The Report

11 Jan 2020 3 Comments

by Debra Manskey in Movie Review, Writing Tags: , , ,

Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, and Adam Driver in The Report (2019)

The Report (2019)

Written and directed by Scott Z. Burns

Adam Driver is hot property at the moment, with Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) still playing in cinemas, Marriage Story (2019) on Netflix and The Report (2019) available on Amazon Prime. He is undoubtedly a powerful screen presence and an actor that’s always worth watching.

In The Report he certainly has his work cut out for him, carrying a film that is both an important story and a complex one but is very ably supported by a fine cast, including Annette Bening, John Hamm, Corey Stoll and Tim Blake Nelson. Driver plays Daniel Jones, an FBI operative, who leads an investigation into the heinous Enhanced Interrogation program, established by the CIA in the aftermath of 9/11. There are scenes of torture and they’re intense and at times, harrowing but the majority of the film takes place in the sterile, closeted offices of the FBI, CIA and Senator Feinstein. The idealism of Driver’s Daniel Jones turns to frustration and simmering anger as almost everyone attempts to cover up or shut down his investigation.

Based on a true story, I understand Scott Z. Burns wanting to honor the incredible dogged determination of the real life Jones and Adam Driver brings commitment and sincerity to his portrayal, supported by a top notch cast. I love a good political thriller, but I felt throughout the whole film, this piece is just missing the mark and I think it is in the script and editing where the problems lay. At very nearly two hours, this isn’t a really long movie by today’s standards but by the end it felt like much more, which is disappointing in so many ways.

The Report is currently playing on Amazon Prime Australia. An interesting premise and worth watching if just for Adam Driver – but not as good as it could be.

Beirut

16 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

by Debra Manskey in Movie Review, Writing Tags: , , , , , , ,

Beirut 2018 Directed by Brad Anderson

*No spoilers in this review*

I went to an advanced screening of this over the weekend and it was a packed house. After the film as we were filing out, one of the staff asked a patron if they enjoyed it. The older woman replied “well, I don’t think enjoy is quite the right word. It was very interesting but a bit confusing” and I think that’s a fair assessment of this densely packed political thriller.

Directed by the always visually reliable Brad Anderson, the screenplay is by Tony Gilroy who wrote the Bourne trilogy, Michael Collins and my favourite Star Wars film, Rogue One. There are some fairly difficult issues embedded in this period thriller and at first glance, it would be easy to dismiss it as just another example of western filmmakers using a Middle Eastern location for ethnic flavour and racial stereotyping but I think it offers more on deeper examination.

First and foremost, this is clearly a star vehicle for Jon Hamm (who I last saw and loved in Baby Driver) and he is wonderful as Mason Skiles, the alcoholic and grief stricken former political negotiator. It can’t be denied there are echoes of Don Draper here but I think Hamm pushes beyond that by virtue of Anderson’s direction, a lovingly crafted script and a charismatic performance from Hamm. Rosamund Pike is the perfect choice as his foil and she gives a fine and nuanced performance among a lot of boys as a CIA operative and Skiles’ handler.

The film opens in 1972 and after much calamity and personal heartbreak for Mason Skiles, the action forwards to 1982. The clichés abound (especially when the three characters representing US government interests are introduced), and I noticed some quite heavy symbolism at times – particularly around children playing in and around weapons and rubble and blatant disparities between privilege and poverty. At times I was reminded of films like the Bourne trilogy and even Syriana but ultimately it was an examination of one man in extreme crisis, seeking personal redemption.

Some of it is pretty clunky and (without giving anything away) I wasn’t really on board with the ending but it really is worth it for Jon Hamm’s fine performance. If you want to get the most out of this, it probably pays to have at least a passing knowledge of Middle Eastern history of the period, but at its heart, Beirut is looking at the political tragedy of the time through the lens of personal loss and the notion that terrorists are not born but made.

Beirut opens at the State Cinema, Elizabeth Street, North Hobart Thursday 26th July.