A flop.
And a hit.
The Warrior's Way, which seems to be intended as Korean star Dong-gun Jang's vehicle for introduction to western cinema, was an ill-constructed, poorly thought out movie.
Beyond it being painfully obvious that this film was intended to bring Jang to Hollywood proper, the casting remains sketchy at best. Geoffrey Rush, who is a delight in most all of his roles, is similarly likable in this, but the character himself is almost too simple for someone of Rush's talent. It could have been played by anyone with ease, and it was a disappointment to see him wasted in such a pathetic way. Along the same lines of tragic miscasting, Kate Bosworth is almost too hard to watch. Her accent is so phony it seems as though she is trying to play a parody of the character, which makes her very out of place with the rest of the story. All around, her character is flat and bland. The audience is clearly supposed to connect with her, the poor victim trying to avenge her family, but her blind ignorance and stupidity, not to mention disregard for the community that took care of her after her family's demise makes her hard to root for.
Jang himself is a delight. His stoic manner in the film is befitting the character, and he plays it well. The little nuances of his relationship with baby April are sweet and simply done, which makes him the only character in the whole film who is likable for all the right reasons. However, that alone does not make the movie worth the film it was shot on. Which, in truth, is almost a shame, as a successful film would have allowed us to see more of Jang.
The film itself, beyond the characters and the cast, is silly enough and at times I can't tell whether or not it is taking itself seriously. And that? That's the problem.
Pass on it. Unless it's on HBO, or one of our movie channels, or you're seeing it for free, it's not worth the green money you'll spend.
Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds is cinema at its finest. It is a film made by a lover of film for fellow film lovers. Filled with beautiful imagery, complex characters, masterful performances and a brilliant story, this period outing is one every WWII film fan should see.
It is hard to pick out what element of this film is the best. The casting is sheer genius. Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz are perfect foils of each other and watch these two dynamic actors play amazingly complex characters is truly enjoyable. The supporting cast deserves as much credit to the success of the film as its two main players. Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, and Daniel Bruhl are all amazing. It is hard to decide whose performances are the best, with the exception of Waltz. His portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa is filled with subtlety that is rarely seen on screen today. The flicker of emotion, the tiniest change and Landa has gone from a laughing, jovial houseguest to the infamous Nazi officer he is reputed to be.
As is typical of Tarantino, this film will have you laughing at moments when something truly heinous is happening. His art is brilliant and slight, and while you may not appreciate every piece he has done, this one truly shines. His nod to other great WWII films will win over any lover of films portraying that era. Without a doubt, the quirks of Tarantino's directing style do more to enhance this story than anything else. The whole project shows how long, hard and carefully he worked to prepare this film and make it all that it could be. Special mention should be made of the fact that less than forty percent of the film is in English, all a tribute to the genius of its director. There is something beautiful, almost poetic in the language of the film, and to watch the characters seamlessly transition from French to German to English and back again, with carefully articulated and crafted dialect and diction makes Tarantino's vision much clearer to the audience.
When you walk away from this, you will feel something, guaranteed. If anything, you will not soon forget the image of a younger Shosanna running from Landa, framed in the open doorway of the farmhouse.
((PERSONAL ASIDE:))
I am not one to say that I am moved by film. I don't really take a lot of stock in the idea that simply viewing a movie will change ones outlook, or change their opinions or their lives, to be frank. However. I first watched tis movie by myself one night on my iPad. I bought it off iTunes to see my darling Michael Fassbender in his breakout roll. That's that. I had a gift card, I figured what the hell? If I watch it once and hate it, then I spent less than I would have going to see it in the theatre. I laid on the couch with my headphones in and was rapt the entire time. My pulse quickened, my heart fluttered, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I wanted to yell and shout and exclaim. The first thing I said to Zach the next day was that he had to watch it. That he had to see it. That I finally *got* it. I can honestly say, I have not had a film make this kind of impression on me since I was 12, and it has only happened once before that. Once with my initial introduction to Kelly's Heroes as a child, and the second time when I was in my new home in Australia for the first night and we found Singing in the Rain on television. I don't expect MOST of my friends to love this movie with the passion that I do. But truthfully, This movie has wormed its way deep into my heart. Who'd have thought that at 25 two of my top 3 favorite movies of all time would be WWII films?
Image Sources: {warrior's way, inglourious basterds}
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