Film review- Blackhat (2015)

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Tang Wei

Directed by Michael Mann

By Roger Crow

Cyber thrillers can fall flat if they slip into the realms of cliche, but thankfully Blackhat, now released on super hi-def 4K UHD, gets the cardinal sin out the way early: assorted close-up tracking shots of data transfer through chips and microscopic tech landscapes.

Chris Hemsworth is terrific as Nicholas Hathaway, the ace hacker released from prison to help the US government find the villain responsible for a nuclear power plant meltdown in Hong Kong.

Chicago’s Mercantile Trade Exchange is also hacked, causing soy futures to soar. Okay, less urgent but relevant to the plot, which was reminiscent of 007 epic A View To A Kill.

With the aid of Nicholas’s old mate, Captain Chen Dawai, a military officer in China’s cyber warfare unit, and his sister Lien, they set off with Hathaway to find their man.

Hathaway is the world’s least likely hacker seeing as he looks like a Norse god, but it scarcely matters; viewers will be just itching for the moment he beats up a bunch of assailants in a restaurant.

Type casting.

The first act is nothing special as director Michael Mann sets out his stall and lets his tale unfold.

Viola Davis is okay as FBI Agent Carol Barrett, the figure of authority keeping an eye on Hathaway and slowly developing respect for him. (There’s a back story about 9/11 shoehorned in to give her a little depth, but she does rather well in a generic role).

Tang Wei, who plays our hero’s love interest, is good not great. I’d have preferred Maggie Q or Gong Li in the role, but she looks nice, while the action scenes are okay.

A shootout at a dockside dragged on a bit, but thankfully not as long as the one in Mann’s Heat.

For me, Michael Mann peaked with 1992’s The Last of the Mohicans, but this is possibly his best work since then. 

It’s not perfect. There was some confusion over a character’s death in the second act, possibly intentional, and an incendiary scene was framed like many exploding car shots: long shot, characters on the left, vehicle on the right. Boom. Textbook.

Just once I’d like to see a car explode behind characters, instead of it being framed to capture the hard work of the pyro experts.

There’s also a scene when Hathaway makes his way through a procession with gun drawn, and nobody bats an eyelid. Personally I’d have run a mile.

Blackhat ticks over nicely and sustains the interest. However, without Hemsworth dominating every scene, it would have been a weak rejig of Swordfish.

The 4K UHD version looks terrific, and even if you are bored of the movie, it’s worth listening to one of the yack tracks with entertainment journalists Bryan Reesman and Max Evry, who are refreshingly deprecating about the project. One guy sounds like he’s had too much coffee and is getting paid by the word as his breathless breakdown of every second is exhausting. However, these guys are often on the money, addressing the opening CG fly-through with a forensic analysis which brings a freshness to the tale. Mann is an A-list director who may have thought he was above cliche doing something which was fresh in 1982’s Tron. By 2015, it was more dated than VHS tapes. 

Another bonus is the fact you can watch the US version, though as it’s eight years since I last saw the UK or European version of the film, I can’t remember any differences. 

It’s not as compelling as The Last of the Mohicans, but few of Mann’s films are. However, “handsome hacker Hemsworth”, as he’s dubbed in the yack track, is always great value for money, and if you soak up those extras, it turns into a better movie than you may have initially thought. 

Blackhat is a stupid title admittedly, as was Sneakers, the 1992 hacker thriller which was a more engaging take on similar material. You may not get the urge to watch it twice, but it’s well worth listening to a couple of over excited experts bombard you with background info as the drama unfolds. 

Cast 8

Direction 8

Script 6

Editing 8

Cinematography 9

Extras 8

Film Review-Taffin (1988)

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Alison Doody, Ray McAnally

Directed by Francis Megahy

By Roger Crow

We don’t get enough Irish Westerns, which is a crying shame. I’m not talking actual cowboy-style Westerns, but dramas which use all the old tropes in a contemporary setting. The bad guys, the lone hero, the bar scene, the shootouts. You get the idea. 

I’m guessing that when Pierce Brosnan didn’t land his 007 role in the late 1980s, he was a simmering cauldron of rage. The Remington Steele contract may have meant Tim Dalton landed the part, and a great job he did too. Meanwhile, Pierce, allegedly angry over the result, made Taffin, a tale of the battle for land and a lone hero taking on the bad guys.  

Back in the days of video shops, Taffin was always there on the shelf, like a dog in a rescue centre begging to be taken home. And I’m sure many did, but if I ever saw it back of the day, that memory has been wiped. I think I’d remember some of Pierce’s now iconic Gif-friendly outbursts. 

Brosnan is Mark Taffin, a well-read, brooding, ridiculously handsome guy. He’s so photogenic it hurts. So naturally he gets together with barmaid Alison Doody, who is also an 11 out of 10 on the beauty scale, and was rightly snapped up by Spielberg for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It’s a wonder the two of them don’t create some sort of nuclear reaction when they inevitably get together. And naturally, in an act of cinematic inevitably, all of Ms Doody’s clothes are suddenly on the floor as the achingly handsome Taffin doesn’t bore her with his latest read, but does give her a night she may never forget. Mark being so Poldarkesque, is a hot and cold kind of guy. Before he knows what’s happened, she’s moved in and as two insanely beautiful people clearly can’t share his poky bedroom for fear of an explosion, he tells her that “MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T BE LIVING HERE!!!!” Now I would never normally resort to caps, or exclamation marks, but if you only see one minute of Taffin, that’s the bit you need to see.

I can only imagine what cast and crew thought when Pierce erupted like Dante’s Peak with this outpouring of anger. It makes Al Pacino’s outburst in Heat (1995) look mild by comparison.  

There is an actual plot amid all of this swagger and posing from Pierce, but it’s pretty generic. There’s the odd fight, an exploding toilet, much missed Ray McAnally being humiliated by the generic bad guys, and oh, there’s Father Ted himself, Dermot Morgan, as a sleazy MC who introduces an exotic dancer, who, like Ms Doody, also has a job keeping her clothes on. In this day and age, Taffin would be called out for such an exploitative scene. I’d like to think if it was made now, as a homage to Dermot, there would be folks outside the set with placards reading ‘CAREFUL NOW’ and ‘DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING’.

Mark: My words!

Pierce could even play the bad guy. 

Look out too for Patrick Bergin as the hero’s brother Mo; the thesp later starred in Robin Hood, had bathroom towel issues with Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy, and EastEnders. There’s also a car chase, and, oh, it doesn’t really matter what else happens. Just watch it to see those glorious minutes when Pierce went a bit nuts, as all actors should. “I do what I can, you know!” Taffin exclaims at one point, and I have to skip back and watch it at least five times. Brosnan’s voice is extraordinary, like an Irish guy who’s spent too long playing an American who now attempts an Irish accent, but winds up sounding like a terrible impressionist. And yet it’s brilliant, like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, or Tom (Goldmember) Hanks in Elvis. 

So, a generic thriller made unmissable by an always watchable star who, of course, became 007, but sadly never yelled at MI6 enemies like a man possessed by Brian Blessed. Now that’s a James Bond movie I would have loved to see. 

Cast 8

Script 7

Direction 7

Pierce Brosnan 9.5

Rewatchability 8

• Taffin is available to stream now with a small amount of thankfully brief ads. 

Film Review-The Grand Tour (1991)

Starring Jeff Daniels, Ariana Richards, Marilyn Lightstone

Directed by David Twohy

By Roger Crow

Sci-fi movies are such a broad church that it’s easy to pigeonhole them into different categories, such as Dystopian (Blade Runner, Terminator) and what I call “Tweedy sci-fi”. The latter usually involves fish-out-of-water protagonists or antagonists lost in time. The “HG Wells factor” if you like (The Time Machine, in all its movie incarnations, and sublime Time After Time, which saw Wells himself clash with Jack the Ripper in 1979. “Tweedy meets Dystopian”). 

All of which preamble brings us to early 1990s offering The Grand Tour (aka Timescape), which is based on a 1946 story. 

It centres on widowed innkeeper Ben Wilson (Jeff Daniels) and his daughter (Ariana Richards). He buys an old Victorian mansion and begins renovations with plans to open up an inn.

Their first guests are a strange and mysterious band of tourists led by the eccentric Madame Lovine (Marilyn Lightstone). 

In a race against time, Ben must battle the alluring time bandits as well as his own personal demons in an attempt to save his daughter and the town from destruction. 

Amazing to think this was from David Twohy, who later made the dystopian classic Pitch Black, and its muddled sequels. 

Daniels is as good as ever as the troubled, miffed hero, and it’s interesting to see Richards a couple of years before Jurassic Park.

The soft focus gets on the nerves at times, and the fact this is now 30-plus years old obviously makes it a period piece. Imagine wandering round a moneyed Oregon neighbourhood with grease on your glasses and you get an idea of the hazy look of the movie. 

It ticks over and there’s a hint of sex appeal from one blonde bombshell, but at heart this is a TV movie-style saga which is worth a look as a ‘lost’ gem. The fact you may never have heard of it says a lot about the end result. 

Cast 8

Direction 7

Script 7

Rewatchability 6

Score 6

Film review – Luther: The Fallen Sun

Starring Idris Elba, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley

Directed by Jamie Payne

By Roger Crow

A decade ago, while reviewing the TV drama Luther, I wrote the following: “Now the series trilogy is over, for my money it’s time to give Idris (Elba) the big screen vehicle he deserves. And if you need an investor BBC Films, I’ll happily shell out for a new coat.”

It took a long wait, but fans of Neil Cross’s always compelling saga finally got their wish. And yes, that shabby old overcoat is back.

Luther: The Fallen Sun, which has a release in some cinemas, but will be mostly be seen on Netflix, also features some well-worn material. As we live in an age when smart speakers, webcams, mobile phones, and PCs can monitor your every move, word and browsing history, there’s little wonder cyber threat is more disturbing than ever. Is it as disturbing as some of the scenes in Cross’s latest chapter? Possibly.

Chilling drama

The plot: following the abduction of a young man, Luther is called in to investigate and promises the victim’s distraught mother he’ll do what he can to bring the bad guy to justice.

Before you can say “What just happened?”, our hero is banged up inside, where he contends with a lot of irate inmates, many of who he probably put away.

And when there’s a hero in prison, that means there must be an escape planned.

Except when it comes, the inevitable breakout feels a bit leaden. Realistic maybe, but when Tom Cruise did it in one of the Mission: Impossible movies, it felt so much better.

There’s no mystery about who the bad guy is. Andy Serkis is in full-on psycho mode as the generic antagonist, though it’s hard to get past that absurd hair. (“There’ll Be Hell Toupee” would have been a better alternative title.)

I’m guessing Andy was going for TV game show host, and inevitably that’s sort of what the plot line turns into. All with Lorne Balfe’s portentous OTT score. There’s little chance for tension to build when every dramatic beat is signposted so loudly.

The other problem is we’ve been here so many times before, and not just in the often sublime BBC show. It’s four years since the last TV eps, so a rewatch is definitely recommended as some threads are alluded to. Obviously if you’re new to the saga, boy are you in for a treat playing catch up.

Nice to see Dermot (Return of the Jedi) Crowley back as the protagonist’s old boss, but oh that deja vu.

There’s a nagging sense of Ken Stott’s early 2000s BBC drama Messiah; ritualistic killings with a religious overtone. Danish horror The Ringmaster also comes back to haunt me; Damon Younger’s psycho villain in that movie was far more effective.

Oh, and a certain Bond epic also springs to mind.

Skyfall homage is where we start… and end. (Psycho hacker. Tube chase. Hero’s rooftop view of the smoke. Frozen lake).

Luther with a Hollywood budget is a strange beast. Idris is terrific as ever, and there’s a fabulous Leicester Square set piece which “puts you in mind of” a classic John Landis horror comedy. A shame there’s no cameo by Alan Ford as a cabby. And a shame no Ruth Wilson as Luther’s femme fatale sidekick Alice either.

Luther’s uneasy graduation into the cinematic big leagues isn’t a failure. It’s often gripping, and Elba steals every second he’s in, as usual. But enough with the Black Mirror-style psycho hacker storyline already.

Cast 8

Script 8

Originality 5

Cinematography 8

Direction 8

Film review-The Middle Man (2021)

Starring Pal Sverre Hagen, Paul Gross, Tuva Novotny

Directed by Bent Hamer

By Roger Crow

“A quirky indie comedy drama in the Coen brothers style”. How many times has that phrase been used over the years to sum up an odd little movie which can’t really be categorised and doesn’t really work? 

Truth is, not even the Coen brothers hit a bulls’ eye every time, as the two thirds great, one third awful Hail, Caesar! proved. And to use a key phrase from that movie, “Would that it were so simple”. 

From the outset, The Middle Man screams Coen brothers wannabe, with its Fargo-style tone, beautifully shot scenes, and nowheresville location. 

And yet, once you get past the immediate feel of Joel and Ethan, TMM thankfully turns out to be its own movie. 

It centres on Frank Farrelli who lives in Karmack, USA with his mother following the tragic death of his dad. He’s an usual yet likeable fella who drives a car with flaking paint, and goes for a job as Middle Man, the guy who explains bad news to people essentially. 

Frank’s interview is something of a car crash, and yet provides valuable exposition about his history which comes in handy later.

Most people would hedge their bets after an interview, but he goes out and celebrates by buying half a T-bone steak. Yes, half, which generates a weird little moment of its own in the butchers’. 

When, amazingly, our protagonist does land the job, he gets his car resprayed, has his own business cards, and is suddenly bedding an attractive woman who lives above The Grand Theatre, which coincidentally is the name of one of my favourite theatres in the UK. So yes, there’s a bond of sorts for at least one viewer. Though I doubt I’m the only one who will be sucked in by this charming, strange oddity. 

As our ‘hero’ deals with a bar room fracas, a mate suffers a tragedy, which has devastating repercussions. Meanwhile, another tragedy occurs involving a train and two women which has bizarre consequences. There’s an inheritance, and an assault which escalates, and a revelation which sort of wraps things up. And a final shot which is one of the most beautiful of the year, visually at least. I’ll leave you to make your own mind up about the context. It’s one of those movies where you start to question what’s real, and yet you hope the finale isn’t some The Dark Knight Rises-style twist of a finale. Or maybe you will. 

If you love Nordic noir-style offerings, then The Middle Man should be just the antidote you need to the generic comedy dramas turned out by Hollywood. 

Directed by Bent Hamer, who also adapted the source novel, this German, Danish, Norwegian, Canadian co-production brings a refreshing Scandi feel to a US-set drama. It may linger with you for days to come or just leave you annoyed. Either way, it’s well worth a look. 

Cast 8

Script 7

Cinematography 8.5

Direction 8

Score 7

Editing 8

Film review-Fall (2022)

Certificate 15

Starring Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Directed by Scott Mann

By Roger Crow

If Alfred Hitchcock were around now, would he be making movies with drones, mobile phones and thrill-seeking gal pals? Probably not. 

However, Fall, like Vertigo, relies on primal fear and psychology for its thrills. 

Like Neil Marshall’s sublime subterranean classic The Descent mashed up with Cliffhanger, the first few minutes adhere to the golden rules of such thrillers: a tragic event, a traumatised hero, or heroines, and a flash forward. Textbook. I even await the title card ‘One year later’, though 11 months later leaves me one month out. 

That’s the joy of Fall. It flags up obvious tropes so that for the most part you’re one step ahead of the game. 

Anyway, a booze-soaked, suicidal, grieving heroine Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) is on the verge of an OD when she’s saved by Hunter (Virginia Gardener), her fellow climber from the first few mins. Hunter, a young Reese Witherspoon lookalike, has the mother of all climbs on offer, a 2000-foot high radio mast in the middle of nowhere, and drags her mate along for the ride. Imagine all those clicks, and not just from online fans drooling over her intentional Lara Croft cleavage.

But oh, so many skeletons in the closet. So much fear. And little wonder. 

However, climb the rusting, far-from-safe ladder/tower the girls do, with barely any supplies, because, duh, who needs to go prepared? Didn’t you see 127 Hours? That all worked out fine, right? And tell your loved ones, or the authorities? That’s for wimps. 

Who needs safety precautions when you have that many followers?

Though obviously a signal helps. And that’s the key irony: a comms tower which denies the heroines communications. 

So as they climb, and we get close-ups of rusting bolts, and knackered metalwork, it feels like an episode of Casualty just before the inevitable disaster. We know something bad is pending, but that Jack in the box feeling of “When is everything going to go wrong?”  

And when it does, the stunning backdrops means you do start holding your breath.

What follows is a genuinely brilliant series of The Martian-style hacks to get from A to B. The dynamic between the friends takes sharp left-hand turns, including a couple of twists that not even a jaded cinephile like me saw coming. Yes, some plot points scream at viewers far sooner than the friends react to them, and yet one twist is brilliantly handled. It’s also a lot darker than I’d expected. Thankfully. 

The resolution, when it comes, feels a little rushed, but it hardly matters. 

Fall towers above many other survival thrillers, and even on a hi-def TV, will lead to vertiginous thrills that are hard to beat. I can only imagine how gasp-inducing it must have been in IMAX. 

See it immediately, and don’t forget to breathe. 

Cast 8

Direction 9

Script 7

Rewatchability 9

Effects 8

Editing 8

Fall is streaming now on Netflix.