The Bling Ring (2013)

The Bling Ring (2013)                                                                                   2/5

Directed by Sofia Coppola

Israel Broussard, Katie Chang

In this film which is based on a true story, a group of high-school students burglarize the homes of various celebrities and use the money gathered to live a life of excess. Marc (Israel Broussard) is a new student who finds a friend in Rebecca (Katie Chang), a girl who has a penchant for burglary. As the two get bolder in their crimes, they bring along a group of friends as they steal from the rich and famous.

The plot of the film seems promising, but without any major conflicts occurring until near the end, one is never truly in suspense. The film moves forward in a predictable manner, relying perhaps too much on the true story, as no tension arises other than the potential to be caught, and even that is not suspenseful as the film opens with a series of interviews with the characters after being caught; In seeing the end of the film, the only place to derive suspense is the journey there, but the journey there is not interesting enough. Ultimately, the film moves exactly as one would expect, without much cause for surprise.

Thematically, the film seems to focus on the superficiality of the modern day, as well as the celebrity-obsessed culture of contemporary North America. The characters live a life of crime, drugs, and loose morals, without significant consequence for their actions: even after being arrested for their crimes, we see the characters becoming celebrities in their own right, rewarding them for their immoral lifestyle. This message may have had some impact, had one of the characters not stated it outright near the end of the film. In telling the audience what the film is about rather than simply presenting the case, the themes have no real need for elaboration.

Visually, the film has a few interesting shots (particularly during one of the burglaries, in which the entire scene takes place as a single long shot of the entire house), but relies mainly on well-practiced techniques that lie somewhere between standard and overused. Particularly bothersome to see yet again is the “surprise” car accident, shot from the front passenger’s window looking towards the driver’s window, so that headlights become suddenly visible as the vehicle is hit. Otherwise, the film is shot properly, but without much innovation.

The Performances in the film range from uninteresting to ridiculous, though one might say it is not the fault of the actors, but the dialogue they’ve been given. The actors seem to be confined to cliché “teenspeak”, and intentionally so; such is the problem of making a film whose chief concern is superficiality. In trying to convey how shallow the world is, the characters are only allowed to come across as shallow. Particularly disappointing is that Emma Watson has a chance to demonstrate her rather impressive American accent, but it is squandered on dialogue that does not allow for depth of emotion. At some points, the dialogue is shallow to the point where it may actually resemble real discussions of a superficial nature, but that realism seems inappropriate for what should be carefully crafted film dialogue.

Overall, the film is a valiant effort to speak on the superficiality of our culture, but the themes act as a drawback as they do not allow for any sort of depth. This, combined with a story whose presentation lacks tension and cinematography that does not strive for anything exceptional, makes this film watchable, but not terribly interesting.

The Iceman (2012)

The Iceman (2012)                                    3/5

Directed by Ariel Vromen

Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder

In this biopic, we follow the life of Richard Kuklinski (played by Michael Shannon of Boardwalk Empire fame), a notorious hitman who operated between the late 60’s and early 80’s. According to the traditional (if not cliché) text that appears at the end of the film, Kuklinski is “suspected to have killed over 100 people”, all the while hiding his job from his wife (played here by Winona Ryder) and two daughters.

The plot of the film plays out in the standard format of a crime film, involving three acts of origin, rise, and eventual fall. Vromen and Morgan Land, his co-writer on the screenplay, make effective use of a true story to ground the film in reality. Having not read the biographical book on which the film is based, this reviewer cannot speak to the level of creative license used to manipulate or outright change the facts, however one could reasonably expect that not everything shown is strictly true.

Thematically, the film deals with several points such as family and loyalty in a well constructed manner, juxtaposing the life of Kuklinski with that of his employer, Roy Demeo (played by Ray Liotta). On other topics, the film attempts commentary but never entirely explores them; notably, two scenes are loosely connected by Kuklinski’s (or perhaps Vromen’s) views on religion, but then the topic is abandoned. The lack of consistency makes this reviewer think the topic may have been better off untouched, instead focusing the message more on the stronger points that the film tries to make.

Visually, the quality seems inconsistent: at some points, effective cinematography and editing helps to amplify tension or convey chaos, whether through the use of quick low angle shots or rapid jump cuts between what seem to be various takes of the same scene in which Kuklinski is alone in an elevator. At other times, however, shots are cut either too long (causing a car to start pulling away from a curb but stop and never leave, awkwardly sitting behind the protagonist as he slowly walks away) or too short, particularly in a chase scene where the shots switch rapidly between being inside Kuklinski’s car and outside of it, making the scene come across as a confusing mess of vehicles that are far too difficult to follow.

The performances in this film are what really make it worth seeing. With a cast of talented actors, many of whom are recognizable from past work, the film is well cast. Shannon delivers a particularly exceptional performance as Kuklinski, creating a complex character that anchors the film. The entire ensemble of characters are given the appropriate amount of depth: rather than feeling two-dimensional, one senses that these are three-dimensional characters of whom we are only seeing a small part. Particularly interesting are the single-scene performances of Stephen Dorff (Blade, Immortals) and James Franco (Spider-Man, 127 Hours), two recognizable faces who are impressive even in such small roles. Winona Ryder also plays an exceptional part, fitting the role of the unknowing wife to a mass murderer and creating depth of emotion as she has to deal with the consequences of her husband’s actions. Others, such as Ray Liotta, deliver the same high quality performance they do in their long list of previous roles, while others perform surprising but impressive roles, such as David Schwimmer, whose role is a far cry from Ross on the television series Friends.

Overall, the film may not be perfect, with a few aesthetic and thematic inconsistencies, but the well-constructed narrative of a standard crime film combined with the exceptional acting from the numerous talented players makes this film worth seeing, especially to anyone who enjoys crime dramas.