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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
MOVIES
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAR
"End of Watch” adopts good-valued policemen
LANDON MCDONALD
lmcdonald@kansan.com
When it comes to police procedurals, David Ayer can write a blue streak.
and "Dark Blue" for other filmmakers, the Illinois native graduated into directing and continued telling stories of rogish lawmen in movies like "Harsh Times" and "Street Kings." His newest effort is "End of Watch," an urgent, propulsive thriller that also functions as an impassioned tribute to a character who appears only sparingly in his other films; the honest cop.
LAPD Officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) are not bad lieutenants
or lethal weapons. They don't take drugs, elicit bribes or compare their superiority to King Kong. They are courageous working stiffs, brothers joined at the badge, tasked with patrolling the fetid streets of South Central, where nearly every scene in the film was shot.
The majority of "End of Watch" unfolds through the lens of Brian's camera, which he's using to document life on the beat for a film class. Shaky-cam has been done to death in the prevailing years since the "Bourne" trilogy, but this film actually benefits from its kinetic cinematography, which allows for greater intimacy with the characters and an immersive quality that even the best 3D can't match. I'm still in favor of this technique when it isn't being used to conceal poorly staged action or earn a PG-13 rating.
The plot kicks in after Brian and Mike take down a pair of "cowboys" brandishing stacks of cash and gold-plated Kalashnikovs. Their investigation ties back to a Mexican drug cartel looking to move their human trafficking ring north of the border. Unwilling to risk their other operations, the drug lords put out a bounty on Brian and Mike, leading to a climactic nighttime shootout between our boys and a gangland marauder appropriately named Big Evil (Maurice Compte).
"End of Watch" benefits mightly from its principal cast. Gyllenhaal and Peña have a tremendous natural rapport together, one Ayer insisted they hone in the midst of a grueling five-month training regimen. Gyllenhaal continues to impress as one of the few actors who can provide a dramatic character with a relatable sense of humor. The chirpy Anna Kendrick makes the most of her scenes as Brian's fiancé Janet, while newcomer Diamonique gives an authentically unhinged performance as the freakest member of Big Evil's drive-by crew.
In the end though, the film ultimately belongs to the grossly underrated Peña, who first came to my attention in Paul Haggis's "Crash" back in 2005. Here's an actor equally at home in comedy and drama, the rare performer who elevates nearly every project he's involved with. His genial, selfless performance as Mike is the heart and soul of "End of Watch." Here's hoping this starring role is the first of many.
FINAL RATING
- Edited by Sarah McCabe
MOVIES
"The Master" serves two brilliant performances
LANDON MCDONALD
/mcdonald@kansan.com
Despite having only six feature films under his belt, Paul Thomas Anderson has earned his seat at the table of cinema's modern masters.
Like Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, Anderson's best films strike a transcendent cord that lies between form and content, where dazzling technical artistry harmonizes with elemental storytelling and fiery, towering performances. His masterpiece "There Will Be Blood" remains a black-hearted testament to the toxic pitfalls of faith and ambition.
His latest, appropriately titled "The Master," was rumored to be an allegorical takedown of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, a rumor that perhaps contributed to the two-year gap between the film's announcement and its production. The final result is a slyer, subtler beast than one might imagine: an abstract portrait of platonic love between two profoundly different men.
The film opens at the close of World War II, with Navy man Freddy Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) emptying fuel out of a torpedo to concoct another batch of his powerful rotgut liquor. An emotionally disturbed alcoholic whose bundled ferocity predates the war, Freddy lurches through peaceetime as a drifter until providence deposits him aboard a yacht captained by Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman).
Dodd is the charismatic founder of a movement known as the Cause, which teaches that all humans carry psychic residue from trauma sustained during past lives. He quickly identifies Freddy as a fellow "hopelessly inquisitive man" and, after sampling some of his homemade hooch, invites him to join his band of traveling cultists.
Freddy, drawn in by the polish of Dodd's silver tongue, soon becomes one of the Cause's most ardent followers, acting as an attack dog against its many critics. His rabid devotion soon draws the哭 of Dodd's wife Peggy (Amy Adams), who fears the angry young man and his ability to rouse hen husband's wild side.
Even with its engulfing visuals and hauntingly discordant Jonny Greenwood score, "The Master" would be an empty spectacle if not for the extraordinary power of its lead performances. Phoenix's intensity in the role of Freddy is almost frightening, his body contorted and shriveled into a limping, leering huddle of nerves.
Hoffman as Dodd is Freddy's polar opposite, all airtight bluster and mannered grandiosity, at least until he confronts one of the Cause's dissenters head-on and the cracks begin to show. Adams, checking her "Enchanted" cuteness at the door, turns in her finest performance as the cold-blooded Peggy, who may be the guiding light behind the Cause.
An early scene where Dodd "processes" Freddy with a series of increasingly probing questions is absolutely spellbinding, like watching two finely tuned instruments duel in unison. Oscar nominations are a certainty at this point, yet I have a feeling the film will endure long after the bustle of awards season. Movie lovers will be bowing to this "Master" for years to come.
Edited by Sarah McCabe
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This film image released by The Weinstein Company shows Amy Adams, left, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, center, in a scene from "The Master." The film was presented at the 37th Toronto International Film festival.
MOVIES
ALEX LAMB
"Dredd 3D" a smash despite low expectations
alamb@kansan.com
As evidenced by its weak box office opening, "Dredd 3D" isn't the bloody, sci-fi action B-movie we need right now.
But it's exactly the one we deserve.
Bullets shred through bodies and explode out the other side, gore flies everywhere in pristine 3D, and all is seen through a hyper-saturated filter in jaw-dropping slow motion. The villain decimates an entire housing block and its residents using miniguns in an attempt to kill the hero. People being thrown off a building and falling 200 stories to their deaths has a euphoric, twisted sense of artistry to it.
Visually stunning action sequences like these are "Dredds" main
draw, but it also delivers solid acting, memorable characters, a captivating vision of a dystopian future world and a simple yet compelling story. Hell, there're even a layer of satire and deadpan wit in there, as well as a rocking soundtrack. Not too shabby for a blockbuster most viewers had written off before its release.
Based on one of Britain's longest running comic strips, the titular character (Karl Urban) of "Dredd" is one of Mega-City One's top Judges – a law enforcer with the jurisdiction of judge, jury and executioner in a land overridden with crime.
On this day he's evaluating if the psychic rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) has what it takes to become a Judge, but a routine call to the enormous, gang-controlled residence building Peach Trees quickly traps them in hostile territory with
Urban never takes his Judge mask off, obscuring his face from the nose up for the film's entirety. This allows him to maintain his powerful, badass mystique throughout, delivering all his lines with the same gravelly edge and making the one-liners stick all the more.
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no backup and no way out. As gang leader Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her clan of criminals hunt the two down, Dredd and Anderson have no option but to shoot their way through all of them.
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Thirlby's lack of a mask makes for a refreshing contrast to Dredd, and her mind-reading powers add a unique winkle to all the violence. While she proves a strong, tough heroine over time, Headey's Ma-Ma is delightfully wicked as the opposition, exhibiting a malicious control over her subjects. The grotesque scar across her face does not hurt either.
It's a rare treat when an R-rated, big, dumb and loud action flick executes all its elements with such success. So for any action lover, justice has been served.
FINAL RATING
- Edited by Sarah McCabe