FILM | Reviews
VAMPIRE THRILLER BYZANTIUM (15) 118min ●●●●●
Director Neil Jordan returns to the world of bloodsuckers (after 1994’s Interview with the Vampire) with this contemporary, urban thriller set in a rundown British seaside town. Saoirse Ronan plays Eleanor Webb, an angel of mercy bringing death to those who are ready; but she feels trapped by her life, unable to connect to others. Her mother Clara (Gemma Arterton) is trying to make ends meet as the two find shelter with Noel (Daniel Mays) at his shabby dilapidated hotel, The Byzantium.
Vampirism isn’t portrayed as glamorous here – instead
Jordan opts for a more credible interpretation with echoes of Martin, Daughters of Darkness and Let the Right One In. This is less about fangs and crucifixes than the curse of immortality and the need to feed.
Ronan easily carries the film while Arterton isn’t given much to do and Caleb Landry Jones as Ronan’s love interest is too wane and limp. The two timelines in the story (their birth as vampires circa 1800 and their life now) help flesh out the humanity of the characters’ plight but even with all the wonderful shots, costumes and blood, it all adds up to a fairly average vampire flick. (Henry Northmore) ■ General release from Fri 31 May.
PERIOD DRAMA THÉRÈSE DESQUEYROUX (12A) 110min ●●●●●
François Mauriac’s 1927 novel is a cornerstone of French literature, but is less familiar to non-Gallic audiences. Casting Amélie's Audrey Tautou as the repressed wife who impulsively seeks revenge on her domineering husband suggests a warmer approach to the emotionally remote character, but this final film from the great Claude Miller remains somewhat aloof.
Miller introduces Thérèse as a teenage girl, frolicking
in a pastoral setting with her younger sister Anne (Anaïs Demoustier). She agrees to marry Bernard (Gilles Lellouche from 2010’s hit Point Blank) who turns out to be more interested in hunting than in his young wife, and the daily dose of arsenic he’s prescribed for ill health provides Thérèse with an opportunity to punish his disinterest.
Miller was one of world cinema’s most sophisticated filmmakers, and unmelodramatic tone of his final film typifies his collected approach to storytelling. But audiences attracted by the star names and the murder-mystery trappings may well be disappointed in a lack of resolution. Thérèse Desqueyroux works best as a character study, with Tautou impressive as a shrewish woman who finds that her fate remains frustratingly beyond her control. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Limited release from Fri 7 Jun.
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY THE STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE (15) 96min ●●●●●
To borrow from an old Stone Roses B-side, the Mancunian band’s much-hyped reunion may well have been ‘what the world is waiting for’, though it’s hard to claim the same for this accompanying Shane Meadows-directed documentary. The director of Dead Man’s Shoes and This is England rightly has a reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting filmmakers, but here he trots after Ian Brown and co like an excited little puppy, never quite sure whether he’s directing a behind-the-scenes fly-on-the-wall or a lush concert film. In the end, Made of Stone satisfies as neither.
Taking us from the band’s reformation in October 2011, through to the homecoming gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park the following June, Meadows gets up close and personal, watching the band through rehearsals and some intimate warm-up gigs. There are some wonderful moments here, notably the band’s first gig back together, at Warrington’s Parr Hall. The energy is palpable, but even then, Meadows spends too long lingering on punters queuing to get in or weeping because they didn’t arrive in time to get their free wristbands.
A grassroots filmmaker, Meadows admirably tries to give a fan’s perspective, but being so close to the band means he rarely probes the enmity between singer Brown and guitarist John Squire or the moment when drummer Reni storms off stage at the Amsterdam gig. Most disappointing, however, is the Heaton Park show itself. Just one song is heard – ‘Fool’s Gold’ – which, while a great track, is hardly a triumphant tune to finish on. Surely ‘I Am the Resurrection’ would’ve been better? What emerges is a film of missed opportunities, as if Meadows had a backstage pass but squandered it drinking in the beer tent. (James Mottram) ■ Limited release, screening on Thu 30 May.
CRIME THE LIABILITY (15) 82min ●●●●●
You may get struck by déjà vu watching The Liability, the third feature film by former cinematographer Craig Viveiros. A story of a taciturn hitman and his callow assistant, starring Tim Roth, it sounds suspiciously like a remake of Stephen Frears’ The Hit, were it not for the fact that Frears’ film took place on the Costa Del Crime and this in unglamorous Northumbria.
Jack O’Connell plays 19-year-old wastrel Adam whose mother Nicky (Kierston Wareing) is together with a nouveau riche gangster (Peter Mullan). In an attempt to get him out of the house, he sets Adam
up with a job – driving a business associate named Roy (Roth) on an unspecified gig.
Roy is heading for one final hit (aren’t they all?) before his daughter’s wedding. Inevitably, Adam gets under his skin, wanting to learn the tricks of his deadly trade. Here, between Roth and O’Connell, there is an amusing chemistry – though the script lacks the aggression of Sexy Beast or foul-mouthed wordplay of In Bruges. With the arrival of Talulah Riley as a vengeful Latvian, The Liability takes a left-turn into the murky world of sex trafficking, though its little more than a plot device in a final act that aims its crosshairs at a predictable conclusion. (James Mottram) ■ Limited release from Fri 17 May.
70 THE LIST 16 May–13 Jun 2013