I finally saw this move today. I will set up my "review" by saying I resisted it until now, because I am not a fan of "torture" movies or relentless violence, and I had heard from enough people that the violence was extremely hard to take. I also had a sense, perhaps from the media or from the advertising, that this was an "important" film that everybody should see. That's almost the kiss of death to me. I immediately have a bad reaction to anyone who tells me I should see something because "it will make me a better person." That kind of recommendation only backfires on me. I usually avoid the film at all costs, and I also think very little of the condescending person (or studio) who suggests such a notion to me. My first thought is, "Really? F*ck you!"
I tried to get as much of this resistance out of my system before I saw the film, but it's fair to say I went in with my own preconceptions and bias, just as we all do. And while I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either. There were moments that were extremely powerful. Also moments that were incredibly slow, and to little effect. The performances carry the film. The direction often undermines the storytelling just as much as it elevates it. I really don't think Steve McQueen deserves an Oscar for his direction. At times it was the weakest aspect. The dialogue is stilted and stylized. Sometimes it's smart and poetic. Sometimes it's clunky and bad. Again, the performances carry it through.
Chiwetel Ejiofor does the heavy lifting of taking us on the journey, and he does a fine job of it. A well deserved nomination, and I"m glad he's getting noticed for his work. I thought Sarah Paulson was just as good as Lupita Nyong'o. They are both very powerful supporting performances.
There really wasn't a bad performance in the film, and there are a lot of good, smaller roles throughout the story.
The story is the best thing about this project. The script is good, the direction is wildly uneven, and the performances are outstanding.
It's not the best movie I've seen this year, and I haven't even seen that many so far. I don't regret seeing this one. The violence was intense but not prolonged or overindulgent to make the point. Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costumes are all fine, but not what I would call Oscar-worthy.
I thought the score was really good, along the lines of the modern, synthetic music found in There Will Be Blood. It's not highly original anymore. It's pretty trendy with today's filmmakers ... but it works well.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
