Review #1,278: 'Logan Lucky' (2017)

When Steven Soderbergh announced four years ago that he was giving up the director's gig to focus on TV, did anyone actually believe him? There was a cry of sadness from critics and audiences alike, but nothing about his announcement felt like it would last for very long. How could a man so prolific in recent years and as equally comfortable tackling a star-studded major release as he is with low-budget indies distract himself away from the temptation of the director's chair? As expected, Soderbergh is back for his first film since 2013's Behind the Candelabra, with a heist comedy described as Ocean's Eleven for the NASCAR crowd, and more amusingly, Ocean's 7-11. Logan Lucky doesn't find the director on unfamiliar ground, but it's a welcome reminder of how fine a storyteller he is.

The Logan family curse stretches back as far as the remaining members can recall, and things look to be heading downhill for Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) when he is sacked from his construction job and informed by his ex-wife (Katie Holmes) that she plans to take their daughter and her new husband miles away to Lynchburg. Jimmy's brother Clyde (Adam Driver) has returned from Iraq minus an arm and a sense of humour, and only hairdresser sister Mellie (Riley Keough) appears to have dodged the curse. Enough is enough for the once-promising footballer Jimmy, who plans to end the curse once and for all by robbing the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Key to the success of the job is colourful safe-cracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), but he currently sits in jail five months away from his release. With a few tricks of his own up his sleeve - and a comprehensive list of dos and don'ts stuck to his fridge - Jimmy aims to break Joe out, pull off the heist, and return him to his cell before anyone notices he's gone.

With fantastic performances all round from a hugely talented cast and a witty, pacy script by Rebecca Blunt, Logan Lucky is one of the most effortlessly watchable movies of 2017. The film is predictably stolen by an off-the-leash Daniel Craig who, with a buzz-cut of peroxide-blonde hair and a drawl so ridiculous it actually works in favour of the character, seems happy to be free of the high-octane stunts and extensive promotion tours that come with the role of James Bond. There are also nice smaller turns from the likes of Katherine Waterston as a good-natured nurse and former schoolmate of Jimmy, Dwight Yoakam as a prison warden eager to avoid any bad publicity, Sebastian Stan as a disgruntled, yoga-freak NASCAR driver, and Hilary Swank as a shrewd FBI agent. There are bad performances too, namely from Joe's idiotic brothers (played by Brian Gleeson and Jack Quaid) who aren't nearly as funny as the film believes they are, and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane donning a distracting English accent and even more distracting hair-and-moustache combo.

It's fun, breezy and confidant in all the ways Ocean's Eleven was, only here the characters are more dim-witted and less easy on the eye. It's happy to dabble in the kind of stereotype dreamt up by outsiders, and while this helps with the appeal of Craig's larger-than-life lunatic, it also means that much of the comedy is derived from people saying and doing stupid things. Every now and then however, Soderbergh reminds us why he has been so missed, even when he's dishing out mid-table fare like Logan Lucky. Few directors can bring a heist to life with such detail and excitement - he doesn't let you in on the plan, so we have no idea just how this will pan out - and even fewer could make the site of a prosthetic arm being sucked up into a huge vacuum quite so hilarious. But the movie's high-point comes when Jimmy arrives at the last minute to witness his daughter sing John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' to an enamoured pageant audience, and heart-strings are unexpectedly tugged. It's a shame that more of the movie can't quite live up to that scene's standards and helped to gloss over the other flaws, but for now it's certainly a "welcome back, Steven Soderbergh."


Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough, Seth MacFarlane, Katherine Waterston, Hilary Swank, Dwight Yoakam, Katie Holmes
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #953: 'Spectre' (2015)

Now the longest-running franchise in cinema history, Daniel Craig's James Bond is back for a fourth outing, and the British super-spy's 24th 'official' adventure overall. Also back is director Sam Mendes, who, after the phenomenal success of 2012's Skyfall, was always going to return to the franchise that brought him both critical and box-office embraces in equal measures. Now that Craig's Bond has been seen as a hot-headed maverick and evolved into the invincible agent with a license to kill as depicted by Connery, Moore et al, the re-boot that kicked off in 2006 is now up to speed and ready to relax into the formula that proved so successful these past 50 years.

Sadly, all Spectre seems to be is formula. It opens in Mexico during the Day of the Dead, where Bond is on a mission following a recorded tip-off from Q (Judi Dench) to assassinate three men who are plotting a terrorist attack. One man escapes, and Bond chases him through a crowd dressed in macabre costumes and into a helicopter. The opening set-piece is easily the most thrilling part of the movie, and Mexico City, beautifully captured by cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, proves to be an inspired location during one of its most visually illuminating festivals. Straight after the rather hypnotic opening credits, which plays over the sound of Sam Smith's mediocre theme, the plot kicks in and it turns out MI-5 is becoming a redundant outfit; old men in suits who seem like small potatoes in a world of drones and high-tech spy software.

Spectre's ultimate goal is seemingly to prove that this is far from the case, that old-fashioned heroes who can sip martini's and bed beautiful women between taking down criminal organisations are far from gone. Judging by the box-office takings, the film makes its point and then some. It's just a shame that the quality takes a rapid decline after the exciting opener, and insists on establishing itself as a serialised franchise, with all the films from Casino Royale onwards linking into one another. Bond finally finds himself face to face with his greatest foe of all, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), and it's revealed that previous villains Le Chaffre, Dominic Greene and Silva were no more than puppets under his control. The revelation is illogical, ridiculous and ultimately pointless, serving no purpose other than to cash in on the recent trend of having films take place across a shared universe (started by Marvel).

At two and a half hours, the thin plot is stretched out as far as it can go. Bond tracks the illusive terrorist organisation Spectre to Rome, Austria and Morocco, accompanied by the daughter of a former Quantum agent, Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) and relentlessly pursued by hulking henchman Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista). By the time the quite bizarre extended climax comes, it feels as if the film should be wrapping itself up. Familiar cast members Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw are back in their respected roles and are given enough screen time to actually effect the plot, but Naomie Harris's Moneypenny is sadly underused, as are Bautista and Monica Bellucci. Still, with a budget of around $245 million - one of the most expensive ever - Spectre is one of the most handsome films I've seen and is why I can't be too hard on the film with my star rating. But with the hype that came with the film upon it's release, it's a bitterly underwhelming experience.


Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #930: 'Munich' (2005)

Steven Spielberg's Munich questions the value of compromising your own ideals in the name of retaliation, whether 'doing what your enemies do' is a necessary stance or the beginning of a downwards spiral towards violence and bloodshed of which there is no end, and ultimately, no point. There are ancient political and religious rivalries in Ireland, South Africa and, especially, Israel; countries that have been torn apart by civil unrest. There seems no reasonable solution apart from forgiving and forgetting, but this doesn't seem to be an option. In the wake of the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munch Olympics, Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen) decides that lawful justice will not suffice for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and team members.

A crack team is put together to carry out a series of carefully planned assassinations of alleged members of the Black September group. The group's leader is Avner (Eric Bana), a Mossad agent and soon-to-be father who is briefed of his task by the shadowy go-between Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush). The rest of the team is Carl (Ciaran Hinds), a clean-up man, Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), an expert bomb-maker, Steve (Daniel Craig), a South African weapons handler, and Hans (Hanns Zischler), a professional document forger. Their first hit takes them to Rome, where they are sold information on the whereabouts of target Wael Zwaiter (Makram Khoury) by a Frenchman named Louis (Mathieu Amalric), who claims to work for an organisation unaffiliated with any government.

Highly controversial upon its release, some extreme views questioned director Spielberg's sympathies and ultimate goal. For most people not directly linked to the various religious groups and organisations seen in the film, it should be clear that Spielberg makes a point in showing both sides as equally sympathetic and morally ambiguous. Every attack and execution is a result of one action or another, bringing into question the whole idea of revenge (the movie is based on the book Vengeance by Yuval Aviv, who Bana's character is a fictional substitution for). Israel itself plays a key role. Although we spend little time there. Munich takes us to Italy, Greece, England, Spain, Lebanon and America, but Israel's disputed lands are never far from the characters minds.

Avner is an especially haunted soul, questioning the ethics of his operation and plagued by visions of the events at the Munich Olympics, the latter of which are portrayed with a chilling authenticity at various point throughout the film. He later meets Louis' 'Papa' (Michael Lonsdale), who argues that family, over any government or religious organisation, is the only unit worth fighting for, casting Avner's mind back to his recently-born child. The ensemble cast do a very good job at carrying the weighty tones of the film on their shoulders, but it is Spielberg himself who is the most deserving of acclaim here. It is the director at his most mature and unsentimental, and as the industry's most famous Jew he has taken a huge risk by tackling an extremely sensitive issue. It upset the people on both sides, but that is precisely the point. How can anyone come out of such a bloodied conflict, of which there is no clear end in sight, with a clear conscience?


Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Eric Bana, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush, Mathieu Amalric, Michael Lonsdale
Country: France/Canada/USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #559: 'Skyfall' (2012)

So finally, after becoming the highest grossing film of all time in the UK, grossing over 1 billion dollars worldwide, and amongst chants of "best Bond ever!", I finally got round to watching Skyfall, Daniel Craig's third appearance as the re-invented British spy, following the excellent Casino Royale (2006) and the somewhat flat Quantum of Solace (2008). Ever since Paul Greengrass picked up the reigns of the moderately successful The Bourne Identity (2002) and gave birth to a franchise with his sequel The Bourne Supremacy (2004), action cinema has been significantly affected. We no longer expect cheesy one-liners and long-haired villains being thrown over tables, we now look for damaged anti-heroes, spectacular but realistic stunts, and messy hand-to-hand combat. Skyfall is Bond's most emotionally engaging movie yet, but it's also an alarmingly underwhelming experience.

After a botched MI6 operation in Istanbul, a lone mercenary, Patrice (Ola Rapace), escapes with a computer file containing details about undercover agents working within terrorist organisations. James Bond is accidentally shot by his partner Eve (Naomie Harris) and believed to be dead. Back in London, M (Judi Dench) finds her position threatened by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), who urges her to retire in the aftermath of Istanbul. When the MI6 headquarters are bombed following a threatening cyber-message to M, Bond returns, facing questions about his mental state and his physical ability. But when Patrice is tracked down, an assassination leads Bond to a casino in Macao, owned by cyber-terrorist Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a former colleague of M's.

If I can say off the bat, I've always been in favour of this re-invention of Bond. As the 'old' Bond films were progressing, they were becoming gradually more ridiculous and fantasy-laden, leading to the inexplicable invisible car in Pierce Brosnan's last film as Bond, Die Another Day (2002). The films seemed to be losing sight of Ian Fleming's source novels, and although they remained commercial hits, Brosnan's outings (with the exception of GoldenEye (1995) were becoming increasingly dire. Casino Royale set the tone early with a moody black-and-white sequence that gave birth to Daniel Craig's colder, brutal Bond, less concerned with how his Martini's were made than going to extreme (and illegal) lengths to bring down his target(s). Royale's reinvention showed a darker side to the beloved character, yet staying with tradition, still kept him at an emotional distance.

Director Sam Mendes made the bold decision to reveal more about Bond's past and childhood, risking fanboy wrath and damaging Bond's almost mythical characterisations. The main crux of the film focuses on his relationship with M, a stern authoritarian that risks career and her own soul in putting national safety and the success of a mission above the lives of her agents. Bond, being a willing soldier, follows M blindly, and when Silva announces his intention to enact revenge on M for a former betrayal, Bond takes M to his childhood home, Skyfall. Bond facing his childhood allows time to develop on Bond's tormented psyche, but it all seems quite out of place. One of the most intriguing things about Bond is his almost suicidal willingness to risk all for his job due to his almost complete lack of emotion, but Skyfall is unable to make any grand revelations so it all comes to nothing more than a distraction. (Saying that, the only previous Bond film to try and engage Bond emotionally led to one of the most devastatingly cold climaxes in the series' history in the underrated On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)).

As well as the Bourne series, it seems that Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012) is a major influence on this film in particular. Mendes delves deeper into the workings and hierarchy of MI6, rather than just a boss sat behind a desk, and adds a modern, more 'real' bad guy in Silva to the mix (even stealing the Joker's voluntary arrest in The Dark Knight (2008)). Silva is a technical genius, able to hack MI6's database with relative ease, and also proving himself more resourceful and intelligent than Bond and M realise. Bardem is wonderful in the role (as you would expect), but sadly his character is not. Labelling him simply as a cyber virtuoso seems like a very lazy way to allow Silva to repeatedly outwit MI6 and their own technical marvel Q (Ben Whishaw) to the point where you wonder if Britain's finest could really be so stupid. The film is therefore full of plot-holes and distracting MacGuffin's that stretches out the running time to more than it really needs to be.

Skyfall also asks a lot of the audience, especially when it comes to suspending their belief. Before the frankly bizarre opening sequence appears and we are treated to Adele's drab title song, we witness an already wounded Bond get shot with a rifle and fall over 300 feet from the Varda Viaduct into water, only to emerge alive and romancing a mystery woman. No explanation is given as to how he manages to survive the ordeal, and given the revelations about Bond's diminishing physical prowess, it seems rather insulting. As questions are raised by his superiors over Bond's ability to his job given his age (it must be the grey in his stubble), Bond is put through various tests in which he struggles with, yet half way through the film, this seems to be simply put aside as he competently shoots and fights his way through various bad guys. Again, no real explanation given.

Like I stated before, the most suitable word to describe this film would be underwhelming, especially with the critical adoration that the film was lavished with. The action scenes are dull, with nothing matching the free-jumping opening of Royale. They are also quite strange - was anyone expecting a henchman to be eaten by a CGI Komodo dragon? How about death by underwater funky chicken? It all leads to a very unsatisfying climax at Skyfall, where a simple shoot-out and foot chase fail to justify a 2 hour-plus build-up. It feels like the entire film is building up to an explosive climax that never comes. I found the whole experiencing really quite baffling, with the attempts to mix the old with the new Bond never really convincing or flowing. The film is competently directed by Mendes however, and everything looks suitably crisp and clean. What direction all of this means for Bond, I don't know, but given the film is currently the 14th highest-grossing film of all time, and the film somehow being lauded by critics and audiences alike, it won't be too long until Craig dons the suit once again.


Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Ben Whishaw, Albert Finney
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #494: 'Layer Cake' (2004)

This British gangster film was originally intended for director Guy Ritchie's typically heavy-handed approach, but thankfully, duty took him elsewhere and the gig landed in producer Matthew Vaughn's hands. Vaughn is now well-established amongst the Hollywood elite, having since gone on to direct the underrated Stardust (2007), the hugely entertaining Kick-Ass (2010), and the rather hit-and-miss X-Men: First Class (2011), but he made his name with this now-cult and extremely stylish little thriller that also paved the way for star Daniel Craig to become James Bond and an A-lister in one swoop. Vaughn's ability to stamp his quirky humour onto relatively familiar grounds is clear from the off, with Craig nameless protagonist (credited simply as XXXX) giving us the narration to his world, only this protagonist is about to get a massive life-lesson, and one that is quite suitable to our times.

XXXX is a successful cocaine dealer who, along with his cohorts Gene (Colm Meaney), Morty (George Harris), Terry (Tamer Hassan) and Clarkie (Tom Hardy), is on the verge of making the big deal that could see his retirement. "Have a plan, and stick to it," he tells us, only crime boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) has different ideas. He sets XXXX the task of finding the daughter of larger crime lord Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon), a promising girl who has taken to drugs and since gone missing. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, cocky gangster Duke (Jamie Foreman) has made a huge ecstasy heist but has stolen from the wrong person. All roads lead to XXXX, who finds himself pulled into a labyrinthine crime world where he starts to truly know his place.

This world of loud-mouthed gangsters and powerful old men in expensive suits that London (and the UK film industry) seems to enjoy mixing itself up with is frankly tiresome and has been done to death (especially in the straight-to-DVD market). Yet Layer Cake has less of the colourful, wise-cracking cock-er-neys and slow-motion bloodshed of Guy Ritchie's back catalogue, and shares more with the sleek, neon-lit world of Michael Mann. Although it does quite often border on style-over-substance, and the multi-stranded plot is not quite as clever as it thinks it is, the film is funny, entertaining and frequently surprising. The final moments especially pull the rug from beneath you when you think everything is nicely wrapped up.

The title refers to the social stratification of XXXX's world, and shows that it applies even to the criminal underworld, as well as business, social and political systems. XXXX thinks of himself as top dog, and in the opening scenes, we see him coolly going about his business - shades on, snappy suit, and he even takes the girl (Sienna Miller) of Duke's ridiculous nephew Sidney (Ben Whishaw). But his world, like our world, doesn't quite work like that. In the past year or so, we as the public have learned that we are mere cockroaches in a crushing capitalist country that vomits luxury onto the rich and powerful, and steals from the tax-payer. Like us, XXXX is chewed up by the system, giving him a slap-in-the-face dose of realism that he didn't see coming. The system is embodied by the towering Eddie Temple, in an effortlessly brilliant performance by a ridiculously fake-tanned Michael Gambon. This aspect is the main reason why this film stands out amongst its imitators. An introduction to an interesting film-maker and its intriguing star.


Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Daniel Craig, Colm Meaney, George Harris, Kenneth Cranham, Jamie Foreman, Michael Gambon, Ben Whishaw, Sienna Miller, Dexter Fletcher
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #259: 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn' (2011)

Young and confident investigative journalist Tintin (Jamie Bell) purchases a model boat of the Unicorn, a three-masted sailing ship, from a market, only to be approached by the sinister looking Ivanovich Sakharine (Daniel Craig) who offers him triple the amount he paid for it. He refuses and, along with his trusty dog Snowy, takes the ship home, only to unwittingly coming across a cryptic note that was preserved with the model that mentions a secret involving the mysterious ship and a family line called the Haddocks. Tintin is kidnapped and taken aboard the ship of Sakharine where he finds the drunken Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), locked in a room with only whisky for company. The two must combine their wits and unravel the mystery of the messages which may lead to them to secret treasure.

The original comic books by Belgian artist Herge, and eventual cartoon series that came from it, have a huge dedicated and passionate fan base that were both eagerly awaiting and dreading Steven Spielberg's re-imagining. Not being a fan myself, I would imagine the fans would be happy with this effort, as although the look of Tintin is certainly very different, the old-school feel of the original works is certainly there. The film combines three old Tintin stories - The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure. This is possibly the film's biggest flaw, as although it certainly looks amazing, and the film has a definite nostalgia-tainted, labour-of-love feel, the story just isn't up to scratch.

The performance-capture animation is without doubt the most close-to-life I've ever come across. It captures every facial movement and the subtle expressions that allow the actors performance to come through the CGI. Jamie Bell injects a likeability into a hero that might have come across as an annoying know-it-all. But the film really belongs to Serkis. Now a veteran of the whole motion-capture malarkey, his Captain Haddock allows him to show what he can do as an actor. He gets all the best lines and is involved in the more memorable scenes, notably when he's had a drink or two.

Thank God for the performances then as the plot has a lot to answer for. Combining the blockbuster minds of Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and long-time Spielberg collaborator Kathleen Kennedy, it's quite shocking that this is the best they can come up with. These are the people responsible for some of the best works in the mega-bucks department - E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - which all combined great storytelling, genuine passion, film-making know-how, and some old fashioned cinematic magic. Where Tintin certainly has the passion, the story just seems wafer-thin and very un-movie like, so to speak.

Understandably, they wanted to keep the adaptation close to Herge's original vision, but I just felt like I was watching an extended episode of the cartoon series that happened to have some very expensive animation. There is one notable set-piece, which involves Tintin, Haddock and Snowy fighting Sakharine at high speed for the last clue that may lead them to the Unicorn treasure, that would have been near-impossible if filmed in live-action. This scene, if anything, promotes the use of motion capture to take film-making to new levels, but it also happens to be amazingly choreographed and executed. But apart from that scene, the film never give me the shiver down the spine or got my pulse racing like the aforementioned films certainly did.

There is a lot to like about the film, however. The most annoying thing about the original cartoons were the Thompson and Thomson twins (here played by newly-appointed Spielberg bum-chums Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), and here they are given little more than extended cameo roles, and it's clear that they're best enjoyed in small doses. Craig is fun as the villain, although his character is rather one-dimensional and thinly-written. It's also fun to spot the little winks and homages to the originals, that includes a truly brilliant introduction to Tintin. Hopefully when the inevitable sequel comes along, Spielberg can take the passion from this and put it into a better story. But this is satisfying enough for the time being.


Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones
Country: USA/New Zealand

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie