Saturday Night At The Movies
Double Feature: Of Western noirs and Eastern fables
By Dennis Hartley
Hard-boiled eggs: Hudson and Affleck in The Killer Inside Me
There have been a number of good films adapted from pulp writer Jim Thompson’s novels and short stories. Neo-noirs like The Getaway
, Coup de Torchon
, The Grifters
; After Dark, My Sweet
; and This World, Then Fireworks
reveled convincingly in the author’s trademark milieu of tortured, brooding characters and dirty double dealings. Unfortunately, as much as I was rooting for it, The Killer Inside Me is not destined to be held up among the aforementioned. Filmed once before in 1972 (with Stacey Keach in the lead), it’s a nasty bit of Texas noir about a sheriff’s deputy (played in 2010 by Casey Affleck) who leads the proverbial “double life”-with a dark side much darker than most.
Affleck plays Lou Ford, a taciturn, seemingly well-mannered 1950s small town lawman whose gaze always appears to be fixated on an indeterminate point just beyond your shoulder. When he is assigned to personally deliver an “out of town by sundown” ultimatum from the sheriff’s office to a local prostitute (Jessica Alba), he learns quickly that this young lady is not so easily intimidated. In fact, she instigates what essentially turns into a slapping contest between the two. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, we’re witnessing what could be the beginning of a beautiful sadomasochistic relationship. This is our first inkling of what may be lurking beneath Lou’s robotically polite, “yes ma’am, no ma’am” countenance. In accordance with Film Noir Rules and Regulations, the lovers are soon embroiled in a complicated blackmail scheme. Yes-he is a bad, bad deputy (not to mention that he’s already fooling around on his sweet-natured fiancée, played by a virtually unrecognizable Kate Hudson). His transgressions get worse. Much, much worse (erm…take a moment to ponder the film’s title). Corpses accumulate.
I can’t quite put my finger on why this film didn’t work for me. Director Michael Winterbottom is no slouch; he has demonstrated a talent for effortless genre-hopping with a diverse resume that includes 24 Hour Party People
(my personal favorite), Code 46
, Tristram Shandy
and The Road to Guantanamo
. Maybe it was the “near-miss” vibe of all the film’s essential elements. He catches the look of a small west Texas town circa 1950, but not necessarily the flavor; it all feels too glossy (or maybe stagey). John Curran’s screenplay (with additional writing credits to the director) is just “OK”, but not spectacular (we’re not talking Chinatown
here). It’s a great cast; with good supporting players like Ned Beatty, Elias Koteas, Simon Baker and Bill Pullman-but they’re window-dressed as noir archetypes, given nothing substantive to do with their characters. This is also one of those films where everyone mumbles or stage whispers their lines-I couldn’t follow a good portion of the dialog (what?). In particular, I found Affleck’s vocal inflection (a peculiar, reedy croak) to be something akin to chalk on a blackboard.
There has been some controversy regarding the violence in the film; viewers are subjected to not one, but two uncompromisingly brutal scenes where a female character is punched, kicked and stomped to death. There are no artful cutaways; it is grisly, and hard to stomach. Now, one could argue that murder is a horrible act, and should not be sugar-coated or glorified; after all this is a film about a psychotic killer (GoodFellas had some of the most sickening violence I’ve ever seen on screen, but in the context of the world that its characters live in, it “worked”). But in this case, it feels a bit gratuitous, especially since I can’t really say that the film surrounding those scenes redeemed their inclusion in any major way. I’ve seen this movie before (American Psycho
, The Stepfather
, Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer
)-and, speaking for myself, I think I’ve had my lifetime quota.
Canola dreams: Little Big Soldier
I will confess up front that I have not gone out of my way to follow action star Jackie Chan’s career. According to the Internet Movie Database, he has made 99 films; after a quick perusal of that impressive list, I’d guesstimate that I have seen approximately, let’s see, somewhere in the neighborhood of, oh, around…four. So when I say that Little Big Soldier is the best Jackie Chan flick I’ve ever seen, you can take that with a grain of salt.
There is one camp of Chan’s devotees who would tell you that you can’t truly appreciate the full spectrum of his prowess as an entertainer until you’ve seen one of his Hong Kong productions; I think I understand what they are talking about now. Of course, you could easily apply this caveat to any number of accomplished actors from Europe or Asia who, due to their broken English, give the impression of impaired performances when they star in Hollywood films. For example, let’s say that I was a (what’s a polite term?) “casual” ‘murcan moviegoer who had never heard of The Last Metro
, The Return of Martin Guerre
or Jean De Florette
, and my very first awareness of Gerard Depardieu was seeing him in 102 Dalmatians
. “Loved the puppies, but who was that dopey fat French dude?”
So, while Chan’s latest Hollywood vehicle, The Karate Kid (talk about your pointless remake/summer fodder) inundates 3700 screens, in the meantime this unique, splendidly acted and handsomely mounted comedy-adventure-fable from director Sheng Ding sits in the wings, awaiting U.S. distribution. The film had its North American premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t make the screening. Luckily, I found a Region 3 DVD version available for rent at my friendly local independent video store (the movie opened in the Asian markets back in early February).
The story is set in the era just prior to the unification of China under Qin Dynasty rule, a time when many of the country’s states were in a perpetual state of war with each other. Chan is the “Big Soldier” of the title, a Liang survivor who emerges from a veritable mountain of corpses in the film’s opening scene, poking around the remnants of a recent battle. When he happens upon a wounded enemy Wei general (Lee-Hom Wang), he takes him prisoner, hoping to collect a reward. Big Soldier, a cynical, dirt-poor farmer who was grudgingly conscripted into military service, would just as soon leave the fighting to those who care, and fantasize about what he’s going to grow on the “5 mou” of land that he is going to purchase with this windfall (paddy…or canola field?). The young general, an arrogant nobleman, is appalled to be at the mercy of such rabble, but in his debilitated state has no choice but to grin and bear it until he sees a chance to escape. An arduous, episodic journey ensues, with the “prince and the pauper” dynamic providing most of the comic and dramatic tension. Along the way, the pair encounters interesting characters, most notably a motley crew of cutthroats led by a whip-wielding bandit queen (“They are trustworthy, but truculent,” as one character describes the bandits, in the film’s best line). However, it’s the animals who threaten to steal the show; my favorite scenes feature a bear, an ox and a pregnant rabbit. There’s also a Shakespearean subplot, concerning royal intrigue in the general’s home court, which leads to an unlikely alliance between the two.
Chan (who wrote the screenplay) reportedly has had this project percolating for nearly 20 years. Despite its relatively simplistic narrative, the film does have an epic feel. The misty mountains, serpentine rivers and lush valleys of China are beautifully photographed; suggesting an almost mythical sense of time and place As per usual, Chan choreographs and directs all of his own fight scenes, executing them with his Chaplinesque blend of gymnastic prowess and deft comic timing. As I mentioned earlier, I’m no expert on his oeuvre, but his performance here sports a noticeable upgrade in nuance and character immersion from what I’ve seen of his Hollywood fare (don’t worry, fans-the closing credits features the requisite blooper reel). If you have a multi-region player, it is worth seeking out; although this is a film likely best served on the big screen.
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