"Wrath of Man"
Madcap British filmmaker Guy Ritchie truly leaves no thrilling plot device left standing in his latest action picture, aptly titled “Wrath of Man.” With such a title, you know that there will be little left in terms of characters and personal property standing by the end of the film, and, with action superstar Jason Statham leading the way, you just know it’s gonna be a wild, wild ride.
The film stars Statham as Patrick Hill, a new and muscled employee of the Fortico Security company, which serves as an armored car service. Before long, on what’s presumed to be his first official run, there’s an attempted robbery of Patrick’s truck that he’s able to defend, dispatching the perpetrators with ease. Too much ease, to be precise. Ritchie’s films are known for having more deep character subplots than an onion’s got layers, and “Wrath of Man” is no exception. Opposite Hill’s storyline is the anti-hero subplot involving a former military platoon member named Jan, played with a ruthless cunning by actor Scott Eastwood, son of the uber-famous and legendary Clint Eastwood.
“Wrath of Man” is a filmed quite well, with an above average cinematographic pace that moves with the action. It is one of those action pieces where the characters all carry guns and you tend to hear a lot of clicking, bullets being loaded and triggers snapping. Ritchie, who also wrote the film, is a master of the “work, shoot, swerve, double-cross” heist film where nothing is as it seems, and everything changes on a dime. Unpredictable, “Wrath of Man” is a surprisingly well-made heist film and does more to cement actor Jason Statham’s credibility as the best leading action picture actor working today.
"Land"
“Walden” by Henry David Thoreau is perhaps one of the most classic pieces of literature most students are ever introduced to in school. The writer describes the nurturing silence of nature bringing solace to the tired soul. Watching the film “Land” was at times like watching a contemporary film on Thoreau’s most famous work itself. The film stars actress Robin Wright (who also directed) as the melancholic Edee, a woman who flees to the confines of nature deep within the Rockies after an unspeakable tragedy upends her world. Her initial venture into self survival alone in the woods doesn’t go as planned, but in the panic of it all, she manages to find friendship in a local hunter named Miguel, played with rustic charm by award-winning Mexican actor Demián Bichir. Both characters in the film are what most would consider loners, and they’ve self-isolated to one of the loneliest areas known to man, the unforgiving wiles of nature. There’s a slow build between the two in the film as Miguel teaches Edee how to physically survive while she teaches him emotionally live. The film itself runs just 90 minutes, but I found myself wanting more. Wright has managed in her directorial debut to give us characters, exposition, climax, and resolution in such a concise time that it’s nothing short of brilliant. I truly hope she has another turn in the director’s chair very soon.
Madcap British filmmaker Guy Ritchie truly leaves no thrilling plot device left standing in his latest action picture, aptly titled “Wrath of Man.” With such a title, you know that there will be little left in terms of characters and personal property standing by the end of the film, and, with action superstar Jason Statham leading the way, you just know it’s gonna be a wild, wild ride.
The film stars Statham as Patrick Hill, a new and muscled employee of the Fortico Security company, which serves as an armored car service. Before long, on what’s presumed to be his first official run, there’s an attempted robbery of Patrick’s truck that he’s able to defend, dispatching the perpetrators with ease. Too much ease, to be precise. Ritchie’s films are known for having more deep character subplots than an onion’s got layers, and “Wrath of Man” is no exception. Opposite Hill’s storyline is the anti-hero subplot involving a former military platoon member named Jan, played with a ruthless cunning by actor Scott Eastwood, son of the uber-famous and legendary Clint Eastwood.
“Wrath of Man” is a filmed quite well, with an above average cinematographic pace that moves with the action. It is one of those action pieces where the characters all carry guns and you tend to hear a lot of clicking, bullets being loaded and triggers snapping. Ritchie, who also wrote the film, is a master of the “work, shoot, swerve, double-cross” heist film where nothing is as it seems, and everything changes on a dime. Unpredictable, “Wrath of Man” is a surprisingly well-made heist film and does more to cement actor Jason Statham’s credibility as the best leading action picture actor working today.
"Land"
“Walden” by Henry David Thoreau is perhaps one of the most classic pieces of literature most students are ever introduced to in school. The writer describes the nurturing silence of nature bringing solace to the tired soul. Watching the film “Land” was at times like watching a contemporary film on Thoreau’s most famous work itself. The film stars actress Robin Wright (who also directed) as the melancholic Edee, a woman who flees to the confines of nature deep within the Rockies after an unspeakable tragedy upends her world. Her initial venture into self survival alone in the woods doesn’t go as planned, but in the panic of it all, she manages to find friendship in a local hunter named Miguel, played with rustic charm by award-winning Mexican actor Demián Bichir. Both characters in the film are what most would consider loners, and they’ve self-isolated to one of the loneliest areas known to man, the unforgiving wiles of nature. There’s a slow build between the two in the film as Miguel teaches Edee how to physically survive while she teaches him emotionally live. The film itself runs just 90 minutes, but I found myself wanting more. Wright has managed in her directorial debut to give us characters, exposition, climax, and resolution in such a concise time that it’s nothing short of brilliant. I truly hope she has another turn in the director’s chair very soon.
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