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The Koreans sure know how to make a darn good revenge movie. Kim Jee-Woon, who along with the likes of Park Chan-Wook and Bong Joon-Ho, ranks as one of the most sought after filmmakers working in the country today, has made another interesting entry to that club. The film begins memorably with a petite and vulnerable young lady being brutally murdered by a mysterious vicious-looking drifter (Choi Min-Sik). The girl’s fiancé (Lee Nyung-Hun), who’s a highly skilled special agent, vows to avenge for the murder, and thus ensues a fascinating game of punches and counter-punches between the two blood-thirsty men and a wildly topsy-turvy ride through hell. With each passing moment the movie becomes more and more violent and crazy like the continually upping of the tempo of an orchestra, so much so that it was severely censored for its extreme violence and shocking climax; suffice it to say, the film is not meant for the chicken-hearted. In fact, by the time the movie ends it becomes nearly impossible to differentiate between the “good guy” and the “bad guy”, and therein lies the success of any good revenge thriller. The film boasts of memorable performances by the two men – Choi’s turn as the deliriously vile psychopath was absolutely stupendous, and formed the perfect complement to Lee’s laconic and seemingly placid cop. Interestingly both these actors had already been part of superb vengeance flicks – Oldboy and A Bittersweet Life, respectively.
Director: Kim Jee-Woon
Genre: Thriller/Crime Thriller/Psychological Thriller
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea
West Indies during the 70’s and 80’s dominated cricket like rarely any team has in not just cricket but team-sports in general. The team was led by the imperturbable Clive Lloyd and boasted of some great batsmen, led by the imperious Sir Viv Richards. But at the heart of the team lied its battery of some of the most devastating fast-bowlers the game has seen - Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts et al. Thus Fire in Babylon, which chronicles the rise of this all-conquering side, is a goldmine for any cricket aficionado; but, like any good documentary, it has managed to be much more than that. The documentary has covered a slew of socio-political topics, including the likes of how a group of small island-countries (Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda, Trinidad & Tobago, etc.), despite their different cultural backgrounds, had a commonality in the form of the severe oppression faced by their forefathers. Thus, when their juggernaut begun, it transcended the confines of the sport and became something far bigger than just victories on the field. The film comprises of a number of impassioned interviews, and has been regularly punctuated by fine reggae tracks. Though the film could have done with a few more match footages, but that for me was just a minor glitch in this otherwise well-researched and very well made film on one of the most incredible success stories of modern sports.
Director: Stevan Riley
Genre: Documentary/Sport Documentary
Language: English
Country: UK
The Romanian New Wave, known for naturalistic depictions of life in the country, has given us some truly memorable gems in the last few years. Tuesday, After Christmas, though not of the same caliber as say 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, 12:08 East of Bucharest, California Dreamin’, Tales from the Golden Age, etc., is nonetheless another feather in the country’s cap. A tale on adultery and the aftermaths of its revelation, the film is about a middle-aged married man with a doting daughter, who has fallen in love with a pretty and much younger lady. Despite the seemingly lurid theme, it has portrayed the events and the characters as utterly and unspectacularly quotidian, as a consequence of which the dynamics and the interactions are both believable and subtly disquieting. The fact that the revelation takes place around the time of Christmas – an occasion otherwise marked by celebration, happiness and familial bonding, has made this movie quietly resonating, heartbreaking and powerful as well. Minimalistic and intensely realistic in nature, the film is largely bereft of any background scores or quotable dialogues, has made great use of gripping long takes, and is filled with exceedingly naturalistic performances.
Director: Radu Muntean
Genre: Drama/Family Drama
Language: Romanian
Country: Romania
The Godfather Part III was the final chapter in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy. Though it undoubtedly pales in comparison to the towering brilliance of the first two films in the trilogy, it still stands as a good film that brought the epic saga to a satisfactory and meaningful conclusion. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now an ageing patriarch of the immensely powerful Corleone family, is on one hand trying his best to keep his promise to his former wife by making the family business fully legit, while at the same time completely being engulfed by an overarching sense of deep guilt over his various acts of crime and violence - especially that of his brother Fredo’s cold blooded execution. The film therefore was as much about keeping up with a new series of antagonists, particularly the cocky celebrity-gangster Joey Zaza and the smooth-talking and back-stabbing Don Altobello (Eli Wallach), as it was about Michael’s poignant reminiscing of his life that could have been and his futile attempts at redemption and peace of mind. The film is a tad uneven at parts. Its performances too are mixed – while Eli Wallach and Andy Garcia (as the illegitimate son of Michael’s long-dead elder brother Andy, and the chosen successor to the clan) were good, Sofia Coppola was a severe disappointment as Michael’s naïve daughter; Al Pacino’s performance too was affecting without ever touching greatness. The film was exceptionally photographed as before, and the final scene, which was both ironic and sad, had a sense of Shakespearean tragedy written on it.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Genre: Crime Drama/Gangster Film/Ensemble Film
Language: English/Sicilian
Country: US
Rabindranath Tagore was a polymath if there ever was one. The Renaissance Man of India (lovingly referred to by the sobriquet “Kobi Guru”, or The Great Bard) was a poet, composer, song writer, novelist, short story writer, playwright and painter (and prolific in each of these); he was also a philosopher, nationalist, educationist, social reformer, humanist, great admirer of natural sciences, and tireless spokesperson for world peace. India’s greatest genius and one of the most versatile geniuses the world has ever known, he was also the biggest idol of Satyajit Ray, a versatile genius himself. The documentary Rabindranath Tagore, which might as well be qualified as “Genius on Genius” (aptly quoted by one of my professors while introducing it to the audience), was made on the occasion of the bard’s birth centenary as homage to the Bengali Nobel laureate by one of his most devoted pupils. The film chronicles the life and times of Tagore, along with references to his fascinating lineage, his incredibly progressive philosophies, and his vision for a world sans war and violence. It comprises of both original footages as well as some dramatized sequences, with Ray’s baritone providing the stirring narration. Ray reportedly remarked about the documentary, “Ten or twelve minutes of it are among the most moving and powerful things that I have produced.”
Director: Satyajit Ray
Genre: Documentary
Language: English/Bengali
Country: India
James Stewart starred in a number of Anthony Mann films, and The Naked Star is usually considered the their best collaboration. One of the early examples of revisionist Westerns, it is far removed from the good guy-bad guy story-lines typified by Classic Westerns. Stewart here plays Howard Kemp, bounty-hunter who isn’t just laconic but also prefers to be a lone wolf. He is forced to enlist the assistance of an old brusque prospector and a young dishonourably discharged soldier, in order to catch hold of Ben (excellently played by Robert Ryan), a notorious and maniacal fugitive, take him to the concerned authority, and collect the ransom that has been declared by the state. None of the characters in the film is flawless, consequently the journey of the group is made as much perilous by the harsh, arid landscape they must travel to, but also the intense psychological rivalry between the trio (on account of their inherent lack of trust towards each other) – the psychotic captive makes full use of the latter by continually supplying more and more fuel into the fire. Meanwhile, also tagging along with them is a hotheaded beaut (Janet Leigh) who happens to be Ben’s girlfriend; only that, over the course of their journey, she and Kemp start developing mutual feelings for each other. The crisp, violent film is therefore more about psychological warfare than actual fights, though it still boasted of some memorable action sequences culminating in a brutal climax.
Director: Anthony Mann
Genre: Western/Psychological Western/Action
Language: English
Country: US
