O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid
Review by Jason Pyles / September 13, 2008
Speaking of unfair expectations (which I did in my previous review of “Burn After Reading”), “Righteous Kill” is up against everyone’s belief that a movie starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino should be as good as any one of their individual movies but squared. Yes, I’m referring to exponents.
As for me, I’m just rating this movie by itself, on its own terms — regardless of its cast. I mean, it doesn’t matter one bit that “The Devil’s Own” (1997), for example, has Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, ‘cause that movie still sucks. You can even ask Brad Pitt.
But “Righteous Kill” is better than it seems. What I mean is, while I sat watching it, wondering what they were thinking, I eventually realized that its screenwriters were cleverer than I suspected. I can comfortably recommend that you check out this movie. Much like “Burn After Reading,” the Coen brothers’ film that was released the same day, “Righteous Kill” isn’t as good as you hoped it would be. Still, if you’ve only got time to catch one movie this weekend, choose “Righteous Kill” over the Coens.
“The Godfather: Part II” (1974) featured these two actors as father and son, but they never shared the screen at the same time. Then in 1995, Michael Mann’s “Heat” brought them together again but as enemies. So I guess it was inevitable that De Niro and Pacino get cast together in a buddy movie, as cop buddies, no less.
No spoilers follow. What follows is the premise, which is gleaned from the trailers: De Niro and Pacino play New York City police detectives, “Turk” and “Rooster,” respectively, and they’re tough on their criminals. Awfully tough. In fact, much of the movie is narrated by De Niro’s character, who’s filmed on a poor-quality camera giving a confessional interview, of sorts. Apparently, Turk has resorted to vigilantism to ensure that justice is served, and he becomes a serial killer who also happens to be a cop. And that’s all I can say.
No matter what, though, people are still going to be displeased with this movie. After all, it combines two titans of modern cinema, two of the finest actors alive. Many people don’t realize that great actors don’t necessarily make a movie great, but great actors can often make a not-so-great movie tolerable — sometimes. (No such luck with “The Devil’s Own.”) But “Righteous Kill,” on the other hand, is entertaining and good enough to put in your Netflix queue.
Directed by Jon Avnet
Robert De Niro / Al Pacino / 50 Cent
Crime / Drama 101 min.
MPAA: R (for violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use)
U.S. Release Date: September 12, 2008
Copyright 2008: 313
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Burn After Reading (2008)
O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid
Review by Jason Pyles / September 12, 2008
Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not a Coen brothers apologist, but let’s remember that their last movie received Best Picture — not to mention their ambiguous receipt of the Best Director Oscar — at the Academy Awards, so we’re all bound to have lofty expectations for this next film.
That’s what happened to M. Night Shyamalan after “The Sixth Sense” (1999), and he’s never been received the same way since, nor do I think his films have been viewed fairly because of it. Yes, I am a Shyamalan apologist.
And another thing about the Coens’ new flick: “Burn After Reading” is intended to be a comedy, a farcical parable, a scathing satire. So, let’s be wise and not hold it up against the likes of “No Country for Old Men.” We’d be talking about apples and oranges.
Not quite as silly as “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000), “Burn After Reading” ridicules and rebukes the U.S. government and its intelligence program, namely the CIA, by highlighting the fallibility of human nature. The directors’ overarching statement seems clear: Crazy things will happen when we allow imperfect people to make life-or-death decisions that affect other imperfect people.
And we can tell that the Coens and their cast are being playful, mostly, except for a couple “No Country … ” or “Fargo-like” surprises that wake us up. But it’s not that the movie is boring, per se. “Burn After Reading” is expressly casual, however. Its characters meander around, making mischief as they mingle. The attention-getting action doesn’t kick in until about 60 minutes into the film, at which point, we only get about 36 minutes more of Coen-caliber filmmaking to enjoy.
“Burn After Reading” is a multi-character, multi-sub-plot entanglement whose general themes are primarily adultery and blackmail. Taking care not to spoil anything, I’ll vaguely sketch the main characters: Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) is a U.S. marshal and womanizer whose scariest romantic association is with a human barracuda, Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton). Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) is a demoted CIA analyst whose disc of private information falls into the hands of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), and her dimwitted co-worker, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt).
Basically, “Burn After Reading” is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube, you twist and turn colors on one side and it affects all the other sides. These characters affect one another in much the same way.
When it’s all said and done, “Burn After Reading” is a Coen brothers film, and therefore, should not be missed … but that’s not to say that renting it wouldn’t be sufficient.
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
George Clooney / Brad Pitt / John Malkovich
Comedy / Crime 96 min.
MPAA: R (for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence)
U.S. Release Date: September 12, 2008
Copyright 2008: 312
O Excellent
X Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid
Review by Jason Pyles / September 12, 2008
Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not a Coen brothers apologist, but let’s remember that their last movie received Best Picture — not to mention their ambiguous receipt of the Best Director Oscar — at the Academy Awards, so we’re all bound to have lofty expectations for this next film.
That’s what happened to M. Night Shyamalan after “The Sixth Sense” (1999), and he’s never been received the same way since, nor do I think his films have been viewed fairly because of it. Yes, I am a Shyamalan apologist.
And another thing about the Coens’ new flick: “Burn After Reading” is intended to be a comedy, a farcical parable, a scathing satire. So, let’s be wise and not hold it up against the likes of “No Country for Old Men.” We’d be talking about apples and oranges.
Not quite as silly as “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000), “Burn After Reading” ridicules and rebukes the U.S. government and its intelligence program, namely the CIA, by highlighting the fallibility of human nature. The directors’ overarching statement seems clear: Crazy things will happen when we allow imperfect people to make life-or-death decisions that affect other imperfect people.
And we can tell that the Coens and their cast are being playful, mostly, except for a couple “No Country … ” or “Fargo-like” surprises that wake us up. But it’s not that the movie is boring, per se. “Burn After Reading” is expressly casual, however. Its characters meander around, making mischief as they mingle. The attention-getting action doesn’t kick in until about 60 minutes into the film, at which point, we only get about 36 minutes more of Coen-caliber filmmaking to enjoy.
“Burn After Reading” is a multi-character, multi-sub-plot entanglement whose general themes are primarily adultery and blackmail. Taking care not to spoil anything, I’ll vaguely sketch the main characters: Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) is a U.S. marshal and womanizer whose scariest romantic association is with a human barracuda, Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton). Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) is a demoted CIA analyst whose disc of private information falls into the hands of Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), and her dimwitted co-worker, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt).
Basically, “Burn After Reading” is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube, you twist and turn colors on one side and it affects all the other sides. These characters affect one another in much the same way.
When it’s all said and done, “Burn After Reading” is a Coen brothers film, and therefore, should not be missed … but that’s not to say that renting it wouldn’t be sufficient.
Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
George Clooney / Brad Pitt / John Malkovich
Comedy / Crime 96 min.
MPAA: R (for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence)
U.S. Release Date: September 12, 2008
Copyright 2008: 312
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