Child44

 

I am becoming embarrassingly lazy when it comes to watching trailers.  I either watch a couple that are played to death in the cinema or I watch none.  Child44 was the latter. 

In keeping with tradition I didn’t bother to read the book by Tom Rob Smith before seeing the film although I did think about it.  I read The Farm instead and absolutely loved it which left me in no doubt that Child44 would be of the same high standard.

PLOT:  Set in Stalinist Russian a paradise supposedly free from murder, Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) discovers that a serial killer is preying on young boys.   After being demoted from his high ranking position in the army for refusing to denounce his wife as a traitor Leo is sent to the country where he continues searching for the killer.  END PLOT

Despite never being boring Child44 ultimately fails as it doesn’t know what sort of film it wants to be – it isn’t thrilling enough to be a political thriller, it isn’t dramatic enough to be a crime drama and it doesn’t delve into the history of Stalinist Russia in any great depth.  It’s a series of scenes, each grimmer than the last, until a final and unsatisfying showdown in a muddy forest.   

I have always been on the fence about Tom Hardy but in Child44 he proves to be a more than capable lead in what is his most impressive performance to date.  Hardy and the talent of the supporting cast which includes Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman and Fares Fares try to paper over the cracks in the script but unfortunately the range of commitment to the Russian accent was too wide and there were a few occasions when a crisp English accent stuck out like a sore thumb – Charles Dance’s scene appeared to have been filmed on the set of The Imitation Game the only difference being the Russian flag in the corner of the room rather than the British! 

The sets and costumes were appropriately grim and helped to capture the poverty and paranoia of the time but like everything else it just left me wanting to learn more about the history of Russia rather than emotionally invest in the film. 

Child44 was watchable but not memorable and given the cast involved it has to be considered a wasted opportunity.  It gets 5/10.  I suspect that a lot of the depth and detail from the book didn't make it onto the big screen but it hasn't put me off a film adaptation of The Farm..... there is a book with potential.

Dead Man Down

 

The only reason I went to see Dead Man Down was because a gap appeared in the listings between Iron Man 3 and Star Trek 2.  The person in charge of release dates chose wisely and earned his pay cheque.

PLOT:  After witnessing her neighbour murder a man from her apartment window Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) blackmails Victor (Colin Farrell) into killing the drink-driver who left her with facial scars.  As an uneasy alliance grows it becomes clear that Victor isn’t a cold hearted killer but a grieving father/husband who is waiting for the opportune moment to exact revenge on their killer, his employer Alphonse (Terrence Howard). END PLOT

The familiar plot is hampered by a ridiculously slow pace and for a film that clocks in at 118mins (IMDB) this was a major problem.  The lack of pace means that there was no tension and it's the first time in quite a while that I been bored in the cinema.

Colin Farrell tries hard to save Dean Man Down but the task is just too great.  Farrell is a good actor trapped in a vicious cycle of shite blockbusters that no one likes and Indie films that no one watches.  Unfortunately for Farrell, Dean Man Down is a hybrid of the two and is a shite film that no one will watch.  Not even the extended set piece of Colin hoovering his apartment with his top unzipped could raise my interest.

 

Noomi Rapace is riding the wave of the Millennium Trilogy very well but when it comes to film choices she has never done anything mildly interesting and Dead Man Down is no exception.

The action scenes are non-existent with the final battle being nothing more dramatic than a shoot-out in a mansion. *Yawn* I got secondary boredom from recalling the memory.

My review of Dean Man Down is shorter than usual (thank the gods I hear you mutter) because there is absolutely nothing to say. It’s a familiar premise rehashed in the most boring way possible.  If your script isn’t ground breaking at least have the common decency to blow shit up instead.  Dead Man Down gets 3/10. 

I will admit that the “try to spot the WWE wrestler” challenge kept me occupied but it was game over the second he spoke.

Prometheus - spoiler free

I had avoided all promotion, publicity and spoilers for Prometheus as I wanted to go into the cinema on opening day completely blind. It was a complete 180 turnaround from The Avengers as with each passing tv spot I had practically watched the film before it was released.

PLOT: Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) find a sequence of unrelated cave paintings which suggests the answer to the origins of mankind may be found on a distant planet. The scientists join a crew of explorers and set off to find the planet. Once they arrive there are more questions than answers as they stumble upon something which requires me to go back and watch the film again to understand it fully (ever the professional). END PLOT

The pace of the plotting is slow yet engaging but only up to a point. I have never been a fan of films that attempt to explore the creation of mankind as they ultimately leave the question open to allow for “viewer interpretation” however in Prometheus it wreaks of “how the hell should I know but the movie is already over two hours long so let’s just wrap it up and leave it up to viewer interpretation – or the sequel”.

The film ended with so many questions you just have to question the strength of the writing.  I have no problem with open ended films but it just felt that Prometheus was too vague to be considered clever or thought provoking.

Although the storyline left a lot to be desired there were many other aspects of the film which saved it.  The cast were exceptional for the most part with Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender being the unsurprising standouts although it has to be noted that their characters were the only two that the film attempted to flesh out.

Charlize Theron was fine however her character was ultimately pointless. If Meredith Vickers was removed completely there would be no gap to fill. Vicker’s revelation towards the end of the film was so cheesy it induced neck muscle straining levels of cringe.

Idris Elba, although as effortless as ever, wins the award for the most unnecessary American Accent of the year and the rest of the cast are all vaguely familiar from somewhere (Sunshine and minor Game of Thrones roles).

The film looks as gorgeous as you would expect – it was dark, atmospheric and simply stunning.

The effects and set pieces, although sometimes lacking in tension, were well executed however there was no grand finale, or if there was, I was underwhelmed.

The poorest effect was probably the most basic – Guy Piece being aged looked awful and he reminded me of a very old Bill Tannen gone wrong.

I like my sci-fi slow moving and atmospheric and Prometheus did fit the bill perfectly but it has also left me cold and I cannot explain why. It is most definitely a film that needs to be watched a couple of times to be appreciated so I will check it out again on dvd. Prometheus gets decent first viewing score of 7.5/10. It just lacked something but I’d be dammed if I know what it was.

I would not be unhappy if James Cameron rocked up with the Marines for Prometheus’s, Prometheus’, Prome2heus, Promethei, the sequel.

PS – the Alien references are there and blatantly obvious but you can find them for yourselves!