Three Very Different Films

Based on Cormac McCarthy’s masterful novel, John Hillcoat’s film THE ROAD comes close to depicting the desolate, viscerally post-apocalyptic themes of the novel, but I doubt any filmmaker could perfectly capture McCarthy’s raw, poetic prose.  A father and son (the always-compelling Viggo Mortensen and talented newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee) are traveling alone after an unnamed cataclysm has destroyed North America and possibly the world.  Solitary travel is necessary in this new world, as other survivors have turned to cannibalism since food has run out, but this is much more of a dramatic film than one of horror or science fiction.  The spare dialogue is well-adapted from the book, as are several key scenes.  The unrelentingly bleak subject matter makes this a difficult film to watch, but that is what makes it successful.  Visually saturated with tones of gray and brown, the occasional orange flames have that much more impact on the viewer.  Well-acted with key supporting roles by Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce, THE ROAD is not for those looking for action or optimism, but for film lovers looking for a faithful, intense and visually arresting rendering of a masterpiece of fiction, look no further.

Oren Moverman’s THE MESSENGER is a different kind of war movie, and gives an arresting perspective on Iraq and Afghanistan.  Wounded soldier Sgt. Will Montgomery (Ben Foster, late of 3:10 TO YUMA and TV’s Six Feet Under) is reassigned as part of a Casualty Notification Team with Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), notifying next of kin of soldiers killed in action.  Stone advises Montgomery not to get close (physically or emotionally) to any of the “NOK” and to deliver the news and leave.  Montgomery, whose ex-girlfriend is now engaged to another but spent a weekend with him when he returned Stateside, battles his demons with loud music and eloquent fistfights with his apartment walls.  When Montgomery becomes involved with a war widow (a low-key Samantha Morton) that the team notified,  tensions flare.  This is a quiet and powerful film of the aftermath of war, seen from several perspectives.  Ben Foster’s performance here cements him as a young actor to watch, and Woody Harrelson is well-cast in the showier role of Capt. Stone.  Steve Buscemi has a nice cameo as a father who is notified of his son’s death.  The six ‘notifications’ that punctuate the film are all very different and show the range of human reactions to loss.   Far superior to the melodramatic BROTHERS, THE MESSENGER is an excellent companion piece to THE HURT LOCKER in the lexicon of Iraq War cinema.

The words ‘based on a true story’ can sometimes lead to eye-rolling.  As can the words ‘directed by Clint Eastwood’ at least for me, as I am not a huge fan.   But he has been slowly winning me over with MYSTIC RIVER (one of my favorite books) and GRAN TORINO.   INVICTUS does a pretty good job of it, too – the uplifting story of an underdog rugby team in South Africa, set just after Nelson Mandela becomes president.  Oscar nominees Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon give heart and dignity to the story of a country still divided by apartheid at all levels of society, from the president’s security detail to the ragged rugby fields in the slums.  Damon plays Francois Pienaar, captain of the underdog Springboks, and his friendship with Mandela is the quiet core of the film.  Freeman is ideally cast as Mandela, and the scenes that show his compassion, kindness and also stubbornness, both in politics and in private life,  are a joy to watch, though the film does not have time to explore much of the complexities of Mandela’s road to the presidency.   Recommended for drama fans and those looking for a more substantial sports film.