Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga from a story by Inarittu and Arriaga, Babel is a hyperlink story set in three different parts of the world as a couple trying to save their marriage in Morocco while their children are being taken to Mexico by their maid so she can attend her son’s wedding as a third story revolves around a young deaf woman in Japan. An exploration into cultural differences, isolation, and death in what is the third part of Inarritu’s trilogy of death, the film is a multi-layered tale with different strands of narrative as these characters are all connected by circumstances in their environment. Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, Adriana Barraza, Emilio Echevarria, Clifton Collins Jr., Elle Fanning, Nathan Gamble, and Rinko Kikuchi. Babel is a tremendously harrowing yet evocative film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Set in three different places in the part of the world as it relates to the concept of the Tower of Babel where everyone started to speak in different languages where no one could understand each other. The film is about a trio of different stories set in three different places around the world. All of which are connected in a crisscross narrative style as an American couple are in Morocco trying to save their marriage where a major event shakes the couple that involved a couple of young boys are trying to kill jackals where they unknowingly cause something. In Mexico, the American couple’s children are back in San Diego as their maid is eager to go to her son’s wedding only to not find anyone prompting her to take the children to Mexico with her nephew as the trip back would be a treacherous one. The third and final story explored a young deaf woman in Japan who is dealing with the loss of her mother as well as growing awareness of her sexuality.
The film’s screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga definitely takes the concept of the Tower of Babel where it explores the idea of misunderstanding and miscommunication in a post 9/11 world where everyone is almost walking on eggshells. The story about the American couple in Richard and Susan Jones (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, respectively) showcase a couple still dealing with the death of their infant son as they’re on a trip to Morocco with tourists as another story emerges about a couple of young boys in Ahmed (Said Tarchani) and Yussef (Boubker Ait El Chaid) who had just gotten a rifle that their father got for a trade where things went wrong. The story would get dramatic as the collision of this story in Morocco would have involve diplomacy issues where the boys get into trouble. It’s a story that plays into a sense of grief but also in a world where tension between Americans and North Africa is very fragile all because of a simple accident.
The second story set in Mexico that concerns the Jones children and their maid Amelia (Adriana Barazzo) as the script would have the children receive a call from their father just as he is dealing with something that is happening in Morocco as two versions of this conversation are presented but in different moments in the narrative. Amelia’s decision to take Debbie (Elle Fanning) and Mike (Nathan Gamble) to Mexico is a foolish one but it’s much more complicated as it involves her nephew Santiago who would get into trouble on their way back from Mexico. It is in that moment where it plays into the sense of mistrust and misunderstanding as Amelia isn’t a legal resident which adds to the stakes of the drama. The third story in Japan doesn’t seem like it would connect anything with the other two though both stories do appear in the background but it does play into the themes that Arriaga is exploring. It involves Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) as she is troubled by her mother’s passing as well as the lack of attention she gets from her father which has her wanting to explore sexually. Even as two detectives come in asking for her father which plays into the events of the two stories.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s direction is definitely intense in terms of not just the situations that occur but also in the drastic stakes that play into much of the film’s drama. The usage of non-linear and crisscross narrative definitely gives a certain edge to Inarritu’s approach to the filmmaking as he aims for a varied degree of different cinematic styles for each location. Some of which involve hand-held cameras for scenes set in Morocco and Mexico while going for something more straightforward in scenes set in Japan. Yet, Inarritu manages to make each story have a different feel in its varied filmmaking style as he would maintain intimate moments between various characters through some close-ups and medium shots. Even as it plays to some of the realism and dramatic stakes of the film.
The direction also play into the ideas of young people coming-of-age sexually such as Yussef who is curious about a girl who lives in one of his homes as well as Chieko who would reveal her exposed crotch to schoolboys as she isn’t wearing underwear. It plays into a sense of growth for these two people who emerge into adulthood yet face real problems that prove to be just as challenging since they’re still children in some respects. Especially as the dramatic stakes become more intense such as Amelia trying to get Debbie and Mike back to the U.S. through the desert as well as Richard and Susan coping with their own encounter with death as things get intense as well as gripping from a visual sense. Particularly in the third act where all of these different stories do come together to see how all of these people are connected in ways that are unexpected. Overall, Inarritu creates a very somber yet exhilarating film about human disconnection and miscommunication in a world that is often very complicated.
Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto does brilliant work with the film‘s very stylized cinematography with its usage of dark shades to surround some of the images as well as its approach to grainy stock footage as there‘s a mixture of beauty and ugliness in the camera work as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrone do amazing work with the editing to create some unique transitions to move from one story to another with elements of jump-cuts and other offbeat rhythmic cuts to play into the action and drama. Production designer Brigitte Broch does excellent work with the set pieces from the houses in San Diego and Mexico to the posh apartment that Chieko lives with her father in Tokyo.
Costume designers Gabriela Diaque, Miwako Kobayashi, and Michael Wilkinson do terrific work with the costumes from the red dress that Amelia wears to the wedding as well as the schoolgirl uniform and stylish clothes that Chieko would wear. Sound designer Martin Hernandez does fantastic work with the sound to convey the layers of sounds in the film‘s different locations including a club scene in Tokyo in how sound is heard and not heard plus some textures that really play into the drama of the film. The film’s music by Gustavo Santaolalla is incredible for its very haunting music that is a mixture of chilling ambient pieces with some stark and plaintive folk-based cuts to play into the drama while music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein brings in a diverse soundtrack filled with traditional Mexican/hip-hop music, J-pop, and Middle Eastern music.
The casting by Gigi Akoka and Francine Maisler is great for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Clifton Collins Jr. and Michael Pena as a couple of border patrol officers that Amelia would encounter in different scenes, Abdelkader Bara as a man who owned the rifle as he traded it to Abdullah, Mustapha Rachidi as Yussef and Ahmed’s father Abdullah, Peter Wight as a British tourist, Damian Garcia as Amelia’s son Lucio, Cynthia Montano as Lucio’s bride Patricia, Koji Yakusho as Chieko’s father, Yuko Murata as Chieko’s fellow deaf friend, Shigemitsu Ogi as a dentist Chieko tries to seduce, Nobushige Suematsu as a classmate of Chieko, Kazunori Tozawa as a detective who arrives at Chieko’s apartment, and Satoshi Nikaido as the younger detective whom Chieko tries to connect with. Other noteworthy small roles include Emilio Echevarria in a terrific role as an old flame of Amelia as well as Mohammed Akhzam as the Moroccan tour guide Anwar whom Richard would befriend.
Elle Fanning and Nathan Gamble are excellent in their respective roles ad Debbie and Mike as two kids who find themselves in danger as it relates to a decision Amelia made. Gael Garcia Bernal is fantastic as Amelia’s nephew Santiago who would drive Amelia and the kids to Mexico and back only an act of poor judgment would cause some trouble. Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Chaid are superb in their respective roles as Ahmed and Yussef as two boys whose game of target practice would have serious consequences as they try to figure out what to do. Adriana Barazza is brilliant as Amelia as a Mexican maid/nanny for Debbie and Mike who is trying to watch the children as she reluctantly takes them to Mexico so she can attend her son’s wedding as she endures horrific circumstances when she tries to get the children back home.
Rinko Kikuchi is amazing as Chieko as a young deaf woman still grieving over the loss of her mother as she tries to act out sexually and emotionally in the hope to connect with someone. Finally, there’s Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Susan and Richard Jones where Blanchett brings a reserved approach to her performance as a woman grieving over loss and the state of her marriage while Pitt plays a man trying to find ways to save his marriage while dealing with cultural differences due to the situation he is facing.
Babel is a phenomenal film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Armed with an incredible cast as well as a intricate and captivating screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga. The film is definitely a very powerful film that showcases the world as a whole and how many in different parts of the world deal with similar situations into isolation, death, and miscommunication. In the end, Babel is a tremendously visceral and thrilling film from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films: Amores Perros - The Hire-Powder Keg - 11'9'01-September 11-Mexico - 21 Grams - To Each His Own Cinema-Anna - Biutiful - Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - The Revenant - The Auteurs #45: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Guillermo del Toro and screenplay by del Toro and Travis Beacham from a story by Beacham, Pacific Rim is the story about a small band of humans trying to save the world from gigantic monsters known as Kaijus who are destroying Earth in 2020 as they emerged from a portal in the sea. The film is a tribute of sorts to the Japanese monster movies like Godzilla that is mixed in with a human story as a man tries to find redemption with a young rookie in operating a robot that can defeat the monsters. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Clifton Collins Jr., and Ron Perlman. Pacific Rim is a spectacular yet exhilarating film from Guillermo del Toro.
The film is an apocalyptic tale of sorts where humanity band together to fight these monsters called Kaijus who wreak havoc on humanity as they emerge from a portal in the pacific ocean. With the help of giant robots named Jaegers that are manned by two pilots, they’re able to battle the Kaijus but the monsters have gotten stronger and more dangerous as the world is about to go to an end where a retired pilot named Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) reluctantly returns to the fold to fight the monsters with a rookie named Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). It’s a premise that is kind of simple in terms of what is expected in a monster movie where man-piloted giant robots have to battle these massive monsters to save the world. Yet, there’s a lot more that Guillermo del Toro and co-screenwriter Travis Beacham offer.
The film begins with Becket’s early successes as well as how the Kaijus arrived into the world and the war that forced many countries to come together and battle these monsters. It’s all told in a 20-minute sequence to establish key elements into the Kaijus as well as why Becket left the Jaeger program due to tragedy. Yet, it plays into Becket’s reluctance into returning to the program as well as the fact that his new partner Mako is someone who also had encountered tragedy due to Kaijus. Since the Jaegers had to be piloted by two people due to its size and need to be monitored mentally as it would be overwhelming for one person. It does play into the drama as well as the tragedies that Becket and Mako shared as well as Mako’s connection with Becket’s former superior Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba).
There’s also elements of comedy where it plays into two scientists in Dr. Newton Geizler and Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) who are trying to understand the mind of the Kaiju where the former is a bit of a nutcase who considers himself to be a Kaiju-groupie. Yet, their story would play into not just the development of the monsters but more into their intentions as they would evolve into something far more treacherous leaving the small numbers of Jaeger pilots to be overwhelmed. Particularly as the pilots of those Jaegers have some dissent towards Becket for being responsible for the fall of the Jaeger program as well as Mori for being inexperienced. It allows Becket and Mori to connect in many ways as it would help them get ready for battle if anything is going to happen. While it has a storyline that is formulaic, del Toro and Beacham do create enough weight to the story and the characters to make sure that these are people to root for.
The direction of del Toro is quite vast in not just the scope that he presents but also in creating a world that’s in a state of war with monsters as it’s heading into its final days with very little options left. The direction has del Toro not just employing a lot of massive set pieces and battles between robots and monsters but add that human element where two people have to work together or else they will die in the hands of a monster that continues to evolve. The stakes add to the sense of drama where del Toro knows when to focus on the pilots but also balance it with the way they control the robots to fight these monsters. Films in that genre usually tend to overwhelm the audience with a lot of fast-cutting and such to present something chaotic where it’s almost nonsensical. What del Toro does in the action isn’t just slow things down a bit where he gives the audience exactly what is happening but also remind them that there’s a human story involved.
The direction also has some intimacy in the way the relationships between some of the characters are played out as it includes some comedy where it keeps the story lively without the need of too much exposition. Some of these moments include Dr. Geizler’s encounter with a black markets dealer named Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) who carries lots of Kaiju body parts that is full of humor as it provides some insight into what Dr. Geizler wants to do but also its dangers. Its climatic battle definitely lives up to not just the spectacle that is needed but also in how big the stakes are where characters have to make decisions in not just trying to save the world but also to stop the Kaijus from creating more havoc in the world just as they’re getting bigger and badder. Overall, del Toro creates a very sensational yet entertaining film that does a lot more than what is expected in a typical summer action-blockbuster.
Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the stylish look of the scenes set in Hong Kong to the looks of the scenes set in the sea and at the station where the Jaeger pilots and crew live and work at. Editors Peter Amundson and John Gilroy do amazing work with the editing in creating some stylish yet rhythmic cuts for the film‘s action scenes without delving into the more common fast-paced chaotic editing style by slowing things down a bit while being more straightforward for the dramatic moments of the film. Production designers Andrew Neskorommy and Carol Spier, with supervising art directors Elinor Rose Galbraith and Richard L. Johnson and set decorator Peter P. Nicolakakos, do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the base where the Jaeger crew live at to the look of Hong Kong and Chau’s home.
Costume designers James Hagarty and Kate Hawley do excellent work with the costumes with Hagarty creating the Jaeger pilot suits while he and Hawley create more casual look for some of the characters with the exception of Chau. Visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Eddie Pasquarello, James E. Price, and Zachary Tucker do phenomenal work with many of the visual effects where it has a sense of realism in its look but also play to a world that is ravaged in chaos. Sound designers Scott Martin Gershin and Tim Walston do superb work with the sound to create layers of sound effects in the way the sounds of the robots and monsters as well as some of the locations they‘re in during the battles. The film’s music by Ramin Djawadi is wonderful for its sense of orchestral bombast mixed in with some low-key somber pieces while some of the heavier stuff includes contributions from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
The casting by Margery Simkin is remarkable for the ensemble that is created as it features some small but notable appearances from Paul Michael Myers as the young Becket, Mana Ashida as the young Mori, Charles, Lance, and Mark Luu as a trio of Chinese Jaeger pilots, Robert Maillet and Heather Doerksen as two Russian Jaeger pilots, and Diego Klattenhofff as Becket’s brother who was also his co-pilot. Mark Martini and Robert Kazinsky are terrific in their respective roles as the father-son Jaeger pilot duo Herc and Chuck Hansen while Clifton Collins Jr. is excellent as the Jaeger technician Tendo Choi who is the brains of sorts behind the machines. Burn Gorman is very good as the very mathematics-based scientist Dr. Herman Gottlieb while Charlie Day is very funny as the more out there scientist Dr. Newton Geizler who finds a way to see what the Kaijus are going to do.
Ron Perlman is fantastic as the black markets dealer Hannibal Chau as Perlman brings a lot of chew-scenery and humor to the film as he is also someone that knows a lot about the Kaijus. Idris Elba is great as Stacker Pentecost as Elba brings a lot of gravitas as a man who is a true leader but also carries a past that haunts where Elba also gets the chance to have a speech before the final battle that is a truly unforgettable moment. Rinko Kikuchi is amazing as Mako Mori as a young woman who is definitely a skilled warrior and knows a lot about what to do in battle but is hampered by her own memories as she knows what she has to do to step up and fight. Finally, there’s Charlie Hunnam in an incredible performance as Raleigh Becket as a former Jaeger pilot who returns to the fold as he tries to deal with his own demons while helping Mako get ready as Hunnam has this sense of humility and guilt that he carries while having good rapport with Kikuchi.
Pacific Rim is an extraordinary yet exciting film from Guillermo del Toro. Thanks to a brilliant ensemble cast and amazing technical work, the film is definitely more than just a cut above most big blockbuster action films. It’s a film that pays tribute to the monster movies of the past while giving it a new spin for the 21st Century. It’s also a film that has enough drama and humor for audiences to be engaged to as well as action that can thrill them. In the end, Pacific Rim is a phenomenal film from Guillermo del Toro.
Guillermo del Toro Films: Cronos - Mimic/Mimic (Director's Cut) - The Devil's Backbone - Blade II - Hellboy - Pan's Labyrinth - Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Crimson Peak - The Shape of Water - Nightmare Alley (2021 film) - Pinocchio (2022 film) - The Auteurs #10: Guillermo del Toro
© thevoid99 2013
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/20/09 w/ Additional Edits.
Written and directed by Rian Johnson, The Brothers Bloom tells the story of two brothers reuniting for one last con game on a heiress to steal some money. Instead, one of the brothers fall for the heiress who takes part in the con with help from a Japanese explosion artist. A traditional con film of sorts, The Brothers Bloom is more about characters than the actual con as Johnson also chooses to play tricks on everyone including the audience. Starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltrane, Maximilian Schell, and narration by Ricky Jay. The Brothers Bloom is a witty, character-driven con film from Rian Johnson and company.
Ever since they were orphans going from house to house, the Bloom brothers in 13-year old Stephen (Max Records) and 10-year old Bloom (Zachary Gordon) were just kids who didn't fit in until Stephen found a way to make a scheme out of the wonderment and innocence of other kids. Therefore, a con was executed as it would be the first of many for the Bloom brothers. 20 years later in Berlin, another successful con was executed as Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), Bloom (Adrien Brody), and their Japanese explosion technician Bang-Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). A party was thrown in the honor of the brothers where a young woman named Rose (Nora Zehetner) tried to flirt with Bloom but Bloom believes it's another con as he could no longer distinguish with what's real and what's a con.
Leaving the con business for good, Bloom disappears to Montenegro where three-months later, he's found by Stephen. Stephen asks him for one last con in New Jersey which involves a rich, eccentric heiress named Penelope (Rachel Weisz). Bloom takes a liking to her as he reluctantly joins the con with Stephen and Bang-Bang. Yet, after a plan to be hit by her car on his bike that went well. It also doesn't go well after Penelope crashes her car near a cliff where she survived. Bloom masquerades as an antique dealer where he befriends Penelope who likes to collect hobbies and do weird things. Bloom reveals that his brother are going to Prague to retrieve an old book as he asks if she would want to go. Bloom isn't sure if she would go but she does in style as she befriends the quiet Bang-Bang while she also meets a mysterious antiques curator (Robbie Coltrane).
While the curator claims that the Bloom brothers are smugglers, Penelope gets excited as they land in Greece on their way to Prague. With an elaborate plan to steal the book, the presence of their old mentor Diamond Dog (Maximilian Schell) troubles the Bloom brothers because of an incident where Stephen wounded Dog's left eye. After a con where the curator ends up getting a huge sum of money from Penelope, the Bloom brothers seemed to have succeed but Penelope wants to go for the book. The brothers and Bang-Bang don't believe she could do it but through some improvisation and sweet talk, Penelope succeeds. Bloom and Penelope start to fall for each other as they go to Mexico for their final destination of the con as Bloom becomes unsure if he wants to con Penelope as Stephen realizes that his brother is about to ruin the entire plan. Instead, another con in St. Petersburg occurs that Bloom reluctantly joins in but with some unexpected help.
Con films are often about a plan for a big con and such. Yet, it's always approached with a level of cleverness and wit as it's about the big scheme and such. What makes this film a bit different is the fact that it is more about characters and how they're invested into playing a con with one of them becoming less enthused as he falls for his mark. The first seven-minutes of the film is narrated by Ricky Jay that explores the history of the brothers and how they managed to score their first con scheme. Now that first seven minutes along with aspects of the films in its look might have audiences thinking that writer-director Rian Johnson is channeling the work of Wes Anderson. Well, there's a major difference between Anderson and Johnson in their approach to visuals and storytelling.
Anderson is an artist who shoots films in certain angles and has his own quirks and shooting styles with a look that is very colorful. At the same time, Anderson is known for creating characters that are very eccentric though they're relatable. Yet, part of the flaw with Anderson's films is that sometimes, the characters are eccentric for their own good while Anderson also has a tendency to employ gimmicks whether it's some kind of pop music or the slow-motion edits to end the films. Though it's an interesting style that has worked for Anderson. It often works too well.
Johnson is very different where he doesn't go for that kind of cinematic style. Instead, he's more invested in characters and their flaws. In Bloom, he's the reluctant player who will fake his death for the con and be the guy who will dig deep into a con where he has trouble distinguishing between fiction and reality. The Bloom character is a character filled with conflict as he falls for his mark while has a hard time doing the job with his brother. Stephen, is the organizer and brains of the con as he's all about the big payday and not really into the emotional aspects of hurting people. Still, Stephen is just as interesting as Bloom in reveling the idea of the con while being impressed by his mark Penelope for just going along with it.
Penelope is really the heart of the film as she is just a woman looking for some kind of adventure. Living in a house by herself, the arrival of Bloom, Stephen, and Bang-Bang gets her to interact with people she wouldn't have interacted in her dull, lonely life. Money doesn't mean anything to her as her relationship with Bloom becomes more romantic while finding a close friend in Bang-Bang. Though the Bang-Bang character only has a couple of lines, she is truly the film's most quirky and enjoyable character of the film. She is the balance of the three main characters where she is Stephen's close ally while grounding Bloom and being the friend to Penelope.
Johnson's exploration of characters is what makes the film different in its screenplay while he also goes into the organization of the con. While audiences might be baffled by its approach in the deconstruction of the con film. It allows Johnson to be invested in the relationship of the characters and the organization of the con. For the direction of the film itself. Johnson does go for a style that includes hand-drawn drawings of locations and bubbles of the cons to structure the story. Yet, he does it in a subtle way while does give the audience insight into various locations including Prague, Montenegro, and St. Petersburg as it's all shot in Europe.
There's a richness to the location though its not all filled with flashy colors like some of Wes Anderson's films which are very colorful in its set designs and cinematography. Johnson is more engaging into the characters where there's a great shot of Penelope playing cards as her mouth is being reflected through some form of silverware. Johnson's long shots of the locations are very beautiful as it relates to Bloom's state of mind where the compositions and shots are more about what is going on in the con and such. While it's not a perfect film, what Rian Johnson does with his sophomore feature is phenomenal as he is truly becoming a director to keep an eye.
Johnson's regular cinematographer Steve Yedlin does excellent work with the film's camera work with beautiful shots of the locations including sunset shots of the scenes on the sea. Yedlin's best work in the film are scenes in the wood with lights striking towards the woods which is reminiscent of the legendary work that Vittorio Storaro did in Bernardo Bertolucci's 1970 film Il Conformista. Editor Gabriel Wyre does some fantastic work with the film's editing which is a balance between straightforward transitions, jump-cuts, rhythmic timing, and other stylized transitions including wipes and such to give the film a nice pacing that truly works.
Production designer Jim Clay plus set decorator Sophie Newman and art director Paul Kirby do some very good work in the look of Penelope's home and other objects plus the boat and the party that the Bloom brothers celebrate at Berlin. Costume designer Beatrix Aruna Pasztor brings a lot of amazing costumes to the set, notably the clothes that Rinko Kikuchi wear from her fur coat, airplane goggles, and hat while Rachel Weisz manages to look great with a green coat, some shoes, and most of all, the bowler hat that complements the suits the men wear in the film. Sound editor Jonathan Miller does some fantastic work with the film's sound in its location settings, explosions, gun shots, and other things that add to the film's exciting, quirky humor, notably Bang-Bang's love for explosions.
The film's soundtrack supervised by Brian Reitzell features a collection of music including cuts by Cat Stevens and from Nashville Skyline, the song Tell Me That It Isn't True by Bob Dylan that is in a great scene with Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz talking. Yet, it's the score by Rian's cousin Nathan Johnson that is really one of the film's technical highlights. Filled with wonderful arrangements from orchestral, folk, and blues. It plays up to the film's quirky sense of humor as well as its drama with acoustic pieces that are truly memorable and with lots of hook. Whereas Nathan Johnson's score in Brick had a unique feel to the film, his score for this film is just as potent which marks the arrival of fantastic music composer in film.
The casting by Shannon Makhanian is excellent with Esme Tyler as a young girl the young Bloom falls for, Andy Nyman as a man conned in Berlin, and as the young Bloom brothers, Zachary Gordon as the young Bloom and Max Records as the young Stephen, both of whom deliver fantastic performances. Making cameos from the film Brick are Noah Segan as a Duke, Nora Zehetner as a girl trying to flirt with Bloom named Rose, and a one-second cameo from its star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Maximilian Schell is excellent as Diamond Dog, a former mentor wanting to seek some kind of vengeance against the brothers for destroying his left eye while wanting to make deals with them. Robbie Coltrane is great as the curator, a man who knows what the brothers are while trying to be charming towards Penelope as Coltrane does some solid work in his brief appearances.
Stealing the film from practically all of her co-stars is young Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi of Babel fame as the explosive technician Bang-Bang. Though she only has a couple of lines and the performance is mostly silent, Kikuchi steals the show with her quirky sense of humor in making faces, hand gestures, and her ability to do explosives. There's something that is quite adorable about Kikuchi where in every scene she's in, there's something that brings a smile to the face of the viewer as it's truly a role that is extremely memorable. This performance really tops her Oscar-nominated performance in Babel. Mark Ruffalo is brilliant as Stephen, the organizer of the con who tries to get his brother into it while maintaining its integrity and hopes for the pay-day. Ruffalo is a bit understated but also witty as he is also engaging and complex in his emotions in his scenes with Adrien Brody as the two have great banter together.
Rachel Weisz is phenomenal in what is truly the best role of her career. Playing the eccentric heiress Penelope, there's something exciting about her performance as she is someone that does many things. Weisz actually does the skateboarding, rapping, juggling, and all sorts of things while showing depth of a woman who is lonely and in need of some kind of connection. For the famed British actress, this is easily the most accessible and entertaining performance of her career. Adrien Brody is truly in top form as Bloom, the melancholic protagonist in need of change after being in one too many cons. Brody hits all of the right notes while not delving into melodrama while showing that he can also bring humor as it's definitely the most fulfilling performance he gave since his 2002 Oscar-winning performance in Roman Polanski's The Pianist. Brody's chemistry with Weisz is truly engaging as it's based on two people who feel out of place only to realize how they enjoy each other.
While it may not have the atmospheric, dark tone of Brick, The Brothers Bloom is truly a smart, funny, and thrilling film from Rian Johnson. Fans of Brick will rejoice that Johnson can deliver another hit as he is clearly a director that will be one to watch. Fans of con films might be put off by its unconventional approach though will be invested in its emphasis on character study instead of clever plot devices. With top-notch performances from Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo, and Rinko Kikuchi. The Brothers Bloom is definitely a fun, witty con-comedy film from Rian Johnson.
Rian Johnson Films: Brick - Looper - The Last Jedi - Knives Out - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - (Knives Out 3)
© thevoid99 2012
