Beau Travail
France 1999, Cert. 15
Director: Claire Denis
Star Rating * * *
Former sergeant major Galoup
(Denis Lavant) reminisces from Marseilles on his French
Foreign Legion experiences. While
he, as second in command, trains with a platoon near the Gulf
of Djibouti in the African desert, a new young recruit,
Sentain (Gregoire Colin), arrives and unwittingly disrupts the
order of his life. Galoup is jealous of the attention this new
soldier receives from his beloved commandant Bruno (Michel
Subor), and so resolves to discredit him.
Galoup, although in a relationship with a female prostitute,
is also clearly attracted to his male commander, Bruno.
Galoup's admiration and love for Bruno is obvious yet never
outwardly acknowledged, except in his treatment of the
recruit, whom he views as a rival.
This very European, almost minimalist study of sexual
repression and frustration builds slowly, using dialogue
sparingly. The imagery is elegant and striking, creating its
own tension and mystery by charting in detail the repetitive
training of male bodies exercising and sweating in the arid
heat. Facial expressions, desolate landscapes, rocks - all
seem to pulse with expectation. Women are kept very much at a
distance and are seen only as dancers in the disco, always
remote from the males, who are bonded as a group…
Although there isn't much in the way of conventional plot,
this unusual film has many memorable moments - including a
wholly unexpected dance by Galoup to the club anthem The
Rhythm of The Night, near the end. Mesmerising.
Duke of York's
The Perfect Storm
USA 2000, Cert. 12
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Star Rating * * *
In Gloucester, Massachusetts,
Billy Tyne (George Clooney) is a veteran fisherman who has
recently suffered a run of disappointing catches. His crew
consists of Bobby Shatford (Mark Wahlberg) deeply in love but
desperately short of money, Bugsy (John Hawkes) a lonely local
misfit, and a few other rather one-dimensional characters.
Against sensible advice (but of course!) the captain decides
to take their swordfishing boat out to a remote area in search
of a profitable catch. Unfortunately a Force 12 storm just
happens to be gathering in the same area… and our heroic
crew sails smack into the middle of it.
Based on Sebastian Junger's best-selling book of the same
name, which in turn is based on the true story of events at
sea on Halloween night 1991, The Perfect Storm is billed as a
'dramatic presentation' with all main characters in the film
representing real individuals.
With Wolfgang (Das Boot) Petersen directing, Oscar-winner John
Seale (The English Patient) in charge of cinematography, music
composed by James Horner (Titanic) and state-of-the-art visual
effects provided by Industrial Light and Magic, this film
arrives with quite a pedigree, not to mention a $100m-plus
budget.
And yes, the special effects are indeed impressive, but except
for those seriously into storms and extended images of rough
seas and wind-lashed actors, The Perfect Storm may come over
as a less than enthralling experience. The actors perform
well, particularly reformed bad boy rapper 'Marky Mark'
Wahlberg (aka Boogie Nights' Dirk Diggler) and John Hawkes as
the socially inept engineer, but alas the script, as is so
often the case, lets the whole production down. Screenwriter
Bill Wittliff (who also penned Legends of The Fall) has
created a bunch of stereotypes - a maverick captain, his
honest, hard-working first mate, two minor crew members who
despise each other, and a lonely misfit who finds love just as
he leaves shore… oh perrlease. Personally, I felt more
compassion for the poor swordfish the crew were slaughtering
with bloody abandon. When the storm struck it was difficult to
be too concerned for the characters because they didn't engage
as real people. However, the cinematography is first class,
and for a convincing impression of what it must be like to
encounter a Force 12 gale at sea, The Perfect Storm is
certainly worth a look. www.perfectstorm.com
Brighton Odeon
|
