Finding Osama Bin Laden

A film that has led to a full scale inquiry into the US army and their 'interview methods' in the war against terror. From the only female director with an Oscar under her belt, we are brought a journalistic account of one of the biggest man hunts in history. This is Zero Dark Thirty

It's two years after the September 11th attacks and Maya (Jessica Chastain), a young CIA operative had just moved to a CIA black site in the Middle East to join the interrogation team. Sceptical towards the aggressive methods that her college Jake (Jason Clarke) uses, she sees the advantages of such methods. She begins to become obsessed with the case of finding Bin Laden and believes their best lead is in finding Abu Amed. The mission takes over her life as she constantly is rejected by her superiors, George (Mark Strong) and Joseph (Kyle Chandler) for focusing on old theories and a lack of evidence. But she perseveres This is not a story where you want to know what happens - you already know the ending - this is learning how it happened.

American propaganda? Naaaahhhh.

Chastain’s performance is, obviously, the central point of the whole film. There is no doubt that she is a strong actress. She is brave, bold, and powerful. As Maya, she shows how authoritative a successful secret service operative needs to be, regardless of gender. She really captures Maya’s intelligence and dedication, painting her, very commonly, as a bit of a badass; rebelling against authority, forcing her superiors to bend to her will, and focusing on one man for eight years. Sometimes Chastain comes across as suddenly over-emotional, though. There are points that seem too much like they are ‘I need to shout to be a good actress’ moments. Some of these sections, it can be assumed, are down to the direction, rather than the acting. The supporting cast are also fantastic. There is something jarring about the most likeable character in the film also being the most brutal interrogator but, at the same time, it is a testament to Jason Clark‘s performance that he managed to make that paradox a reality. It is one of the most engaging aspects of the film.

Is there an American flag in every shot?

Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is sturdy and solid. She does not hold back – in a very similar way to The Hurt Locker – but, very intelligently, does not present an opinion in her work. She creates a debate. There is no doubt that Zero Dark Thirty is a piece of pro-America cinema, but the more controversial matters – the representation of torture and Islam – are left for the audience to decide how they feel. For example, torture is shown but not in a negative or positive light. It is unnervingly neutral and this seems to be where the largest issue is caused. People want condemnation of torture and xenophobia, and anything less than that is considered praise. Bigelow is a master of avoiding opinion but opening discussion. With excellent camera work, the film’s only real technical flaw is its length. It starts dragging on unlike some of the other nominations of a similar length (see Lincoln) but this can be looked past as the film is of a strong enough quality to encourage the  audience to persevere.

A heavily researched piece of film which tells the story behind one of the most well-known events of recent years. No doubt you will learn something – though do not trust all you see – and you will be entertained. Good for fans of The Hurt Locker as Bigelow seems to have found her stride in politically encouraged war films.

Best Bit? Naturally, the Navy Seal operation was long waited for throughout the film and tense throughout. 

Irish People

All round good reviews. Some fantastic actors. Irish accents. Tempted to watch the movie already? You should be. Created by the brother of In Bruges' director Martin McDonagh, we have another dark comedy starring Irish men and dead bodies. So let's see how it is. This is The Guard.

Unorthodox police officer, Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson), works for The Irish Guard in a Gaelic speaking region of Ireland. One day he finds himself with a chirpy, young new partner as they investigate a recently murdered body. After many inappropriate jokes from Boyle, they go for a drink. Well, Boyle goes for a drink. Later they discover the FBI are around looking to bust a massive cocaine smuggling business. FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle), leading the operation in Ireland, informs the local Guard of the situation. They are looking for five men. After some confrontation, Boyle informs Everett that they are only looking for four men; the fifth was the murdered body he was investigating. And thus, Everett and Boyle are thrust into investigating together. After the mysterious disappearance of Boyle's new partner, things start to get more and more interesting. Looks like it's time for a think over a Guinness.

Official report: The victim's life was flipped upside down

Brendan Gleeson, as always, is absolutely fantastic. I haven't laughed at one man so much for a long time. There's something very subtle about Gleeson's performance, despite playing one of the most out going and forward characters around. Underneath all that, there's a visible pain. The pain of his mother being so close to death or the fact that only prostitutes like him, and these things just build Boyle as a character and make him constantly interesting to watch, right until the last moment. Don Cheadle is great as well. Admittedly, he's a lot weaker than Gleeson, but he's the straight man to Boyle's ridiculousness. It's a combo that I could watch again and again. The bad guys are also fantastic, particularly Mark Strong. The 'get things done' criminal amongst evil masterminds, or people that wish they were evil masterminds, is suddenly a lot more engaging to watch than he would be in other circumstances.

Boyle's investigations were getting a little childish.

John Michael McDonagh is a long way off his brother. While his script is hilarious, touching, and dark, he lacks the thing that Martin McDonagh does so well: heart. There's a lack of heart to the movie. Characters develop randomly at points with decisions that are simply never explained. It is so almost there and, with a little more work, John Michael McDonagh will be producing fine work. The setting of country Ireland, however, is shot so beautiful and the soundtrack is so wonderfully chosen. Technically, it is a great film. There's just that layer of heart missing.

Despite that, The Guard is a wonderfully satisfying movie. It finishes well, something that's very hard for a rogue buddy cop sort of film, and keeps you laughing along the way. Definitely worth watching.

Best bit? The bit I laughed at most was the car ride with Boyle and Everett where they discuss Disneyworld and babies. I simply could not stop laughing.

Tinker Tailor Soldier MOLE!

I'm back ladies and gentlemen! Have you missed me? Probably not. Well here I am none the less. And I return with a movie hailed as a modern masterpiece! But is it? Let's break this down. It's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

So what is it even about? In the most simple of descriptions, it's a spy thriller. Set in 1970s' London during cold war hysteria, the movie tells the story of the struggles within MI5 and MI6 after a disastrous mission in Budapest, Hungary in which Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) was shot. This fiasco causes Control (John Hurt) and George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to leave the Circus (the name given to the top ranking members of the service) but Control is under the impression that there is a mole within the Circus. After Control passes away, Smiley comes out of retirement to try and catch the mole. The four remaining members, Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds) and Toby Esterhase (David Dencik), were all considered suspects by Control, as was Smiley. With the help of Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) Smiley sets out on finding the mole.

At the MI5 library, they have boxes, not books.

As far as casts go, this one is incredible. The finest British actors all in one movie and all of them provide exceptional performances. the stand out role for me is definitely Benedict Cumberbatch. Not only does he have the coolest name known to man, he's also a damn fine actor. My favourite scene in the entire movie contained very few words, just Cumberbatch working his way through a library where he should not be. It'll keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Gary Oldman is also superb. There is not a bad word to say about that man. When you've starred in both Batman and Harry Potter, you know you're on the road to success. This is his finest performance in recent years and I'll be damned if he doesn't at least get nominated for best actor. The rest of the support are outstanding. Another particular mention to Tom Hardy as Rikki Tarr, a rogue agent who has a bit of a scuffle at one point with Benedict Cumberbatch.

And yes, the IMDB.com forums are full of arguments. They are always bound to be when you release a movie classed as a spy thriller and it's not action packed. Don't be mistaken, this film is long. It is not a James Bond type spy thriller. It's a sophisticated, intelligent, whodunit. The whole film is an investigation and for the film to reach it's potential, you have to think about the evidence shown to you and try to figure it out yourself. Director, Tomas Alfredson, isn't known for his fast paced movies. That's not his style. His previous film, Let The Right One In (reviewed here) was a vampire movie that was beautiful. He tells a story and he tells it well.

And of course, let's spare a quick word for the more technical elements. I love the way this film was shot. The formerly mentioned library scene, another tense scene involving a plane landing. The latter scene in particular was wonderfully shot. A still camera shot as the propellers got closer and closer. The soundtrack was subtle and perfect. The style of the film, the dark, cold way in which it was shot really emphasises the notion of the cold War. The depression, the fear and the anxiety. Technically, this film was outstanding.

Colin's rendition of 'I'm a little teapot,' didn't go down very well with The Circus

'But Phil!' I hear you cry, 'What do you think of the film as a whole? You sound like you loved it.' I enjoyed it, yes. I don't feel I can go as far as other critics and claim it's perfect or that it's a masterpiece. It is a very well made film. However, the very slightest distraction can make you lose the entire plot. Need to run to the toilet? You're going to have a lot of thinking to do. It is also very slow. I found myself making jokes too often in an attempt to make the movie more interesting at points. I say points because it truly is a fascinating movie and you should see it. But you need a decent attention span. Personally, I'd prefer to watch Let The Right One In over this, but that's just my personally preference.

So in a nutshell, pay a lot of attention, you'll love it. Get distracted easily and you won't understand what is happening and therefore you're unlikely to enjoy it. And unfortunately, I just can't find myself able to give it a fifth star.

Best Bit? As I have already mentioned, Benedict Cumberbatch's tense trip to the library.