Serial Fun

When it comes to Marvel super-heroes, there aren't any purer than Captain America. Steve Rogers is a man who knows the value of his newfound power. A man with a pure heart and who's dedication and loyalty to his country and friends is almost a little too much. As a character, he is one of the toughest to adapt as well in today's culture of cynicism and sarcasm. That was the biggest challenge facing Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston when they decided to tackle a film of the 70 year old comic book hero.

I'm more than happy to say that they succeeded. Chris Evans was a risky choice to play Rogers due to his countless previous roles where he displayed his patented cockiness, a trait that if given to Rogers would make him nothing like the selfless hero we all know and love. Johnston saw something in Evans that I couldn't see. That something is what gives the movie it's heart. Without it, the film would have just been another period super-hero movie that would be quickly forgotten like THE SHADOW and THE PHANTOM. Two films that are still pretty fun but have no real emotional heft to them. Evans brings a sincerity that is missing from most super-heroes today. He has no real tragic back-story. He isn't a victim of some accident with gamma rays. He's a man who chose to be who he becomes because he wants to serve his country in a way that he could never do in his natural state. He's all skin and bones but he doesn't let that keep him down. He'll face down a bully even if it means getting his ass handed to him. It's that central purity of heart that makes him stand out. And it's all thanks to Evans that that heart comes across in spades.

Joe Johnston has had practice with period comic book movies thanks to his incredible adaptation of THE ROCKETEER back in 1991. Given a good script, he is able to make very solid films. Handing him the reins of CAPTAIN AMERICA was another great choice by Marvel. Johnston is a man who is as passionate about period detail and quirks as those of us who flock to these movies. He is able to balance the spirit of the period while presenting us with modern action in a way that doesn't let either suffer. There is just the right amount of action in this film. Yes, I would have liked more with the Howling Commandos but there's a reason the movie isn't called CAPTAIN AMERICA AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS. Perhaps if their promise of a sequel comes true, they can find a way to give us another trip to 40's Europe with Cap and his team.

The supporting cast is quite strong considering the film's pulpy roots. Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as Colonel Phillips. Just the right balance of humor and respect. He isn't a fan of Cap but he does realize his value once he starts to prove himself. Stanley Tucci brings such a beautiful humility to his role as Professor Erskine. His experiment turns Steve Rogers from a scrawny weakling to a super soldier. Erskine is Rogers' moral compass. He reminds him that he's a good man and that no matter how strong he is, he should never forget who he was. Power corrupts and he is the reason that it doesn't happen to Rogers. Hayley Atwell brings a elegance and toughness to her role as Peggy Carter that makes it undeniable that she would be the girl Rogers falls for. It's a cute and chaste romance that never gets in the way of the proceedings. There are a couple of cliche dramatic moments in their relationship that emerge out of convenience of plot but it isn't distracting enough to hurt the film.

And I can't finish this review without mentioning Hugo Weaving's absolutely amazing performance as Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. The Red Skull. Weaving chews up the scenery with such glee that I'm shocked that he didn't steal the movie out from under Evans. A hero is only as good as his villain and this movie doesn't forget that. Too many comic book films these days either under-use their villain or have them be part of a third act reveal that doesn't bring any dramatic weight to it. IRON MAN, BATMAN BEGINS and THOR being recent examples. We know Weaving is the villain right from the start, we are done the favor of not seeing his origin story presented parallel to Rogers'. We get it in a short but quite visually interesting flashback sequence. Thanks to this, Red Skull hits the ground running as a credible threat to our characters and the world. His plot is typical world domination but I wouldn't expect any less from a movie like this. Weaving does a great German accent that is quiet yet has a hint of menace underneath it. Kinda sounds like Werner Herzog most of the time. He also doesn't forget to crack a few jokes. This is a comic book movie, remember?

All in all CAPTAIN AMERICA is exactly the movie I hoped for all summer. Just the right balance of character and action. It also doesn't make the mistake of IRON MAN 2 and THOR in it's setting up of next year's THE AVENGERS. It stands alone as a complete film. My complaints are few. A bit more of the Commandos and Red Skull and the end reveal needed more clarity. Besides that, it's a great super-hero movie that actually makes you care, so much so that the ending hits you right in the gut.

Good work, Johnston, Evans and company.

8.5/10

My favorite film noirs

I recently played and completed L.A. Noire. While the game isn't exactly "noir", it does include many cute references to actual film noirs of the era. Discovering these made me reminisce on all my favorite noirs and reminded me that I haven't written anything for this blog in almost a year. So, here's a list of my favorite film noirs in no particular order. I chose to only do classic noirs. No neo-noirs or western noirs. Just the ones that most encompass what makes a movie "noir". Now, back then the filmmakers weren't really making these movies with the knowledge that they were making noir. Noir wasn't really a concept until about the late 50's when the writers for France's top film magazine "Cashiers du Cinema" started noticing a thematic and visual style in the American movies they were just starting to get for the first time due to the war. It was as influx of these movies almost all at once that made them stand up and notice that America had been making these films with an almost unconscious style and cynicism.

THE MALTESE FALCON

Bogart, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet make this movie for me. It's a simple plot but one that really encompasses everything that defines noir. John Huston needs to be commended for making such a confident film on his first shot at directing. It's more noir-lite than the other ones on this list. It lacks the brutal cynicism that is prevalent in the others but I still love it as a film that contains the framework for all others to follow

OUT OF THE PAST

Robert Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart have to be my favorite noir actors. Mitchum's performance in this is simply superb. His narration is perfect and filled with the hard-boiled language that is always associated with noir. Kirk Douglas plays the slimy villain with the right amount of charm and disgusting attitude. The story is simple yet deeper than what you'd expect. It hinges on Mitchum's personal decision and not on a twist of fate. As a result, it's downward spiral get an added layer of emotion. Add some great direction and style from Jacques Tourner and you have one of my favorites.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

Billy Wilder has to be the biggest cynic in classic Hollywood. His films always seemed bitter and angry but we're never turned off by it because they also had a delightful charm that Wilder possessed in person as well. The stories of his writing this film's screenplay with Raymond Chandler are legendary and having such a perfect film emerge from that clash of egos is something we must all be thankful for. Barbara Stanwyck plays the femme fatale role to the hilt. While I'm not physically attracted to her, I can see why poor Fred MacMurray lets himself be led to his doom by her. The story is very typical but the storytelling and Wilder's touch is not. Thanks to that, we're able to somewhat sympathize with some very unsympathetic characters.

ACE IN THE HOLE

Speaking of unsympathetic characters, we have Kirk Douglas in this film. One of cinema's all-time bastards. A reporter so desperate to get a big story that he prolongs a man's suffering simply to keep his own name in the paper's. It's no surprise that Billy Wilder also directed this and even less surprising that people outright hated it when it was released. It has a contempt for people and their delight in the suffering of others. The way that fellow humans rush to try to make a dime off a tragedy. Perhaps audiences didn't like having a mirror put up to them and be forced to deal with their inherent flaws? No matter, it took decades but this movie is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

DETOUR

My personal favorite in the "sad-sack noir" sub-genre. Tom Neal plays a drifter who's pretty down on his luck. He accepts a ride from a guy and thanks to a cruel twist of fate, ends up being fate's bitch for the rest of the film's 67 minute running time. The things that happen to this poor bastard are just terrible but we believe it because we know that any one of us could end up in a situation where simply nothing goes right for us. Ann Savage plays a woman who has to be one of the most evil and manipulative female characters in film history. She is the type of woman you wouldn't even want to spend two minutes with, let alone have to drag her along with you like Neal is forced to do. Director Edgar G. Ulmer keeps this movie short and fast-paced and his ability to make the most out of what is basically two sets is pretty amazing.

THE KILLING

My favorite Stanley Kubrick film. Only Dr. Strangelove comes close. It's less noir in it's visual style, it prefers a more documentary style but it's ending and central plot unraveling is what makes it noir. Sterling Hayden brings a nice gruffness to the main character, a career criminal trying to make that one last proverbial "big score". I don't have to tell you that it all doesn't work out as planned. Why? A woman. That's why. It's always a woman. This is a movie that oozes realism and all credit to Kubrick on that. It's one of his least measured films and has a momentum that most of the other films lack. And it's always good to see noir's go-to sad sack, Elisha Cook Jr, grow some balls for once.

GUN CRAZY

A great take on the Bonnie and Cylde style film. Two people who are hopelessly attracted to each other and are doomed because of it. Again, we get a woman pulling a man to a life of crime with her. The noir style isn't as strong in this either but the pessimism is thick. We know as an audience that these characters are doomed and we are kinda happy to see it. These are not nice people, they rob banks, kill innocent people. We have a shred of sympathy for the main character, Barton Tate, we see him making poor decision after poor decision but we know why he's making them. Peggy Cummings as the femme fatale makes it more believable that Tate would turn to a life of crime for her. Kudos to director Joseph H. Lewis for setting a entire bank robbery from the back seat of a getaway car. Given the limitations of the time, it's pretty incredible.

THE SET UP

Robert Wise made this tiny forgotten gem in 1949 and, in a way, set the stage for every movie about down-on-their-luck boxers that came after. It takes place almost in real time and the story is as bare as you can get. Robert Ryan brings such a defeated attitude and look to his role as a boxer who is determined to win a fight no one thinks he has a chance to win. What he doesn't know is that his manager took money for him to take a dive but never told him because he was so confident he would lose anyway. Ryan wins and from there things get bad. Wise pumps some effective atmosphere into the proceedings. The sets are oppressive and dirty, we feel everything closing in on us just as it's closing in on him. The boxing scenes are pretty realistic for the time. We get a sense of the blood and sweat. Unlike most noirs, the female lead in this is actually supportive and fleshes out Ryan and his reasons for not wanting to simply give up. Just a great little slice of noir that will stay with you much longer than it's very short running time.

RIFIFI

Jules Dassin made this film in France right after leaving the U.S. thanks to his refusal to name names during the McCarthy era. Dassin had already made a few great noirs beforehand. NIGHT AND THE CITY, THIEVES HIGHWAY, THE NAKED CITY and BRUTE FORCE. But this is his masterpiece. A tale of criminals being pulled together to commit a difficult jewelry store robbery. The highlight of the film is, without a doubt, the 30 minute heist scene. It's completely played out in silence. The only sounds are of the environments and the instruments they use to make a hole in the ceiling. It's one of the tensest scenes in film and it only comes in the middle of the film. It's a film where every character is a professional. They all follow a code of ethics. But it wouldn't be a noir if everything went right. They have a code, but people around them don't. Then things get bad.

THE THIRD MAN

I had doubts whether to put this one on the list due to it being more or a thriller than a noir but then I started to consider it's general cynicism and the ending. So here it is. One of my absolute favorite movies in general. It's a movie about friendship and where does the line get drawn when it comes to what you'll do for a friend. Joseph Cotten faces this when he goes to Vienna to bury his old friend, Harry Lime. When he starts to hear that the circumstances surrounding Harry's death are suspicious at best, he starts to investigate. He has to deal with the police and a growing attraction to Harry's girlfriend who he's been consoling and yet, wanting for himself. The morality in this movie is as murky as the sewers the film ends up in. Orson Welles plays Harry Lime as that charming bastard we can't help but like even though we know what he's doing is selfish and borderline murderous. Carol Reed films Vienna with an eye for the beauty in it's streets and dark alleys. Every corner calls to us and repels us. It's a movie that makes us want to watch closer, and for that, it's a masterpiece.