Criticalstaff

I never knew Paul Thomas Anderson was this funny. I mean, many of his films have funny moments; for instance the noisy biscuit breakfast gag in Phantom Thread lives rent free in my head. Yet, this is really a funny film. And it is kind of unexpected. The plot of the film is rather linear and doesn't have anything for the main characters to do, but the distorted, yet plausibly accurate image it displays, that is what makes the film powerful. That is what makes me think of it as the best comedy of the year.

It is a legit comedy, yet it is mostly a dark comedy; the type of humor you shouldn't be laughing about. We see images of violent revolutionary acts, extrajudicial killings, police brutality, military deployment against civilians, fascistic secret societies. None of it is laughing matter, but the stroke of genius is turning all these elements to such ridiculous degree. Yet, never going over the top; never exaggerating the satire. It deals with stereotypes, it doesn't indulge in caricature. That is a refreshing tone that the movie lands on. And it makes for a very unique experience.

Plot wise, it feels very 60s counterculture setting, small groups of politically minded activist doing bank heists but transposed into JD Vance America. There is brutality and violence on both sides, but at the center you have varying father figures trying to compete with each other. Even Sensei Sergio St. Carlos or the Christmas Adventurers Club (God! The names are fun) are fatherly figures trying to shape the world they live in. But in this story, they are not merely influential forces at the edge; they are central in helping/hindering the heroes.

Bob and Lockjaw are opposites. Lockjaw rigid, stoic, even his gait looks like a rage-fueled effort. Bob is mellow, detached. To a fault, literally. They might have not been destined to meet, but thanks to the women of the film they follow a course that sends them crashing into each other. Neither of which win in a sense, even if Bob survives.

The women of the film are the real agents. It is a bit of a shame as they aren't the protagonists in the same way Bob and Lockjaw are; Perfidia's story ends quickly, and Willa's isn't the singular focus. Yet there is something remarkable about these stereotypes: they actually win.

It is a film that reminds me a lot of Sicario for the action. While also being the mirror image of Watchmen. Yet, whereas Watchmen was a very dumb movie that turned out to be smart by accident, here everything is purposeful and done with intent. Not only that but it is done masterfully.

It is a film that will become a reference of tongue in cheek ironic-non-ironic leftist propaganda, while also being an excellently crafted piece of cinema in its own right.

I've seen this film once I think, on TV a while ago. 25 years ago. It's true that the home "cinema" experience has progressed since the last thirty years; TVs are nicer better and larger. You can pause, fast forward, change subtitles and so on. Therefore, it feels I am seeing this film with fresh eyes, as if it was for the first time. And it was quite the trip to revisit this. I remember the film being rather dark in tone and not just comparing to the Lethal Weapon series, but just as an action movie it always remained more violent and extra intense. And upon rewatching, it is true just not in the way I thought.

I mean this movie is intense. It's extreme; it's unhinged. In some way it helps sell the idea that Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs is truly unhinged. But come on !

The Lethal Weapon presents us with a buddy cop duo that like ebony and ivory, fire and ice. The deranged loose cannon teamed up with the collected and straight forward older detective. What is funny is that the film starts somewhat grounded. At first there is an attempt of having a police investigation, following clues, questioning witnesses. It's just that the film itself throws it repeatedly out the window in favour of loud action set piece. And I'm not necessarily mad, because the action is exciting, the banter between characters is fun, but once the film ends it does feels like empty calories. What have we been watching?

There is also a non-negligible reference to the Vietnam War. And I get that when it was made it may have felt more recent, but it feels incredibly dated now. Even more so, it is a thematic motif that is only there to present an excuse for the bad guys to be ex-military. It does not really make sense. There is no commentary on the geo-political situation or the outcomes domestic or international. There is no shattering of innocence on the blood of a poor Asian country far away. It's just kind of tacked on, and it therefore cheapens the whole thing. It's a strange juxtaposition of a very serious and traumatic American historical event and a silly neo-film-noir pulp plot. It ceases to be a thematic motif and becomes distracting. Some might argue Vietnam was a manifestation of an ingrained American expansionist impulse that had moved beyond territorial acquisition to the global projection of American power and ideology. Here it's the reason Riggs has the same tattoo as the bad guy.

Yet, you can't fault the film on its charm. On its pizzaz. On its genuine "it" factor. The script has it, the actors have it, the musical score by Eric Clapton has it. If there is something a film needs to be successful and enjoyable it's charm. That the magic secret ingredient that this film deploys like it were half a million US troops in an individual rotation system.

This might be a pinnacle of British humour.

I've always loved this film. I think it is so creative, so expressive, so unique. It manages to be somber and goofy at the same time. Zany but ponderous.

It is technically a dystopia, yet it is one of the funniest films ever. It's the dumb jokes but done with cleverness. It wears its absurdity on its sleeve; ironically it kind of rings truer than if it would have been played straight. The ultimate joke the film delivers might be in nailing the absurdist nature of authoritarianism.

We follow the day in the life of Lowry, a unremarkable, timid, office clerk who has dreams and fantasies of flying around and being a hero. He dreams of woman, that he can't save. As it turns out, this woman exists and she almost the complete opposite of Lowry. Dashing, courageous, bold, selfless. It is almost a shame the film doesn't follow her story; but that is also one of the jokes, our hero is weak and pathetic. In the fascistic world of Brazil everything is upside down. Nothing makes sense.

The film is crazy and dumb and loud, but it remains eerily poetic. The dream scenes, as much as the nightmares, have a very serene and peaceful tone to them. But that is precisely why it works, because it achieves balances between all these things.

There is no really other film like it, none of the Monty Python ones, nor the myriad of adaptations of the book. Nothing really matches the same tone it has, and even fewer know how to pull it off.