Synopsis:

Two detectives, Mills (Pitt) and Somerset (Freeman), race against time to thwart the attempts of a serial killer, who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins.

Review:

Greed, sloth, envy, pride, wrath, gluttony, and lust are just some of the highlights the viewer will be exposed to in this bleak, unrelenting, neo-noir nightmare of a film. This film wallows in the excessive impurity of a world gone astray. It is not a happy film; in fact, there is not even a happy ending. Instead, for two hours, the viewer will be witness to the very atrocities and vile indecencies this world is capable of.

This film is dark; oh boy, is it ever. It is an unsettling depiction of a world that is out of control. In fact, at one point in the film, Somerset notes that he no longer understands this world, and later on when asked how long he has lived in the city, he wearily replies: “too long”. This world has gotten the better of Somerset. He is retiring in seven days, but that will not allow him to forget about the evils he has encountered during his time in this urban hell of a city (that is never named during the length of the film).

When the character of Mills arrives on the scene, Pitt plays him as idealistic and ambitious, but yet naïve. In fact, he comes across as cocky and rude in some instances. The two characters of Somerset and Mills are polar opposites of one another. One a father figure, in a sense, attempting to shield the other from the evils he has encountered. In fact, in one instance, Somerset mentions to the chief of police that he does not believe that this should be Mills’ first assignment. Mills sees it as an insult, whereas Somerset understands that Mills is not psychologically ready for what he is about to encounter. It is an old fashioned case of experience and weariness versus ambition and innocence.

This is not a violent film but yet it seldom lets the viewer off easy. Gruesome and graphic, the film can be read as a statement on modern day angst and loss of place and understanding in an ever changing world. People want to escape this city but yet no one seems willing enough to leave it. Is it because this film is attempting to state that no matter where one goes, one will always be subjected to this type of visual and mental anguish? In other words, everywhere in the world is reminiscent of this city. There is no escape.

David Fincher and his director of photography, Darius Khondji, paint a miraculous picture of a world darkened by the evil that lives within the realms of the human soul. Through low contrast lighting, silver colored rain during a rain storm, and the removal of any form of key lighting, they are able to achieve the idea that this city is dead. The city is devoid of any kind of primary color to help bring life to it. It is only in the last twenty minutes that the audience witnesses a sunny day, but that is viewed from outside of the city (on the way to the stunning and unbelievable climatic moment the film has been building towards throughout). The use of lighting is extremely atmospheric and, in a sense, helps to establish the city as another key character in the film. The city is alive, but yet is slowly decaying from within.

One cannot conclude the review without mentioning one of the most vile and despicable (yet intellectual) serial killers in film history. John Doe is methodical and patient. He does not kill on emotion, but rather feels that he is a messenger summoned to destroy the wicked. He is evil, but yet the great actor that portrays him (his name will not be mentioned in case anyone has not seen the film) creates a character that is just that, a true character. In others hands, John Doe would have come off as merely a one note serial killer. But yet, Doe is given tremendous depth and development. This is in large part due to the script (he is one of the better written killers in recent memory), but it is truly brought to life through the actions and mannerisms of this actor.

This film is not for the squeamish but yet if one wants to witness acting at its finest (actually, there is one key moment at the end involving Mills that just does not seem to work), a script that is taut and tense throughout, and assured direction, then one should do themselves the favor of watching this film. As was noted earlier, this is in no way a happy film, and there is very little action (it focuses more on the investigation side of it all), but yet it is never boring. The characters are smart and they act and speak in accordance to who they truly are as human beings. Everyone has a point and they are allowed to share that point within the film. They say what they feel in an honest manner. They believe in their words and actions, and that is what makes them reliable characters. The audience truly believes that these characters are who they say they are.

Fincher’s Se7en is a modern day masterpiece. It is dark and unrelenting but it whole heartedly embraces the darkness it presents. It is also a film that helped to regenerate  interest in the serial killer genre once again, and led to the release of other, less than satisfactory films (exploiting the success of Se7en), like Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

As has been said, this film is an unnerving adventure and strives to delve deep into the realms of one of the vilest criminals in film history. Yes, it is sometimes difficult to watch but yet it is impossible to turn away. That is the definition of brilliant filmmaking.

Synopsis:

After being murdered by a ruthless gang of criminals, Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is resurrected as a crime-fighting cyborg named ‘Robocop’.

Review:

Albert Einstein once said that: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”. It is a very true fact indeed that technology has become an unstoppable entity. It is ever-growing and constantly on the move. It has strived to make our lives easier, but has managed to gain the reputation as a slave master. We, as society, have become enslaved to the very idea of technology. It has taken us over and has rendered us vulnerable to its’ utopian ideals. Some of have said that it has stripped us of what many hold dear to them; our humanity.

‘Robocop’ is a film that does much more than entertain. It strives to understand the relationship man has with technology/machine. The fact that Robocop is a man controlled by technology is a statement unto itself.  Even the title of the film is a hybrid of two opposing factors; man and machine. After being systematically slaughtered, it is only through the power of technology that Murphy is allowed to live once again. However, as a result, technology has rendered him a thoughtless and emotional free being. He is mundane and computer like in his speech, and his suit is highly symbolic of the cold/sterile and colorless world that technology represents.

‘Robocop’, on the surface, is about his role as a crime fighter, striving to uphold the law no matter the cost. But on a much deeper level, the film is about his personal conflict with the technology that now controls his body. Throughout the course of the film, Robocop attempts to retrieve some evidence of his once prevalent humanity. When he first became Robocop, all his memories and emotional content were erased, thus making him an invalid without the proper guidance of human beings. It is only through a relapse and his quest to regain his old self that the audience begins to realize that man cannot always control technology. It now has the ability to control us.

Robocop soon begins to act irrationally as he begins to have dreams, memories and thoughts (He is now beginning to retrieve some of the individual characteristics that made him human in the first place). The scientists governing him have no idea what has happened as they are no longer able to control him. In one telling scene near the end of the film, Robocop removes his mask and fights without it, revealing the face of Murphy. It is a very shocking sight since Murphy’s human face is fused with the mechanical properties of a machine. The very fact that he begins to speak, think and feel as a human once again during this sequence represents his quest to separate himself from the machine that is now in control of him.

Paul Verhoeven, in his second American film, presents an idea that technology can be understood as a major threat to our very own civilization. Many scenes, in which Robocop or Ed-209 (one of Robocop’s many adversaries) appear, strongly depict the failures that technology is capable of. In one particular scene, Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) is presenting the new and improved machine crime fighter, Ed-209. In a demonstration, one of the business men in attendance is told to point a gun at Ed. He does so and the machine tells him to drop it. The man relinquishes the weapon, but the machine continues to warn him. In the background, scientists scramble to fix the problem, but it is too late. Ed-209 opens fire and massacres the man to death with automatic weapons. It is an undeniable statement that technology which cannot be controlled by man is capable of decimating humanity to the point of extinction.

‘Robocop’ is very strongly-opinionated. On top of critiquing technology, it also has much to say about society, politics and commercialism. With that being said, the film is also a solid form of entertainment (It is a must-see for action buffs). It is very violent and unrelenting in its brutality, but it does manage to tell a cohesive story.

Looking back at it, ‘Robocop’ is a very undermining film. There is a lot more going on than mere action-filled sequences. It is a highly subversive piece of work, and manages to illicit many reactions as a result.

*Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.  ~R. Buckminster Fuller

The Dark Knight is not simply a comic book film. In fact, it strives to separate itself from the likes of Spiderman and The Hulk by allowing its focus to delve deep into the heart and soul of numerous and diverse individuals. It is a film about choice, morality and idealism, and how these factors can begin to weigh upon the lost and isolated individual.

The Dark Knight does not feel like a comic book film. It does not call attention to its comic book origins but rather bases itself in a realistic time period that could be representative of anywhere in the world. Much like Ironman, the Dark Knight is about character and motivation before it is about action and spectacle. The film strives to tell a story that is fun in a fantastic sense but also can be understood as a commentary on present day choice of right and wrong in a morally confused world.

The Conflicted World of Batman

The one thing that has always been a virtue about the Batman franchise is in its focus on the conflicted mind of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale). Bruce Wayne is an idealist who believes he can alter the world’s crime ridden roots through the donning of a mask and cape. But how far will he proceed with it? This is the question that is at the heart of the story of The Dark Knight.

His struggle with his sense of duty is truly put to the test in this film by many facets of Gotham City, but none more powerful then the likes of the psychopathic and antagonistic mind frame of The Joker (Heath Ledger). Within the first five minutes of the film, the audience is quick to ascertain that this is not the same Joker as Jack Nicholson undertook only 19 years earlier in Tim Burton’s Batman.

The Joker is not played for laughs by the late Ledger, but rather as a character who believes in tipping the scales of structure and balance. He is not in it for the money (which is emphasized in a scene that will be truly difficult for a capitalist to watch) but rather is an instigator and a threat to the goal of a morally structured world. Things are not simply black and white, and the character of The Joker is quick to point this out. He alters certain individual’s perceptions and forces them to become entities of their psyche that they may not want to admit they possess. Though his screen time presence is lacking, during the times in which he does appear onscreen becomes a highly intoxicating treat and truly works as the best moments of this film. He is utterly unforgettable and, dare one say it, the best Joker ever.

A Little Too Much?

The film is over two and a half hours long but it never feels lengthy. It packs so much in that it would be difficult to cut anything out. However, at times, it seems that Nolan may be in over his head with too many plots and characters. One of the casualties of the script is Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal- who has replaced Katie Holmes from the original film, and who is a much better actress), who is severely underwritten. Her role from the first film as a tough minded district attorney is shelved here in favor of her becoming the idealized woman caught in a love triangle. Both Bruce Wayne and her new boyfriend Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) vie for her heart strings as her character simply goes through the motions of choice. With that being said, the love story comes off as simply weak in the face of other much more rousing plots.

The Darkness of the Film

The Dark Knight does live up to its title. It is extremely dark (though the city is not as malicious looking as it appeared in the first film). The violence at times is stark and unrelenting, but in a non-exploitive sort of way. It mirrors the society thatGothamCityhas become. The city has spawned violence as a result of its own corruption and misdeeds. It truly captures the understanding that violence begets violence.

GothamCityis a barren landscape and, as a result, contains only three men willing enough to take on the role of cleaning it up. In the film, all three men represent different modes of the male perspective. Harvey Dent is the idealist who believes change can occur through effort and determination. Batman, on the other hand, desires alterations but is conflicted on how to go about achieving it. Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) covets modifications but is also a man who understands the corruption and decay that probes the individual. He is an idealist but with a greater sense of awareness and understanding then Dent and Batman. These three characters help to complete each other and yet remain individualistic in their beliefs and actions.

Christopher Nolan, the director, has achieved a tremendous feat with his latest release. He has taken a film franchise which only ten years ago was mocked and ridiculed and turned it into something artistically respected. It has rejuvenated the series and, as a result, has become the best franchise going at the present moment. For all of its minor problems, this entry is sure to entertain the masses. The film has a rousing score and contains performances that are truly great, but at times is overshadowed by all of the great action sequences (which may or not may be a bad thing?).

Though the film does sort of lose itself in the final thirty minutes, it still does leave the viewer with great expectations for a third entry in the series. Perhaps the anticipation will not be as tantalizing as the original films ending (with the introduction of the Joker playing card), but it does add another depth to the already impressive lengths this franchise is attempting to strive for. Let the anticipation begin.