drifkind Reviews

The Jackal (1997)

Unintended parody

[28 June 2003]

I entered the theater with fond memories of Fred Zinnemann's 1973 "Day of the Jackal", expecting a chance to scoff at a butchered remake of a fine, suspenseful and tensely-paced film. After the first half-hour or so, it suddenly occurred to me that what I was seeing was not a remake at all, but a parody. Then I began to enjoy myself.

Watching to see what modern filmmaking sensibilities had made of the more memorable scenes from the original kept me thoroughly entertained for the rest of the show. Edward Fox's neat little sniper's rifle--with its disguise constructed from a marvelous, high-tech material called "stainless steel"--metamorphosed into an immense carbon-fiber contraption suitable for demolishing an armored battalion. Fox's deadly silent assassination of a cantaloupe turned into a market-garden recreation of the Battle of the Bulge. And so on.

I don't think my companion, or anyone else in the theater, appreciated my snickers and occasional belly laugh. Too bad. I had a great time.

Se7en (1995)

No, I don't

[19 June 2003]

Some movies, like some literature, will change you. You can't watch "To Kill a Mockingbird" without wanting to be a better, stronger person. This is the first movie I've seen that I feel has actually made me a worse person. I would like to erase the experience from my life.

The fact that the movie is beautifully and strongly made only deepens the anger I feel toward the makers. Its only message seems to be, "You want to see this--you know you do." No, I don't.

Stalker (1979)

On the other hand, it's beautiful

[26 December 1999]

Tarkovsky's film, based roughly on the brothers Strugatsky's novel Roadside Picnic, is not the success his more-famous Solaris is. Where the book mixed reality with elements of myth, Stalker skips the reality and goes straight for myth. The result lacks the ability to convince. The bizarre dangers of the Zone that give Roadside Picnic its color appear here only by the most indirect reference. The Stalker's terror, and his apparent fetishism over a handful of nuts and bolts, are hard to take seriously. The film is partly redeemed by stolid acting (yes, I meant stolid) and beautiful, haunting cinematography.

In a way, this film is Solaris turned inside-out: not the psyche as seen by the universe, but the universe as seen by the psyche.

The Final Programme (1973)

John Steed drops acid

[26 December 1999]

A shortened version of the film first released as The Final Programme, from Michael Moorcock's novel of that name. Jerry Cornelius is the perfect universal hero/anti-hero in a disintegrating world. His search for his father's invention involves him with his mad brother Frank and the sinister programmer, Miss Brunner. The acting is over the top (one reviewer described it as "rug-chewing"), hip, and outrageous. The flip, self-mocking style owes a great deal to The Avengers, The Prisoner, and possibly even the Beatles.