John Woo's The Killer (1989) with Trailer

A hired hit man (Ah Jong-Chow Yun Fat) on a routine job accidentally blinds a club singer Jennie (Sally Yeh) in a bar. Feeling full of guilt and remorse, he decides to quit his profession but only after taking on one last job to help Jennie fund cornea surgery to restore her sight. Unfortunately, with his last job, his employers take it upon themselves to double cross him and not pay him for his services and decide to get rid of him altogether. Along with the criminals who are after our "hero", a cop (Insp Li Ying-Danny Lee) is also on his tail for his handy work and will stop at nothing to capture his guy.

A film full of exhilarating set pieces accumulating in a body count in the near 100s where the themes of honour and betrayal are explored with such hyperbolic sequences and a dazzling array of stunts and squibs. John Woo's films always portray his "good" guys as a no nonsense, morally righteous man who upholds a code of honour. A hit man with a conscience and kills only those he sees as deserving of a quick death. 

When I first saw this marvel, I was astounded by it's flair, fluidity and camerawork. Full of style and unflinching graphic violence. Never have I seen a film where the hero is so cool, composed and controlled . Chow Yun Fat brings a certain gravitas with his on screen character learning to carry the burden of guilt but also acting on his immense talent with guns.

With themes that Woo would return to, never has a hit man appeared more noble and chivalrous as our title character. A hit man that uses a church as a meeting point for assignments and recuperation, doves flying through the air (in slow-mo!), religious symbolism and of course gunplay with bullets that come flying thorough the screen right to your retinas. 

One thing that viewers may spot is the breaking of the 180 degree rule for the shot reserve shot when Chow's character is talking to Lee's Inspector on the side of the lake. Most films convey a conversation with a switch back and forth and many times characters are shown either to the left of the screen and then switches to the other character to the right of the screen. Woo cleverly places both characters on the same side. It's a bit jarring at first but the point to all of this is to show that both characters are alike and are in fact a mirror image of each other.

Within the film there is so much one can pick out as an extraordinary piece of action cinema. The opening shoot out in the club with it's numerous multi-angle, slow-mo and fast paced editing creates a dazzling dance of bullets and bodies. In fact many of the films set pieces are heart pounding, jaw dropping and an amazing feat in stunt work and a clear indication of John Woo's talent behind the camera. A film he has never bettered and a film that people will look back on and wonder why Hollywood never gave him a chance to show the world what he can do. A sad waste and a crying shame.

Acting: 4/5

Technical Merit: 4.5/5

Narrative: 4/5

Entertainment: 5/5

17.5/20

Requiem For A Dream (2000) plus Trailer

From the technical wizardry genius that was "Pi" comes Darren Aronofskys' second feature "Requiem For A Dream". Following on from his remarkable debut comes this harrowing, hypnotic and startling story about four lives spiralling into an addiction they never come back from. Adapted from a novel by Hubert Selby Jr. (who also has a hand in writing the screenplay alongside Aronofsky) it tells a tale on how four people from New York, who all have aspiration and dreams for a better life only for it to be ruined by the need and reliance on their next hit, caught in an addiction they all thought they could control.

Ellen Burstyn (deservedly nominated for an Oscar) stars as Sara Goldfarb, a mother who is constantly being robbed by her son Harry (Jared Leto in his best role ever) to fuel his drug habit. The film opens up with Harry taking her TV to pawn to get extra cash to purchase illegal substances for his next hit. Alongside Harry is his companion Tyrone (Marlon Wayans in serious dramatic role) and Harrys' girlfriend Marion (played by Jennifer Connelly). All the main characters dream of a better life and strive to reach what they believe would make them happy and set out to achieve their ultimate goal. Harry and Tyrone want to be more than petty drug users and think they can get out of their rut by scoring and dealing, saving up to make money. Harry tells Marion that with the money she can start up the business she's always dreamed about and with Harrys mother (a TV junkie) she aspires to be on TV and when she gets a call with a promise of appearing on TV she does everything she can to lose the weight she's gain over the years to fit into her perfect red dress. When things take a turn for the worst, desperation takes hold and they all resort to the depths of despair in an effort to  cling on to their dreams.

Probably the saddest sequence in the film is Sara Goldfarb breakdown in her front room. Addicted to slimming pills provided to her by her GP, she becomes detached from reality and her room becomes filled with the infotainment channel host and audience mocking and taunting her. It's not only the illegal drugs but the prescription kind that becomes an addictive and dependant source for a better life.

With almost every conceivable trick and camera technique thrown towards us, it is the way Aronosky tries to replicate the affects of being high on illicit substances with speeded up imagery, split screen, extreme close ups (eyeballs in particular), fast cuts, the snorricam technique (where the camera is attached to the performer and the background is constantly moving around giving us, the audience, a sense of vertigo), and most importantly, repetition. We are barraged with constant imagery of drugs being taken and in a sense that is what Aronoskys trying to show us, what is it like to be addicted to illegal substances. They just want to do it over and over to get that high (which only last for a while) and then the comedown.... back to reality, with the mundane and depressing way of life that awaits them always in the search for the next hit. The neverending cycle goes on.

With all the talk on the visuals and the narrative style the vital ingredient to the whole mixture is the unrelenting score by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet. You've probably heard it before ad nauseum (it has been borrowed, sampled and diluted) but here, you will hear it in it's original beauty. The score is played in and out in varying styles becoming more and more haunting throughout the film as it builds up into a crescendo of violins and orchestral noise. It complements and encapsulate the mood of the whole film. It's such a memorable piece of music that I can't see it working without the main theme running through every dramatic scene.

Overall it is a remarkable piece of cinema. A startling performance by all (and I mean all, I personally think none of the actors will ever achieve such high degree of emotional turmoil, they all deserve high praise for their energy and portrayal of addicts) and a visual style to wow the eyes with an immense score to boot. It is by no means a film to necessarily watch over and over again as it is physically and emotionally draining. By the end you will feel uneasy and unhinged by onslaught of images that come to you quicker and quicker till the bottom has been hit and they can go no lower, the depressing imagery will forever be embedded in your memory alongside other nightmarish scenes from within the film (it's not a film you can easily recover from). A technical achievement and a brave take on drug addiction.

18/20
 

After Hours (1985) with Trailer

A little known film directed by the great Martin Scorsese, released between The King of Comedy (1982) and The Color of Money (1985), It was another one of his forays into the comedy genre. Though it isn't a straight comedy, it is very offbeat and blackly comical in tone and situations. It zips along at such breathless pace you just don't know what's going to happen from one scene to another. It's a shame that only Crime/Gangster genre seems to be his regular output of films of late and that you can see a marvellous and assured piece of comedic genius on display in this picture.

Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London) stars as Paul, a mild mannered office worker in the New York. One night in a coffee shop, he has a chance encounter with Marcy (Roseanna Arquette), a kooky strange character whom he gets her phone number off (he pretends to be interested in buying her friends sculptural work...), and he decides to contact her later that night. His impulsive behaviour leads him to a night he will never forget.

Griffin Dunne and Roseanna Arquette

On the phone she tells him to come up to see her and so off he goes in what he hopes to be a night of passion but when he gets in the cab, that's when his troubles begin. As the taxi cab zips around the streets of New York, the kinetic camera work and fast paced editing leads us into a whole series of weird and wonderful characters and situations. Whenever you think things can't go wrong for Paul, things take a turn for the worst. His first mishaps occurs when his money flies out of the cab...thus leaving him with no cash to get home.

His supposed date goes awry and he leaves on a sour note, he tries to make his way home but fate has other plans for him. With each and every character he encounters, he gets more and more embroiled and increasingly irate at his inability to find a way home. Everyone he comes across has a slightly askew view on his situation (or not really paying him much sympathy to his plight) and he ends up upsetting or offending them. The only man to offer any sign of help is the bartender but unfortunately he turns out to be Marcy boyfriend, which leads to more complications. As the night wears on, you wonder how he gets out of his predicament. Does he make it back home....well you just have to wait and see.

Teri Garr as Julie the waitress

Griffin Dunne display the right amount of paranoia and anguish. The supporting cast play their parts well and the numerous quirky characters all come across just on the right side of believability. From the waitress (Teri Garr) to the ice cream van owner Gail (Catherine O'Hara), they all display a little bit of kooky craziness. The only sane one is probably Tom (John Heard) the bartender even then, he can't help our protagonist (we even get Cheech and Chong in on the act as a pair incompetent of burglars).

Catherine O'Hara as the Ice Cream Van Owner Gail

With such a remarkable and resounding weird look into New Yorks' bizarre night life it's like a story you get hooked into and watch to see the madness unfold with ever evolving situation. Scorsese fabulously captures the stranger side of New York and is brilliant lit up by Michael Ballhaus cinematography (It was their first collaboration together and they have gone on since to make Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York amongst others). The quick speed in which the film took to complete is what Scorsese was aiming for. His latter films became a long and arduous shoot and this film harks back to his early methods and it's not overblown or over polished. It's a wild and wondrous ride which still feels as fresh and unique as it did when it first came on to our screens.

17/20