etien55

This film though not one of Tim Roth's best, is one that should be seen by those interested in his career. It is a pivotal film, one in which he transforms himself into an American gangster/hood/waster small bit anti-hero. The film takes us to the Bronx and the dialogue though it was written in the 1990's reminds one of the kind of a 1970's film in which the heroes look back to their childhood place. Remember where we played ball. Remember where that kid Bluey threw a brick down from the building.That kind of thing. Roth is a de Niro. I mean the hand in the jacket pocket, the swagger, the punchdrunk interjections, the hands and the eye movement. It is de Niro. Almost to the point of parody. I couldn't focus on the film because of these mannerisms, and yet I felt this was interesting because it showed the method of acting where the actor copies the actor who used the Stanislavsky method copying life. The film on the whole would have benefitted from being on stage --it would make a great play --but a film, no.

I watched this film at my friend's behest. We sat there at first we were taken in by the seriousness of the play. I mean it is a tragedy, and it is Shakespeare, and think someone must have told Mel Gibson the same. They must have taken him to one side and said. Mel Hamlet is not Lethal Weapon, we are talking class acting --go and study the late Larry Olivier. He did. Mel looks like Olivier --bleached --a bit also like David Hemmings --and with this new hair color --he becomes tragic. Not. I waited to see how he would deal with the greatest lines in the play and I noticed --and how deadly this is in films, and at that point you lose interest in everything but this, this head movement. The director must of told Mel to move his head in a "tragic way" like Larry did. And it is sublime. It is so, so, funny. I couldn't help but think of those dogs in the back of car bobbing up and down. And you know what --I laughed and laughed. This is the funniest --unintentionally, film I have seen for ages. My respect for Mel went up. I think he has the potential for playing tragic parts, but he needs to find a better director and role model.

Film-makers and movie-goers should see this film. It high-lights major problems with this genre. If we start with the use of studios and the penchant for special effects. This means that the sets are always, dark, and more than often that they are in derelict buildings. The models used are constructed by similar thinking people. The film itself is constructed on stereotypical binaries. The German accented villain - is unfortunate, it is built on I think a less than subliminated version of the Second World War. Brunettes, blondes, Germans, Jews, dirty faced children, clean children, war, peace, black, white. They are cliches.The dialogue could have been written on a beer mat. The acting was deplorable. Wooden. Why do people waste money on such a production? Yet there are so many like this.Given the same material and same budget I could have made a much better movie. I think Philip Roth should hang his head in shame. But as I said before. Watch it and study the formulaic, the stereotypes, the cliches --indeed this film should be put on the viewing list of film courses. A must to see.