by Lynda Del Sasso
Ghost Dog
USA 1999, Cert. 15
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Star rating * * *
Ghost Dog The Way of The
Samurai, to give it its full title, is essentially a study of
a mysterious assassin, an urban loner who is guided by the
strict code of an ancient Samurai text. Ghost Dog (Forest
Whitaker) lives an honourable existence in Samurai terms,
working for a man who saved his life some years previously and
so became his 'master'. This man, Louie (John Tormey)
unfortunately is a small time gangster. When the inept and
ageing Mob bosses decide that Ghost Dog should be killed, the
Samurai warrior turns on them to save himself, but his ethical
code forbids him to murder his master.
More conventional in narrative terms than Jarmusch's previous
works (Night on Earth, Mystery Train) Ghost Dog works as a
contemplative character study but is less successful as a
gangster thriller. An unusual mixture of arthouse and
mainstream, with lethal but bumbling gangsters, an honourable
yet murderous main character, this is nonetheless a typical
Jarmusch film - full of comedic and serious contrasts. Forest
Whitaker delivers a soulful performance as Ghost Dog, as does
Isaach de Bankole as his only friend, a French-speaking
ice-cream seller. Unfortunately the device of portraying all
Mafia-mobsters as dim-witted fools effectively detracts from
the dark melancholic edge and dilutes the whole, lending it a
rather irritatingly light-hearted and ultimately
unsatisfactory tone.
Duke of York's from May 5
Circus
UK 1999, Cert. 18
Director: Rob Walker
Star rating *
Starring John Hannah, set in
Brighton and billed as a 'hip, wild crime thriller with more
twists than a rollercoaster', you'd imagine that Circus would
have a lot going for it. You'd be wrong. The main performances
are adequate enough, but even John Hannah, Amanda Donohoe and
the talented Eddie Izzard cannot rescue the lamentable script
or disguise the sad fact that this whole production is nothing
more than a wannabe Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels clone.
Brian Conley plays a sadistic gangland boss double-crossed by
his own conman… scam of a lifetime… (yawn!)… it's all
boringly predictable. The only interesting glimmer of light in
this dismal film is that the set designer obviously trained at
the OTT school of theatrics. Having John Hannah's character
sleeping in a rowing boat suspended from the ceiling of his
Brighton flat must have seemed a brilliant wheeze at the time
- and would have been fine, had this been a stage musical. A
few stalwart cinema-goers may be tempted to see Circus for the
interesting Brighton locations. Save your money. Even the
locations are faked. Brighton Station in the film isn't
Brighton Station at all but some rural station masquerading as
Brighton, just as Circus isn't a pacy crime thriller but a
pale imitation of one.
Odeon from May 5
Gladiator
USA 2000, Cert. tbc
Director: Ridley Scott
Star rating * * * *
Heroic Roman General Maximus
(Russell Crowe), having led his troops to bloody victory in
Germania, dreams of home. The dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius
(Richard Harris) commands him to take power in Rome and rid it
of corruption. The Emperor's power-crazed son, Commodus
(Joaquin Phoenix), jealous of Maximus, orders his execution.
Maximus narrowly escapes but is forced into slavery, and so
begins a screen adventure of epic proportions.
An impressive cast includes Derek Jacobi and Oliver Reed.
(Always a trooper, Ollie was digitally resurrected to finish
his role as gladiator-trainer Proximo, after he died during
filming). Russell Crowe, crumpled and overweight in his last
role as Dr Jeffrey Wigand in The Insider, has undergone an
astonishing physical transformation. Suddenly he is Maximus,
the most muscular and charismatic fighting machine the ancient
Roman Empire has to offer. Maximus is a powerful force to be
reckoned with and in terms of screen presence, Crowe the actor
is enormous. His faultless performance elevates the film,
which will undoubtedly become a classic, much as Kirk
Douglas's central performance defined Sparticus some 40 years
ago. Joaquin Phoenix too puts in a superb performance as a
wonderfully vulnerable and plausible villain. Gladiator and
Sparticus have much in common and Gladiator stands up to
comparison with the earlier classic well. Visually, in
addition to the expected epic-scale cinematography, Gladiator
makes use of the latest CGI technology to recreate ancient
Roman and to enhance the terrifying battle sequences. Artistic
licence has been used to some extent to heighten the drama and
the historical aspects may not be 100 per cent accurate, but
Ridley Scott has created such a magnificent whole that the
detail can be overlooked. Gladiator is a full-scale epic in
the old-fashioned sense - thrills, excitement, spectacle,
romance, you name it - it's all there and beautifully crafted
for your cinema-going delight.
Odeon & UGC from May 12
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