The Contender (2000)

The Contender is a work of art, a story where the director of the movie is on the driving seat and Rod Lurie, a budding name ten years ago, has shown his hard work in this movie by revealing characters in a layer-by-layer approach. I can't remember watching such a thrilling drama or such a dramatic thriller in recent times. The movie urged me to think, when a movie is described thriller? When there is some fast paced action? When the viewers constantly crave for what happens next?

What happened while watching 'The Contender' was getting that repeated feeling of 'why'? The characters in the beginning are shown just like onions with their skin on. As the movie proceeds, we can see the peeling of their covers and their true identity being revealed. I understood, an intriguing drama is a thriller. In the beginning of the movie, I felt that I have an understanding of the suspense but then that was just a small piece of the pie. Overall, the character development process is remarkable. Most of the human beings, learned, educated and professionals are complex in nature, in terms of their behavior, in terms of how they overall carry themselves. I don't think that we can draw a few lines and then relate them to any human nature. Say, this line represents this person and that line, that person and so on. People are far more diverse on their surface as compared to what they are beneath them. I suppose most of us do reach to a point where we start believing in something and stick to it. Perhaps, the path beyond that point becomes clear, even if not easy to tread upon. But for those who constantly doubt, the future is shaky, risky.

I suppose, the director has tried to show some clear traits on principles, loyalty, hypocrisy and other behavior in this film. Joan Allen, if is shown firm along with Gary Oldman then Jeff Bridges is way vibrant. I have seen three movies out of the six directed by Rod Lurie and I find all of them as a measure to dig deep in the abilities of different people, given a test of time and situation and perhaps not far from common man's perspective, too. Among these three, The Contender is so far, the best.

My rating: 7.2/10

A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Dalkomhan Insaeng or A Bittersweet Life (2005) is just another story of revenge. And believe me, it is the Koreans and the Japanese directors who have inspired Quentin Tarantino to make movies such as Kill Bill (2003-2014). Korean director Ji-woon Kim has not done anything exceptional in this cinema but just portrays the abuse of power and the rise of a common guy to the extremities to avenge his wrong-treatment. I think a lot of Bollywood as well and Hollywood movies are made in this fashion. Plus the Korean style of presentation of conversation between a disciple and the master as the background do prevails in A Bittersweet Life, too. Nothing more was required from the actors so one shall not expect exceptional performances, either. The music keeps playing in the background. I think its just to mellow down the mood. Overall, average movie.

My rating: 6.5/10

A Simple Plan (1998)

Ever wondered what the director of The Evil Dead (1981-1992) doing before directing the Spider-Man (2002-2007)? I got it now. He was making A Simple Plan. A Simple Plan is an in-depth study of human psyche by the master director Sam Raimi. How very ordinary people get pushed beyond their limits when the emotions such as greed and desperation creeps in their life. I felt some part to be stretching, especially the actions of the protagonist for its too much for a common family man. But I guess what Sam Raimi has tried here is just a portrayal. Let us not measure the height of crime but considering it just a deed, it definitely makes one think that is it worth doing? There definitely are thrills but the pace is slow. It churns a lot of drama as the movie progresses.

Overall, character of Bill Paxton is naive and gullible, that of Bridget Fonda is desperate. While Billy Bob Thornton's character is confused but deep, Brent Biscou's character is that of opportunist and greedy. A all-in-all play of dark side of human emotions.

My Rating: 7.1

Hostage (2005)

There is Bruce Willis. And then there are some smart dialogues, enough zing-zing, bomb-blasts and those cops and criminal drama. Hostage is no different story. Just some twists in the plot to make it a parallel-lane entertainer. Emilio Siri was a student of Cinema at Sorbonne University in Paris and he has done a good job in creating a thriller. If it does not give you something out of the box then it certainly does not disappoint you, either. Good pastime.

My rating: 6.75/10

Layer Cake (2004)

One good thing about UK directors. They know how to make an entertainer. Layer Cake definitely revolves around gangsters and crimes but this ain't another story about some mob war or an in-and-out job of a wannabe or even any undercover agent. This is a simple story of a wrong-doer average guy who is pushed into circumstances from where he has to pull himself out, every time. You'll love the pace of the cinema. Small-time thrills, some good background score (especially it is awesome to listen Duran Duran's Ordinary World), crisp acting. That's all you need for a crime, thriller, drama to be. Two-thumbs up!
P.S. Watch carefully to find the name of Daniel Craig's character in the film.

My Rating: 7.55/10

Miller's Crossing (1990)

Whats the rumpus? Yes, I think in comparison to other movies pertaining to the Prohibition-era crimes such as 'Once Upon A Time In America', Miller's Crossing is more close presentation of limited but important characters prevailing during that time. More than that, it is a story of wit and thrill in the daily lives of people. All these wise guys, smart guys, made-up guys, stand-up guys and everything seems to have started from this time-period only.

However, in my opinion there lies difference in presenting gangsters when it comes to the style of Joel Coen, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, for example. Where most of the directors use more and more dialogues to develop sequence of drama, it is Joel Coen who keeps someone quiet among the group. Someone who thinks and we don't know what is he or she thinking. That always adds to the thrill and suspense. And this is one style, which I think is similar to that of Francis Ford Coppola. So even at this day when we see 'No Country For Old Men', we do find such characters. On the contrary, Scorsese or Tarantino not only put dialogues but also communicate about the thought of the protagonist to the viewers. I won't go after Sergio Leone since he has made enough Western to make him rely upon not only dialogues but also a story in flash-back to back his characters silence.

Still, one of the most beautiful element about Miller's Crossing is it's music. I was completely mesmerized by the background score. And a whiff of the same music can be heard in 'Fargo', too. Good acting, splendid story development and marvelous drama. Strongly recommended. So, whats the rumpus?
My rating: 7.8/10

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

This came after 'Raising Arizona'. Another attempt on making comedy by Ethan and Joel Coen. But they have done it. 'The Hudsucker Proxy' is one of the finest satirical presentations wrapped up in 129 minute show. I felt more like watching some play. In terms of acting, all the lead stars including Paul Newman, Tim Robbins and Jennifer Jason Leigh are marvelous and it is definite that the way script is written, it would have required talented actors such as these to put the screen on fire. There are some moments where you realize that though this is fiction yet this is so similar to the real life situations. Such as the 'double stitch' scene. But yes, this is completely character based cinema. Like you take different people from different walks of life and take their tales from various phases of their working/professional lives, put them together and ask a master storyteller such as Coen Brothers to make into a movie and what you'll receive is 'The Hudsucker Proxy'.
My Rating: 7.25/10