…I really liked “Defiance.” To my mind it might be Ed Zwick’s finest film since “Legends of the Fall,” largely because he’s busied himself with more-trite-than-usual material for the last few years. It isn’t a grand slam more so than a steadily guided ship and for the most part, it works.
I’m heading out the door, but viewers will start trickling out of the film in a few hours, so I thought I’d better go ahead and get a quick assessment up. The real surprise, given the peculiarities of the season, is that the film has successfully remained under embargo for the last three weeks. But for now, I’ll say that Eduardo Serra’s photography is absolutely gorgeous, reminding of the picturesque qualities John Toll made his own in the 1990s. The winter scenes in particular really pop and there is one shot, slowly telegraphing the fate of a noble steed, that will surely end up on my “best shots of the year” column this season.
James Newton Howard’s score, meanwhile, assisted by the lovely violin brilliance of Josh Bell, is destined for an Oscar nomination. It’s nice to see him having fun with strings this year (the music in “The Happening” was the only reason to sit through the film).
As for performances, Daniel Craig is solid, Liev Schreiber gets the showy role and pulls it off nicely, but I was strangely taken by Jamie Bell’s work here. His was the most believable portrayal of the lot and he certainly had less to work with than anyone else. He brings a quiet power and reminds us yet again that he’s going to be a superstar someday. Soon.
Anyway, shitty to leave it at that, but I have to run. I’ll get up a proper review or short take soon enough.
Comments
18 responses to “No time for a proper review, but…”
Best picture material?
This makes me feel a lot better about seeing it now.
Ah, now I’m confident. I think it looks excellent, so your comments are refreshing. I was thinking you might be disappointed, but obviously not. Now I can’t wait even more!
Question, Kris: Are you as, for lack of a better word, flustered as I am with the inundation of WWII-era films over the last few years? Three fantastic foreign films (Downfall, The Lives of Others, The Counterfeiters), and a bevy of new American takes (Good, Valkyrie, Defiance) seem to be milking the favoritism that the Academy shows to such weighty endeavors.
I’m not saying that any of the films have been or will be bad, but I also don’t want mainstream filmmaking to fall into a conceptual retread.
By the way, over the month or so, I have checked this site every day and have seen no news about Good, which I believe is still slated to be released this year. Any status updates?
Apparently it came and went at Toronto. Interest level is pretty low at this point. From my end anyway.
The Lives of Others has absolutely nothing to do with WWII or Nazi Germany. Its focuse is on DDR and it takes place some 40 years after the war….
Thats like sayng Burnt By The Sun is a drama taking place in the Russian Empire its just plain wrong.
Zan: We reported on Good’s indifferent Toronto reception, with a damning Variety review, here:
http://www.incontention.com/?p=1737
And John reviewed the film at Toronto here:
http://www.incontention.com/?p=1766
Everything I’ve heard about the film so far suggests that it’s a failure, so that’s why we haven’t been reporting on it. Personally, I’m not surprised — I thought that trailer was stodgy as hell.
And Mantas is right, Zan — have you actually seen “The Lives of Others?”
That error aside, I kind of agree that the WWII card has been overplayed a bit lately. No sign of stopping though.
I don’t believe Zan’s seen “The Counterfeiters” either, otherwise he wouldn’t claim it was fantastic.
You should know how big a part that war still has in some countries. Here in the Netherlands it’s been the top movie subject for years, and children are still being taught about the war and it’s consequences for the country. In Germany they’ve finally come to terms with their deeply troubling past. Downfall, Lives, Baader-Meinhof are all films about certain dark areas in their history that haven’t been revealed in cinemas before. So for Europe, that’s one explanation.
For the US, I think there’s a wave of testimony going on about individuals rather than entire groups or soldiers during the war. It kind off started with The Pianist, but the focus on a certain person or small group within the larger confines of the war has become a larger issue these days. People need heroic tales of individuals standing up and fight.
Well played, Chris, well played.
God, The Counterfeiters was tripe.
Do you think there’s any chanceof best picture nomination for Defiance?
Damn. Really want to see Defiance. Started reading the script and immediately liking it.
You guys are off your rockers about The Counterfeiters though, yikes.
Well, at this rate, I could see this getting as many as 7 or 8 noms. Or maybe only a couple (technicals). I would assume that it’s success rate depends on the screeners getting out there, because it’s being released so late, no?
Error was my bad on The Lives of Others. I was completely absorbed by thinking all the latest German films (though The Counterfeiters was Austrian) were WWII-based. :) And yes, I did see the film, but I was kind of half-awake.
As for The Counterfeiters, I could not disagree an iota more. From the suspenseful pacing a la Das Boot to the reserved heroics of Karl Markovics, the film was a exercise in period filmmaking. The production design, the apparel, the understated dialogue– all lend credibility to it as a whole. Forgive me for liking a protagonist (if you want to call him that) facing down moral dilemmas, but I believe it at least makes for an intriguing, seamless narrative, unlike a lot of the other recycled crap out there.
[…] early reviews suggest that “Defiance” will continue that pattern. Though Kris had positive words for the film, the trade papers are significantly harsher, tossing out phrases like […]