“ “I SHOT MY WIFE… PROVE IT” / FRACTURE ”

OK, so this isn’t actually very err… “scientific” or “objective” but there are some actors I qualify as “lucky charms”. If they are in them, chances are I’ll watch it. And probably love it. Now, common sense dictates that even unqualified acting legends have their off-days, but I just don’t seem to see it. I’m thinking of Sir Anthony Hopkins. I love him. I don’t remember an Anthony Hopkins film I didn’t like. Especially if said film is a particularly juicy “whodunit”. Well, I call it a whodunit but that’s not really a fair assessment. Who dun it is quite obvious, the question to be asked is “howhashedunit”. Not very grammatical, but a fair question given the circumstances…
And “the circumstances” are as follows: Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is a rich and successful businessman. He has a luxurious Hollywood home and a beautiful wife he absolutely adores, that’s about all a man could ask for from life, no? Well, in this case, no. She is cheating on him, having an affair with a police detective no less. Now, Ted is literally heartbroken. And the only punishment that fits the crime, in Ted’s opinion, is capital punishment. He executes (hoho) this plan without delay, and shoots his wife at point blank range in the face (ouch). He was the only other person in the house, they have witnesses seeing them enter the house alone and who testify no one else entered or left the house… Ted even surprises everyone by signing a confession. For ambitious assistant D.A. Willy Beachum (and for everyone else concerned – Ryan Gosling by the way) it looks like an open and shut case. All the better for Willy – he needs to tie this last case up before he goes off to work at a swanky law firm for a fat paycheck. So imagine Willy’s surprise when Ted Crawford suddenly changes his plea to “not guilty” and all the evidence (including the signed confession) starts to vanish (in the legal sense) before his very eyes… If Willy doesn’t want Mr. Crawford to get away with murder – thus forcing him to wave goodbye to the most lucrative job opportunity he’ll ever face, never mind the humiliation of it all – he has to use ALL his shark powers…
OK, so you don’t exactly win 9 Primetime Emmys without knowing how to keep your audience glued to their seats, as director Gregory Hoblit demonstrates. Of course he is the director of the Oscar nominated film Primal Fear – so it’s not entirely unexpected. The film is very VERY intelligently constructed. So much so that the “crux” of the whole thing is mind-numbingly simple in the end to the point that I almost yelled “God, I should have thought of that!” It’s not too too courtroomy either so even those of us who don’t watch this genre will be able to follow it without getting bored or losing track. Plus of course there’s a love interest for Ryan Gosling in the shape of a very cool female shark played by Rosamund Pike, but I’ll let you discover that thread in the plot as you go along… The acting is… Well, the way you would expect with that caliber of actor. Anthony Hopkins makes an absolutely marvelous villain don’t you think? A great film to get your blood pumping and keep you happily occupied of an evening…

12 ANGRY MEN

Ok, so, a couple of weeks ago I distinctly recall musing on the wisdom of writing about films from the 80’s… In that context, it’s rather strange I actually picked a film from the year 1957. But you know what they say; variety is the spice of life. And besides, I feel that although it is a classic (and rightly so may I add), it’s such an old film that a lot of people who aren’t bona fide conaisseurs may well have not seen this one. It’s a nostalgic black and white movie – typical of the era in many ways (but more of that later) and stars a rather dashing Henry Fonda…

The 12 angry men mentioned in the title are actually 12 jurors on a murder trial. The 90 minute film takes place during the deliberations of the jury; we are privy to their discussion and decisions behind closed doors. The case seems pretty open and shut at first: the defendant is a 18 year old youth from a poor neighborhood, charged with the murder of his father. Of the 12 jurors, 11 are pretty sure he’s guilty. But not all: 1 of the jurors (Henry Fonda) is not at all sure the case is such a simple one. However, as the youth is tried for murder in the 1st degree, the decision of the jury must be unanimous. As a young man’s life hangs in the balance, how will his fate be decided?

This little gem by master director Sidney Lumet is truly a film of a different era. First of all, the whole film is confined to the “jury room”. There are no fade outs and reconstructions of the events discussed for instance. The entire thing is left to the imagination of the observers. In fact, the film is very, very similar to a theatre play in many ways. Not an easy feat to pull off; a film purely based on dialogue – not least in today’s “fast paced” times where we all need to have things broken up into little chunks for us and plenty of variation mixed in… But don’t let this worry you in any way – anyone who enjoys a witty conversation will undoubtedly love this movie… Because, although we don’t see the events, the murder or the suspects; this is basically a “whodunit”. And it focuses on what is to me the best part of whodunits : following clues, comparing evidence discussing, reconstructing… The work done by the “little grey cells”. It is also a very good snapshot of the prejudices of the day and of people from different strata of American society… Last of all, I cannot forget to comment on the acting – as it was absolutely BRILLIANT. I personally didn’t recognize any of the other actors but maybe older viewers will… In this type of film, naturally a lot of weight rests on the actors and an interesting piece of trivia is that apparently Sidney Lumet had the actors sit in a room and go over their lines for hours to give them an authentic feeling of claustrophobia…
The film went as far as being nominated for three Oscars in the day (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay) but lost in all three categories to “The Bridge on River Kwai – admittedly another classic.
In short, 12 Angry Men is a classic that fully deserves its place among the classics. Do not miss…

THE ACCUSED

Ok, now for a bit of time travel. All the way back to 1988. Oscars ®. Ok, anyone know who won Best Actress that year? No cheating mind! Yes? No? Give up? Jodie Foster. One of my favorite actresses by far, so naturally I was curious. A pretty interesting story too – so I decided to take a look at it…
The afore-mentioned story goes as follows: Sarah Tobias (Jodie Foster) is a waitress who lives in a trailer park with her drug-dealer boyfriend. One night, after a particularly unpleasant fight with said boyfriend she goes to a bar to chat to a friend and blow off some steam. At the bar she has a few drinks, smokes some grass and flirts a little. However her antics take a wrong turn and she ends up being gang-raped. She runs to the police determined to drag the men through the courts, however there is a problem. The men in question are “fraternity” guys with “connections”. She is a penniless waitress who was drunk on the night and who is known to usually have a few drinks too many. Thus the D.A.’s office, that is meant to protect her, doesn’t consider her a “strong case” and will not stand by her like they should. Sarah, along with the assistant D.A. assigned to the case must use courage and wits if she wants to stand up and be heard..
Now, the story is your common or garden courtroom drama. It’s interesting as I think it gives an accurate enough picture of the system and a woman’s place in the system in the 80’s. Speaking of the 80’s the film is sooo 80’s you can’t help but notice it. The characters. The way the story progresses. The editing. The rapists and the “spectators”. Dear Lord, the hair and costumes... But what makes this otherwise rather ordinary film extraordinary is Jodie Foster. Her performance as Sarah Tobias, down and out as far as society is concerned but determined to have what is owed to her simply shines through. Sarah is not a character you can necessarily “bond with” that easily... But of course the storyline and Ms Foster’s extraordinary performance make her entirely real...
However, I must hasten to add that one Jodie Foster does not make a masterpiece. The film is good but not brilliant. It’s still pretty damn exciting though – definitely make the time for it...