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Revolver
So I thought I'd put this site to good use and write some (hopefully helpful) reviews of recent films I've seen in the Cinema, so last nights trip can be the starting point.
Title: Revolver (2005)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta
Premise:
Jake Green (Jason Statham) is a young gambler, lacking common sense but with an audacious personality. Having spent 7 years in a solitary confinement prison, he used the time to develop his gambling technique, making two mysterious friends in the process.
Rarely aloud to play in casino's due to his intuitive skill for winning, he challenges his ex-employer (the local crime boss and casino owner of the area; Macha [Ray Liotta]) to a game of chance, winning a substantial amount of money while taking every opportunity to insult him in the process.
Enraged by his lack of respect towards him, Macha puts a hit on Jakes head via the notorious but troubled hitman Sorter (Mark Strong) taking him on a journey through the world of the underground crime scene. Accompanied along the way by two con artists, Zach and Avi, Jakes' world slowly unfolds into a schizophrenic fantasy.
Review:
Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) has certainly taken a new direction with his latest release, Revolver. Clearly influenced by the likes of Tarantino and David Finchers' Fight Club the direction of this film seemed to be a little abrupt and confusing for the on looking audience. Still, upholding the stylish direction that was found in his previous two films, he seems to have taken the level of storytelling up a few notches, leaving the audience baffled to say the least, when the ending finally arrives.
The main let down I found from watching this film, was the way Ritchie plagiarised a lot of styles seen in Tarantino's films, (Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction being the two most obvious). I'd always considered Ritchie to be a more talented director to Tarantino, but with the way he shamelessly scattered short animation sequences around the mid-section of his film, clearly mimicking those seen in Kill Bill, I have to question his motives.
On a positive note the Character direction was fantastic throughout, bringing out the best in his actors, especially Ray Liottas character Macha, the extremist crime boss and confused hitman Sorter, played brilliantly by Mark Strong. Ritchie invokes strong feeling towards almost everyone of his characters even if the technique of using the first person narrative is a little tacky in places, the acting is still solid throughout.
The plot is a confusing one to say the least, even though Guy Ritchie claimed that this was a simple film (obviously I'm far from the same intellect level as Ritchie). The film leaves the audience asking two questions, the first being who is Gold, a character referred to throughout the film but never seen. The second question; were Avi and Zach the two inmates that lived either side of Jake while he was in solitary confinement? The underlying implication towards schizophrenia doesn't help the answering of these questions.
From the way Ritchie has been talking about this film in interviews, he clearly wanted it to be understood, as opposed to the Donnie Darko style of filmmaking, where the director wants you to second guess him throughout, making up your own meaning to answer the questions you're left with. Looks like I'll be waiting for the directors commentary for now though.
Overall the best way to describe this film is unique. I'll be watching it again when the DVD is released purely out of curiosity to hear Guy Ritchies explanation of the film. Even if his style has been slightly quashed by his homage's to Tarantino and Finchers' work, the excellent character development is still there and the concept will certainly spark off questions after the film.
7/10
posted by Steve @
12:41 PM
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3 Comments:
At 5:16 PM,
Anonymous said...
Ooh so ur steve.. rosie's steve... good to know u blog too.. haha.. erm. i'm rosie's mate from leeds...err...i ran outta things to say.. just thought i'd drop by..ciao x
At 6:26 AM,
Steve said...
Hey Hayley, Rosie's mentioned you a few times to me (don't worry it's been all good) :) Thanks for leaving a message, it's nice to know some people are reading my blog.
At 5:28 PM,
Melody Of Me said...
It's very professionally layed out and written, not sure if I fancy seeing the film though.
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