Genre: Drama/Music
Director: Yang Jung-woon
Cast: Chanyeol, Jo Dal-Hwan
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: TBA
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 1 April 2021
Synopsis: A drama about a young man aspiring to become a singer and a washed-up former hit producer. The two men head off on a road trip filled with music and jamming sessions.
Movie Review:
With some members beginning their enlistment, SM Entertainment has officially announced that EXO’s future will be moving towards more solo projects. It is a timely balm then for fans of the 9-member boy band, that The Box stars one of the two prominent rappers in the group - Chanyeol.
While the band was known for their talent and vocals, Chanyeol was often remembered for his bassy rapping and flair at the drums. In The Box, he portrays a reclusive guy by the name of Jihoon, a gifted musician adept in all forms of instruments and music genres. He is discovered by a retired music producer, Minsu, but there’s a catch - the lad can’t seem to perform in public.
The Box taps into the almost-musical genre, not unlike titles like Pitch Perfect, where the biggest plug is a buffet of popular tunes re-rendered for catchiness. It’s taken down a notch here, but there’s no mistaking why the selection is a motley of infectious songs.
One moment, Jihoon is reinterpreting Will Ferrel’s “Happy” and Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”, the next he goes Armstrong on us with “What a Wonderful World”. The only thing is, it’s just a little too random.
Director Yang Jung-woon must have selected the soundtrack to capture a wider audience demographic while presenting Jihoon’s extraordinary range, because it went far too wide without a core and made the character feel empty. So while Jihoon can dice up a classic as much as throw some grit on a pop number, we never get to know what kind of a musician he is. Funnily, this is reflected in one scene where Minsu ranted that he wasn’t supposed to be a glorified karaoke machine.
Maybe Yang felt that the addition of a backstory reveal might lend dimension to our musician, but the trauma in itself is a simplistic trope that doesn’t really line up. How does the domestic abuse manifest in his quirk?
Perhaps because of this, Jihoon’s progression from hermetic musician to emancipated artist feels unconvincing. Of the many stunts that Minsu pulls upon him to open him up, it’s only the one where he performs trot spontaneously in a competition to locals that feel like a natural progression.
In fact, the relationship between Minsu and Jihoon feels awkward. We’re never really certain what drove Jihoon to believe Minsu, even when he clearly sees the producer is running from debt. And there’s nothing from Jihoon that’s really compelling enough for Minsu to give up the last of his money for the singer. I’ll probably get lots of hate from fans on this but Chanyeol’s good but not THAT good.
Because of this, The Box never really takes off on its promise to stir hearts with an emotional breakthrough from either of the leads. Even as the duo burns the box in a symbolic release, I realised I didn’t feel anything from the supposed cathartic act.
The Box will no doubt still get good mileage from having Chanyeol as the lead, but if it’s a story of deliverance you’re looking for, you might want to give this a pass.
Movie Rating:
(Infectious covers and idol power aside, this box opens up mostly to a disappointing nothing)
Review by Morgan Awyong
SYNOPSIS: Always feeling like they have to say NO to their kids and co-workers, Allison and Carlos decide to give their three kids a YES DAY -- where for 24 hours the kids make the rules. Little did they know that they'd be going on a whirlwind adventure around Los Angeles, that would bring the family closer to each other than ever before.
MOVIE REVIEW:
In 2008, Jim Carrey made a movie called Yes Man playing a character who promises to answer “yes” to every opportunity and request. 13 years later, the same concept is applied to Miguel Arteta’s Yes Day even though it’s based originally on a picture book by late author Amy Krouse Rosenthal.
Allison (Jennifer Garner) and Carlos Torres (Edgar Ramirez) are parents to a teenager, Katie (Jenna Ortega) and two younger kids, Nando and Ellie. Before they are married, Allison and Carlos are a pair of adventurous duo who will say yes to virtually anything but now everything is a big NO to their three kids. Dictator is what they called Allison. At the advice of the school counsellor and to win the hearts of their children once again, the kids can have a yes day if they do their chores and keep up their grades.
No doubt about it, rather than a coherent narrative, Yes Day relies a lot on physical comedy to get things going. Good parenting means agreeing to the kids’ request to finish a $40 gigantic sundae even if it’s going to rock your bowels or instantly wearing off the leather seats of your car by going through a car wash with windows down.
Fulfilling the requests of your kids is one thing but blindly agreeing to their ridiculous demands are likely a no-no. The logical rules and laws however don’t really apply here so long the young viewers are entertained by one absurd situation after another. For the adults, it’s either you sympathise with the Torres’ plight or laugh at their predicaments. As a responsible parent and adult, I chose the former.
For good measure, there’s lessons to be learnt in the movie’s final act regarding teen Katie’s issue of hanging out with older boys and her younger siblings who staged a party that ended with a foam explosion before the happily ever after ending after a brief excruciating 86 minutes.
Jennifer Garner (also donning a producer hat) and Edgar Ramirez are serviceable as silly parents who accomplished even sillier gags with their kids. If you recall, Garner also did Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day with director Miguel Arteta. To sum up, Yes Day on the whole is pretty awful and mediocre. This is very much a movie that should be made under the Disney banner which brings up the question of why Netflix is busy copying Disney’s past formulas these days. NO. NO. And please NO.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: On Shoying’s 70th birthday, she receives the shocking news of her long-lost husband, Bochang’s death. What’s worse, there is another woman, TSAI, who stayed by Bochang till his last breath. A merry reunion now turns into a ten-day wake, an unfortunately perfect time for the family to face their complicated mother-daughter relationships. Ching, the oldest of the three daughters, has learned to downplay everything in her life to deal with an intrusive mother as Shoying. Yu, the perfect middle child, finds herself at odds with Shoying regarding her teenage daughter. Jia Jia, the youngest, fights Shoying to fulfill her father’s dying wish to come home. The three daughters remind Shoying of Bochang in different ways. She goes on the quest to find out who TSAI is. Will Shoying get the closure she has longed for all her life?
MOVIE REVIEW:
81 year old veteran Taiwanese actress Chen Shu-Fang won both the supporting actress award for Dear Tenant and best leading actress for Little Big Women at the 57th Golden Horse Award. It’s a colossal win for the iconic actress who has starred in a number of award-winning movies throughout her decades long career and her performance definitely is a big draw in this Joseph Hsu’s drama about loss, grief and healing.
Lin Shoying (Chen) is a restaurant owner in Tainan who single-handedly raises her three daughters after her womanising husband, Bochang (Long Shao-Hua) left them over twenty years ago. On her 70th birthday, she received news that Bochang has passed away and his last wish is to be buried in his hometown. Lin and her now grown up daughters, eldest Ching (Hsieh Ying-Xuan), middle-child Yu (Vivien Hsu) and the youngest Jiajia (Sun Ke-Fang) has to come together for the ten-day wake and faces the past and future together as a family.
Little Big Women brings audiences back to the early days of Ang Lee’s career where he made acclaimed intimate family dramas liked Pushing Hands and Eat Drink Man Woman. Dramas that typically consists of traditional values clashing with the new, unforeseeable conflicts between family members and an overbearing family matriarch or patriarch. Hsu who co-wrote the script with Maya Huang peppered the script with delightful revelation, touches of human connection and a bit of soap opera narrative if you don’t mind the ever so leisure pacing.
There’s a lot to take in as every events that follow seem to be triggered by the death of Lin’s estranged husband. It turned out Bochang has a loyal companion named Ms Tsai (Ning Ding) by his side all these years and Lin struggles to connect with Tsai even though she is still consumed by hatred for his husband. Since blood is thicker than water, Jiajia has been keeping in touch with her late dad and Ms Tsai without the knowledge from her siblings and mother. Ching on the other hand, the so-called free spirit of the family is struggling to keep her cancer condition under wraps. Yu the most successful of all her siblings is trying hard to send her teenage daughter, Clementine (Chen Yan-Fei) to the States to further her studies in order to give her a better life. All these issues including a lost sibling and a dark family secret adds on to all the grief and suppressed unhappiness to the somewhat broken family.
Despite all the seriousness, Hsu manages to include some need be humour and cultural references into the process. While Bochang has converted to Buddhism before he died, Lin instead opted for a Taoism funeral resulting in a hilarious mixture of loud religious rites. There’s also a funny incident that involved a cockroach in front of the altar (which Jiajia believes it’s the reincarnation of his late father) and Clementine’s belief in the return of her grandfather’s soul on the seventh day. Touches of superstitious beliefs that Chinese Asians will find relatable since most of us grew up listening to these familiar folk tales. Yet it’s these small moments that virtually sealed the appeal of these three generations of people.
Little Big Women is a touching, sentimental drama about strong-willed human beings and family relationships. It’s about finding happiness, forgiving those who erred and treasure those around you. There’s so much to take away from this richly textured small drama. The performances from the ensemble cast are zesty and superbly engaging. If you have only time for one Taiwanese title, remember to catch this wonderful drama by newcomer Joseph Hsu.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Four school buddies — a director, a temp worker, an insurance salesman and a paper craftsman — grapple with unfulfilled dreams amid middle age ennui.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Huang Hsin-Yao’s follow up to The Great Buddha+ is yet another macabre, shapeless narrative dramady with Huang being the narrator of his own film. The opening already tells you briefly what to expect from Classmates Minus as Huang strangely laments about colour aesthetics, aspect ratio and the boss of his production company in his deadpan voice.
Huang’s sophomore feature-length movie is about four middle-age friends who mostly spend their time together playing poker and drinking bubble tea. Perhaps Huang is their fifth classmate as the camera often panned to him as in the voice. Could it be a story that is based on Huang’s own experiences in life? No one knows. Anyway, there’s Tom (Shih Ming-Shuai), a director wannabe but is currently making ends meets by shooting sleazy commercials. Fan Man (Chen Jen-Shuo) is an insurance salesman that is frustrated with his job and cowardice boss. Tin Can (Nadow Lin), a household registration officer who accidentally stumbled upon his school beauty, Minus (Ada Pan), now a sex worker living in a dilapidated unit. Last but not least, Blockage (Liu Kuan-Ting), a man who stutters and owns a small business making paper effigies while taking care of his bedridden grandmother.
There’s no particular conformity in Huang’s story. It can be occasionally somber and it can even be funny the next minute liked the appearance of a church whose overall décor laughingly feels more liked a Chinese temple. Similar to The Great Buddha+, it doesn’t really have a plot or climax to talk about. Damn, it doesn’t even have a satisfactory conclusion so be warned. For some reason, it also contains a supernatural subplot to it. Blockage has the ability to “see” and “communicate” with the deceased, helping them to fulfill their last wish if possible. Even famed Japanese porn star, Taka Kato makes an appearance in one of Tin Can’s dreams. Who says supernatural and porn can’t be in the same picture?
Huang turns to politics shortly with Tom being recruited as a “puppet” for a shady congressman cleverly using the character to make light of the political scene in Taiwan. At the same time, the loose narrative continues to delve on the mid-life crisis of Fan Man and Tin Can with Fan antagonizing the mafia with a low insurance payout and the latter slowly disillusioned with the image of his Goddess. In my opinion, Huang reserved the best touching story arc for Blockage albeit a sad, sardonic outcome for a man with a heart of gold. The main cast members are excellent although you probably only seen Liu Kuan-Ting in My Missing Valentine and Nadow (he won the best supporting actor in the Golden Horse Award for his portrayal of Tin Can) clowning around in variety shows.
Positively speaking, Classmates Minus is a class act on the absurdity of life. The unexpected twist of fate and the mundane expectations of everyday life are seen through the eyes of the four classmates. Four ordinary looking folks that reminds one of either you, me or the guy beside. Again, Huang’s movies are not made for the commercial audiences. It’s frankly a dark comedic film about four socially awkward individuals trying their best to navigate a thing called life.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Jia Ling
Cast: Jia Ling, Zhang Xiaofei, Sheng Teng, Chen He
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Encore Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 1 April 2021
Synopsis: In 2001, university student Jia Xiaoling is absolutely shattered after hearing that her mother has passed away. In the midst of suffering an emotional breakdown, Xiaoling is suddenly transported back to 1981 where she meets her young mother, Li Huanying. The two quickly become inseparable, like best friends, and Xiaoling believes that she can help improve her mother’s life. However, she soon finds herself making changes that could prove costly.
Movie Review:
After movie ended and the lights came on, this reviewer saw several (female) members of the audience wiping their tears. It is understandable, because we have just seen this tear jerking comedy which took Chinaby storm during the Lunar New Year holiday period.
Released on 12 February in China, the movie made more than 4 billion RMB in just over a week, becoming the most successful film of the season and one of the top five grossing films in Chinese film history. Director Jia Ling, who also stars in the movie, has the honour of being the highest grossing female director of a single film in Chinese box office history. Who would have guessed that the success would be from the comedian’s directorial debut?
Jia, who wrote, directed and took on the leading role, made the film as a tribute to her own mother, who died when she was 19. Taking place in 2001, the protagonist Xiaoling, is a college student who travels back in time to 1981 following her mother’s car accident. Feeling bad that she hasn’t made her mother proud, Xiaoling goes all out to give her mother (in her younger self) a better life in the alternate universe. Soon, Xiaoling begins setting up dates between her mother and the factory manager’s son. While this may steer her mother towards a successful life, Xiaoling may erase her own existence as the man isn’t her father in 2001.
A story about a mother daughter relationship is easy to win viewers’ hearts, and this movie hits all the right spots. The familiar mindset of children living up to parents’ expectations is aptly explored during the poignant conversations between Xiaoling and Huanying. Viewers, especially those who were brought up with traditional Asian values, will identify the dynamics between the two women. Get the tissue papers ready – especially towards the end of the film, where you may find tears rolling down your cheeks.
The 128 minute movie isn’t a tear jerker from beginning to end though. Most part of the film celebrates the cheerfulness and optimism of the characters. It is an attitude that marked the 1980s, where people displayed togetherness and camaraderie.
Being a comedian, Jia effortlessly weaves in several skits which can stand well on their own. The positive energy and humour is good natured and will keep you in high spirits. The ensemble cast which includes Zhang Xiaofei, Sheng Teng and Chen He display natural chemistry with Jia, making the viewing experience a very enjoyable one.
There is a twist at the end of the movie which make you want to tell your mother how much she is cherished. When the film ends with photos of Jia’s mother, as well as some notes on how every mother was a young girl in the past, you’ll know how much your mother has sacrificed for the family. If you happen to be watching this emotionally engaging movie with your mother, this is the moment to give her a hug.
Movie Rating:
(A emotinal and uplifting tear-jerking comedy that will win your heart)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Yin Yang Master, Qingming, is in peril as a result of the covenant he made with the monsters and the disturbance considered to be his fault. Meanwhile, the evil Monster Emperor forces are coming back to the human world to retrieve the Scale Stone and stir up colossal trouble. The world is on the verge of a devastating war with human's future at stake. At this turbulent and volatile moment, Qingming suddenly finds out that the key to all the calamities is his hybrid identity of both human and monster.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Tsui Hark laid the groundwork for wuxia, fantasy movies with Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain decades ago and in addition the recent Detective Dee series. If you love all of the above, then you will surely find there’s lots to rave about in The YinYang Master.
Not to be confused with The Ying Yang Master: Dream of Eternity which is based on the novel that inspired the videogame “Onmyoji”, The YinYang Master instead is the direct adaptation of the mobile game. Sounds confusing but it’s not something to be concerned about really.
Half-man, half-demon Qing Ming (Chen Kun) is now a disgraced member of the Bureau after he is suspected of betraying them by killing his fellow disciples and releasing an evil demon dubbed Snow Queen (Cici Wang) seven years ago. The Bureau who is in charge of keeping the peace in the human realm is now led by Qing Ming’s friend, Baini (Zhou Xun). With the scaling stone which contained a demonic presence going missing, Baini’s first intuition is to confront Qing Ming. Even though Qing Ming is living in exile with a bunch of friendly spirits, he reluctantly has to team up with a city guard, Captain Yuan (Qu Chuxiao) to venture into the demon realm to retrieve a magical sword before helping Baini in her quest to get the scaling stone back.
The YinYang Master comes from writer Chang Chia-Lu and producers of the Detective Dee series so there’s some slight similarities on how things worked with the obvious exception of a less complicated narrative. The movie fares more like a supernatural actioner than a murder mystery with plenty of CGI to go around. The premise mostly revolves around Qing Ming on whether is he a trustworthy soul or has he made a pact with the demon to destroy human beings. The narrative keeps you guessing but it’s not that hard to speculate who is the real demon if you look through the cast list.
Despite the recurring theme, there’s no explanation or a backstory on how Qing Ming turned out to be a half-breed. There also seems to be a hint of romance between Qing Ming and Baini but their relationship and feud is never clearly resolved in the end. While Dream of Eternity has Mark Chao in the lead, The YinYang Master benefits from the casting of China’s two biggest stars, Chen Kun and Zhou Xun. Chen Kun is perfectly cast as the mysterious Qing Ming, aloof, dashing and cool. Probably what you would expect from a Yin Yang master. Top-billed Zhou Xun however is kind of short-changed given that her character’s screentime is surprisingly limited.
Still, being a supernatural martial-arts blended movie with its source material originating from Japan, the movie’s production design is heavily influenced by both Chinese and Japanese mythological folklore resulting in rich CGI and physical sets. The demon realm is also populated with all kinds of demons in all shapes and sizes which makes Mos Eisley Cantina seems like a kids playground.
The YinYang Master is a big budget CGI spectacle boasting the presence of two big stars. In some ways, the lush visual effects and rich production design have stolen the limelight out of the generic storytelling of good versus evil. Well, it doesn’t stop us from loving this one from director Li Weiran given the fascinating combination of magic, martial-arts and demons. You got to seriously give this a chance.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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BOOK REVIEW #37: MICHAEL J. FOX: NO TIME LIKE THE FUTUREPosted on 23 Mar 2021 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Florian Zeller
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Ayesha Dharker
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 15 April 2021
Synopsis: Anthony is 81 years old. He lives alone in his London apartment and refuses all of the nurses that his daughter, Anne, tries to impose upon him. Yet such a necessity is becoming more and more pressing for her, as she can’t see him every day anymore: she has taken the decision to move to Paris to live with a man she has just met… But if such is the case, then who is this stranger who suddenly bursts into Anthony’s living room, claiming to be married to Anne for over ten years? And why is he claiming with such conviction that they are at the supposed married couple’s home, and not his? Is Anthony losing his mind? Yet he recognizes the place: it is indeed his apartment, and only just the night before was Anne reminding him of her divorce… And didn’t she decide to go and live in Paris? Then why is she now insisting that this was never the case? There seems to be something going around, as if the world, for a moment, has ceased to be logical. Unless his daughter, and her new companion, are the ones trying to make him appear as crazy? Is their objective in fact to rob him of his apartment? Do they want to get rid of him? And where is Lucy, his other daughter? Astray in a labyrinth of answerless questions, Anthony desperately attempts to understand what is going on around him. THE FATHER is about the painful trajectory of a man whose reality crumbles little by little before our eyes. Yet it is also the story of Anne, his daughter, who faces an equally painful dilemma: what must she do with her father? Should she take him with her, even if that means compromising her life with Paul? Does she have the right to live her own life? What happens when one must become parent of one’s own parents?
Movie Review:
With just “The Father” as its title, and a poster featuring two huge headshots of Anthony Hopkins and Oliva Colman, it seems almost unlikely that the film co written and directed by Florian Zeller will attract much attention, especially from the mainstream audience who prefer a movie that can numb the senses with spectacular CGIand deafening soundtrack.
This film is best appreciated with no distractions, so you can wholeheartedly empathise with the protagonist’s journey. Hopkinsplays Anthony, an ageing man who is increasingly confused by the people and places around him. Is his elder daughter leaving Londonfor Paristo live with her new boyfriend? Is she divorced since his son in law is still living in the house? Why does his caretaker look so familiar? Why are his younger daughter’s paintings missing from the house? Is he staying in his private flat or his elder daughter’s place? And why does his watch always go missing?
The confusion experienced by Anthony is heartbreaking yet terrifying. As the film progresses, viewers are not sure what exactly is happening in real time anymore, as the ensemble cast including Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Pooots, Rufus Sewell and Olivia Williams show up in different scenes as different characters. This is probably just a glimpse of what people with dementia are experiencing every minute, and you can imagine the frustration faced – by both the sufferer and the people around.
Hopkins’ engaging performance has earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the film is recognised in five other categories, including a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Colman. The 83 year old actor delivers a performance that is at times charming, at times infuriating but always relatable. For his stellar performance, Hopkinstook home prizes at the British Academy Film Awards and British Independent Film Awards.
The talky drama is French playwright Zeller’s directorial debut, and is based on his 2012 play Le Pere. One can imagine the story happening on stage, where characters deliver their lines against a backdrop of furniture, doors and household items. The film adaptation cleverly creates an interlocking network of sets which disorients the viewers, letting us have an idea of what it feels like to see the world from Anthony’s mind.
In the same vein, the editing of the film creates an unnerving experience as the non linear situation of events play out like a horror thriller. Shifting points of view and repeated lines from different characters throw viewers off balance, not knowing what is happening in Anthony’s troubled mind. For the apt approaches in adapting the stage play on screen, the film is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Production Design at the upcoming Oscars.
Besides showcasing a memorable performance from Hopkins, the film also incorporates masterful filmmaking. Unlike other films which deal with similar themes, this one doesn’t dwell with melodrama. Instead, it moves the audience by telling a humane story about what living dementia may be like.
Movie Rating:
(Genuinely moving without being overly sentimental, this masterful work features a stellar performance from Anthony Hopkins)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), her ambitious horn player (Chadwick Boseman), and the white management determined to control the legendary “Mother of the Blues.” Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is Chadwick Boseman’s last gift to the world before his untimely demise in August last year. Although it focused primarily on influential Blues singer Ma Rainey dubbed “The Mother of the Blues”, it’s essentially a fictional film based on the late August Wilson’s 1982 play of the same name not a biography on Rainey.
On a hot summer day in 1927 Chicago, a group of Jazz band members, Toledo (Glynn Turman), Cutler (Colman Domingo) and Slow Drag (Michael Potts) have gathered at Paramount recording studio waiting for Ma (Viola Davis) and trumpeter Levee (Boseman) to arrive for a recording session. After getting a pair of shining new leather shoes, Levee walks in brimming with pride and tells the rest he is planning to get his own record deal by coming up with his own original compositions. Ma also came in a while later with his girlfriend, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige) and nephew, Sylvester (Dusan Brown) in tow.
Sparks fly not necessarily it’s because of the excruciating heat outside or the talents assembled. Notably, everyone involved comes with a package of their own. Ma knew she has the upper hand which presumably explained why she acts like the diva. The whites want nothing from her except her voice so her request of an icy bottle of Coke is at least reasonable. Levee Green is desperate to break out of the cycle. He wants to be famous, rich and successful liked the average white. He feels Ma’s music is falling behind times, people wants music that they can dance to but Ma only wants to sing it her way.
Similar to Troy Maxson, the main protagonist in Wilson’s Fences, Levee questions the existence of God. He blames God for the plight of African-Americans. The death of his mom. Haunting criticisms of Jesus which incur the wrath of fellow colleague, Cutler. The arguments and debates between the characters are strangely relevant even a near century has passed. Dreams to achieve higher, years of hardship and perseverance, issues of racism are just some of the many themes discussed in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Boseman is the kind of actor that easily transformed himself to the any character he is playing. Although looking a bit gaunt, you can’t tell he is the same actor from Black Panther or 42 simple because he is truly magnificent as the cocky, overconfident and tormented Levee. It’s a pity Davis is overshadowed here though she puts in a solid performance with assistance from some excessive makeover. You definitely wouldn’t want to cross path with Ma in the same room.
Given the challenging material, Tobias A. Schliessler’s excellent cinematography and under theatre director George C. Wolf’s sturdy direction, the experience is a somewhat emotional, depressing insight into the history, arts and culture of Black Americans. It’s a dialogue-heavy drama peppered with the occasional tune from Ma. With the passing of Boseman and the conclusion of this soon to be award-winning Netflix drama, we are reminded of one soul-stirring line from Levee Green: “Death got some style. Death will kick your ass and make you wish you never been born. That’s how bad death is.”
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Cast: Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Levi
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence And Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 April 2021
Synopsis: THE MAURITANIAN follows the remarkable true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim) who was captured by the U.S. government and imprisoned for years without trial at Guantanamo Bay (GTMO). It is an inspiring account of survival against all odds as Slahi, in his fight for freedom, finds allies in defence attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley). Through Nancy and Teri’s controversial advocacy and evidence uncovered by formidable military prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), a shocking and far-reaching conspiracy is revealed. THE MAURITANIAN is a commentary on the importance of the Rule of Law and extremism of all kinds, but is also a tender, funny, uplifting film about Mohamedou, an extraordinary man whose humanity triumphed, leaving those around him profoundly changed.
Movie Review:
At the heart of ‘The Mauritanian’ is a compelling story that needs to be told, if anything to underscore how little moral authority the world’s largest democracy really has.
Based on the New York Times bestselling memoir ‘Guantanamo Diary’, it tells the true story of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, who was pulled away from a wedding celebration in his home country Mauritania and transferred via Jordan to the infamous naval base facility in Cuba, where he spent the next 14 years without ever being charged with a crime.
Salahi was suspected of helping to recruit the 9/11 hijackers for Al Qaeda – his was one of the numbers that his cousin had called from Osama bin Laden’s satellite phone, and he had once shared his apartment in Germany with certain individuals who would go on to join Al Qaeda.
It is not difficult to see why Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald would be well-suited for the subject matter – not only is the Scottish director a brilliant documentarian of such acclaimed works as ‘One Day in September’ and ‘Touching the Void’, he has also helmed similar fact-based political thrillers like ‘The Last King of Scotland’.
Alas, ‘The Mauritanian’ turns out far less gripping than you would expect it to. A large part of it is due to how the movie – scripted by Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, and journalist M.B. Traven (the latter also receiving a ‘story by’ credit) – is plotted as a combination of three overlapping storylines that inevitably end up competing for one another’s attention.
There is criminal defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) struggling to build Salahi’s case against the US government; there is also another that has the lead prosecutor for the government Lt Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) being stymied by his very own colleagues; and last but not least, there is Salahi himself as he cycles between hope and scepticism wondering if the trial is indeed a chance for him to clear his name.
Contrary to what you may be expecting, Hollander and Couch never do face off in the courtroom, as the latter was taken off the case after he concluded to his superiors that they did not have enough to charge Salahi. Instead, therefore, the climax here is portraying what duress Salahi was subject to that led to his ‘confession’ – a combination of sleep deprivation, stress positions, beatings, waterboarding, sexual humiliation and non-stop loud music.
It is harrowing all right, but the build-up to the third act is pretty monotonous, involving both Hollander and Couch making their separate requests to review the boxes of case files on Salahi that the military have either classified as ‘secret’ or redacted heavily. To juice up the proceedings, there is some cheap suspense thrown in to cast doubt on Salahi’s innocence, mostly in the form of Hollander’s assistant Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) having second thoughts of defending Salahi.
Yet without digging deeper into Hollander’s motivations behind her pro bono mission to make sure that no one’s constitutional rights are denied, or Couch’s moral convictions that would eventually inhibit him from performing his professional duties, these separate plotlines ultimately just distract us from getting to know Salahi better. We end up therefore not knowing what went through Salahi’s mind as he was being put through hell, or how the whole experience had changed his state of mind or outlook thereafter. That lack of insight is ultimately disappointing, especially since you’d probably be primed for a character study on Salahi himself given the title of the film.
Despite putting in strong supporting performances, neither Foster or Cumberbatch can make up for the film’s issue of perspective, not least because the script gives either of them little to work with to make their characters more rounded. They are also outshone by French actor Tahar Rahim, who is fascinating to watch as Salahi, bringing wit, humour and soul to a character unjustly deprived of a more nuanced treatment in a movie to his name. Rahim is memorable and intense despite the film’s shortcomings, generating much sympathy for Salahi even before his innocence is made clear.
So despite a story that deserves to be known, ‘The Mauritanian’ falls short of being compelling; in fact, you’ll walk away distinctly underwhelmed by its superficial treatment of Salahi, of whom we get little insight of even after two hours of the movie. That isn’t to say that it isn’t watchable, or steadily paced to be able to hold your attention for two hours, but we expected much more from a filmmaker of Macdonald’s calibre working with such sensational material. Especially with such big-name stars, as well as Rahim’s brilliant performance, this legal thriller ought to be a lot more gripping.
Movie Rating:
(Steadily paced and with strong performances, 'The Mauritanian' nonetheless ought to have been a lot more powerful given the compelling material it is based on)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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