A Hitchcockian Human Drama.

Le Passé [The Past]
(2013)

Written & Directed by- Asghar Farhadi

*Bérénice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis

Asghar Farhadi returns with another complex human drama post his award winning-spree for the terrific A Separation.
His latest presentation is one which is even more mystifying and intriguing in ways one couldn't have foreseen.

Farhadi seems in absolute control as he constructs scenes of unfathomable power, surging with emotion and ready to pop at the seams with a bang akin to most action films. Every scene progresses in strokes of brilliance, creating layer upon layer of drama while simultaneously unsheathing the characters' inner dilemma.


Ahmed returns to Paris to carry out his divorce with Marie after being separated for four years. At home, he finds himself caught up in a blitzkrieg of emotions as dark secrets plague the lives of those around him. Marie's elder daughter, Luci is tormented by her mother's impending marriage, while her future husband, Samir is caught up between his new love and comatose wife.

However, despite the convoluted web of relationships, the film is never impeded by its complications. In fact, Farhadi reveals these truths like the twists in a Hitchcockian mystery, yet never overdoing them, rather relishing in their simplistic revelations. It is the aftermath that Asghar Farhadi enjoys exploring.


We see every character, even the 8-year old Fouad, phenomenally played by Elyes Aguis, struggle with his fears and insecurities. Something which provides it a much darker tone than A Separation, where we had the innocent Termeh as the neutralizing center of all the chaos that unfurled.
I think this grim take testifies Farhadi's flourishing expertise in dealing with human drama. Though everyone is at war with themselves, none seems to betray a proclivity for the melodrama that is somewhat expected of such an emotionally fantastic situation.


The acting is top notch. Bérénice Bejo really bursts onto the screen with a firepower performance that has its proper share of dignified calmness between the dangerous chaos that it braves.
Another great performance is from Tahar Rahim, playing the conflicted Samir, the one who is closest to what could be called a victim, in this whole scenario. His subdued performance only grows through the course of the film and he gets to truly shine in the emotionally crunching final moments.
The child actors too were perfectly picked.


But the best thing about Farhadi's brand of cinema is just how easily he balances all these different elements in one complete picture. From writing a story that overwhelms to tying it to these nifty little techniques which are an inspiration for anyone with a sweet tooth for cinema. I loved how he shot the opening scene of A Separation, and he doesn't disappoint this time as well.

The cinematography is treat. The rich color palette keeps you involved and to an extent even distracted from the high-octane drama that brews like a storm and hits like a tidal wave sweeping you with itself.

Two back to back films which leave you dumbfounded by their surprise and simplicity. They don't make it better than Farhadi.
A terrific drama, exceptionally made and masterfully told, tad inferior to the magnificence of A Separation which still has me gushing over it, three years later.


Rating- 4.3/5

An Endless Ocean of Grey. One Desperate Man. No Tigers.

ALL IS LOST
(2013)

Written & Directed by- J. C. Chandor

*Robert Redford



Robert Redford plays an unnamed seafarer in J.C. Chandor's one-man mother of all survival films, All Is Lost.

Alone within a never-ending canvas of blues and greys, an old sailor finds his boat to be flooding through a hole caused by a stray shipping container.
Armed with only his grit and a superior sailor skill-set, he takes on the Indian Ocean with gritted teeth and orange overalls. With an arsenal of makeshift tools and an uncanny knack for resourcefulness, the seafarer seems to overcome wave after wave of hardships, until weariness starts to settle in and all, quite literally, seems to be lost.


In a survival film there isn't much scope for a well-developed plot, as much as there is the need for a constantly captivating screenplay.
All is Lost pulls that off handsomely. And without dialogue!

Redford is precise in his flailing efforts to maneuver that flimsy raft to safety and he manages that without ever confiding in the audience. We are simply viewers gaping through a window as a man, alone and silent, tries to make the best of what he's given. We are disconnected from him on a superficial level just as our connection deepens on a more empathetic level, overawed by his resolve.
The screenplay is an achievement in itself which deserves applause. But his resilient battle is rivaled only by the seafarer's character itself.

Robert Redford's old sailor proudly joins the pantheon of the Most Badass Characters Ever to be Filmed. In his late seventies, he is faced by insurmountable odds and bests them every time. I can only imagine how awesome he would have been in his prime.
Though he's not your regular tough and tattooed seaman, in fact the seafarer is a wrinkly grandpa figure who can stare fear in the eye and command it to go cry in the corner.
The mute fire of survival in his eyes intermingled with the slight exasperation of his experience alone makes him a contender for one of the best performances of the year. But boy, was Redford robbed.


The film takes its time to build up. The early scenes on Virginia Jean are a bit of a drag as it's difficult understanding a singular character who barely speaks, but once on the rubber raft, as the odds stack up against him, you can hear yourself cheer for the solitary sailor.
The penultimate scene where chinks in his armor finally show, as he scribbles a final note before his imminent death, tugs at your soul.

I liked Chandor's debut, Margin Call, but he fine tunes his craft immensely with this silent character study of a man lost at sea.
A fantastic notion that, but it never appealed like this.


Rating- 4.2/5

Expansive Desert, Expensive Suits, Exotic Cats. And a Cocktail of Infinite Boredom.

THE COUNSELOR
(2013)

Directed by- Ridley Scott

Written by- Cormac McCarthy

*Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, Brad Pitt



Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy's The Counselor is a visceral and flashy thriller that's too high on style to care about substance.

Everyone's a snazzy dresser, the arid landscapes arch sexily like a feline hunter and the threat of death hangs behind the lure of money.
Scott tries to provide a sense of underhanded conspiracy to the film, but in doing so, the plot fails to make sense, always superseded by seemingly smart conversations and exotic locales.
You proceed from scene to scene trying to unsheathe the intentions that truly lie behind those colorful shades and perfect mascara, but to no avail, as when the film ends you are left gaping at its total lack of finality and an underwhelmingly indifferent conclusion.


The cast promised a powerhouse of performances and I can't say that it was all a lie. Yes, I didn't find an incredible performance where I was looking, but was pleasantly surprised by something entirely unexpected.
Javier Bardem's Reiner seemed too rehearsed, his oddity too perfect to be believed. And that's what put me off, not to mention the plot-irrelevant shit that he talked. His whole character, which could have been the saving grace of the film with its unpredictable zaniness (if done right) turned out to be what gave away just how fake it all was.

But it was Cameron Diaz as the icy-eyed and leopard-printed huntress, Malkina, who got under my skin. I simply loved her aura of chaotic authority, but like all things in this film it was hollow, though honestly I didn't quite mind that, in the face of her undeniable sexiness.
Fassbender, with his singular expression didn't quite impress until the final scenes when the noose tightened around his neck (not quite literally, like Pitt's Westray) and he got to play out some really intense scenes.

Finally, coming from McCarthy I expected an intense plot that would shock and satisfy me in equal measure, but was ultimately let down.
A few dialogues were beautiful and transcended the overall mediocrity of this film.

Scott has been overindulgent with his commercial and big scale movies of late and though I really liked his previous exotic thriller, Body of Lies (which was 6 years ago, by the way), this one just destroys another shred of hope that I had from him.
And there's not much left honestly.


Rating- 2.7/5

Elements of Murder

Dial M for Murder

(1954)


Directed by- Alfred Hitchcock

*Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams

As I was watching Dial M for Murder I was half worried if it would turn out to be like Rope, which was the Hitchcock film I saw right before this one.
Like it, in the sense that it would follow a formula and a linear storyline with no unforeseen development or as they say, a catch.
Now, not that Rope was not a good film, it was fantastic. Only it didn't make you jump out of your seat. All it did was to follow the 'plan' brilliantly well.

But as the murder scene is played out and the anxiety waxed, a terrible accident shook me up from my seat and the film off its cliched track and onto something mindbendingly amazing!
After that it was a cat and mouse game that kept me completely off the scent.
I knew what was going on when and what will shortly follow but towards the end there was this terrible nagging, an uneasiness that something didn't add up somewhere.
And when it finally did I was overcome by its petty brilliance.

The film deftly explores all elements of murder. Motive, the Act and finally, Retribution.
The story which follows a sly yet motivated husband, his unfaithful wife, her gumshoe of a lover and a determined inspector runs on the steam of it's surprise act with great intent and carries forth this blazing thriller ably until it seems to run out of gas and quite suddenly, injects new life with a catch that not only solves all problems, but handsomely.

Ray Milland's acting is superb. He plays the calculating schemer Wendice with an ease that slips in effortlessly.
Meanwhile Grace Kelly's wide-eyed wife Margot who becomes a double-victim, firstly of her husband's evil plot and then of the long, misguided arms of the law is believable. As is Cummings' detective novel author Halliday.
But John Williams' snoopy Chief Inspector Hubbard is the one who truly stands up to Milland's fantastic bad guy with slick hair and a vicious smile.

Based almost entirely in an apartment, the film is directed with absolute expertise.
Every pan, every zoom of the camera was done dexterously to accentuate the significance and symbolism of various objects and scenes.
Hitchcock really directs this one with such airtight drama and earnestness that the atmosphere creates half the effect of the film.

An awe-inspiring work of cinema that throws off the obvious and presents an intelligent and inventive adaptation of a play.



Rating- 4.5/5

A Maturely Mystifying Teen Noir

Brick

(2005)


Directed by- Rian Johnson

*Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Matt O'Leary, Noah Fleiss, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin

Rian Johnson's teen detective neo-noir that follows a relentless loner clawing his way into the decaying underbelly of the schoolyard drug ring and the deep layers of "the crust" brims with senseless jargon and sharp slang that befits this teenage murder mystery.
All of it, the film's premise and characters are based in a world complete in itself. Replete with not just school archetypes but also the essential players of a film noir this movie is a treat and challenge as it unfolds its coils and the veil of mystery is gradually lifted.

Drawing inspiration from some great works of film noir, namely Chinatown in its visuals and trumpet solos and the works of a one, Dashiell Hammett the film is not just an homage but a great work in its own right with its unique style and setting.
The snazzy jump cuts and homemade, dreamy effects create a world of illusion which works. The seedy locales (one of which is uncannily reminiscent of The Third Man) provide a most eerie setting that plays a character of its own.

But its Johnson's teenaged characters, all having their own agenda that ground this film into a pseudo-reality we love to be deceived into.
The drug lord, his berserk muscle man, venomous femme fatale, the scrawny and bespectacled protagonist and his behind-the-scenes aid all slide perfectly into this teenage thriller that deals with some really grave problems like drug addiction and OD'ing.

An independent production both written and directed by Johnson, it is innovative, daring and has a reality about it that makes it a legitimate effort despite depending on a rather fantastic setup.
The music by cousin Nathan Johnson is an unusual mix of tunes that remind you of the noir genre while also maintaining a secrecy and edge to the film, with the use of utensils and glass instruments.

The plot which is suspended on past events and explores the protagonist's quest for answers seems convoluted a bit, but by the end all essential ends are tied up while maintaining respectable ambiguity.
The confusion at knowing so little is more than made up by the taut pacing, gritty editing and gradual revelations. 

Gordon-Levitt's performance as the subdued yet resilient Brendan packs a sublime punch. His mannerisms and actions are delightful and he slithers into this character perfectly.
Other cast members do a fine job too.
Nora Zehetner's untrustworthy femme fatale seems a bit pale compared to the sultry Kara of Meagan Good.

Overall a very good film which satisfies its purpose and works on an alternate reality as real as ours. (It reminded me of those teen mystery novels from childhood which tackled their subject in a very mature manner)
I loved the wacky terminologies (whichever I managed to grasp) and the whole environment it created.
Very watchable at a respectable length of 110 minutes.

Rating- 3.7/5

A Homage, A Masterpiece.

Chinatown

(1974)


Directed by- Roman Polanski

*Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez

'Cherchez la femme' in French means 'look for the woman', for it is a woman who is always at the heart of any and every crime.
The crime at hand is related to water, and yet the woman forms an integral part in its great puzzle.
LA is suffering from a drought and hundreds of gallons of water is being disposed off every night into the desert.
Who is behind this most incongruous conspiracy?
Private eye J.J. Gittes is determined to find out.

What starts as a regular assignment for Gittes, which is peeping into the lives of adulterous husbands, takes a turn for the unobvious when he unearths a conspiracy far greater than anyone imagined.
On the sharp edges of this sinister plot are the two Mrs. Mulwrays, the real and the impostor; the chief engineer of the water department, Mr. Mulwray and his influential, arm twisting father in law.


Chinatown is an ode to the forgotten world of film noir when people always wore hats and drove long cars, when a smooth talking private eye bedded his femme fatale clients.
But its not one of those cheesy pulp films which only tap at the surface of the fond memories we have of that era, it goes beyond cosmetic inspirations and creates its own world, inhabited by its own people breathing a life of their own.
And yet it is grounded in that same reality which produced some of the greatest films.

That is the biggest achievement of this film. It is not just a masterful homage to the film noir genre, it is so perfect it ends up becoming the crowning jewel of that culture. Truly, a masterpiece in its own right.

The protagonist, like the quintessential private eye is a slick, strong-willed fellow bent on solving the big riddle, not out of moral responsibility maybe, but for his own contentment.
But Nicholson lives that character with such effortless ease and assuring conviction that he makes Gittes grander, more realistic and a delight to watch.
Every moment he is onscreen you are glued as to what he's gonna do now. And mind you, these moments are all the moments in the film because there is not a single scene which does not feature the protagonist.

Polanski uses this technique so amazingly to make the film an arresting experience where the viewer teams up with Gittes to unearth the plot. We know what he knows, we feel what he feels and we react to the twist with the same surprise as him.

While Dunaway as the damaged and ethereal beauty Evelyn Mulwray impresses, it is John Huston as the towering Noah Cross who delivers a performance which invokes genuine surprise. The way his character is written and the great twist is introduced, he becomes appalling and horrific just the same way as he is intimidating.

But Chinatown has so many strengths that range from the acting to direction to the cinematography, the story and music. Every pillar stands firm and shoulders the overall epicness of the film.

The cinematography by John Alonzo, which is as sharp as Faye Dunaway's eyebrows and as grand as Huston's personality unlike most noirs which used to focus on the city, captures the sprawling LA boulevards with the same grandness as its dusty wilderness.
The arid landscapes of LA where the ghosts of a river which haunt the doomed Hollis Mulwray, are captured so beautifully they remain etched in memory.

There are so many instances of great cinematography that make this film not just a thrilling adventure but also a visual delight.
The shadow play inside the rooms, the bed scene, the orange grove all of them leave an impression of a truly mindblowing camerawork.
(The only problem I had with the cinematography was that the titular district of the finale was not fully explored and thus didn't have as strong an impact as the whole film which revolved around it)


Then there is Jerry Goldsmith's haunting music.
Written in only ten days it compliments the film's eerie, dark and cynical setting. But more than that it leaves its own indelible mark on the narrative. Imagining Chinatown without the awesome trumpet solos is nearly impossible.
'Love Theme from Chinatown' is as haunting as a dark night and as enchanting as a full moon.

But the biggest achievement of the film is Robert Towne's script.
Definitely one of the greatest original screenplays ever, what truly makes it so powerful is the slow build up. The gradual rise of the stakes getting higher, the atmospheric tension which is never apparent but ever imminent. The urgency in the back of the head that something big is going on which ultimately finds its way to the fore in an explosive climax. The synergy of two crimes intertwining and bursting out in the end and their horror which is displayed on screen with such stark brutality it leaves you dumbstruck.

Roman Polanski creates one hell of a film enriched with all the elements of definitive film noir and more.
His direction takes this film a notch above what it would have been otherwise, what Towne's sequel (directed by Nicholson himself) turned out to be.
A masterpiece, a timeless classic and a film that will awe you into stupor with its rich visuals, high production values, perfect acting, sharp dialogue, unforgettable music and an award winning script.


Rating- 4.8/5
I enjoyed it more than I had hoped.
This is pure cinema. Mindnumbing and awe-inspiring.

A Classic Quotation of Chiaroscuro in Cinema

The Third Man

(1949)



Directed by- Carol Reed

*Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard

British post-war noir based in Vienna, a city segregated by four powers and ruined by the aftermath of war is one of the best, most shining examples of the genre.
With its seedy locales (from cobbled streets to dingy pubs), shady characters (the scrupulous friends and the unwilling witness), masterful camerawork (splendid wide angle shots along with tilted, queer and innovative angles) and a background score which is as magnificent as unusual, The Third Man stands tall as the prime example of everything a noir film should be.

Holly Martins comes to the city to stay with his friend Harry Lime, but he arrives ten minutes too late as his friend is killed in a road accident at his own doorstep, by his own driver, in the company of his own friends, pronounced dead by his own doctor who also, quite comfortably walks into the scene.
Soon these incredible circumstances begin to nag at the nosy b-grade western writer who takes it up with the police to prove his friend's innocence, who are actually more than relieved at the death of the infamous racketeer, Lime.
As Martins grasps for clues he falls for the troubled actress Anna, who was his friend's lover and is recuperating from the sudden loss.
Eventually, this web of shadows and deceit reaches a striking crescendo as a blinding revelation builds into a most astonishing finale.

The strong point of The Third Man is not the perfect acting by its cast, with Cotten as the poor judge of character Holly Martins, who plays the foreigner-comes-to-town part of a noir hero damnably well and Welles as the conniving villain who's revelation shakes up your insides; neither is it the expert direction of Reed who maintains an iron grip over the narrative showing only what he wants us to see and keeps us on toes with the subtle, silent hints he plants on screen; nor is it the smart writing which was first made into a novella by writer Graham Greene to better explore the world of the film; it is, in fact as with all great noirs, the incredible camerawork that becomes the hero of this film.

Robert Krasker's mindblowing cinematography which not only captures the mood, melancholy and misery of war torn Vienna deftly, but also delves into its underbelly with equal ease. The final scenes which form one of the best examples of cinematography in a film noir are also some of the most amazing moments on film, the long winding chase in the sewers which culminates into a most thrilling climax will remain etched in my memory forever.
The way the city's ruined structures are depicted quite in the same vein as it's thriving nightclubs coupled with a dexterous play of shadows and lighting makes it a beloved example of chiaroscuro in cinema.

Everything about this film is near perfect.
It grips you right from the opening monologue (presented by Reed himself) and as the story progresses it sucks you in a quicksand of drama, excitement and moral ambiguity.
The way it surreptitiously leaves the fate of the protagonist open ended (in stark contrast to the novella) adds depth to his actions and their effects.

A quick word about the phenomenal yet quirky music by Anton Karas, which virtually uses just one instrument; the zither, to form the most haunting and appropriate background score. 'The Third Man theme' became a rage worldwide with its new sound that not only complimented the film but is also a pleasure to the ears.
In fact Karas' zither duly accompanies Krasker's lenses in making this film the fondly memorable experience that it is today.

A powerful film that uses every trick of the trade and packs a punch that will impress, inspire and entice you to the charm of this fantastic genre.
Kudos to Carol Reed, who was understandably inspired by Welles' own style of filmmaking and created this screen gem.

Rating- 4.7/5