Category Archives: Thriller

Point Break (1991)

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2007 #87
Kathryn Bigelow | 117 mins | DVD | 18 / R

Point BreakJock-tastic ’80s-style surfing-based crime thriller. If you’ve seen Hot Fuzz you’ll know of this — it’s the one where Keanu Reeves lies on his back and empties his gun into the air while screaming “nooo!”

The first half hour is pretty dull, unless you like surfing or American football, but it picks up to some pretty decent action sequences in the middle (a foot chase through back gardens is especially worthy of note).

It’s nothing particularly remarkable, but if you can stomach the overlong sports sequences, the occasionally clichéd plot and Keanu Reeves’ acting, there are a few good things to be had here.

3 out of 5

The Departed (2006)

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2007 #74
Martin Scorsese | 145 mins | DVD | 18 / R

The DepartedAn all-star cast lead Scorsese’s Oscar-winning remake of Hong Kong action thriller Infernal Affairs. It’s an unusual yet striking mix of elements: cops vs. robbers thriller, gangster drama, relationships of those who protect/threaten us drama, and several more. It winds up with an unusual feel for structure and pace, though is never less than stylish.

Having not seen many of Scorsese’s earlier films it’s hard for me to say if this is up to standard, as many say it is; but I still believe Greengrass’ United 93 was more deserving of the Best Director nods. As I did earlier this year with The Prestige, my rating errs on the side of caution.

4 out of 5

Primer (2004)

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2007 #70
Shane Carruth | 74 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

PrimerAccording to many this is a real ‘love it or hate it’ film; in typically awkward fashion I’m going to place myself right in the middle.

The thing is, I can see both sides — there’s a great conceit here, with a decent plot built around it; but it drags the idea of treating your audience’s intelligence with respect too far into the realms of Simply Not Explaining Things Properly, including taking almost half the film for anything to become clear. Sadly this clarity only lasts a few minutes before things get muddled up again in the second half of the plot.

I’d like to be able to love Primer, but the things that make me want to hate it just pull it down.

3 out of 5

Mean Creek (2004)

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2007 #69
Jacob Aaron Estes | 86 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Mean CreekA group of teenagers concoct a plan for revenge on a bully in this drama from first-time writer/director Estes. Whilst the premise might sound straightforward and liable to be morally simplistic, the writing, acting and direction combine to make a film that is complex, tense, tragic and ultimately believable.

Some might argue it loses its way a little towards the end, almost struggling to find a suitable conclusion, but it doesn’t do so enough to make it anything less than an excellent film.

Highly recommended.

5 out of 5

Mean Creek placed 3rd on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2007, which can be read in full here.

Heat (1995)

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2007 #68
Michael Mann | 164 mins | DVD | 15 / R

HeatHeat will probably always be best remembered for two things: the excellent running shoot out on the streets of L.A., and De Niro and Pacino on screen together for the first (and, so far, last) time.

There’s a lot more to it than that, of course: ostensibly a cops-and-robbers crime drama, the film follows the personal lives of each side as well as the usual professional actions. The cop-with-failed-marriage / criminal-with-successful-relationship juxtaposition may already feel clichéd, but it works well enough here, and is well executed without distracting from the meat of the plot — which is, still, the crime and justice.

5 out of 5

Right at Your Door (2006)

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2007 #67
Chris Gorak | 91 mins | DVD | 15 / R

Right at Your DoorL.A. is hit by a series of ‘dirty bombs’ in this indie suspense thriller, that follows the story of what happens to one man in the suburbs, as well as the various people whose paths cross his.

Mainly based in one location (his home), the film is an effective and suspenseful account of what it’s like to be an ordinary person almost in the middle of such an attack. The frantic early pace does let up a little as the film goes on, but it remains gripping right up to the well-executed twist.

4 out of 5

Ocean’s Twelve (2004)

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2007 #62
Steven Soderbergh | 120 mins | DVD | 12 / PG-13

Ocean's TwelveThis all-star sequel to the 2001 Rat Pack re-make received a thorough slating from critics on release, mainly thanks to its New Wave influences (which are only clear if you’re familiar with said cinematic trend), grittier approach (it’s less shiny-glossy more grainy-film-stock — hardly Bourne-compared-to-Bond gritty), and the feeling that the cast are having more fun than the audience (this one I’ll allow).

Aside from a few steps too far in the final act (such as Julia Roberts playing Tess playing Julia Roberts (funnier if it hadn’t been so specified), and the frankly irritating twist denouement) it’s still a pretty enjoyable film. But it’s true that the first is better.

3 out of 5

Chinatown (1974)

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2007 #55
Roman Polanski | 131 mins | download | 15 / R

ChinatownPolanski’s post-noir thriller follows J.J. Gittes, a private eye who begins investigating another cheating husband case but ends up drawn into a conspiracy that he can’t hope to beat.

It’s often held up as an example of a perfectly structured screenplay, and the carefully considered reveal of character and plot throughout makes it easy to see why. It’s also packed with imagery and subtext for those who want it, but if that’s not your thing it still makes for a darn good thriller with a few neat twists.

5 out of 5

Stormbreaker (2006)

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2007 #48
Geoffrey Sax | 92 mins | DVD | PG / PG

StormbreakerAn adaptation of the first in Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling series of Alex Rider novels. It does a good job of translating the book, aided by an extensive cast of recognisable Brits (and some Yanks) and some entertaining action sequences.

It occasionally lets itself down in its choices of which bits to adapt and which to leave out, especially in the third act — some of the best action sequences are swapped for lesser ones (quad bikes for a horse in central London? Maybe a good idea on paper, but it doesn’t work), and the climax isn’t as fulfilling as the apparent one that happens just before it.

Not a bad effort, especially for kids.

4 out of 5

Hidden (2005)

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aka Caché

2007 #43
Michael Haneke | 113 mins | DVD | 15 / R

HiddenEmpire’s 15th best film of 2006 is very European. “How so”, you may ask? Well, firstly, it is French; but it certainly feels it: it takes a very good concept/plot for a thriller and then stretches it out a little thin, with a notably slow pace, and a concentration on the dramatic impact on characters rather than plot movements. Not necessarily bad things, and it walks a fine line somewhere between them working and them failing (that is to say, it’s not wholly successful). There’s an irritating apparent lack of resolution, though reading one theory in an online review has suggested maybe I missed (or misinterpreted) it.

The performances also deserve mention — as with everything else they teeter between excellent (mostly) and a bit unbelievable (see: the rather muted ‘arguments’, or the unusual order of reactions to the son going missing). Some also might argue the direction is flat, with many long shots and relatively few cuts. You could argue this reflects the theme/plot, but on the other hand it is somewhat symptomatic of some areas of European cinema.

4 out of 5