Film REVIEWS
DRAMA/WAR THE EAGLE (12A) 113min ●●●●●
Following on from State of Play, Kevin Macdonald has created a new adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff’s children’s adventure The Eagle of the Ninth, which was also the subject of a fondly remembered BBC TV series. After his success with The Last King of Scotland, Macdonald has been able to pull together an impressive production for this Scottish-set story, but The Eagle fails to land due to an over-literal script by Jeremy Brock.
Lumpen hunk Channing Tatum (GI Joe, Dear John) plays
Marcus, a Roman centurion who is injured in battle, and left to recuperate with his uncle Aquila (Donald Sutherland). While resting, Marcus hears of his vanished father, who 20 years previously commanded a legion of 5000 men north of Hadrian’s Wall, and was never seen again. With his slave Esca (Jamie Bell) by his side, Marcus sets off for Caledonia to retrieve the Golden Eagle emblem of the lost legion, and to clear his family name. Standing between them and the prize are the Seal people, a savage race who made short work of Marcus’ father. It’s a measure of the awkwardness of Brock’s script that it takes 40 minutes before Marcus sets out on his mission, yet considerably less time to find the Eagle. Macdonald has a strong feel for military life, yet The Eagle lacks the pace and momentum that worked so well on the page. And Tatum, who certainly looks the part of a warrior, delivers a flat performance, lacking in spirit or fire, and striking no sparks with the well-qualified cast around him.
On the plus side, The Eagle is a frequently engrossing, old- fashioned adventure story that will please older children. But without the operatic, visceral feel of Zack Snyder’s 300, The Eagle isn’t likely to fly much higher than last year’s already forgotten Centurion. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 25 Mar.
COMEDY SUBMARINE (15) 98min ●●●●●
In a nameless Welsh village, at an unspecified moment of the late 20th century, we meet Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a 15-year-old schoolboy with a briefcase and a tendency to be ridiculed by his peers. But in his mind – the perspective Richard Ayoade most often presents to us – Oliver is a supremely intelligent outsider, the ultra-cool star in the film of his own life. Oliver has his sights set on two goals; to lose his virginity before he turns 16, and to save his parents’ marriage. There’s a similarity to Wes Anderson’s Rushmore in the precisely crafted way that Ayoade shoots Oliver’s life, as well as his eye for comic details, but the film has a style of its own that keeps it from feeling like an imitation. Tonally, Ayoade treads a fine balance between poignant emotion and detached comedy, and his young leads serve him well in this regard. Yasmin Paige (as Oliver’s fire-obsessed crush, Jordana), is particularly good, equally convincing as the cool object of Oliver’s fantasy and the emotionally complicated, real girl he gets to know. The icing on the cake is the soundtrack, a surprisingly tender set of new songs by Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. (Paul Gallagher) ■ General release from Fri 18 Mar. See profile, page 63.
66 THE LIST 3–31 March 2011
DRAMA/ADAPTATION NORWEGIAN WOOD (NORUWEI NO MORI) (15) 133min ●●●●●
Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami has a unique voice in contemporary fiction, both hugely imaginative and intensely intimate. But with this adaptation of one of his most popular books, filmmaker Anh Hung Tran fails to find a way to successfully translate that voice into substantial and effective cinema. The story of directionless student Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), and the relationships he pursues while at university in the late 60s is one of Murakami’s more straightforwardly accessible plots, but as retold by Tran it is ponderous and painfully dull.
The director’s ability to create striking visuals is undeniable, and the film is graced with many beautiful, sensual moments, made all the more lovely by the fine soundtrack from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. There are weighty themes to the story – death and love, the possibility of connection – but Tran’s contemplative approach, complete with sluggish pacing and intensely internalised performances, ironically only serves to keep the audience at arm’s length from the story’s emotional core. (Paul Gallagher) ■ GFT, Glasgow, Fri 11–Thu 24 Mar.
DOCUMENTARY BENDA BILILI! (12A) 85min ●●●●●
Kinshasa is the largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s rated as one of the most dangerous cities in the world in terms of crime with a spiraling homeless problem that includes over 20,000 children under the age of 18 living rough (according to 2004 figures). In the grounds of the city’s zoo live Ricky Lickabu and Coco Ngambali, the founding members of disabled Congolese rhythm’n’blues band Staff Benda Bilili!. They are backed by a younger rhythm section of street kids who they protect. In many ways they are these children’s hope and salvation, and they are certainly the only youth project in the area. Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye’s heartfelt documentary follows the group from their first studio recordings to local and international recognition. The music is great and the filmmakers work hard to maintain an interest in each band member’s inspiring story. Taking their lead from Wim Wenders’ Buena Vista Social Club, Benda Bilili! is as much a tale of social exclusion and long overdue recognition as of fierce musical talent. That the film runs out of steam when dreams are realised is unsurprising. (Paul Dale) ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 18–Thu 24 Mar. GFT, Glasgow, Fri 25–Thu 31 Mar.