Year: 1995
Genre: Thriller
Director: David Fincher
Plot: Two detectives, one retiring, the other relatively inexperienced, team up to stop a serial killer whose murders are based on the seven deadly sins.
The gist: If the serial killer genre had a yardstick for quality, this film would be it. David Fincher and writer Andrew Kevin Walker create a masterpiece that is still strong and unparalleled till today.
The plot is simple: two cops with different approaches have to work together to stop a sadistic killer. But even then, it's much more than that. The filmmakers let us see the dark and cruel world they both live in, a nameless city that has nearly endless rain. The older cop, Somerset is a tired man, but wise to a tee, trying his best to guide the younger cop Mills in order to catch a brilliant killer who is always a step ahead of them.
The film has a methodical pace but it never drags. There is a purpose to almost every scene, as each clue leads to another until it ends on a surprising finale.
The good: Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are excellent in their roles. Pitt isn't the mature actor he is now when he did this film, yet he's perfect as the brash Mills and ends up being very likable. Freeman as usual brings his screen presence as Somerset, being wise enough to not want to be a cop any longer than he has to, yet smart enough to do his job right. He's the heart of the film. Gwyneth Paltrow lends some nice support as Mills' wife, and pretty to look at since she's still young here. Kevin Spacey is great as the killer, John Doe. Everything else technical like lighting, cinematography, set design and editing are all perfect. The opening credit sequence, designed by Kyle Cooper, remains one of, if not the best sequences I've ever seen.
The bad: I can't think of any. It's that good.
Verdict: It's earned its right to be Imdb's 22nd best film and probably one of the best films of the 90s. If you haven't seen this yet, you need to. Recommended. (4.5/5)
Year: 2011
Genre: Thriller / Drama / Mystery
Director: David Fincher
Plot: A disgraced journalist teams up with a computer hacker to investigate the disappearance of a rich man's grandniece 40 years ago.
The gist: I had been looking forward to this film for a while now. I haven't read the book, so I can't say how faithful David Fincher's adaptation really is, but it's clear that he tried his best to put in as much from the book as he could. In fact, it felt like he tried to put in everything and as a result, the film moves really fast until at times it felt like the potential emotional impact from certain scenes were lost.
I'm kinda surprised that the film won best editing at the Oscars because it felt like it could use some work here. No doubt that the editing team did a great job on The Social Network prior to this, but here this kind of editing style hurt the film a bit. It would have been better if Fincher left out some unnecessary scenes in favor of letting some of the quieter, emotional moments simmer.
But I will commend Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig for their stellar performances here. Craig is very different from his tough guy Bond role here while Mara is unrecognizable as Lisbeth Salander, and she is the real central character, doing so well in getting herself noticed by the audience despite turning away from the camera so often. She is a revelation in this film.
The mystery the duo are investigating is fascinating, though this is more of a whodunit than an actual serial killer thriller, so if you're looking for more of the latter, you won't find it.
The good: Craig is great in a nice change from being James Bond and Mara is excellent. The opening credit sequence is awesome, almost like a Bond film kind of sequence. The setting of winter in Sweden is very fitting for the film as it contributes to the dark tone of the story.
The bad: The pace needs to slow down a bit, with some better editing. The climax is nearly non existent, plus the relationship between Craig and Mara develops too rapidly to be credible.
Verdict: It's flawed but still a solid watch, thanks to Craig and Mara. (3.5/5)
Year: 2005
Genre: Action / Horror
Director: Francis Lawrence
Plot: A supernatural detective tries to stop evil forces from unleashing hell on earth.
The gist: Constantine is based on DC Comics book Hellblazer, where the lead character is John Constantine, a chain smoking, cynical detective who fights demons.
Some will take exception to the fact that Keanu Reeves was given the role because the character is actually British, but for me, that's not really the problem. The problem is Keanu's acting, which isn't up to mark.
Anyway, the film follows Constantine as he teams up with a detective played by Rachel Weisz, who is investigating her twin sister's death. The duo come across a plan by certain parties who want to unleash hell on earth.
To his credit, Francis Lawrence keeps the film engaging from start to finish, throwing all sorts of interesting stuff into the plot and making them all stick, such as angels, demons, magic weapons, possession, exorcisms and such. It could have potentially backfired but Lawrence keeps it together firmly.
The good: Weisz and the supporting cast all deliver solid performances. Weisz in particular is believable. Peter Stormare damn near steals the show as Satan himself. Out of all the supporting roles he's had over the years, this is surely his best one ever. The camerawork is also solid, and the film's version of hell is awesome.
The bad: Reeves' acting, which is as wooden as when he was Neo. He does have his moments, but it's not nearly enough. Some of the CGI was kinda choppy, but most of the time you wouldn't notice it.
Verdict: It's an entertaining film, though it could be better if they went with a slightly darker approach. But I love it anyway. (4/5)
P.S.: Stay till the end credits finish for one last scene.
Year: 2010
Genre: Horror
Director: Daniel Stamm
Plot: A former preacher turned exorcist turned possession debunker takes a film crew with him to perform a fake exorcism on a girl who thinks she is possessed, but they get more than they bargained for.
The gist: This is yet another horror flick that utilises the found footage method, and for the most part it does decent enough.
Director Daniel Stamm introduces our exorcist Reverend Cotton Marcus in a documentary like manner, featuring his background in the church, his family and his work etc. and this presentation works quite convincingly. Marcus then tells us about this girl named Nell which he's going to visit and perform an exorcism on, and show that with a little sleight of hand, he can convince supposedly possessed people that they are free from demons.
Naturally, things go wrong and it's fun to watch Marcus and the film crew find themselves in trouble, and the camera never quite stops rolling. As with most films of this ilk, we are left wondering why that is. But the thing is, the film pretty much sustains its momentum until the final five minutes, when it makes a left turn and becomes something different, and that really hurt the overall result.
The good: Performances are solid all around. Patrick Fabian and Ashley Bell are great in their roles as Marcus and Nell respectively. The presented footage is also well edited, it never feels boring.
The bad: The last five minutes which kinda ruined the momentum it had built up to then. Also the aforementioned camera that just keep rolling no matter what.
Verdict: If not for that ending, The Last Exorcism would have been a great and scary horror film. Right now it's just an average scary horror film. (3/5)
