Dennis D. McDonald (ddmcd@ddmcd.com)consults from Alexandria Virginia. His services include writing & research, proposal development, and project management.
What propels the movie way beyond what might have been just another exploitation of over-privileged middle-aged angst is the movie’s tight focus on the relationship between Rock’s character and a sharp and attractive newspaper interview played by Rosario Dawson.
What propels the story along are the twin realities that (a) this story is true and (b) Japanese prison camp conditions really were this horrific. Jolie’s almost documentary approach lets these things speak for themselves. You can’t help but be moved by the results. I certainly was.
This tasty little thriller really packs a punch with frequent and unexpected twists and turns along the way. Jude Law and Rooney Mara star in an expertly crafted cat and mouse game that pits … well, explaining the story too much would spoil things.
This is a magnificent movie. It looks great, the acting is terrific, and it presents us with a classic confrontation between good and evil that culminates in a spectacular small—town all-guns-blazing gunfight.
What Spielberg seems to be saying is that we must not let the very real fears and dangers of the time make us forget who we are and the freedoms we hold dear.
But it’s the characters on display here that are the real focus. Who are these people and what are they really up to? Watching the actions of the police is especially interesting. They’re the outsiders here. Everyone goes to great lengths to keep the cops at arm’s length so they can pursue their own deals.
Speaking of stunts, it is interesting to compare what’s on display here with a Buster Keaton movie like The General which was released on February 5, 1927. That movie involved an extended locomotive chase along with amazing stunt work that still make one’s jaw drop.
I wonder what Keaton would think about this movie?
Tatsumi is an adult animated film about the life and short stories of Yoshihiro Tatsumi who is often credited with starting a movement in Japan to publish adult-themed manga comics.