Movies Are A Reason To Live.

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Movies Are A Reason To Live. I Love Movies! I Love Talking About Movies! I hope you do too!

Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde..Reservoir Dogs. (1992)
25/04/2024

Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde..

Reservoir Dogs. (1992)

Kathy Lamkin as Desert Aire Manager. No Country For Old Men. (2007)
25/04/2024

Kathy Lamkin as Desert Aire Manager.

No Country For Old Men. (2007)

I imagine the day will never come, that we grow tired of a well-made Western. They will never get old. Scott Cooper's Ho...
25/04/2024

I imagine the day will never come, that we grow tired of a well-made Western. They will never get old. Scott Cooper's Hostiles is a film that has 2 feet firmly planted into that category. In fact, It's the best of it's genre in recent memory.

The film opens with a devastating scene. Rosalee Quaid (Rosamund Pike in a role she should have been nominated for, in my opinion) along with her family, are settlers in 1892 New Mexico Territory. This family consists of a husband and three children (two school-age daughters and a baby). She home-schools the girls, they aim to hurt no one, and appear to be happy.

Comanches don't seem to share a similar sentiment. In a devastating opening scene, a handful of the aforementioned tribe's warriors, riding on horseback, take some aggression out on the unsuspecting Quaid's. When they're finished, only Rosalee is left alive, and not because they were merciful. She managed to hide well enough to avoid losing her scalp. She won't part with the dead baby she's holding in her arms for some time.

Christian Bale is Army Captain Joseph Blocker. He's something of a legend in certain circles. These circles are pretty much anyone with any knowledge of the U.S. Army's clashes with various Native American tribes during the time-period. He's a rather serious man, no doubt shaped in such a way after nearing the end of a career that requires him to kill people, and watch people he cares for be killed. He drinks and communicates solemnly with a close friend, 1st Sgt.Thomas Metz (Rory Cochrane). Later, when speaking to a man who's never seen battle who would mock the participation, he declares:

"No idea what it does to a man. I've killed savages; I've killed plenty of 'em - 'cause that's my fu***ng job."

And speaking of Indians to the same man:

"Don't you dare laugh. There wasn't enough left of those poor men to to fill a slop pail. Understand: when we lay our heads down out here, we're all prisoners. I hate 'em."

He's about to retire, but President Harrison has one more order for him to carry out: Es**rt dying Cheyenne Chief Yellow Hawk and his family to his tribal lands in Montana. He has no interest in fulfilling any such duty and initially flat-out refuses. But he didn't do this work for 20 years just to have the loss of his pension coincide with his last mission.

Blocker reluctantly sets out for Montana accompanied by his seemingly only friend, the aforementioned Sgt. Metz, llong-time aide Cpl. Woodson (Johnathan Majors), West Point newcomer Lt. Kidder (Jesse Plemons), and a green-around-the-gills, young French private named Dejardin (Timothy Chalamet).

Not long after their departure they come across the Quaid family massacre. Rosalee is sitting with her dead children, still holding her baby, to traumatized to speak. She refuses offers to bury her children. No one else will touch them. She'll do it herself.

She will eventually break down while digging her children's graves. Rosamund Pike deserves an Oscar nod for this scene alone. As a matter of fact, when the film ended the first time I saw it, I said out loud to myself, "She's the best actress in the world right now."

She does finally speak, and is convinced to join them on their journey. She's to be dropped off in safe company at the earliest convenience.

The travelers will encounter a number of "hostiles" en-route to Montana. If any of them are to arrive at their destination, they will have to find a way to set aside their differences, and work together.

Ben Foster will eventually join the group as Sgt. Phillip Wills, but it won't be with a firearm, he'll be wearing handcuffs. He's a deserter and accused murderer of an innocent Native American family. He's to be court-martialed. You already know that Ben Foster comes correct as always. I feel a certain kind of way about his treatment in the film, especially from Blocker, who knows all too well what Wills experienced throughout his service. Right or wrong, I don't believe Blocker of all people, should be delivering Wills to his would-be executioners.

This film is excellent, but not perfect. For a modern Western though, it's pretty darn close.

"I've killed everything that's walked or crawled. If you do it enough, you get used to it." -Master Sgt. Thomas Metz

Hostiles (2017)

Natalie Portman as Mathilda..Leon The Professional. (1994)
25/04/2024

Natalie Portman as Mathilda..

Leon The Professional. (1994)

Jenette Goldstein as Private Vasquez.Aliens. (1986)
25/04/2024

Jenette Goldstein as Private Vasquez.

Aliens. (1986)

Jenette Goldstein as Private Vasquez. Aliens. (1986)
25/04/2024

Jenette Goldstein as Private Vasquez.

Aliens. (1986)

Leonardo Dicaprio as Calvin Candie.Django Unchained. (2012)
25/04/2024

Leonardo Dicaprio as Calvin Candie.

Django Unchained. (2012)

A conversation between two characters in the pitch-black comedy Happiness:Joe: "What do you think would happen if I got ...
24/04/2024

A conversation between two characters in the pitch-black comedy Happiness:

Joe: "What do you think would happen if I got him a professional... you know..."

Bill: "A professional?"

Joe: "Ho**er. You know, the kind that can teach things... first-timers, you know... break him in."

Bill: "But Joe, he's 11."

Joe: "You're right, you're right. It's too late."

Dan Moran as Joe Grasso.

Dylan Baker Hall as Bill Maplewood.

Happiness. (1998)

Jaime Foxx as Django. Django Unchained. (2012)
24/04/2024

Jaime Foxx as Django.

Django Unchained. (2012)

Any self-respecting film-enthusiast can name at least a handful of Steven Spielberg films. No one would argue against hi...
24/04/2024

Any self-respecting film-enthusiast can name at least a handful of Steven Spielberg films. No one would argue against his ability to make a movie. And while I appreciate such films as Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Catch Me If You Can, and Hook, it's his work that ventures into darker territory that I enjoy the most. Films like Jaws, Schindler's List, Minority Report, AI: Artificial Intelligence, and most especially this one, Munich.

At the 17th Olympic Games in Munich, Germany in 1972, 8 Palestinian terrorists from the militant group Black September invaded the Olympic Village, killed 2 members of the Israeli team, and took 9 others hostage. West German police attempted a poorly executed ambush of the terrorists. When it was all said and done, 17 people had been killed, including 11 members of the Israeli Olympic Team, 5 terrorists and a West German police officer.

The Israeli government launched an assassination campaign shortly after, that authorized Mossad to track down and kill anyone who had played a role in the attack.

Steven Spielberg's Munich is inspired by these events. It's based on the 1984 book Vengeance by George Jonas. Any list of Spielberg's top efforts I might ever construct would include this film.

This transpired before my time, of course, and I'd actually never even heard of these events until I was sitting in a theatre watching this film. Spielberg hooked me straight away, and continued to have my undivided attention to the very last scene.

I'm aware that the movie took some artistic liberties. I've also done some independent research of my own, and the film is, for the most part, faithful to Israel's response to the Munich Massacre. A few of these liberties are as follows:

The "Le Group" sub-plot was an entirely fictional addition to the story. Israel relied on its own human intelligence and domestic data analysis. Also, The Mossad had several teams carrying out Missions, not just one, as is depicted in the film. And they weren't "left out in the cold" cold-war style, they had the full support of the Israeli government. Also, it wasn't conveniently 11 targets for 11 members of the team, but in fact, anyone who might pose a future risk. And, in reality, the agents themselves have stated that they never questioned their motives as some characters do in the film. They believed they were doing "God's work." And finally, the Mossad utilized females in a much larger role than the film would imply. They were very often used to get close to various targets.

Ok, now without further ado.

The film opens with the Olympic Village Massacre in a realistic style reminiscent of the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan. It will be revisited through flashbacks during the course of the film.

Golda Meir (Lynne Cohen) holds a meeting following these events with her various advisors and Avner Kaufman (Eric Bana), a Mossad agent of German-Jewish descent. He is chosen as the leader of a mission to assassinate 11 Palestinians who were involved, in one way or another, with the massacre. Golda Meir to the attendees:

"Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values."

He has a handler, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), and 4 other Jewish volunteers. A driver, Steve (Daniel Craig), a so-called explosives expert, Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), a former Israeli soldier, Carl (Ciaran Hinds), and an antiques dealer/document forger, Hans (Hanns Zischler).

The film includes a number of tense, thoroughly engaging, and historically accurate scenes. One of which takes place at a second floor apartment, on a busy city block in Paris, and requires a particularly anxiety-inducing game of telephone.

Another scene in which the team miscalculates the amount of explosives necessary to eliminate their intended target, Ali Hassan Salameh, also took place. It killed 4 innocent people an injured 18 others.

The Commando raid depicted in the film in Beirut, known as Operation Spring Of Youth, also actually happened.

The deaths of several other Pro-Palestenian terrorists depicted in the film, were also killed in similar fashion during that particular time period.

The team are getting a significant amount of their intelligence from a French Informant, Louis (Matieu Amalric), a man whose family is referred to as "Le Group." Their only allegiance being to money. They will provide information to whomever can afford to pay for it.

There is another particularly good scene that takes place at a supposed "safe house" involving Avner's team and some pro-palestinian guerilla soldiers. They call a truce of sorts, akin to the Christmas Truce of 1914, between French, British, and German soldiers depicted in the 2005 film, Joyeux Noel.

We care for these men who have volunteered to avenge the atrocities carried out against the people of the country they hold an allegiance to. And the men in this film do reflect on their decisions as illustrated when Robert speaks to the other members of the team:

"We are supposed to be righteous. That's a beautiful thing. And we're losing it. If I lose that, that's everything. That's my soul."

The message of the film is basically, "Violence begets more violence." This is further illustrated by the heartbreaking revenge that is carried out on our protagonists, one by one.

This was one of both Eric Bana's and Daniel Craig's first breakout performances. Geoffrey Rush and Ciaran Hinds had already been doing what it is they do, and that is of course, deliver. They don't disappoint here.

It was nominated for 5 Oscar's including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, and Film Editing.

I'm a pretty big fan of this one. I think I might just have to watch it again.

"There is no peace at the end of this."- Avner

Munich. (2005)

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. The Silence Of The Lambs. (1991)
24/04/2024

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.

The Silence Of The Lambs. (1991)

Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly.Back To The Future. (1985)
24/04/2024

Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly.

Back To The Future. (1985)

Sally Field as Mrs. Gump. Forrest Gump. (1994)
24/04/2024

Sally Field as Mrs. Gump.

Forrest Gump. (1994)

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump.Forrest Gump. (1994)
24/04/2024

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump.

Forrest Gump. (1994)

During my light quest for inspiration yesterday, I inadvertently found today's inspiration. Cormac McCarthy, the man who...
23/04/2024

During my light quest for inspiration yesterday, I inadvertently found today's inspiration.

Cormac McCarthy, the man whose novel was the source material for none other than No Country For Old Men, also penned the novel that would inspire Joe Penhall and John Hillcoat to create The Road.

John Hillcoat is no stranger to making a decent film. While The Road is my personal favorite, the Australian filmmaker has also provided us with a few other notable, and rather enjoyable works.

The 1880's-era Australian western, The Proposition, boasting a cast that any would-be director would salivate over, is the first that comes to mind. Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Danny Huston? When do we start?

He's also responsible for Lawless, and that didn't suck, in my opinion. And for anyone who might have missed Triple 9, let me just say, I was more than pleasantly surprised by that under-the-radar, urban cops and crime tale.

However, today I'll be dedicating a portion of my afternoon to the post-apocalyptic survival film that is The Road. This film looks and feels bleak, but I wouldn't skip it for that reason if I were you. How bleak? Well, here's an exchange for you:

Man: "Do you ever wish you would die?"

Ely, The Old Man: "No. It's foolish to ask for luxuries in times like these."

I am, admittedly, no environmental scientist, but I feel like this film does a better job than most at depicting a post-apocalyptic landscape this sub-genre aims to achieve. It's not the first film to make the effort to illustrate what life might be like in such a world, but it is certainly one of the better ones.

It's also worth noting, with the exception of Robert Duvall's Ely, that no characters in this film have names. Unless you know anyone named Man (Viggo Mortensen), Woman (Charlize Theron), Boy (Kodi Smit-Mcphee), The Veteran (Guy Pearce), or The Gang Member (Garrett Dillahunt).

The story of Man, Woman, and Boy is told by alternating between the present day, and brief flashbacks into the past. This past we get glimpses of isn't the good Ol' days, it's just the very beginning of the end.

We don't initially know the reason why the child's mother isn't accompanying he and his father on their treacherous quest to the coast, but we will eventually.

A few of the challenges that one will face on such a trek, in a post-apocalyptic world, according to The Road:

Sustenance. There's not a lot of food to go around in this particular post-apocalyptic landscape, and you can certainly forget about any convenient delivery options. Whatever catastrophic event caused this living nightmare, it consequently resulted in the death of all plant and virtually all animal life. So what do they eat? Well, not much. They do sit down for a modest serving of crickets on one occasion. It's akin to an episode of Naked and Afraid, except there's nothing to catch in a stream, or pick from a bush, and one need not worry about a sunburn.

Cannibalism. In the Man's own words:

"The great fear is cannibalism."

I've never been so hungry or deprived of food that I've thought it might be nice to have anyone else for dinner, you know, Hannibal Lector-style, but almost everyone in this film is.

The Gang Member learns the hard way, that Man and Boy aren't trying to be anyone else's dinner. This is a common theme throughout the film. Father and Son are either looking for something to eat, or avoiding becoming something to eat. The film has a number of anxiety inducing ways to illustrate this struggle. For instance, the pair have just narrowly escaped a traumatizing situation in which folks are being held captive, like chickens awaiting the removal of their heads, and the boy asks:

TB: "We would never eat anybody, would we?"

TM: "No, of course not."

TB: "No matter how hungry we were?"

TM: "Uh huh."

TB: "Even if we were starving?"

TM: "We're starving now."

TB: "Because we're the good guys."

TM: "Yes."

TB: "And we're carrying the fire."

TM: "Yes."

Hope. It is a constant struggle to find hope for our protagonists in this dying new world. While the Boy's mother found no hope in such a world, and therefore no reason to bring someone into it, The Man's hope is the Boy:

TM: "All I know is that the boy was my charge. And if he was not the word of God. Then God never spoke."

The film is not without any reprieve from suffering. There are moments here and there. At one point the pair cross paths with a vending machine. It might as well be an alien life-form to the Boy, along with what's inside. I can tell you that a Coke has probably never tasted so good.

At one point, they discover a post-apocalyptic oasis in the form of a "doomsday-preppers" underground shelter. The condition of which would imply they didn't make it long enough to enjoy the fruits of their labor. When the Boy wishes to try whatever is in his Dad's cup, over what might be the first real dinner he's ever had, his Dad tells him:

"You don't want that. It makes you feel funny."

Well, he's a liar, of course. It's lovely. His son is living hand-to-mouth, eating crickets mostly, and avoiding becoming the main-course on someone else's dinner table. I think it's entirely possible that few things could be more appropriate than a sip of whiskey at this particular juncture, but I digress.

In the end, there is hope after all, in spite of the unknown. The boy has encountered a man, The Veteran, and wants to know:

TB: "Are you carrying the fire?

Veteran: "Am I what?"

TB:: "Carrying the fire."

Veteran: "You're kind of weirded out, aren't you, kid?

TB: 'Well, are you?"

Veteran: "Yeah. I'm carrying the fire."

Everyone here delivers as one would expect. The story is equal parts heartbreaking and touching. You may not wish to watch it more than once as I have, but it should at least be on your list.

"If I were God, I would have made the world just so and no different. And so I have you... I have you."- The Man

The Road. (2009)

Vincent D'Onofrio as Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence.Full Metal Jacket. (1987)
23/04/2024

Vincent D'Onofrio as Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence.

Full Metal Jacket. (1987)

I was searching for inspiration for a review this afternoon, and decided I would write about a recent Oscar Best Picture...
23/04/2024

I was searching for inspiration for a review this afternoon, and decided I would write about a recent Oscar Best Picture Winner that got me the most excited. I had to go all the way back to 2007, but I don't think anyone will mind.

I've seen a fair amount of content highlighting various directors' filmographies as of late. Such prestigious names as Scorsese, Nolan, Fincher, Anderson, Villeneuve, and Tarantino.

One could watch a couple of films a day for a month or more from the options provided from such a list. All that would be left to do is stock up on plenty of Movie Theatre Butter popcorn.

As I was researching for this today, I was reminded of just how impressive a catalogue the Coen Brothers' have. Their pre-2007 catalogue alone is chock-full.

Not every film is a home run, however, including this films predecessor (The Ladykillers).

That's ok. The pair hit this one so far out of the park that Mickey Mantle would have taken notice. (Mickey Mantle hit really long home-runs. 😉)

No Country For Old Men takes place in 1980 West Texas. It is adapted from the 2005 Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. His writing is responsible for another favorite of mine, The Road, but that's inspiration for another day.

Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam War veteran who makes his living as a welder. He also likes to hunt, apparently, and is doing such when the film opens.

He stumbles upon what probably wouldn't be mistaken for anything other than a drug-deal gone seriously wrong.

There is a nearly-dead and super-thirsty guy in a truck, several all-the-way-dead guys scattered about, and a trail of blood leading off into the oil-rich (and not much else) West Texas desert.

Someone wanted the drugs, and their money too! He didn't make it far. Our protagonists tracks the poor soul to a solitary shade tree. He's slumped over, no longer with us, and holding a briefcase.

There's a lot of money in the case. The kind you won't have to pay taxes on. Yes, of course Llewelyn keeps this money. It's 1980, and he hasn't seen No Country For Old Men yet.

He returns to his trailer where his wife awaits him. Carla Jean (Kelly MacDonald) is nineteen years old, sweet, stubborn, drinks domestic light-beer, speaks with a thick west-Texas twang, and asks a lot of questions.

This briefcase is going to cause a lot of people, a lot of trouble. 29 people will perish in relation to this case. Some far more innocent than others.

Those deaths aren't all attributable to one man, but one man is responsible for the largest percentage of that number.

His name is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), and he's everyone's favorite villain. Not in the film, of course. He's nobody's favorite in the film.

Chigurh is hired in the employ of whatever Cartel is represented in this film. We learn straight away what kind of person we're dealing with when he shows up to assess the mess in the desert. Well, actually, not entirely, but we do learn he doesn't mind killing folks.

He sports a haircut that only a fictional, psychopathic, cartel-hitman ever would.

He's single-mindedly focused on his orders. Retrieve the money by any means necessary. And I mean, any means.

A tool of his trade is a captive bolt pistol, aka a cattle gun. It's traditionally used to puncture the brain of a cow prior to slaughter. Our antagonist uses it to open locks on doors with ease, among other things. One particularly innocent poor soul learns what "among other things" is, in the worst way.

He also takes pleasure in a particularly cruel game that only a sociopath would. He gambles with people's lives on a coin-toss.

A question for a geriatric gas station attendant after invasively gathering information when paying for gas:

"What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss."

Chigurh is insane. Not out-of-touch with reality insane, just one bad hombre.

I say this a lot, I know, but it is a real treat to watch. You don't know what he's gonna do next, and even if you do, you can't take your eyes off the screen. Javier Bardem earned every bit of his Oscar.

That being said, we're not rooting for Chigurh here. He is clearly the villain. It's not ambiguous like say, Tom Cruise in Collateral.

It might be surprising to hear after all of this, that the central character of the film is actually the 57 year-old, world-weary Sheriff, Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee-Jones).

His motivations in the film are what one would expect from a Sheriff. Investigate and apprehend any suspects in the case, attempt to locate Llewelyn Moss, and try and protect him from the imminent danger he's found himself in.

He's also a narrator of sorts. He waxes poetic on the state of affairs and questions his place in this new world he finds himself in.

He's a well-informed observer of the events that unfold as the epic cat-and-mouse game between Llewelyn and Chigurh progresses.

Other actors came to play as well, and earn their respective paychecks.

Woody Harrelson is Carson Welles, also a hitman and rival to Anton Chigurh. They clearly have different philosophies. Chigurh gives one the impression he would perform the duties of his chosen profession for free. For Carson Welles, it would seem that he simply has the skill-set, and it pays well.

Alone in a hotel room with Chigurh, staring down his fate (and the barrel of a large firearm) Welles asks, "Do you have any idea how crazy you are?"

The latter was hired as an insurance policy of sorts, by an unnamed white-collar cartel associate (Stephen Root), presumably an accountant. This turns out to be a misguided decision.

Speaking of the accountant, I would regret not mentioning a particularly fascinating scene.

An associate of the aforementioned character finds himself face to face with Chigurh in an office. Chigurh is holding a considerably intimidating shotgun of some-sort with a massive silencer attached to the barrel:

"Are you going to shoot me?"

"That depends. Do you see me?"

We never find out the man's fate. I stand firmly in the camp that believes it wasn't rhetorical. I believe Chigurh decided for whatever reason, he was going to let this guy make it.

I look forward to the inevitable debate.

Also, few things hurt my soul more than the fact that Chigurh checked his tennis-shoes that one last time for blood. It hurt. It hurt the first time, every consecutive time, and it will hurt the next time.

I would have taken my chances with the coin toss. 50/50 odds ain't too bad.

"I was sheriff of this county when I was twenty-five years old. Hard to believe. My grandfather was a lawman; father too. Me and him was sheriffs at the same time; him up in Plano and me out here. I think he's pretty proud of that. I know I was. Some of the old time sheriffs never even wore a gun. A lotta folks find that hard to believe. Jim Scarborough'd never carried one; that's the younger Jim. Gaston Boykins wouldn't wear one up in Comanche County." -Ed Tom Bell

Matt Damon as Donny. EuroTrip. (2004)
22/04/2024

Matt Damon as Donny.

EuroTrip. (2004)

Brawl In Cell Block 99 is brought to us by S. Craig Zahler. The same guy who delivered Bone Tomahawk. That film is a con...
22/04/2024

Brawl In Cell Block 99 is brought to us by S. Craig Zahler. The same guy who delivered Bone Tomahawk.

That film is a considerably well made Neo-Noir-Western-Horror-Black Comedy-Drama. Yeah, you read that correctly.

You get the feeling this guy makes exactly the film he wants to make, and thank goodness. That particular film I referenced also contains a now infamous scene. If you know, you know. He just might be sitting somewhere right now, having a beer, and thinking to himself:

"If I accomplish nothing else from here on out, at least I got that scene into a movie."

He should also have Brawl In Cell Block 99 on his list of accomplishments. I do have a couple of minor issues with the film. However, if these issues were somehow resolved, there would probably be no film at all. So just go with it. It's worth it.

Vince Vaughn, truly as you've never seen before, is Bradley Thomas. Bradley (not Brad) is having a particularly bad afternoon when we are first introduced to him. He's respectfully informed that his skills as an auto-mechanic are no longer needed at his place of employment.

To add insult to injury, he discovers his lady, Lauren Thomas (Jennifer Carpenter), is cheating on him when he returns home after cleaning out his work locker. He didn't catch her in the act, but he knows something is up, and confirms his suspicion with a quick cell-phone investigation.

Her economy-class Mitsubishi coupe is the recepient of the anger this discovery solicits. The car loses the fight. This scene is meant to illustrate one thing: that even though Bradley is quite docile, speaks deliberately, and he doesn't really do anything in a hurry, don't f*** with him. Everyone is this film seems to learn this the hard way.

He and Lauren talk it out inside the house after, and he decides he is going to go back to work for a one-time friend and business associate named Gil (Marc Blucas). Gil is a mid-level drug-dealer.

A year and half later, Bradley is doing well for himself, and he and Lauren have a baby on the way. He has a beautiful home, a nice car, and things are looking up.

Gil asks him to take part in a seemingly atypical drug-related mission. He aims to establish a relationship with a Mexican drug cartel. After a little convincing, Brad reluctantly agrees.

The mission goes about as bad as you could imagine it could go. The cartel associates he's been instructed to accompany are incompetent at best, and The stupidest, most careless, loose-cannons ever at worst.

There's a shoot-out with a government agency. Cops are killed, but not by Bradley. In fact, he could have got away, but for whatever reason, he felt compelled to go back and kill his Mexican associates. If not for Bradley, more cops would have perished.

Bradley is a man of certain principles, and one of them is not to rat on anyone. The judge hands down 7 years for his transgressions.

This is where our protagonists insane, violent, bloody, and tragic prison odyssey begins.

We will learn rather quickly that Bradley was beating up people before he was beating up cars. He was an amateur boxer, but he'd rather, "Knit baby booties with pink yarn than hit people for no reason."

Thankfully for us, he's got plenty of reasons to hit people in this movie.

This film only gets more insane as the film progresses. Just go with it.

The insanity k**b starts to turn clockwise when a creepy guy shows up to visit under the guise of being the family doctor. I learned following a little research, he is referred to as Placid Man (Udo Kier).

His employer (the cartel) has apparently lost 3 million dollars because of Bradley's failure. His employer is displeased, and wants the debt repaid. His wife (and unborn) child are currently being held hostage. An actual doctor is going to do horrible things to the two of them if he doesn't re-pay this debt.

The bad news? He's gotta kill somebody.

The even worse news? This someone is being held at a separate, maximum-security prison.

Bradley is going to have to do a lot of f***** up s*** in order to fulfill his obligation. People get hurt. Bones are broken.

Another part of this insanity includes, but is not limited to, a particularly sadistic Warden Tuggs (Don Johnson), who steps up the punishment in accordance with Bradley stepping up his violent mayhem.

Warden Tuggs welcoming Bradley to Red leaf (the maximum security prison):

"The men here aren't like those fa***** over there in the Fridge. You can test us if you want to. Prisoners are expensive, and we're only too happy to help the State balance its budget by deploying some cheap lead."

As brutal as this movie is, and it is brutal, it's quite pleasing to look at it. This, like both Bone Tomahawk and Dragged Across Concrete, is extremely well-made and acted.

It's also got great lines like this one from Bradley, after someone asks if he's ok:

"South of ok. North of cancer."

The violence here is reminiscent of a rather harmonious and satisfying marriage of both Cronenberg and Tarantino.

One of the aforementioned minor issues I have with the film is the resolution. Not the climax. The climax rules!

But I'll take 125 minutes of thoroughly engaging, extraordinarily entertaining, Vince Vaughn ass-kicking, bloody-good Neo-Noir genre action, and 7 seven minutes of arguable disappointment any day of the week. And twice on Sunday.

"That's right, I'm loco. Now get the f*** out of my crazy way." -Bradley Thomas

You'd better do what he says.

Brawl In Cell Block 99. (2018)

Road To Perdition is another Sam Mendes film that I have a particular affinity for that I also wish had a different outc...
22/04/2024

Road To Perdition is another Sam Mendes film that I have a particular affinity for that I also wish had a different outcome.

The definition of perdition is: a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.

What should I have expected?

It's also a film I've seen numerous times. And while it's always been solid, the manner in which I perceive the film has changed somewhat.

At it's core, this is a film about father's and son's.

You might say: "Well, yeah, obviously."

When I first saw it over 22 years ago, however, I had yet to live 22 more years of life. Our perspectives evolve as we evolve.

I probably didn't cry at one random point or another when I was 18 years old. We were all going to live forever then. No one I loved was ever going to grow older. Relationships were never going to become fractured. And if you told me they would, I would have told you we've got all the time in the world to fix it.

This film hits a little bit differently now. I can honestly say that I relate to all of the various Sons in this film, in one way or another.

Tom Hanks is Mike Sullivan, an Irish, Midwestern, depression-era mob enforcer for John Rooney (Paul Newman), The Boss of this particular outfit.

Some say he's playing against-type here. I mean, yeah, he's playing a hitman. But he's playing a hitman with a good heart. Or one that started with a good heart anyway.

Mike Sullivan has a wife (Jennifer Jason-Leigh in a micro-role) and two boys, Mike Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin) and Peter (Liam Aiken).

John Rooney also has a son, Connor (Daniel Craig).

Early in the film, when Mike Sullivan is playing the piano at a wake, we get a very clear sense that Connor has some resentment toward Mike or his Dad, or both.

When Mike's youngest son, Peter, after his Dad's playing has ceased, asks Connor why he's always smiling, Connor bends over to look him square in the eye, and responds:

"Because it's all so f****** hysterical."

Mike is like a son to Mr. Rooney, and Rooney like a father to Mike.

An associate of the outfit, Finn McGovern (Ciaran Hinds), insinuates that Rooney had something to do with his brother's death whose wake they are all attending.

The Boss orders Connor and Mike to go and have a chat with Finn.

Unbeknownst to the the two men, Mike Jr. has hidden in the trunk of the 1931 Buick that his Dad is driving.

Connor, being the hot-head and general freakin' idiot that he is, decides to shoot Finn McGovern in the head.

This is bad enough as it is, but it's slightly more complicated than it might typically be. You see, Mike Jr. has followed the two, and consequently has witnessed the act.

It's quite the predicament, and against his father's wishes, Connor takes matters into his own hands. When he's finished Mike Sullivan is minus a wife and his youngest child.

His decision sets in motion the events that will transpire over the course of this film.

Mike, for his part, tries to make the best of the situation initially. He and the boy make a trip to Chicago to offer his services to Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci), in exchange for permission to kill Connor.

It's explained to him, in so many words, that it's an impossibility.

Connor seems to let his father down at every turn:

"I curse... the f******... day... you were born. I curse it!"

But he's still his son.

Conversely, John Rooney agonizes over the decisions he's forced to make regarding the son he wished he'd had.

One of these decisions is to hire Harlen Maguire (Jude Law), a photographer with an affinity for killing people. Or is he a killer with an affinity for photography? One thing is for sure: he's got bad teeth.

By the way: Jude Law was excellent in this role. When having a casual conversation with Mike at a diner:

"I shoot the dead. Dead bodies, that is. I don't kill them."

He and Mike (and Mike Jr.) will play a cat-and-mouse game that rivals any we've seen in films.

Mike's plan is to hit the mob where it hurts the most: their pockets.

He needs Mike Jr.'s help. He has to learn to drive a standard. Mike teaching Jr. to drive is one of the more pleasurable parts of the film.

Another satisfying moment, after a bank-robbery together:

Mike Jr: "When do I get my share of the money?"

Michael Sullivan: "Well... how much do you want?"

Mike Jr.: "Two hundred dollars."

Michael Sullivan: "Okay. Deal."

Mike Jr.: [A long pause] "Could I have had more?"

Michael Sullivan: "You'll never know."

You see, Sullivan being a secret hitman and all, it hasn't served his relationship with his son well. Mike Jr. asks questions like, "Did you like Peter more than me?"

This predicament, awful and dangerous as it is, affords Mike and Mike Jr. the opportunity to bond in ways they might never have.

They do bond over the course of the film, and Mike Sullivan does get his revenge.

There's a haunting quote from Mr. Rooney when Mike confronts him about what was done to his family:

"There are only murderers in this room! Michael! Open your eyes! This is the life we chose, the life we lead. And there is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven."

And another from Rooney just before Mike finally finishes what he started:

"I'm glad it's you."

What. A. Film.

"I saw then that my father's only fear was that his son would follow the same road. And that was the last time I ever held a gun. People always thought I grew up on a farm. And I guess, in a way, I did. But I lived a lifetime before that, in those six weeks on the road in the winter of 1931. When people ask me if Michael Sullivan was a good man, or if there was just no good in him at all, I always give the same answer. I just tell them... he was my father." -Michael Sullivan Jr.

Road To Perdition. (2002)

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