list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
CRIME BROKEN CITY (15) 109min ●●●●●
COMEDY ROBOT & FRANK (12A) 89min ●●●●● ROMANCE SAFE HAVEN (12A) 115min ●●●●●
Allen Hughes, who along with his brother Albert, made such bold, flawed, feisty works as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and From Hell, makes his first solo fiction outing with this over-complicated but sporadically effective contemporary noir. Mark Wahlberg plays the central broken-down PI Taggart (yes, that name does provide the odd giggle for Scottish viewers), a man with the requisite chequered past, troubled relationship and historical drinking problem. When the mayor who helped him out with his previous problems (Russell Crowe) calls on him to investigate the possible infidelity of his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), he is drawn into a sticky web of sexual and political corruption.
It’s unfortunate that Wahlberg, being Wahlberg,
can only play this in that one way that he has: wide-eyed macho doofus. The plot is smart enough at picking back the lies and protective measures that crust over weaknesses but the characterisation falters here, with baddies painted too dark to feel at all real, and other characters prone to inexplicable lapses in judgment. Still, forgive some misconceived scenes and weird directorial decisions, and there’s enough charisma and intrigue for a decent wallow in wickedness. (Hannah McGill) ■ Limited release from Fri 1 Mar.
Jake Schreier’s feature debut Robot & Frank successfully engages the head and the heart to emerge as one of the most charming independent films of recent times. It’s an enjoyable crime caper, an affecting meditation on old age as well as an amusing buddy movie that thrives on the originality of its premise. The Nicholas Sparks novel-to-screen hit-machine shows no sign of slowing down. Director Lasse Hallström previously paired Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum in an adaptation of Sparks’ Dear John, a drippy romance that’s positively spicy compared to the anaemic passion displayed in his latest, Safe Haven.
Set in the near future, the film focuses on retired Julianne Hough takes centre stage as Katie, who
burglar Frank (Frank Langella), a gruff elderly man battling the onset of dementia, who is gifted a robot butler by his estranged son (James Marsden) as a means of looking after him. Initially put out by Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) and his strict efforts to keep him healthy, Frank soon realises that his presence has merit and he subsequently enlists Robot as his partner in crime, forging an unlikely bond between man and machine.
Langella provides a formidable central presence, both stubborn and endearing, while Sarsgaard injects warmth and humanity into Robot. The film’s gentle humour is nicely offset by moments of tension and compelling human drama, which enable it to pose some pertinent questions about science, old age and family. (Rob Carnevale) ■ Limited release from Fri 8 Mar.
is on the run from the police. Giving dogged cop Tierney (David Lyons) the slip by stowing away on a long-distance bus, Katie disembarks in the tiny tourist trap of Southport, North Carolina, where she strikes up a romance with widowed store owner Alex (Josh Duhamel from the Transformers series).
Hallström was once considered a top director with well-mounted, lush adaptations like Chocolat and The Cider House Rules. His recent output has retained the Hollywood sheen, but not the feeling for character or plot. In Safe Haven, he withholds key information about what Katie did to arouse the police’s suspicions; when the reveal comes, it feels manipulative and cheap. And the late suggestion of a supernatural element is so odd that audiences are likely to be left incredulous at what they’ve just seen. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 1 Mar.
DRAMA SHELL (15) 91min ●●●●●
Shot with a raw eloquence that displays a deep understanding of its Highland setting, and performed with sensitivity and directness, Shell is an impressive debut by Scottish writer-director Scott Graham. Chloe Pirrie quietly but confidently holds the gaze
as the eponymous teenage loner who passes her days manning her father’s isolated garage; and brief appearances create disproportionate impact, particularly Michael Smiley’s extraordinarily nuanced turn as one of Shell’s troubled customers. But if the film barely puts a foot wrong in terms of integrity, commitment and visual impact, it falters somewhat on content and form.
Graham expanded Shell from a 2006 short, and while the films are very different, this feature still feels distinctly like an over-extended short. Perhaps it’s appropriate to a degree given the film’s desolate and unpopulated setting, but there isn’t quite enough content here to fill out feature length. Less forgivably, some of the ideas that do blossom are on the clichéd side: a preoccupation with a dead deer feels like forced symbolism, and the detail of Shell’s relationship with her father can also shade out of deeply-felt, character- led drama into self-conscious reaction-baiting.
Still, first films come a hell of a lot clumsier, and are rarely so strong on atmosphere. Graham’s way with actors can’t be faulted on this evidence, and there’s no question that his work here sets out the stall for a promising feature career. (Hannah McGill) ■ Limited release from Fri 15 Mar.
21 Feb–21 Mar 2013 THE LIST 59