I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.
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| Kill the Messenger - What happens when a reporter's story is 'too' true? |
Kill the Messenger (2014)
Watch Kill the Messenger
Written by: Peter Landesman, Gary Webb (book- Dark Alliance), Nick Schou (book- Kill the Messenger)
Directed by: Michael Cuesta
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Platt, Robert Patrick, Barry Pepper
Rated: R
Plot:
Reporter Gary Webb discovers the governments involvement with Nicaraguan cocaine smugglers. The story catapults him to the forefront of journalism, but results in unforeseen repercussions from peers, the media, and the government.
Review:
Kill the Messenger is in the same vein as All the Presidents Men, though more dramatized and with less focus on journalism. With impressive period accuracy (1996), the story and premise are great.
Jeremy Renner is convincing as Webb, in a completely downhill journey as his life erodes.
With movies like this, the chase for the story usually takes up the bulk oftime, but this one gets the reveal out early, focusing on the fallout. Was the government involved? They would deny involvement either way.
Gary is threatened by the CIA, his story is attacked, and he is transferred to a small newspaper, investigating constipated horses.
The movie asks large questions. If a reporter did uncover a story this big, how would the government react? It's all hypothetical, but there is no doubt the CIA would deny aiding drug smugglers.
I went to wikipedia to find more on Webb. The movie is pretty much true. While his claim that the CIA is responsible for the United States cocaine epidemic can't be verified, documents revealing that CIA officials did meet with Nicaraguan smugglers were declassified at the same time as the Lewinsky scandal was peaking. Coincidence?
Verdict:
Solid and entertaining thriller that raises questions about the media, the government and whether the ends justify the means. It's a movie that not only asks big questions of the viewer, but caused me to ponder even after the credits rolled.
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| The Human Condition Part 1 - The difficulties of an idealist. |
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love aka Ningen no jôken (1959)
Written by: Zenzô Matsuyama & Masaki Kobayashi, Junpei Gomikawa (book)
Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi
Starring:Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima
Rated: --
Plot:
While Kaji is against the war, he is afraid to conscientiously object. He avoids being drafted by obtaining a job supervising an iron mine, striving to treat the workers and prisoners as human beings despite the resistance of his peers.
Review:
The Human Condition is a trilogy totaling ten hours. It's a bit long for a movie, veering into mini-series territory. It has more similarities to the stunning Band of Brothers mini-series than a film. Yes this is in black and white, yes it has subtitles, with that said it's still very good, and it doesn't seem dated. What helps this movie seem current is the focus on characters and the story. Kaji's morals get in the way and make life more difficult. It would be easy to give in, but Kaji doesn't. He wants to treat even his enemies like humans. In war, he's the only one that believes in that. Despite his beliefs, even he gets frustrated and at one point strikes a prisoner. It's a great detail that builds a character. Humans are conflicted, humans are hypocritical.
Even Kaji didn't oppose the war outright, he merely tried to avoid it. Part 1 ends at a great spot, bringing together the realities of war and Kaji's beliefs. He stands up for unfair prisoner treatment, but is tortured, released, and then drafted into military service.
It probes some of the same questions as Full Metal Jacket, the duality of man, peace, war, love, and brutality.
Verdict:
Despite the age of the movie, it doesn't feel old. It's very well written with a focus on characters. We root for Kaji because we can identify with him. The trials and brutality of war transcend cultures. It's an amazing war movie and character study. It begins to explore the themes of Full Metal Jacket with the length of the full trilogy closer to Band of Brothers.
Watch it.
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| The Human Condition Part 2 - The reality of war is worse. |
The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity aka Ningen no jôken (1959)
Written by: Zenzô Matsuyama & Masaki Kobayashi, Junpei Gomikawa (book)
Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi
Starring:Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima
Rated: --
Plot:
Drafted into the army, Kaji deals with the difficulties of boot camp and then the travesties of war.
Review:
I find part 2 more compelling than the first, though the first is really good. While this enters a more familiar setting it also pushes Kaji. We learn more about characters in tough times, as opposed to the easy times. Just look at the trials of Mark Watney in The Martian.
Full Metal Jacket definitely took inspiration from The Human Condition. Bootcamp is very similar.
This movie easily stands alone from the first. While a better introduction would have been nice, I wouldn't have had a second thought if I didn't know there was a first. The first movie built the character of Kaji, and this movie puts it to the test.
Do the cruelties of training prepare soldiers or dehumanize them? Maybe it's preparation for war, but we see how it changes Kaji. What makes Kaji a good soldier, willing to stand up for himself and others, is also what causes his insubordination.
I often find movies from this time period dated, but this movie feel very current. of course the action is a bit slapstick and it's black and white, but the story, the writing, the direction is very good. It's a better movie than part 1 just due to the dynamics of depicting war and boot camp. Full Metal Jacket makes the argument that boot camp prepares you for war, at least to a greater degree than The Human Condition. Then again to see a character as well developed as Kaji at boot camp and then at war is something Full Metal Jacket never did.
Verdict:
The Human Condition Part 2 builds upon and expands the first movie while completely standing on it's own. Full Metal Jacket feels like the abridged version. Everything about this movie comes together for a compelling experience.
Watch it.
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| The Human Condition Part 3 - There are more ways to kill a man than with a bullet. |
Written by: Zenzô Matsuyama & Kôichi Inagaki & Masaki Kobayashi, Junpei Gomikawa (book)
Directed by: Masaki Kobayashi
Starring:Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima
Rated: --
Plot:
Kaji leads a group of civilians and soldiers trying to return home. He is eventually captured, becoming a POW. He has to defy his beliefs just to survive.
Review:
Part 3 is much darker. We see Kaji erode before our eyes as he has to kill to survive, violating his moral code. Kaji kills a Russian early on in the movie, and in a typical movie it wouldn't bother us, but with the the history of the character, it carries a huge impact.
While this movie does a good of standing on it's own, it definitely helps to at least have seen the second film. The development of Kaji in this film loses impact without the previous movies.
This trilogy is simply amazing. I can't say I'd want to watch it again due to length and subject. Each movie embodies a certain ideal, yet they work together heading in one direction. The first movie introduces us to Kaji who wants to reform a labor camp. The second film shows us boot camp and war. While boot camp destroys men, it's nothing that war doesn't do. The third film breaks Kaji. He is a shell of what he once was and we see the agonizing decline.
The writing is impressive, with a distinct symmetry. Kaji tries to reform a labor camp in the first movie, treating workers like human beings, while in the third movie he is a worker and is treated terribly. In the second movie he prepares for war and then experiences it. Preparation cannot adequately prepare you for the experience of war.
This is a spectacular trilogy. It's rare to spend ten hours with one character, and that time is what helps us connect. I think about the ten hours of The Lord of the Rings I watched. It's spectacle. It is no where near the film that The Human Condition is, but The Human Condition requires a lot from the viewer and asks big questions. The Lord of the Rings is much more accessible, but the second and third film can't even begin to stand on their own. I'm not claiming any of it is better or worse, but films that rely on spectacle are readily praised. This movie is different. It does so much more in it's ten hours. I've claimed Band of Brothers is the best ten hours of film or television I've ever watched. While The Human Condition definitely comes close, it's too good, too heartbreaking. It's an experience I'm not sure I want again.
Verdict:
I've never seen a movie that breaks a character so thoroughly and precisely. The writing and story of the trilogy is amazing. Kaji is the hero in a world that doesn't want a hero. He is ridiculed and mocked. When pushed to the limit, railing against unfair treatment, but powerless to do anything, even communicate with his captors, he fades away. The ending is incredibly powerful after having spent ten hours with the character.
Watch it.
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