Black Hawk Down. Mean Creek. Bad Guy
Black Hawk Down (2001) 7/10
Ridley Scott’s depiction of urban warfare in 2001’s Black Hawk Down is easily one of the most beautifully shot and technically proficient war movies ever filmed. Viseral, frenetic and powerful, it does not care to debate the merits of policy or politics but instead gives a close-up of that harrowing 24hrs in Somalia, where poor planning, arrogance and unexpected resistence turned what should have been a short and simple extraction mission into a bloodbath.
One problem with Black Hawk Down when i watched in a few years ago was that i didn’t know who was who and what they were doing. Several years and many movies later, i can recognise most of the cast by face alone: Eric Bana, Ewan Mcgregor, Josh Harnett, Orlando Bloom et al. For those film junkies, they would have no trouble following who’s who. They may not know what the character’s screen name is, but they sure can recognise the real name of the actors. The rest will likely get abit lost sometime, what with the frenetic and frenzied action.
One way to describe this film is that, after the 30 min mark, it is a bloodsoaked MTV. And that is mostly true, and yet it excels in this gritty realism of conflict after conflict, gunfight after gunfight. There is some attempt at setting out the background story in the first 30mins, but it is also the slowest and draggy part of the film. Once the true action starts, which is around the time the first black hawk goes down, the action flows fast and furious, and technically the film is excellence par none. Brilliant cinematography, direction and use of settings and music. But only when the action is thick.
Once the pacing slows downs, the flaws begin to surface, and at times threatens to derail the film. Clearly Ridley Scott falters in the character development department. But ultimately as a closeup look on that fateful October day in 1993, Black Hawk Down is an unforgivingly powerful film that scores with one of the best technical aspects in any film.
Mean Creek (2004) 7/10
In Stark contrast to Black Hawk Down, Jacob Estes’s Mean Creek is all about its characters. A riveting and rich potrait of the adolescence, Mean Creek features excellent performances by its young cast. Easily the best ensemble performance by a teenage cast ever. In particular, Josh Peck stands out with a brilliant performance as the bully George.
Featuring a beautiful, tranquil background juxtaposed with a prank gone horribly wrong, Mean Creek is hauntingly beautiful in its excellent characterisation and beautiful naturalism. While the plot and the film is predictable, the simplicity of the script belies the deeper social and moral ideals behind it.
“”Mean Creek” opens with a schoolyard bully picking on a smaller kid, develops into a story of revenge, and then deepens into the surprisingly complex story of young teenagers trying to do the right thing. It could have been simple-minded and predictable, but it becomes a rare film about moral choices, about the difficulty of standing up against pressure from your crowd.”- Ebert
“Such a simple plot barely fills the film’s 87 minutes, but writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes more than compensates with his labyrinth of moral dilemmas and complex characters.”- Metromix
Bad Guy (2002) 8/10
If you like your films safe, predictable and filled with brainless explosions, stay far, far away from Kim Ki Duk. The enfant terrible of Korean Cinema, Kim’s films belong in a class of their own. Often characterised by sex, violence and silence (although not always in that order), whatever you may feel about Kim’s works, you will never feel apathetic. Kim’s films provoke, sometimes intentionally so, and holds itself up as a mirror of society or of man’s failings. You’ll either hate or love Kim Ki Duk’s films, but i assure you that you will never feel indifferent.
And Kim’s Bad Guy is no different. Its theme of prostitution is a popular theme used by Kim, as seen in his other films like The Isle, Samaria or Birdcage Inn. As for the plot, it doesn’t matter, because its best to walk into a Kim Ki Duk film knowing as little about the plot as possible. In anycase, plots are rarely the strongest point of Kim’s film- instead it is his direction and the acting that are often the highlights.
The are obvious points where the logic of the film becomes tenous and even some supernatural elements of serendipity that may make audiences scratch their heads. Fret not, for this is not uncommon in Kim Ki Duk films, for logic is not what Kim cares about, as you can clearly see in 3-Iron. Certainly, you’ll wonder where all the police are in the entire film. And where the characters are thinking rationally.
But just sit back and enjoy the excellent performances by the two leads, the top-notch direction by Kim (as always) and the memorable soundtrack, and perhaps ponder upon the deeper meaning of the film.Take special note that, for much of the film, the male lead is silent and does not speak at all, save for a short outburts towards the end of the film.
“Few viewers are likely to leave the theater without strong feelings for or against this film. It features memorable images and music, considerable violence, strong acting, logic-defying plot threads, and an epilogue that seems designed to stir up controversy. The film makes perhaps the most sense if you read it as a clash between the lower and middle classes. Kim himself is the product of a difficult upbringing that has left him outraged at the inequities in Korean society.” - Darcy Parquet
