Imitation Game

The toughest movies to review are those that leave you enamoured.  I saw Imitation Game last Saturday and over the past 6 days I have been thinking about whether I was blown away by the person called Alan Turing or the actor called Benedict Cumberbatch or was it the story and the narrative that eventually turned into an end product called The Imitation Game.

American Sniper

From frame one American Sniper screams Clint Eastwood.  With his last 2 movies being well below par (J Edgar and Hereafter – and I mean as a director), an ageing Eastwood probably desperately needed a movie that could have a shot at Uncle Oscar.  With American Sniper he gives himself 6 nominations and a truly deserving one for Best Picture.

Fury

A very philosophical statement half way down David Ayer’s second movie of the year (The forgettable Sabotage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was released earlier this year) is probably the high point of Fury.  Seargent Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) tells Private Norman Ellison, “Ideals are peaceful.  History is violent”.

Windtalkers

Most of you (my regular readers) are aware of my sentiments about Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew.  So it may come as quite a surprise to you guys when I say that I have finally found a movie in which Nicholas Cage does exactly what is expected of the role.  There may be more out there but I haven’t seen the lesser known ones.

The Monuments Men

In all the years of movies about World War II, we have never ever heard about The Monuments Men.  It is indeed surprising that such a wonderful story was the world’s best kept secret till September 2009 when Robert M Edsel published his book - The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History (http://www.monumentsmen.com).

Lone Survivor

Most war movies speak about how a bunch of dedicated, strong, dexterous, agile, smart officers in the American services (Army, Air Force, Navy, Seals, Marines etc.) fight against all odds to kill their enemies and win a war in the most impossible circumstances.  Petty Officer 1^st Class – Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) – gives us the other perspective of a war.  One in which not all battles end with victory on the American side.

Shanghai

Sincerest of apologies to my half a dozen followers. I had seen this one a week ago but for some reason completely missed out posting the review. I assure you that such lapses will not occur in the future.

The year is 1941. Most of china has been taken over by Japan. But for a small sea port towards the south east of China – Shanghai - A cosmopolitan pot pourri which hosts people from several nationalities. America has not yet entered the war. Paul Soames (John Cusack) comes into Shanghai looking for his close friend Connor (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Soames is an undercover spy who poses as a journalist who would be working for the Shanghai Herald. To add to his cover, he writes articles that also provide readers the counter point of view – a softer stand in favour of the German position in the war. Most people don’t like his stand but the Germans aren’t complaining. It helps Soames get into several parties hosted by Germans.

By the time Soames gets into Shanghai, he has made friends with Mrs. Meuller (Franka Potente) who has moved to Shanghai with her husband who is a Naval Engineer. But he doesn’t land up in time to prevent Connor from being murdered in a dark alley. Soames is positive that Connor has stumbled upon something which is of great importance but didn’t have complete concrete evidence of the same. He tries hard to convince his boss about it but without proof it falls flat. So he sets off on his own little adventure to uncover what Connor knew.

Now Shanghai is controlled by Anthony Lan Ting (Chow Yun Fat), a gangster who is married to Anna (Gong Li) – the daughter of the leader of the resistance in China at that time. Knowing fully well that it will be difficult to swim against the tide, Anthony bites the bullet and does key odd jobs for Tanaka (Ken Watanabe) who is a Japanese colonel based in Shanghai. Soames knows that for him to make any headway to uncover Connor’s killer, he has to get through to Anthony

It has been a really long time since a quality war movie has been made. The last one would have been the double header that we were treated to from Mr. Clint Eastwood. I guess the wait will have to continue. But then Shanghai cannot be termed as a war movie in the true sense of the word. Its got a heavy dose of romance and loads of espionage also thrown in for good measure. Although Mikael Kalstrom’s direction is just about at par, what takes this movie to the next level is the absolutely amazing screen presence and execution by our Asian Stars. Ken Watanabe has been and continues to be one of my favourite actors. And Chow Yun Fat has come a really long way from his days of Kung Fu. Gong Li in her role of the distraught daughter of the slain resistance leader is simple magnificient. Not to mention that she looks ethereal. John Cusack suddenly pales in comparison to these phenomenal actors. And mind you, Cusack is no push over when it comes to the acting department.

The rest of the cast is quite passé. Nothing else really stands out in the entire movie. I was a tad disappointed. The edge of the seat excitement is definitely missing. The story winds as much as the yellow river I am sure – for a little under two hours. What makes it worse is the predictability of the entire plot. Doesn’t take more than 20 minutes into the movie to figure out what and how its going to end. Full credit, however, to the art director. The sets were superb!!! That, unfortunately cannot carry the entire movie on its own. Shanghai gets a 5 on 10 from my end.

Triple Cross

Written by Frank Owen, The Eddie Chapman Story, is the basis of this 1966 espionage thriller set in World War II. Eddie Chapman (Christopher Plummer) is a classy and one must assume extremely good looking criminal. He uses very simple household stuff to create explosives which he uses to blow up safes. Not to mention that he is extremely suave and smooth with the women. However, luck runs out and he is picked up by the cops and put into solitary. As soon as the Germans take over the town in which he is being held, he asks to see the commandant under the pretext of giving pivotal information about the war to the Germans. The commandant, not being in a position to ignore this, informs the relevant authorities. In a few days, Col. Steinhager (Gert Frobe) and Countess Helga (Romy Schneider) arrive at the prison to interrogate Chapman who makes them an offer of becoming in a double agent in exchange for obviously – money. Chapman is quite clear that he cannot stay on the Brit side thanks to his criminal record which would keep him in jail for 15 years and therefore strikes a deal with the Nazis.

Steinhager and The Countess are not quite sure about the authenticity of Chapman and therefore reject Chapman’s offer. Chapman is then sent across to a facility for war criminals close to Paris where he meets Paulette (Claudine Auger). Unable to restrict himself to just mere flirtations, Chapman squeezes himself out of his quarters and makes his way to have some fun with Paulette. Unfortunately gets caught in the bargain and is taken to the firing squad. Its only here that we realize that the entire operation was a front to show Chapman as dead and our duo of The Colonel and The Countess whisk away Chapman to meet Baron Von Grunen (Yul Brynner) who is a key person in the Third Reich.

The Baron is willing to go ahead with the training of Chapman to run a very special project of blowing up the key aircraft facility in Britain. Chapman is put through a very rigorous schedule peppered with some close comfort with The Countess who The Baron has instructed to gain Chapman’s confidence. On completion of the training effort and some tests for Chapman’s credibility he is then packed off to Britain. Promptly, our friend Eddie, decides to go to his roots and spills the beans to British Intelligence who also find out that the story adds up. Chapman, very clearly focused on money and clearing his record, offers the Brits his services to get more information out and become a triple agent.

Confused by now? Not too confusing I assure you. Its all called out very clearly in the movie and stitched beautifully to ensure minimal confusion. Terence Young continues to impress me as a director. I had also reviewed Wait Until Dark before this and gave it an 8 on 10. Triple Cross came in a year before this i.e. in 1966 and I must say it’s a very good effort. Almost as good as the Audrey Hepburn starrer. Wonder why these movies from the 40s - 70s seem to have far more sincere performances than the ones after that. If one were to pick up a classic movie then chances are that there would be very little or no questions about the acting or direction. There could be chinks in the aspects of finishing, editing, consistency. But the basics are vastly unquestionable. No wonder they were referred to as the golden years. Christopher Plummer is extremely smooth in his rendition of Eddie Chapman. Yul Brynner as always does not understand the concept of not giving his best to anything. The passion that he has towards acting shows through the screen. Romy Schneider, Gert Frobe and even Claudine Auger (who has a very small but pivotal part) come up with some very sincere and committed performances. Triple Cross gets my nod @ 7 on 10. A shade below Wait Until Dark but a lovely watch nevertheless.