FILM | Reviews
ACTION THRILLER FREE FIRE (15) 91min ●●●●●
With guns a-blazin’ and crooks cracking wise, Free Fire is the latest from director Ben Wheatley and writer Amy Jump. This 70s-set, single location actioner sees an arms deal go south fast, with Brie Larson, Armie Hammer and Cillian Murphy among the trigger happy participants. Like Reservoir Dogs reimagined as a prolonged gun battle, we watch as a motley crew converge on a disused umbrella factory in Boston.
Wheatley doesn’t quite drop the ball with his sixth film but he does fumble it slightly. There’s not much at stake, the action feels repetitive and it lacks the instantly iconic swagger of the aforementioned Dogs. The plot is threadbare and double- crosses have negligible impact. Luckily a saviour is on hand in the shape of Sharlto Copley as the flamboyantly attired, exuberantly preposterous Vern. There’s some terrific writing too (‘Vernon was misdiagnosed as a child genius and he never got over it.’), aided by the precision delivery of a cracking ensemble but, while the period trimmings are fun, the film runs out of ideas long before its (modest) runtime is up. Still, devotees of facial hair and firearms are likely to have a blast. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Screening on Wed 22 & Thu 23 Feb as part of GFF. General release from Fri 31 Mar.
BIOPIC – ADVENTURE THE LOST CITY OF Z (15) 141min ●●●●●
James Gray’s painterly, meditative style goes down well with film festival enthusiasts. But it’s an unusual approach for a manly, action-adventure saga. Based on David Grann’s non-fiction book, Gray’s latest chronicles the calamity-strewn expeditions of explorer Percy Fawcett. When Fawcett finds remnants of pottery and carved faces deep in the Amazonian jungle he becomes obsessed with finding proof of an ancient, sophisticated civilisation in what he called the ‘Lost City of Z’. As Fawcett, Charlie Hunnam is a model of courteous, stiff- upper-lipped Britishness. Playing his sidelined wife, Sienna Miller makes what she can of an improbably forward-thinking protofeminist. An almost unrecognisable Robert Pattinson hones his character actor credentials as a loyal sidekick with little to say. They cannot, however, overcome a languorous, sometimes confusing narrative, sketchy characterisations and an exquisitely staged but bafflingly transcendental ending. Gray can’t escape the shadows of Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, and the real star is Darius Khondji”s superb cinematography. Those anticipating Indiana Jones-style thrills are in danger of finding The Lost City of Zzzzs. (Angie Errigo) ■ General release from Fri 24 Mar.
DRAMA ELLE (18) 131min ●●●●●
When we first see successful, middle-aged video games producer Michèle Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert), she is struggling with an intruder who proceeds to rape her. Her character is immediately established when, instead of reporting the assault, she clears up, takes a bath and acts as if nothing has happened. This extreme pragmatism – bordering on aloofness – informs every facet of her life, from her relationship with her ex, to her affair with the husband of her best friend. But, as she attempts to track down her rapist, Michèle’s desires become increasingly ambiguous.
We soon see why she is reluctant to involve the police: a childhood ordeal has left her wary of authority. In fact much of Michèle’s behaviour is far from traditional; she certainly doesn’t behave as a woman supposedly should in such circumstances. Yet, thanks to Huppert’s masterful inhabiting of a truly complex character, and a smart script by David Birke (adapting Philippe Djian’s novel) that balances shocking moments with the blackest of comedy, her behaviour never rings less than true.
Indeed, while Elle is a challenging watch, Paul Verhoeven’s film works because it recognises, and fully embraces, the fact that there is not one stock response to such an assault. It’s undoubtedly Huppert’s multi-layered performance that sees the film play like a complex psychological drama, rather than an exploitative rape saga – although it will likely, and does perhaps wilfully, inspire debate on that front. Michèle may be shaped by her experiences but she is no victim and her unique strength, along with accompanying destructive streak, gives the narrative its undeniable, lingering power. (Nikki Baughan) ■ Screening on Sun 19 & Mon 20 Feb as part of GFF. General release from Fri 10 Mar.
THRILLER PERSONAL SHOPPER (15) 105min ●●●●●
The latest collaboration between Clouds of Sils Maria director Olivier Assayas and that film’s César-winning star Kristen Stewart is an awkward fusion of ghost story, celebrity culture satire and Brian De Palma- style thriller. Stewart is Maureen, an American in Paris struggling to come to terms with the death of her twin. The siblings had a pact that whoever died first would send the other a sign to prove that there was an afterlife.
There are genuine attempts to embrace scary movie traditions: Maureen spends the night in the
old dark house owned by her brother, investigates the spiritualist leanings of painter Hilma af Klint and novelist Victor Hugo, and is visited by ectoplasm-spewing poltergeists. These features are balanced by existential musings but Assayas shoehorns too many other elements into the story, including a secret stalker and Maureen’s demanding celebrity boss (Nora von Waldstätten). In some respects, Personal Shopper is rather stylish, with hints of Polanski and even Kieslowski
in the execution, and Stewart’s nervy, edgy performance nearly manages to keep everything on track. Almost but not quite is the final verdict. (Allan Hunter) ■ Screening on Sat 18 & Sun 19 Feb as part of GFF. General release from Fri 17 Mar.
62 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2017