list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
BIOPIC / WAR AMERICAN SNIPER (TBC) 134min ●●●●●
As a Republican Party stalwart, Clint Eastwood has never been shy of addressing the role of the military, with his frontline sojourns consistent in their kinship with the common soldier. He’s the ideal director for this true-life drama based on the autobiography of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, played with authority by Bradley Cooper. An arresting opening sees Chris draw his sights on a woman and child and, in the absence of clear instructions, shoot first when the child produces a weapon. It’s the first of many difficult situations. Back home, his wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and family present a different challenge; as the emotional toll of his work increases, Chris withdraws from domestic life under the weight of painful self-absorption. Cooper’s bulked–up, baleful presence squares strongly with the verisimilitude that Eastwood brings to the combat scenes. But American Sniper unravels when Chris heads home, with Miller coming up short in an underwritten, repetitive role. It’s a simplistic picture of a man who dealt with life-or-death issues with shocking regularity, although Eastwood’s infectious sympathy for Chris ultimately triumphs over the film’s lack of engagement with either marital or wider political issues. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 16 Jan.
CRIME THRILLER A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (15) 125min ●●●●●
‘I spent my whole life trying to not become a gangster,’ Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) tells his wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) in a subversion of the famous line from Goodfellas. JC Chandor’s third film also references Scarface, most noticeably in its costume design. However, A Most Violent Year avoids histrionics, opting for an elegantly presented story of a seemingly honourable businessman beset by corruption and criminality. NYC, 1981: Abel is on the cusp of the big-time but a
series of fuel tanker hijackings and a police investigation into his finances threaten to derail his plans. As rivals circle like vultures, these troubles will make or break him. Avoiding crime genre clichés alongside the fierce masculinity of such films, this is about control: Abel is determined to maintain it and Chandor helms with poise.
The film’s uneasy interactions and explosions of violence make an intense combination. Isaac is a riveting, consistently intriguing centre but Chastain is electric; refreshingly, it is Anna who has the criminal swagger, she’s quite simply more gangster than her husband. Dirty dealings abound, yet Chandor keeps it classy. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 23 Jan.
11 Dec 2014–5 Feb 2015 THE LIST 83
ANIMATION BIG HERO 6 (TBC) 102min ●●●●●
In the bustling metropolis of San Fransokyo, 14-year-old tearaway Hiro (Ryan Potter) has just been persuaded by older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) to channel his engineering talents into robotics when tragedy throws his life into turmoil. Struggling with grief, Hiro strikes up an unlikely friendship with his brother’s healthcare robot Baymax (30 Rock’s Scott Adsit), the pair teaming up with friends to become crime-fighting superheroes. A manic mash-up of cutting-edge visuals and traditional narrative sensibilities, Big Hero
6 is a triumph of style and substance. In adapting Marvel’s comic series, screenwriters Jordan Roberts, Daniel Gerson and Robert L Baird have crafted a story that stays true to the Disney moral code, but which has a decidedly modern feel. There’s no trace of coyness, with the narrative unafraid to lay bare themes of loss and grief for characters to then confront and overcome.
Of course, this is still Disney and so these darker themes are embedded within a vibrant world full of big characters and even bigger laughs. Most of these come courtesy of Baymax, a wonderful plus-sized creation who both turns the idea of a superhero on its head and embraces what it truly means to be one. Adsit lends Baymax a personality as charming as his looks, his delivery by turns hilarious and brimming with pathos.
There are other ideas at play here, the direct fusion of East and West speaking as much to Hollywood’s increasing forays into Asian co-production as it does to global cultural and economic realities. Such acknowledgements – like many of the jokes – will float over the heads of younger audience members, but those classic Disney themes of love, loyalty and self-belief will surely leave their mark. (Nikki Baughan) ■ General release from Fri 30 Jan.
COMEDY BIRDMAN (15) 119min ●●●●●
What happens to actors who play superheroes? This arthouse comedy from Alejandro González Iñárritu answers that question so fully that it may never be asked again. Michael Keaton’s performance as ex-leading man Riggan Thomson sees a former star reborn. Keaton was arguably the definitive Batman – superior to the muttering Bale – and that provides the kick-off for his Oscar-worthy turn here.
Riggan was Birdman, a popular Hollywood superhero. Fans won’t let him forget it, even as he attempts a serious career second-act with a
Broadway staging of a Raymond Carver story. His alter ego urges him to get back to real fame. Riggan is, however, gifted beyond our ken; not that this helps with his relationships, all of which are troubled, including the one with his own mind. The stellar cast brings the film’s acidic dialogue to life. Emma Stone is wonderfully bitchy as
Riggan’s daughter, who has the hots for Edward Norton’s superstar theatrical actor / asshole, and Lindsay Duncan has a gob-smacking cameo. Birdman will astound some and irritate others, but it’s packed full of that good old-fashioned thing films often lack: imagination. (Karen Krizanovich) ■ General release from Thu 1 Jan.