nan | 楠木

I think I’m finally settling down from all the traveling since last Thursday night. During this time I was able to see 4 films (mainly on the go), so here’s a short summary of those 4 films.

Vantage Point (2008)

Saw this on the Singapore Airlines flight. The thriller’s main highlight is its structure, which I found some similarities to the now classic Memento. A act of terrorism is pieced together through the different narratives of several characters, with more clues / plot progressions revealed gradually. Sadly, the film suffers from a heavy dose of implausibility + cheesiness as it moves forward, resulting in a disappointing third act. That said, you could do worse if you’re looking for a fast-paced counter-terrorism thriller a la 24.

6/10

Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (2008)

Also saw this on the Singapore Airlines flight. The moral of the story is simple (and you’ve seen it a million times): we should be tolerant of those who are different, and be open minded to new things and ideas. The delivery is quite delightful, as Jim Carrey and Steve Carell duly fills in the voices of the two leading characters. Horton the elephant is especially funny.

8/10

Street Kings (2008)

Saw this in transit. Keanu Reeves isn’t the most talented actor around (most people seem to agree that he can’t act if his life depended upon it), but I’ve always had a liking for a guy who can be quite cool. In this film, he plays a cliched role of a cop who awakens to his conscience (after the death of another cop) and decides to take down the corrupt cops. There’s certainly dozens of corrupt-cops thrillers around, from L.A. Confidential to Cop Land to Training Day etc., and Street Kings certainly is influenced by some its peers, but it does manage to carve out a niche for itself with its gritty, violent style. Forest Whitaker (who was criminally miscast in Vantage Point - that role of his was a total joke) plays the antagonist – which is a spoiler (but shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone watching the film) – and his performance is spot-on. Reeves is still Reeves, but at least his typical acting fits this character really well.

7/10

The Bank Job (2008)

A very British crime thriller on a very British crime. A gang is hired (by the government) to pull of a bank robbery (in order to retrieve some indecent photos of royalties), but there’s several parties involved in this game of cat of mouse. The gang ends up getting chased after by the cops, the mob (whose stuff they stole) and the secret service (who hired them in the first place). Of course, there’s a satisfactory conclusion for the protagonists (popular action star Jason Statham heads the gang of bank-robbers), but the complicated plot is tense and suspenseful, which should make this worthwhile for anyone with an appetite for heist films.

7/10