A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY AND THE "CASUALTIES OF WAR"

Ok, so, there is actually a very good reason why a lot of my film theory books point out that the Vietnam war was one of the most “televised” wars in history, not necessarily in the same sense as the First Gulf War when we first got “live action” warfare but in the sense that there were many, many films made about it. I always am rather careful when I suggest war films. My dissertation topic means I have to watch a fair number of them (long story) but this has made me see that the good ones are very very good. The bad ones are horrid. Which complicates things even further because the “horrid” ones mean that sometimes very valid themes are put to one side as “oh been there, done that”. But they are actually truly worth talking about. Especially since this film about the Vietnam War and Brian De Palma’s latest film on the war in Iraq Redacted share, despite their many differences in theme, share some key scenes. Which means to me that despite time going by war is still war and we have a lot to learn… But enough philosophy, let’s get to this week’s fare. Casualties of War is, sad to say, a true story. Private Eriksson (played by Michael J. Fox who I haven’t seen around for years after is illness – I hope he’s doing alright…)is a new arrival in Vietnam. His squad seems to be an average group of guys. Their Sergeant, Meserve (played superbly by a young Sean Penn) is a bit rough but charismatic and an excellent soldier. His fellow soldiers seem an average group of guys. Until the squad is sent on a mission deep into the jungle. Angered by the recent death of a comrade and pushed to the brink by the horror of war, the squad decides to take their frustration out on the Vietnamese, or rather on one particular Vietnamese girl who is kidnapped from her village and taken with them as “portable r & r”. Eriksson cannot believe that his squad could be serious about this until the girl is actually among them, but once she is there Eriksson’s quest for justice in one of the locations he is least likely to find it begins. Like I said, the topic is not new. It isn’t new because stories like this, true stories, happen in every war. We are horrified to hear it yet a little jaded for having heard the story so many times before. For the victims however, the horror is very new. It doesn’t matter if they heard the story before. It is the first time they are witnessing /experiencing such a thing. And this is why the stories need to be told. Over and over if necessary. Until we figure out that war is a terrible thing. DePalma may well be accused of being overly emotional, the soaring, “typical” Hollywood scores and the emotional dialogue are all of a certain type of film. I am not a massive fan of his endings either (with the exception of Redacted – watch this space for the review on that one), they tend to be a little too “flowery” for my liking, a little too “fairy tale”. But Casualties of War is a good film. It is a very good film indeed. Don’t fall into the trap of saying *yawn. Another Vietnam film, let’s give it a miss.* The messages it has are universal.

SOME MURDER MYSTERY WITH : "THE BLACK DAHLIA"

Ok, back to civilian life now. Well, in fact, not quite. Anyone vaguely familiar with the work of Brian De Palma will know that he is mighty fond of his cops and robbers. Now the robbers we are all very much aware of, Scarface, Carlito, they have all gone down in history as the biggies of their time. So let us turn our attention to the cops for a second. If only because none of them has even come close to achieving the notoriety that Al Pacino has given the bad guys mentioned above. Los Angeles, 1940’s. Two ex-boxers Bucky (Josh Hartnett) and Lee (Aaron Eckhart) are partners in the police force. But they have quite a bit more than their careers tying them together. They are known as Mr. Fire and Mr. Ice; Lee; Mr. Fire is the emotional, out-going and gregarious one of the two, also a heavy-weight boxer and the one with more of a “glistening” career. Mr. Ice, Bucky, is calmer, quieter a lightweight (literally) and the more junior cop of the two. But all their differences don’t stop them forming a bizarre ménage a trois with Lee’s girlfriend Kay (the enigmatic Scarlett Johansson). Their private arrangements are a little strange (I will let you discover them precisely as the film goes along) but they are good at what they do and have quite average lives until the “Black Dahlia” murder. Lee becomes slowly obsessed by the murder, ignoring duty and Ray and devoting all his time to obsessing about it. All Bucky can do is follow in his wake, the thing is, he must be very, very careful as he navigates his way; both Lee’s past and the Black Dahlia murder contains more dark secrets than he can possibly imagine. The end credits inform us that the murder that takes place in the film really happened but the film itself is a concoction of this and a novel by James Ellroy named The Black Dahlia. This is one of the things I like the most about Brian De Palma. A lot of his film tell a story that is – or at least contains an element of – true life. I’m not quite sure why this is such an important thing for me, but I truly feel that life is often much stranger than fiction and it enriches me to find out the most I can about it. The Black Dahlia is a true – blue nail biter. Stylistically it is brilliant. And even though it is a full two hours long, the minutes will, I promise you, fly by. The only thing is, the story does get a tad convoluted here and there.De Palma does give clear explanations and reminders but if, for example, you watch the film when you’re feeling rather tired and preoccupied (as I did) you will have a few “Wait, what?? Well who was… Oh… Right.” Moments. And again, the ending. *Sigh*. I mean, it’s ok. It is Hollywood I guess. You know what, in fact I need to say this, the film is so close to perfect I shouldn’t nit-pick. There. Enjoy.

"SNAKE EYES" - THE HOUSE WINS

Ok, actually let’s stick with the theme of cops and robbers. Only this time the cops and the robbers are far more intertwined than before. Brian De Palma has a certain liking – and a flair – for convoluted stories where nothing is quite what it seems and surprises lurk around every corner. I find that his films start out like oh, any old film you can slap on after a tiring day at the office and chill to. Er no. You have to be alert and have your wits about you for this one. Not least because if you’re not following it, you will miss more than half the enjoyment, the best part of it for me is the way it all comes together. Ritchie Santoro (Nicholas Cage) is living the good life. He is a cop, with a wife, a son and a girlfriend. He has grown up in this town. He does what he likes, he rules the block, everyone knows him, life is basically one big day out, a really good time. Then, it is the night of the big fight. Not only is the fight itself big – it’s the world heavyweight championship – but it’s also big because the U.S. Secretary of Defense is attending the fight. And Ritchie’s childhood friend Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinse of CSI fame) is in charge of the security. It actually seems to be a party night like any other but then, an attempt is made on the Secretary of Defense’s life. Kevin seems to be in trouble because as the head of security he is the one whose career will be in line for this. This is when Ritchie steps in, to save his friend. But the deeper he gets into this affair the more convoluted everything around him seems to become. Evidently high politics and murder are an explosive mix… Ok, I loved this film on many different levels, but technically alone it was just brilliant. The opening tracking shot for example is quite legendary, it goes on and on for about ten minutes without a cut and is a joy to watch – if this kind of thing affords you joy that is, and to me it does. Secondly, De Palma doesn’t fail to amp up the suspense at any point. My particular favorites are flashbacks of different characters that are presented directly from the points of view of the character so when the switch happens you are never entirely sure whose point of view you are looking from until you here a chance remark or pass an opportune mirror. The energy of the film is absolutely mind-blowing and technically it is absolutely brilliant. I mean yeah, it’s the age-old story, good against evil etc. – and I still maintain that Mr. De Palma’s endings are a little too Hollywood for my liking but still. The film has so much going for it, it even cancels out this pet peeve =) P.S. For those confused by the title - it's a line from the film. The boxing match takes place in a large casino, hence the reference...

A CLASSIC IN ITS OWN RIGHT : "CARLITO'S WAY"

Now, hand on heart, I was not a great fan of gangster flicks before. I liked adventure films, car chases and all that jazz as much as the next person, but I had no particular love of the genre… I have to say that this film actually changed my outlook on the matter. Carlito Brigante, the hero that gives the film its name is played by Al Pacino who is dazzling and charismatic even today (even today as in he is, at a stretch, old enough to be my grandfather and I still think he’s hot…). And Senor Brigante is one of the most charismatic mobsters I have ever seen (I mean the character as well as the actor!) So if you’re tempted to go “Brian De Palma and Al Pacino? Right, lots of gunfire and tough guys… Next…” Don’t. Give them a chance – you might actually surprise yourself…
Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) is out of jail. He should have 25 more years to go but his lawyer (normally a coke-head who cares about very little except himself – played by Sean Penn) has actually got him out on a technicality just 5 years into his 30 year prison sentence. Carlito was an absolute king in the underworld in his time but he has changed. All he wants is to get back with Gail, the girl he had to leave when he went into jail (Penelope – Ann Miller), get some money together and go to the Bahamas to make a fresh start. A legal fresh start. However, in Carlito’s line of business retiring is not that easy. And Carlito still faithfully sticks to his old fashioned morals and “code” despite the changing times… Will his experience and genuine will to change be enough to pull him and Gail out of the underworld?
You know how some films set a precedent and then other films desperately run after in trying to catch the same effect? I don’t exactly mean sequels, although they come into it too… I mean one film that is successful with a certain theme that “gives birth” to loads of other films on the same theme… Take the gangster trying to redeem himself against the odds for instance. I remember talking about this in The Town. The theme is definitely not new, heck it was probably discovered back in the 50’s or 60’s when gangster flicks were more “in”. But if there is one film that carried the torch to modern times and kept it glowing to this day, it is Carlito’s Way. Another thing, what is it with Al Pacino and his ability to play gangsters we can sympathize with? Think about it, the Godfather series, Scarface and here Carlito Brigante… We are all normal citizens who would have nothing to do with the “mob” usually but in front of the TV, we somehow end up cheering for Carlito – in this case – or Tony Montana or Michael Corleone… Well I guess there is actually a different reason for this in each separate case; however, I think the reason in Carlito’s case is the fact we all hunger for a fresh start. Carlito, for all his sins, is easy to identify with; he has old fashioned values, he is charismatic and he genuinely hungers for a new life and a fresh start – the way we all do some times. Maybe we subconsciously associate the mobsters forever closing in on Carlito with the real world closing in on us and our dreams? I don’t know… Anyway, this film oozes the quality one would expect from a director like Brian De Palma and actors like Al Pacino and Sean Penn… And if you are a fan of gangsters redeeming themselves and that kind of film, don’t miss this one. Much better to watch the original instead of the copies it gave birth to, no?