Matt Damon is Chief Roy Miller, an American Army Team Leader in the Iraq war. His team’s job is to use intelligence sources to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Each site is empty and intelligence deemed false. Miller is angry at the time and effort wasted. When Miller finds a note book and a journalist he begins to investigate. The Green zone is the central area of Bagdad that was the government centre for the Iraq coalition. This area has been taken by Americans as America try to manufacture democracy.
The story takes a few twists and turns and is engaging. Unfortunately the ending action is bloated and drags on. Paul Greengrass is using his usual camera techniques that drive me crazy. We found that the effect of running everywhere with the camera man severely hampered our enjoyment of this film. Not only could we find ourselves infront of Matt Damon in the corridor and a second later behind him and a couple of seconds later right beside him which was confusing enough, we had to work out through the screaming of frightened Iraqis the machine gun fire and helicopter noise, who was shot and where we are. Yes ok if you want to experience war like it is first hand but in that case I would play Call of Duty on my Xbox.
IMDB Green Zone
Set of three films based on the character of Jason Bourne played by Matt Damon, which are; The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and the Bourne Ultimatum.
The Bourne Identity is the most thoughtful and well executed film I have seen in a long time and has shot right up to one of our favourites together with the theme music and Matt Damon himself. (welcome to the elite Matt) The other two films therefore are a continuation of his struggle against the secret agency that hired him in the beginning that insist on tying loose ends and finishing him off! But really because we cannot get enough of Jason Bourne.
In the beginning, in The Bourne Identity, he is a special agent with all the training but has lost his memory on a mission and he is left for dead floating at sea. He is rescued and sets off on a quest to find out who he really is and what he was doing when he got “killed” as he still has all his training and faculties in place together with the help of a young lady. The identity thing is an unusual crisis for a secret agent film, there are many flashbacks and he has some information in the form of passports from all different nations with different identities and a bag of goodies to help him get want he needs. He is able to use his ingenuity to slip out of a country and into another one and piece it all together while at the same time evading his own mortality as the agency want him destroyed. He has to be resourceful, cunning, clever, and determined. Matt Damon owns this part there is no doubt about it! He is Bourne. He is our action man. We liked the interaction with the female he is in league with in this film as his character was more real and vulnerable with her around to worry about.
The Bourne Supremacy starts where the Bourne Identity left us, “You tell them Jason Bourne is dead. I swear to God if I even feel somebody behind me, there is no measure to how hard and how fast I will bring this fight to your doorstep.” and we learn more about the initial team and what he was trained to do. There is a new director for this film who also directs the Bourne Ultimatum after it and it seems that the camera man is actually running with the camera and you are forced to look at what he is looking at which tends to make me sick. There is a lot of chasing and fighting in this film and not so much careful thought gone into the plot so all round without a girlie to look after too much giddy camera and too much whacking it did not rate as highly as the first film.
The Bourne Ultimatum claws back it’s acclaim as careful thought has gone into the storytelling. So once again I am back on the edge of the sofa praying that he escapes by the skin of his teeth. I loved the twists in the story. I did get all excited and I did punch the air (very rare I can assure you). There were roof-top chases which were well choreographed scenes. Next time I go into a packed railway station I will be looking out for the places I can hide and the things I can do to avoid detection (nah not really, tempting though it is). We love you in this movie Matt Damon and we were singing the theme with the credits and wondering if you will ever come back again in the future? IMDB The Bourne Identity IMDB The Bourne Supremacy IMDB The Bourne Ultimatum
17 year old Kim (Maggie Grace), daughter to a government security preventer Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), goes on holiday to Paris with a Friend to a cousins house. With her Dad’s permission, he takes her to the airport and asks her to ring upon landing, ring each night and to let him know the address of where she is staying. Upon landing in France, she and her friend meet a french boy, they share a taxi as it is cheaper and invites them to a party. They inform him that they are own their own. They get kidnapped. The state starts looking for him after his destructive investigation. He will “pull down the eiffel tower” if needs be.
The kidnapping is done as if it is presented on a plate. After they get kidnapped, the pace of the film is fast, which is great it is 93 minutes long. While the action is initially good in the first half, the climax action is too video gamey, walking into a room and take everyone out style. It also becomes more of a hitman scenario as he kills on the way. At one point he gets into the “house” where the Albanians are, finds him self with Marko and manages to take them all out. Although cringeworthy, was done like a cheesey Bond.
The best bit was when Liam Neeson is in the crime scene and he reconstructs the kidnapping. It really hits home that she has been Taken. Being a fan of Liam Neeson (from Schindler’s list) I am disappointed but there were moments. Although the beginning is never engaging, you are meant to feel Liam Neeson as a boring Father.
IMDB Taken
Tom Cruise stars in this action war adventure as an American war hero who has fought the American Indians in his home land. He is asked to serve in the civil war of Japan. He gets captured by the Samurai and is kept in their society. He can not escape due to the fierce winter. He begins to learn Japanese and embraces their culture. When he is released, both sides of the civil war have been revealed and he must decide which side to take. He chooses the Samurai.
Tom Cruise fits the perfect American captain, Nathan Algren. Billy Conolly is present at the beginning, he dies in the first action encounter which does the film good as he is incredibly annoying. Timothy Spall is casted too. Ken Watanabe is the Samurai leader, Katsumoto. He excels his role and makes the Samurai village atmospheric.
The story only really starts when he gets captured. There is obviously fighting and dueling, which was necessary. It was done originally and very you felt like you were watching it in the village. Slow motion effects and atmospheric brilliance from Tom Cruise.
Even though it is biased towards the samurai, you are engrossed and you feel for Ken Wantanabe. Needed the beginning chopped and the war at the end left out or made shorter, could have been an all time favourite. The ending is beautiful.
This is undoubtably the best batman film. As always there is a force of destructiveness and chaos upon Gotham city, this time, two villans are brought back. Two face made an appearance as well as the Joker played by an incredible Heath Ledger who nearly stole the show from Christian Bale. He always had a funny quirky story to tell when he was talking to civilians. Each time different but same ending! The beginning is the classic bank robbery where you are introduced to Heath Ledger and his hench men. The story is cliche and batman has to win the day.
Unfortunately Heath Ledger (Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role) did pass away during the making of the film and replacement was used for the last bit of the film. Christian Bale was almost a natural Batman. At first a grumbly low quiet voice from a big bulky hench superhero was a bit funny, but Christian Bale was very serious and it suited the role perfectly. Michael Caine performed Alfred the butler again. I do like Michael Caine, but I found him weirdly annoying and was himself more than Alfred.
Good action movie. More of a guy’s film though and I am so looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises!
Mobsters set up gambling casinos in Los Vegas in the 1980’s so they could cream of the money. Very closely based on truth, a 1983 newspaper headline story. The Tangiers Hotel is one of these greedy scams run by Robert De Niro (Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein) for the mob. The fab opening scene sees a car bomb go off and you know this is going to be a violent film from the start. Mobster friend and ally Joe Pesci (Nicky Santoro) is a hitman who loses his temper easily and tries to make a killing on the casinos by cheating until he is banned from every casino. Sam does not have a license for his casino, to avoid detection he changes his job title regularly and sooner or later the trail of felony leads to his door curtesy of Nicky. Sharon Stone (Ginger McKenna plays the girlfriend who becomes Mrs Rothstein. Robert De Niro wears incredible pink suits. The film does not have tension running through it and the narrative is long and laboured and it could easily have been cut down to 2 hours from a whopping 3!. However, Sharon Stone puts in a good performance as the girlfriend and their relationship is believable.
A Steven Spielburg science fiction set in the year 2050 based on a short story. The Pre-crime Department arrests murderers who have not yet committed their crime thereby reducing crime and saving lives. This involves visions from the future determining the next victim and the perpetrator by three gifted people called the “precogs” floating undisturbed in a pool which are then relayed to a perspex screen as flashing images. The images can be interacted with by the use of a glove that can reach in, pin point, zoom in, rotate and rewind to collect data ready for the Team to act on before the event actually takes place. Tom Cruise is the head of the Pre-crime Unit and only he and a select few have the authority to get into the “precog” pool room. But he is named as the next perpetrator and his Team turn on him, so he has to escape.
This is quite clever and thought provoking. Apparently he does not know the victim? Why would he kill someone he did not know and does he have a choice?
I enjoyed this story and the ingenuity of the future. It was a pleasant ride and did not end up in the usual whacking it was much more inventive than that! Some memorable scenes – anyone squeamish about eyes should look away! Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell and Max von Sydow (Shutter Island) also star.
Angelina Jolie is a rogue agent on the run. If you want to watch a chase movie this is it. Most of the movie is the chase with miraculous manoeuvres to get out of situations and link multiple chases. While entertaining the repetition and impossible feats make this cringe worthy and boring.
The story is very weak, but if your watching for the chasing and the running, don’t worry yourself!
Angelina Jolie is incredible with her multiple disguises, hair colours and at one point a male!
Left very disappointed, tomb raider was better. Not a great deal more to say.
Even so I am looking forward for Cleopatra in 2013. I reckon Angelina Jolie would be great.
Johnny Depp is the tourist, an American mathematics teacher who travels. Angelina Jolie is a spy who has instructions to find a person who can impersonate her partner. She finds Johnny Depp on a train, there is a romantic link and he ends up in a hotel by himself and more than desperate to find her again. Depp manages to get himself embroiled in her business as the lookalike and saves the day. Jolie burns her instructions and the burnt fragments are found and stuck back together again – brought back from the ashes with ointment (honestly) just trying to be too be clever, especially at the ending which did not complement rest of film. Was silly and funny at times, but lacked engagement.
Cameron Diaz (June) arrives at the airport but Tom Cruise (Roy Miller, Secret Agent) tries to stop her boarding her flight. One of the best beginnings to any film follows on board the plane and if the whole film was this good it would be a knock out 10 but unfortunately things get a little unreal and although very funny in places and warmly memorable, the storey is haphazard. Cruise has to save a scientist and his invention from falling into the wrong hands. Diaz copes very well in the mayhem and if she doesn’t then he drugs her and she usually wakes up somewhere else! Feels like you are in and out of consciousness yourself as you struggle to figure out how they got where they did and why.
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Written by Hilary Gonen and Tim Volonakis.
Movie critic 