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I'm still gonna see it this weekend. I enjoyed all of the Oceans films to some extent and I'm very very easily entertained. I mean I watched The Number 23 with Jim Carrey last night and I enjoyed it so you see how easily entertained I am. Not to mention I have a crap worth of Fandango gift cards to use so it won't cost me anything.
:)) Well, you should be alright with most movies then.
I'm definitely planning to see LL myself whenever it gets to my neck of the woods.
Try and go in unbiased then dont let me spoil the fun
I had only seen one trailer and that was just before I decide to go see it yesterday. This was one of those movies that I had no idea what to expect when I went in. This is probably going to be in my top five for 2017. The movie was simple, yet tense. The movie is written by Taylor Sheridan who also wrote Sicario and Hell or High Water. Wind River was so good that I feel I need to give Sicario another chance and I need to get around to Hell or High Water.
Looks good. Got to be worth a look if it's from the writer of Hell Or High Water. Loved that film.
You and I both. An incredible modern-day western.
One of my favourite films of last year. And not surprisingly Sicario was one of my best films the year before that!
You and I both! I might have to find the time to rewatch 'Hell or High Water' again soon before I have the chance to catch 'Wind River.' I'm a big fan of Sheridan's.
The Shark has well and truly been jumped!
This could be the film that sets Marvel down a path that will derail them for a while.
@chrisisall,
I understand not feeling into the film if you don't support what the protagonist is doing, but Jack's gray and contradictory morality feels very human to me, and really, honest; if I felt otherwise I'd not be able to enjoy most noirs, mob films, spy films and war movies for the bad things men and women do for either good or bad reasons in them. Jack isn't glorified, he's just built up as a survivor and you either take it or leave it because that's the kind of man who would be in those situations. It was interesting for me to see him battle with his morality and the choices he'd made, thinking he was lost to any ideas of heave and bound for hell for what he's done. I think it's the act he takes at the start that makes him change his life, as it haunts him and shows him that he's no longer made for the job and doesn't want anything to do with it anymore if he must act so coldly to do it. I also don't think it's an accident that Clara, the woman he selects at the brothel, is a doppelganger of the woman he kills at the beginning, and I see that as Jack finding a way to get a second chance with a woman he doesn't want his past life to harm. He was seeking some penance while changing his ways.
It's a shame that this is a similar thing that happened with you and I and Blade Runner, where a film you loved was one that left me cold and for similar reasons as The American didn't seem to strike you.
The reason that The American works for me while Blade Runner leaves me cold is that I simply find the characters to be well acted and written in the former and not at all in the latter outside of Rutger's character. I was hoping that what I saw as improved writing and more adept characterization and subtle themes in the spy film would attract you as you enjoy what I see as a weaker execution of those same things in Blade Runner.
Incredibly well analyzed sir! I must consider this a bit before an extended & intelligent response. You have given me much to consider here!
Hmmmm, seems similar. Nothing new under the (eclipsing) sun, eh?
Taylor Sheridan’s directorial debut is a moody, tense thriller. The writer of the screenplays for the critically acclaimed Sicario and Hell or High Water brings the same keen insights into the underbelly of American life here. On its face it’s a relatively simple murder mystery on a Wyoming Native American reservation. While that element is quite interesting in itself, it’s not what draws the viewer in. Rather, it’s the strength of the main characters which is the real attraction here. Jeremy Renner gives a moving and credible performance as Cory Lambert, a wildlife tracker with a past. Elisabeth Olsen is also really good as an out of town FBI investigator. The always excellent Graham Greene stars as Ben, the local reservation chief. The film reminds me a little of Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia. It’s very atmospheric and Ben Richardson’s cinematography really showcases the barren nature of the setting, making us feel the bitter cold. Sheridan expertly immerses us into the lives of the residents, and it’s difficult not to be absorbed by their despaired circumstances and difficulties due to the emotional depth of the screenplay. It’s quite an excellent film. Recommended.
The essence of why I don't fancy The American much (besides the fact that it's well crafted, well acted, and amazing to look at) while Blade Runner is one of my top 5 films of all time is that Deckard evolves, where as Jack simply wants (needs) to escape. Deckard, in the end, makes an enlightened choice to love despite the danger & previous training/indoctrination based upon new information & lessons learned about how precious life is.... Jack merely reacts to his situation in self interest/survival. His character doesn't get a chance to redeem himself through enlightenment. The fact that the movie is entitled "The American" hints at what is wrong with us as a country... and depicts no deeper understanding of how to fix it. Therein lies my personal distinction between the two.
However, @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 , they are quite similar films. My takeaway from Blade Runner could be pretty much your takeaway from The American. There is no right or wrong to it IMO.
@chrisisall, at the very least I hope you've not closed yourself off to the possibility of returning to The American again in the future, as I hope to do in exploring Blade Runner and finding a way to that material in a more agreeable fashion.
As I'm always quick to say, it's a divisive film and will hit people hot and cold depending on their tastes, what they like in their movies and maybe even their mood or appetite at the time of the viewing. To give you some context, my start with The American was pretty strained too. I saw it in theaters the moment it came out, and I think that I fell for the trailers that showed a mix of espionage and brutal action in the Bond vein. In reality the trailers simply took all the bits of action in the film and put it in the trailer to make the film look like something it wasn't, disguising a quiet and moody character story for an action piece. I think it's that mis-marketing that not only hurt the film for others, but for me as well because I went into it not knowing that I was getting something different. I also saw the film with my mother because I was obviously too young to drive myself at the time, and now that you have seen the film you understand why that was awkward.
I ultimately came away not enjoying it and feeling left cold by it, if I remember correctly. It took me many years of maturation as a kid and as a film fan to open my eyes to all kinds of cinema, and with that education and greater sense for the power of subtle films, I came back to The American at a much older age that allowed me to appreciate it for what it was and not what I expected it to be. And I actually prefer it now and find it refreshing for what it isn't.
If one also treats the symbol of the butterfly and Jack's obsession with them as a representation or sense of escape, it's a very tragic story where a man has no redemption and doesn't ever get what he wants no matter how much he wants to be a better man; the film paints no easy and safe road for him, and his penance gets no pay off. Like the white butterfly he sees resting on the arm of the female agent in the woods, Jack is "endangered" from the start and is marking time. It's hard to tell if he believed he could live a life of escape and freedom with Clara, but as a viewer it's clear that his hopes and dreams were nothing more than a fantasy that he conned himself to believe.
If you ever give the film another watch or anything strikes you about it that you want to discuss, feel free to PM me or anything of the sort. I love discussing this movie and I'm glad that you gave it a try and found at least some things to enjoy about it, and could appreciate it for what it was trying to be, very much in the vein of the grounded and cynical 70s films with a European bent and style. A lot of people write it off and resent it, but from what I've heard of your reaction you grasped the intentions of the film and understood what the filmmakers were trying to emulate and spin tone wise for audiences. Cheers, my friend.
I understand that completely, @chrisisall. I agree that, because Blade Runner is bigger in scope there is definitely more of a distraction to it, as the visuals take you over and you're left trying to suck it up in a way that stops one from jumping so swiftly to conclusions on some of the characters; the themes are also bigger, like creator and creation, despite both films tackling very existential questions through the characters. Because The American by contrast is very grounded, the effect is more immediate and the themes are also very subdued to perhaps more of a degree than Blade Runner simply because that movie has had decades to be crystallized and thought over. I feel like one has to work harder to see the messages of The American and depending on the viewer you can come out of it with a different understanding of the characters than another.
It's interesting when films make you feel things, and you have to admit to it, but at times don't enjoy the feeling. When a movie hurts you, basically, and you feel it for a while as if it was real. A very strange experience, that.
Agreed. I can't believe the good notices this has had. I swear audiences and critics are becoming more and more dumber and easily pleased.
Great movie. Glad you finaly decided to see it. It's in my collection, but haven't watched it in a couple of years. I should watch it again soon.
ATOMIC BLONDE
Very good stuff. Not so much John Wick as it is John Le Carrè by way of Jason Bourne, Theron is beautiful and dangerous in it. The plot is dense and takes a long time to get moving, but the action is plentiful and bone crunching and unlike a lot of lesser female action stars, you actually believe that Theron is capable of taking down a man twice her size. She makes it look very convincing. One long take fight sequence near the end of the film stood out in particular.
The character is smart and elegant, supported by an absolutely killer soundtrack and a strong supporting cast from McAvoy to Goodman.
Also, did I mention that she has a two minute lovemaking scene with Sofia Boutella?
That's an extra star in its favour.
I think the psychedelic effects blindsides people, I could see what the director was trying to do though it was too cringeworthy at times.
All the effects did for me was give me a migraine! And the choice of songs was so bloody predictable.
If you need Cat Stevens to lend your final scenes some gravitas then you're in trouble!
What a total blast. 2 hours of non stop action and bantering between Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson (who dropped the 'motherf*cker' bomb over 20/30 times in the film). The film was equally hugely entertaining by it's super badass action scenes (huge bodycount for both Reynolds and Sam Jackson), and the hilarious insults/bickering betwen the 2 leads. Salma Hayek was as beautiful as ever, and Gary Oldman gave another OTT villain performance from his 'Air Force One' days. After 'Atomic Blonde' last week, this is another new action flick I can't wait to own on Blu Ray to binge watch. And I would gladly welcome a sequel to this film.
Next week, I hope to catch Wind River in theaters.
Heavily recommended.