Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) – Review

Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a glorified gag-reel, very funny in moments but without much of a satisfying story. The film finds Ron Burgundy and his wife Veronica Corningstone in New York City reading national network news. However, everything changes when Veronica is promoted to primetime and Ron is fired. Ron cannot handle it and blows up his marriage, retreating back to San Diego where he falls further into a state of despair. After a few months of spiraling anguish, Ron is courted by Freddie Shapp, a news producer charged with finding talent for a new 24-hour news channel Global News Network (GNN). Now, Ron must reunite his news team and reestablish himself as a newsman, in the hopes of winning back his family.

Actor-writer Will Ferrell and writer-director Adam McKay made a name for themselves in feature films with Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Thus, it was probably only a matter of time before they eventually found their way back to the character(s). With Anchorman 2, the comedy team has made a film that seems to exploit all the jokes of the first film taking them to the excess, priming fans to gorge themselves. The jokes that resonated the most with fans in the first film have been exaggerated and squeezed for every possible bit of funny still left in them.

The characters too have ballooned. They were already caricatures to some extent, but here they have become parodies of themselves. Everything that fans loved about them has been mined to completion. Yes, a lot of the material is very funny but overall it is just a barrage of comedy with any and every joke being flung at the audience, hoping some will hit (but many miss).

It is almost too much really. The sole purpose of the film seems to be rehashing all the old jokes, while sprinkling in a few new ones, in an effect to play on the nostalgia of fans (while still giving them some new great and memorable lines). To this end, the film is very successful, as ultimately there are many really great jokes and moments that carry the film (really, there are so many jokes and types of jokes that everyone will find at least a few parts and lines very funny).

But as a narrative film, Anchorman 2 is pretty weak. The story seems like an afterthought – nothing more than a mechanism to get from one set of jokes to the next. And while the main purpose of the film is to make fans of the characters and first film laugh again, one might hope that the filmmakers would still consider a sound story and narrative structure a priority (as the first film does have a good story which the jokes are built upon). Yet, that is just not the case. Without a solid foundation, no matter how funny the jokes are, the film just feels like a lessor entity (which is too bad).

Following in the footsteps of The Newsroom (though, not to quite the same extent), Anchorman 2 does do a decent job of shaming the farce that is America’s current news programming. It is not subtle about it either, clearly pointing out how news has become about entertaining rather than informing. It is nice to see that the film has some higher aspirations and social awareness.

All in all, though, Anchorman 2 is still a worthwhile endeavor, even with the somewhat nonexistent plot. The great successes of many of the jokes (winning over the many that fall flat) make the film very entertaining, and probably a film worth returning to many times (much like the first), allowing the jokes to catch the viewer in different ways. And yet, it basically plays as not much more than a gag-reel with very funny people saying and doing anything and everything to get a laugh.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Will Ferrell and Adam McKay were atop the comedy world with films like Anchorman, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Step Brothers, but their recent output has found them wanting. The Other Guys and now Anchorman 2 have prized jokes over story, when their past work managed to find the right balance. Yes, their films continue to be hilarious and entertaining, which to some degree is all one could really want from a comedy, but their weak narratives also leave them feeling a bit like throwaway comedies – films to be laughed at and then forgotten.

Composers Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, cinematographer Oliver Wood, and production designer Clayton Hartley all do a good job of recreating the world and feel of Anchorman. The look and tone of the film are spot on, but really this film is just about the jokes.

The film is jam-packed with celebrity cameos (to varying degrees of comical success). Of these many cameos, Harrison Ford and especially John C. Reilly turn in very funny moments. Kristen Wiig is funny as Brick’s female counterpart Chani (but really, none of her stuff is among the film’s best). Meagan Good turns in what is probably her best comedic performance to date as Ron’s boss Linda Jackson. Christina Applegate is good again here as Veronica, as she balances her love for Ron and career drive. David Koechner was a bit of a one-note joke as Champ in the first film, and that is mostly true again with Anchorman 2, but his “Whammy!” catchphrase continues to be pretty funny. Paul Rudd has some great moments again, even if Brian Fantana is almost entirely relegated to reworking the same jokes from the first (cologne collection substituted for condom collection – though some of his lines in this bit are hilarious). Steve Carell as Brick is really the breakthrough character of the film, seeing an expanded role. And in this, Carell steals the film with many of the best comedy moments. He is brilliant. Will Ferrell is just so charismatic as Ron Burgundy. Even if he is playing the same jokes over again, it is hard not to watch him with a smile and a chuckle (which often grows to a roar).

Summary & score: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is everything fans could have hoped for comically/nostalgically – playing a bit like a greatest hits album, but as a narrative film it falls short. 6/10

Movie of the Week – The Fugitive

This week’s movie: The Fugitive (1993).

Dr. Richard Kimble’s wife is murdered and Kimble contends that he is innocent, but is convicted and sentenced anyway. After his transport bus to prison crashes, Kimble is able to escape. He returns to Chicago to prove his innocence and find the one-armed man responsible.

The action thriller is directed by Andrew Davis, who directed a number of action films in Hollywood, but The Fugitive is by far his best (other notable films by him are Above the Law and Under Siege). He worked with composer James Newton Howard, cinematographer Michael Chapman, and production designer J. Dennis Washington.

The film stars Harrison Ford and co-stars Tommy Lee Jones (who won an Oscar). Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Jeroen Krabbe, Daniel Roebuck, L. Scott Caldwell, Tom Wood, Nick Searcy, and Jane Lynch feature in support.

The Fugitive is a great thriller from the 1990s, a decade that is probably better remembered now for its indie films than its Hollywood output. It is based on the 1960s TV series, and Tommy Lee Jones’s character was so popular that it produced a sequel in which his character chases down another innocent fugitive called U.S. Marshalls. It is worth checking out for fans of good action thrillers and fans of Harrison Ford; it is one of his best of the 1990s (along with Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and Air Force One).

Trailer: Here

Available on: Blu-ray and Video On-Demand

Ender’s Game (2013) – Review

Review: Ender’s Game is a perfectly acceptable young adult sci-fi action/drama. The film is about a teen, Ender Wiggin, who is being trained to lead the Earth’s Space fleet in an assault on an alien enemy that almost conquered Earth thirty years earlier. While Ender is being groomed for command by Colonel Graff, he must still overcome multiple obstacles to prove that he is indeed ready to lead. In this seemingly utopian (authoritarian governed) future, children are determined to be the Earth’s best hope at survival as their minds have a higher aptitude for taking on complex strategic problems (and they can be controlled more easily by propaganda, weeding out compassion).

Ender’s Game has a lot of interesting ideas: the morality of the use of child soldiers, compassion for the enemy, the social construct of a state governed by an authoritarian government, how propaganda is used to incite emotion and action within people, and many others. However, writer-director Gavin Hood’s film feels rather restrained. These elements are present, as they are in Orson Scott Card’s novel (for which the film is based), but here they are sort of glossed over and pushed to the shadows. The film is far less dark than it probably could have been tonally. In many ways, it reeks of a Hollywoodized makeover, which is disappointing as this feels watered down. That said, though, there are still interesting social and political elements that linger just below the surface.

The film overall can be read as an allegory for the West’s current feelings towards and on-going struggle with within Middle East, and vice versa. The International Military’s policy towards the Formics (the bug-like alien race that attempted to conquer the Earth) is that of total eradication, without regard for their civilization. They never question why the Formics first attacked Earth or to what end they now seem to be rebuilding their forces. They just assume the worse: the Formics intend to come back to Earth. The attitude of hate and ignorance that the film attributes to the International Military and through their propaganda the Earth’s population is similar to how many (on both sides) feel about the West’s current conflict within Middle East – the only way to truly gain victory is simply eradication (which is seemingly fueled by propaganda built on fear). The lesson of the film is that understanding is a better method. Applying this to the conflict in the Middle East is probably an over-reading of the film, but much like in Ender’s Game the current conflict seems to be escalating towards an event that will be catastrophic, irreversible, and civilization altering. The film warns of where unchecked hate and fear lead, when most of Hollywood’s generic output celebrates violence and hate.

Structurally, Hood has a lot of plot to get through, which does hurt his ability to develop supporting characters. Ender is given almost all the film’s character moments, which works well (given how much plot there is in a limited runtime) as the audience does become invested in his journey. However, the supporting characters and secondary storylines suffer greatly. There is almost no backstory or world building. The audience never really gets a full sense of the world Ender has grown up in, rather just quick glimpses. Hood tells his narrative very efficiently, but the film feels a bit emotionally bland. The audience wants to see Ender succeed from a story perspective, but so much is brushed to the side that the audience does not really have too much to grab onto and truly become invested in on a deeper level.

The military’s psychologist at one point expresses her concern for the use of children in war, but really the film does not dig into this idea, which otherwise seems like one of the central ideas in the narrative (I have not read the novel, so I comment purely based on what I saw in the film). The idea of using children to fight a war, tricking them by telling them they are merely playing ‘games’ and continually culturing them to be soldiers and hate the enemy, is very interesting and intellectually compelling. In our modern world, children are used for much the same reason they are in Ender’s Game in gangs (to sell drugs and commit other crimes) and even as soldiers in some third world countries. In both examples, children fall victim to powerful authoritative figures who exploit them using the hardships of their lives and propaganda. Children’s minds are still developing and thus are more susceptible to brainwashing by propaganda (in whatever form it takes). So the question becomes, while we know using children in such a way, as gangs and warlords use them in our modern society, is it still wrong to use them in a similar fashion to potentially save humanity? This question is maybe the most compelling that the film asks, but it spends almost no time addressing it, which is unfortunate. Again, Hood has a lot of plot to get through and seemingly just does not have the screen time.

In many ways, Ender’s Game is a straightforward sci-fi action/drama. Man must fight against an alien race for its very survival. Most of the action takes place in Space and the production design on Earth creates a very futuristic/utopian feeling. And to this degree, the film is entertaining. Its characters are also managed well enough to create an acceptably dramatic experience. The audience cares about Ender (though, I would argue only superficially) and thus are engaged in the story, action, and drama. But, the film is also nothing special. It just feels bland. This is the result of playing it safe in regards to all the interesting questions it raises about the nature of humanity in the face of war. Looking at the potential of what Ender’s Game could have been, it is a great disappointment, but that said it is still an enjoyable Hollywood sci-fi film as it is.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi (the story of a young Johannesburg gang leader) seems like it would translate very well into his ability to tackle Ender’s Game from a place of looking at the social and political ideas that the narrative raises. He also made the politically infused drama Rendition (regarding war-prisoner interrogation). But Ender’s Game is politically mute for the most part. Everything is very subtle and glossed over. It is as if Hood took an interesting narrative, sanitized it of all real grit, and then presented it as a polished, safe Hollywood film (a system/style of filmmaking that has not served him well in the past: X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

Composer Steve Jablonsky, who often works on action films, again offers up a score that emphasizes the action and sets the tone. The action as it is set forth in the film is really marginally interesting as presented (it is basically teens flying around in zero-gravity shooting stun guns at each other or meaningless Space ships firing at each other), but Jablonsky gives everything an extra feeling of excitement as his score seems to raise the stakes. The film has an overall look and feel that can be described as a mix of Gattaca and Starship Troopers (though in both cases much more restrained politically and tonally). Donald McAlpine’s cinematography does a great job giving the film a strong sci-fi aesthetic, as the lighting it very clean. Sean Haworth and Ben Procter’s production design is probably the film’s best attribute. In collaboration with McAlpine’s photography, their work creates the overall feeling that this takes place in a very rigid, futuristic world. Their sets in Space have somewhat of a generic sci-fi look, but they still work. However, the look of the sets and overall design of the scenes on Earth is fantastic. Again, everything looks very clean (the shots of the Space craft taking off set against the mountain landscape are beautiful).

The cast is adequate overall. The narrative, as it is structures, does not really give any of the characters much to do outside of Ender and Graff (though, even he is mostly just an authoritative caricature). Moises Arias (who plays a character completely different than his The Kings of Summer character Biaggio but can seemingly still not escape him), Nonso Anozie, and Viola Davis provide decent small supporting performances. Ben Kingsley takes his highly underwritten character of Mazer Rackham and infuses it with life with his intense eyes. Abigail Breslin plays the film’s only seemingly compassionate character and she is essential to the narrative, and yet is given almost nothing character wise. She merely says plot driven dialog while trying to emote deeper emotions. Hailee Steinfeld’s character of Petra Arkanian is also gravely underwritten. She ends up a stereotypical, boring PG love interest. Harrison Ford is good in the film, playing Graff. He mixes hardened war veteran with loving father well. I might argue that Ford is too sincere in his performance, but that plays into the film not being very dark tonally when it probably should have been. Asa Butterfield is also good as Ender. He does a great job of playing his emotions on the surface non-verbally. The audience can tell what is going on with him emotionally without explicitly needing to be told through dialog.

Summary & score: Ender’s Game is an entertaining sci-fi action/drama targeted at young adults, and to this purpose it is a decent film. The issue with the film is that it squanders the potential to be something more, say something more, and dig deeper into interesting social and political questions (that are clearly central to its narrative). 6/10

Movie of the Week – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

This week’s movie is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

The film is the third in the series and is about Indy’s quest to find the Holy Grail. Steven Spielberg returns as director (having done all four in the series), bringing with him his fantastic crew including: composer John Williams (delivering possibly my favorite of all his iconic scores), cinematographer Douglas Slocombe and production designer Elliot Scott (it was the last film both Slocombe and Scott worked on). George Lucas produced and came up with the story, but really the film is amazing thanks to Spielberg’s Hollywood-style auteur directing and the phenomenal cast, who bring both good performances and characters to the screen but also a lot of fun (as this is maybe the funniest of the franchise). The film stars Harrison Ford and features supporting work from Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, and River Phoenix. While Raiders of the Lost Ark is universally regarded as the best in the series, Last Crusade is my favorite. Both films share many fantastic scenes and sequences, great jokes and Indy fighting against Nazis, but Last Crusade has Connery. His scenes playing against Ford and their chemistry are what make this film all the more special. I recommend this film (and the whole initial trilogy) to all movie-lovers. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and Trilogy Box Set

Cowboys & Aliens (2011) – Review

Review: Cowboys & Aliens is probably a better western than it is a sci-fi adventure, but sadly it is not a western. It is an adventure film with villains that have no emotional impact whatsoever. The audience does not care about the villains and thus the stakes are not two-sided putting all the dramatic weight on the heroes – the problem is that director Jon Favreau did not really develop the heroes much either, relying instead on action, spectacle and his stars to carry the film. This would have been fine, except the pacing is very slow at times leaving most of the film feeling boring (which is a surprise for a summer blockbuster). The aliens have no inherent humanity about them, they are just here to destroy our world (a bit like Battle: Los Angeles, only the stakes feel a lot more life-and-death in that film).  And the heroes are made up of either undeveloped characters like Doc and Ella, bit players like Alice, Meacham, Percy, Nat, and Hunt or western genre caricatures like Colonel Dolarhyde and Jake Lonergan. Dolarhyde and Lonergan are the characters the audience is intended to relate to and be invested in. However, and especially in the case of Dolarhyde, Favreau banks too much on the star appeal and persona of his actors than developing authentic deep characters. Thus, the audience does not care about the villains and does not really care about the heroes, outside of a love of and draw to the actors playing them. Lonergan does have some good development work, but the man he was in the flashbacks seems to not resemble who he is at present in the film, thus the audience almost dismisses any backstory and takes the character at face value on what he is doing at present, which in a way does help the relationship he has with Ella work more than it otherwise should. All in all, the film is poorly made from a narrative standpoint. That said, the aesthetics, especially the look and style of the western side of things, are great and provide the best moments in the film – the opening sequence of Lonergan waking up and finding the town, Lonergan’s run-in with his old gang and the end battle with the Aliens is good fun too, and it helps that the audience somewhat cares about Ella and Lonergan. The rest of the film just sort of drags, brought down by poorly done supporting seemingly pointless characters and terrible pacing. If a film is not going to be ripe with lush characters and well done drama, at least keep the action and pacing tight enough to keep things moving. And that sums up Cowboys & Aliens – some good action, well done western motifs but poorly made overall (leaving me to wish that this was an actual western drama and not a sci-fi adventure).

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Jon Favreau began to position himself as a good action director with his work on the Iron Man series (neither one is great, as both suffer from somewhat crippling narrative issues, but they are fun entertaining action films). Cowboys & Aliens, in a way, further exposes his directorial shortcomings and reliance on his stars to carry his films (which is also the case with Iron Man). It is not nearly as good as either Iron Man film. The film also calls into question the quality of writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (who only seem to make good stuff when working with J.J. Abrams), as they also recently wrote the completely terrible Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is fun, as he blends a classic western vibe with sort of the typical superhero adventure compositions. Matthew Libatique’s cinematography is not as good as his usual work. The action is often muddled and disconnected (though, this is on Favreau too), while a lot of the film is too dark (do we ever actually get a good look at the aliens? I cannot imagine seeing this in 3D, it would just a black screen the whole time). Scott Chambliss’s production design steals the show a bit (his set for the town is spot on, and I loved the look of the inside of the riverboat). One paper, the cast is great and perfect for this sort of genre blending film. However, great actors like Sam Rockwell are given essentially nothing real to do, working with a few clichés and minimal character (the role as it appears onscreen was pretty much a waste of his time, and certainly his talent). Probably the best work is done by the bit players: Paul Dano (who is so good at playing a whiny jackass, see There Will Be Blood for reference), Adam Beach (who actually emotes real drama in a film almost void of it), Keith Carradine (who is beyond perfect for any western), Abigail Spencer, Walton Goggins, and David O’Hara deliver good moments. The stars are alright, but really they were not given much to do.  Olivia Wilde is very detached, but it works decently enough as the story develops. Harrison Ford has to almost completely rely on his own screen persona and Daniel Craig, who has probably the best role in the film from an actor’s standpoint, is quite good and compelling and his good work goes a long way in making the film entertaining.

Summary & score: With all its issues, it is thanks to great star power and operating in fun genres that Cowboys & Aliens is able to be entertaining at all. 6/10

Movie of the Week – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

This week’s movie is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

The film is the second in the Indiana Jones series and finds Indy in India on a mission to track down a missing holy stone for a small village that has fallen on very hard times since the stone was stolen. Director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas team up again for the film, and it features a fabulous score from John Williams (as do all the films in the series), wonderful cinematography from Douglas Slocombe and great production design from Elliot Scott. Like all the films, it stars Harrison Ford, and this installment features supporting work from Kate Capshaw (who then became Mrs. Spielberg), Jonathan Ke Quan, and Amrish Puri. Look out for Dan Aykroyd’s cameo as well. While not considered quite as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark or Last Crusade, Temple of Doom is still a very fun and entertaining adventure film. The opening sequence in Shanghai is great and Ford’s charisma carries the film. Plus, Short Round, the action and the jokes make up for the otherwise complete annoyance of Willie Scott. Fans of the series no doubt already love this film, and if you have not seen the first three films in the series – get on that and watch them. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and to Rent

Movie of the Week - Raiders of the Lost Ark

This week’s movie is Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

The first in the Indiana Jones Series, the film is about Indiana Jones, an archeologist tasked with the mission of finding the Lost Ark of the Covenant in 1936 before the Nazis, as it might be a powerful weapon. The creative team of director Steven Spielberg, writer Lawrence Kasdan and producer George Lucas (Kasdan and Lucas also did The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi together as writer and producer respectively) is the equivalent to an early 80s’ dream team of adventure talent. On the film, Spielberg has composer John Williams and editor Michael Kahn (both of whom pretty much work on everything he does), classically brilliant cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (who shot the first three in the series, Last Crusade being the last film of his career) and production designer Norman Reynolds (who like Kasdan and Lucas, also worked on Empire and Jedi). Adding another iconic character to his resume, Harrison Ford stars, with Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliot, Ronald Lacey, and George Harris in support (and look out of Alfred Molina during the opening sequence). What makes this film great is how much fun it is. Indiana Jones incorporates all the best things about blockbuster moviemaking: excitement, great action, laughs, locations, drama, and wonderful characters. Plus, the aesthetics of the film are top notch as well. Who does not recognize Williams’s score instantly? The film taps into our childlike wonder (and for me has a ton of nostalgic appeal, as it is one of the films I grew up with). Ford is utterly fantastic as Jones (playing the character a lot like Hans Solo, but who cares, both are great). This is one of the best adventure films, blockbusters, and straight up films of all-time. It is a must see for everyone. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD, Trilogy DVD Box Set and to Rent

Movie of the Week - The Empire Strikes Back

This week’s movie is The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

The film is the second in the Star Wars Saga (and no I do not count the new films), finding Luke pressuring his Jedi training while Darth Vader hunts down his friend in a bid to capture Luke. While the story for the film is by George Lucas, who also executively produced it, the screenplay is by Leigh Brackett (one of the last things this fantastic screenwriter worked on) and Lawrence Kasdan (who would become a big Hollywood player in the 80s) and directed by Irvin Kershner. Also new to the franchise were excellent cinematographer Peter Suschitzky (who now shoots David Cronenberg’s stuff) and production designer Norman Reynolds (his first PD job). John Williams provides a wonderfully iconic score (which I think is even better than the first film’s). All the stars are back: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, and the voice work of James Earl Jones. The film introduces fan favorite characters as well: Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), Yoda (Frank Oz) and of course Boba Fett. What makes this film great is that it is not afraid to have an unhappy ending (which many fans believe makes it the best in the Saga). While the first and third films end with miraculous triumphs for the Rebels, this one sees everything in disarray and defeat. I assume everyone has seen this, but if you have not – what are you waiting for? The Star Wars Saga changed movies forever, making it a must for cinema and genre fans. Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent

Movie of the Week - Star Wars

This week’s movie is Star Wars (1977).

The space opera is about The Empire, a tyrannical military force, whose sole objective is to gain control and have power over the universe. However, there are still some Rebels that fight against them. When one of the leading Rebels is captured by Darth Vader (a top Empire commander), she sends a desperate message to Obi-Wan Kanobi, a former Jedi Knight, asking for his help to get plans on how to strike a decisive blow to The Empire to the Rebel base. But, the message falls into the hands of Luke Skywalker, a farmer who longs for more. The film is written and directed by George Lucas (and to date is the best film that he has directed). Lucas has a fantastic cast and crew on the film with music by John Williams, cinematography from Gilbert Taylor and production design from John Barry (making it an all-star line-up). Williams’ score is wonderful (though it gets even better with the two subsequent films), but it is Barry’s sets that steal the show (he also designed Superman and A Clockwork Orange, before he died young). The cast is highlighted by Alec Guinness and features Mark Hamill (though maybe his best work is as the voice of the Joker), Carrie Fisher and great voice work from Anthony Daniels and James Earl Jones. However, it is Harrison Ford’s Han Solo that elevates this film. His rough, fringe planet smuggler Captain Solo is utterly charismatic and a pleasure to watch (not to mention influencing Firefly’s Captain Reynolds). What makes this film great is its scale, sets, characters and story. This is the film that would forever change the landscape of Hollywood filmmaking, and many of our favorite films exist thanks to this one. It is a must see (though I suspect most have already seen it, if not multiple times). Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent

Movie of the Week - Frantic

This week’s movie is Frantic (1988).

The mystery is about Dr. Richard Walker and his wife who come to Paris, France, for a vacation/conference. They arrive at the hotel and Walker takes a shower after the long trip. When he emerges, he finds that his wife is gone, missing, disappeared. He begins to look for her and gets caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs, and murder. The film is directed by one of the masters of crime and mystery filmmaking Roman Polanski (probably want to also check out his films Chinatown and The Pianist). Polanski has a stellar crew on the film with a score from legendary composer Ennio Morricone, cinematography by Polish D.P. Witold Sobocinski and production design by Pierre Guffroy. The film served as a breakthrough for French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, who is alluring and mysterious and perfect for the role. The star, however, is Harrison Ford playing the type of role that he plays best – against all odds. His career is full of iconic characters and performances, and this is one of the really good ones. What makes the film great is how Polanski weaves elements of crime drama, mystery and thriller together to make a very entertaining film, which is both full of action and suspense (and it does not hurt that it has Paris as the backdrop). This is a must for fans of Polanski or Ford and those looking for a great mystery-thriller. Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray and DVD from Amazon.com and to rent from Netflix.com