SAVAGE CINEMA'S SHORT TAKES #5: MEN OF ACTION

With my review of "Iron Man 2" written and published in cyberspace, I wanted to add some older reviews about some other recent men of action. Enjoy!

"QUANTUM OF SOLACE" Directed by Marc Foster
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
I have to admit, I was never the greatest fan of James Bond. Yes, the mythology of the character and the great theme music was always a point of interest but I have to say that for very few movies, I was actually involved with the proceedings. Perhaps it was too much myth and not enough humanity for me to truly care. Then came "Casino Royale," a visceral reboot of the series with Daniel Craig grandly stepping into the iconic role and completely making it his own as we trace Bond's first steps into becoming the secret agent for the ages.

With "Quantum Of Solace," we have our first direct sequel which I enjoyed perhaps as much the previous installment. There has been much criticism for the velocity of the film and confusing plot (always a Bond standard if you ask me) but I think what we are witness to this time is a race through Bond's psyche as he hurtles himself through this tale of revenge, hoping to find that "quantum of solace" in his broken heart and compromised soul but never slowing down enough to try and fully capture it. Craig is perfectly brutal and unforgiving in the role and his rapport with Judi Dench's "M" continues to solidify as she seems to represent not just a motherly figure to Bond but the remaining fragments of his conscience and better judgements.

Like "Royale," there are flaws. "Royale" was a bit too long and perhaps "Solace" feels like a footnote at times. But, what struck and impressed me about both films is that Bond is finally a human being. He makes mistakes, he bears emotional scars and I love that he doesn't rely solely on those fancy gadgets--which are cool but sometimes boring. Even the villains are more "real world" and I must give special mention to Mathieu Amalric's slithery performance as a member of the still mysterious organization of Q.U.A.N.T.U.M. who dabbles in government coups and environmental terrorism.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this latest installment and I am looking forward to future adventures with Craig at the helm. This is a James Bond I would follow nearly anywhere.

Originally written December 2008

"Taken" Directed by Pierre Morel
**1/2 (two and a half stars)
What a difference the right actor makes! In the case of the recent bare knuckled thriller "Taken," from the brain of filmmaker Luc Besson (the director of the equally bare knuckled thriller "The Professional" as well as the sci-fi dreampop confection "The Fifth Element"), the right actor is Liam Neeson and his brawny, brainy and ferocious performance not only elevated the leading role but also the entire film itself...to a degree. You may not respect yourself for liking this somewhat scuzzy piece of pulp fiction but it certainly is entertaining, involving and effective.

There's actually not much to the plot. Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, a divorced and retired CIA agent (and self-described "preventer") who is deeply devoted to continue nurturing a relationship with his beloved daughter Kim (Maggie Grace in a performance of such forced virginal innocence it borders to near goofiness). Mills' cautious nature is placed to the test when he allows his daughter to travel to Paris for the summer with a girlfriend, under the impression that they will be staying with "cousins." Not even three seconds off of the plane, Kim and her friend are accosted by a mysterious stranger complete with party invites and within a possible hour, they are both abducted from their home by Albanian sex traffickers! Thankfully, Kim is able to place one frantic phone call to Mills who immediately springs into action with an unrepentant, punishing fury that would make John McClaine, Jason Bourne and even the Terminator beg for a level of mercy which they would not receive.

That is essentially the plot and in around 90 swift minutes, the tale has been told and the endless damage done. Now, while this movie definitely kept me involved and excited, I'm not really certain as to how much I actually liked it. It's sort of like an old Steven Segal movie--and it doesn't contain the "A level" presentation of say "Die Hard" or "Lethal Weapon." The film is a fairly ugly experience that does contain a particular veiled racism (Don't send your gorgeous blonde daughters overseas where they will undoubtedly and instantly be sold into sex slavery by dark skinned foreigners!) and a nasty worse-case-scenario for Kim (remember, her Dad described himself as a "preventer"--what do you think he is trying to prevent with this storyline?). The violence is pitched at such a grisly and gruesome (yet bloodless) level that I am honestly stunned it received a PG-13 rating.

Yet, maybe because of the nature of this storyline with it's father/daughter relationship, the overall brutality of the piece is warranted which ultimately makes the film much less about escapism and more about something primal. What would you do if someone abducted your child? There is a savage satisfaction to watching this father's level of rampage. Where other movie heroes may let a bad guy live because they wouldn't want to be "brought down to their level," Mills doesn't care a whit about any of that hokum. He wants his daughter back and nothing will stop him. He is a loving parent and mad dog all in one and you really want him on your side in a bar fight!

And here is where I head back to my original point...any success this film has rests securely on the shoulders of Liam Neeson. I really do not think that any other actor could've pulled this off so well. He is sensitive enough for the parenting sequences, intelligent enough for spy matters and his physicality is unquestionable and formidable for the relentless action sequences. He makes what could've been an unwatchable film compulsively watchable. His level of gravitas weighs this film down to Earth and makes it somewhat credible--even in a silly early sequence (Mills is assigned to bodyguard a pop star) which is designed to establish Neeson's skill as a "preventer." Again, this is really a dirty feeling film with a meanness that mainstream audiences don't tend to flock to when it's not presented through a horror filter. Even with Quentin Tarantino's ultraviolence, there is a delirious filmmaking and writing joy that is palpable to me but for this film, it got under my skin a bit and I not sure why I didn't simply dismiss it.

I cannot help to have some curiosity as to how this film earned well over $100 million dollars at the box office early this year. We are living in dark times and there is much blame to be passed around and perhaps this film was a way for viewers to channel the vengeance we all would wish to inflict on someone or something that has wronged us if only we could.

Originally written July 21, 2009