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dirkcallowayrushmore
Reviews
Path to War (2002)
superb, thoughtful, provocative drama
i saw an advance screening of this film & it's positively first-rate in every regard. the screenplay by dan giat is incisive, thorough, even-handed yet decisively moral in its view of the vietnam war. apparently, the writer spent his lifetime researching the details that led to the escalation of american involvement in southeast asia. john frankenheimer directs with taut economy & underlines the very human drama that lead to the decision making process of america's top leaders. it's clear that there were no easy, glib decisions to be made on either side. and the performances are all stellar, but michael gambon soars in a tour-de-force. his portrait of LBJ is downright shakespearean in its tragic dimensions. we see a man eager to enact great social change yet pressured against his own instincts to enter a war he didn't truly believe in. the modern day parallels are a tad frightening: a texan in the white house, an uncertain war in a foreign land americans know little about, and an encroaching military whose budgetary demands grow at an alarming rate. this is a must see for any one with a conscience.
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Coens return to top form!
I admit I'm likely to be in the minority, but I'm a big fan of the Coens and was disappointed by O Brother Where Art Thou. Granted it was impeccably crafted and had great music & some amusing moments. But overall it seemed a bit too arch and pointless for my tastes. Which is why I am extremely pleased to report that the Coens have returned to the form by becoming serious again. The Man Who Wasn't There is throwback to classic 40s film noir. The script recalls classic James M. Cain & Billy Bob Thornton uncannily resembles Bogart (physically and in his economical delivery). The beautiful b & w work of ace DP Roger Deakins may represent a career high (and considering the astonishing quality of his work - that's saying ALOT) & easily gives the seminal work of John Alton in the 40s and 50s (T-Men, The Big Combo) a run for its money as the best b & w noir cinematography ever seen. What I was most grateful to see was the sober, existential tone of the film that largely skirted smirking, smug post-modern irony. Sure, there are plenty of oddball, surreal touches and the Coens' idiosyncratic sensibility is most assuredly present. But, the film and the filmmakers are definitely taking it seriously this time. The hero (or anti-hero)'s dilemma may harken back to classic noir heros of the 40s but he also reflect contemporary malaise.