list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
BIOPIC / ROMANCE THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (12A) 123min ●●●●●
If love is the ultimate conundrum then The Theory of Everything suggests Stephen Hawking cracked that too, with the scientist inspiring heroic levels of devotion as motor neurone disease took hold. Based on Jane Hawking’s memoir, James Marsh’s film reorders events and soft-soaps the acrimony yet boasts a pleasingly unconventional coupling and star-making performances.
Focusing on the romance, with Hawking’s scientific
breakthroughs merely punctuating the narrative, it begins as the gawky but caddishly confident Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) locks eyes with Jane (Felicity Jones) at a university party. Shortly after, he’s diagnosed with the debilitating condition; Jane fearlessly sticks around and we witness the ups and downs of their life together.
An impressive attempt is made to tie the visuals to both the love affair and cosmology. Redmayne is astonishing, showing how intellectual spark and humour can shine through a diminished shell and, in a more thinly drawn role, Jones ably inspires sympathy and admiration. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten plumps for palatability and yet this remains a stirring enough testament to the power of love, endurance of the human spirit and extraordinary capacity of the mind. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Thu 1 Jan.
HORROR THE WOMAN IN BLACK: ANGEL OF DEATH (15) 98min ●●●●●
When Hammer brought The Woman in Black back to life in 2012, it was an atmospheric effort aided by a confident screenplay from Jane Goldman. Tom Harper’s sequel is a suspense-free step down. This time, a group of evacuated children are placed in the dreaded Eel Marsh House during the Blitz. They awaken the titular spectre who picks off children one
by one, taking a particular interest in a grief-stricken boy named Edward (Oaklee Pendergast) and toying with their teacher Eve (Phoebe Fox), who has encountered RAF pilot Harry (Jeremy Irvine) on the train from London in a weirdly aggressive meet-cute.
The coastal setting and now derelict house still impress, but that doesn’t make up for cheap jump scares and Jon Croker’s unsubtle, cliché-ridden screenplay (based on a story from the original novella’s author Susan Hill). Croker preys on his characters’ fears, yet he does so in such a clumsy fashion that it’s difficult to take seriously. Add to that Harper’s inability to create a semblance of tension and you have a tedious watch that goes through the motions with little momentum. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Thu 1 Jan.
11 Dec 2014–5 Feb 2015 THE LIST 81
BIOPIC / THRILLER FOXCATCHER (15) 134min ●●●●●
Not everyone will know the true story on which Foxcatcher is based, although you may quickly guess the direction this film is heading in. Bennett Miller’s third narrative feature is a twisted take on the road-to-glory sports movie set in the world of professional wrestling. The dramatic nature of the real-life events powers the film toward a different kind of ending, and dictates that it assume the guise of a psychological thriller. Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz, a gold-medal-winning Olympian who’s nevertheless
existing unhappily in the shadow of his more affable and successful older brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). His fortunes seem to improve when he’s invited to the home of eccentric billionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell), an unsettlingly still and stunted character who becomes Mark’s generous sponsor and comically inexpert wrestling coach, and who is desperate to prove himself to his haughty, disappointed mother Jean (Vanessa Redgrave).
There are bursts of humour, but Foxcatcher adopts an ominous air from the outset, enhanced by silken yet subtly sinister cinematography from Greig Fraser. Miller is a director who knows the power of an awkward moment or a pregnant pause, letting the performers generate the tension and keeping directorial exuberance to a minimum.
The role of Mark is tailor-made for Tatum, a platform for him to display the breadth of his talent: the former dancer brings a dynamic athleticism and the requisite bulk to this part and convincingly communicates the internal struggle of a taciturn man. But it’s hard to take your eyes off Carell, compellingly creepy as someone who’s grown up under a withering gaze, and whose effortful self-containment is undermined by that dangerous flicker in his eyes. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 9 Jan.
DRAMA THE GAMBLER (15) 111min ●●●●● Mark Wahlberg has transcended his boy-rapper roots to become a dependable leading man, and reviving Karel Reisz’s 1974 heavyweight drama provides ample opportunity for him to showcase his acting chops. He plays Jim Bennett, whose well-off family – headed by mother Roberta (Jessica Lange) – has left him with self-esteem issues. Jim regularly gambles and loses in the underworld clubs of LA; even so, his charisma attracts the interest of literature student Amy (Brie Larson) and threatening father-figure Frank
(an electric John Goodman), while his own worst enemy remains himself. James Toback’s original screenplay gets a neat reworking from William Monahan (The Departed), and director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) demonstrates a strong grasp of a seedy milieu, even though the female roles are as underdeveloped as the theme of male existential angst suggests. The Gambler is a remake that effectively updates a subtle yet nihilistic story; Wyatt and Monahan stick to their mean-spirited guns and offer up a sour view of addiction. Wahlberg, so often wasted in pumped-up fare, pulls off a measured portrait of a man plumbing the depths of his character, his sense of self dictated by the roll of the dice. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 23 Jan.