The World’s End (2013) – Review

Review: The World’s End is a very entertaining and funny action-comedy. The film is about five friends, led by Gary King, who return to their hometown of Newton Haven to try and complete an epic pub crawl that eluded them twenty years earlier. However, as they make their way from bar to bar, they start to notice that there is something off about the town’s people.

The film completes writer-director Edgar Wright and co-writer Simon Pegg’s Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy. Like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, The World’s End succeeds chiefly as a comedy. Wright and his cast have good command of both physical and verbal jokes. To some extent, the film’s physical comedy and stylistic aspects play a bit like a cartoon – but given the heightened sense of fun that the film’s prologue and tone create, this cartoony feel works very well. And, it also opens the narrative up to go in ridiculous directions (which it does).

The action in the film works as well. It is entertaining and holds the attention of the audience, but it is also subservient to the comedy. Everything about the staging and follow through suggests that the fight scenes are being played for comedic effect. Yet, what is interesting (and consistent with Wright’s other films in the trilogy) is that the stakes in this film are much graver than typical action comedies. The character’s lives are actually at risk here. But, at the same time, what could be used for great dramatic tension and emotionally compelling scenes falls a bit flat because the film has already fully committed to being silly. Thus, to some degree, dramatically, the film works against itself a bit. The tone remains that of an exaggerated comedy and never fully shifts into that of a more gripping action thriller type film (that is still funny – an example is the Wright produced horror comedy Attack the Block; it is a horror thriller with palpable stakes that is also really funny).

The strongest aspect of the film is probably its characters (particularly Gary King and Andy Knightley) and their comedic portrayals. As funny and entertaining as the film is what makes it great is its characters. They pull the audience into the story. Regardless of where the story takes the audience, the characters still ground the narrative because the audience wants to see them finish the pub crawl and survive. It is somewhat surprising that Wright could get an audience to care about a group of men finishing a pub crawl on more than a superficial level, but that is the brilliance of his script, the characters, and performances. Gary is an antihero, and not really likable, but his charisma is infective and his drive to find something of meaning in his life is something the audience can really grab onto and get behind.

While the film is structured very well and the pacing moves briskly, the third act of the film sort of putters out, holding the film back. The first two acts build all this great anticipation and tension leading up to what seems like an epic conclusion, but instead Wright undercuts all that with a reversal of expectations. It does work well in terms of comedy and does make sense on a character level, but dramatically is causes the film to stall and feel incomplete and maybe even unsatisfying on some level. It is a brave choice, from a storytelling perspective (and sort of reminds me of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), and maybe it works better upon multiple viewings, but that said the loss of all the dramatic tension and anticipation almost derails the film because the audience feels let down as nothing pays off emotionally. However, Wright does temper this somewhat by including a final action/chase sequence to end the film on an emotional high note (leading into the epilogue).

Much like Wright’s other films, small flaws hold The World’s End back a bit, but it is still a great comedy. One that is well worth seeing both for fans of Wright’s work and those who enjoy fun action comedies.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Edgar Wright has a wonderful cult following, as his films have an auteur-like pop style and are soaked through with cinematic, comic book, and popular culture references. It is a shame really that his films have never really found a mainstream audience. With The World’s End, I think Wright and Pegg have created maybe their most compelling lead character in Gary King. He is hysterically funny and incredibly charming (but more because he is on the verge of complete catastrophe and the audience cannot look away than in the classical sense of the word). In terms of The World’s End place in Wright’s filmography. Personally, it is my second favorite of his films behind Shaun of the Dead (and just ahead of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). I am looking forward to seeing what Wright does with Ant Man (there is a rumor that Pegg might play Hank Pym).

Composer Steven Price’s score and cinematographer Bill Pope’s strong photography give the film a great action vibe, while production designer Marcus Rowland’s design plays more towards the comedic aspects of the film, as there are a number of fun sight gags. Price’s score musically elevates the expectations and anticipation of the audience by feeling like a score that would normally accompany a big action film. Pope is one of the best action genre D.P.s working in cinema right now. His work seems to add an extra level of excitement to the action set pieces, which the film greatly benefits from. Rowland’s design work is subtle at first, and Newton Haven looks like a typical boring English small town, but he sneaks in jokes here and there that really work well. Plus, the design of each pub and its masthead is fantastic.

The entire cast gives great comedic performances. Pierce Brosnan and David Bradley each provide funny moments in their small supporting roles. Rosamund Pike plays Sam, the romantic interest of two of the friends and the sister of another. She has great chemistry with Simon Pegg and their scenes are fantastic (something to remember for Ant Man maybe… hopefully). She has good comedic timing and plays off the ridiculousness of the narrative well. Eddie Marsan plays Peter, the dope of the group. He has some great moments, which he takes full comedic advantage of. Martin Freeman plays Oliver, a lightweight when it comes to drinking and Sam’s brother. Freeman really does good work when his personality suddenly changes. Paddy Considine plays Steven, a man who seems to always be second fiddle to Gary. He is at his best when he overplays the dramatic ups and downs of the night. Nick Frost plays Andy, Gary’s former best friend and heavy drinker who has reformed. Frost very nearly steals the film (and for some probably does). He is brilliantly funny. And Pegg plays Gary, the rebel who has just become sad. Pegg revels in the character, playing him big and it works wonderfully.

Summary & score: The World’s End is a fitting end to the Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy, as it encompasses the same style and tone as the other films, managing to be very funny with engaging action scenes. 8/10

The Ghost Writer (2010) – Review

The Ghost Writer is an effective thriller but at times suffers from an average lead performance and some resulting pacing issues in the middle. Robert Harris’ novel, to which the film is adapted from (by Harris and Roman Polanski), is a thinly veiled commentary on Tony Blair (and other world leaders), whom Harris was once a political advisor to, and as such the film makes reference to the current political climate. Much like many political films of late, this has an ambience of mistrust to it, which works quite well in the narrative structure of the film as well as the visual composition (the overly gloomy weather for instance). Just hearing the score in the opening shot is enough to alert even the most ambivalent of filmgoers to the nature of the story – something is afoot, and the viewer knows it right off. So then, the question becomes: can the filmmakers still sustain their interest during the buildup when they already know, more or less in a narrative way, what is coming – sort of. Polanski is a fantastic filmmaker, it is completely clear that this is the case just looking merely at how the film opens and closes, both shots are brilliant. But what Polanski has not succeeded in, at least to a degree that he should, is his ability to drive the narrative in such a way as to keep viewers glued to the screen and on the edge of their seats. Rather, he structures the film to sort of meander as it unravels clues to what is going on. But once the thriller aspect of the film does kick in, it is quite good and engaging. Though, it just might leave some less interested audience members behind. The film instead relies on the performances of the actors to carry the film’s middle, and they are rather strong, mostly, but not where it counts the most. Ewan McGregor does satisfactory work here, but not great work in a film whose narrative demands great work and this is really the weakness of the film. McGregor is unable to fully compel, charm or otherwise grip viewers. Kim Cattrall is also not great in a role that needed her to be better. She is not able to sufficiently convince the viewer as to the complete nature of her relationship to Pierce Brosnan’s character, which given her limited screen time and interaction theatergoers must rather gather what they know about the characters through other performances – and more to the point Olivia Williams’ fantastic performance. She is perfect in the film. She has a great talent to play off the other actors in the film and without much she invited the viewers into her world, yet she also conveys something not quite describable underneath, as if she is a façade. Brosnan is also good as he brings a lot of bravado to his character, which seems very fitting. Tom Wilkinson, in a very limited role, is also wonderful. (Similar to Michael Clayton) his performance again demonstrates his fine talent, while setting up the second half of the film – in a sense changing the whole pace of the film. Much in the same way, Eli Wallach is good in his brief scene. Alexandre Desplat (who seemingly could occupy all five best score nominations at the 2011 Oscars, he certainly works enough to do it) delivers another tremendous score which utterly fits the atmosphere of the story and is maybe the highlight of the film. It has the audience’s ear from frame one and throughout. Cinematographer Pawel Edelman also produces great work here, his best since The Pianist. Albrecht Konrad’s production design, specifically the beach house that was entirely built on a sound stage is masterful. The house with its modern over-the-top art and almost out-of-place design again clues in the audience that things may not be what they seem. Konrad also did a terrific job of transforming Germany to look like New England. The film does have an Alfred Hitchcock feel to it, from Polanski’s slowly unraveling mystery narrative to Desplats’ score that is a bit like one of Bernard Herrmann’s. The book itself almost has a MacGuffin aspect to it. While this may not be Polanski’s best, it is certainly a good film (that could have been better with a stronger lead). The film is able to enthrall the viewer with its story though its expert use of music and picture, while also  appealing to the audience on a more in depth analytical way, as it references the political climate and actions of leaders in the last decade or two. 7/10