The Most Corrupt Cop You've Ever Seen on Screen?

Rampart (2011) / US / Out on DVD now / Directed by Oren Moverman / Written by James Ellroy and Oren Moverman / Starring Woody Harrelson, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, Ice Cube, Brie Larson / 108 minutes

"Woody Harrelson is the most corrupt cop you've ever seen on screen" - the tagline which is plastered across the posters and the trailers for Rampart, Oren Moverman's follow-up to the marvellous 2009 film The Messenger. If a film makes such a bold claim, you can only be sure that it is doing that because it truly means it, right?

Unfortunately, that's not the case with Rampart. I haven't seen too many cop movies, so I wouldn't know how corrupt they can really go, but I'm sure that Rampart's Dave Brown (Harrelson) doesn't really reach the top of the coppo-corrupto-metre. That isn't because the character doesn't have a corrupt soul - because he sure does - it is just that the film never really decides if it wants to show that corruption. In fact, the film never really decides on what it wants to show us at all. What we have instead is a disappointingly incomplete screenplay, which seems like it is more happy contributing ideas to a story instead of building it. Through that, we have multiple characters coming in and out, contributing to dynamics that are never sustained. Those characters happen to be played beautifully by a range of actors who contribute to probably one of the best ensemble acting performances of the past year, and at least make sure that this isn't just one long acting exercise for Harrelson. In the end, Rampart has a lot to contribute, but not a lot of getting up and doing things for itself.

No, This is Not Your Next Twilight.

Film: The Hunger Games
Year: 2012
Director: Gary Ross
Written by: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray - based on the book 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, Amandla Stenberg, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland.
Running time: 142 min.

One day, a person gets an idea to write a book. The book gets written, then it gets published. It hits the shelves, and someone picks it up. They recommend it to their friends. These friends are most likely teenagers. Then the book spreads like wildfire throughout high schools, it becomes a talking point at lunchtime. Through that success, they make a movie. That movie becomes the most anticipated thing out. Teens queue up with their wallets filled with hope that they might get into a midnight screening. The people in the movie become favourites of teen magazines, and their pictures get plastered over the walls of a young girl's bedroom.

Sound familiar?

Yes, we had this problem with Twilight. People went insane for it, but the problem was, the backlash came. Quite a few loyal fans still hold a torch for it, and that's what keeps the unprecedented phenomenon going. The Hunger Games treads the same path. Let's just say, it takes a detour from turning into mindless teen schlock and is actually a teen cause worth getting behind.

Shut Up, Katherine Heigl, You Little Liar!

Film: Friends with Benefits
Year: 2011
Director: Will Gluck
Written by: Keith Merryman, David A. Newman and Will Gluck.
Starring: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Nolan Gould, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone.
Running time: 109 min.

Remember that movie No Strings Attached, which was released just after Natalie Portman got an Oscar, seemingly undoing all of her good work? Well, Natalie Portman wasn't the only Black Swan star looking for an easy, breezy romantic comedy just after working her ass off on the psycho ballerina horror. Mila Kunis had Friends with Benefits, which incidentally runs along the same lines as No Strings Attached. It is a bit like comparing the original to the remake, but the Oscar-less Mila comes out on top, here. Friends with Benefits is smarter, funnier and it also benefits from the absence of Ashton Kutcher and the presence of Justin Timberlake. Sorry, Natalie - like Nina, your No Strings Attached was much too tame and shy. Friends with Benefits, however, like Lily, was 'not faking it'.

DVD--The Messenger

or: War and grief.

One word to sum it up: Emotional.

Movies about the Iraq war have become about as popular as Jennifer Aniston romantic comedies in Hollywood these days. One of them, The Hurt Locker, even won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2010 over the highest grossing movie of all time. However, this movie wasn't the only one tackling the Iraq war as a topic at the Oscars in 2010. The Messenger was nominated for two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor (Woody Harrelson) and Best Original Screenplay (which it lost to The Hurt Locker). The most amazing thing is that it has taken this long to get to our shores, only to wind up as a straight to DVD release. Which is a shame, because this movie is truly amazing, no doubt about it.

Instead of focusing on the actual war going on, The Messenger follows the people who go around telling families that their son/relative has died in Iraq as a consequence of war. US Army Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is sent back home after he is injured by an improvised explosive device. He is upset when he gets the job of being in the 'Casual Notification Team', because he hasn't had much experience in counselling or grief management, so he doesn't know how suited he is to the job. He is paired with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), who has been doing the job for much longer, and teaches Will a thing or two about what they are doing. One case which takes Will by surprise is that of Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), who also has a young child. He is taken by her, even though it may not be in either of their best interests to start a relationship.

The Messenger took me completely by surprise. I thought it would be just another war film with all these explosives and espionage and that kind of thing, but it wasn't. It handles such a dark topic, but yet it is still completely engrossing and emotionally powerful. It deals with all type of grief, but yet, it isn't as depressing as it may have you believe, and has a good deal of humour spread throughout it. It's deftly handled by writer/director Oren Moverman, who was also the brains behind the brilliant screenplay for I'm Not There. He clearly knows his agenda: to make a movie about such a timely matter which also has a nice romantic story which is nicely, if slightly ambiguously rounded off in the end. The way the characters are developed is a high point. This is particularly seen in Will's monologue towards the end, which is so beautifully done.

The performances, however, are the best reason to see this movie. Ben Foster does a stunningly good turn in the lead role, and is slowly building up to be one of the future's finest actors. He gives the character the right amount of mysteriousness, and did remind me of the 'war is my drug' character James in The Hurt Locker. Samantha Morton is sweet and realistic as the love interest who was charming to watch. Jena Malone, in a small role, makes the most of her opportunity and shows that she is ready for bigger things now, like the upcoming Sucker Punch. Steve Buscemi, also in a small role, is brilliant as always. It is really Woody Harrelson who steals the show though, in his Oscar nominated performance. His turn as a recovering alcoholic with an incredible attitude towards grief was brilliant to watch. The strength he had over everyone was obvious. Yet, he could still lighten things up with some trademark Woody humour.

THE VERDICT: A well performed, well written movie tending to an issue which is both depressing and interesting to watch, but never failed to blow me away.

What I hoped for:

 
 
 
 
 
What I got: