The American (Universal Picutres): An enigmatic American (George Clooney) moves to a remote Italian town in order to build a rifle for an assassination. Directed by Anton Corbijn and co-starring Violante Placido and Thekla Reuten. [Read our full review here] [Interview with Violante Placido] [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
Somewhere (Universal Pictures): Sofia Coppola directs this drama about the empty life of a Hollywood star (Stephen Dorff) and his relationship with his young daughter (Elle Fanning). [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD]
ALSO OUT
2 Fast 2 Furious (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Barbarossa – Siege Lord (Metrodome Distribution) [Blu-ray / Normal] Boudu Saved from Drowning (Park Circus) [Blu-ray / Normal] Fast and Furious (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Fast and Furious Collection (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / with Digital Copy – Double Play] Megamind (DreamWorks Animation) [Blu-ray / Normal] My Soul to Take (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Outcasts (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal] Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / Box Set] Prowl (G2 Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Karate Kid (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Wonders Collection With Prof. Brian Cox (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal] Wonders of the Universe (2 Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Here are my picks of the best DVD & Blu-ray releases during April.
Particular highlights include the remastered Blu-ray of Nic Roeg’s cult classic The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), a Blu-ray of beloved fantasy The Princess Bride (1987) and a re-issue from Eureka of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s classic Les Diaboliques (1955).
One of the most striking film posters this year was for The American, but what made it so distinctive?
When LA-based Mojohouse released the first one sheet for Anton Corbijn’s film, about an enigmatic American lying low in Italy, there was a lot of talk about the retro design.
With its two-color printing, its high-contrast photographs, its monochrome rectangle of color and its billing block within a white frame, it could be a lost object from that era.
Rod Steiger’s The Sergeant (1968) appears to be a particularly strong influence, both in the look and billing of the star.
It is also worth comparing how the lead actor is depicted on the poster: note the similarities between the black and white image of Clooney and Steve McQueen on the poster for Bullitt (1968).
Another trend of the late 1960s they appeared to have picked up on is the placing of a small photo, or drawing, next to the title and credits.
Finally, a recent Danish film, Everything Will Be Fine (2010), has a very similar poster: notice the eye, which forms part of an orange backdrop to which a character is running from.
The American (Universal): Anton Corbijn’s second film as a director is a stylish, existential drama about an enigmatic American hiding out in a remote Italian town. Beginning with a prologue in wintry Sweden, we first see the titular character, Jack (George Clooney), as circumstances force him to relocate to the Abruzzo region in Italy.
There we slowly learn more about him: he makes a rifle for an assassin (Thekla Reuten) under the orders of his handler (Johan Leysen), befriends a priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and falls for a local prostitute (Violante Placido), as he begins to think about changing his life.
Although The American appears to be channelling the minimalist crime dramas of Jean-Pierre Melville (especially Le Samouraï), the form and structure resemble a Sergio Leone western, with its story of a stranger arriving in a new town, extended silences and widescreen cinematography.
As a vehicle for Clooney, this is an unusually European film – despite being a US/UK production – and the slow burn pacing and gradual revelations will probably limit its appeal to a mass audience.
The trailer and TV spots have misleadingly sold it as an action thriller but its respectable opening in the US probably meant the box office ends were justified by the marketing means. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]
Unstoppable (20th Century Fox): Tony Scott’s latest film is stimulating mainstream fare and, after last year’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, he has returned with another film involving a train and Denzel Washington.
The setting this time is rural Pennsylvania and, inspired by true events, it deals with two railway engineers (Denzel Washington and Chris Pine) who must stop a runaway train which is loaded with toxic chemicals.
The supporting characters include a plucky yardmaster co-ordinating the rescue (Rosario Dawson); a weakly corporate boss (Kevin Dunn); a visiting safety inspector (Kevin Corrigan); and a persistent railroad welder (Lew Temple).
Like much of Scott’s work, this is a nakedly commercial project executed with considerable technical skill, utilising his stylistic palette: multiple cameras, desiderated images, whip-pans, crash zooms and frenzied editing.
In the wrong hands this could be deeply average and clichéd, but under Scott’s direction there is an invigorating professionalism to the whole film that elevates it above most studio fare. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]
Machete (Sony Pictures): Based on one of the trailers from the Grindhouse project (the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double bill movie from 2007), this is about a rouge Mexican hit man (Danny Trejo) who seeks revenge after being double crossed and left for dead.
Directed by Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez, it co-stars Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez and Robert De Niro. The mixed reviews from the US suggest that it might struggle to compete with other films in a crowded weekend at the UK box office. [Nationwide / 18]
London Boulevard (Entertainment): The directorial debut of screenwriter William Monahan (who wrote The Departed) is a crime drama about a man just released from prison (Colin Farrell) who falls for a reclusive young film star (Keira Knightley) and finds himself at odds with a vicious gangster (Ray Winstone).
Early buzz for this is not promising although the presence of heavyweight stars might attract adult audiences eager for a home grown crime film with recognisable stars. [Nationwide / 18]
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (Momentum Pictures): The third and final part of the Swedish version of Millennium trilogy sees Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) hospitalized after meeting her father, and put on trial. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) tries to prove her innocence whilst uncovering the reasons why she has been targeted by the Swedish authorities.
Directed by Daniel Afredson, the mixed reviews might put off fans of the books in a busy week at the UK box office. The US version is currently filming in Sweden with David Fincher at the helm. [Cineworld Haymarket, Odeon Covent Garden & Nationwide / 15]
ALSO OUT
Waiting For Superman (Paramount/Vantage): A documentary about the failings of America’s education system directed by Davis Guggenheim.
Although it won an audience award at Sundance and is a potential Oscar winner, it has generated considerably less buzz over here, possibly because its subject matter doesn’t resonate outside America. [Curzon Soho & Picturehouse Clapham/ PG]
Leap Year (Axiom Films): Not to be confused with the Amy Adams comedy which came out earlier this year, this study of urban alienation in Mexico is the debut feature from Michael Rowe and earned him the Camera D’Or at Cannes earlier this year. [Key Cities / Axiom Films]
An Ordinary Execution (Arrow Films): Based on his novel of the same name, Marc Dugain’s debut feature is the story of an imagined encounter between the ageing Joseph Stalin (André Dussolier) and a young doctor Anna (Marina Hands) who has healing powers. [Cine Lumiere, Clapham Picturehouse & Nationwide / 12A]
Break Ke Baad (Reliance Big Entertainment): A romantic coming-of-age dramedy directed by Danish Aslam and starring Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan. [Cineworlds Feltham, Ilford, Wandsworth, Woodgreen & Nationwide / PG]
Anton Corbijn’s second film as a director is a stylish, existential drama about an enigmatic American hiding out in a remote Italian town.
Beginning with a prologue in wintry Sweden, we first see the titular character, Jack (George Clooney), as circumstances force him to relocate to the Abruzzo region in Italy.
There we slowly learn more about him: he makes a rifle for an assassin (Thekla Reuten) under the orders of his handler (Johan Leysen), befriends a priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and falls for a local prostitute (Violante Placido), as he begins to think about changing his life.
Although The American appears to be channelling the minimalist crime dramas of Jean-Pierre Melville (especially Le Samouraï), the form and structure resemble a Sergio Leone western, with its story of a stranger arriving in a new town, extended silences and widescreen visuals.
Careful viewers may note that Leone’s Once Upon A Time in The West can be seen on a television in one sequence and that some of his westerns were shot in the same region back in the 1960s.
Despite the crime elements, this is not an action movie and is essentially a suspense drama revolving around Jack’s gradual construction of a gun and his relationships with various characters, who may or may not be trusted.
It is also deliberately ambiguous about various elements: Jack is a gunsmith but could also be a hit man; a group of characters are simply referred to as ‘the Swedes’; and there is the mystery of why the gun is being constructed.
As a vehicle for Clooney, this is an unusually European film – despite being a US/UK production – and the slow burn pacing and gradual revelations will probably limit its appeal to a mass audience.
The trailer and TV spots have misleadingly sold it as an action thriller (Corbijn recently said that he directed the film ‘but not the trailer’) but its respectable opening in the US probably meant the box office ends were justified by the marketing means.
But there is much to appreciate and right from the opening sequence Corbijn and his cinematographer Martin Ruhe, working together again after Control, demonstrate their considerable visual abilities.
The snowy landscapes of Sweden and the misty, old world charms of rural Italy are captured with exquisite clarity and the artful compositions are often stunning.
Rowan Joffe’s screenplay appears to have some key differences with the novel it’s based on (A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth), but the sparse dialogue provides a neat fit for Corbijn’s visual approach.
Clooney is in downbeat mode, but like his performances in Michael Clayton and Syriana it plays against his usual charming screen persona and he convincingly conveys the weary solitude of the central character.
The supporting characters tend to fit in to types: the impossibly soulful and glamorous prostitute, the wise old priest and the impatient boss, but the actors who play them are convincing.
Their chemistry with Clooney also works well, be it in the unusually frank sex scenes, chats in the graveyard, gun tests in the forest or sinister conversations in a restaurant.
Another captivating aspect is how the rifle is actually constructed. Corbijn depicts Jack’s handiwork in detail as each part is assembled with a loving care that contrasts with its ultimate use as an instrument of death.
There is also an effective sense of unease that is gradually teased throughout the film, as everyday events gain a sinister edge due to the danger and mistrust involved in the business of killing people.
This atmosphere is enhanced by Herbert Gronemeyer‘s minimal, atmospheric piano-and-percussion score which, like the poster, evokes the tone of similar films from the 1970s.
As with his debut feature, Corbijn has crafted another considered and tasteful film.
Although the cool, European flavour won’t be for everyone, it bodes very well for his future career as a director.
The American opens in the UK on Friday 26th November
