Law Abiding Citizen
I avoided this movie while it was in the theater based on the impression that it was just going to be a mindless killing spree ochestrated by the wrath of Clyde (Butler), in which would be followed by unnecessary violence and gore. Surprisingly it was a very enjoyable, but intense movie. The ending was very hollywood, but the moral suggestions throughout this movie were intriguing. Clyde watches helplessly as his wife and daughter are murdered before his eyes, and you're undoubtedly on his side, but then the the two sides become divided when Clyde begins to kill people. Nick (Jamie Foxx) now seems to be the apparent good-guy, with a family of his own and doing what "he" believes is the right thing in the name of the law. Clyde brings an excellent argument though. He questions the poor legal system and Nick. What makes you think twice about Nick though is that you learn Nick is more concerned with his conviction rate and doesn't care about Clyde as he accepted the deal with the murderer even before consulting with Butler. So now the overall moral argument is: "Are Butler's killings more justified than the legal system and Nick's sloppy and selfish judgement, releasing murders and rapists back into the streets?". That's the ultimate question of the movie, "Is it possible that the legal system can actually benefit the criminals more than the victims?" 8 out of 10. Outstanding performance from Butler, the movie ending slips a little though.
Law Abiding Citizen
Butler hanging on to his daughter's memory
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Chasing Ghosts in "Shutter Island"
Shutter Island
What you can expect from a movie like Shutter Island, at least you'd think, would be suspense and the seemingly overall creepy, noir atmosphere presented from the early trailers. Only one problem, I did not find any of this when I saw the movie. The beginning began slightly creepy, but quickly degraded to a directionless chase for the next hour and a half. An element that can make a movie so engrossing is the fact that as you are watching you are connected to the character and forget that it's even an actor playing the role. This is what makes The Dark Knight and other movies like Gran Torino so good is that you are in the movie and that the choices the characters make emotionally effect you. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't have that element. Leonardo DiCaprio is a good actor, but I have to think that this falls on Scorsese. There are too many awkward scenes that don't have anything to do with the rest of the movie and the tension never seemed to build as Scorsese tried to create a connection to Daniel's (DiCaprio) with repetitive flashbacks that distort the movie. 6 out of 10. Excellent book translated into a watered down, anti-climatic version.
What you can expect from a movie like Shutter Island, at least you'd think, would be suspense and the seemingly overall creepy, noir atmosphere presented from the early trailers. Only one problem, I did not find any of this when I saw the movie. The beginning began slightly creepy, but quickly degraded to a directionless chase for the next hour and a half. An element that can make a movie so engrossing is the fact that as you are watching you are connected to the character and forget that it's even an actor playing the role. This is what makes The Dark Knight and other movies like Gran Torino so good is that you are in the movie and that the choices the characters make emotionally effect you. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't have that element. Leonardo DiCaprio is a good actor, but I have to think that this falls on Scorsese. There are too many awkward scenes that don't have anything to do with the rest of the movie and the tension never seemed to build as Scorsese tried to create a connection to Daniel's (DiCaprio) with repetitive flashbacks that distort the movie. 6 out of 10. Excellent book translated into a watered down, anti-climatic version.
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