Lockout

Our heroes, Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace.

The gleefully bad Lockout is determined to have a retro look and feel. The film aspires to be a politically incorrect and formulaic B-movie. There is no need to rack your brain over its plot holes. The simple story takes place in the future, when almost everything is dimly lit. While by no means a good film, Lockout is still somewhat entertaining.

While investigating the conditions of a space prison (yes, a prison in space), the president's daughter Emilie (Maggie Grace) finds herself in the middle of a breakout. Officials send "Snow" (Guy Pearce), who is on his way to jail or worse after being framed for murder. At least one convict (Joseph Gilgun, clearly having a good time) is inexplicably obsessed with Emilie after spending a few minutes talking to her. Vincent Regan adds a little gravitas as the criminal ringleader Alex, but he, like the rest of these characters, is undeveloped.

Predictably, Snow and Emilie clash. Snow is sarcastic and tough as nails, as well as disrespectful and whiny. He is not particularly likable, but he is funny and has an edge. In the face of certain death, Emilie finds it strangely necessary to try to get to know him. Her character doesn't make sense, but at least she shows a little gumption and compassion. (Grace's expressions are somewhat puzzling, though, since she looks as though she's trying not to laugh through most of the film. Or perhaps she's just unable to hide her attraction to Snow?)

Snow treats her pretty roughly in the name of getting in and out, but their tension is one of the best things about the movie. Much of the acting is quite bad, including Peter Stormare's as the man who insists Snow's guilty. Lennie James is decent as a coworker supposedly on Snow's side, though he, along with everyone else, doesn't really seem to care about the potential deaths of hundreds. The end appears to be a half-baked afterthought, but a lot here is. Sitll, if you want to watch a movie late at night that doesn't take itself too seriously, Lockout isn't necessarily a bad choice.

Milk does a body good. One of our villains, Joseph Gilgun.

Lawless

Tom Hardy as Forrest Bondurant

Lawless is an entertaining but uneven adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World, which was inspired by the author’s grandfather. Part gangster flick, part Southern gothic, and part Western, the story follows the three Bondurant brothers in Prohibition era Virginia. They are reputed for their survival skills and good moonshine. Local authorities don’t care. The oldest two brothers don’t think twice about beating aggressors with bare fists or brass knuckles. The youngest is eager but more of a lover than a fighter.

Occasionally, a gangster might stray into town to commit murder or a gang might try to rob the brothers. Otherwise, all goes smoothly until a lawman from Chicago swoops in and wants a cut. Denied this, he wages war against all bootleggers in the county, including the intrepid Bondurants.

Jason Clarke as Howard Bondurant

The atmospheric beginning captures the hard boiled life of our heroes in all its browns, from beards and clothes to ramshackle buildings. The detailed depiction is both accurate and the archetype of a mountain town in the early twentieth century: expect strong accents and tobacco spit (and blatant WHITES ONLY and COLORED signs, in case you forgot people were racist then). The evocative soundtrack is gorgeous if occasionally heavy handed. Landscapes are equally memorable, from a smoky mountainside to a kudzu covered wonderland.

This film takes its time in introducing its enjoyable characters before it veers off course. The acting is excellent. A surprisingly funny Tom Hardy plays Forrest Bondurant, the occasionally tender hearted but tough as nails ringleader. Jason Clarke does well with less as the haunted, constantly drunk Howard Bondurant. Shia LaBeouf is effective as Jack, the baby. Ambitious and foolish, the endearing Jack tries to swagger, but he generally reacts to violence the way most of us would—with pure terror.

The Bondurant brothers.

Jessica Chastain has little to do but look concerned and lovely like many women in Westerns, but Mia Wasikowska has a little more meat as the unattainable preacher’s daughter who catches Jack’s eye. She enjoys flirting with the love-struck, unsuitable Bondurant boy; her sly coquetry is highly believable. Dane DeHaan plays Jack’s sweet, innovative friend, and their relationship is predictable but convincing in its innocence.

Gary Oldman has a small role as a notorious gangster, and Guy Pearce plays Special Agent Charlie Rakes. Pearce is amusing but not exactly subtle. For example, when introduced, he walks up to the first woman he sees and leers at her for several minutes. He openly laughs in the faces of these “hicks,” as he calls them.  (The audience gasped whenever he unexpectedly appeared and cheered when he sustained injuries.)

Guy Pearce as Charlie Rakes

As disturbing as Rakes can be, his villainy is somewhat diminished since the protagonists are as brutal as he is. Rakes may abuse innocents while the Bondurants torture murderers, but it’s difficult to get behind characters who mutilate people. The villain’s crimes are portrayed as sadistic and traumatic, while the main characters’ violence is often shown to be grim but funny and deserved.

The violence itself is extremely graphic but not always serious. The Bondurants are rumored to be “indestructible,” so don’t be surprised if characters recover remarkably quickly from life-threatening wounds. The theme of immortality is successfully played for laughs, but it could have been a statement about the Bondurants’ reckless youth and egomania.

Shia LaBeouf and Mia Wasikowska

An amalgamation of genres gives the film a unique feel, and a few surprises await viewers. But the story also contains numerous clichés that don’t serve the plot. One fears for the safety of a good natured but physically disabled character, and several women are raped because… they are women? At least one of the sexual assaults is shown off screen but does nothing to forward the plot or the victim’s arch. The act is hardly addressed, but then again, little of the violence here is.

The movie’s tone is simultaneously too lighthearted and too dark. Grisly though it is, Lawless is still a fun and well-acted film. It’s unfortunate that the movie doesn’t reach its promised intensity, reducing what could have been a rousing legend into a diverting yarn.

Shia LaBeouf as Jack Bondurant

The King's Speech

The King's Speech is neither the most complex nor the most original film of the year, but this beautiful film stands out in that it requires the audience to have an attention span. The movie follows Prince Albert (Colin Firth), nicknamed Bertie, in Pre-World War II England as he attempts to overcome, or at least cope with, his stammer. His wife Her Royal Highness Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) recruits Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) and so begins Bertie's unconventional path to Kinghood and self-acceptance.

Visuals are sometimes self-conscious and even cartoonish, but coloring is used to excellent effect. Lionel encourages Bertie to break away from social constraints, and his space is appropriately off-kilter, while the foreboding, increasingly dark shots of Bertie's surroundings have the effect of a vice. A stunning Colin Firth successfully conveys Bertie's vulnerability, which is made all the more harrowing because of his lack of self-pity. Geoffrey Rush complements Firth's performance and brings his delightful dialog to life as the alternately cheeky and tender Lionel.

Bertie's history of pain and stress is expressed in his body. The mechanical advice of physicians of the day falls flat, as does the advice to merely "relax." Lionel offers a deeper connection, one which will likely inspire numerous viewers who have struggled with feelings of inadequacy and isolation. The film highlights the strict social structure as a source of damaging pressure. Bertie's life has almost no relationship to his struggling subjects, and yet the descriptions of his upbringing are horrifying. Lionel has a content family but, as an Australian, faces frequent prejudice. In spite of its heaviness, the film is quite funny as well. Bertie's dry sense of humor and Lionel's insouciance light up many a scene and amplify the more serious moments.


The two most interesting minor characters are Bertie's father King George V (Michael Gambon) and brother David (Guy Pearce), later King Edward VII, both of whom play a major role in Bertie's pathology. Gambon's George is a man with little patience for weakness, and Pearce's David is a silly, unfortunate product of his family.

Helena Bonham Carter does well with a less fleshed-out part. Lionel's wife (played by Jennifer Ehle) may be too perfect, but Lionel's and Bertie's families are portrayed with a light, lovely touch. Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) is a purely positive and somewhat simplistic figure, and Archbishop Cosmo Lang (Derek Jacobi) is almost pure oiliness. Still, most characters are believable and very much of their time. Even the most progressive characters do not seem to be artificially implanted with modern ideas.

The horrors of World War I quietly hang over the characters, making the impending World War II all the more forboding. This might have been a more powerful film had it focused more on the threat ahead. Whatever the case, the painfully beautiful climax evokes a sense of both tragedy and victory and manages to be simultaneously heartrending and uplifting.

The King's Speech is less a political study than a poignant depiction of the power in treating another like a human being, even a king.