CFE's 100 Science Fiction Film Countdown
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#35
Solyaris (1972)
[YT]seCRhjrLNy4[/YT]
[YT]d5tIi9LnQ6Y[/YT]
Directed by … Andrei Tarkovsky
Written by … Fridrikh Gorenshtein and Andrei Tarkovsky
Adapted from the novel ‘Solaris’ by … Stanislaw Lem
Natalya Bondarchuk ... Hari
Donatas Banionis ... Kris Kelvin
Jüri Järvet ... Dr. Snaut
Vladislav Dvorzhetsky ... Henri Berton
Nikolai Grinko ... Kelvin's Father
Anatoli Solonitsyn ... Dr. Sartorius
Sos Sargsyan ... Dr. Gibarian
Olga Barnet ... Kelvin's Mother
Tamara Ogorodnikova ... Aunt Anna
Georgi Tejkh ... Prof. Messenger
Yulian Semyonov ... Chairman at Scientific Conference
Olga Kizilova ... Gibarian's Guest
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
--------------------------------------------------------
Honestly?
Like straight up, no bull…
1972’s “Solyaris” is one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen. But let’s take a look at it just the same…because it’s that very strangeness that works to craft one of the masterstrokes of Science Fiction.
The story is about a planet named Solaris and a space station in an orbit around it. Strange things are happening on the station so Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) goes there to investigate certain things. There are supposed to be three other people on the station. One of them has died, one of them Dr. Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn) at first doesn't want to talk with him and one of them Dr. Snaut (Jüri Järvet) does tell him things but is a little vague about what is happening. After Kris' first night on the station his late wife (Natalya Bondarchuk) wakes up next to him. Although this is not his real wife but something created by Solaris from Kris his own memories he sees her as his wife. Now that Kris has a Guest, like Sartorius and Snaut, Sartorius wants to talk with him about the events, about Solaris and about its creations. It is not that Kris' wife is only seen by him. Sartorius and Snaut see her too and they even talk with her. She has intelligence although she only knows what Kris knows about her since that is what Solaris knows from him.
The intellectual at the helm of this meditative psychodrama, Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, formed a view of cinema that he called "sculpting in time." By this he meant that the inimitable feature of the medium is to take our experience of time and diversify it. Unedited movie footage interprets time in real time. By using long takes and few cuts, he aimed to give us a feeling of lost and passing time, and the connection of one moment to another. He also uses water, clouds, and reflections, along with their symbolism, such as waves or the form of brooks or running water. Bells and candles are also widespread indications of film, tonality and vision, and Tarkovsky's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Polish novel has a recurrent motif of introspection.
Tarkovsky uses deeply distinctive characters and tempestuous human drama at the center of the piece. Retrospect lets us discern that the two masterworks are more alter egos than contradictions to each other. Both set up their stories in a measured, unhurried style, giving bountiful duration to tracking around the Earth and space sets. Both make use of widescreen mise-en-scène that extracts top-drawer art direction. Both create an atmosphere of mystery that attracts umpteen interpretations.
“Solyaris” is drenched in somberness, which clinches the film even before it leaves Earth. In this pensive prologue, we see the protagonist, a purposefully detached space psychologist named Kris Kelvin, staring at underwater reeds as though they were the death of a helpless animal. Played by the stoic Donatas Banionis, Kris looks perpetually wounded, slowed by some grief beyond description. His father and aunt worry about his apathy, chide him for his humdrum temperament. He is about to take off the next day for a mission to the space station Solaris, a has-been project which has been left awry: It will be his job to conclude whether or not to close down the research station.
Humans seem enslaved by machinery and TV images, disconnected from the nature around them, underwater reeds, a thoroughbred horse, a farm dog. In his persistent shots of freeways, Tarkovsky spurns capturing any but contemporary cars. Why mask the present world in sci-fi apparel, when the alienating future has already barged in?
At Solaris, Kris finds a desolate space station, forsaken save for two distracted if not delirious scientists. A colleague Kris had expected to meet has already committed suicide, leaving him a recorded message hinting of vividly imagined Guests who have "something to do with conscience." Sure enough, Kris' dead wife Hari substantiates at his side, offering the committed affection for which he is starved. She is played in a mind-blowing performance as one of the most endlessly complicated characters an actor could play. We progress into a dogged inversion of conventions: Real terror is in having to watch someone you love devastate herself, the incapability to protect a loved one, the manifold facades or reappearances of the loved one, the inevitability of repeating past mistakes.
The true impact of this cinematic development comes from the agony of Kris' resurrected love for Hari, his eagerness to do anything to hold onto her, even knowing she isn't real. The about-face between color and black and white channels something of this metaphysical inconsistency. Centrally, it's a common love story obstructed by a scientific problem. Hari wonders aloud if she has epilepsy, and later we see her body disturbingly convulsing at the edge between being and non-being. Can he only love her if she is human in the sense that everyone else is?
I mean, love is love.
An elegant, tranquil levitation sequence, when Kris and Hari lose gravity, conveys another characterized likeness of this supernatural periphery. We humans are used to unattainable love, but can any of us experience inescapable, penetrative and unifying love?
In the mean time, Tarkovsky thickens the dialogue with provocative assertions about reality, identity, humanity, and sympathy, reinforced by citations of civilization's rivets like Bach, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Goethe, Brueghel, Luther, and Cervantes. The Soviet censors may have been pacified by the lack of the word God, but Tarkovsky takes the customary science- fiction theme of spacemen determining "contact" with other phenomenons of intelligence, and enhances it virtually to juxtaposition with absolute being through the alien planet's ocean with its cognizant Chthonic functions, embodied by literal islands of thought. Indeed, the planet in question is a symbol for something the contemporary human condition is not able to understand or accept.
Director Steven Soderburgh recently remade the film in 2002 and, while that incarnation is certainly well calibrated with its own stunning visuals and a cast led by George Clooney, Tarkovsky’s original is a true masterpiece at least in the genre (though I’ll admit it’s hardly seems like one when compared to Tarkovsky’s other films).

Not exactly a barrel of laughs, “Solyaris” is strangely compelling if you go with it. The 165 minutes don't exactly fly by, but they certainly can get under your skin if you're in a receptive mood (trust me the film is long…and if you let it, it’ll feel LONG). It's not hard to see why it's been so influential on Hollywood sci-fi.
With a deep meaning and a warm humanist philosophy, the film can be viewed as a meditation on human relations. It may not be Tarkovsky's favorite film (hell, even HE considered it a failure), but "Solyaris" is an often-overlooked milestone in cinema that challenges the constraints of its genre and becomes something else, something more.
Something special.
--------------------------------------------------------
Solyaris (1972)
[YT]seCRhjrLNy4[/YT]
[YT]d5tIi9LnQ6Y[/YT]
Directed by … Andrei Tarkovsky
Written by … Fridrikh Gorenshtein and Andrei Tarkovsky
Adapted from the novel ‘Solaris’ by … Stanislaw Lem
Natalya Bondarchuk ... Hari
Donatas Banionis ... Kris Kelvin
Jüri Järvet ... Dr. Snaut
Vladislav Dvorzhetsky ... Henri Berton
Nikolai Grinko ... Kelvin's Father
Anatoli Solonitsyn ... Dr. Sartorius
Sos Sargsyan ... Dr. Gibarian
Olga Barnet ... Kelvin's Mother
Tamara Ogorodnikova ... Aunt Anna
Georgi Tejkh ... Prof. Messenger
Yulian Semyonov ... Chairman at Scientific Conference
Olga Kizilova ... Gibarian's Guest
A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans.
--------------------------------------------------------
Honestly?
Like straight up, no bull…
1972’s “Solyaris” is one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen. But let’s take a look at it just the same…because it’s that very strangeness that works to craft one of the masterstrokes of Science Fiction.
The story is about a planet named Solaris and a space station in an orbit around it. Strange things are happening on the station so Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) goes there to investigate certain things. There are supposed to be three other people on the station. One of them has died, one of them Dr. Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn) at first doesn't want to talk with him and one of them Dr. Snaut (Jüri Järvet) does tell him things but is a little vague about what is happening. After Kris' first night on the station his late wife (Natalya Bondarchuk) wakes up next to him. Although this is not his real wife but something created by Solaris from Kris his own memories he sees her as his wife. Now that Kris has a Guest, like Sartorius and Snaut, Sartorius wants to talk with him about the events, about Solaris and about its creations. It is not that Kris' wife is only seen by him. Sartorius and Snaut see her too and they even talk with her. She has intelligence although she only knows what Kris knows about her since that is what Solaris knows from him.
The intellectual at the helm of this meditative psychodrama, Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, formed a view of cinema that he called "sculpting in time." By this he meant that the inimitable feature of the medium is to take our experience of time and diversify it. Unedited movie footage interprets time in real time. By using long takes and few cuts, he aimed to give us a feeling of lost and passing time, and the connection of one moment to another. He also uses water, clouds, and reflections, along with their symbolism, such as waves or the form of brooks or running water. Bells and candles are also widespread indications of film, tonality and vision, and Tarkovsky's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Polish novel has a recurrent motif of introspection.
Tarkovsky uses deeply distinctive characters and tempestuous human drama at the center of the piece. Retrospect lets us discern that the two masterworks are more alter egos than contradictions to each other. Both set up their stories in a measured, unhurried style, giving bountiful duration to tracking around the Earth and space sets. Both make use of widescreen mise-en-scène that extracts top-drawer art direction. Both create an atmosphere of mystery that attracts umpteen interpretations.
“Solyaris” is drenched in somberness, which clinches the film even before it leaves Earth. In this pensive prologue, we see the protagonist, a purposefully detached space psychologist named Kris Kelvin, staring at underwater reeds as though they were the death of a helpless animal. Played by the stoic Donatas Banionis, Kris looks perpetually wounded, slowed by some grief beyond description. His father and aunt worry about his apathy, chide him for his humdrum temperament. He is about to take off the next day for a mission to the space station Solaris, a has-been project which has been left awry: It will be his job to conclude whether or not to close down the research station.
Humans seem enslaved by machinery and TV images, disconnected from the nature around them, underwater reeds, a thoroughbred horse, a farm dog. In his persistent shots of freeways, Tarkovsky spurns capturing any but contemporary cars. Why mask the present world in sci-fi apparel, when the alienating future has already barged in?
At Solaris, Kris finds a desolate space station, forsaken save for two distracted if not delirious scientists. A colleague Kris had expected to meet has already committed suicide, leaving him a recorded message hinting of vividly imagined Guests who have "something to do with conscience." Sure enough, Kris' dead wife Hari substantiates at his side, offering the committed affection for which he is starved. She is played in a mind-blowing performance as one of the most endlessly complicated characters an actor could play. We progress into a dogged inversion of conventions: Real terror is in having to watch someone you love devastate herself, the incapability to protect a loved one, the manifold facades or reappearances of the loved one, the inevitability of repeating past mistakes.
The true impact of this cinematic development comes from the agony of Kris' resurrected love for Hari, his eagerness to do anything to hold onto her, even knowing she isn't real. The about-face between color and black and white channels something of this metaphysical inconsistency. Centrally, it's a common love story obstructed by a scientific problem. Hari wonders aloud if she has epilepsy, and later we see her body disturbingly convulsing at the edge between being and non-being. Can he only love her if she is human in the sense that everyone else is?
I mean, love is love.
An elegant, tranquil levitation sequence, when Kris and Hari lose gravity, conveys another characterized likeness of this supernatural periphery. We humans are used to unattainable love, but can any of us experience inescapable, penetrative and unifying love?
In the mean time, Tarkovsky thickens the dialogue with provocative assertions about reality, identity, humanity, and sympathy, reinforced by citations of civilization's rivets like Bach, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Goethe, Brueghel, Luther, and Cervantes. The Soviet censors may have been pacified by the lack of the word God, but Tarkovsky takes the customary science- fiction theme of spacemen determining "contact" with other phenomenons of intelligence, and enhances it virtually to juxtaposition with absolute being through the alien planet's ocean with its cognizant Chthonic functions, embodied by literal islands of thought. Indeed, the planet in question is a symbol for something the contemporary human condition is not able to understand or accept.
Director Steven Soderburgh recently remade the film in 2002 and, while that incarnation is certainly well calibrated with its own stunning visuals and a cast led by George Clooney, Tarkovsky’s original is a true masterpiece at least in the genre (though I’ll admit it’s hardly seems like one when compared to Tarkovsky’s other films).

Not exactly a barrel of laughs, “Solyaris” is strangely compelling if you go with it. The 165 minutes don't exactly fly by, but they certainly can get under your skin if you're in a receptive mood (trust me the film is long…and if you let it, it’ll feel LONG). It's not hard to see why it's been so influential on Hollywood sci-fi.
With a deep meaning and a warm humanist philosophy, the film can be viewed as a meditation on human relations. It may not be Tarkovsky's favorite film (hell, even HE considered it a failure), but "Solyaris" is an often-overlooked milestone in cinema that challenges the constraints of its genre and becomes something else, something more.
Something special.
--------------------------------------------------------
cerealkiller182
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I really want to see this along with other Tarkovsky's work
CFE
The never-ending battle
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#34
Minority Report (2002)
[YT]ol2i_Hax0HY[/YT]
[YT]ta1HBizg0Yk[/YT]
Directed by … Steven Spielberg
Written by … Jon Cohen and Scott Frank
Adapted from the short story “Minority Report” by … Phillip K. Dick
Tom Cruise ... Chief John Anderton
Max von Sydow ... Director Lamar Burgess
Steve Harris ... Jad
Neal McDonough ... Fletcher
Patrick Kilpatrick ... Knott
Jessica Capshaw ... Evanna
Richard Coca ... Pre-Crime Cop
Keith Campbell ... Pre-Crime Cop
Kirk B.R. Woller ... Pre-Crime Cop
Klea Scott ... Pre-Crime Cop
Frank Grillo ... Pre-Crime Cop
Anna Maria Horsford ... Casey
Sarah Simmons ... Lamar Burgess' Secretary
Eugene Osment ... Jad's Technician
Colin Farrell ... Danny Witwer
Stephen Ramsey ... Jucket - Agent #1
Tom Choi ... Paymen - Agent #2
Tom Whitenight ... Price - Agent #3
Billy Morts ... Foley - Agent #4
Samantha Morton ... Agatha
Michael Dickman ... Arthur
Matthew Dickman ... Dashiell
Lois Smith ... Dr. Iris Hineman
Daniel London ... Wally the Caretaker
Tim Blake Nelson ... Gideon
George D. Wallace ... Chief Justice Pollard
Ann Ryerson ... Dr. Katherine James
Kathryn Morris ... Lara Clarke
Tyler Patrick Jones ... Older Sean
Dominic Scott Kay ... Younger Sean
Arye Gross ... Howard Marks
Ashley Crow ... Sarah Marks
Mike Binder ... Leo Crow
Joel Gretsch ... Donald Dubin
Jessica Harper ... Anne Lively
Bertell Lawrence ... John Doe
Jason Antoon ... Rufus Riley at Cyber Parlor
William Mesnik ... Cyber Parlor Customer
Scott Frank ... Conceited Customer
Severin Wunderman ... Skiing Customer
Catfish Bates ... Tenement Snitch
Peter Stormare ... Dr. Solomon Eddie
Caroline Lagerfelt ... Greta van Eyck
Victor Raider-Wexler ... Attorney General Nash
Nancy Linehan Charles ... Celeste Burgess
In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.
--------------------------------------------------------
Steven Spielberg is one of the few directors around today who can still manipulate an audience in one sense with storytelling and character while dazzling and daring that same audience in another with ingenious visual effects…all in a seamless fusion that feels authentic and well conceived.
2002’s “Minority Report” is a shining example of that talent.
In the year 2054 the murder rate in Washington is non-existent…thanks to a program called ‘Pre-Crime.’ ‘Pre-Crime’ uses three pre-cognitives to see the near future and direct officers to arrest the murderers before they can commit the act. Thanks to the program preventing murder in Washington for the past six years, plans are underway to implement the program on a national scale. However during a visit by an assessing authority the pre-cognitives see chief officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise) kill a man. John runs, escaping the pre-crime police as he tries to find out how and why he was seen killing a man…and to potentially prove his own innocence, despite evidence to the contrary being the future itself. But…perhaps there’s a flaw in the ‘Pre-Crime’ arrests, as Anderton discovers the possibility of innocent people being put away as a result of the program.
Adapted from the short story by genre legend Phillip K. Dick, The film gets its name from a mention half-way into the plot…that when one of the three "predictions" differs from the other two it is suppressed as a "minority report" so as to not cause a furor.
Aside from the future setting and all the tech-gizmo-aesthetic laced within it, “Report” plays more so like a classic noir murder mystery…a “Whodunit?” complete with jet-pack police and cyber parlors, my kinda movie!
At its heart, the theme of “Minority Report” is very similar to the one found in “A Clockwork Orange” (it seems that, in the wake of “A.I.,” Steven was channeling his inner Kubrick): just how far are we willing to go in trading away a person's civil rights in order to achieve a society devoid of the threat of crime and violence?
In “Orange,” the society of the future attempted to head criminality off at the pass by ‘reprogramming’ potential criminals before they had the chance to actually commit the crimes. “Minority Report,” creates a future society that has managed to find a way to do virtually the same thing, only, in this case, scientists have enlisted the aid of genetic mutants who have the ability to witness murders before they happen and can then pass that information on to the authorities. Law enforcement now becomes a matter of apprehending and imprisoning criminals BEFORE they have even committed the crime. From this material (not even including Anderton’s own dilemma within the plot), writers Scott Frank and John Cohen have fleshed out an intricate and fascinating plot that keeps us guessing all the way to the film's finale.
The concept of eyes – our primary means of perceiving the world – is very important to the film. They are continually used to identify us, but this technology can be bypassed through relatively inexpensive underground surgical procedures. Just as the eye can fool others, the visuals provided to our own brains have the tendency to mislead.
The Pre-cog Agatha (Samantha Morton) frequently uses the phrase "Can you see?” in a manner that implies not just optical recognition but an otherwise-elusive greater understanding of human nature. The brightly-lit surroundings of upper-class Washington DC are merely a facade, designed to bolster the mind into a false sense of optimism and security, lest we remove our blindfolds to genuinely appreciate society's darkened heart. The Pre-Crime system may be perfect, contends Danny Witwer, but, if there's a flaw, it's human. In such a way, deliberate misdirection allows elderly director Lamar Burgess to hoodwink the senses and get away with murder.
In many ways, though, it is not in the narrative details that “Minority Report”s true greatness lies (after all, this story is basically a redo of 2002’s earlier and abysmal “Imposter,” which, by the way, was also derived from a Dick story). It is the vision that Spielberg brings to the material that sets it apart.
Rarely have we ever seen a future world brought so vividly and believably to life as it is here.
Set in 2054, the film is a total visual masterpiece. Aided by astonishing production design, cinematography and special effects, Spielberg has created a universe unlike any we have seen before.
One of his most triumphant moves is to not try and imagine the future in totally unfamiliar terms. Most of the clothes and furnishings seem strangely similar to what we have today. The effect of this is to help us identify with the characters in a way that might not have been possible had everything been made to seem alien and unrecognizable. What the filmmakers do emphasize in their vision of the future world is the constant barrage of audio/visual stimuli that come in the form of things like personalized holograms and animated periodicals which pinpoint just how close our own world is moving towards this sort of all-encompassing sensory overload.
In a day and age in which even the most elaborate special effects can elicit a yawn from the audience, Spielberg still shows that he has the ability to dazzle us. There is a chase scene done on a vertical superhighway that far surpasses anything in that summers “Spider-Man” or “Attack of the Clones” for sheer breathtaking ingenuity and excitement. In fact, on the visual/special effects level alone, “Minority Report” makes those other two films look like first-year film school pikers. It's also impossible to convey just how extraordinarily brilliant cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's work is on this film. With his muted color scheme and emphasis on glowing whites, Kaminski brings a true otherworldly quality to Spielberg's vision.
Like all great Spielberg films (and there are so many we can't even count them anymore), `Minority Report' packs a wallop both in the overwhelming intensity of its action sequences and in the quiet moments of subtle reflection where the filmmaker affords us glimpses into the workings of the human heart. The director is helped immeasurably in the first case by the brilliant editing of Michael Kahn, and in the second by the outstanding performance of Tom Cruise in the lead role. Cruise has rarely brought such dramatic intensity or such emotional depth to any character the way he does to John Anderton. The long delayed and long anticipated collaboration between one of the world's greatest directors and one of the world's most charismatic stars has resulted in a film worthy of both of their talents and reputations.
The remainder of the cast is all well versed and dynamic, performing beautifully to support Samantha Morton delivers one of the finest and most vulnerable and arresting performances I’ve seen in the genre as Pre-Cog Agatha while Max Von Sydow adds that touch of experience and maliciousness for Burgess. Perhaps the oddest casting choice appeared to be then-newcomer Colin Farrell as the meddling, almost vindictive Danny Witwer, but he plays well off of Cruise even if he veers dangerously close to comic book villainy at times (check out a holy smoke Batman scene).
Lois Smith's Kubrickesque cameo in the animated hothouse, the retinal ID spiders who invade Anderton's post-eye-op hideaway and the whole gritty eye op episode in and of itself all blend bits of “Brazil” with bits of “Blade Runner” while adding a deliciously high level of quality-disgustingness. The Lexus factory episode is remarkable and sticks in the mind even as it seems reprehensible and preposterous, as do the personalized commercial ID's.
The film’s sense of pacing and action are first rate. From a bombastic jetpack pursuit to car jumping heroics the sequences are breathtakingly crafted with Spielberg's cheerily enjoyable cinematic flourishes and kick ass staging. All this…plus sick sticks (a police baton that strikes an individual, instantly causing them to vomit and become incapacitated), a cyber-sex-parlor (YEAH!!!), retinal spiders and a brilliant Peter Stormare cameo should hopefully have you squirming and grinning in equal measure.
“Minority Report” is one of the best and most unique sci-fi thrillers to be released in years.
It is the conglomeration of such a dizzying array of films that it is difficult to contemplate them all at once. We see elements of action films, futuristic thrillers, crime films, science fiction, and of course, the influence of Stanley Kubrick is never far off. There is even, especially in the later portion of the film, a heavy influence on the exquisite John Williams soundtrack by Bernard Hermann, who was the composer for most of Alfred Hitchcock's films, among many others.
It's always nice to see such a respectful homage like that, and it is only one of the many things that makes “Minority Report” yet another addition to Steven Spielberg's extensive list of high-end blockbuster pictures.
Spielberg does Noir?
Hell YEAH!
--------------------------------------------------------
Minority Report (2002)
[YT]ol2i_Hax0HY[/YT]
[YT]ta1HBizg0Yk[/YT]
Directed by … Steven Spielberg
Written by … Jon Cohen and Scott Frank
Adapted from the short story “Minority Report” by … Phillip K. Dick
Tom Cruise ... Chief John Anderton
Max von Sydow ... Director Lamar Burgess
Steve Harris ... Jad
Neal McDonough ... Fletcher
Patrick Kilpatrick ... Knott
Jessica Capshaw ... Evanna
Richard Coca ... Pre-Crime Cop
Keith Campbell ... Pre-Crime Cop
Kirk B.R. Woller ... Pre-Crime Cop
Klea Scott ... Pre-Crime Cop
Frank Grillo ... Pre-Crime Cop
Anna Maria Horsford ... Casey
Sarah Simmons ... Lamar Burgess' Secretary
Eugene Osment ... Jad's Technician
Colin Farrell ... Danny Witwer
Stephen Ramsey ... Jucket - Agent #1
Tom Choi ... Paymen - Agent #2
Tom Whitenight ... Price - Agent #3
Billy Morts ... Foley - Agent #4
Samantha Morton ... Agatha
Michael Dickman ... Arthur
Matthew Dickman ... Dashiell
Lois Smith ... Dr. Iris Hineman
Daniel London ... Wally the Caretaker
Tim Blake Nelson ... Gideon
George D. Wallace ... Chief Justice Pollard
Ann Ryerson ... Dr. Katherine James
Kathryn Morris ... Lara Clarke
Tyler Patrick Jones ... Older Sean
Dominic Scott Kay ... Younger Sean
Arye Gross ... Howard Marks
Ashley Crow ... Sarah Marks
Mike Binder ... Leo Crow
Joel Gretsch ... Donald Dubin
Jessica Harper ... Anne Lively
Bertell Lawrence ... John Doe
Jason Antoon ... Rufus Riley at Cyber Parlor
William Mesnik ... Cyber Parlor Customer
Scott Frank ... Conceited Customer
Severin Wunderman ... Skiing Customer
Catfish Bates ... Tenement Snitch
Peter Stormare ... Dr. Solomon Eddie
Caroline Lagerfelt ... Greta van Eyck
Victor Raider-Wexler ... Attorney General Nash
Nancy Linehan Charles ... Celeste Burgess
In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.
--------------------------------------------------------
Steven Spielberg is one of the few directors around today who can still manipulate an audience in one sense with storytelling and character while dazzling and daring that same audience in another with ingenious visual effects…all in a seamless fusion that feels authentic and well conceived.
2002’s “Minority Report” is a shining example of that talent.
In the year 2054 the murder rate in Washington is non-existent…thanks to a program called ‘Pre-Crime.’ ‘Pre-Crime’ uses three pre-cognitives to see the near future and direct officers to arrest the murderers before they can commit the act. Thanks to the program preventing murder in Washington for the past six years, plans are underway to implement the program on a national scale. However during a visit by an assessing authority the pre-cognitives see chief officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise) kill a man. John runs, escaping the pre-crime police as he tries to find out how and why he was seen killing a man…and to potentially prove his own innocence, despite evidence to the contrary being the future itself. But…perhaps there’s a flaw in the ‘Pre-Crime’ arrests, as Anderton discovers the possibility of innocent people being put away as a result of the program.
Adapted from the short story by genre legend Phillip K. Dick, The film gets its name from a mention half-way into the plot…that when one of the three "predictions" differs from the other two it is suppressed as a "minority report" so as to not cause a furor.
Aside from the future setting and all the tech-gizmo-aesthetic laced within it, “Report” plays more so like a classic noir murder mystery…a “Whodunit?” complete with jet-pack police and cyber parlors, my kinda movie!
At its heart, the theme of “Minority Report” is very similar to the one found in “A Clockwork Orange” (it seems that, in the wake of “A.I.,” Steven was channeling his inner Kubrick): just how far are we willing to go in trading away a person's civil rights in order to achieve a society devoid of the threat of crime and violence?
In “Orange,” the society of the future attempted to head criminality off at the pass by ‘reprogramming’ potential criminals before they had the chance to actually commit the crimes. “Minority Report,” creates a future society that has managed to find a way to do virtually the same thing, only, in this case, scientists have enlisted the aid of genetic mutants who have the ability to witness murders before they happen and can then pass that information on to the authorities. Law enforcement now becomes a matter of apprehending and imprisoning criminals BEFORE they have even committed the crime. From this material (not even including Anderton’s own dilemma within the plot), writers Scott Frank and John Cohen have fleshed out an intricate and fascinating plot that keeps us guessing all the way to the film's finale.
The concept of eyes – our primary means of perceiving the world – is very important to the film. They are continually used to identify us, but this technology can be bypassed through relatively inexpensive underground surgical procedures. Just as the eye can fool others, the visuals provided to our own brains have the tendency to mislead.
The Pre-cog Agatha (Samantha Morton) frequently uses the phrase "Can you see?” in a manner that implies not just optical recognition but an otherwise-elusive greater understanding of human nature. The brightly-lit surroundings of upper-class Washington DC are merely a facade, designed to bolster the mind into a false sense of optimism and security, lest we remove our blindfolds to genuinely appreciate society's darkened heart. The Pre-Crime system may be perfect, contends Danny Witwer, but, if there's a flaw, it's human. In such a way, deliberate misdirection allows elderly director Lamar Burgess to hoodwink the senses and get away with murder.
In many ways, though, it is not in the narrative details that “Minority Report”s true greatness lies (after all, this story is basically a redo of 2002’s earlier and abysmal “Imposter,” which, by the way, was also derived from a Dick story). It is the vision that Spielberg brings to the material that sets it apart.
Rarely have we ever seen a future world brought so vividly and believably to life as it is here.
Set in 2054, the film is a total visual masterpiece. Aided by astonishing production design, cinematography and special effects, Spielberg has created a universe unlike any we have seen before.
One of his most triumphant moves is to not try and imagine the future in totally unfamiliar terms. Most of the clothes and furnishings seem strangely similar to what we have today. The effect of this is to help us identify with the characters in a way that might not have been possible had everything been made to seem alien and unrecognizable. What the filmmakers do emphasize in their vision of the future world is the constant barrage of audio/visual stimuli that come in the form of things like personalized holograms and animated periodicals which pinpoint just how close our own world is moving towards this sort of all-encompassing sensory overload.
In a day and age in which even the most elaborate special effects can elicit a yawn from the audience, Spielberg still shows that he has the ability to dazzle us. There is a chase scene done on a vertical superhighway that far surpasses anything in that summers “Spider-Man” or “Attack of the Clones” for sheer breathtaking ingenuity and excitement. In fact, on the visual/special effects level alone, “Minority Report” makes those other two films look like first-year film school pikers. It's also impossible to convey just how extraordinarily brilliant cinematographer Janusz Kaminski's work is on this film. With his muted color scheme and emphasis on glowing whites, Kaminski brings a true otherworldly quality to Spielberg's vision.
Like all great Spielberg films (and there are so many we can't even count them anymore), `Minority Report' packs a wallop both in the overwhelming intensity of its action sequences and in the quiet moments of subtle reflection where the filmmaker affords us glimpses into the workings of the human heart. The director is helped immeasurably in the first case by the brilliant editing of Michael Kahn, and in the second by the outstanding performance of Tom Cruise in the lead role. Cruise has rarely brought such dramatic intensity or such emotional depth to any character the way he does to John Anderton. The long delayed and long anticipated collaboration between one of the world's greatest directors and one of the world's most charismatic stars has resulted in a film worthy of both of their talents and reputations.
The remainder of the cast is all well versed and dynamic, performing beautifully to support Samantha Morton delivers one of the finest and most vulnerable and arresting performances I’ve seen in the genre as Pre-Cog Agatha while Max Von Sydow adds that touch of experience and maliciousness for Burgess. Perhaps the oddest casting choice appeared to be then-newcomer Colin Farrell as the meddling, almost vindictive Danny Witwer, but he plays well off of Cruise even if he veers dangerously close to comic book villainy at times (check out a holy smoke Batman scene).
Lois Smith's Kubrickesque cameo in the animated hothouse, the retinal ID spiders who invade Anderton's post-eye-op hideaway and the whole gritty eye op episode in and of itself all blend bits of “Brazil” with bits of “Blade Runner” while adding a deliciously high level of quality-disgustingness. The Lexus factory episode is remarkable and sticks in the mind even as it seems reprehensible and preposterous, as do the personalized commercial ID's.
The film’s sense of pacing and action are first rate. From a bombastic jetpack pursuit to car jumping heroics the sequences are breathtakingly crafted with Spielberg's cheerily enjoyable cinematic flourishes and kick ass staging. All this…plus sick sticks (a police baton that strikes an individual, instantly causing them to vomit and become incapacitated), a cyber-sex-parlor (YEAH!!!), retinal spiders and a brilliant Peter Stormare cameo should hopefully have you squirming and grinning in equal measure.
“Minority Report” is one of the best and most unique sci-fi thrillers to be released in years.
It is the conglomeration of such a dizzying array of films that it is difficult to contemplate them all at once. We see elements of action films, futuristic thrillers, crime films, science fiction, and of course, the influence of Stanley Kubrick is never far off. There is even, especially in the later portion of the film, a heavy influence on the exquisite John Williams soundtrack by Bernard Hermann, who was the composer for most of Alfred Hitchcock's films, among many others.
It's always nice to see such a respectful homage like that, and it is only one of the many things that makes “Minority Report” yet another addition to Steven Spielberg's extensive list of high-end blockbuster pictures.
Spielberg does Noir?
Hell YEAH!
--------------------------------------------------------
CFE
The never-ending battle
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#33
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
[YT]MR1xo1tLyBk[/YT]
[YT]dRFUoqA_vm0[/YT]
Written and Directed by … George Lucas
Based on characters created by … George Lucas
Ewan McGregor ... Obi-Wan Kenobi
Hayden Christensen ... Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
James Earl Jones … Darth Vader (voice)
Natalie Portman ... Padmé
Ian McDiarmid ... Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Samuel L. Jackson ... Mace Windu
Jimmy Smits ... Senator Bail Organa
Frank Oz ... Yoda (voice)
Anthony Daniels ... C-3PO
Kenny Baker ... R2-D2
Christopher Lee ... Count Dooku
Matthew Wood ... General Grievous (voice)
Peter Mayhew ... Chewbacca
Joel Edgerton ... Owen Lars
Bonnie Piesse ... Beru
Keisha Castle-Hughes ... Queen of Naboo
Silas Carson ... Ki-Adi-Mundi / Nute Gunray
Jay Laga'aia ... Captain Typho
Bruce Spence ... Tion Medon
Wayne Pygram ... Governor Tarkin
Temuera Morrison ... Commander Cody
David Bowers ... Mas Amedda
Oliver Ford Davies ... Sio Bibble
Ahmed Best ... Jar Jar Binks
Rohan Nichol ... Captain Antilles
Jeremy Bulloch ... Captain Colton
Amanda Lucas ... Terr Taneel
Matt Sloan ... Plo Koon
Rebecca Jackson Mendoza ... Queen of Alderaan
Jett Lucas ... Zett Jukassa
Tux Akindoyeni ... Agen Kolar
Matt Rowan ... Senator Orn Free Taa
Kenji Oates ... Saesee Tiin
Amy Allen ... Aayla Secura
Bodie ‘Tihoi’ Taylor ... Clone Trooper
Graeme Blundell ... Ruwee Naberrie
Trisha Noble ... Jobal Naberrie
Claudia Karvan ... Sola Naberrie
Keira Wingate ... Ryoo Naberrie
Hayley Mooy ... Pooja Naberrie
Sandi Finlay ... Sly Moore
Katie Lucas ... Chi Eekway
Genevieve O'Reilly ... Mon Mothma
Warren Owens ... Fang Zar
Kee Chan ... Malé-Dee
Rena Owen ... Nee Alavar
Christopher Kirby ... Giddean Danu
Kristy Wright ... Moteé
Coinneach Alexander ... Whie
Mousy McCallum ... Bene
War! The Republic is crumbling
under attacks by the ruthless
Sith Lord, Count Dooku.
There are heroes on both sides.
Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the
fiendish droid leader, General
Grievous, has swept into the
Republic capital and kidnapped
Chancellor Palpatine, leader of
The Galactic Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army
attempts to flee the besieged
capital with their valuable
hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a
desperate mission to rescue the
captive Chancellor....
--------------------------------------------------------
“The Saga…is Complete.”
It’s common knowledge that a “Star Wars” film is going to make decent box office…but with a tagline like that you KNEW it was going to be something special.
And after six years of anticipation following the first two Episodes, 2005’s “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” made the wait worth it in spades.
Early on, the film opens with a jaw-dropping and massive battle scene hanging over the atmosphere of Coruscant. Lucas makes quick work of exceeding visual expectations and, clearly, this is the most visually bombastic of the three prequels (which is saying…quite a lot actually, given that each film is proverbially double-dipped in visualization with saturated color correction and animated eye candy done on a clever computer…or two dozen).
From there, the film (despite being in the midst of the Clone Wars) refreshingly puts the action in the backseat for the most part as it takes us on a story of deception and intrigue with…dare I say, some authentic character development!
Crazy right?
Given his close proximity to Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is given a not so subtle assignment by Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and the Council, who’ve ordered him to use his relationship with the Chancellor as a means of spying on him. Given that Palpatine has managed to weasel his way into being Supreme Chancellor for an elongated term that should’ve expired by now, it makes sense. But Anakin is reluctant of the idea; feeling conflicted between his sense of honor towards the Jedi and a sense of duty to the Senate...especially in a time of war with heightened threat and paranoia.
Meanwhile, Skywalker continues to be plagued by visions, nightmares…but no longer are they of his now-deceased mother. They’re of his pregnant wife Padme (Natalie Portman), dying while in childbirth. Keeping their bond a secret due to the Jedi code of NOT falling prey to selfish love, Anakin and Padme are desperate for an answer to their respective concerns…while Padme wishes for Anakin to consult with Palpatine to call off the war and allow diplomacy back into the Senate, Anakin is only concerned with keeping her alive.
Through the masterful deception of Palpatine, the unthinkable (yet inevitable) finally happens…as Anakin, torn by his love for Padme and confusion over the Jedi Council, turns to Palpatine…and the Dark Side…as Darth Vader.
And the rest…is Galactic History still to come.
Now don’t misunderstand…of course this is still a Prequel, and as a result we do have to be concerned with the trappings that we reluctantly became accustomed to…the eye-scorching CG, the unfortunate wooden non-chemistry between our primary cast of characters…Hayden Christensen having to spout off Lucas’ eyebrow raising dialog…
But for all the Prequel-itis the film has to endure, “Revenge of the Sith” easily makes up for Episodes I and II.
Why?
Because it FINALLY got to the material ALL of us wanted to see since “Return of the Jedi.”
That pinnacle moment of Anakin finally giving in to Palpatine’s temptations and succumbing to the Dark Side…leading as a result to his extermination of the Jedi and the iconic battle between him and Obi-Wan.
Story wise, the film hit on all points…finally bringing us full circle by tying up loose ends and doing so in true “Star Wars” fashion. “Sith” is never short on iconography from the Galaxy Far, Far Away…
Finally, we see Palpatine become disfigured into the malicious Emperor Palpatine.
Finally, we see the formation of the Galactic Empire, clearly inspired by the finale of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” as the Emperor declares his rule while Vader simultaneously cuts down the Separatist leaders on the volcanic planet Mustufar.
Finally, we see Senator Organa salvaging what he can of the Jedi in the hopes of building a Rebel Alliance (more was done on that in a handful of deleted scenes).
Finally, we get Yoda proclaiming the need for his own exile (obviously on Dagobah).
And, perhaps the best of all…yes…finally, we had Darth Vader again…suit, cape, helmet and James Earl Jones voice quite intact.
As you can see, ‘Finally’ is clearly the word of choice here…because that was the only thing running through my head the first time I saw the picture.
Not only do we ‘finally’ get to see all we’ve been waiting for…but in true Lucas fashion, we’re still given new concepts and characters as well!
The new baddie this time around, General Grievous, is pretty good (though not as much as Darth Maul or Count Dooku). But it’s interesting to see somewhat of an early pre-cursor to Vader himself…since Grievous is an alien living off of artificial droid enhancements. His four armed-duel with Obi-Wan is also pretty freaking sweet!
The cast is actually quite amazing in their final curtain call…again most likely because we’ve finally done away with all the set-up of the first two Episodes and the cast is now taking part in the strongest story material of the Prequel Trilogy. Since the pivotal turning point of “Episode III” is such a powerful touchstone point in the “Star Wars” timeline, it’s a given that we’re going to get the most dynamic of EVERYTHING.
While still being more than a tad whiny for my tastes (and having to deal with material such as “No heh…no, it’s because I’m so in love with you!” … gag), this is clearly Hayden’s best performance as Anakin…not just in his lightsaber prowess or in his dialog (that referred line notwithstanding), but the subtle moments of tragedy and turmoil…those moments of him standing on the platform on Mustufar, silently shedding tears over what he’s become. The nuisances laced throughout the earlier portions of the film in anticipation of his descent and the inner conflict that builds are also wonderfully portrayed. Hayden’s camaraderie with Ewan’s Obi-Wan is also thankfully more developed here and it’s clear that after “Episode II” they’ve bonded a bit more. Ewan also gives a superior performance to his previous entries and the depth of Obi-Wan is greatly developed here…sending the character on the correct path towards Alec Guinness’ performance.
Interestingly enough, even Natalie Portman manages to deliver. Her final scene with Anakin, declaring that he’s breaking her heart, is so crushingly beautiful and tragic and poetic…oh my GOD!
But the obvious standout of the film is none other than Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. After two films of playing, more or less, behind the scenes the evil Emperor relishes in his Sith heritage full force…including a shocking lightsaber duel with both Mace Windu and Yoda (I never thought I’d see Palpatine wielding a blade…great stuff!). His seduction of Anakin in their scenes both in the Chancellor’s office and the Opera is also skillfully performed as McDiarmid…according to Hayden himself…’pulls each string with such charming yet malicious precision.’
Visually…wow, visually…
I think the word ‘Epic’ comes to mind right away.
This is certainly one of the “Star Wars” films with the largest scope. Dynamic new worlds such as the rocky-terrain covered Utupau…with its own cities carved into the rock itself which looks like a very nice touch…Kashykk, the planet of the Wookies which looks interestingly enough like Endor, except with some ocean this time. And of course the infamous Mustufar; not since Hoth has a planet in these films seem to have a character in and of itself, personally.
The volcanic planet is brilliantly conceived and designed, given that it had a lot to live up to given it being the staging area of Anakin’s physical transformation as the result of severe burns and severed limbs that would put him into the iconic iron-lung. Its harsh red and uncompromising molten-lava tones do well to represent the furious torment raging within Anakin’s soul and it makes for a great locale to stage the final battle.
And the battles, WHOA!
The opening space combat above Coruscant is like the Battle of Endor times a thousand…giant pre-cursor Star Destroyers and ships with S-Foils just like the upcoming X-Wing fighters whizzing by amidst raging blaster fire and proton torpedoes. Dazzling…as is that landing made by Anakin in the outcome of it all.
And long story made short, “Episode III” boasts the most lightsaber duels of any Episode…and they are at their most kinetic and furious and beautiful!
As previously mentioned, the Grievous/Obi-Wan duel is awesome.
One of my favorites is the poignant duel between Yoda and Palpatine…out of the fact that their battle (the very battle for the Galaxy) takes place in the Senate itself!!! Here we’ve got the Jedi and Sith facing off…and their conflict is literally destroying the Republic that has now fallen prey to the Empire. I mean damn, what a great visual metaphor for the downfall of diplomacy! How do you get any bigger than that?
Glad you asked…
Because hands down, no joke, without a doubt…the duel between Obi-Wan and a now-christened Darth Vader is arguably the single greatest lightsaber duel out of all six films.
Words cannot even describe the ferociousness; the beauty…the epic nature of this fight that fans of the property had waited eagerly for.
And literally, there are no words…after all the dialog, all the speeches…when these two start facing off, it is ON! And there is nothing left to say…that duel is so incredibly brilliant in its visceral ness, its momentum and its staging that it’s simply nothing short of phenomenal.
What makes “Episode III” so damn enjoyable isn’t so much the destination that we all know…but the roads taken to get there.
Arguably nothing in the film is as emotionally charged as the “Order 66” sequence.
See, we all know the Jedi eventually come to be all but extinct in “Episode IV.” But to see the Emperor call for the execution and to find out that within the ranks of the Senate, Palpatine had conditioned the Clone Troopers with ‘Order 66’ should the time come to exterminate the Jedi…that is so powerful and tragic. Having Yoda drop his cane and become physically moved by the tremors of death in the Force…it’s nothing short of operatic; huge even.
“Revenge of the Sith” is easily the saddest “Star Wars” film…Now I didn’t shed a tear mind you, but it does tug at your heart strings quite a bit to see everything go to hell, knowing how inevitable it all was but still not wanting it to happen.
Combining and emphasizing all of these fantastic elements, composer John Williams delivers his final “Star Wars” score with an absolute BANG!
The cue “Padme’s Ruminations” is so somber and stark and it’s wonderfully used throughout the film; as is the final tragic cue that plays during the simultaneous births of Luke and Leia with the ‘rebirth’ of their father as Vader.
The effective new theme, “Battle of the Heroes,” is a tremendous piece of symphonic mastery in its telling of both Anakin’s descent to the Dark Side and his climatic clash with Obi-Wan…it rings themes of inevitability, of destiny and it’s one of my favorite pieces of music from the series.
The final chapter in an incredible saga that has been in popular culture for 32 years (that’s encompasses our entire lives for some of us, myself included), “Revenge of the Sith” is a powerful motion picture experience once again closer in line with the Original Trilogy than the Prequels it’s a part of.
It’s a film that does tremendously well to celebrate the opus George Lucas had created on those yellow tablets in Modesto, California.
But above all, “Revenge of the Sith” does leave all of us not only captivated…but informed with its overall message.
That even in the midst of darkness and tragedy, we must always keep our wits and never lose our faith.
For within that darkness there is always the chance of a new light…
A new beginning…
And…A New Hope.
--------------------------------------------------------
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
[YT]MR1xo1tLyBk[/YT]
[YT]dRFUoqA_vm0[/YT]
Written and Directed by … George Lucas
Based on characters created by … George Lucas
Ewan McGregor ... Obi-Wan Kenobi
Hayden Christensen ... Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
James Earl Jones … Darth Vader (voice)
Natalie Portman ... Padmé
Ian McDiarmid ... Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Samuel L. Jackson ... Mace Windu
Jimmy Smits ... Senator Bail Organa
Frank Oz ... Yoda (voice)
Anthony Daniels ... C-3PO
Kenny Baker ... R2-D2
Christopher Lee ... Count Dooku
Matthew Wood ... General Grievous (voice)
Peter Mayhew ... Chewbacca
Joel Edgerton ... Owen Lars
Bonnie Piesse ... Beru
Keisha Castle-Hughes ... Queen of Naboo
Silas Carson ... Ki-Adi-Mundi / Nute Gunray
Jay Laga'aia ... Captain Typho
Bruce Spence ... Tion Medon
Wayne Pygram ... Governor Tarkin
Temuera Morrison ... Commander Cody
David Bowers ... Mas Amedda
Oliver Ford Davies ... Sio Bibble
Ahmed Best ... Jar Jar Binks
Rohan Nichol ... Captain Antilles
Jeremy Bulloch ... Captain Colton
Amanda Lucas ... Terr Taneel
Matt Sloan ... Plo Koon
Rebecca Jackson Mendoza ... Queen of Alderaan
Jett Lucas ... Zett Jukassa
Tux Akindoyeni ... Agen Kolar
Matt Rowan ... Senator Orn Free Taa
Kenji Oates ... Saesee Tiin
Amy Allen ... Aayla Secura
Bodie ‘Tihoi’ Taylor ... Clone Trooper
Graeme Blundell ... Ruwee Naberrie
Trisha Noble ... Jobal Naberrie
Claudia Karvan ... Sola Naberrie
Keira Wingate ... Ryoo Naberrie
Hayley Mooy ... Pooja Naberrie
Sandi Finlay ... Sly Moore
Katie Lucas ... Chi Eekway
Genevieve O'Reilly ... Mon Mothma
Warren Owens ... Fang Zar
Kee Chan ... Malé-Dee
Rena Owen ... Nee Alavar
Christopher Kirby ... Giddean Danu
Kristy Wright ... Moteé
Coinneach Alexander ... Whie
Mousy McCallum ... Bene
War! The Republic is crumbling
under attacks by the ruthless
Sith Lord, Count Dooku.
There are heroes on both sides.
Evil is everywhere.
In a stunning move, the
fiendish droid leader, General
Grievous, has swept into the
Republic capital and kidnapped
Chancellor Palpatine, leader of
The Galactic Senate.
As the Separatist Droid Army
attempts to flee the besieged
capital with their valuable
hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a
desperate mission to rescue the
captive Chancellor....
--------------------------------------------------------
“The Saga…is Complete.”
It’s common knowledge that a “Star Wars” film is going to make decent box office…but with a tagline like that you KNEW it was going to be something special.
And after six years of anticipation following the first two Episodes, 2005’s “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” made the wait worth it in spades.
Early on, the film opens with a jaw-dropping and massive battle scene hanging over the atmosphere of Coruscant. Lucas makes quick work of exceeding visual expectations and, clearly, this is the most visually bombastic of the three prequels (which is saying…quite a lot actually, given that each film is proverbially double-dipped in visualization with saturated color correction and animated eye candy done on a clever computer…or two dozen).
From there, the film (despite being in the midst of the Clone Wars) refreshingly puts the action in the backseat for the most part as it takes us on a story of deception and intrigue with…dare I say, some authentic character development!
Crazy right?
Given his close proximity to Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is given a not so subtle assignment by Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and the Council, who’ve ordered him to use his relationship with the Chancellor as a means of spying on him. Given that Palpatine has managed to weasel his way into being Supreme Chancellor for an elongated term that should’ve expired by now, it makes sense. But Anakin is reluctant of the idea; feeling conflicted between his sense of honor towards the Jedi and a sense of duty to the Senate...especially in a time of war with heightened threat and paranoia.
Meanwhile, Skywalker continues to be plagued by visions, nightmares…but no longer are they of his now-deceased mother. They’re of his pregnant wife Padme (Natalie Portman), dying while in childbirth. Keeping their bond a secret due to the Jedi code of NOT falling prey to selfish love, Anakin and Padme are desperate for an answer to their respective concerns…while Padme wishes for Anakin to consult with Palpatine to call off the war and allow diplomacy back into the Senate, Anakin is only concerned with keeping her alive.
Through the masterful deception of Palpatine, the unthinkable (yet inevitable) finally happens…as Anakin, torn by his love for Padme and confusion over the Jedi Council, turns to Palpatine…and the Dark Side…as Darth Vader.
And the rest…is Galactic History still to come.
Now don’t misunderstand…of course this is still a Prequel, and as a result we do have to be concerned with the trappings that we reluctantly became accustomed to…the eye-scorching CG, the unfortunate wooden non-chemistry between our primary cast of characters…Hayden Christensen having to spout off Lucas’ eyebrow raising dialog…
But for all the Prequel-itis the film has to endure, “Revenge of the Sith” easily makes up for Episodes I and II.
Why?
Because it FINALLY got to the material ALL of us wanted to see since “Return of the Jedi.”
That pinnacle moment of Anakin finally giving in to Palpatine’s temptations and succumbing to the Dark Side…leading as a result to his extermination of the Jedi and the iconic battle between him and Obi-Wan.
Story wise, the film hit on all points…finally bringing us full circle by tying up loose ends and doing so in true “Star Wars” fashion. “Sith” is never short on iconography from the Galaxy Far, Far Away…
Finally, we see Palpatine become disfigured into the malicious Emperor Palpatine.
Finally, we see the formation of the Galactic Empire, clearly inspired by the finale of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” as the Emperor declares his rule while Vader simultaneously cuts down the Separatist leaders on the volcanic planet Mustufar.
Finally, we see Senator Organa salvaging what he can of the Jedi in the hopes of building a Rebel Alliance (more was done on that in a handful of deleted scenes).
Finally, we get Yoda proclaiming the need for his own exile (obviously on Dagobah).
And, perhaps the best of all…yes…finally, we had Darth Vader again…suit, cape, helmet and James Earl Jones voice quite intact.
As you can see, ‘Finally’ is clearly the word of choice here…because that was the only thing running through my head the first time I saw the picture.
Not only do we ‘finally’ get to see all we’ve been waiting for…but in true Lucas fashion, we’re still given new concepts and characters as well!
The new baddie this time around, General Grievous, is pretty good (though not as much as Darth Maul or Count Dooku). But it’s interesting to see somewhat of an early pre-cursor to Vader himself…since Grievous is an alien living off of artificial droid enhancements. His four armed-duel with Obi-Wan is also pretty freaking sweet!
The cast is actually quite amazing in their final curtain call…again most likely because we’ve finally done away with all the set-up of the first two Episodes and the cast is now taking part in the strongest story material of the Prequel Trilogy. Since the pivotal turning point of “Episode III” is such a powerful touchstone point in the “Star Wars” timeline, it’s a given that we’re going to get the most dynamic of EVERYTHING.
While still being more than a tad whiny for my tastes (and having to deal with material such as “No heh…no, it’s because I’m so in love with you!” … gag), this is clearly Hayden’s best performance as Anakin…not just in his lightsaber prowess or in his dialog (that referred line notwithstanding), but the subtle moments of tragedy and turmoil…those moments of him standing on the platform on Mustufar, silently shedding tears over what he’s become. The nuisances laced throughout the earlier portions of the film in anticipation of his descent and the inner conflict that builds are also wonderfully portrayed. Hayden’s camaraderie with Ewan’s Obi-Wan is also thankfully more developed here and it’s clear that after “Episode II” they’ve bonded a bit more. Ewan also gives a superior performance to his previous entries and the depth of Obi-Wan is greatly developed here…sending the character on the correct path towards Alec Guinness’ performance.
Interestingly enough, even Natalie Portman manages to deliver. Her final scene with Anakin, declaring that he’s breaking her heart, is so crushingly beautiful and tragic and poetic…oh my GOD!
But the obvious standout of the film is none other than Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. After two films of playing, more or less, behind the scenes the evil Emperor relishes in his Sith heritage full force…including a shocking lightsaber duel with both Mace Windu and Yoda (I never thought I’d see Palpatine wielding a blade…great stuff!). His seduction of Anakin in their scenes both in the Chancellor’s office and the Opera is also skillfully performed as McDiarmid…according to Hayden himself…’pulls each string with such charming yet malicious precision.’
Visually…wow, visually…
I think the word ‘Epic’ comes to mind right away.
This is certainly one of the “Star Wars” films with the largest scope. Dynamic new worlds such as the rocky-terrain covered Utupau…with its own cities carved into the rock itself which looks like a very nice touch…Kashykk, the planet of the Wookies which looks interestingly enough like Endor, except with some ocean this time. And of course the infamous Mustufar; not since Hoth has a planet in these films seem to have a character in and of itself, personally.
The volcanic planet is brilliantly conceived and designed, given that it had a lot to live up to given it being the staging area of Anakin’s physical transformation as the result of severe burns and severed limbs that would put him into the iconic iron-lung. Its harsh red and uncompromising molten-lava tones do well to represent the furious torment raging within Anakin’s soul and it makes for a great locale to stage the final battle.
And the battles, WHOA!
The opening space combat above Coruscant is like the Battle of Endor times a thousand…giant pre-cursor Star Destroyers and ships with S-Foils just like the upcoming X-Wing fighters whizzing by amidst raging blaster fire and proton torpedoes. Dazzling…as is that landing made by Anakin in the outcome of it all.
And long story made short, “Episode III” boasts the most lightsaber duels of any Episode…and they are at their most kinetic and furious and beautiful!
As previously mentioned, the Grievous/Obi-Wan duel is awesome.
One of my favorites is the poignant duel between Yoda and Palpatine…out of the fact that their battle (the very battle for the Galaxy) takes place in the Senate itself!!! Here we’ve got the Jedi and Sith facing off…and their conflict is literally destroying the Republic that has now fallen prey to the Empire. I mean damn, what a great visual metaphor for the downfall of diplomacy! How do you get any bigger than that?
Glad you asked…
Because hands down, no joke, without a doubt…the duel between Obi-Wan and a now-christened Darth Vader is arguably the single greatest lightsaber duel out of all six films.
Words cannot even describe the ferociousness; the beauty…the epic nature of this fight that fans of the property had waited eagerly for.
And literally, there are no words…after all the dialog, all the speeches…when these two start facing off, it is ON! And there is nothing left to say…that duel is so incredibly brilliant in its visceral ness, its momentum and its staging that it’s simply nothing short of phenomenal.
What makes “Episode III” so damn enjoyable isn’t so much the destination that we all know…but the roads taken to get there.
Arguably nothing in the film is as emotionally charged as the “Order 66” sequence.
See, we all know the Jedi eventually come to be all but extinct in “Episode IV.” But to see the Emperor call for the execution and to find out that within the ranks of the Senate, Palpatine had conditioned the Clone Troopers with ‘Order 66’ should the time come to exterminate the Jedi…that is so powerful and tragic. Having Yoda drop his cane and become physically moved by the tremors of death in the Force…it’s nothing short of operatic; huge even.
“Revenge of the Sith” is easily the saddest “Star Wars” film…Now I didn’t shed a tear mind you, but it does tug at your heart strings quite a bit to see everything go to hell, knowing how inevitable it all was but still not wanting it to happen.
Combining and emphasizing all of these fantastic elements, composer John Williams delivers his final “Star Wars” score with an absolute BANG!
The cue “Padme’s Ruminations” is so somber and stark and it’s wonderfully used throughout the film; as is the final tragic cue that plays during the simultaneous births of Luke and Leia with the ‘rebirth’ of their father as Vader.
The effective new theme, “Battle of the Heroes,” is a tremendous piece of symphonic mastery in its telling of both Anakin’s descent to the Dark Side and his climatic clash with Obi-Wan…it rings themes of inevitability, of destiny and it’s one of my favorite pieces of music from the series.
The final chapter in an incredible saga that has been in popular culture for 32 years (that’s encompasses our entire lives for some of us, myself included), “Revenge of the Sith” is a powerful motion picture experience once again closer in line with the Original Trilogy than the Prequels it’s a part of.
It’s a film that does tremendously well to celebrate the opus George Lucas had created on those yellow tablets in Modesto, California.
But above all, “Revenge of the Sith” does leave all of us not only captivated…but informed with its overall message.
That even in the midst of darkness and tragedy, we must always keep our wits and never lose our faith.
For within that darkness there is always the chance of a new light…
A new beginning…
And…A New Hope.
--------------------------------------------------------
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cerealkiller182
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All the **** the prequels get, I thought revenge of the sith had most of the redeeming values, but not enough to break top 50
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ROTS was great. And Minority report is one of my favorite sci fi and Spielberg films. erhaps his best this decade next to Catch Me If You Can. Great reviews!
Your reviews gave me much more insight on both of the films. ROTS has alot of mythological values incorporated in them. And I think the reason ROTS is better than the other two is because it's what Lucas had planned form the beginning and was probably his most passionate film out of the prequels.
Your reviews gave me much more insight on both of the films. ROTS has alot of mythological values incorporated in them. And I think the reason ROTS is better than the other two is because it's what Lucas had planned form the beginning and was probably his most passionate film out of the prequels.
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OtherwiseKnownAs
We live inside a dream (he/him/his)
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The Order 66 sequence is, in my opinion, the most emotional scene in all of the prequels.
[YT]VmkE7Gp6I1Y[/YT]
[YT]VmkE7Gp6I1Y[/YT]
Max J Power
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While I find your justification for Revenge of the Sith's placement on the list reasonable, I must say I think Minority Report, Dark City, and Gattaca are all far superior movies, in their writing, acting, and direction. I even find some of the less deep movies on the list, like Serenity, better than ROTS on these criteria.
I think ROTS is placed a little high, but that's mainly due to the fact that I can never fully get around Lucas' dialogue throughout all 6 films, most notably in the Prequels, and the fact that there was plenty of great material and themes to use for the Prequels that Lucas didn't capitalize on until ROTS.
These three movies are frustrating for me to watch based on the fact that they COULD have been so much more, and ROTS could be much higher on this list if it's potential had been fully tapped from the beginning.
These three movies are frustrating for me to watch based on the fact that they COULD have been so much more, and ROTS could be much higher on this list if it's potential had been fully tapped from the beginning.
bullets
bang bang
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I'm glad Minority Report is being mentioned becuase i loved that movie and hardly hear anything about it.
ROTS still suffered some of the same problems as the other prequels but it felt like a Star Wars film . The opening was fantastic and Sith was a satisfying conclusion to years of anticipation.
ROTS still suffered some of the same problems as the other prequels but it felt like a Star Wars film . The opening was fantastic and Sith was a satisfying conclusion to years of anticipation.
VenomVsSpidey
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I liked TPM, enjoyed AOTC, LOVED THE **** OUTTA ROTS!!
dark_knight08
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This countdown is incredible CFE.Keep up the good work.
Vengeance
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Don't quite agree with ROTS, I thought the acting across the board was the worst in the series despite having the better story out of the three prequels which isn't hard to achieve but so far an excellent list.
CFE
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#32
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
[YT]322uZ5OO-WE[/YT]
[YT]3GTEZFhjx4E[/YT]
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples
Inspired by the short film La Jetée by Chris Marker
Bruce Willis ... James Cole
Joseph Melito ... Young Cole
Jon Seda ... Jose
Michael Chance ... Scarface
Brad Pitt ... Jeffrey Goines
Vernon Campbell ... Tiny
H. Michael Walls ... Botanist
Bob Adrian ... Geologist
Simon Jones ... Zoologist
Carol Florence ... Astrophysicist
Bill Raymond ... Microbiologist
Ernest Abuba ... Engineer
Irma St. Paule ... Poet
Madeleine Stowe Kathryn Railly
Joey Perillo ... Detective Franki
Bruce Kirkpatrick ... Policeman No. 1
Wilfred Williams ... Policeman No. 2
Rozwill Young ... Billings
Nell Johnson ... Ward Nurse
Frederick Strother ... L.J. Washington
Rick Warner ... Dr. Casey
Frank Gorshin ... Dr. Fletcher
Anthony 'Chip' Brienza ... Dr. Goodin
Joilet Harris ... Harassed Mother
Drucie McDaniel ... Waltzing Woman Patient
John Blaisse ... Old Man Patient
Louis Lippa ... Patient at Gate
Stan Kang ... X-Ray Doctor
Pat Dias ... WWI Captain
Aaron Michael Lacey ... WWI Sergeant
David Morse ... Dr. Peters
Charles Techman ... Professor
Jann Ellis ... Marilou
Johnnie Hobbs Jr. ... Officer No. 1
Janet L. Zappala ... Anchorwoman
Thomas Roy ... Evangelist
Harry O'Toole ... Louie / Raspy Voice
Yuri Korchenko ... Thug No. 1
Chuck Jeffreys ... Thug No. 2
Lisa Gay Hamilton ... Teddy
Felix A. Pire ... Fale
Matthew Ross ... Bee
Barry Price ... Agent No. 1
John Panzarella ... Agent No. 2
Christopher Plummer ... Dr. Goines
Larry Daly ... Agent No. 3
Arthur Fennell ... Anchorman
Karl Warren ... Pompous Man
Christopher Meloni ... Lt. Halperin
Paul Meshejian ... Detective Dalva
Robert O'Neill ... Wayne
Kevin Thigpen ... Kweskin
Lee Golden ... Hotel Clerk
Joseph McKenna ... Wallace
Jeff Tanner ... Plain Clothes Cop
Faith Potts ... Store Clerk
Michael Ryan Segal ... Weller
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
--------------------------------------------------------
A masterpiece of madness, 1995s Twelve Monkeys is a bizarre oddity of time travel in the hands of master visionary Terry Gilliam and its one of the pinnacle science fiction films of the past 15 years.
Consistent AND clever, Gilliam and his writers (Blade Runner and Unforgiven screenwriter David Peoples and his wife Janet) manage to successfully navigate both channels with a story that is enthralling and compelling.
Adapted from the French short La Jetée, the year is 2035 in 1996 a tragic event led to the spreading of a deadly virus on a global scale, which saw to the extermination of 5 billion human lives. Back in the present 21st century, the very chain of scientific curiosity that accidentally unleashed the virus in the first place attempts to make amends by employing renegade citizens scum that wont be missed to be guinea pigs for time-travel, ordering them to go back and prevent the virus contamination of the Earth.
Among them is James Cole (Bruce Willis). Cole could be any person he could be you, he could be me. We don't know anything about him; but in a way that doesn't matter since he is little more than one of many expendable volunteers for the project.
What we do know is that he is a man who dreams, and his dreams may have been reality: he may have already been at the scene of the Event of 1996.
It's this constant sense of deja vu that keeps popping up throughout the movie.
When taken to a mental ward by mistake in 1990 he meets Jeffrey Goines (spastically played by Brad Pitt, Oscar-nominated here) who frantically spews forth talk about doom and destruction, and later Cole believes he has seen Goines in his recurring dream as a man pushing a boy aside while escaping... what?
He doesn't know.
Later he meets a psychologist, Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), and one of her first reactions to him is that he's insane, and that she's seen him before. This becomes a running notion throughout her participation in this story from passive/resistant to active and even slightly crazy believer that something terrible is coming this way, especially when she meets him six years later: she has seen Cole before.
At the same time, Cole continues talking about a dream he keeps having in which she also plays a part as a blonde woman running down the aisle, screaming for help, after shots have rung out and a particular red-headed man in a ponytail (Jeffrey Goines?) has apparently escaped, not before pushing the little boy who is an innocent bystander.
The questions arise:
Have these events happened?
Are they going to happen?
Who is really a part of this, or better yet -- is everyone, down to the smallest player, a part of some greater plot?
Or is this all some trick in the fabric of time in which time itself is one huge conveyor belt showing repetitions of fragments of events that slide by over and over again?
These questions are formulated in a masterful sequence which includes key scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo in which Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton mourns her own brief existence ("You took no notice," she says, as Cole and Railly watch from their seats in the movie theatre they are hiding in). Snippets of dialog from Vertigo form a foil to the dialog between Railly and Cole and later, when Cole awakens from having apparently dozed off in the theatre and goes looking for Railly, he comes face-to-face with her in disguise (looking almost exactly like Eva Maria Saint from North by Northwest) as the swelling Bernard Herrmann score plays the emergence of Judy Barton, dressed as Madeleine Elster. It's a fascinating sequence, more so because of the most improbable occurrence of the names of the actors in both films: Madeleine Stowe plays Kathryn Railly who dons a blond wig and grey trench-coat and calls herself "Judy Simmons" while helping an "insane" man named James Cole; James Stewart plays a detective who tries to help "insane" Madeleine Elster who will later re-appear not once, but twice, first as brunette Judy Barton, and later, as Madeleine.
Action and re-inaction play and re-play.
A sophisticated and highly imaginative narrative to be sure, Monkeys is one of Gilliams finest cinematic accomplishments
The film is heavily populated by unfeeling, semi-competent scientists, mental patients and their caretakers. There are all sorts of apocalyptic fools ranting and raving about the end of the world, etc. Most of human society as we know it is in shadow, off camera. There's an understandable terror of psychoactive drugs among the patients. Thorazine in particular is mentioned. Cole's body is continually being assaulted by hypodermics, electrodes, the fists and boots of the guards and other hard objects. His face is continually smeared with blood. One gets the idea that director Terry Gilliam had a bad dream and wanted to share.
Regardless, this brooding, atmospheric yarn is one of the best cinematic sci-fi attempts made. Never mind that time travel to the past is an absurdity. We're forced to rise above that because Gilliam presents time similar to the way Kurt Vonnegut did in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), namely that all time is happening "simultaneously" and especially right now, forever.
We are reminded that time is an illusion. Our experience and perception of time is, as it were, linear, allowing us a comprehension of "time" similar to what two-dimensional creatures might have of three dimensional space.
"Time" does not exist.
It is a construct from the way we compare events. Notice that when James Cole dies Dr. Railly is not sad because Cole lives on in the person of his younger self, the child at the airport watching his death. This will be the case for eternity.
There are some funny bits in the script. After Cole beats up the pimp to save Dr. Railly, and forces a trade of teeth (to evade the trackers implanted in his teeth), and the cops come, the pimp says, all hurt, "I was attacked by a coked-up ****e and a crazy dentist." Another nice touch is to have the virologist father of crazy/visionary Jeffrey Goines sound like a southern politician instead of your usual mad scientist. I also liked it when psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly said, "Psychiatry is the latest religion...I'm in trouble. I'm losing my faith." She's right: psychiatry and clinical psychology in general is a secular religion less than two hundred years old that we as a society ought to regard with suspicion.
In short this is not your usual Bruce Willis outing. The action/adventure stuff is secondary to story and character development and to the social and political statements of the film, the more important of which is to protest the suppression of the individual by the larger society. The forces of evil really are those who dictate what is normal and those who enforce conformity. This film is commercially successful because many young people, corporate cogs, and the underclass feel oppressed by the constraints of society and can readily identify with Cole's struggle. What is worse, Thorazine and Prozac or marijuana and beer? Anyone who identified even in the slightest with this film can answer that question.
The cast is beautifully crafted. Its refreshing to see Willis take on such a strong departure from John McClane and his portrayal of James Cole seems to be quite cathartic, even liberating for him as an actor. Many of the people who have changed our world, for better or worse, were very much mentally divergent, as the film puts it. Einstein, for example, is believed to have been a sufferer of Asperger's Syndrome. Pitt's character will never be as loved as Einstein, but Pitt does manage to inject some Einsteinian quirks into the character. Incredibly entertaining, its no wonder Brad got an Oscar-nod for this piece yknow, when you look past all the Brangelina tabloid-bull, you might surprise yourself with the notion that Pitt, despite not be the best actor (or a personal favorite even) is actually a more than capable actor.
Visually, the film is a marvel. Its Ridley Scott-esque production design is a wonder, cleverly and clearly inspired by Alien and Blade Runner. As he did with his 1985 film, Brazil, Gilliam and production designer Jeffrey Beecroft have created a bizarre world that seems to have been dropped through the looking glass. He presents a future that comes through as something of a subterranean version of Blade Runner but a bit darker and with the definition of a reflection in a fun house mirror. And it's all quite effective, especially in contrast to the `real' world of the past in which Cole finds himself.
The wonderfully inspired cinematography of Batman DP Roger Pratt is also incredibly effective, especially in my favorite example of the 1990 mental ward scenes, beautifully portraying Coles own sense of slipping sanity.
Through the claustrophobic atmosphere created by the combination of cluttered production design and distorted, wide-angle lenses that Gilliam pushes right into the faces of his actors to create a disturbing exaggeration (underpinning the central character's fear and confusion of seeing the world for the first time), the film becomes an overwhelming and certainly unforgettable experience; with the depiction of an almost post-nuclear holocaust, where only the remnants of existence are left in the catacombs of industry, creates a potential future nightmare that is plausible in its reality.
Paul Buckmaster creates an original, timeless score that punctuates the wild mood swings Willis' character endures. As Willis acts out the questioning of his own sanity, a desire to be what he calls "well", and eventually his acceptance of a patently impossible situation, Buckmaster's score delivers a suitably downbeat punctuation. The music is part of what makes the misery of the situation so tangible. As Willis recites the last half of Stowe's message to the future, the music turns the action into a ghost story. The real kicker is the string and accordion theme when the army of the Twelve Monkeys appears perfectly conveying the sheer nuttiness of its leader.
Without question, this is Gilliam's bleakest film, with the presentation of the subject matter and the look that the director and his team have attempted seeming to lack the often trademark sense of humor and color that made even a film as crushing as Brazil seem positively warm and nostalgic. All of this is reflected in the design and the mise-en-scene, with the color scheme featuring a dull rust against a production design of absolute ruin; as we move from one dilapidated setting to the next with this collection of oddball characters ranting and raving to the camera, combined with that wounded, downbeat narrative, which makes the experience all the more disheartening.
That said, the intelligence of the script and the texture of the performances under Gilliam's direction help to make the oppressive and depressing atmosphere easier to take; with the final moments of the film even suggesting the odd glimmer of hope, albeit, one that is punctuated again by the child's reflective gaze casting further doubt on the potential future ahead. Even though it might be considered a continual downer, Twelve Monkeys is still one of Gilliam's most impressive and original films; a grand fusion of post-apocalyptic science fiction and time travel fantasy with much depth and a shocking sense of humanity. It's not only one of Gilliam's greatest achievements as a filmmaker - offering us a continuation on the themes of Time Bandits (1981), Brazil and The Fisher King (1991) - but is also one of the greatest science-fiction films of the 1990's; if not the most credible.
--------------------------------------------------------
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
[YT]322uZ5OO-WE[/YT]
[YT]3GTEZFhjx4E[/YT]
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Written by David Peoples and Janet Peoples
Inspired by the short film La Jetée by Chris Marker
Bruce Willis ... James Cole
Joseph Melito ... Young Cole
Jon Seda ... Jose
Michael Chance ... Scarface
Brad Pitt ... Jeffrey Goines
Vernon Campbell ... Tiny
H. Michael Walls ... Botanist
Bob Adrian ... Geologist
Simon Jones ... Zoologist
Carol Florence ... Astrophysicist
Bill Raymond ... Microbiologist
Ernest Abuba ... Engineer
Irma St. Paule ... Poet
Madeleine Stowe Kathryn Railly
Joey Perillo ... Detective Franki
Bruce Kirkpatrick ... Policeman No. 1
Wilfred Williams ... Policeman No. 2
Rozwill Young ... Billings
Nell Johnson ... Ward Nurse
Frederick Strother ... L.J. Washington
Rick Warner ... Dr. Casey
Frank Gorshin ... Dr. Fletcher
Anthony 'Chip' Brienza ... Dr. Goodin
Joilet Harris ... Harassed Mother
Drucie McDaniel ... Waltzing Woman Patient
John Blaisse ... Old Man Patient
Louis Lippa ... Patient at Gate
Stan Kang ... X-Ray Doctor
Pat Dias ... WWI Captain
Aaron Michael Lacey ... WWI Sergeant
David Morse ... Dr. Peters
Charles Techman ... Professor
Jann Ellis ... Marilou
Johnnie Hobbs Jr. ... Officer No. 1
Janet L. Zappala ... Anchorwoman
Thomas Roy ... Evangelist
Harry O'Toole ... Louie / Raspy Voice
Yuri Korchenko ... Thug No. 1
Chuck Jeffreys ... Thug No. 2
Lisa Gay Hamilton ... Teddy
Felix A. Pire ... Fale
Matthew Ross ... Bee
Barry Price ... Agent No. 1
John Panzarella ... Agent No. 2
Christopher Plummer ... Dr. Goines
Larry Daly ... Agent No. 3
Arthur Fennell ... Anchorman
Karl Warren ... Pompous Man
Christopher Meloni ... Lt. Halperin
Paul Meshejian ... Detective Dalva
Robert O'Neill ... Wayne
Kevin Thigpen ... Kweskin
Lee Golden ... Hotel Clerk
Joseph McKenna ... Wallace
Jeff Tanner ... Plain Clothes Cop
Faith Potts ... Store Clerk
Michael Ryan Segal ... Weller
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
--------------------------------------------------------
A masterpiece of madness, 1995s Twelve Monkeys is a bizarre oddity of time travel in the hands of master visionary Terry Gilliam and its one of the pinnacle science fiction films of the past 15 years.
Consistent AND clever, Gilliam and his writers (Blade Runner and Unforgiven screenwriter David Peoples and his wife Janet) manage to successfully navigate both channels with a story that is enthralling and compelling.
Adapted from the French short La Jetée, the year is 2035 in 1996 a tragic event led to the spreading of a deadly virus on a global scale, which saw to the extermination of 5 billion human lives. Back in the present 21st century, the very chain of scientific curiosity that accidentally unleashed the virus in the first place attempts to make amends by employing renegade citizens scum that wont be missed to be guinea pigs for time-travel, ordering them to go back and prevent the virus contamination of the Earth.
Among them is James Cole (Bruce Willis). Cole could be any person he could be you, he could be me. We don't know anything about him; but in a way that doesn't matter since he is little more than one of many expendable volunteers for the project.
What we do know is that he is a man who dreams, and his dreams may have been reality: he may have already been at the scene of the Event of 1996.
It's this constant sense of deja vu that keeps popping up throughout the movie.
When taken to a mental ward by mistake in 1990 he meets Jeffrey Goines (spastically played by Brad Pitt, Oscar-nominated here) who frantically spews forth talk about doom and destruction, and later Cole believes he has seen Goines in his recurring dream as a man pushing a boy aside while escaping... what?
He doesn't know.
Later he meets a psychologist, Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), and one of her first reactions to him is that he's insane, and that she's seen him before. This becomes a running notion throughout her participation in this story from passive/resistant to active and even slightly crazy believer that something terrible is coming this way, especially when she meets him six years later: she has seen Cole before.
At the same time, Cole continues talking about a dream he keeps having in which she also plays a part as a blonde woman running down the aisle, screaming for help, after shots have rung out and a particular red-headed man in a ponytail (Jeffrey Goines?) has apparently escaped, not before pushing the little boy who is an innocent bystander.
The questions arise:
Have these events happened?
Are they going to happen?
Who is really a part of this, or better yet -- is everyone, down to the smallest player, a part of some greater plot?
Or is this all some trick in the fabric of time in which time itself is one huge conveyor belt showing repetitions of fragments of events that slide by over and over again?
These questions are formulated in a masterful sequence which includes key scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Vertigo in which Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton mourns her own brief existence ("You took no notice," she says, as Cole and Railly watch from their seats in the movie theatre they are hiding in). Snippets of dialog from Vertigo form a foil to the dialog between Railly and Cole and later, when Cole awakens from having apparently dozed off in the theatre and goes looking for Railly, he comes face-to-face with her in disguise (looking almost exactly like Eva Maria Saint from North by Northwest) as the swelling Bernard Herrmann score plays the emergence of Judy Barton, dressed as Madeleine Elster. It's a fascinating sequence, more so because of the most improbable occurrence of the names of the actors in both films: Madeleine Stowe plays Kathryn Railly who dons a blond wig and grey trench-coat and calls herself "Judy Simmons" while helping an "insane" man named James Cole; James Stewart plays a detective who tries to help "insane" Madeleine Elster who will later re-appear not once, but twice, first as brunette Judy Barton, and later, as Madeleine.
Action and re-inaction play and re-play.
A sophisticated and highly imaginative narrative to be sure, Monkeys is one of Gilliams finest cinematic accomplishments
The film is heavily populated by unfeeling, semi-competent scientists, mental patients and their caretakers. There are all sorts of apocalyptic fools ranting and raving about the end of the world, etc. Most of human society as we know it is in shadow, off camera. There's an understandable terror of psychoactive drugs among the patients. Thorazine in particular is mentioned. Cole's body is continually being assaulted by hypodermics, electrodes, the fists and boots of the guards and other hard objects. His face is continually smeared with blood. One gets the idea that director Terry Gilliam had a bad dream and wanted to share.
Regardless, this brooding, atmospheric yarn is one of the best cinematic sci-fi attempts made. Never mind that time travel to the past is an absurdity. We're forced to rise above that because Gilliam presents time similar to the way Kurt Vonnegut did in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), namely that all time is happening "simultaneously" and especially right now, forever.
We are reminded that time is an illusion. Our experience and perception of time is, as it were, linear, allowing us a comprehension of "time" similar to what two-dimensional creatures might have of three dimensional space.
"Time" does not exist.
It is a construct from the way we compare events. Notice that when James Cole dies Dr. Railly is not sad because Cole lives on in the person of his younger self, the child at the airport watching his death. This will be the case for eternity.
There are some funny bits in the script. After Cole beats up the pimp to save Dr. Railly, and forces a trade of teeth (to evade the trackers implanted in his teeth), and the cops come, the pimp says, all hurt, "I was attacked by a coked-up ****e and a crazy dentist." Another nice touch is to have the virologist father of crazy/visionary Jeffrey Goines sound like a southern politician instead of your usual mad scientist. I also liked it when psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly said, "Psychiatry is the latest religion...I'm in trouble. I'm losing my faith." She's right: psychiatry and clinical psychology in general is a secular religion less than two hundred years old that we as a society ought to regard with suspicion.
In short this is not your usual Bruce Willis outing. The action/adventure stuff is secondary to story and character development and to the social and political statements of the film, the more important of which is to protest the suppression of the individual by the larger society. The forces of evil really are those who dictate what is normal and those who enforce conformity. This film is commercially successful because many young people, corporate cogs, and the underclass feel oppressed by the constraints of society and can readily identify with Cole's struggle. What is worse, Thorazine and Prozac or marijuana and beer? Anyone who identified even in the slightest with this film can answer that question.
The cast is beautifully crafted. Its refreshing to see Willis take on such a strong departure from John McClane and his portrayal of James Cole seems to be quite cathartic, even liberating for him as an actor. Many of the people who have changed our world, for better or worse, were very much mentally divergent, as the film puts it. Einstein, for example, is believed to have been a sufferer of Asperger's Syndrome. Pitt's character will never be as loved as Einstein, but Pitt does manage to inject some Einsteinian quirks into the character. Incredibly entertaining, its no wonder Brad got an Oscar-nod for this piece yknow, when you look past all the Brangelina tabloid-bull, you might surprise yourself with the notion that Pitt, despite not be the best actor (or a personal favorite even) is actually a more than capable actor.
Visually, the film is a marvel. Its Ridley Scott-esque production design is a wonder, cleverly and clearly inspired by Alien and Blade Runner. As he did with his 1985 film, Brazil, Gilliam and production designer Jeffrey Beecroft have created a bizarre world that seems to have been dropped through the looking glass. He presents a future that comes through as something of a subterranean version of Blade Runner but a bit darker and with the definition of a reflection in a fun house mirror. And it's all quite effective, especially in contrast to the `real' world of the past in which Cole finds himself.
The wonderfully inspired cinematography of Batman DP Roger Pratt is also incredibly effective, especially in my favorite example of the 1990 mental ward scenes, beautifully portraying Coles own sense of slipping sanity.
Through the claustrophobic atmosphere created by the combination of cluttered production design and distorted, wide-angle lenses that Gilliam pushes right into the faces of his actors to create a disturbing exaggeration (underpinning the central character's fear and confusion of seeing the world for the first time), the film becomes an overwhelming and certainly unforgettable experience; with the depiction of an almost post-nuclear holocaust, where only the remnants of existence are left in the catacombs of industry, creates a potential future nightmare that is plausible in its reality.
Paul Buckmaster creates an original, timeless score that punctuates the wild mood swings Willis' character endures. As Willis acts out the questioning of his own sanity, a desire to be what he calls "well", and eventually his acceptance of a patently impossible situation, Buckmaster's score delivers a suitably downbeat punctuation. The music is part of what makes the misery of the situation so tangible. As Willis recites the last half of Stowe's message to the future, the music turns the action into a ghost story. The real kicker is the string and accordion theme when the army of the Twelve Monkeys appears perfectly conveying the sheer nuttiness of its leader.
Without question, this is Gilliam's bleakest film, with the presentation of the subject matter and the look that the director and his team have attempted seeming to lack the often trademark sense of humor and color that made even a film as crushing as Brazil seem positively warm and nostalgic. All of this is reflected in the design and the mise-en-scene, with the color scheme featuring a dull rust against a production design of absolute ruin; as we move from one dilapidated setting to the next with this collection of oddball characters ranting and raving to the camera, combined with that wounded, downbeat narrative, which makes the experience all the more disheartening.
That said, the intelligence of the script and the texture of the performances under Gilliam's direction help to make the oppressive and depressing atmosphere easier to take; with the final moments of the film even suggesting the odd glimmer of hope, albeit, one that is punctuated again by the child's reflective gaze casting further doubt on the potential future ahead. Even though it might be considered a continual downer, Twelve Monkeys is still one of Gilliam's most impressive and original films; a grand fusion of post-apocalyptic science fiction and time travel fantasy with much depth and a shocking sense of humanity. It's not only one of Gilliam's greatest achievements as a filmmaker - offering us a continuation on the themes of Time Bandits (1981), Brazil and The Fisher King (1991) - but is also one of the greatest science-fiction films of the 1990's; if not the most credible.
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12 Monkeys is a really terrific movie. A movie that loves movies, Vertigo especially, and science fiction.
BTW, if you haven't seen the short film La Jetee on which 12 Monkeys is based you're missing a really stunning work of art.
I haven't commented on Revenge of the Sith. But, yeah, it's the best of the prequel trilogy. And, honestly, it can stand pretty well without the other two movies. The lack of chemistry of the main cast and the dialogue just hampers the whole trilogy though, but it's at least overcome to an extent in RotS due to the fact that epic events are indeed happening.
BTW, if you haven't seen the short film La Jetee on which 12 Monkeys is based you're missing a really stunning work of art.
I haven't commented on Revenge of the Sith. But, yeah, it's the best of the prequel trilogy. And, honestly, it can stand pretty well without the other two movies. The lack of chemistry of the main cast and the dialogue just hampers the whole trilogy though, but it's at least overcome to an extent in RotS due to the fact that epic events are indeed happening.
cerealkiller182
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Love 12 Monkeys
#7 on my on top 10 sci fi flicks
#7 on my on top 10 sci fi flicks
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For me RotS was the only tolerable entry in the prequel trilogy, and I did like it for the most part, but there's no way I'd rank it so high on this list.
LOVE Minority Report and 12 Monkeys, though.
And I second the La Jetée recommendation. That little short was brilliantly done.
LOVE Minority Report and 12 Monkeys, though.
And I second the La Jetée recommendation. That little short was brilliantly done.
CFE
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#31
The Road Warrior (1981)
[YT]c4TdPxOXuYw[/YT]
[YT]PQlhtF1zeIU[/YT]
Directed by … George Miller
Written by … Terry Hayes, Brian Hannant and George Miller
Based on characters created by … George Miller
Mel Gibson ... ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky
Bruce Spence ... The Gyro Captain
Michael Preston ... Pappagallo
Max Phipps ... The Toadie
Vernon Wells ... Wez
Kjell Nilsson ... The Humungus
Emil Minty ... The Feral Kid
Virginia Hey ... Warrior Woman
William Zappa ... Zetta
Arkie Whiteley ... The Captain's Girl
Steve J. Spears ... Mechanic
Syd Heylen ... Curmudgeon
Moira Claux ... Big Rebecca
David Downer ... Nathan
David Slingsby ... Quiet Man
Kristoffer Greaves ... Mechanic's Assistant
Max Fairchild ... Broken Victim
Tyler Coppin ... Defiant Victim
Jimmy Brown ... Golden Youth
Tony Deary ... Grinning Mohawker
Kathleen McKay ... Victim
Guy Norris ... Bearclaw Mohawk
Anne Jones ... Tent Lover
James McCardell ... Tent Lover
Harold Baigent ... Narrator (voice)
In the post-apocolyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.
--------------------------------------------------------
Even after all this time, 1981’s “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” remains one of the most exhilerating sci-fi action films of all time. Excitingly pulse-pounding and visceral, it hands down remains the best installment of writer/director George Miller’s post-apocalyptic tale of cut-throat survival and bold heroism.
Years after avenging the murders of his wife, child and partner, burnt out cop Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) takes the highways dishing out his own brand of vengeful justice as the ‘Road Warrior.’
As we open in the film, Max hooks up with this group of people stuck in the Australian desert in an oil refinery campsite that's being besieged by a gang of murderous outlaw bikers. Rescuing a member of the refinery group, who later dies, from the bikers Max only want's from the people there to give him enough fuel for is V-8 Interceptor to take him across the vast Australian desert.
The refinery people lead by their leader Pappagallo (Michael Preston) make a deal with Max to get them a rig that belongs to the outlaw bikers to attach their tank of thousands of gallons of fuel. That way they can breakout of the campsite and escape from the bikers besieging it before they finally brake in and slaughter all of them. Max comes through with getting the rig but when he tries to ride his way out of the campsite with the full tank of gas he's attacked by the bikers lead by the Mohawk sporting psycho Wez (Vernon Wells). Running him off the road Wez leaves him for dead in a gully that his V-8 crashed into and exploded killing two of Wez men but Max miraculously survives. Max's pet and loyal companion "Dog" wasn't that lucky being shot, with a crossbow, by one of the bikers. Max is later rescued by one of the people in the campsite The Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence) and brought back to camp barley alive with a severely broken leg.
It's then when Pappagallo decides that the only way to survive being slaughtered by the bikers is to make a run for it. Pappagallo's plan is to split up the people and break out in two groups with anti-hero Max, now knowing that he needs to cooperate to survive, volunteering to drive the dangerous gasoline ladened rig and tanker through the biker gauntlet in one of the greatest car chases in cinematic history.
Pumped with so much adrenaline in its attempt to be a super-charged incarnation of the first film, “The Road Warrior” delivers…and what it might lack in plot it MORE than makes up for in action…with stunts galore and leather-clad style to burn.
Thematically, it's just a western dressed in post apocalyptic garb...but it's not the story...it's the way it's told. There are scenes of extreme horror and ugliness juxtaposed with scenes of the best of humanity and absolute beauty.
The cast is still a virtual who’s who of Australian actors with one central figure as the title character. Mel Gibson remains the only world-renowned actor in the whole film. He does a terrific job as the character Max, one of his best and most interesting characters to date alongside the infamous Riggs of “Lethal Weapon” fame.
The development of Max is another intriguing component of “The Road Warrior,” and serves the film by giving it a human edge by featuring Max's slow transformation from loner to savior. Not only that, Gibson also creates a great action hero. There's not a moment in the film when we aren't rooting for Max to smash Humungus and his gang. Bruce Spence as the gyro-pilot is decent in his role and offers the film's few humorous moments.
Virginia Hey is also pretty good as the Warrior Woman, and though the script doesn't exactly give her a lot to do, she plays the part well. Mike Preston also shows a lot of honor as the compound's leader.
On the other side of the equation are the actors who portray the villains. Surprisingly enough, though the characters are outlandish, no one ever goes over-the-top. Vernon Wells and Kjell Nilson are absolutely menacing and frightening as the lead villains, Wez and Humungus. They personify evil itself, creating characters who we truly grow to despise.
But perhaps the most memorable performance comes from a young lad named Emil Minty, who plays the Feral Kid (a strange, animalistic boy who protects his people with a razor-sharp boomerang!).
Having inspired dozens of rip-offs, “The Road Warrior” still remains the best of the bunch due to the great lead performance from Gibson and the unrivalled car chases, which are very much worth mentioning. The movie begins with a rousing commentary over the events that led to the destruction of government. What follows next is a short and exciting car chase. True, the following half-hour does move by a bit slowly, but it all builds up to a lightning paced final 45 minutes.
Not sense “The French Connection” has a car chase been as thrilling as the final act of this picture…words can’t even describe it!
This final chase, in particular, is an excellent exercise in action craftsmanship. Miller has staged one of the most brilliant and downright exciting action scenes ever put to film. So many spectacular stunts and on-road carnage occur during this sequence that to describe it simply wouldn't do it justice.
Some of the photography is not entirely stable, but this is soon forgotten as most of the shots are composed in a fashion that gives the eye a million things to do. Every shot is dynamic and brilliantly composed. It is little wonder that among cinematographers, Dean Semler is an absolute legend.
Miller's direction and Semler’s cinematography are both decidedly Un-Hollywood. They give us many breathtaking camera angles, some of which are sometimes a bit shaky, which serve to make the action even more involving. Looking back at the film now, it might not appeal to a wide range of viewers. The odd characters (mainly the villains), ultra-violence, dark tone, and the sparse dialogue may seem a little too offbeat for some people.
Luckily, I’m not…nor will I ever be…’some people.’
A Coke to whomever caught that…haha
The costumes are wildly imaginative, with leather fetishes and mowhawks abound…The vehicle designs are breathtakingly intriguing and the setting looks appropriately bleak - while it is most definitely a low-budget film (admittedly, though, slightly more expensive-looking than the first film), the makers have come up with ingenious ways of concealing their limited funds
The film also benefits from its wonderfully intense Brian May soundtrack (Not the guy from “Queen”
. His cue “The Chase is on” sums up the film in all its hard-edged, bombastic glory and it’s one of my personal favorites from the 80s action-film set.
Quite arguably the greatest film to come out of Australia, “The Road Warrior” is nothing short of astounding. Like a wet dream of “Heavy Metal” and 80s punk set before the backdrop of the Outback, it’s unlike any picture I’ve ever seen (save the 1st and 3rd “Mad Max” films of course) and it remains a triumph of action and stunt performing.
Primitive brilliance, “Mad Max 2” never fails to impress…like a fine wine, it consistently insists on getting better with age.
Violent, trashy and fast-paced fun, “The Road Warrior” is not to be missed.
So if you haven’t seen it…what the hell are you waiting for!?
GO!!!
Trust me…if you love film, you can’t afford to miss this.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Road Warrior (1981)
[YT]c4TdPxOXuYw[/YT]
[YT]PQlhtF1zeIU[/YT]
Directed by … George Miller
Written by … Terry Hayes, Brian Hannant and George Miller
Based on characters created by … George Miller
Mel Gibson ... ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky
Bruce Spence ... The Gyro Captain
Michael Preston ... Pappagallo
Max Phipps ... The Toadie
Vernon Wells ... Wez
Kjell Nilsson ... The Humungus
Emil Minty ... The Feral Kid
Virginia Hey ... Warrior Woman
William Zappa ... Zetta
Arkie Whiteley ... The Captain's Girl
Steve J. Spears ... Mechanic
Syd Heylen ... Curmudgeon
Moira Claux ... Big Rebecca
David Downer ... Nathan
David Slingsby ... Quiet Man
Kristoffer Greaves ... Mechanic's Assistant
Max Fairchild ... Broken Victim
Tyler Coppin ... Defiant Victim
Jimmy Brown ... Golden Youth
Tony Deary ... Grinning Mohawker
Kathleen McKay ... Victim
Guy Norris ... Bearclaw Mohawk
Anne Jones ... Tent Lover
James McCardell ... Tent Lover
Harold Baigent ... Narrator (voice)
In the post-apocolyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.
--------------------------------------------------------
Even after all this time, 1981’s “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” remains one of the most exhilerating sci-fi action films of all time. Excitingly pulse-pounding and visceral, it hands down remains the best installment of writer/director George Miller’s post-apocalyptic tale of cut-throat survival and bold heroism.
Years after avenging the murders of his wife, child and partner, burnt out cop Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) takes the highways dishing out his own brand of vengeful justice as the ‘Road Warrior.’
As we open in the film, Max hooks up with this group of people stuck in the Australian desert in an oil refinery campsite that's being besieged by a gang of murderous outlaw bikers. Rescuing a member of the refinery group, who later dies, from the bikers Max only want's from the people there to give him enough fuel for is V-8 Interceptor to take him across the vast Australian desert.
The refinery people lead by their leader Pappagallo (Michael Preston) make a deal with Max to get them a rig that belongs to the outlaw bikers to attach their tank of thousands of gallons of fuel. That way they can breakout of the campsite and escape from the bikers besieging it before they finally brake in and slaughter all of them. Max comes through with getting the rig but when he tries to ride his way out of the campsite with the full tank of gas he's attacked by the bikers lead by the Mohawk sporting psycho Wez (Vernon Wells). Running him off the road Wez leaves him for dead in a gully that his V-8 crashed into and exploded killing two of Wez men but Max miraculously survives. Max's pet and loyal companion "Dog" wasn't that lucky being shot, with a crossbow, by one of the bikers. Max is later rescued by one of the people in the campsite The Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence) and brought back to camp barley alive with a severely broken leg.
It's then when Pappagallo decides that the only way to survive being slaughtered by the bikers is to make a run for it. Pappagallo's plan is to split up the people and break out in two groups with anti-hero Max, now knowing that he needs to cooperate to survive, volunteering to drive the dangerous gasoline ladened rig and tanker through the biker gauntlet in one of the greatest car chases in cinematic history.
Pumped with so much adrenaline in its attempt to be a super-charged incarnation of the first film, “The Road Warrior” delivers…and what it might lack in plot it MORE than makes up for in action…with stunts galore and leather-clad style to burn.
Thematically, it's just a western dressed in post apocalyptic garb...but it's not the story...it's the way it's told. There are scenes of extreme horror and ugliness juxtaposed with scenes of the best of humanity and absolute beauty.
The cast is still a virtual who’s who of Australian actors with one central figure as the title character. Mel Gibson remains the only world-renowned actor in the whole film. He does a terrific job as the character Max, one of his best and most interesting characters to date alongside the infamous Riggs of “Lethal Weapon” fame.
The development of Max is another intriguing component of “The Road Warrior,” and serves the film by giving it a human edge by featuring Max's slow transformation from loner to savior. Not only that, Gibson also creates a great action hero. There's not a moment in the film when we aren't rooting for Max to smash Humungus and his gang. Bruce Spence as the gyro-pilot is decent in his role and offers the film's few humorous moments.
Virginia Hey is also pretty good as the Warrior Woman, and though the script doesn't exactly give her a lot to do, she plays the part well. Mike Preston also shows a lot of honor as the compound's leader.
On the other side of the equation are the actors who portray the villains. Surprisingly enough, though the characters are outlandish, no one ever goes over-the-top. Vernon Wells and Kjell Nilson are absolutely menacing and frightening as the lead villains, Wez and Humungus. They personify evil itself, creating characters who we truly grow to despise.
But perhaps the most memorable performance comes from a young lad named Emil Minty, who plays the Feral Kid (a strange, animalistic boy who protects his people with a razor-sharp boomerang!).
Having inspired dozens of rip-offs, “The Road Warrior” still remains the best of the bunch due to the great lead performance from Gibson and the unrivalled car chases, which are very much worth mentioning. The movie begins with a rousing commentary over the events that led to the destruction of government. What follows next is a short and exciting car chase. True, the following half-hour does move by a bit slowly, but it all builds up to a lightning paced final 45 minutes.
Not sense “The French Connection” has a car chase been as thrilling as the final act of this picture…words can’t even describe it!
This final chase, in particular, is an excellent exercise in action craftsmanship. Miller has staged one of the most brilliant and downright exciting action scenes ever put to film. So many spectacular stunts and on-road carnage occur during this sequence that to describe it simply wouldn't do it justice.
Some of the photography is not entirely stable, but this is soon forgotten as most of the shots are composed in a fashion that gives the eye a million things to do. Every shot is dynamic and brilliantly composed. It is little wonder that among cinematographers, Dean Semler is an absolute legend.
Miller's direction and Semler’s cinematography are both decidedly Un-Hollywood. They give us many breathtaking camera angles, some of which are sometimes a bit shaky, which serve to make the action even more involving. Looking back at the film now, it might not appeal to a wide range of viewers. The odd characters (mainly the villains), ultra-violence, dark tone, and the sparse dialogue may seem a little too offbeat for some people.
Luckily, I’m not…nor will I ever be…’some people.’
A Coke to whomever caught that…haha
The costumes are wildly imaginative, with leather fetishes and mowhawks abound…The vehicle designs are breathtakingly intriguing and the setting looks appropriately bleak - while it is most definitely a low-budget film (admittedly, though, slightly more expensive-looking than the first film), the makers have come up with ingenious ways of concealing their limited funds
The film also benefits from its wonderfully intense Brian May soundtrack (Not the guy from “Queen”
. His cue “The Chase is on” sums up the film in all its hard-edged, bombastic glory and it’s one of my personal favorites from the 80s action-film set.Quite arguably the greatest film to come out of Australia, “The Road Warrior” is nothing short of astounding. Like a wet dream of “Heavy Metal” and 80s punk set before the backdrop of the Outback, it’s unlike any picture I’ve ever seen (save the 1st and 3rd “Mad Max” films of course) and it remains a triumph of action and stunt performing.
Primitive brilliance, “Mad Max 2” never fails to impress…like a fine wine, it consistently insists on getting better with age.
Violent, trashy and fast-paced fun, “The Road Warrior” is not to be missed.
So if you haven’t seen it…what the hell are you waiting for!?
GO!!!
Trust me…if you love film, you can’t afford to miss this.
--------------------------------------------------------
CFE
The never-ending battle
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- Messages
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Well, after 70 days of sci-fi thrills, the time has come...
Just as with the Top 20 Comic Book Films, the reviews for the Top 30 Science Fiction Films (what I consider to be the absolute pinnacle, despite my affection for all of the films reviewed to date) will be formatted in the 'Expanded Edition' with:
More cast and crew credits
More video (trailers/scenes/score clips/music videos/etc).
And a new feature...all 30 reviews will feature their given film's tagline.
It's been an incredible ride thus far...and from here on out, in my opinion, it's nothing but the absolute best that Science Fiction has to offer.
Enjoy!
Just as with the Top 20 Comic Book Films, the reviews for the Top 30 Science Fiction Films (what I consider to be the absolute pinnacle, despite my affection for all of the films reviewed to date) will be formatted in the 'Expanded Edition' with:
More cast and crew credits
More video (trailers/scenes/score clips/music videos/etc).
And a new feature...all 30 reviews will feature their given film's tagline.
It's been an incredible ride thus far...and from here on out, in my opinion, it's nothing but the absolute best that Science Fiction has to offer.
Enjoy!
david icke
Sidekick
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Another great and enthusiastic review CFE.
I watched RW again recently, it's the one i have seen a lot of times, only seen the other two once, and it is the best.
Jackman said he got a lot for Wolverine from watching Mel's Max, and you can see that totally in RW.
Pity that kid from Origins didn't base his character off the feral kid.
I only saw Max vs Tina in full the other week, the train chase was very good, but still pales to the big chase in RW.
One thing confused me though, at the end of RW the feral narrator says the gyro-captain stayed on as their leader, but he pops up in Tina's Thunderthighs as a pilot with a son.
I think they just threw the continuity out the window as they wanted Spence back and flying.
Thunderdome did seem like a bit of a re-heat of RW, although it did have it's moments.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing your top 30.
I watched RW again recently, it's the one i have seen a lot of times, only seen the other two once, and it is the best.
Jackman said he got a lot for Wolverine from watching Mel's Max, and you can see that totally in RW.
Pity that kid from Origins didn't base his character off the feral kid.
I only saw Max vs Tina in full the other week, the train chase was very good, but still pales to the big chase in RW.
One thing confused me though, at the end of RW the feral narrator says the gyro-captain stayed on as their leader, but he pops up in Tina's Thunderthighs as a pilot with a son.
I think they just threw the continuity out the window as they wanted Spence back and flying.
Thunderdome did seem like a bit of a re-heat of RW, although it did have it's moments.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing your top 30.
CFE
The never-ending battle
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#30
When the US President crashes into Manhattan now a giant maximum-security prison, a war hero turned convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.
----------------------------------------------
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On personal terms, what grabs a hold of me about a film early on is its plot its set-up and characters. If the plot is the kind of story that, in one sentence, can evoke an intense emotion or reaction from me, then its gold...gold that I am ready, willing and able to become immersed in and enjoy immensely.
In the case of 1981s Escape from New York, its a pitch-perfect set-up that instantly hooks and engrosses you with detailed characterizations, ground-rules that unfold at a breakneck pace and a slick story that, through the imaginative eye of director John Carpenter, just seethes with awesomeness.
The time is 1997 a future where crime has grown exponentially across the nation, increasing to a widespread epidemic even more dire than usual. With this proposed 400% spike in the crime rate throughout the United States, the country makes a bold decision to turn the entire island of Manhattan into a giant maximum-security prison, complete with a fifty foot wall of concrete surrounding the city, mines planted throughout the waters and bridges and the United States Police Force constantly patrolling the perimeter of the island to avert any attempt of escape made by the prisoners.
As the narrator (Jamie Lee Curtis) dead-pans, the rules are simple:
Once you go in you dont come out.
On a fateful night, New York Penitentiary and U.S.P.F. Police Commissioner Bob Hauk (legendary Western actor Lee Van Cleef) is suspect to the arrival of the most notorious outlaw in the country S.D. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former decorated war hero turned embittered bank robber whos been captured for attempting to rob the Federal Reserve Depository his arrival to the prison simultaneously occurs with the crashing of Air Force One, hijacked by terrorists, within New Yorks borders. As the result of Prison Guards not occupying the island the President (Donald Pleasance) is apprehended by prisoners in the employ of the Duke of New York (the late Issac Hayes) a self-styled baron of the prison who plans to use the President and his precious cargo; a tape recording whose contents could bring peace between America, China and the Soviet Union as leverage to liberate himself and his crew from the Penitentiary.
Desperate to get his hands on the captive Commander in Chief, Hauk makes a deal with Plissken retrieve the President in 24 hours, resulting in his full pardon for every criminal act he has ever committed on American soil.
At first, Plissken is reluctant why should he care about a President who would just as easily toss him in the can after all hed sacrifice for the nation?
But Snakes ability to choose is stripped away when hes unexpectedly injected with two microscopic heat-charges into his neck.
So, with the help of a goofy cab driver (Ernest Borgnine), a former partner in crime (Harry Dean Stanton) and a bodacious femme fatale (Adrienne Barbeau), Snake has to save the President and escape from the prison and the Duke or die trying.
Nasty odds luckily, Plissken has a habit for being just as nasty.
Escape from New York is a masterpiece of dark humor, suspense and 80s urban grit that given my own aesthetics I absolutely relish in upon every viewing. It moves at a very brisk pace as it paints a grim portrait of a nation whose sense of democracy has fallen prey to the extremes of imperialism. What makes the film also work so well is the intriguing concept of a world in which the only noble and heroic character just so happens to be the most vile and selfish bastard you can find; which makes the worldview that much more bleak.
As a character, Snake Plissken is very much the unpatriotic patriot in line with the likes of Clint Eastwoods The Man with No Name as a perfect example of the Anti-hero. The kind of man who would run into a burning building to rescue a child only to end up stealing the grateful fathers wallet while in the process of handing the tyke over. Plissken represents America in its purest form; violent prone, cynical and self-absorbed but in the end, willing to go to any lengths to the right thing; or, at least, whats right for him.
The character is superbly brought to life by Kurt Russell in his breakout performance. Up until that point, Russell had only featured in low-budget fair and live action Disney yarns. But with his own personal sense of swagger and charm, Kurt brings to Snake a symbiotic fusion of the lone gunslinger out to survive the Wild West with a grizzled war vet whos time of serving has left him a crass uncaring misfit.
With such a strong central figure, Carpenter surrounds Plissken with a lovingly calibrated cast that does well to represent the Western twang of Kurts character and Carpenters dystopia future. Ernest Borgnine plays it up with cheese to spare as the lovable Cabbie, whose simplistic optimism shines like a beacon within Manhattans hollowed streets perfectly captured in a moment when Cabbie talks up Snake with a giant grin while casually lighting and tossing a Molotov cocktail into a crowd of approaching sewer dwellers.
Harry Dean Stantons Brain is wonderfully portrayed as a mirror of Plissken himself, representing Snakes own less savory qualities of always attempting to play events out to his own advantage. I lost count of how many times Brain switches sides between Snake and the Duke, but it never seems to matter Stanton plays the character so charmingly. His chemistry with the luscious Adrienne Barbeau (the voice of Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series) does admittedly feel a bit forced, especially since she seems to play off of Kurt more naturally.
However, Adriennes turn as Maggie, as small as it is, is quite convincing in her final moment of self-sacrifice in order to buy Plissken some time.
The villains of the piece are very inspired. The late, great Shaft theme singing soul-man Issac Hayes is wonderfully cast as the Duke of New York, bringing his own big-natured persona to a role that arguably only he couldve played. His character gimmick of the right-eye facial tick doesnt even distract from a solid performance on the contrary, it gives a potential one-note antagonist that much more character. His right hand Romero, played by Frank Doubleday, also does extremely well in such a small role representing the absolute anguish of New York Penitentiary. His proposals to Hauk upon the arrival of the guards into the prison are so haunting and chilling. At the same time, however, Doubleday brings to this bit role a sense of zaniness and fun that make the character quite memorable.
Aside from Kurt, however, my two favorite performances come courtesy of Lee Van Cleef as Hauk, whose sense of rivalry with Snake is extremely palpable, even when hes hidden behind the veil of guiding Snake through New York. His scenes with Kurt are very tense and its easily one of Van Cleefs best final roles.
The other is the ever eccentric Donald Pleasance as the President who portrays him so pathetically and absurdly that it works to display a portrayal of a completely off-kilter President. Truth be told, seeing him with machine gun blazing as he guns down the Duke raving like a madman you cant help but think how in the HELL did this guy get elected!?
The fact that Pleasance is English also brings as sense of slap-happy ridiculousness to his portrayal, especially since foreigners always have a knack for accurately exaggerating and satirizing our culture given that fact, Donald is a perfect fit for this dopey Prez.
The visuals of Escape are incredible for their time. From model helicopters to matte paintings of the Manhattan skyline, the fact that Carpenters budget is nil doesnt discourage the picture from having a very large scope. Dean Cundeys nightmarish photography works as an extension of his work on Halloween in painting a grim and gritty picture through extreme shadow and uncompromising lighting. This story is meant to be bleak, and Cundeys work beautifully encompasses that.
Despite the film being shot in St. Louis amongst a handful of blocks of urban rubble, Carpenter, Cundey and Production Designer Joe Alves perfectly seem to bring the spirit of New York to the location they were given. Thanks to a segment of principal photography with the Statue of Liberty (cleverly set up as the Liberty Island Security Control where the hub of the U.S.P.F. resides), they do get to inject actual New York landmarks into the film, doing well to convince us that the remainder of the film IS, in fact, NYC. Through the use of audacious graffiti and seedy trash strewn alleyways, were given a portrayal of the Big Apple that is indeed completely hopeless. Its a wonderful urban playground in which to craft a story of rescue and espionage and Carpenters staging does so with very downbeat yet tangibly effective results.
The visual metaphor for uncompromising dystopia also befalls some of the prisons minor inhabitants, such as Season Hubley Kurt Russells then-wife whom Plissken meets in the Chock Full ONuts. One thing I always found unsettlingly humorous about both New York and its sequel, 1996s Escape from LA is the fact that, despite finding a reasonable romantic fling, Snake never gets any.
I know thats a rather mundane thing to comment on, and it is but theres something so chilling about the parameters of the world Carpenter has established that romance, even on a purely sexual level, seems to be brutally abolished and out of Plisskens reach as a mans man, exampled by the fact that in both films he finds a woman worth hooking up with and, inevitably, both women die before any sort of connection can be made.
It hits home just how hopeless the worldview of this picture is but its sort of morbidly funny that, in the midst of trying to NOT have his arteries blown open, Snakes still trying to get busy. Even more outlandish is the fact that, when all hope seems lost on a plot-level, Snake decides to literally pull up a chair and sit waiting for the next plot device to reveal itself and advance the story.
That just strikes me as odd, but in a good way. Its like Carpenter and co-writer Nick Castle couldnt think of anything at the time, so they just have him sit down.
When has a primarily action-oriented film ever had their protagonist sit down!?
But perhaps thats just how much of a bad ass Plissken is.
Speaking of action, there isnt terribly much in terms of volume in the film. We do get a handful of fistfights, the most prominent of which is Snakes gladiatorial confrontation with a bald, beard sporting brute complete with nail-adorned baseball bats and trashcan lids for shields. Its always a pleasure to have the small good guy be pitted against the hulking baddie, seeing when and how our guys gonna come out on top.
Snakes run-in with the subterranean Crazies as they seep out of manholes for food is also quite tense and, through Todd Ramsays tight-knit editing, it works very well to build momentum in fact each sequence does as much. As the doomsday clock on Snakes wrist-band winds down, we as a audience get even more tense and engrossed wondering if hes gonna make it. Right down to the final moment, Ramsay and Carpenter decide to milk it as much as possible and its extremely well organized in accordance with the suspense that Plisskens dilemma is afforded.
Finally, the film is bolstered with the expected John Carpenter self-composed score. By this time, with the successes of Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween, Carpenter had met up with musician and composer Alan Howarth, who would go on to provide the scores for Halloweens two through six on his own. Together, these two create a blistering synthesizer laced score for New York thats as downbeat and urban as the films setting.
The main title is the only discernable material with a distinct theme that has, in its own right, become as iconic as the character it follows through the streets and alleys of Manhattan. While the theme got a supped up version courtesy of the late Shirley Walker in Escape from LA, the theme as presented here is wonderfully simple with its harmonic synth beats and tambourine shakes however, it does manage to get in a great spike of futuristic tech with a sound used to great rousing effect in the cues final portion.
Nick Castle also managed to get his own stamp on the films lyrical material with the song Everyones Coming to New York, a malicious satirical parody of Broadway show tunes performed by a handful of convicts as it proclaims This is hell this is fate but now this is your world, and its GREAT!
All in all, the only disappointing factor about the film is how much potential both its main character and its world had. Aside from two films, a short-lived comic book a few years ago, a rumored remake of New York starring 300s Gerard Butler and a proposed video game that never happened, Snake Plissken and his universe have never gotten their proper due when in actuality the property is just as deserving of a larger following as Carpenters biggest hit, Halloween. Can you imagine the adventures that Snake could have through another film or, possibly, an HBO TV series?
One of the quintessential cult films of the 1980s, Escape from New York is incredibly grim and entertaining with a spark of comic book slant and, as it stands, it remains one of the greatest B films ever made.
It established, in a single motion picture, a great iconic character and Kurt Russells favorite character from his illustrious career. Its also been inspirational for several films, most recently Matt Reeves 2008 handheld monster flick Cloverfield (where else did he get the idea for the severed head of Lady Liberty laying in ruin in the street?)
Not to be missed, Escape from New York is just a lot of fun to experience with its ambient cityscapes, low-brow synthetic score and comically clever twist finale that just might be the most cynical ending in film history, its definitely one for the books.
But whatever you do, dont call him Plissken.
Call him Snake.
----------------------------------------------
Escape from New York (1981)
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Directed by ... John Carpenter
Written by John Carpenter and Nick Castle
Produced by ... Debra Hill, Larry J. Franco and Barry Bernardi
Cinematography by ... Dean Cundey
Production Design by ... Joe Alves
Costume Design by ... Steven Loomis
Editing by ... Todd Ramsay
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth
Kurt Russell ... Snake Plissken
Lee Van Cleef ... Hauk
Ernest Borgnine ... Cabbie
Donald Pleasence ... President
Isaac Hayes ... The Duke
Season Hubley ... Girl in Chock Full O'Nuts
Harry Dean Stanton ... Brain
Adrienne Barbeau ... Maggie
Tom Atkins ... Rehme
Charles Cyphers ... Secretary of State
Frank Doubleday ... Romero
John Strobel ... Cronenberg
John Cothran Jr. ... Gypsy #1
Garrett Bergfeld ... Gypsy #2
Richard Cosentino ... Gypsy Guard
Robert John Metcalf ... Gypsy #3
Joel Bennett ... Gypsy #4
Vic Bullock ... First Indian
Clem Fox ... Second Indian
Tobar Mayo ... Third Indian
Nancy Stephens ... Stewardess
Steven M. Gagnon ... Secret Service #1
Steven Ford ... Secret Service #2
Michael Taylor ... Secret Service #3
Lonnie Wun ... Red Bandana Gypsy
Dale E. House ... Helicopter Pilot #1
David R. Patrick ... Helicopter Pilot #2
Bob Minor ... Duty Sergeant
Wally Taylor ... Controller
James O'Hagen ... Computer Operator
James Emery ... Trooper
Tom Lillard ... Police Sergeant
Borah Silver ... Theater Manager
Tony Papenfuss ... Theater Assistant
John Diehl ... Punk
Carmen Filpi ... Bum
George 'Buck' Flower ... Drunk
Jamie Lee Curtis Narrator/Computer (voice)
Debra Hill Computer (voice)
[YT]UQsvYV6Ro5I[/YT]
[YT]WZIWJ1ySyHE[/YT]
[YT]ims8n2ylxvM[/YT]
Directed by ... John Carpenter
Written by John Carpenter and Nick Castle
Produced by ... Debra Hill, Larry J. Franco and Barry Bernardi
Cinematography by ... Dean Cundey
Production Design by ... Joe Alves
Costume Design by ... Steven Loomis
Editing by ... Todd Ramsay
Original Motion Picture Score Composed by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth
Kurt Russell ... Snake Plissken
Lee Van Cleef ... Hauk
Ernest Borgnine ... Cabbie
Donald Pleasence ... President
Isaac Hayes ... The Duke
Season Hubley ... Girl in Chock Full O'Nuts
Harry Dean Stanton ... Brain
Adrienne Barbeau ... Maggie
Tom Atkins ... Rehme
Charles Cyphers ... Secretary of State
Frank Doubleday ... Romero
John Strobel ... Cronenberg
John Cothran Jr. ... Gypsy #1
Garrett Bergfeld ... Gypsy #2
Richard Cosentino ... Gypsy Guard
Robert John Metcalf ... Gypsy #3
Joel Bennett ... Gypsy #4
Vic Bullock ... First Indian
Clem Fox ... Second Indian
Tobar Mayo ... Third Indian
Nancy Stephens ... Stewardess
Steven M. Gagnon ... Secret Service #1
Steven Ford ... Secret Service #2
Michael Taylor ... Secret Service #3
Lonnie Wun ... Red Bandana Gypsy
Dale E. House ... Helicopter Pilot #1
David R. Patrick ... Helicopter Pilot #2
Bob Minor ... Duty Sergeant
Wally Taylor ... Controller
James O'Hagen ... Computer Operator
James Emery ... Trooper
Tom Lillard ... Police Sergeant
Borah Silver ... Theater Manager
Tony Papenfuss ... Theater Assistant
John Diehl ... Punk
Carmen Filpi ... Bum
George 'Buck' Flower ... Drunk
Jamie Lee Curtis Narrator/Computer (voice)
Debra Hill Computer (voice)
When the US President crashes into Manhattan now a giant maximum-security prison, a war hero turned convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.
----------------------------------------------
The world's greatest leader is a hostage in the most dangerous place on Earth. Now only the deadliest man alive can save him.
----------------------------------------------
On personal terms, what grabs a hold of me about a film early on is its plot its set-up and characters. If the plot is the kind of story that, in one sentence, can evoke an intense emotion or reaction from me, then its gold...gold that I am ready, willing and able to become immersed in and enjoy immensely.
In the case of 1981s Escape from New York, its a pitch-perfect set-up that instantly hooks and engrosses you with detailed characterizations, ground-rules that unfold at a breakneck pace and a slick story that, through the imaginative eye of director John Carpenter, just seethes with awesomeness.
The time is 1997 a future where crime has grown exponentially across the nation, increasing to a widespread epidemic even more dire than usual. With this proposed 400% spike in the crime rate throughout the United States, the country makes a bold decision to turn the entire island of Manhattan into a giant maximum-security prison, complete with a fifty foot wall of concrete surrounding the city, mines planted throughout the waters and bridges and the United States Police Force constantly patrolling the perimeter of the island to avert any attempt of escape made by the prisoners.
As the narrator (Jamie Lee Curtis) dead-pans, the rules are simple:
Once you go in you dont come out.
On a fateful night, New York Penitentiary and U.S.P.F. Police Commissioner Bob Hauk (legendary Western actor Lee Van Cleef) is suspect to the arrival of the most notorious outlaw in the country S.D. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former decorated war hero turned embittered bank robber whos been captured for attempting to rob the Federal Reserve Depository his arrival to the prison simultaneously occurs with the crashing of Air Force One, hijacked by terrorists, within New Yorks borders. As the result of Prison Guards not occupying the island the President (Donald Pleasance) is apprehended by prisoners in the employ of the Duke of New York (the late Issac Hayes) a self-styled baron of the prison who plans to use the President and his precious cargo; a tape recording whose contents could bring peace between America, China and the Soviet Union as leverage to liberate himself and his crew from the Penitentiary.
Desperate to get his hands on the captive Commander in Chief, Hauk makes a deal with Plissken retrieve the President in 24 hours, resulting in his full pardon for every criminal act he has ever committed on American soil.
At first, Plissken is reluctant why should he care about a President who would just as easily toss him in the can after all hed sacrifice for the nation?
But Snakes ability to choose is stripped away when hes unexpectedly injected with two microscopic heat-charges into his neck.
So, with the help of a goofy cab driver (Ernest Borgnine), a former partner in crime (Harry Dean Stanton) and a bodacious femme fatale (Adrienne Barbeau), Snake has to save the President and escape from the prison and the Duke or die trying.
Nasty odds luckily, Plissken has a habit for being just as nasty.
Escape from New York is a masterpiece of dark humor, suspense and 80s urban grit that given my own aesthetics I absolutely relish in upon every viewing. It moves at a very brisk pace as it paints a grim portrait of a nation whose sense of democracy has fallen prey to the extremes of imperialism. What makes the film also work so well is the intriguing concept of a world in which the only noble and heroic character just so happens to be the most vile and selfish bastard you can find; which makes the worldview that much more bleak.
As a character, Snake Plissken is very much the unpatriotic patriot in line with the likes of Clint Eastwoods The Man with No Name as a perfect example of the Anti-hero. The kind of man who would run into a burning building to rescue a child only to end up stealing the grateful fathers wallet while in the process of handing the tyke over. Plissken represents America in its purest form; violent prone, cynical and self-absorbed but in the end, willing to go to any lengths to the right thing; or, at least, whats right for him.
The character is superbly brought to life by Kurt Russell in his breakout performance. Up until that point, Russell had only featured in low-budget fair and live action Disney yarns. But with his own personal sense of swagger and charm, Kurt brings to Snake a symbiotic fusion of the lone gunslinger out to survive the Wild West with a grizzled war vet whos time of serving has left him a crass uncaring misfit.
With such a strong central figure, Carpenter surrounds Plissken with a lovingly calibrated cast that does well to represent the Western twang of Kurts character and Carpenters dystopia future. Ernest Borgnine plays it up with cheese to spare as the lovable Cabbie, whose simplistic optimism shines like a beacon within Manhattans hollowed streets perfectly captured in a moment when Cabbie talks up Snake with a giant grin while casually lighting and tossing a Molotov cocktail into a crowd of approaching sewer dwellers.
Harry Dean Stantons Brain is wonderfully portrayed as a mirror of Plissken himself, representing Snakes own less savory qualities of always attempting to play events out to his own advantage. I lost count of how many times Brain switches sides between Snake and the Duke, but it never seems to matter Stanton plays the character so charmingly. His chemistry with the luscious Adrienne Barbeau (the voice of Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series) does admittedly feel a bit forced, especially since she seems to play off of Kurt more naturally.
However, Adriennes turn as Maggie, as small as it is, is quite convincing in her final moment of self-sacrifice in order to buy Plissken some time.
The villains of the piece are very inspired. The late, great Shaft theme singing soul-man Issac Hayes is wonderfully cast as the Duke of New York, bringing his own big-natured persona to a role that arguably only he couldve played. His character gimmick of the right-eye facial tick doesnt even distract from a solid performance on the contrary, it gives a potential one-note antagonist that much more character. His right hand Romero, played by Frank Doubleday, also does extremely well in such a small role representing the absolute anguish of New York Penitentiary. His proposals to Hauk upon the arrival of the guards into the prison are so haunting and chilling. At the same time, however, Doubleday brings to this bit role a sense of zaniness and fun that make the character quite memorable.
Aside from Kurt, however, my two favorite performances come courtesy of Lee Van Cleef as Hauk, whose sense of rivalry with Snake is extremely palpable, even when hes hidden behind the veil of guiding Snake through New York. His scenes with Kurt are very tense and its easily one of Van Cleefs best final roles.
The other is the ever eccentric Donald Pleasance as the President who portrays him so pathetically and absurdly that it works to display a portrayal of a completely off-kilter President. Truth be told, seeing him with machine gun blazing as he guns down the Duke raving like a madman you cant help but think how in the HELL did this guy get elected!?
The fact that Pleasance is English also brings as sense of slap-happy ridiculousness to his portrayal, especially since foreigners always have a knack for accurately exaggerating and satirizing our culture given that fact, Donald is a perfect fit for this dopey Prez.
The visuals of Escape are incredible for their time. From model helicopters to matte paintings of the Manhattan skyline, the fact that Carpenters budget is nil doesnt discourage the picture from having a very large scope. Dean Cundeys nightmarish photography works as an extension of his work on Halloween in painting a grim and gritty picture through extreme shadow and uncompromising lighting. This story is meant to be bleak, and Cundeys work beautifully encompasses that.
Despite the film being shot in St. Louis amongst a handful of blocks of urban rubble, Carpenter, Cundey and Production Designer Joe Alves perfectly seem to bring the spirit of New York to the location they were given. Thanks to a segment of principal photography with the Statue of Liberty (cleverly set up as the Liberty Island Security Control where the hub of the U.S.P.F. resides), they do get to inject actual New York landmarks into the film, doing well to convince us that the remainder of the film IS, in fact, NYC. Through the use of audacious graffiti and seedy trash strewn alleyways, were given a portrayal of the Big Apple that is indeed completely hopeless. Its a wonderful urban playground in which to craft a story of rescue and espionage and Carpenters staging does so with very downbeat yet tangibly effective results.
The visual metaphor for uncompromising dystopia also befalls some of the prisons minor inhabitants, such as Season Hubley Kurt Russells then-wife whom Plissken meets in the Chock Full ONuts. One thing I always found unsettlingly humorous about both New York and its sequel, 1996s Escape from LA is the fact that, despite finding a reasonable romantic fling, Snake never gets any.
I know thats a rather mundane thing to comment on, and it is but theres something so chilling about the parameters of the world Carpenter has established that romance, even on a purely sexual level, seems to be brutally abolished and out of Plisskens reach as a mans man, exampled by the fact that in both films he finds a woman worth hooking up with and, inevitably, both women die before any sort of connection can be made.
It hits home just how hopeless the worldview of this picture is but its sort of morbidly funny that, in the midst of trying to NOT have his arteries blown open, Snakes still trying to get busy. Even more outlandish is the fact that, when all hope seems lost on a plot-level, Snake decides to literally pull up a chair and sit waiting for the next plot device to reveal itself and advance the story.
That just strikes me as odd, but in a good way. Its like Carpenter and co-writer Nick Castle couldnt think of anything at the time, so they just have him sit down.
When has a primarily action-oriented film ever had their protagonist sit down!?
But perhaps thats just how much of a bad ass Plissken is.
Speaking of action, there isnt terribly much in terms of volume in the film. We do get a handful of fistfights, the most prominent of which is Snakes gladiatorial confrontation with a bald, beard sporting brute complete with nail-adorned baseball bats and trashcan lids for shields. Its always a pleasure to have the small good guy be pitted against the hulking baddie, seeing when and how our guys gonna come out on top.
Snakes run-in with the subterranean Crazies as they seep out of manholes for food is also quite tense and, through Todd Ramsays tight-knit editing, it works very well to build momentum in fact each sequence does as much. As the doomsday clock on Snakes wrist-band winds down, we as a audience get even more tense and engrossed wondering if hes gonna make it. Right down to the final moment, Ramsay and Carpenter decide to milk it as much as possible and its extremely well organized in accordance with the suspense that Plisskens dilemma is afforded.
Finally, the film is bolstered with the expected John Carpenter self-composed score. By this time, with the successes of Assault on Precinct 13 and Halloween, Carpenter had met up with musician and composer Alan Howarth, who would go on to provide the scores for Halloweens two through six on his own. Together, these two create a blistering synthesizer laced score for New York thats as downbeat and urban as the films setting.
The main title is the only discernable material with a distinct theme that has, in its own right, become as iconic as the character it follows through the streets and alleys of Manhattan. While the theme got a supped up version courtesy of the late Shirley Walker in Escape from LA, the theme as presented here is wonderfully simple with its harmonic synth beats and tambourine shakes however, it does manage to get in a great spike of futuristic tech with a sound used to great rousing effect in the cues final portion.
Nick Castle also managed to get his own stamp on the films lyrical material with the song Everyones Coming to New York, a malicious satirical parody of Broadway show tunes performed by a handful of convicts as it proclaims This is hell this is fate but now this is your world, and its GREAT!
All in all, the only disappointing factor about the film is how much potential both its main character and its world had. Aside from two films, a short-lived comic book a few years ago, a rumored remake of New York starring 300s Gerard Butler and a proposed video game that never happened, Snake Plissken and his universe have never gotten their proper due when in actuality the property is just as deserving of a larger following as Carpenters biggest hit, Halloween. Can you imagine the adventures that Snake could have through another film or, possibly, an HBO TV series?
One of the quintessential cult films of the 1980s, Escape from New York is incredibly grim and entertaining with a spark of comic book slant and, as it stands, it remains one of the greatest B films ever made.
It established, in a single motion picture, a great iconic character and Kurt Russells favorite character from his illustrious career. Its also been inspirational for several films, most recently Matt Reeves 2008 handheld monster flick Cloverfield (where else did he get the idea for the severed head of Lady Liberty laying in ruin in the street?)
Not to be missed, Escape from New York is just a lot of fun to experience with its ambient cityscapes, low-brow synthetic score and comically clever twist finale that just might be the most cynical ending in film history, its definitely one for the books.
But whatever you do, dont call him Plissken.
Call him Snake.
----------------------------------------------
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