JeremyHDent Reviews

Keep Breathing (2022)

A bit glossed over

[9 August 2022]

The storyline was excellent but the flashbacks became annoying. The challenges of the Alaskan wilderness were minimised: mammals, insects, cold nights? The main character looked more Asian than Latino and from two fair parents. I watched it all so it was gripping but the practical difficulties of survival were glossed over.

News of the World (2020)

Plodding, literally

[4/10 · 12 February 2021]

A plodding script, average acting and gloomy cinematography. Not one for an evening in. Tom Hanks was surprisingly un-Hanksian too. Western cliches are tiring as well. Miss this if you can.

Went the Day Well? (1942)

Of its time and it shows

[5/10 · 18 January 2021]

It was made for a purpose, to alert the wartime civilian population to fifth columnists and infiltrators. Viewed through a modern lens, it is naive and simplistic but a thread of authenticity runs through it. The weapon handling and shooting are a bit feeble (have you tried firing a Lee Enfield .303?). Some of the dialogue is very dated and elements of the plot a bit far-fetched. All-in-all, it is entertaining and a reminder of simpler times.

The Longest Day (1962)

The military scenes are laughably amateurish

[3/10 · 31 January 2020]

I have seen this movie several times over my lifetime. Very little of it is at all credible, as are most war films made by production teams who have not served in combat. The film give a good idea of the logistics involved but the script and age of the actors are huge minuses. The details of how sub-units actually give orders and mobilise into battle are ludicrously simplified. John Wayne is like a comedic representation of an airborne unit commanding officer. There is no impression given of how precisely the landings were co-ordinated and timed and the cameo scenes between generals and operational officers and hilariously poor. How could a regimental commanding officer request his DZs to be changed on the eve of the biggest military operation in history? Years of planning had gone into the overall plan.

Official Secrets (2019)

Understated but edge-of-the-seat stuff

[9/10 · 26 October 2019]

Beautifully-crafted production with great performances from the cast. It seems pointless regurgitating the plot because it is factual and well-known and, despite any real surprises, the director keeps the tension going. It just shows you can craft thoroughly enjoyable films taking the high moral ground without the ridiculous violence and coy sexuality of most Hollywood offerings. The core of the film is the ethical question of whether state employees act for the people or the government and the latter's privileged cronies and backers. Catherine Gun calls this into question and, despite the UK Government rephrasing the Official Secrets Act, she triumphs because of the duplicity of the then UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the obvious willingness of the USA to prosecute a patently illegal war with Iraq whatever the United Nations votes or does. The door to neo-liberalism creaks open a bit but then we all know what is behind it.

Catch-22 (2019)

A mundane, narrative-based version of an outstanding novel

[5/10 · 7 August 2019]

It's a challenge bringing Catch 22 to the screen and this version uses some of the narrative but misses the powerful satire, emotional strength and moral maze of the written word. It needed something very different to this storyline, serially staged, to portray the inner torment of Yossarian and the complex web of hapless attitudes and meaningless events that bring his story into full focus in the novel. It comes across as a run-of-the-mill war story with some good special effects but that is a long way from doing Catch 22 justice.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

An absolute masterpiece

[10/10 · 20 September 2018]

The film captures the essence of the Patrick O'Brien novels as well as being the most authentic piece of 19th century ship warfare action ever seen. The characterisation, storyline and pace are as good as cinema gets. The script explores leadership issues, relationships and duty in subtle ways, fitting in to the main theme of hunting down a French frigate more powerful and with much greater firepower. Zoology, entomology and baroque music are all featured, as well as surgery and philosophy. The scenes of rounding Cape Horn were filmed on a vessel doing just that that and bring home the everyday hazards that all seamen faced in the early 1800s. All rounded off with some memorable music, some of it actually played by Russell Crowe who learned the violin for the part. I can't praise the creativity, skill and special effects that went into this film too highly.

Churchill (2017)

Really poorly-researched and written

[2/10 · 22 November 2017]

This is a shambolic mess of a film with a one-sided view of Churchill, factual inaccuracies and appalling errors. The scriptwriter obviously did not read Field Marshal Alanbrooke's diaries or the many biographies of Churchill.

Even basic military details were so wrong, it is farcical. Couldn't the budget stretch to a military adviser? Monty addressing 20 or so soldiers? He went round addressing brigades, thousands of soldiers at a time.

The way that the characters addressed each other, the salutations, the lack of an equerry for the King, no PPS for Churchill...all utter rubbish.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025)

Ponderous and tiresome

[5/10 · 30 June 2017]

The idea is creative and the theme relevant to our times but the execution and acting are slow-moving and most of the plot is either signaled or obvious. The story-teller, Offred, doesn't make it easy to empathize. There is a heaviness about the direction and production design that is key to the subject but it is not an easy watch.

Ófærð (2015– )

Great watching, tension and mystery

[9/10 · 2 March 2016]

Very much in the dark, foreboding style of Scandinavian police process fiction, Trapped is beautifully produced and acted with realistic characters and enough pot-boiling clues to keep the audience on the edge of its seat. A wonderful setting and the drama of a big storm accentuates the claustrophobic community and gives the crime element a grimness and urgency. The local police chief, Andri, is the focus of the story and his acting is exemplary. Simply enjoyable! Supporting characters, the two other local uniformed police officers, the ferry captain and the Rekyavik cast all contribute to a very watchable and dramatic series. Television at its best, flavoured with an Icelandic blackness provided by the climate and the terrain.