gcats-1 Reviews

Eastern Promises (2007)

From Russia with Love

[8/10 · 23 February 2008]

From the cold dark allies of London emerges the ruthless reality of Russian mobsters who in their primitive minds confuse their evil reality with their family values. Amongst their family gatherings and birthday parties for their mothers we uncover the evil they conceal so well of poor underage girls who are lured from Russia under the pretext of promises of a better life only to find themselves thrown in a septic pit of rape, prostitution and heroin addiction. Cronenberg portrays this contradiction so well. He exposes the hypocrisy from the coldness in the actors' eyes right down to the sombre violin playing. Armin Mueller-Stahl who plays the part of ruthless cold blooded murdering head of the family tells his daughters to make the wood cry as they are playing the violin. So too are the poor young girls crying that are held hostage and beaten and used as sex slaves by his son played by Vincent Cassel. Amongst the cruelty there is some salvation and retribution when one of the young girls that falls pregnant, escapes from the cruelty and leaves an incriminating diary behind that falls into the hands of a hospital nurse that assists in the birth of her baby. The birth of the baby signifies the beginning of the end for the mob boss as it gives undercover police agent played by Viggo Mortensen the opportunity he needs to get closer to the top. Mortensen is superb for the part; even his violent scenes are clinically perfect, right to his surgical and carefully planned takeover as head of the family. Altogether a superb film with great acting; Cronenberg at his usual thrilling best.

Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

Broadway ... at its realistic ,emotional,melodranatic, best..

[8/10 · 17 February 2008]

Trial and tribulations of a struggling, insecure playwright amongst the manipulative, emotional, melodramatic, compulsive eating actors; crazy love sick mob financiers and a gangster body guard who is a creative literary, temperamental genius right until his poetic death. Broadway at its best where when everything seems to go wrong, everything is actually going right and when things go wrong, they are actually terrible. John Cusack is at his emotional dramatic best. His interaction with the Sicilian, operatic and charismatic Chazz Palminteri is sensational. Where else but in Broadway will a playwright get advice from a gangster about real life? Dianne Wiest is of course the ultimate melodramatic queen of the theatre manipulating everyone to her hearts content.. This film is wonderfully entertaining, which will make you laugh and think right until the curtain falls.

Rambo (2008)

The Warrior is back!!!

[10/10 · 17 February 2008]

Sylvester Stallone is Rambo and Rambo is Sylvester Stallone... I was on the edge of my seat, my heart was raising, palms were clammy , filled with emotion, anger, joy and satisfaction when the bad guys got obliterated by the true all time warrior of the big screen,, Rambo is back, better, meaner, angrier, powerful, explosive and larger than ever before.. When the bad guys need to be taken out there is only one solution... Rambo... Set in the jungle in Burma, Rambo emerges like a biblical figure and swoops down like the Archangel Gabriel from the heavens to vaporise all that is evil and to bring salvation to the innocent. Stallone I salute you, I bow before you. Arnold, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Willis eat you heart out... Can't wait for Rambo 5,6,7,8!!!!!!!!

The Bravados (1958)

True Justice

[9/10 · 11 February 2008]

Screen great, Gregory Peck fights evil and religious torment by chasing after condemned bank robbers who escape from jail the night before their scheduled hanging, who he suspects killed and raped his wife only to find later that he has pursued and killed the wrong men. Despite this he finds atonement from a priest and a lady friend of his played by the beautiful Joan Collins. Lee van Cleef portrays one of the bad guys in his usual eye piercing style. Peck is his usual confident, upstanding and righteous self making this film another one of his master pieces in film history. His overwhelming stature always takes control of the screen and the rest of the cast controlling and captivating our undivided attention to the very end.

The Hunting Party (2007)

The tragedies of Bosnia and Serbia.

[6/10 · 11 February 2008]

This film emphasises the horrors of the Bosnian war. It emphasises the suffering of the people both Muslim and Christian who inhabited the country and who were in the centre of an ideological battle which did not benefit anyone and which tormented everyone by causing endless suffering. Again as in many films we see that war does not benefit anyone and neither does revenge. So too does outside influence by other countries serve no purpose besides to add to the confusion of the situation. All this we see through the eyes of the three journalists led by Richard Gere, who tour the countryside in seek of a good story, fame and revenge. Terrence Howard and the young Jesse Eisenberg portray their roles quite well. If you have seen Richard Gere in his many revered big screen roles, I personally feel you are going to be disappointed with his performance this time round. I expected more in comparison to his great drama roles in the past. His role in his previous film, "The Hoax" was brilliant in comparison to this one. There was just something missing if one compares his acting to his usual outstanding performance. Overall though,this is an entertaining film which is worth watching.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

A day in the life of a private detective in Hollywood

[7/10 · 16 January 2008]

Val Kilmer plays a Hollywood private detective who is far too cynical about his work. At a wealthy client's party he stumbles onto a petty thief played by Robert Downey Jr. who is accidentally hired as an actor after he runs into a screening set in an attempt to escape from the police after he is caught breaking into a toy store stealing Christmas presents. Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. accidentally team up and Downey ends up being Kilmer's side kick in the strange events that follow. Both of them become embroiled in solving the murder of a young girl whose body they stumble upon. Without knowing who really is his client Kilmer has hilarious nervous breakdowns and tantrums while Downey plays the self righteous troubled soul to perfection. What follows is a hilarious, emotional and chaotic chase to catch the bad guys and avoid all the flying bullets right up to the happy ending.

True Believer (1989)

Justice is Blind!!

[8/10 · 14 January 2008]

Edward Dodd played by James Woods is the disillusioned cynical criminal lawyer who has made a career fighting for ideals such as justice, freedom and equality for all. Fighting against the abuses of the legal system he though has realised that the only way he can protect the ideals he treasures so much is by representing uncouth drug dealers who do not appreciate what he does for them. All of sudden a young idealistic lawyer out of law school played by Robert Downey Jr, joins his firm in pursuit of the same ideals as Edward Dodd. The young lawyer, despite been an irritation to Dodd starts reminding him of the way he was when he started his law practise. One day in his disillusioned state a mother walks into Dodd's office asking him to defend her son who has been falsely accused and convicted of murder. The young lawyer convinces Dodd to take the case and suddenly Dodd's spirit is revived and there is meaning amongst all the hypocrisy once more. The two lawyers then embark on a perilous journey uncovering the truth behind corrupt police officers and state prosecutors who believe that the end justifies the means. Woods is brilliant with his emotional outbursts fighting for justice and fairness against a system which has let him down so many times. Downy portrays the young naive idealist to perfection. Lots of suspense and drama right to the court room climax guaranteed to keep you in suspense right to the end.

Inside Man (2006)

Dirty secrets of the past should not be kept in bank safety deposit boxes...

[8/10 · 6 January 2008]

At the outset what appears to be a normal bank robbery is far from the truth. Soon enough the viewer realises that nothing is what it seems. A star studded cast spins a riveting web of intrigue, financial manipulation, greed and political manoeuvring. Spike Lee in directing the film has correctly placed Clive Owen in the centre of this web with his portrayal of the calculating methodical bank robber who is out to take advantage of a wealthy bank owner's secret past. Christopher Plummer perfectly portrays the wealthy bank owner in his pathetic plight to hide his greedy, shameful past and the inevitable revelation of his true greedy nature. As the film progresses Spike Lee brilliantly keeps the viewer immersed in his seat as the web is spun tighter and tighter stifling the bank owner's futile attempts from escaping from his past. Amongst the intrigue Jody Forster adds to the deceit and manipulation beautifully with her high society spin doctor role as she tries to take advantage of the situation whatever it maybe. Denzel Washington, the Detective who has to solve the case, beautifully portrays the cynical cop who with hidden vision unravels the truth for the viewers as he uncovers the truth with his ability to read between the lines. A great and exciting film with all the actors perfectly suited for their roles and excellently complimenting each other perfectly right to the exciting revelations at the end!!

Death Sentence (2007)

Pimitive justice within civilised society!!!!!!

[8/10 · 6 January 2008]

James Wan in directing the film, has portrayed the contradiction of justice and fairness in civilised society perfectly in the manner he transforms Kevin Bacon from the perfect civilised successful statistically correct family man to a ruthless blood thirsty primitive hunter who will not rest until he balances the scales of primitive justice by spilling the blood of those who in a senseless killing took the life of his son. The film starts with the perfect family setting and Bacon is portrayed as the successful family father figure within a modern civilised society. But the perfect setting instantly crumbles away when his son is brutally and senselessly killed in a gang robbery. Amidst the sorrow and grief the transformation of Bacon begins as he realises that his perfect civilised society is not as perfect as he initially thought. Reality sets in the court room when he realises that the legal system cannot satisfy his need for justice for the death of his son. Suddenly the primitive seed planted deep within his soul starts to receive the nourishment that it needs from the aggrieved father's need for revenge and it grows rapidly and transforms Bacon into a killer who sets out on a killing spree. This of course has repercussions and the weak inept civilised justice system can't help him. This leads to further deaths and tragedy in Bacon's perfect family life and culminates to the final showdown where we see the final transformation of Bacon into the ruthless killing crusader who will stop at nothing until he satisfies his primitive need for revenge. This is Bacon at his best portraying the contradictory emotions and torment perfectly leaving the viewer with the same torment right to the bitter end; the sweet taste of revenge on the one hand and the sense of guilt on the other...

I Love Trouble (1994)

Opposites Attract

[7/10 · 2 January 2008]

This is a wonderfully entertaining love story, spiced up with adventure and intrigue. Nick Nolte plays the rough, tough male chauvinist while Julia Roberts charms us with her usual warm and attractive personality. The two are competing newspaper reporters who while chasing after the same headline story stumble upon a government and corporate conspiracy to conceal the truth about genetically enhanced milk producing cows. The director has beautifully combined the excitement of uncovering the conspiracy with the excitement of Nolte and Roberts falling in love. The interaction and chemistry between Nolte and Roberts is acted out superbly, never too much, never too little just enough to keep you excited with them to the very end.

Midsomer Murders (1997– )

The next best sleuth to Sherlock Holmes!

[8/10 · 1 January 2008]

Great script, lots of intrigue coupled with gripping suspense, and neatly rounded off with tongue and cheek English humour. John Nettles leads the show with his outstanding performance of the modern day Sherlock Holmes who apprehends those most foul who taint the serene English country side. The cast compliment each perfectly right down to the nasty malicious greedy cunning and sometimes weird murderers. Nothing though slips through the net of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, played by Nettles, who with his astute talent for observing the hidden facts lurking in the shadows of the sleepy English country side, apprehends the "bad guys" with absolute style.

War Hunt (1962)

Was the Korean War necessary?

[6/10 · 1 January 2008]

At the outset the film appears to be about the typical effects of war and its effects upon the soldiers and population surrounded by it. A closer look though reveals the questioning of the purpose of the Korean War. Besides the negative psychological effects upon the soldiers; they constantly seem to ask themselves, through the eyes of Robert Redford, what the purpose behind the killing is. We are constantly reminded that this was a war fought by the politicians and bankers to the detriment of the soldiers and the Korean people who suffered. This is ironically depicted when we see a group of soldiers being driven to the front while one of them is looking at the price of Wall Street stock prices. Redford in this, one of his early film debuts, dramatically questions the senseless violence. This is emphasised at the end of the film by the senseless killing of a fellow American soldier who looses control over his ability to distinguish between killing as a soldier and for no reason at all.