22 Jan 2013

Violent Movie Madness

So, in the past 10 days I've been to the cinema three times with my dad (yes, I know it's a lot... but it's Oscar season!), and we've ended up watching some pretty violent films (two are Oscar nominated)... Although to be fair I really wanted to watch the third tonight instead of Lincoln (which will be next week) just so I could round out the three and write this post! :p

All three were violent in different ways, some parts more disturbing than others and for different reasons... And they've helped me realise that violence in the movies doesn't disturb me as much as it used to! Perhaps it's because more films have become more violent... or I've just been able to avoid the truly gory ones... or I'm able to distinguish "real" violence from the Hollywood special effects variety. In any case, each of these films did have moments that made me feel truly uncomfortable with the violence, and I'd say it was only truly "justifiable" in the first one.

Zero Dark Thirty (dir. Kathryn Bigelow -shockingly not Oscar nominated!-, Oscar noms for Best Movie, Best Actress Jessica Chastain, Best Original Screenplay)
It's violent pretty much the whole way through, which is to be expected as it's mostly set in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan during the past decade and involves interrogating terrorists and attacking/killing others in order to track down Osama Bin Laden (Chastain plays the lead investigator, a very stubborn woman who doesn't give up on a lead her "gut" tells her is the right one and manages to convince others to follow it to the end), plus a few terrorist attacks. But the moments that really get to you are mostly in the beginning, the torture scenes (that and the attack at the end). In fact the movie introduces us to Chastain's character Maya as she witnesses her first "interrogation". You can tell she feels as disturbed about it as we the viewers do... but she eventually "gets over it" and ends up leading her own "interrogations". Fortunately for us there aren't too many of these scenes... 'cause they felt waaaaaay too realistic for my comfort!
I'm not going to start a discussion on the efficacy or not of torture (which I wholeheartedly oppose), or enter into the debate I hear is going on across the pond as to whether or not this film is trying to present an "end justifies the means" apologia to torture... In any case I think Bigelow is simply telling it as it was. Leaving this part out would have been historically inaccurate, even if it is a dramatisation. One thing that impressed me is the fact that this movie got made so quickly -the attack on Bin Laden was less than 2 years ago! What kind of sources did Bigelow have? She dropped another film (about the hunt for Bin Laden in Tora Bora), the script of which she had just finished, when the news came through of Bin Laden's death... So she probably had a lot of material from before that period... but how did she get so many details about the end of the story? And how accurate are they anyway? Apparently colleagues of the still undercover main CIA investigator say Chastain's Maya is "very true to character". Damn what a character! That woman was intense!
Anyhow, violence aside, I definitely recommend this film! It's very intense, extremely well put together and well paced (I didn't notice the time go by at all!) and very well acted, not just by Jessica Chastain!


Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise's latest outing)
This one was more a case of repressed violence which bursts out from time to time... most notably in the main character who seems to be very - what's the word I'm looking for? - in control? Let's just say he's cool as a cucumber, and then suddenly he explodes into action and leaves the guy in front of him in a bloody pulp! I guess you might say his violence is just simmering beneath the surface, ready to boil over at any moment.
Oh, and the whole start of the film was also bloody: a sniper takes out five seemingly random people walking by the water in Pittsburgh... We thought it was going to be another "Tom Cruise action flic", but it's more of an investigative cop film. Jack Reacher (who shows up unexpectedly to "take out" the suspected sniper, an old "acquaintance" of his) is an ex-military cop (and apparently the protagonist of a whole series of books) who now deals justice in his own way. Indeed, the tagline of the film is "The law has limits. He does not." Tom Cruise did a good job as Reacher, but the film itself was just... blah! Perhaps if seen at another time of the year when there aren't so many excellent films to choose from. Or a Saturday evening on the dvd player... But not at the movies, not right now.



Django Unchained (Tarantino's latest, his very own "spaghetti western"!, Oscar noms for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz and Best Original Screenplay).
Violence: it's a Tarantino film, need I say more? Expect lots of very vivid bloodspatter. Oh, and some serious mistreatment of slaves! Plus the whole matter of slavery is violent in and of itself! Then there's the fact the two leads are bounty hunters and always choose the "dead" over "alive" option for getting their rewards...
But again, it's Tarantino violence. The bloodspatter (which you can see coming a mile away so have time to cover your eyes if needed) is just a bit too theatrical to feel real.
Other than that: woah! Fantastic movie!!! My dad and I walked out very impressed with it! A bit too long in my opinion, but dad really liked the whole "spaghetti western" feel of it. The characters are fun and really well brought to life (this is a film I definitely should have seen in English! Missed out on the full wonderfulness of Christoph Waltz and DiCaprio!). And the soundtrack is amazing!
What's it about? Oh yeah! A German dentist turned bounty hunter buys a slave and frees him so he can help him identify and catch three brothers he's after. The two get along so well the guy teaches him the ropes of being a bounty hunter then helps him locate his wife (who was sold to a different plantation owner) and try and get her back.
Lots of fun, great action, very tense at times... and yes violent. But definitely a must see! ;o)


Have you seen any of these? What did you think?



25 comments:

  1. All too violent! I'm considering Django Unchained, but I'm having a weird I-don't-wanna-see-violent-movies moment. Maybe it's the knowledge that I'm about to spend 10 weeks recapping and reviewing Spartacus...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny, that's what I was worried about going into them (the first and third), but I ended up liking both films A LOT! Give them a try... Or at least wait and see which one wins the Oscar and then go see that one! ;o) (if it's one of these two, I haven't decided yet who I think it will be... am trying to see them all in time!)

      Delete
  2. I'm not sure about any of these - I like action, but don't like violence in films and I'm not a Tarantino fan at all (he seriously creeps me out). Having said that, I'll probably end up watching all three with my boys -from the comfort of my home - where I can get up and leave the room if the need arises.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wise choice! I'll admit to covering my eyes in a few scenes...

      Delete
  3. These films are not for me. I strongly oppose violence in films and so avoid them at all costs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't usually choose to go to a film that I know will be violent... but in spite of his violence I know Tarantino makes good movies, plus with the actors involved and the Oscar nominations... there's no way I was going to miss it!

      And Zero Dark Thirty... I really wanted a glimpse into how the whole BinLaden thing went down!

      Delete
  4. I have seen all three! I thoroughly enjoyed all three. I saw Zero Dark Thirty this past Saturday. I was personally very disturbed by the torture scenes (I also vehemently oppose it by the way). The acting was simply amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wasn't it?! The actors were really, really great! :o)

      Fortunately the couple of torture scenes are only at the beginning, it's much easier to watch after that (except for the terrorist attacks).

      You enjoyed Reacher? I was a bit bored at times... and it can't hold a candle to the other two!

      Delete
  5. I thought Django was excellent! I fell in love with Christoph Walsh's character. I can't wait for this to come out on dvd cuz I will buy it for sure. Yes, it was violent in some places, but I can overlook that. The whole story was great. Loved Don Johnson - what a hoot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *sigh* I sooooo with I had seen it in English! I'm sure Waltz had a funny German accent of some kind!
      The actors were so good in this, and playing such crazy characters... I'm sure the original voices would have brought out even more! I don't know if I'll buy the dvd... but I'll definitely be watching it again in English when it becomes available! ;o)

      Delete
  6. I have not seen any of these, because of the violence. I had a friend who I trust tell me that she wishes she had walked out of Zero Dark Thirty. I don't want to see another Tarantino movie ever! I know what he does, and I cannot bear to see either one, unfortunately. Thanks for your take on them, it means a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DJan I felt really uncomfortable in the beginning of Zero Dark Thirty, but after that it was ok.

      I'm not fond of Tarantino's more modern flics, but I really enjoyed his two "period" films, Inglorious Basterds and Django! The violence in them seems to have changed somewhat. It's so stylised, so special-effecty, that my brain readily recognises it as "false" and so it doesn't bother me as much as in his earlier films.

      In any case, I will always think twice (or thrice!) before going to see a Tarantino film! (I think I've seen about half his movies)

      Delete
  7. Excellent review! Like Juliette, I am off violence at the moment. I have added Zero and Django to my Netflix queue, so will feel no problem about turning them off if they get too much for me when the time comes.

    The Jack Reacher books are really good. I read the first three or four and enjoyed them, so I think I will pass on the movies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you really enjoyed the books then definitely pass of the movie! I'm sure it's not as good (movies never are), other than Tom Cruise, but your opinion of him might depend on how you imagined the character while reading the books! My dad bought one of them and said he's really enjoying it! ;o)

      I don't think you'll need to turn off Zero or Django, just fast-forward through certain scenes! ;o)

      Delete
    2. Just wanted to let you know that I mentioned this post on Billie's site in all the discussion about violence in films. You really did a great job on this one!

      Delete
    3. Thanks Chris! Something about the common violent thread in these films really caught my attention, I'm glad I was able to write about it clearly and for you guys to find it interesting!

      But which discussion are you talking about? I couldn't find the post on Billie's site...

      Delete
    4. It's under Billie's recent review of Supernatural. Jess made a comment, Billie responded, some random guy posted a long post and it took off from there. Have a read of it; a lot of it speaks to exactly what you are saying here.

      Delete
    5. Found it, thanks! That's definitely a fascinating comment thread!

      Delete
  8. Hi Chris! I haven't seen Jango Unchained yet, but my drama teacher says it's a must and has shown us the beginning to wet our appetites. How did you find it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Anthea! Welcome to my crazy corner of the blog-o-sphere! ;o)

      I thought it was a brilliant film! You just have to be wary of the blood spatter... that and it could have been maybe 20' shorter. :p

      The story was very interesting, brutal yet honest. The actors were fantastic. And all the technical stuff was excellent! Definitely a must! :o)

      Delete
  9. Bonsoir ma folle espagnole !

    Wow, not one, not 2, but THREEEEE blogs ! That explains your nickname. I have a dear colleague who goes massively to the movies and she just loved Django and she recommended it to me. As I wrote earlier on Billie's blog, I prefer war movies. Legitimized mass violence perhaps ?

    I did love Tarantino's Basterds, probably because of its relation to WW2, but I did hate the rebooted Total Recall : way too much violence (hum, the first one was also intense, but it's Verhoeven's style).

    Anyway, all that to say that sometimes, too much...is just too much. There is a limit to decency and I'm afraid a few movies crossed the line.

    The general pattern of this particular blog is COOL !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Et UN et DEUX et TROIS! I don't think it explains my nickname, I think my nickname explains the three blogs! :p

      Yeah, I think that many movie-makers are pushing the limits of violence way too frequently! It's like they want to one-up each other or something. I'm ok with it when it feels justified and is well done, but violence and gore for their own sake I can't stand! Lately I'm giving Tarantino a pass (before I couldn't stand his films) because the other aspects of his recent films have been great (yup, Basterds was crazy fun like this one, and also GREAT actors!) and also I think his bloodiness has become a bit more stylised, it feels less "real" and so a bit less disgusting. But I still covered my eyes a couple of times.

      Je suis contente que tu sois enfin venu me rendre visite! Et que le blog t'ai plu! Si tu regarde la série de Merlin en ce moment, ben tu pourrais peut-être passer jeter un coup d'oeil à l'autre me dire ce que t'en pense! ;o)

      Delete
  10. Optimistic Existentialist,

    I'm giving you a gold medal for your nick name. Brilliant !

    ReplyDelete
  11. From my perspective, I wish that directors budgeted half the funding to "inspirational moments" than they do for "violent eruptions" that seem to steal the show. Our world has enough violence in it already. In any case, great review and awesome layout of the post in general.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the post! :o)

      Thing is... "inspirational moments" always seem to be the intimate quite ones... I guess they don't need a huge budget for those! It's more a matter of people appreciating those moments as much as the "violent eruptions"!

      Delete

Hey there! Yes you! The quiet one in the back... I'd love it if you hung out for a bit and shared your thoughts!

I might stop by your place with an answer, but I'm more likely to reply right here so click on "email follow up comments" if you'd like to see what I and others have to say and come continue the conversation! ;o)