A Haunting in Venice

★★★★

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Written by Michael Green

Based on the novel Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Just in case you didn’t know, this isn’t exactly a horror movie, but the third film based on Agatha Christie’s mystery novels that was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played the role of Christie’s world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. The other two were Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. There is no continuity except for the recurring detective character, so no prior viewing of those two films are necessary at all. Murder mysteries are by design standalone stories.

I really liked these series of films because there’s just something really appealing about mid 20th century European backdrops, and I absolutely enjoyed Branagh’s take on the eccentric Belgian sleuth. His third outing did not disappoint, although it isn’t without some flaws. These movies often include a cast of established and up-and-coming actors, and Branagh managed to get Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, the Fifty Shades guy and the baddie from John Wick 2 for this one.

This is a very traditional whodunnit, with the usual suspects of affluent family members, their acquaintances and the help all trapped in a building while the great detective slowly grills each person until the reveal of the murderer(s?) is done in a grandstanding fashion. What’s new this time is the element of the supernatural complicating things for the detective who purely relies on logical deductions. Some of you may find these too old fashioned, but if you’re anything like me you’re going to enjoy it as much as I did.

There is also something a bit off about the way lines are delivered here, which were done so hurriedly that I found it difficult to hear what each character was saying, especially when there are so many different accents at play. There’s also this over-abundant use of wide angle lenses that makes almost every shot looked warped, like you were constantly looking through the point-of-view of a first person shooter video game. It can be annoyingly disorienting at times, even if it was intentional.

Otherwise, this is still a solid but traditional whodunnit held up by lush visuals, a strong central performance and a reliable cast of familiar faces.

The Equalizer 3

★★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Written by Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim

I suggest that you go watch this one before reading my review. You won’t regret it. I came out of the cinema with an adrenaline high. A little emotional too. It’s that good!

The Equalizer 3 is kind of a mystery. It opens with our hero Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) in an unexplained situation where he is in Italy, Equalizing a bunch of baddies, but we don’t know why. Then he gets entangled with more baddies, helps out a small Italian town, and somehow gets Dakota Fanning involved in the fiasco. But it will all be explained in the end.

If you’ve seen the first two movies or even the TV show they are based on, you know that McCall is some kind of retired secret agent badass who goes around helping regular folks with his particular set of skills. I might be remembering the past two movies wrongly, but I didn’t recall that the character was this ruthless, because McCall v3 is one scary mofo in this one. I know John Wick is the boogeyman among criminals and assassins, but he was fearsome because of his efficiency in killing. But McCall is more frightening because of how brutal he gets and how much he seems to actually enjoy it, not unlike a serial killer. The bad guys here are merely sadistic and cruel, because they haven’t yet met McCall. It was glorious to see these Mafia scumbags get their gruesome comeuppances when they realised too late that a far bigger alpha male was in town.

It’s not the most original of stories, with many of the action movie cliches we’re very much accustomed to, but I always felt that it’s the execution (executions?) that matters in this genre, and the movie delivers in spades on that. And I loved that they put the effort to set up and pay off with some nice surprises and reveals in the end.

Denzel Washington is really good in the role. Not sure if his sometimes odd and bizarre demeanour was a symptom of his character’s OCD, or just Denzel doing his Denzel thing. Nice to see Fanning reframing with Washington again since Man on Fire, chemistry from that flick still intact here. Man on Fire fans will not be disappointed.

Heard this was the last one, which is sad because I actually want to see more adventures of Robert McCall now.

John Wick: Chapter 4

★★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Written by Shay Hatten, Michael Finch and Derek Kolstad

Previously, on Chapter 3: Fueled by vengeance, the renowned ruthless hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) launched a one-man campaign against the international assassination syndicate known as the High Table, only to be betrayed by ally Winston (Ian McShane) and left for dead. But Wick survived, and with the help of the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne), Wick recovers from his injuries and continues his warpath towards the High Table members in Chapter 4. But unbeknownst to him, the High Table has appointed one of its members, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) to hunt Wick down, with the help of Wick’s old acquaintance, known only as Caine (Donnie Yen).

If you’re new to this series of action films, it helps to check out at least the first John Wick movie just to know who he is, what he can do, and why he is doing all of this. Not that it’d make any more sense, but it’s ludicrously fun to watch how a simple revenge quest escalated into having hundreds of bad guys killed, which sets it apart from other more generic action movies. John Wick is the kind of movie where you see a goon knocked violently into the air by a car, most likely dead from impact, yet John Wick shoots him anyway, multiple times, while his body is in mid-flight, just because. It’s a story about what happens when the world’s most feared assassin turned against his own organization. The John Wick films are highly influenced by Hong Kong action movies, with its elaborately choreographed action sequences and martial arts battles, and painful-looking stunt sequences. If you like what you’ve been reading so far, then you’re going to love all the Wick movies, including Chapter 4.

THE GOOD:

The best thing about Chapter 4 is its cast, beginning with Keanu Reeves, who is a bona fide action star that deserves a place with the likes of legends such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li. From regulars Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne and Lance Reddick to new additions Donnie Yen (also an action legend), Hiroyuki Sanada, Bill Skarsgård, Scott Adkins, Shamier Anderson, Clancy Brown, Rina Sawayama and Natalia Tena, they ranged from good to impressive, and were not superfluously used. Yen’s character is called Caine and carries a cane (ha ha) but gets to do more than just being another laconic villain muscle. Unlike many of his other Hollywood roles, he gets to up-play his innate charisma in both the dramatic and the action scenes. And my god, the guy still got the moves at 59! The surprising standouts were Anderson’s Tracker that became increasingly likeable throughout the film, and Sawayama’s Akira doing an impressive chunk of the action during the Osaka Continental scene. If you managed to stay away from all the posters and trailers, then you’re in for a surprise with Adkin’s character. I really loved that Sanada got to do way more action here than he did in Bullet Train. It’s sad that Reddick passed away just before the film’s premiere. He was always great in everything he did, and I will miss seeing him at the New York Continental.

The cinematography by Dan Laustsen, who also shot John Wick 2 and 3, is astounding. It’s like watching the most expensive looking action movie ever. The movie also boasts impressive production and costume design work, with the many opulent European sets and backdrops, and the exquisite suits and designer dresses the actors were wearing.

THE BAD:

Story-wise, Chapter 4 wasn’t as tight and cohesive as the original film but is on par with the other sequels. It also suffers a similar problem with the others where it relied too much on made-up arbitrary rules of the High Table that conveniently saved characters from certain death, or even reinstate outcasts out of technicality despite all the bad blood caused. Chapter 4 does at least attempt to give the single-minded protagonist a little more depth, albeit just a tinge. But there’s no hiding the fact that the screenplay was designed first and foremost to incorporate the action set pieces at the expense of the story. I did like the unconventional ending that relied more on smarts than fisticuffs or firepower.

THE UGLY:

Don’t get me wrong – this is Hollywood action at its best, and seeing Wick dispatching bad guys with a variety of weaponry and techniques never gets old for me. But compared to its predecessors, Chapter 4’s action choreography seems less elegant and not as clever. There were brilliant moments like the one involving nunchucks, but some of the close-combat sequences were getting a bit too repetitive. Reeves himself was already looking sluggish even back in Chapter 3, and he is no different here, not surprising since he’s already pushing 60 years of age. Regardless, his intense dedication to his work is undeniable, and what he pulled off here is still incredible and highly commendable. There was a great action scene near the end involving vehicles that I wished didn’t incorporate that many obvious CG effects. I understand the safety reasons, but I’d rather have realistic but simpler, safer stunts over fake looking elaborate ones that needed CG for them to work.

Overall, this is still a high recommendation for this three-hour film that didn’t feel its length, as long as you are able to surrender yourself to its ludicrousness and just enjoy it for what it is – a classily made Hong Kong-style action movie with a big Hollywood budget.

Note: There is one end credits scene.

RANDOM SPOILERY THOUGHTS:​

• My heart sank when Charon was very quickly dispatched early in the film. An eerie, freaky coincidence that is still felt until now.

• Like I mentioned before, I really liked that the ending was more about outsmarting the Marquis than simply resolving it with more brute force. It’s clever that they concealed the true stake of the duel – Caine’s daughter. I believed Wick, Winston and Caine had already planned this earlier on, offscreen. The whole conceit rests heavily on the Marquis’ bloated ego, which explains why Winston was fanning the Marquis’ flames during his final meeting with him before the duel.

• I guess John Wick finally dies, and it does look definitive - the vision of his wife, the epitaph. The character has nowhere else interesting to go, so it makes sense to end it now.

• Caine and Akira’s conflict is very Kill Bill-like, which was also echoed in the end credits.

• I like how the Tracker has “nuts” as an attack order for his dog.

• Funny how some people were dissing the Osaka Continental action set piece, but I thought the weakest one was Killa’s nightclub. Osaka has Sanada and Sawayama doing their own action, and that nunchucks sequence, which I was nervously giggling at the brutal way Reeves was using it to continuously bash people’s head with. The Paris action set piece was undeniably the best. The top-down view of the chateau battle, the explosive shotgun shells, the Arc de Triomphe vehicular mayhem, and the fight up the Montmartre stairs were exhaustingly thrilling.

• If you found Adkins’ fat suit offensive, I think what they were trying to do here was to give a nod to legendary Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung, who is famously rotund and yet is capable of performing mind-blowing martial arts moves and stunts. And Adkins did do some sick moves in the suit.

• I believe the arm branding during the Ruska Roma scene was a homage to David Carradine’s Kung Fu show. Shaolin monks do not practice this, if you’re wondering. Complete fabrication.

• I thought there’d be some significance or foreshadowing with Clancy Brown’s amputated wedding finger, but they didn’t do anything with that.

• When Winston whispered “farewell, my son” in Russian, does that imply Winston is Wick’s daddy?

• Greatest, unexpected and most satisfying utterance of an expletive by Caine after the Marquis told Caine to “remember your daughter”.

• Missing in action: The Adjudicator, Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare), the previous Elder played by Saïd Taghmaoui (I think he died offscreen), Sofia (Halle Berry) and her dogs, Aurelio (John Leguizamo), Cassian (Common), Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, and a missed opportunity to introduce Ana de Armas’ Ballerina.

Bullet Train

★★★1/2

Mild spoilers

Brad Pitt plays a former assassin who has a simple snatch-and-grab job on a bullet train in Tokyo, but unbeknownst to him the briefcase he is supposed to retrieve is also being pursued by other assassins and mysterious figures, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada, Andrew Koji, Joey King and a snake*. Some actors have been left unmentioned to preserve the element of surprise for you.

The Empire Spoiler Special Podcast beat me to it by saying that the movie resembles the Joe Carnahan flick, Smokin’ Aces, where it also boasts a large ensemble featuring a cast of familiar and new faces playing killers from different factions in pursuit of a common target. It was the first thing that popped into my head once I realized what Bullet Train was going for.

Director David Leitch, known for being the co-director of John Wick 1, and the director of Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde, and Hobbs & Shaw, brings the stunt team from Nobody to work on the action in this film, which I believe are the same guys who worked on the John Wick films also? I could be wrong, couldn’t find that information on Google for some reason. Anyway, being one-half of the directing team responsible for John Wick, I was always looking forward to his solo efforts, but thought they were well-made films that were a little uneven in the the story and acting department. I think Bullet Train is his best solo effort where the story and performances are finally part of the highlights. Taylor-Johnson and Henry are the standouts here, and gets to play with some fun Tarantino-esque banter. Hiroyuki Sanada is as regal as ever, but I wished he had been allowed some humour to dabble with, as he seemed to be given the same dour role in every major movie he has been involved in. Brad Pitt plays a vanilla lead that underuses his talents, and almost felt like a supporting actor in his own movie. Like Smokin’ Aces, the story is playful but violent, and darkly comedic.

I wished it had a stronger central villain because that would have made it a four-starrer for me, easily. The film hyped up the Keyser Soze-like bad guy a lot, but couldn’t satisfactorily deliver on that expectation when he finally appeared. Also, Bullet Train doesn’t truly have an ensemble cast, but more of a string of fleeting cameos, with really only four central characters taking up most of the screen time. There are at least two characters in the film that are guaranteed to make you go “that’s all??”

Don’t get me wrong, this is still an enjoyable watch albeit one I’m not rushing to revisit soon, and is Leitch’s best if you were a little disappointed by his past outings.

*Yes, there’s a subtle Snakes on a Plane reference in the movie by the filmmakers. But now it’s a train, geddit? Snakes on a train? LOL, snort!

The Batman (2022)

★★★★★

Mild spoilers

A huge lesson I learned from my theatrical experience of “The Batman” is not to watch a movie when you’re tired. I came out of the show not too enamored by the film, even though I did acknowledge that it had many good scenes and performances. Somehow, they didn’t coalesce into a good movie in my fatigued eyes. Many weeks later, I managed to re-watch it on a 4K Blu-Ray, and I finally realized I couldn’t be more wrong. It went from “meh” to one of my top films of the year!

As a reboot of the Batman film franchise, “The Batman” had to do something to differentiate itself from past reiterations. Roughly there had been four: goofy (West), Burtonesque, campy (Schumacher), and realistic (Nolan). They decided to give what fans have been clamoring for all these years and made this one a detective story. More precisely, a horror-tinged, serial killer detective story. It references Seven a lot; from the glisteningly grimy, rotting aesthetics of its rain-soaked world, to its crime-fighting pairing of an angsty white young man and a cool-headed older black detective with a divine voice. Said older detective even has a scene where he reads a disturbing passage from a serial killer’s journal. There’s even a scene with a head in a box. The pair are in pursuit of a serial killer known only as The Riddler, who leaves cryptic clues in each crime scene that allude to a grander purpose. Yep, it’s practically a remake of Seven!

The cast ranges from interesting to great. Colin Farrell’s Penguin was the biggest worry for me because he had to perform under a lot of latex and fat suit, but he turned out the best, most charismatic performance in the entire movie, and is easily the best onscreen Penguin by far. Zoë Kravitz had the enormous pressure of several preceding iconic Catwoman performances, but she successfully made the role her own. I also liked Jeffrey Wright’s pre-Commish Lieutenant Gordon reacting to everything like a blue-collar cop would. I didn’t think Andy Serkis’ Alfred worked on first viewing, but on subsequent re-watches I finally appreciated his nuanced take, which felt jarring because I got too used to the larger-than-life roles he usually does. And then we have Robert Pattinson. I thought his Batman/Bruce Wayne worked and I kind of liked it. Amusingly, no one seemed to notice that he was still doing his Edward Sullen man-of-few-slow-spoken-words thing. He was almost as pale-looking, and there’s even a moment where he cringes away from sunlight. Batman as an almost literal vampire is actually rather clever, but forgive me if this was already done a hundred times in the comic books. I thought John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone was an unusual casting choice but he was effectively creepy. Peter Sarsgaard was great but he has a pretty small role. Paul Dano as The Riddler was reliably great to a point, but I’ll get back to this later.

Great direction and creative choices from Matt Reeves, who I shouldn’t have doubted after really liking his Cloverfield and the “of the Apes” films. I think he only managed an ok mystery-detective story here, but as serial killer thrillers go, it’s pretty good. His visual sense? Even better! Handling of the actor’s performances? Exquisite. I was shocked at how short his filmography was when I Googled for all of his films. Hope he gets a lot more work moving forward.

My apologies to Michael Giacchino too, whom I once chastised in the comments sections for ripping off Star Wars’ The Imperial March for Batman’s theme (which funnily the IMDb trivia section for The Batman actually acknowledges) but there were other wonderful themes throughout the film too. The wailing violins gave them a pretty obvious horror vibe. They also reminded me of the brilliant Bram Stoker’s Dracula score by Wojciech Kilar. My favorite is definitely Catwoman’s theme, which first appears in the “Don’t be Voyeur With Me” track.

Now, the quibbles. Let’s come back to Dano, who always puts out fine work, until he went a little too Jim Carrey. I know the character has been telegraphed very early on as an unabashed exhibitionist, but what he did in one pivotal scene was borderline comical, and he was supposed to be frightening. Another one: “savior” Batman is a nice idea, because he certainly needed to do more than just beat up criminals, but the Gotham Reeves and his team created was so utterly nihilistic that this optimistic development in Batman’s character felt a little out of place. Lastly, I need to mention that special cameo at the end. Though tastefully done, it still reeked of interference by studio heads too eager to mimic Marvel’s M.O. of planting sequel baits, which wasn’t needed here at all. Why make a superhero movie entirely in your own style, then throw in stuff to remind your audiences about your biggest competitor?

Overall, for one of the most oft-rebooted superhero franchises, I’m glad to say that they managed to pull it off yet again. It’s a visual feast with great performances that I have been enjoyably re-watching with no signs of fatigue yet. For that, I think it’s only right that I give it a 5-star rating, even though it’s not a perfect film. I acknowledge that I was incorrect with my negative assessments in past comments, but one that I’m more than happy to be very wrong about.

Heat

★★★★★

No spoilers

This is one of those unanimously regarded greatest-of-all-time films that a film lover couldn’t possibly dislike. If you didn’t like Heat, we can’t be friends anymore. I’m kidding, I’d still love you, but I’d be highly suspicious about your taste in movies. It’s not snobbery, but it’s like if you took your friend to an award winning restaurant you liked that has really good food, and he said that it was worse than McDonald’s. Everyone’s entitled to his or her opinion, but it doesn’t mean we have to forgo our standards.

Heat has a great story: It’s about a highly-professional group of criminals led by Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) who rob armoured trucks and banks with precision and zero casualties, until something went wrong in their recent heist, and attracted the attention of Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a sharp hothead who runs the LAPD armed robbery division. But it’s really a human tragedy about karma and making bad choices. It’s fascinating to see these relatable criminal characters presented with opportunities for a way out, yet be undone by mere moments of poor judgment. But the film doesn’t gloss over the fact that these people will kill cops and innocent bystanders if they get in their way. I was surprised to learn that Heat was a remake of director Michael Mann’s earlier TV movie “L.A. Takedown” and was based on a real-life case of police officer-turned-TV-producer Chuck Adamson, who did pursue a criminal named Neil McCauley. Adamson also created the highly-acclaimed television series, Crime Story that starred Dennis Farina and was produced by Mann.

Heat has an awesome cast that includes Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Danny Trejo, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Hank Azaria, Tom Noonan, Xander Berkeley, Jeremy Piven, Henry Rollins and Tone Loc (gasping for air!) Kilmer, Voight and Judd were the standouts, but I thought Trejo really impressed with his very small role here. This may even be his best performance. But we’re really here for the legendary team-up of acting legends Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. I remember the stupid younger version of me feeling disappointed that they were only briefly onscreen together when I first saw the movie in 1995, but now I can’t think of a better way to utilize these actors in the film. They were together a lot more in Scorsese’s The Irishman, but Heat still remains as their best screen pairing. It is such a treat to watch these two perform with each other, arguably in their prime.

Superbly and stylishly directed by Michael Mann (who also wrote the script) and shot by cinematographer Dante Spinotti who also handled the cinematography on the Last of the Mohicans and L.A. Confidential. Together they created a Los Angeles of grey skies and metallic blue cityscapes. Even the actors seem to be constantly dressed in monotones. It’s stylish to look at and yet doesn’t feel artificial, or interfere with the realism and grittiness of the story. Great music by Oscar-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal, and the sound design is legendary for that well-known shootout scene. It’s mind-boggling to think that Heat did not even get a single Oscar nomination in any category.

Overall, Heat is a thrilling cinematic experience from start to finish, with an alignment of talents that made it more than just another cops-and-robbers flick, but a must-watch film even if you’re not a movie aficionado who’d appreciate the rare pairing of two acting giants. It is also a film that gets better throughout time, as age and maturity makes you appreciate the nuances in the story and performances a lot more.

Once you’ve watched the film, check out the trivia section on IMDb or watch it again with Mann’s commentary. There are many, many cool trivia to discover, like did you know Ted Levine was supposed to play Waingro, or that Val Kilmer took over his role from Keanu Reeves?

Copshop

★★★★

A stranger in a stolen police car (played by Frank Grillo) deliberately gets himself arrested and locked up in a small town precinct. Unbeknownst to the police officers there, the man is being pursued by a ruthless assassin (Gerard Butler) who is determined to use any means necessary in order to get to his target. Standing in his way is Officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder), who is trying to figure out what is going on as the body count piles.

If you’re looking for a decent and small little crime thriller set in a single location, you can’t go wrong with this one. Because there are no big explosions and set pieces, the film focuses more on the characters, and it’s very interesting to see how things play out among these assorted bunch of characters, and in ways you sometimes never expected. I like these kinds of crime stories where the right decisions aren’t always the best. It’s very much reminiscent of those crime films I often see from Hong Kong during its filmmaking heydays.

I was surprised to learn that Joe Carnahan was the director, the guy who did the perennial favourite The Grey and other fun ones like Smokin’ Aces and The A-Team remake. Grillo and Butler are fantastic in their roles - this isn’t one of those “slumming it for the paycheck” situations. Louder is the “new face” and held her own against these veterans, but she has actually been working for a while, with bit roles in Black Panther and the Watchmen series, and more recently alongside Chris Pratt in The Tomorrow War and The Terminal List. There’s a fun, showy, psychotic role by Toby Huss, whom I’ve never seen in anything else before, but he was the scenery chewer in this one.

My only complaint is that the budget of the film is really showing the seams at times. The precinct is obviously a set. Though very nicely decorated, but there’s something about the way it was lighted that gave it away a bit. Colour grading can be a bit of a cliche look nowadays, but this movie could have used a bit of that.

Nevertheless, it is still a very enjoyable gritty thriller with surprisingly good performances and a story that tries to be less predictable than a lot of other stuff out there.

Originally published on my Facebook page, here.