CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
DECEMBER 5: CRIME / DRAMA / THRILLER




   DRAMA / CRIME / THRILLER

Drama, Crime & Thriller - the hardest part on this one was to narrow the field down. Once we had the shorlist it was plain sailing though - Eastwood's miles ahead of the competition on just about every level... The runner-ups are by strange coincidence both directed by Michael Mann. The excellent Heat gets its Blu-Ray debut this holidays season, while the slightly disappointing Public Enemies will still delight Depp and Bale's legions of fans.


THE WINNER: 


 


Monkey Score: 95%


What we loved about it:

1. Clint Eastwood is a God

2. Classy wheels

3. Great story, great characters with performances on- and off-screen to match



Gran Torino (Cert. 15, out 29 June 2009)


What it's about:

Just widowed Korean War vet Walt Kowalski is one of the only Americans left in the neighbourhood. The war shaped his personality, rough around the egdes and prejudiced. He's not ready for the way his world has changed and resents his new Hmong neighbours. When teenager Thao botches an attempt to steal Kowalski's prized Gran Torino, their worlds meet. The family is embarrassed, and Kowalski finds out that Thao had been forced to go through with the theft by his cousin, intent on enrolling him in the local Hmong gang. Thao's sister Sue befriends Kowalski, and he takes the teenagers under his wings when he finds out how their lives are affected by gangs.


What MovieMonkeys thought:

Clint Eastwood excels at playing complex characters just as he excels at directing complex stories. Gran Torino is neither - it's a simple story of times changing around an old-timer that needs subtle touches. Eastwood delivers them in spades both in front and behind the camera. This doesn't however mean meek and feeble: Kowalski's pensioner has a hint of Dirty Harry in him, while the story manages to deliver punches throughout. Eastwood's direction is light and while it threads with a velvet touch it delivers a punchy story and leaves a lasting impression.  Gran Torino is one of the best film of the year. Eastwood is at the top of his game on both sides of the camera.



 

THE RUNNERS-UP:


Public Enemies (Cert. 15)

Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Dir. Michael Mann, 2009, cert. 15


Monkey Score: 80%

Public Enemies falls a long way shy of greatness. Depp, Cotillard and Bale do their talented best to serve a decent script but are unfortunately let down by a slow paced, stilted direction. You may even catch yourself mouthing 'for Pete's sake, get on with it' at times. Michael Mann's great talent is not showcased at its best here. While he certainly gets stellar performances from his cast and crew - beautiful photography and gorgeous period costumes are treat for the eye, too - it feels though his focus is not always on moving the story forward. Public Enemies will delight the numerous fans of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, but while their performance is excellent the film doesn't quite gel. For the Johnny Depp and Christian Bale fans on your Christmas list!




Heat (Cert. 15, out 09 November)

Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Val Kilmer,  dir. Michael Mann, 1995, cert. 15

Monkey Score: 92%

Arguably Michael Mann's best effort as a director, Heat is a classic. As far as cop&robber stories go, though, it is anything but. You expect the DeNiro and Pacino characters to be at each other's throat from start to finish, not to pop out to the local diner for a cuppa... The HD transfer doesn't bring clarity to the L.A. smog but just about everything else looks sharper than on the DVD edition, which is what you're really looking for in an upgrade. The extras on offer are quite comprehensive, from director commentary and long list of deleted scenes to featurettes, including a short talking up that famous cup of coffee. Well worth trading up if you're already a convert, and if you haven't seen it yet then what are you waiting for?


 
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