The Illusionist (2006)

Director: Neil Burger

Screenplay: Neil Burger (based on the short story by Steven Millhauser)

Cast: Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell

Music: Philip Glass

Time: 110 minutes

Bottom-line: Giamatti’s performance stands out

The moment someone says “a film about a magician; came in 2006”, it is very likely that your mind redirects to Chris Nolan’s The Prestige. However, The Illusionist is also about magic, and it also came out in 2006, and sadly, that is probably why it is unrecognised. The film stars Edward Norton as the titular character, with Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell and Paul Giamatti in the supporting roles.

Norton as Eiseheim

1889, Vienna: Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti) announces the arrest of illusionist Eisenheim (Norton) for fraud and charlatanism. Uhl then narrates the incidents up to that point, to the Crown Prince, Leopold (Sewell). Eisenheim was childhood friends with Sophie, the Duchess von Teschen (Biel). Despite their love for each other, they were separated due to the difference in their social classes. Eisenheim went on to travel the world and become a magician, and, fifteen years later, came to Vienna to perform, where he met the Duchess again, now engaged to be married to Leopold. Knowing Leopold’s past incidents of brutality towards women, Eisenheim tried to win back Sophie, but was banished from performing in Vienna. Sophie also admitted to Leopold that she is in love with Eisenheim, and Leopold killed her. Does Eisenheim avenge her death? What events lead to his arrest?

Biel as Sophie

I, for one, have always been intrigued to find out how a magician performs his tricks, rather than enjoying the tricks themselves. That is one reason why The Illusionist didn’t impress me; till the end, the secret of how Eisenheim conjures up spirits (even if they are “illusions”) is never known, and I felt that second half of the plot was too muddled up. The story is nicely set up, with sufficient amount of romance and drama. The scene where Eisenheim publicly humiliates Leopold is the highlight. The plot twist in the end is clever, but there are hardly any hints given to guess it.

Sewell as Prince Leopold

Edward Norton’s acting isn’t that great. He didn’t come off as a showman, especially with his monotonous expression throughout the film (barring a couple of bouts of anger). Biel’s performance was equally dull. Sewell, on the other hand, does really well to play the obnoxious and evil Crown Prince; yes, you will definitely loathe his character! The best of the lot is Paul Giamatti. His character is caught between doing what is just and his personal desire to become Mayor by satisfying the Prince. In particular, I liked the last couple of minutes of his performance, when Eisenheim’s plan finally dawns upon him.

 

Giamatti as Inspector Uhl

The period settings, costumes and the background score make it a treat to watch. The story could have been better, with more emphasis on the magic tricks (though, I did like the bit where Eisenheim explains about how he guesses the correct hand), and I expected more from Norton. In short, if you want a movie about magic, watch The Prestige. If you are a fan of Giamatti, The Illusionist should be on your list.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 74%

Nadigaiyar Thilagam (2018)

English translation: The Pride of Actresses

Director: Nag Ashwin

Story: Madhan Karky (Tamil version)

Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha Akkineni, Vijay Devarakonda

Music: Mickey J. Meyer

Time: 172 minutes

Bottom-line: Has its flaws, but a wonderful tribute to Savitri  

Nag Ashwin’s biopic covers the tale of one of the most popular actresses of the 50s and 60s in Tamil and Telugu cinema – Savitri. The film was simultaneously made in Tamil as Nadigaiyar Thilagam and in Telugu as Mahanati. Keerthy Suresh and Dulquer Salmaan play the lead roles, while Samantha, Vijay and Rajendra Prasad take on the supporting roles.

1981: The narrative follows a structure similar to that of Citizen Kane. Savitri (Keerthy) is taken to a hospital in Bangalore, and she enters a coma. Reporter Vani (Samantha) and photographer Vijay (Vijay) are asked to cover this incident. They learn that just a few days ago, Savitri had written a letter mentioning someone named “Shankar Ayya”. As they find out who this mystery man is, the rest of her story is also revealed. Savitri was raised by her paternal uncle, Chowdary (Prasad), who took her to the world of cinema. After several rejects, she eventually got her big break. She also became close with actor Gemini Ganesan (Dulquer), and, despite him being a family man, they fell in love with each other and secretly got married. As she rose in fame and her husband’s career started to decline, family troubles entered the picture. As people took advantage of her generosity, Savitri’s life slowly got affected by the failed relationship, loss of wealth and drinking addiction, all the way to her pathetic state as shown at the beginning of the film.

 

Dulquer as Gamini Ganesan, and Keerthy as Savitri

First up, you do not have to know anything about Savitri’s life before watching the film. Having an idea might help you relate better, but knowing too much might make you question how true the events shown are, especially the decline of her health and the failed relationship. The story covers all the important aspects of Savitri’s life within 3 hours of screen time: her childhood, rise to fame, her life with Gemini Ganesan, and her descent into poverty. The last half hour of the movie is quite sad, to see Savitri put on a brave smile even as she is being taken advantage of by everyone around her. The Vijay-Samantha romance was annoying; all it did was divert our attention from the main plot. The plot twist at the end, when it is revealed who Shankar Ayya really is, is surprising. The final scene – true or not – is a chilling finale.

 

Samantha as Vani, and Vijay as Vijay

Keerthy Suresh and Dulquer Salmaan steal the show. The former even dubbed for herself, this being her first Telugu movie (the irony being that in the film, Savitri struggles to speak Tamil, but is fluent in Telugu!). The directors back then spoke about how Savitri’s eyes and facial expressions speak volumes, and the same can be said about Keerthy too, whether she plays the successful actress or the alcoholic woman driven to poverty. Dulquer is known for his style, and that’s all he needed to portray the charming and manipulative character of Gemini Ganesan. While the romance in the story eventually fails, the chemistry between Keerthy and Dulquer is really good. Samantha’s acting was decent, but the character of Vijay could have been eliminated totally; the essence of the film would not have been lost. I also liked Rajendra Prasad's acting, especially the humour his character provides. 

The cinematography, make-up and period settings are amazing. The soundtrack is good, with the right amount of time given to dream songs and background songs. Some clips shown with the closing credits give a comparison between the real-life incidents and the ones recreated in the film. As long as you are not too sensitive to the “controversial” elements which show the actors in a bad light, Nadigayar Thilagam/Mahanati is a beautiful watch, and it will certainly make you appreciate the life of actress Savitri better.

My Rating: 3.5/5 

Risky Business (1983)

Director: Paul Brickman

Story: Paul Brickman

Cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca de Mornay

Music: Tangerine Dream

Time: 100 minutes

Bottom-line: A biting, hilarious satire

The film that established Tom Cruise as a star, Paul Brickman’s debut film is a coming-of-age rom-com, co-starring Rebecca de Mornay in the lead role, with Joe Pantoliano, Nicholas Pryor and Janet Carroll in the supporting roles.

There's a time for playing it safe and a time for Risky Business.

Meet Joel Goodson (Cruise), a high achieving high-school student, whose father wants him to join Princeton. Despite his average grades, Joel actively takes part in “Future Enterprises”, an extracurricular activity encouraging students to start small businesses. When his wealthy parents (Pryor and Carroll) go away on a trip, Joel’s friend urges him to make use of the new-found freedom. Joel hires a call girl, Lana (De Mornay) for a night, but he doesn’t have enough money to pay her. By the time he returns from the bank, Lana has escaped with his mother’s prized Steuben glass egg. Joel and his friend track her down, and end up saving her from her pimp, Guido (Pantoliano), who has locked up all her stuff, including the egg. Lana agrees that she’ll “make a few calls”, get the egg back and never see Joel again, but as Joel destroys his father’s Porsche and messes up his college interview, he realises that the situation has gone way out of control.

 

Cruise as Joel

Instead of just being a slapstick comedy like Home Alone, Risky Business explores several other themes too, like materialism, and loss of innocence. The irony of the story begins with the name of Cruise’s character: Goodson. He has been good too long, and now, it is time to break loose. The other irony is the incident with the egg: the whole confusion starts because Lana steals the egg, and in the end, when everything seems to be back to normal, Joel’s mother still gets angry because of a crack in the egg (“Joel will pay for a new one!”, says his father). The college interview is another key point of the story, when Joel realises that life is not about materialistic stuff and doing whatever it takes to have an impeccable record - “Sometimes, you just have to say what the heck and go with it”.

 

de Mornay as Lana

19-year-old Cruise rose to fame with his role as the happy-go-lucky school kid, dancing in his underwear and driving his dad’s Porsche, and at the same time having the first taste of adult life. Cruise has never been one to show emotion, but a character like this just needs a lot of energy, and Cruise provides that. He has a charm of his own, and combined with the chemistry with de Mornay, the two of them steal the show. The humour content is really good: from plot twists, from dialogues and from Cruise’s charisma. I liked the ending, where Joel pitches his idea of his enterprise as “serving human fulfilment”, for which he earned $8000 in one night.

This is easily one of the best high school/coming-of-age dramas I’ve ever seen. It has the right balance between teenage drama elements and adult content. Risky Business is 100 minutes of guaranteed entertainment.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%

A Few Good Men (1992)

Director: Rob Reiner

Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (based on his play of the same name)

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore

Music: Marc Shaiman

Time: 138 minutes

Bottom-line: Brilliant screenplay and solid acting

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, Rob Reiner’s courtroom drama relies heavily on Sorkin’s biting screenplay and the powerful lead performances of Cruise, Moore and Nicholson and a large supporting cast. The film uses a lot of courtroom and military terminology, so while it may be a tad difficult to follow, it certainly makes the watch all the more realistic.

“You can’t handle the truth!”

US Marines Lance Corporal Dawson and Private Downey stuff a rag down a fellow Marine, Private Santiago’s mouth in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Santiago dies an hour later, and both the Marines are court-martialled. Santiago was known to have poor relations with others, and even broke the chain of command. While Santiago’s executive officer, Lt. Col. Markinson (J.T. Walsh), requests Santiago to be transferred off the base, Colonel Nathan Jessup (Nicholson) denies this. Naval investigator Lt. Commander Joanne Galloway (Moore) thinks that the Marines carried out a “code red” ordered by some other officer, and believes they are innocent. However, the case is given to Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise), an inexperienced and carefree lawyer. Despite the initial hostility between Joanne and Kaffee, as the case progresses, each one admires the other. They are also assisted by Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak). Are the three of them able to prove the Marines innocent?

 

Cruise as Lt. Kaffee

To me, it was a surprise to see Cruise take on such a serious role as this, having always pictured him as Ethan Hunt. For the first part of the film, he is this jolly “lawyer” whose interest and passion lie solely in baseball, but he slowly transforms into a matured and professional lawyer as the story goes. Kaffee is one hell of an energetic character, and thanks to Sorkin’s script, he packs a lot of cunning and intelligence, evident from his gruelling cross-questioning. Jack Nicholson was nominated for the Oscar in the Supporting Actor category even though he has a short screen time. With his menacing exterior and powerful lines (“I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me,” he says), his ten minutes in the courtroom is enough to command your respect.

Moore as Lt. Commander Galloway 

By the time you’re done watching the film, you will also have learnt a good set of military and courtroom vocabulary. While the story gets technical that way – the plot wouldn’t make sense if it wasn’t for the strict rules and regulations and practices of the military – it presented in an entertaining manner that you enjoy every bit of it. The tension in the courtroom atmosphere is brilliantly portrayed, and all the counter-arguments and rebuttals have that aha effect.

 

Nicholson as Lt. Col. Jesup

The climax will make you debate over whether justice was really served, but by then, what you take away from the film is perseverance and effort of Kaffee and team against all odds. How far will one man go to find the truth, and how far will one go to keep his honour? When everyone is desperate to cover up their crimes, how many people do their job right? A few good men… and a woman.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 81%

Raazi (2018)

English translation: Agreement

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Screenplay: Bhavani Iyer and Meghna Gulzar (based on the book by Harinder Sikka)

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Jaideep Ahlawat

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Time: 140 minutes

Bottom-line: A smart thriller driven by Alia Bhatt’s powerful performance

One of the best Indian films in recent times to feature a female protagonist (another notable one being Kahaani), Raazi is a spy film directed by Meghna Gulzar – the daughter of Gulzar, who is also the lyricist for the film. The story takes place just before the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. The book by Harinder Sikka, Calling Sehmat, is inspired by true events.

 

Bhatt as Sehmat

Sehmat Khan (Bhatt) is a college student in Kashmir. As her father’s dying wish, he wants her to serve the country like he did. She is married to a Pakistani Major General, Iqbal (Kaushal) to spy on him and his family. Sehmat is hastily given training by RAW agents, led by Khalid Mir (Ahlawat), but she picks up basic self-defence and Morse Code quickly. Once in the new house, she is liked immediately by everyone except for one manservant, Abdul. Despite her narrow escapes, she conveys whatever information she gets back to India, but she is eventually caught by Abdul. With no choice but to kill him, Sehmat finds herself in more trouble every day. She also starts to genuinely love her husband, and is caught between patriotism and humanity.

 

Kaushal as Iqbal

Like most military films, Raazi is also dramatised to make it more entertaining. There are also a couple of plot devices to keep the story going. Overall, I really liked the way the film maintained the tension, instead of making the story predictable. As Times of India said, Raazi makes use of emotions instead of explosions. Sehmat puts herself in a situation where she has to murder her family members to keep herself safe and also to help the Indian Army. There is one scene where Iqbal gifts Sehmat with her favourite Hindustani classical music record, and she surprises him with his favourite, pistachio. The encounter between them when Iqbal finds out her true nature is filled with emotion, because Sehmat does love him, but still has to do what her job demands.

 

Ahlawat as Khalid

Alia Bhatt’s performance in Raazi, Highway and Udta Punjab are arguably the best of her career so far. Be it her sigh of relief after her narrow escape, or her breakdown after murdering the manservant, or her sweet attitude to the children or her anger and sadness at Khalid towards the end, Bhatt excels at everything (though, the scene where she sings to the children has such an egregious change of voice by the dubbing artist that you might end up laughing like I did!). Kaushal and Ahlawat have done well too.

The score and soundtrack of the film are superb. The songs Ae Vatan and Dilbaro are composed and sung really well. The story gets a little difficult to follow because the Hindi is mixed with Urdu, and there are too many unnamed characters, but the film is a well-written, brilliantly acted thriller, that will guarantee entertainment. Worth the watch.

My Rating: 4/5

Primal Fear (1996)

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Screenplay: Steve Shagan, Ann Biderman

Cast: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton

Music: James Newton Howard

Time: 130 minutes

Bottom-line: A pulse-racing courtroom drama, with Norton at his best

There are very few actors whose debut acting performance is their best, and Edward Norton is one of them. This courtroom drama stars Richard Gere and Laura Linney in the lead roles, with John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard and Frances McDormand in the supporting roles. I think it’s difficult to appreciate the film without giving away some spoilers, so if you haven’t seen it yet, take my word for it: it is well worth the watch.

Sooner or later, a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real.

Martin Vail (Gere) is a defence attorney, who loves his fame. He is intrigued by the brutal murder of Archbishop Rushman; the sole suspect is altar boy Aaron Stampler (Norton), who has a severe stutter. Vail offers to defend Aaron, pro bono, much to the shock of the prosecutor, Vail’s ex-lover, Janet Venable (Linney). Vail discovers that the corrupt state attorney (Mahoney) and other civic leaders have lost $60 million because of the Archbishop’s decisions not to develop on church lands. Vail also decides to get a psychiatrist (McDormand) for Aaron. As the case proceeds, Vail comes across a videotape with incriminating evidence that provides a motive for Aaron to murder Rushman, but at the same time, the tape would bring to public knowledge a dark secret. With Vail and Janet constantly coming up with new ideas and evidence, Vail also feels his client is hiding something big.

 

Gere as Vail

I have always liked courtroom dramas; where else can you show such a powerful and cunning battle of wits in so clean a manner? From cross-questioning to emotional outbursts, Primal Fear has everything. The story is like a mix of Witness for the Prosecution and The Usual Suspects. We are pulled right into the action in a seemingly open-and-shut case; as more evidence comes to the surface, each one with a twist, we are pushed to think further. The twist ending is highly impressive, and it’s pretty neat. I like how some incidents in the story which lead us to an obvious conclusion – including Aaron’s disorder – are cleverly crafted to fool us later. The only part I didn’t understand was how the psychiatrist was convinced that Aaron really did have a “problem”.  

 

Linney as Janet

Edward Norton was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and won the Golden Globe Award for the same. He brilliantly portrays Aaron and his “split personality”, and you appreciate it further when you see the twist ending. His line, “There was never any Aaron” sends chills down your spine. Richard Gere is also equally superb. Vail has style, he has cunning and is (sadly) also sensitive enough to fall for Aaron’s innocence. Gere’s disillusioned expression as he leaves Aaron for the last time is something he delivers so beautifully. Laura Linney has some high moments in the film too, especially the way she brings Aaron to his breaking point in court.

 

Norton as Aaron

The tension in the atmosphere is maintained really well, thanks to the acting with assistance from Howard’s score. The script is pretty solid, and the ending is the best part of the film. That’s enough reasons to watch Primal Fear.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 74%

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Director: Martin McDonagh

Story: Martin McDonagh

Cast: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson

Music: Carter Burwell

Time: 115 minutes

Bottom-line: A dark and deeply emotional film; the best of the year

Winner of the BAFTA Best Picture Award, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was my pick for the Oscars as well. The film stars Frances McDormand in the lead role, with Sam Rockwell (both actors won Oscars for acting) and Woody Harrelson in the supporting roles. The film won 5 BAFTAs, was nominated for 7 Oscars and won two.    

"My daughter was murdered 7 months ago, and it seems the police is too busy torturing black folk to solve actual crimes."
In the titular town, Mildred Hayes (McDormand) is grieving the rape and murder of her teenage daughter, seven months earlier. Angered at the lack of attention given to this case, she rents three billboards and writes on them: “RAPED WHILE DYING", "STILL NO ARRESTS?", and "HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?" This upsets all the town folk, including Chief Willoughby (Harrelson), who suffers from terminal pancreatic cancer, and Officer Dixon (Rockwell), a racist and violent alcoholic. Dixon arrests Mildred’s co-worker on false charges, Willoughby later commits suicide, and Mildred’s divorced husband also blames her for her daughter’s death. Mildred is then cheated when she is informed that she hasn’t paid enough for the billboards, and later, the boards are destroyed in a fire. How does she retaliate? Does the case finally get solved?

McDormand as Mildred

The first 45 minutes or so introduce the various characters to the viewers. Following Willoughby’s suicide, the story then takes a turn to show how one incident can cause a chain reaction and affect everyone in the neighbourhood. The character transformations are realistically and powerfully shown. Mildred stays determined throughout the film, and every hurdle she faces makes her tougher, even violent at times. But there are times when it’s just too much to bear and she breaks down; McDormand has done her part superbly and certainly deserves her second Oscar. Willoughby’s character – despite his short screen time – is the plot catalyst. His suicide is the turning point of the story, and is responsible to bring about a change in all the characters.

 

Harrelson as Willoughby (left) and Rockwell
as Dixon 

Sam Rockwell’s performance is brilliant; Dixon undergoes a change from being the brutal drunkard to the helpful friend who even gets himself severely injured just to provide Mildred with some evidence related to her case. Peter Dinklage has a supporting role in the film, as Mildred’s friend, James. The ending of the film is on not exactly on a positive note. It has an ambiguous climax, but it shows that life will go on no matter what. The film also portrays how situations can push you to your extreme limits, and how the same situations can bring you the most unlikely friends. In a tale as dark and depressing as this, Mildred’s determination and her friendships with James, and later with Dixon, stand out.

 

The three billboards

The film had such an impact that several protestors in various places across the globe set up similar billboards – for the Grenfell Tower Fire, and the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting, to name a few.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is far from a comfortable watch, but in a way, it sends out a message that there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. McDormand’s and Rockwell’s performances are exceptional, and the film is one of my favourites of 2017.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Director: Cameron Crowe

Story: Cameron Crowe

Cast: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr.

Music: Nancy Wilson

Time: 138 minutes

Bottom-line: Passionate and entertaining; Cruise at his best 

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards and winning one, Cameron Crowe’s sports drama film stars Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the lead roles, with Jay Mohr and Jonathan Lipnicki in the supporting cast. Mixing humour, romance, sport and drama in the right proportions, Jerry Maguire hits all the right notes to cater to a wide audience.

 

Cruise as Maguire - yelling "Show me the money!"

“Show me the money!”

Jerry Maguire (Cruise) is a stylish 35-year-old sports agent working for “Sports Management International”. After having an epiphany, he decides to write a mission statement (not a memo!) about the dishonesty in the sports business, and decides to try a new approach where he has fewer clients, so that he can give more attention to each. SMI fires Jerry and Bob Sugar (Mohr) takes his place. As Jerry leaves, an accountant and 26-year-old single mother, Dorothy Boyd (Zellweger) agrees to join him. Sugar turns all of Jerry’s clients towards SMI, but one client, Arizona Cardinals player Rod Tidwell (Gooding Jr.) sticks with Jerry, hoping that the latter can get him a $10 million contract. As time goes, Jerry becomes close with Dorothy’s son, Ray (Lipnicki), and also breaks up with his girlfriend. Jerry and Dorothy admit their love for each other, but with both of them having precarious jobs, how will the relationship thrive?

 

Zellweger as Dorothy

While films like Raging Bull focus a lot on the sport, the story also tells how an obsession with the career can tear the family apart. On the other hand, there are the feel-good sports films like Cinderella Man (also starring Zellweger!) and Jerry Maguire. Cutting right to the chase, the main story begins within the first twenty minutes (giving sufficient character intros) with Jerry’s current post, his epiphany and him being fired all being covered. The story builds around the romantic relationship between Jerry and Dorothy, as well as the friendship between Jerry and Tidwell, as they go from being purely agent-and-client to thick friends.

 

Gooding Jr. as Tidwell

Cruise was nominated for an Oscar for his role, and Gooding Jr. went on to win in the Supporting Actor category. Carrying his natural charm and charisma, Cruise shows that he can play an emotional character as well. As he fiercely supports his client on one hand, he also lovingly cares for Dorothy and Ray on the other. Gooding Jr. is pretty impressive too, with his pumped-up energy and animated body language defining his character. Zellweger packs more emotional content into her character than everyone else put together. At times, her expression so beautifully blends happiness, love and tears (look out for the famous line “You had me at ‘hello’”).

 

Lipnicki as Ray

In a world where everyone’s after money, Jerry Maguire – even though it is scripted – makes you think how life is more than just that. Importantly, it is about people – a friend, a lover, someone who looks up to you… how each of them matter in one’s life more than what one earns in his job. Jerry Maguire is more than just a sports film; watch it and be inspired.

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%

Enemy (2013)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Screenplay: Javier Gullón (based on the book by José Saramago)

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Gadon, Mélanie Laurent 

Music: Daniel Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans

Time: 90 minutes

Bottom-line: An eerie thriller, with too many convoluted interpretations

Denis Villeneuve’s second Hollywood film after Prisoners­, Enemy is a psychological thriller with several David Lynchian surreal bits mixed with it. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal – in one (or two, rather!) of his best performances yet – Sarah Gadon and Mélanie Laurent, the film starts out with a simple plot, but eventually uses a lot of subtle hints and psychological interpretations to give a story that leaves you wondering what the hell you just saw.

 

Gyllenhaal as Adam (left) and Anthony (right); the
picture shows the difference in their traits - Adam
being cowed into submission by Anthony

Chaos is order yet undeciphered.

Toronto: Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal) is a college history professor, who seems to lead a dull life: he has a blank face, drooping shoulders, and even his girlfriend, Mary (Laurent) can’t seem to cheer him up much. Following the advice of a friend, he rents a movie, and spots his physical doppelganger – a man named Anthony Claire, who has done very minor roles in just three films. As he tracks down Anthony, he finds that they are identical in every way – even sharing a scar on their chest. However, Anthony is hot-headed and craves for sexual pleasures, and has a (very) pregnant wife, Helen (Gadon). What starts out as a simple search for a man turns into a nightmare for everyone involved.

 

Laurent as Mary

There have been numerous films made about twins – including several where the fact that there are twins involved is the plot twist. In Enemy, the plot is not that great. The strong suits of the film are the anxious, suspenseful sequences, and the silent encounters between characters. The scene where the two doppelgangers meet for the first time is quite intense, and equally riveting are the ones where Helen meets Adam for the first time, and when Anthony follows Mary in the bus, and later when Adam and Helen meet again. I was hoping for more such bits in the plot, which could have been extended to well beyond 90 minutes.

Dialogues are kept to a minimum, and the silence itself is chilling. Most scenes are shot in a yellowish sepia hue, giving an eerie visual appearance. Villeneuve sort of expects us to guess what the gameplay of the characters would be, and while there aren’t any real “plot twists”, it is exciting to keep predicting what would happen the next instant, almost entirely through the second half. There are several explanations and interpretations of the plot, starting from the question of whether there are indeed two doppelgangers. Tarantulas are a recurring theme of the film, from the “unrelated” opening sequence in an underground room to the climax.

 

Gadon as Helen

Jake Gyllenhaal is simply outstanding in this film. He plays two polar-opposite characters – their behaviour, nuances, expressions and dialogues – perfectly. Usually, the dialogues and the context are the only things that tell the two characters apart. Gadon and Laurent have done well too – the former playing the troubled, worried wife, and the latter playing the innocent victim to the course of events that follow the meeting of the doppelgangers.

Now, you may have seen anti-climaxes, plot twists at the last minute, or the other extreme where you don’t know how to make sense of the ending. Enemy falls under the third category, but if there was ever an ending – the final image before the screen cuts to black – that will impact you like a train hitting a fishbowl, Enemy’s would be a top contender. It is not the most satisfying climax, but try getting that image out of your head!

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 75%

Get Out (2017)

Director: Jordan Peele

Story: Jordan Peele

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams

Music: Michael Abels

Time: 103 minutes

Bottom-line: Has surprises around every corner

Jordan Peele’s debut film, Get Out, is a chilling thriller starring Black Mirror star Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams in the lead roles, with Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones and Lil Rel Howery in the supporting roles. The film is heavily doped with a lot of racist remarks and comments, so you would want to consider that if it is a sensitive topic.

Just because you are invited, doesn't mean you are welcome. 
African-American photographer Chris (Kaluuya) reluctantly agrees to meet the family of his white girlfriend, Rose (Williams), in their isolated countryside estate. On the way there, Rose hits a deer, and they report it, but the incident eventually goes unrecorded. Rose’s parents: neurosurgeon Dean (Whitford), hypnotherapist Missy (Keener) and brother Jeremy (Jones) make unsettling comments about blacks right from the start. Chris notices that the two black servants, Georgina and Walter, behave strangely; the former often unplugs Chris’ phone when it charges, claiming absent-mindedness. Missy also hypnotises Chris to help him get rid of his cigarette addiction. In the family’s annual get-together, Chris notices another black man, Logan, who looks familiar. Chris informs about these weird incidents to his black friend: TSA agent Rod Williams (Howrey), who recognises Logan as a missing person, and warns Chris. As Chris explores further, he stumbles upon a disturbing plot, and realises that it is too late to “get out”.

 

Kaluuya as Chris, and Williams as Rose

First disclaimer: right from the outset, in every plot description/review/article on the film, you will find a lot of emphasis on “black” and “white” and related terms. Second disclaimer: I wouldn’t call this a horror film; yes, it has a lot of violence and gore, but not horror. In fact, thanks to Rod’s character, there are much-needed humour bits too! One aim of the film was to highlight the lack of emphasis given to the missing black people in America, compared to the missing whites.

Whitford as Dean, and Keener as Missy

The story is pretty engaging. The air of mystery slowly builds up, starting with Missy’s hypnosis session, where she digs deep into Chris’ dark past as a child. Then comes the mystery of the characters Georgina and Walter, who act way too weirdly. Why is a "missing" person at the get-together? Why is everyone so racist? What's with the weird auction scene? The last 45 minutes of the film or so are about the secret Chris stumbles upon, and his attempts to escape. There are a lot of subtle hints given throughout the film, starting with the deer incident. The climax that you see in the film is clean, while there is an official alternate ending: one that is way darker.

 

Howrey as Rod

The performances by both the leads: Kaluuya and Williams are highly commendable. The way Rose’s family members act in the second half of the film is truly chilling. Lil Rey Howrey chips in with a good amount of humour, and his character is the plot catalyst. The secret that Chris discovers is something that you certainly wouldn’t have predicted, and it’s definitely discomfiting to think that someone would go so far to get the job done. One particular scene I liked is the phone conversation between Rose and Rod, where the former cunningly calls Rod’s bluff.

Get Out’s main strength lies in its sinister atmosphere, the build-up of suspense, the acting of Kaluuya and Williams, and a tight storyline that wraps everything up cleanly. It is one of the highest rated films of the year, and well worth watching.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 99%