Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson from a story by Gregory Allen Howard, Ali is the story of 10 years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali from his first world title win in 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The film is a look into a moment in time when Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay Jr. and the moments in his life that would make him an icon as he is portrayed by Will Smith. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Toney, and Jon Voight as Howard Cosell. Ali is a majestic and evocative film from Michael Mann.
The film is about a decade in the life of one of the most iconic figures in sports during the 20th Century in Muhammad Ali from his first title win against Sonny Liston in February 25, 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974. During this time, Ali would convert to Islam and change his name from Cassius Clay Jr. to Ali while enduring all sorts of events in that time such as refusing to serve the U.S. army during the Vietnam War, failed marriages, and losing his first fight to Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971. The film is really an exploration of a man trying to adopt this new identity having dropped his birth name which he felt had been given to him and his family by slave masters and take on something new. The film’s script play into these events that include his friendship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and how it ended due to the interference of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (Albert Hall).
His devotion to the Nation of Islam would also alienate his family and play part into the decisions of his career as one of his wives in Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali (Nona Gaye) doesn’t think the Nation of Islam, Elijah’s son Herbert (Barry Shabaka Henley), and Don King (Mykelti T. Williamson) have his best interests. Much of the film’s narrative is straightforward with some subplots involving people that Ali know being followed by a CIA official in Joe Smiley (Ted Levine) as they would believe Ali is a threat to national security as it would also show events behind the scenes such as a meeting between Don King, Herbert Muhammad, and politicians from Europe and Africa wanting to use Ali just as he is considered a messianic figure in Africa.
Michael Mann’s direction is stylish not just for its presentation with its mixture of 35mm film and grainy digital video but also in capturing a period of time when Ali was to ascend into this iconic status that would make him a polarizing figure in the world. Shot on various locations in the U.S. such as New York City, Chicago, and Miami and Mozambique as Zaire and Ghana. Mann displays a somewhat documentary-style much of his direction as it play into this world that Ali would encounter from his visits to Africa as well as struggling with the events in America around him. There are usage of wide shots of the locations as well as the venues where Ali would have his fights while he aims mainly for some intimate usage of close-ups that play into Ali’s emotions as well as aspects of his personal life that is also presented in medium shots. The usage of the grainy digital video for an opening scene of Ali jogging in Los Angeles as well as him looking at a riot as well as a love scene with a future wife in Sonji Roi (Jada Pinkett Smith).
The fight scenes are among the major highlights of the film with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as point-of-view shots of what the fighter is facing inside the ring and the punches he would get from his opponent. It’s an element of realism that isn’t seen often in films relating to boxing as well as Mann’s direction gets very close into the brutality of boxing. Even as it show Ali as someone trying to mock his opponents as well as fight them with an intelligence and showmanship. Mann’s direction also play into the reaction of the people as well as showing lots of attention to detail in the direction of the people in Ali’s corner observing what Ali is doing. It’s Mann playing into a world where men fought to become the best and for a man like Ali to use boxing as a platform for hope and change. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and intoxicating film about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali.
Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does incredible work with the film’s photography as it’s a highlight of the film with its usage of naturalistic and slightly-tinted colors and moods in the lighting as well as the grainy look of the digital video footage as well as the way the camera moves. Editors William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman, Stephen E. Rivkin, and Stuart Waks do excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish editing play into the drama as well as the thrill of the fights. Production designer John Myhre, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Jonathan Lee, Bill Rea, and Tomas Voth, does brilliant work with the sets from the hotel rooms that and homes that Ali lived in to the design of some of the venues and rings that Ali would fight in. Costume designer Marlene Stewart does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes that men wore in those times as well as the stylish dresses and Muslim garb the women would wear.
Special makeup effects artists Greg Cannom and Christopher Allen Nelson do fantastic work with the look of Howard Cosell as well as some of the prosthetics and hair for some of the characters. Special effects supervisors Alan Poole and Max Poolman, with visual effects supervisor Michael J. McAlister, do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing but also in parts that relate to the fights. Sound editors Yann Delpuech, Darren King, and Gregory King do superb work with the sound in how punches are thrown as well as the atmosphere of the audiences during the fights as well as some sounds in some of the locations. The film’s music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard is wonderful for its minimalist and ambient-based score with its usage of polyrhythms and other world beat musical textures while the music soundtrack feature a lot of the music of the times from the Pointer Sisters, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan plus contemporary pieces from Alicia Keys and Moby.
The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles from Victoria Dillard as Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz, Malick Bowens as Zaire’s president Joseph Mobutu, David Elliott as singer Sam Cooke in the film’s opening credits scene, Shari Watson/Truth Hurts as a club singer, Ted Levine as CIA agent Joe Smiley, Leon Robinson as a Nation of Islam official in Brother Joe, David Haynes as Ali’s brother Rudy Clay/Rahman Ali, Robert Sale as boxer Jerry Quarry, Candy Ann Brown as Ali’s mother Odessa Clay, Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston, David Cubitt as journalist Robert Lipsyte, Charles Shufford as George Foreman, LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce McGill as a European political figure, Joe Morton as Ali’s attorney Chauncey Eskridge, Giancarlo Esposito as Ali’s father Cassius Clay Sr., Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad, and Albert Brown as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad,
Other noteworthy small roles from Nona Gaye as Ali’s second wife Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali who is concerned about the people Ali is with, Paul Rodriguez as Ali’s ring physician Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, and Michael Michele as Ali’s future third wife in journalist Veronica Porche whom he would meet in Zaire are wonderful in their brief roles as is Jada Pinkett Smith in a terrific performance as Ali’s first wife Sonji Roi as a woman who many in the Nation of Islam felt was unsuitable for him. James Toney and Mykelti T. Williamson are superb in their respective roles as the fighter Joe Frazier who offers Ali a shot at the title and the infamous promoter Don King who is trying to hype up the event and make a lot of money. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as photographer Howard Bingham who would be Ali’s biographer and personal photographer who would follow Ali as well as be an observer to the events in Ali’s life.
Ron Silver is excellent as Angelo Dundee as Ali’s trainer who is focused on what Ali is doing in the ring as well as ensure that Ali has a good strategy for every fight as he’s like a father figure to Ali. Mario Van Peebles is brilliant as Malcolm X as the famed civil rights leader and Nation of Islam speaker who is a close friend of Ali as he would later go on his own path where he tries to maintain his friendship with Ali. Jamie Foxx is amazing as Drew Bundini Brown as Ali’s longtime assistant/cornerman who would help Ali come up with his famous rhymes as well as be someone that Ali can trust with on personal matters or on business matters despite his own personal issues. Jon Voight is incredible as famed sports reporter Howard Cosell as Voight would get Cosell’s famous voice right on as well as be the man trying to get answers from Ali as well as be a close friend of the boxer. Finally, there’s Will Smith in a phenomenal performance as Muhammad Ali as he channels the man’s bombastic personality in the press conferences as well as the man’s public persona as being cocky but also a man who can talk the talk and walk the walk but also display the humanity in Ali as a man struggling with his identity and the persona he has created for himself.
Ali is a sensational film from Michael Mann that features a career-defining performance from Will Smith as the legendary boxer. Along with its ensemble cast, Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography, rapturous music soundtrack, and its exploration about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic as it focuses on key events of the man’s life as well as the world around him. In the end, Ali is a spectacular film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies - Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the TV series created by Bruce Geller, Mission: Impossible is the story of a spy who being hunted down by his organization after being accused of killing his crew where he has to find the mole in the agency. Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by Robert Towne and David Koepp from a story by Koepp and Steve Zaillian, the film is suspense-thriller in which a spy has to uncover the truth over a failed mission as well as wonder who to trust. Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Henry Czerny, Emilio Estevez, and Vanessa Redgrave. Mission: Impossible is a thrilling and stylish film from Brian de Palma.
The film revolves around a spy who was part of a mission that suddenly goes wrong when he is accused of being a mole after his crew had been killed forcing him to find out who the mole is as it involves a deal with a mysterious arms dealer. It’s a film with a unique premise that is filled with twists and turns by screenwriters David Koepp and Robert Towne as it explores a man who is seeking out the truth as well as wonder who the mole is. The film does have a MacGuffin in this list of spies and their alias where everyone wants it as the spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) decides to steal it as a way to get the mole to come out as well as clear his name with the help of another agent in Claire Phelps (Emmanuelle Beart) whom the IMF doesn’t know is still alive as she takes part to get revenge on the people who killed her husband Jim (Jon Voight) who was also Hunt’s mentor.
Claire was also in the botched mission as a getaway driver as Hunt is suspicious about why she is still alive when everyone else in their team was killed including her husband. At the same time, they deal with this mysterious arms dealer in Max (Vanessa Redgrave) who wants this list for her own advantage in this post-Cold War race to get power. Upon hiring the disavowed hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and the pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) for this mission to retrieve the list, Hunt realizes that there are those he can’t trust including Claire as he is convinced the mole is the IMF leader Kittridge (Henry Czerny) due to this play for power.
Brian de Palma’s direction definitely has a flair for style as it opens with a mission to establish what Hunt and his team does as well as play into a few references of the original TV series. Shot on various locations in Prague, London, and parts of Scotland, the film does play into this world where there is still a sense of unease following the end of the Cold War with some wanting to cash in on whoever will win the next war. The film does show de Palma’s penchant for style in the way he captures so much attention to detail in the key scene to capture a Russian spy from retrieving the list as well as what Hunt and his team are doing and the roles they play. There are also these suspenseful moments where de Palma keeps the intrigue going of who is killing who and who are these people in the background. The usage of close-ups and stylish compositions are key to what de Palma is doing in the suspense that includes a post-mission conversation between Hunt and Kittridge as it is show on low slanted camera angles and in a reverse shot as it play into this air of intrigue. The non-action scenes is where de Palma shines as he uses medium shots to play into the way multiple characters interact as well as a few wide shots to establish the location and its geography.
One key sequence that involves Hunt retrieving the list in a very exclusive and highly secretive room as he’s hanging from a ceiling a key example of de Palma’s approach to suspense as it requires silence as well as not make sure a drop of sweat hits the floor or the alarm will go off. It’s a key sequence late in the second act which play into what is at stake but also what Hunt needs to do to find the mole. The third act is about the unveiling of the mole as well as the mole’s motivations as it play into the aftermath of the Cold War and the ideas of the future. Even as Hunt has to do something to expose the truth for the safety of the world in a grand and thrilling climax set on a train in the English Channel. Overall, de Palma crafts an exhilarating and entertaining film about a spy trying to uncover a mole who killed his team during a botched mission.
Cinematographer Stephen H. Burum does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the look of the cities at night as well as some of the interiors of the rooms and places the characters stay at and the room of the secret computer. Editor Paul Hirsch does brilliant work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, stylish montages, dissolves, and other stylish cuts help play into the suspense and action. Production designer Norman Reynolds, with set decorator Peter Howitt plus art directors Fred Hole and Jonathan McKinstry, does amazing work with the look of the places the characters go to including the secret computer room and the interiors of the train for the film’s climax. Costume designers Penny Rose and Timothy Everest do fantastic work with the costumes as it include a few designer dresses for the mission that would be botched as well as clothes for the characters to wear in disguise.
Makeup designer Lois Burwell, along with special makeup effects artist Rob Bottin, does terrific work with the masks that Hunt would wear in disguise including the look of a senator he would pretend to be for the botched mission. Special effects supervisors David Beavis and Ian Wingrove, along with visual effects supervisors Andrew Eio, John Knoll, and Richard Yuricich, do superb work with the visual effects as it relates to the film’s climax as well as some of the design of the masks that Hunt wears. Sound editor Tom Bellfort does nice work with the sound in creating sound effects for the action as well as the air of silence for the computer room scene to play into the suspense. The film’s music by Danny Elfman is incredible for its orchestral-based score as well as creating variations of the famed TV show theme by Lalo Schifrin that include an electronic-based version by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. of the band U2.
The film’s marvelous cast include some notable small roles from Olegar Fedoro as the Ukranian spy trying to get the list early in the film, Dale Dye as Kittridge’s aide Frank Barnes, Rolf Saxon as the CIA analyst William Donloe who has access to the secret computer room, and Karel Dobry as Max’s assistant Matthias. In the roles of Hunt’s original team, there’s Ingeborga Dapkunaite as surveyor Hannah and Emilio Estevez in an un-credited role as Hunt’s gadgets creator and hacker Jack Harmon as they’re terrific in their roles as is Kristin Scott Thomas in a small yet superb performance as the spy Sarah Davies. Henry Czerny is excellent as Kittridge as the IMF chief who believes that Hunt is the mole as he does whatever he can to catch him while Jean Reno is fantastic as Franz Krieger as a disavowed agent hired by Hunt to help him retrieve the list as he’s also very ambiguous over what he wants to do with the list. Ving Rhames is brilliant as the hacker Luther Stickell who would prove to be one of the few people Hunt can trust as he is also someone who is good at what he does and be humble about it.
Emmanuelle Beart is wonderful as Claire Phelps as Jim’s wife who survived the botch mission as there is a sense of ambiguity to her about her survival as she is also someone that wants revenge while dealing with her feelings for Hunt. Vanessa Redgrave is amazing as Max as this secretive arms dealer that is eager to get the list for her own thirst of power as it’s a charismatic performance from Redgrave. Jon Voight is incredible as Jim Phelps as Hunt’s mentor and Claire’s husband as a top spy who organized the botched mission unaware of what he’s going after as it’s a low-key yet chilling performance from Voight who maintains this sense of ambiguity. Finally, there’s Tom Cruise in a phenomenal performance as Ethan Hunt as a spy who finds himself being accused of being a mole where it’s a performance that has Cruise display charm as well as be full of determination and drive as it is one of his finest performances of his career.
Mission: Impossible is a marvelous film from Brian de Palma that features a top-notch performance from Tom Cruise. Along with its ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, and Danny Elfman’s thrilling score, it’s a blockbuster film that offers a lot of excitement as well as containing some engaging moments of suspense. In the end, Mission: Impossible is a remarkable film from Brian de Palma.
Brian de Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) – (Greetings) – (The Wedding Party) – (Dionysus in ’69) – (Hi, Mom!) – (Get to Know Your Rabbit) – Sisters - (Phantom of the Paradise) – (Obsession) – Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) – Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface - (Body Double) – (Wise Guys) – The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito's Way - Snake Eyes - Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale – The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) – Passion (2012 film) – (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling that is based on her fictional guidebook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the story about a British wizard who arrives in New York City where he tries to find three magical creatures who had escaped from his suitcase as he is aided by a demoted Auror, her Legilimens sister, and non-magical baker in retrieving them as he’s been accused of unleashing a mysterious creature wreaking havoc on the city. The film is a prequel of sorts to the Harry Potter universe as it takes place in 1926 New York City as it follows around a young Newt Scamander who would write the guidebook on magical creatures. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Carmen Ejogo, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, and Colin Farrell. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an extraordinary film from David Yates.
Set in 1926 New York City as the magical community is dealing with anti-wizard sentiment from individuals as well as the threat of Gellert Grindelwald wreaking terror around the world. The film revolves around a young British wizard in Newt Scamander who arrives to the city originally going to Arizona to bring a creature home where he would embark on a series of misadventures in the cities as he would be accused of unleashing a creature that is causing all of the trouble in the city. Among them would involve a non-magical man who would accidentally take Scamander’s luggage causing trouble when three magical creatures are loose forcing Scamander to retrieve them with the non-magical man and two other wizards. J.K. Rowling’s screenplay explore not just the wizarding world in New York City which is very different from Britain but also how they’re having a hard time trying to conceal it to the non-magical community as they’re called No-Majs.
There are multiple characters involved in the story that would play into Scamander’s search as well as him being a major suspect of the terror that is looming around the city. One of the antagonists is an anti-wizard activist in Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton) who wants to expose the wizarding world as she turns to a newspaper publisher in Henry Shaw Sr. (Jon Voight) for help as he’s busy making a senate campaign for his son Henry Jr. (Josh Cowdery). Scamander would come across Barebone early in the film though she is unaware of what he really is as the meeting would set off a chain of events when one of his creatures in a niffler would go inside a bank as he would meet the No-Maj Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) who is trying to get a loan to start a bakery. Accidental events happen where Scamander is taken by the demoted Auror Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) for his actions where they go on a chase to find the three missing creatures with Kowalski and Tina’s younger sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) who is a Legilimens that is very interested in Kowalski.
Also involved in the search for the mysterious creature that is wreaking havoc in the city is a magical securities director in Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) who believes that Barebone’s adopted son Credence (Ezra Miller) might know what it is and where to find it in exchange to free him from the abuse of Barebone. Yet, so much is happening as it play into the search for the mysterious creature wreaking havoc in the city while the three creatures that Newt is trying to find prove to be more fascinating as he has a collection of them inside his luggage which he is studying for the book that he would later create. At the same time, he is trying to learn more about his new surrounding as he is also coping with his own issues which Queenie would learn accidentally as it play into his eccentric and awkward persona when he’s around people as he’s more comfortable with magical creatures and animals.
David Yates’ direction is definitely dazzling in terms of the world that he creates though the film begins with a montage of the chase for Grindelwald as he’s only seen briefly from the back as it sets the tone for much of the film with the wizarding community in New York City struggling to hide this terror from the non-magical community despite the verbal attacks from Barebone. Shot mainly at the Warner Brothers studio lot in Hertfordshire, England with some of it shot in London and St. George’s Hall in Liverpool as 1926 New York City. The film does play into a world that is filled with intrigue but it’s also quite rich in the way the wizarding community presents itself as house-elves are doing jobs and bartend speakeasies, goblins are the leaders of the financial world, trolls are also citizens, and there’s even a government based in New York City known as the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) led by President Seraphina Picquery (Carmen Ejogo).
There are also laws that is established such as that magical and non-magical people can’t socialize while magical creatures are banned which makes Scamander’s mission not just difficult but also the need to prove that he’s not the one causing trouble. There are some wide shots in the film to establish the locations yet Yates would use medium shots and close-ups to focus on the characters as they deal with trying to find the lost creatures as well as go after the mysterious creature wreaking havoc on the city. Yates would mix in elements of suspense and humor throughout the film as it would culminate with this grand third act as it play into the reveal of this mysterious creature as well as Scamander’s suspicions towards Graves who has his motives in wanting to find this creature. Especially in his interest towards the troubled Credence which makes Tina uneasy as Credence played a part in her demotion prompting her and Scamander the need to confront Graves. Overall, Yates creates an enchanting and exhilarating film about a British wizard trying to save New York City from a mysterious creature and retrieve three others from harm with the help of two American wizards and a No-Maj baker.
Cinematographer Philippe Rousselot does amazing work with the film’s beautiful cinematography as it has a sepia-like tone to the way some of the daytime exterior looks in terms of grey skies and sunny look as well as the usage of lights for some of the scenes at night including the interiors inside Scamander’s home-made zoo inside his luggage. Editor Mark Day does excellent work with the editing for its usage of montages for the opening sequence as well as some jump-cuts for some of the action and other stylish cuts to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Stuart Craig, with art directors David Allday and Leslie Tomkins plus set decorator Anna Pinnock and associate set designer James Hambidge, does amazing work with the look of 1926 New York City from the home of MACUSA, the apartment that the Goldstein sisters live in, Newt’s zoo inside his luggage, and the dreary home of Barebone. Costume designer Colleen Atwood does fantastic work with the costumes as it play into the period of the mid-1920s with some dresses for the women as well as the clothes that President Picquery wears.
Hair/makeup designers Fae Hammond and Marilyn MacDonald do nice work with the look of the hairstyles of the women as well as the haircuts that men had and the makeup for a few of the characters in the film. Visual effect supervisors Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, Christian Manz, and David Watkins do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the different creatures that Scamander has collected including his pet plant-like creature in a bowtruckle as well as the look of the city and other magical things. Sound designers Glenn Freemantle and Eilam Hoffman do superb work with the sound from the way some of the creatures sound to the sounds of terror and suspense in some of the darker moments in the film. The film’s music by James Newton Howard is wonderful for its bombastic orchestral score that play into the action and suspense as well as some low-key music for the light-hearted moments while music supervisors Alejandro de la Llosa and Karen Elliott provide a jazz-like soundtrack to some of the original songs played in the film.
The casting by Fiona Weir is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Dan Hedaya as the voice of house-elf elevator operator, Kevin Guthrie as Tina’s supervisor, Ronan Rafferty as Henry Shaw Sr.’s youngest son Langdon who wants to help Barebone expose the wizarding world, Josh Cowdery as the cruel and arrogant Henry Shaw Jr., Jenn Murray as Barebone’s adopted eldest daughter, Faith-Wood Blagrove as Barebone’s youngest adopted daughter in Modesty whom Credence suspects to have magical powers, and Zoe Kravitz in a small role as the picture of Scamander’s former lover Leta Lestrange. Ron Perlman is terrific as the speakeasy owner Gnarlack as a goblin who was an informant of Tina as it is a charming role in this mixture of visual effects and performance-capture. Jon Voight is superb as Henry Shaw Sr. as a newspaper owner who would come across a major incident as he wants to go after the mysterious creature. Carmen Ejogo is fantastic as President Seraphina Picquery as the leader of MACUSA who is trying to ensure the law and make sure the magical world isn’t exposed as well. Samantha Morton is brilliant as Mary Lou Barebone as an anti-wizard activist who wants to expose the wizarding world as well as destroy wizard and witches while being very abusive towards Credence.
Ezra Miller is excellent as Credence as Barebone’s adopted son who is troubled by the beatings he receives from Barebone as he befriends Graves who promises him a chance for freedom in exchange for knowledge of the mysterious creature wreaking havoc. Colin Farrell is amazing as Percival Graves as a magical securities director for MACUSA who is in charge of protecting wizards as he is very powerful while having his own reasons for helping Credence. Alison Sudol is incredible as Queenie Goldstein as Tina’s younger sister who is kind-hearted as well as being an accomplished Legilimens, the ability to read minds, where she knows what to do to help out her sister, Newt, and Jacob whenever they get into trouble.
Dan Fogler is marvelous as Jacob Kowalski as a No-Maj cannery worker who aspires to become a baker that finds himself being exposed to the world of magic via accident as he proves to be a helpful ally for Newt and prove his worth to the world of magic. Katherine Waterston is phenomenal as Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein as a demoted Auror who works in a lowly position at MACUSA as a witch trying to do what is right as it was the reason she got demoted while helping Newt retrieve his creatures to realize that he’s not the one that is at fault for the chaos in the city. Finally, there’s Eddie Redmayne in a remarkable performance as Newt Scamander where Redmayne provides this very odd and eccentric collector of magical creatures who arrives to New York City where he unknowingly causes mayhem as Redmayne has this air of charm into his role but also that awkwardness that allows him to be vulnerable when it comes to people as he prefers the company of magical creatures.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a sensational film from David Yates and writer J.K. Rowling. Featuring a great ensemble cast, top-notch visual effects, amazing art direction, lovely visuals, and a compelling story about a wizard’s arrival into America. It’s a film that explores the world of magic in a different setting that allow audiences to be enchanted into what the magical world in America is like from the mind who brought Harry Potter into the world. In the end, Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them is a spectacular film from David Yates.
Harry Potter Universe Films: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – (Pt. 3) – (Pt. 4) – (Pt. 5)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel by James Dickey, Deliverance is the story of four men who go on a canoe trip up north Georgia where they would encounter some dark events that would turn their trip into a hellish experience. Directed by John Boorman and screenplay by Boorman and Dickey, the film is an exploration into a group of men who venture into the unknown as well as deal with locals who come from a world of lawlessness. Starring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox. Deliverance is a terrifying and chilling film from John Boorman.
The film revolves around four Atlanta businessmen who go on a canoe trip to a river in north Georgia as the river is about to become a lake. Upon their trip down river, the four men would encounter two mountain men as it would be a trip into hell as its aftermath would force the men to figure out what just happened and what to do. The film’s screenplay by James Dickey and un-credited work from John Boorman showcases a world where four men really don’t know much about the wilderness other than the more brash Lewis (Burt Reynolds) who is very experienced as he and friend Ed Gentry (Jon Voight) know about canoeing as they invited friends Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty) and Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox). By canoeing on this river that is about to become a lake where a town is about to be submerged due to the construction of a new dam. The four would go through some rapids and parts of nature which is easy compared to what is really out there when Ed and Bobby would have a chilling encounter with two mountain men.
All of these events would take place in the film’s first half where it’s second half is actually more compelling where the four deal with not just the encounter of the two mountain men but also the consequences. Lewis would be the man to drive everything as he is someone who is aware that they’re in a world where law and order wouldn’t make sense but there’s also a sense of morality over right and wrong that Drew is trying to bring into play. All of which would then lead into a more treacherous journey back home as well as a lot of confusion and terror where it’s third act wouldn’t just about death but also guilt over what happened.
Boorman’s direction is quite gripping though it doesn’t start off that way where the film seems to be quaint and jovial where Drew would encounter an albino boy named Lonnie (Billy Redden) playing banjo where the two would do a rendition of Dueling Banjos. Shot on location at the Chattooga River in north Georgia as well as the Tallulah Gorge southeast of the state plus a few locations in South Carolina and the Appalachian Mountains. The film has this very Southern feel where it is quite grimy and eerie where the characters who live in this area play by different rules. Especially as the two mountain men live in a world that is very different as they would do things to Ed and Bobby that are quite gruesome. It’s aftermath where Lewis gets very involved would make the film much more chilling where Boorman’s direction would be filled with these captivating close-ups and medium shots to display some dramatic tension.
Even as Boorman goes right into the action for the river-rafting scenes where he has his camera to showcase all of the dangerous aspect of the rapids and how things can go awry. There’s also some elements of surrealism which adds to the element of fear during a chilling climax that involves Ed as it plays to his own issues with shooting a bow-and-arrow at a deer which he realizes he couldn’t kill. Things would eventually slow down towards the end as it is all about the major characters contemplating about everything that had happened as well as ambiguities over what really did happen. Overall, Boorman crafts a very mesmerizing yet harrowing film about survival in the wilderness.
Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography that captures the stark beauty of the locations with a bit of grainy camera work and a few effects that adds to the surrealism as Zsigmond‘s work is a major highlight of the film. Editor Tom Priestley does fantastic work with the editing with its approach to jump-cuts and other stylish cuts to play into the film‘s suspense and terror that looms throughout the film. Art director Fred Harpman and set decorator Morris Hoffman do terrific work with the minimal sets such as the ruined garages and shacks early in the film to the church that is being driven through the city.
Sound editor Jim Atkinson does superb work with the sound from the way some of the natural elements of the location sounds to the way it help builds up the sense of terror. The film’s music only consists of sparse, folk-based pieces only played on guitar and banjo as it’s just variations of Dueling Banjos that really adds to the chilling tone of the film.
The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is great as it features some notable small roles from writer James Dickey as a sheriff late in the film and Billy Redden as the albino boy who can play a mean banjo. Herbert “Cowboy” Coward and Bill McKinney are amazing in their roles as the devious mountain men with Coward as the guy with less teeth and McKinney as the more slimy man who has a particular liking for Bobby. Ronny Cox is excellent as Drew as this man who likes to play guitar as he would become the film’s moral conscience as he wants to do what he feels is right over the situation that had happened.
Ned Beatty is superb as Bobby as this fat guy who becomes a victim over his encounters with the mountain men as he tries to deal with what happened to him and how to move on from it. Burt Reynolds is fantastic as Lewis as this experienced outdoorsman who is quite arrogant yet knows how to get things done as he is also a very intense figure that knows how to lead. Finally, there’s Jon Voight in a brilliant performance as Ed as this man who has been outdoors but struggles with his own feelings about killing as he also endures the sense of humiliation and terror in his encounter with the mountain men.
Deliverance is a phenomenal film from John Boorman. Armed with a great cast, gripping visuals, and a terrifying premise. It is a film that isn’t just one of the finest films about the American South at its ugliest but it’s a suspense film that plays into the dark soul of humanity. In the end, Deliverance is an outstanding film from John Boorman.
John Boorman Films: (Catch Us If You Can) - (Point Blank (1967 film)) - (Hell in the Pacific) - (Leo the Last) - (Zardoz) - (Exorcist II: The Heretic) - (Excalibur) - (The Emerald Forest) - (Hope and Glory) - (Where the Heart Is (1990 film)) - (I Dreamt I Woke Up) - (Two Nudes Bathing) - (Beyond Rangoon) - (The General (1998 film)) - (The Tailor of Panama) - (In My Country) - (The Tiger’s Tail) - (Queen and Country)
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, Midnight Cowboy is the story of a Texan hustler who works with a con man in the street of New York City where they deal with its decay and adversity. Directed by John Schlesinger and written by Waldo Salt, the film explores the friendship between two different men as they struggle to survive in the dark world of New York City. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver, Brenda Vaccaro, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Salt, and Barnard Hughes. Midnight Cowboy is a captivating and exhilarating film from John Schlesinger.
The film explores the friendship between two very different men as they struggle to survive the bad part of New York City where they’re ostracized for being different. One of them is a hustler from Texas who arrived to the city on a bus with the hopes to make money by bedding lonely rich women. Instead, Joe Buck (Jon Voight) finds himself dealing with the reality of his situations as he is accused of being gay because of his cowboy outfit as he gets the attention of a crippled con-man in Enrico Salvatore “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) who tries to con Buck yet the two would team up as Rizzo would become Buck’s manager. Yet, they would face lots of adversity as Buck and Rizzo would do whatever to survive and hope to get their hustling business started as well as the desire to move to Florida.
Waldo Salt’s screenplay has a unique structure where its first act is about the hopes and dreams of Buck wanting to go to New York City in his cowboy get-up. Along with a suitcase full of cowboy clothes and such, he’s also carrying emotional baggage from his past as he is haunted by some of these moments. It would serve as motivation for his need to succeed in New York City where he knows that he has an agile body and the ability to pleasure women. Unfortunately, Buck’s idea of being this aw-shucks cowboy who is quite gentlemanly towards women has become passe where he only attracts the attention of gay men. Through meeting Rizzo, Buck would be able to survive the city a little big longer as Rizzo is a con-man with a lot of street smarts. Though he often walks with a limp and looks very dirty but he sees some potential in Buck despite the cowboy get-up.
Salt’s script would also include some dialogue that would play into the drama as well as this unlikely friendship between Buck and Rizzo where the latter tells the former that the cowboy get-up is worn out and that anyone who wears that crap is gay. Buck would be baffled as he couldn’t believe that idea since John Wayne is a cowboy and straighter than anyone. It is part of Buck’s naivete about the ways of the world he’s in yet he and Rizzo do have dreams of living the good life in Florida. Yet, their adversities are often due to Buck’s naiveté as well as some misunderstanding and such where its third act would have the two at a party which would play into some major after-effects. Especially as Rizzo is already ill as he constantly coughs that would later worry Buck.
John Schlesinger’s direction is quite stylish in the way he presents some of the film’s dizzying flashbacks as well as some of the misadventures Buck would have in New York City. Much of it is told in this frenetic style of sorts where there’s a lot of hand-held cameras and strange sequences as it plays to a world where Buck has no clue into what he’s in as if he is an alien. Though things start off in a more light-hearted fashion where Schlesinger shoots Buck in an optimistic fashion where he is on a bus traveling from Texas to New York. There’s an intimacy to some of these compositions as well as how Schlesinger would frame Buck and Rizzo in their decayed apartment that sort of acts as an extension of Rizzo’s personality and declining health.
The direction would also include these very engaging scenes where New York City is a character in the film as it plays into this world of dreams and nightmare just as the city is starting to change in many ways. Much of which would baffle Buck who later learns how to tough it out where he and Rizzo would deal with cab drivers and all sorts of low-life people in the city. The flashback scenes would play into the world that Buck wanted to escape but also a world that he feels like he no longer belongs him where he and Rizzo are still searching for a place that can really feel like home for them. Especially as the film’s climax would have Buck become the engine to drive them to Florida in the hope for a fresh start. Overall, Schlesinger crafts a very compelling yet eerie film about two men surviving the streets of New York City.
Cinematographer Adam Holender does excellent work with the film‘s different photography styles with its vibrant use of colors in some of the exterior and interior settings along with some black-and-white stuff for a few flashbacks and dizzying sequences as well some grainy camera shots for a party scene. Editor Hugh A. Robertson does amazing work with the film‘s stylish editing with its use of jump-cuts and dissolves to create some montages that are quite dizzying and hypnotic to play into the strangeness that Buck would encounter. Production designer John Robert Lloyd and set decorator Philip Smith do terrific work with the look of the apartment Rizzo and Buck would stay at as well as the party they go to.
Costume designer Ann Roth does fantastic work with the costumes from the shirts and hat that Buck wears to the more ragged look of Rizzo. Sound editors Vincent Connelly and Jack Fitzstephens do brilliant work with the sound editing in the sound montages they create for the flashbacks as well as the scenes where Buck would be baffled by his surroundings. The film’s wonderful music soundtrack features a few score pieces by John Barry that plays into the sense of fantasy and plight that Buck and Rizzo would face well as the Fred Neil song Everybody‘s Talkin‘ that is sung by Harry Nilsson as other contributions from Nilsson, Randy Newman, and Warren Zevon to play into the crazy world of 1960s New York City.
The casting by Marion Dougherty is absolutely incredible as the film would feature some early appearances from M. Emmet Walsh as a VF passenger on the bus to New York, Bob Balaban as a student Buck would meet at a movie theater, Warhol superstar Viva as a party host, Jennifer Salt as an old girlfriend of Buck from the film’s flashbacks, Ruth White as Buck’s grandmother in the flashbacks, Gary Owens and T. Tom Marlow as different versions of the young Buck, Barnard Hughes as a troubled townie Buck meets late in the film, and John McGiver as a mysterious man Rizzo would use to con Buck. Brenda Vaccaro is wonderful as a young socialite Buck and Rizzo meets at a party that would be a major deal breaker for Buck in his desires to be a hustler. Sylvia Miles is fantastic as an aging socialite Buck meets early in the film who would prove to be a lot of trouble.
Finally, there’s the performances of Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight as both of them give absolutely outstanding performances in their respective roles as Enrico Rizzo and Joe Buck. Hoffman has this air of griminess to his character that makes him quite confrontational as well as be a bit of a slime ball but there is a lot of grit into his role as he is just trying to guide Buck into surviving New York City while hiding his own ailments. Voight brings a sense of charisma to his performance as this naïve Texan who wants to hustle but finds himself in a world that he doesn’t know. Hoffman and Voight have great camaraderie in the way they display their friendship as well as their differences which adds to the film’s brilliance.
Midnight Cowboy is a tremendous film from John Schlesinger that features riveting performances from Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. The film is definitely a very provocative yet mesmerizing film that explores two different men trying to survive the harshness of New York City in its most chaotic. Especially as it’s also a film about loneliness and a world where two men feel out of step with that world. In the end, Midnight Cowboy is a phenomenal film from John Schlesinger.
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Tom Donahue, Casting By is the story about legendary casting director Marion Dougherty and her impact into how she shaped the film industry with her casting ideas from the 1960s to the 1980s. Notably as she would help set a wave of many casting directors to come as filmmakers and actors talk about the importance of Dougherty’s contribution to the film industry as well as why there’s a need for an Oscar category for best casting. The result is a fascinating documentary from Tom Donahue.
The documentary is about the unsung heroes in film which are the casting directors where their impact happened during the late 1950s and early 1960s when the old Hollywood system began to die out and actors who were in contract with the studios were becoming obsolete. One of the individuals who would make some great discoveries for the films that were to come in the 1960s through the 1980s was Marion Dougherty who worked in New York City as she discovered Jon Voight, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, and many others. Her discovery of those actors would be crucial as she would later find a Hollywood counterpart in Lyn Stalmaster who would also make discoveries like John Travolta and Jeff Bridges as the former was originally supposed to be in Hal Ashby’s 1973 film The Last Detail but then Randy Quaid came in and got the part.
Dougherty’s brilliance in casting led to a great collaboration with George Roy Hill that not only got her to cast people like Robert Redford, Glenn Close, and John Lithgow but also help various individuals who would also be key players in the casting process. Among these individuals who would be Dougherty’s associates like Wally Nicita and Juliet Taylor as they would bring key importance to many films as Taylor would become one of Woody Allen’s most important collaborators. When Dougherty moved to Hollywood in the mid-70s to be the head of casting at Paramount for a few years until joining Warner Brothers. Her decision to cast Danny Glover as Murtaugh in the first Lethal Weapon film was a surprise as Richard Donner owes a great debt of gratitude towards her.
Tom Donahue’s direction showcases the importance of casting director and why Dougherty’s influence should be noted as the Academy Awards still refuse to put a casting category in the list. While there were several actors and filmmakers who tried to plea to the Academy to give Dougherty a special Oscar, they refused. Even as filmmaker Taylor Hackford explains his side about why casting directors shouldn’t have director in their title while filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood disagree with Hackford’s views as they also give credit to their casting directors.
Through the cinematography of Peter Bolte and Jill Schweitzer’s editing, the interviews are presented quite simply with Dougherty being the big star as she shows pictures and such including a scene where she watches Slaughterhouse Five which was the first film where she got a big credit for her work. With the sound editing of Steve Bucino and Leigh Roberts’ low-key yet playful score, the film shows the evolution of casting and how it kind of lost importance by the late 90s as studios were starting to be run by corporations who are more concerned with faces and money rather than who is right for a part.
Casting By is a marvelous documentary from Tom Donahue about the world of casting directors and the influence that the late Marion Dougherty had provided. It’s a film that showcases not just their importance to the world of films but also the discoveries they made and the actors who are grateful towards them as well as the filmmakers. In the end, Casting By is a wonderful documentary from Tom Donahue.
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the novel by George Davis, Coming Home is the story about a the wife of a Marine captain who falls for a paralyzed soldier while her husband away fighting at the Vietnam War. Directed by Hal Ashby and screenplay by Robert C. Jones and Waldo Salt, with additional work by Rudy Wurlitzer, from a screen story by Nancy Dowd, the film explores the world of life at home as a woman deals with the Vietnam War as she meets a paraplegic soldier who is still scarred by the events of the war itself. Starring Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford, and Robert Carradine. Coming Home is a powerful yet captivating drama from Hal Ashby.
Sally Hyde (Jane Fonda) is the wife of Marine Captain Bob Hyde (Bruce Dern) as he is set to leave for service in Vietnam which he believes will help things despite some of the events that happened including the Tet Offensive. After Bob’s departure, Sally deals with her loneliness as she befriends the bohemian Vi Hudson (Penelope Milford) who helps her get an apartment off the base and near the beach. Sally decides to volunteer at a nearby military hospital where she meets various soldiers who have been injured or paralyzed by the war including a man named Luke Martin (Jon Voight) who had been an old classmate of hers years ago. Luke has become paraplegic as he’s angry over what happened to him as Sally tries to figure out what to do with him.
The two become friends where they slowly open up to each other just as the events of 1968 were happening. With Luke finally in a wheelchair and starting to leave the hospital to be on his own, their friendship blossoms as Luke also tries to help out Vi’s troubled younger brother Billy (Robert Carradine) who is suffering from the traumas of the war. Sally’s life starts to change as she gets a letter from Bob to visit her in Hong Kong for a week as she arrives to find Bob becoming detached. Upon returning home, Sally learns some devastating news that has Luke chaining himself to a Marines recruiting building in order to not have young men being sent to war. Sally bails him out as the two begin to fall in love though the two try to figure out how to tell Bob about their relationship once he returns home. Bob eventually returns home with a wounded leg as he starts to become more unhinged as he learn about Sally’s affair with Luke.
Films about the Vietnam War is often about the horror that happens in combat as well as a lot of the political issues that occur. With this film, it is about war from the perspective of three different people as it’s set outside of the battlefield in 1968 where a lot is happening. Yet, it’s more about a woman dealing with her husband going out in war while meeting a paraplegic soldier who had been to war. She starts out as an officer’s wife that has only known that kind of life. When she’s alone, she figures out what to do as she only knows that military life and the only way to be close to that world is to volunteer at a military hospital. Once she volunteers and meets this paraplegic man, her outlook in life changes as does her lifestyle.
The screenplay by Robert C. Jones and Waldo Salt definitely does a lot of work into exploring the dynamics of its three central protagonists without trying to involve any kind of political rhetoric about the Vietnam War. Instead, it is about these three people caught up in the chaos of war as they deal with war and its aftermath. For Sally, she starts to learn a lot of what Luke went through in the war as well as other veterans as she eventually asks for other officer wives to help out but they’re more concerned about doing other things. She eventually does things herself with help from Vi as she becomes someone the veterans at the hospital love to have around including Luke.
Luke starts out as this very disillusioned man who felt angry over what happened to him as he isn’t treated well at the hospital and upset at what is happening in the war. Once he meets Sally and the two get reacquainted after not seeing each other for years, Luke becomes a much friendlier person as he starts to rebuild his own life and find meaning again. The two eventually have a romance where Sally would experience things she didn’t have with her husband yet becomes conflicted about her loyalty to Bob. Luke understands this as he doesn’t want to cause anymore trouble yet they would be unveiled by something outside of them. Bob is a man that starts out as someone with a sense of idealism about his role as an officer but he starts to slowly unravel due to his experience of the war and comes home a wounded man not just in a literal sense but also emotional.
What Luke and Sally do to Bob isn’t the worst thing as they both wanted to be honest but it is what has already happened to Bob that just adds to what he is going through. Whereas Luke had started off as a man paralyzed by war and ends up regaining the will to live as he doesn’t let his paralysis affect him. Bob becomes a man that is paralyzed where he doesn’t know what or who to believe as he ends up being lost. For Sally, she is caught in the middle as she is in love with Luke but also loves Bob as she doesn’t want to cause more trouble though she is not the same woman that she was in the beginning of the film.
Hal Ashby’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores the after effects of war and how people try to change themselves in the wake of these events. Particularly as he opens the film with men playing pool as they talk about the war where it is established that this won’t be a typical film about war but rather the aftermath as everyone in that room is outspoken. Then it cuts to an opening credits scene where it shows Bob running around a military base to establish who this man is. Ashby’s direction is filled with a lot of imagery that revolves around war that is prevalent on the televisions and radio that also tells a world that is coming undone. Yet, he is more interested in the human drama that occurs where Ashby uses the camera to capture the chaos of the hospital that slowly becomes more peaceful.
The direction becomes more playful and much more open as it’s shot largely nearby San Diego and some bits in Hong Kong where it shows a lot of contrast to the world that Sally encounters with the two different men in her life. In Hong Kong, things are tense and chaotic where it’s also very crowded. In California, things are much freer as Ashby’s direction does contain an element of intense drama but also looseness in the scenes between Sally and Luke. Ashby also creates some compositions and moments where it is about the drama as it the film intensifies to some huge climaxes. Particularly when it involves the three protagonists as it’s followed by an ending that reveals how far these three individuals have gone to in the beginning. The ending does have a message but it’s not a heavy-handed one as Ashby tells it with a lot of simplicity and that is it. Overall, Ashby creates a truly mesmerizing and heartfelt drama about the after effects of war.
Cinematographer Haskell Wexler does brilliant work with the film‘s photography from the colorful yet lush look of the daytime exteriors to the more stylish approach to lighting for some of the interiors including the clubs that Sally go to. Editor Don Zimmerman does amazing work with the editing to play out the drama as well as some parallel montages to contrast the lives of the characters. Production designer Michael D. Haller and set decorator George Gaines do wonderful work with the sets from the look of Sally‘s home to the more chaotic look of the military hospital.
Costume designer Ann Roth does nice work with the costumes to play up the period from the more ragged look of Luke to the stylish clothes that Sally and Vi wear. Makeup artist Bernadine M. Anderson and hair stylist Lola “Skip” McNalley do terrific work for the look of Sally from her hairdo and makeup to showcase her transformation. Sound editor Frank E. Warner does superb work with the sound from the atmosphere of the clubs to the more quieter moments in the scenes between Luke and Sally. The film’s soundtrack is truly a delight to hear as it features effective use of music from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, Simon & Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, Tim Buckley, Bob Dylan, the Chambers Brothers, Steppenwolf, Richie Havens, Big Brother Holding Company with Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is definitely a major highlight of the film as it features some notable small roles from Robert Ginty as Vi’s sometimes lover Sgt. Mobley and Robert Carradine as Vi’s troubled Vietnam veteran brother Billy. Penelope Milford is great as Vi who helps Sally deal with her loneliness while dealing with her own issues as she becomes a friend for Sally and Luke. Bruce Dern is brilliant as Captain Bob Hyde who is a man that has this idea of war is only to face the realities of what he’s facing as he becomes undone by these realities as he finds himself out of sorts with the world including his wife.
Finally, there’s the duo of Jane Fonda and Jon Voight as the two give very incredible performances in their respective roles as Sally and Luke. Voight displays a complexity to his character as a man wracked with the horror of war and feeling mistreated as he later finds a reason to live where he starts to take control of his own life and finally give his own perspective on war in a great finale. Fonda is radiant as this woman lost in her role as an officer’s wife as she tries to find a way to fill her time only to go through changes by what she encounters and deal with the harsh reality of war. Fonda and Voight have amazing chemistry together in the way they deal with each as well as the fact that neither character wants to cause more pain to Bob in the film’s third act.
Coming Home is an extraordinary film from Hal Ashby that features outstanding performances from Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, and Bruce Dern. The film is definitely one of the best films about the Vietnam War in terms of the troubling aftermath soldiers faces as well as what wives deal with as they’re at home wondering what will happen to their husbands. It’s also an engrossing drama that explores the world of loneliness as well as trying to find an identity in the wake of loneliness. In the end, Coming Home is a remarkable film from Hal Ashby.
Hal Ashby Films: The Landlord - Harold and Maude - The Last Detail - Shampoo - Bound for Glory - Being There - Second-Hand Hearts - (Lookin’ to Get Out) - (Let’s Spend the Night Together) - (Solo Trans) - (The Slugger’s Wife) - 8 Million Ways to Die
© thevoid99 2012
