downs you get with any family unit, but things are complicated when Lisa finds out that Melvin's sister, Aretha (Tamara Lawrance), is an assistant to a talented British singer, Georgia (Leigh-Anne Pinnock). Oh, and Georgia used to be in a serious relationship with Melvin. 

As well as starring in this, Aml Ameen both wrote (with Bruce Purnell) and directed the movie, basing a lot of the general atmosphere and the family interactions on his own experiences. I was initially worried, my default position when I realise that a star has given himself a role in something they have also written and directed, but there was no need. Ameen proves himself very much up to every task he assigns himself, and he steps back often enough to allow some light to shine on his very talented cast.

King is very easy to root for throughout, put in an awkward situation from very early on and coming out swinging to prove that she's no passing distraction, and Pinnock (making a smooth transition from singing with Little Mix to portraying a singer here) does well opposite her. The two women both have strong attachments to Ameen's character, but you can also easily believe that both may open their eyes to other possibilities at any point, leaving Melvin alone and full of regret. Lawrance is great fun, Sheyi Cole is hilarious as the love-struck Josh (pursuing a young woman who used to date his cousin, played by Samson Kayo, much to the cousin's displeasure), and there are lovely moments for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Stephen Dillane, Robbie Gee, and everyone else involved in some of the scenes that depict the cosy chaos of a large family gathering.

As well as the mix of expected tropes and melodrama, Boxing Day has a wonderful soundtrack selection, one or two moments of sweetness that play out well, without somehow feeling too schmaltzy, and a great look at the holiday season through a different filter. Populated by a cast that is almost entirely black, this is a film depicting a specific experience within a Caribbean-British household, but it's in being so specific, and drawing on such personal memories, that Ameen manages to hit the bullseye for viewers who will soon see that, while exact customs and scenarios will differ, we're all in the same boat when it comes to balancing the love and support along with the emotional turbulence and insanity that is all part of being part of any family.

A bit cheesy, quite predictable, maybe slightly overlong, Boxing Day is nevertheless a great directorial debut from Ameen. Don't expect perfection and you should enjoy it as much as I did. Which is also a good motto for the entire holiday season.

7/10

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Darkest Hour (2017)

Although both films are about a small, plucky bunch looking for a way to defeat a dark force that can often seem undefeatable, this is not a remake, or connected in any way, to the 2011 film starring Emile Hirsch. That was called The Darkest Hour, you see, and this is just called Darkest Hour. Although I am all for some crossover in the future that sees Churchill and co. fighting against invisible alien invaders.

Yes, in case you weren't already aware, this is a film about Winston Churchill, arguably the most famouse Prime Minister in history, as well known for his cigar-smoking and portly figure (think Hitchcock with a bow tie on) as he is for his quotes and speeches, with one in particular being the event that this whole film revolves around.

Directed by Joe Wright and written by Anthony McCarten, this is a slight step down for the former and a slight step up for the latter (can we all agree now that The Theory Of Everything, the previous film written by McCarten, wasn't THAT good?). About as solid as you can get, in terms of detail, performances, and the oh-so-Britishness of it all, there's no denying that the events shown here are very important, in relation to both Britain and the shape of the modern world, but it can be very hard to make the dusty, archaic environment of Westminster seem lively and cinematic. Let's face it, the general public have often seen snippets of political debates on TV and wondered how many of the MPs present could be diagnosed with early onset rigor mortis.

Thankfully, the cast help to make this more watchable than it otherwise would be. All the praise being heaped on Oldman, always worth your time in movies, is justly deserved. He's absolutely brilliant in the main role, nailing the attitude and determination of a man who, at times, had everyone rooting against him. Kristin Scott Thomas is supportive and good enough as Clementine, AKA Mrs Churchill, but she's given very little to do. The same goes for Lily James, playing a young secretary/worker who is given a second chance after an initial meeting with Churchill that doesn't go well at all. Faring much better from the script are Ben Mendelsohn, giving yet another superb performance as King George VI (that there fella who was the focus of The King's Speech), Stephen Dillane, and Ronald Pickup (playing Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister preceding Churchill). Politics was very much a boy's club back then, and this is reflected in the characters involved in the main strands of the story as it all winds towards THAT speech.

It's a shame that other aspects don't work as well as the performances. The script has a lot of great dialogue to work with, as you would expect, but falls down somewhat when trying to emphasise the pressure on Churchill, and the momentum that he needs to build in parliament. And a couple of weightier moments are resolved in a way that somehow feels like a bit of a half-hearted shrug. Despite the runtime just creeping over the two hour mark, it feels as if this is a film that could warrant an extra 15-20 minutes, but then you have to wonder if that would make the whole thing feel like a painful crawl. Wright does a capable job, doing what he can to keep things respectable while also engrossing and entertaining. There's just one or two elements that hold this back from being a great movie, despite that lead performance towering over everything.

Worth your time, as long as you know exactly what type of film you're getting. Just don't go into it expecting a reworking of that Emile Hirsch movie.

7/10

Order the bluray here.
Or, if in America, here.

April Fools: The Parole Officer (2001)

While it wasn't his first movie role, The Parole Officer was certainly the first movie with Steve Coogan in it that tried to sell him as the main draw. It tends to be forgotten now, thanks to the large body of work that Coogan has built up, both on the big screen and back in TV land, but I think it remains a fantastic British comedy, very much an updated "little man against the odds" romp that brings to mind some of the Ealing Studios classics.

Coogan is the main character, a probation officer named Simon Garden who ends up witnessing a man murdered at the hands of the corrupt Inspector Burton (Stephen Dillane). The only proof that could take the heat off Simon, who is being set up with some incriminating evidence, and show that the Inspector actually did it, is a videotape. Unfortunately, that tape has been locked away in a secure bank vault. Simon rounds up a few people that he has helped in the past and tries to convince them that if they help him commit this robbery then they are, in fact, doing a very good deed.

It may never hit the comedy heights that some might want to see from Coogan, but The Parole Officer is a solid provider of chuckles from start to finish. The script, written by Coogan and Henry Normal, is based more around the characters than one-liners, but that's perfectly fine when the characters are so much fun.

Coogan's character isn't just another Alan Partridge, but there is a shade of him in there, as Simon Garden also lacks self-awareness, at times, and can be similarly awkward. The character does provide laughs, but he's often more of a straight man to the motley crew he assembles to help him in his crime, four people played by Om Puri, Steven Waddington, Ben Miller and Emma Williams - all on fine form as the rehabilitated criminals with the skills to help Simon in his task. Dillane is a very good baddie, and the lovely Lena Headey is as lovely as ever, playing a police officer and potential love interest. There are also a couple of nice cameos from Jenny Agutter and Omar Sharif to add to the fun.

Director John Duigan keeps things moving along nicely, moving between moments of banter between the would-be robbers, some tension, and then some more of the grand robbery scheme, with plenty of comedy puncturing everything. It's all done in a very genteel style, at times, but there are still one or two moments of crudity (and, they may be crude but they ARE funny), with the end result being a very satisfying mix of verbal wit, sight gags and, well, a bit of vomit.

It might not become a firm favourite, and you might never revisit it, but I think The Parole Officer is a very good film, so I'll keep championing it after everyone else seems to have forgotten all about it.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parole-Officer-DVD-Steve-Coogan/dp/B00005Y415/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1397247332&sr=1-1&keywords=the+parole+officer

Red Mist AKA Freakdog (2008)

You might know of Paddy Breathnach already if you note down the names of people involved with movies that you disliked because a LOT of people disliked Shrooms.  I only ended up giving it a generous 5/10 after a rewatch allowed me to enjoy individual elements while my anger abated. Red Mist AKA Freakdog is a slight improvement over Shrooms but it only just provides a better viewing experience, mainly thanks to the echoes of Patrick. The main thing dragging it down is . . . . . . . . . . . well, I'll get to that shortly.

Andrew Lee Potts plays Kenneth, a shy and stuttering hospital worker who likes to look at corpses and cut himself. He's not a well man and doesn't have the best social skills but that doesn't stop him from trying to get close to Catherine (Arielle Kebbel), a young woman learning her craft at the hospital. When Catherine is out one evening with a group of her colleagues (played by Alex Wyndham, Katie McGrath, Sarah Carter and Martin Compston) things take a turn for the worse when Kenneth approaches the group and is brutally rebuffed. He then tells them that he has footage on his phone of one of them sneaking drugs from the pharmacy, drugs that they have been using for recreational purposes. The group then decide to let Kenneth join in with their fun but only so that they can spike his drink and teach him a lesson. As is often the case, things go wrong and Kenneth ends up in a coma. Catherine feels incredibly guilty but her colleagues just want everything to be over so that they can get on with their lives. In an attempt to help out, Catherine visits the comatose Kenneth and starts to secretly administer some experimental drugs that she hopes may help his condition. That's when people start acting as if they're possessed while trying to kill everyone who helped put Kenneth where he is. Could Kenneth be reaching out from his hospital bed? Is it the experimental drug?

The idea may not be an original one but it's not bad. The screenplay by Spence Wright covers familiar ground and it sits very much at the mid-point of quality when it comes to this type of fare. Breathnach does okay with the direction, though it would have been nice to see things getting a bit nastier during the death scenes, and the cast features those already mentioned plus Stephen Dillane and MyAnna Buring (I'll admit it, I like to watch the lovely Miss Buring in anything, so sue me).

BUT, and it is a big but (so big that Sir Mix-A-Lot himself may pop along to admire it), everything in the film from the acting to the unfolding plot to the dialogue exchanges between characters is undone by one huge mis-step. For some reason, those involved decided to try and make the whole thing appear as if it was set in America. Not in any convincing way, you understand, as that would take too much effort and care. Oh no, this movie being set in America means that we get a horrible mix of accents from the poor actors onscreen, a few establishing shots of somewhere that we're supposed to accept is America and then . . . . . . . . . . . well, that's it. There's not really anything else to help convince viewers that they're watching a movie set in the USA. It's as if Paddy Breathnach and Spence Wright watched Slaughter High and thought "well, we can make something as bad as that". Yet I still love Slaughter High to this day, it has a goofy charm to it and feels like those involved actually did their best with what they had. This movie misses that, which is why it also ends up with a generous 5/10 and why I am now wondering whether or not I should stop being so easily pleased.

5/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Mist-Blu-ray-Arielle-Kennel/dp/B0029TQW98/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1346363564&sr=1-2