Free Action Movie Week: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

For day four of Free Action Movie Week, I get into arguably the second-most popular choice. Nearly everybody who commented on the initial announcement saying they wanted me to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I had never seen it before, though I do remember seeing the trailer when it first came out and wanting to watch it. I never quite got around to that whole thing. When I was younger, I actually had a crush on Angelina Jolie, and seeing her appear in anything was enough to get me excited. She still does, largely because knowing she's involved means I'm going to be in for something exciting. That's precisely what I got here.

John (Brad Pitt) and Jane (Angelina Jolie) are top-notch assassins who happen to meet in Colombia and pretend to be a couple to evade the police. Five or six years later, they are struggling through the mundane difficulties of marriage. Neither one of them is aware of the other's real profession, with Jane pretending to be a typical suburban housewife cooking and cleaning in between assignments (she keeps her weapons in a chache hidden under the oven), and John getting his assignments through the construction company he works for. John and Jane are getting bored with their relationship, dealing with standard marital issues. That all changes one day when both are separately assigned to kill the same person, Benjamin Danz (Adam Brody). The job inevitably goes awry when the two of them unknowingly get distracted trying to kill each other instead of the target. The two of them are forced to choose between their careers and their marriage.

I loved the relationship between the two leads in this film. The way romance is integrated with the action is genius. You can never quite tell where the romance ends and the action begins. Even in the scenes where they're trying to kill each other Brad and Angelina still talk to each other like a married couple. It has this weird effect where the action scenes feel romantic and the romantic moments feel more like action scenes. Before things get all heated the dialogue is filled with clever double entendres. In one early scene Jane talks about how she got some new curtains in a way that sounds very unsuspiciously like she stole them from someone she recently killed. Once things get going, we get multiple scenes of the two of them trying to set aside their differences while being fired upon.

The chemistry between these two leads is brilliant. It's actually hard to believe this movie was made before Brad and Angelina became a real couple, because it really feels like they belong together. The rest of the supporting cast does a good job but really at the core of the film it's this relationship that drives the film, and it could have easily gone downhill. Mr. & Mrs. Smith takes full advantage of its setup, and I like the fact that both of them are assassins. This basic idea could have worked if it had just been one, but then it would have been a very different dynamic that would have seen one protecting the other or perhaps having to help them toughen up. By having both on equal footing, there is a greater necessity for cooperation, with John and Jane both having to take turns watching each other's back.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith might just be the perfect fusion of two genres that most would consider mutually exclusive: the action film and the romantic comedy. Normally you would not put these two together, but here they're combined so seamlessly it's hard to tell the elements of one from the other. It's a bit like one of those old-fashioned boy meets girl romantic comedies, only now with a lot more guns, knives, explosions, and property damage. It's a lot of fun and definitely worth the ride. Also before anyone asks, I have not seen the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock movie that is coincidentally also called Mr. & Mrs. Smith that is also a comedy about marital issues but otherwise a completely different film.

Free Action Movie Week: Deja Vu

It's Day Three of Free Action movie week, and now we're starting to get into the more popular choices. I'd never heard of this film before I picked it up at that pub night, but I got several votes from people saying they wanted me to see it. I was informed that it was an "underrated classic" which certainly caught my attention. It was a Tony Scott film so I knew I'd be in for some exciting action and explosions, always good for an action film. I would have to agree with those comments. Deja Vu is a very interesting movie filled with lots of unexpected twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also fun fact: Deja Vu is the first movie I've reviewed on this blog to feature a black protagonist.

In New Orleans, a mysterious domestic terrorist has just blown up a ferry, leaving hundreds of people dead, wounded, or traumatized. Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), a representative of ATF, is dispatched to investigate, finding very clear evidence that the bomb was deliberately placed, but virtually nothing about the person who set it up. Adding to the mystery is the body of a woman, Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), that washes up on the shore nearby and seems to be connected even though she died before the bombing happened.

Failing to identify any leads, Carlin is invited to assist in a top-secret program which has developed the technology to create a literal window into the past. Being able to look precisely four days before the present, the race is on to identify the bomber and figure out how he planted the explosives on the ferry. Accomplishing this end involves following the final days of Claire's life, but the question is raised: can the past be changed? Is it possible to avert the ferry's destruction entirely? It's a bit of a Source Code-type situation, with plenty of paradoxes and disputes over the mechanics of time travel.

The whole idea behind this film is actually pretty cool. It's a bit like a reverse precrime (an idea explored in Philip K. Dick's story Minority Report and the Spielberg film adaptation), with the characters being able to see into the past. There is certainly an emotional strain to be found with this kind of technology, as the characters are all conflicted over how to respond to what they are seeing: being able to see into the past but unsure if you can do anything to change it. This whole setup also leads to some strange moments, such as the "car chase" where Carlin has to drive a Humvee through a busy street trying to record the movements of the bomber's car four days ago (with chaos inevitably ensuing.

The acting is really good. Denzel really gets into character here. At first I was a bit concerned about the treatment of Paula Patton, being worried that she wouldn't get to do a whole lot. Fortunately she gets her moments of action eventually, though it takes some time. The controllers who work with Denzel also offer a nice bit of comic relief. The story is a bit slow at first, but even before the spacetime-bending technology is introduced there is enough action to keep it moving forward. If I were to make any particular complaints, I'd argue that it does get confusing at certain points. There are moments when it took me a few minutes to figure out precisely what was happening.

I liked Deja Vu. It's certainly an exciting movie with lots of action, which is precisely what I was looking for. It's got some neat ideas and runs with them in some interesting directions, presenting a series of twists and turns I'll admit I never saw coming. It all builds up to a climax that forces you to think about the ethical situation faced by the protagonist, building on the questions raised throughout. It's certainly one worth checking out if you get the chance.

Free Action Movie Week: Eraser

I think it's best to start this review by clearing up that you do NOT under any circumstances want to confuse this movie with David Lynch's Eraserhead. One is a crazy action film and the other is a messed-up surrealist film with lots of disturbing imagery. For day two of my Free Action Movie Week, I'm looking at the action film, Eraser, another one I stumbled across among the free movies. It tied with Mystery Men in terms of vote numbers, but a coin toss ultimately placed this as the second film I'd be looking at.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is U.S. Marshal John Kruger, who specializes in protecting key witnesses to serious crimes. To be more specific, he specializes in "erasing" people, as in he eliminates their identity and replaces it with a new one, taking away their past to protect their future. His latest case involves a witness named Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams) who has information about the illegal activities of the arms company she works for. Once the company is on to her involvement, Kruger has to keep her hidden long enough to testify in court,

Unfortunately, matters are complicated when Kruger discovers his buddy Robert DeGeurin (James Caan) is a mole working with a corrupt senator to make lots of money off of selling some brand new and extremely dangerous weapons. Kruger is subsequently framed for the murder of a fellow cop and set up as the mole. It becomes a race against time as Kruger and Lee have to rely on themselves and whatever help they can get from past witnesses as they try to clear their names and expose the real villains. It's a bit like a slightly more elaborate version of Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlet.

This is a fun movie as you can expect from a Schwarzenegger action film, but I'm not sure this is the best I've seen of his work. I honestly felt Schwarzenegger wasn't used to his full potential, and a lot of what made him so enjoyable was missing. For instance, why was it that out of everybody in the cast he was the only person that didn't include any one-liners in his action scenes, at least not until the last few minutes? Vanessa Williams does a decent job with her role, but I felt like I would have wanted to see more of her in action. She spends a lot of time having to be protected and gets a few moments but in general has to hide behind Schwarzenegger. I honestly felt like she could have been a more enjoyable character if perhaps she had grown into more of an action heroine by the end.

That said, the action is still plenty of fun, if a bit over the top. The fact that the villains are working with an arms company allow for the designs of some funny-looking weapons used. James Caan makes an intimidating enough villain once he finally reveals himself, so there is definitely a sense of satisfaction when he is finally defeated, and his interactions with the other villains are solid enough. The fact that they are as dangerous as they are does allow for some tense moments and keeps you wanting to know how the heroes are going to get out of each mess they find themselves in.

The other performance I found I enjoyed was Robert Pastorelli's appearance as Johnny Casteleone, a previous witness who assists Kruger out of a desire to repay him for his help. This character adds a nice bit of comic relief to the film, such as when he has to infiltrate the villains' headquarters disguised as a pizza delivery boy. If I were to point out any faults here it would be with his cousin Tony Two-Toes and his friends. These characters are enjoyable enough on screen, but they do seem to come out of nowhere during the climax to help Schwarzenegger take on the bad guys. I think they could have benefited from some earlier appearances just so that we know who they are when they join in on the action.

The action scenes themselves are for the most part very good, though there are a few that fall short. There is one scene where a brawl happens in the reptile exhibit of a zoo, which culminates in several villains being eaten by some very fake-looking computer generated alligators. This part put me off on a few levels, as outside the terrible effects I was left wondering why animals that by this point would be used to being taken care of by people would immediately see them as food (as well as why the villains didn't just use the guns they obviously had to avoid them). The alligators also seemed to go at them pretty quickly, which raises more than a few questions about how poorly maintained this zoo is if they're THAT hungry. Fortunately, this one scene doesn't last very long and the rest of the action works okay.

Ultimately, Eraser isn't exactly the greatest action film I've covered so far but it is still an enjoyable little movie. It's got a few little problems and there is that one scene that might pull you out, but otherwise it's not too bad. It's a straight forward enough film with some creative action scenes and enough tension to keep you interested, so if you enjoy a good Arnold Schwarzenegger film it might be worth checking out.

Free Action Movie Week: Mystery Men

A few weeks ago I announced my plans for Free Action Movie Week in response to receiving a ton of free movies after hanging out with some other bloggers. The idea was pretty simple, I presented you a list of the action movies I obtained and asked you which ones you wanted to see me review. After I finished my final exam, I tallied up the results and organized a schedule so that between now and Friday I'm going to do one film each day going from least to most popular. I'd like to thank those people who voted.

There were films tied with two votes and I had to select which one to do first. In the end I decided through a simple coin toss. The second one you'll hear about tomorrow, the one that won was Mystery Men, a strange but fun parody of superhero movies. I actually had seen it once as a kid, though I barely remembered any of it outside of a handful of scenes and vague recollections some of the characters'... odd abilities. When that blogger told us to "pilfer" his bag of DVDs and I found a copy, I thought it might be fun to see again. I also knew that this film could easily have gone wrong, with its bizarre setup and over-the-top structure, but it actually works in a strange sort of way.

The action takes place in "Champion City", a location filled with wannabe superheroes. The only one who seems to actually be capable of getting anything done is "Captain Amazing" (Greg Kinnear), a superhero who has done such a great job that the city is starting to run out of supervillains. He gets desperate for some public attention and, using his completely inconspicuous secret identity, decides to have villain Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) released from the psychiatric ward. Unfortunately it backfires when said villain manages to capture him and devises a sinister plan for global domination.

Meanwhile, a trio of unsuccessful superheroes try to fight crime on their own, all with their own questionable "powers" if you can call it that. The Shoveler (William H. Macy) is specialized in using a shovel, normally to hit people on the head. The Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) is specialized in throwing forks, but keeps confusing everyone by the lack of blue in his costume and his fake English accent (apparently it makes sense if you know British history). Finally, Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller) has the superpower of getting really angry... and that's it. The three of them quickly realize it's up to them to rescue Captain Amazing and save the day.

Naturally, this dynamic trio has to find a bunch of other heroes to assist them. First they take on "Invisible Boy" (Kel Mitchell) who as his name implies can turn invisible... but only when nobody is looking at him. Also joining in is "Spleen" (Paul Reubens) who specializes in knocking people out with extreme flatulence. After a disastrous recruitment drive they manage to obtain assistance from "The Bowler" (Janeane Garofalo), the first person in the team who actually has a useful skill as well as some... unusual issues with her father. Finally rounding out the cast is "Sphinx" (Wes Studi) whose powers include slicing guns in half with his mind... and being mysterious.

I actually thought the film's interpretation of life as a superhero was an interesting one. Captain Amazing is this big-shot celebrity who basically sells himself out as a hero, complete with a publicist. We see him endorsing products and getting sponsors (which he displays all over his costume making it look more like he should be on a racetrack). It makes a certain degree of sense after all, even if his secret identity isn't publicly known. He's like your typical Batman or Superman hero taken to their logical extreme. In any other film, he'd be the hero, but instead we focus on, as the Shoveler puts it, "the other guys".

After all, in a world where superheroes not only exist and are respected, would there not also people who try to imitate them? The fact that we get to see this side, showing superheroes with varying degrees of uselessness (among the rejected superheroes are "The Waffler", who hits people with a waffle iron; and "Ballet Man" who doesn't seem to do much more than dance around). This is a side to superheroics you don't normally see in other films with maybe a partial exception featured in The Incredibles. I actually liked seeing this aspect of the world, and the filmmakers certainly came up with a variety of creatively absurd skills.

Aside from all the action, I did actually find the characters all had their own interesting elements that made them compelling. Everyone did a thorough performance with their role, giving each of the "Mystery Men" their own unique personality that made them easy to identify. They also all had a role of some sort to play. It never felt like any one character didn't belong, since as strange as their powers get everybody had something to contribute. Yes, even the guy who could only be invisible as long as nobody was looking manages to find an unexpected use for his power.

Mystery Men, despite technically being a misnomer (as there is one girl among them and only one is actually "mysterious") is a lot of fun. It's a very unusual superhero film with a lot of weird but enjoyable characters that will keep you going right up until the grand finale. The bizarre over-the-top world actually adds quite a bit to the tone of the film and the writers managed to take full advantage of it. Check it out, you'll be in for an enjoyable (if at times odd) treat.