nov 10-14 2010 - Rehoboth Beach Film Society
nov 10-14 2010 - Rehoboth Beach Film Society
nov 10-14 2010 - Rehoboth Beach Film Society
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sIdebaR: lights, Camera, aCTIon!<br />
82<br />
sIdebaR:lights, Camera...aCTIon!<br />
by Ramsey Furse<br />
typically independent films, such as the ones that populate a film festival, are rarely<br />
associated with action. they can be considered thought-provoking, sophisticated,<br />
satirical, witty, picturesque, etc. but rarely are they considered full of action. While<br />
this is still the “norm,” this year’s Festival also finds an especially high amount of pure<br />
unadulterated action! the heart pounding, adrenaline rushing, and edge of your seat<br />
style, action is the key component to several films. if you think action has no place in<br />
an independent film festival, these films will make you think again.<br />
One such pair of films that fall into this genre is Mesrine (PAGE<br />
46) a set of biopics about notorious French gangster Jacques<br />
Mesrine. Like many of the traditional gangster films that American<br />
audiences would be more familiar with, these films detail the rise<br />
and fall of Jacques Mesrine in a story that spans decades and<br />
details many aspects of his underworld career. The films are shot<br />
by a crew who has experience in general cinema and know how<br />
to make their images stand out in the best traditions of artistic<br />
filmmaking. However, despite this attention to a more definitive<br />
set of details, the film retains the heart-pounding traditions<br />
associated with the action genre. Mesrine was a larger than<br />
life character, whose crimes and adventures would provide the<br />
filmmaker with a large expanse of set pieces to draw from. From<br />
bank heists, to multiple escapes from prison, these two films<br />
(Killer Instinct and Public Enemy Number 1) are filled with event after<br />
event that will excite audiences and leave them on the edge of<br />
their seats. At the same time, the films deal with the moral decay<br />
and deeper level of human understanding that Mesrine undergoes<br />
during his decades in crime, yet they manage to take the audience<br />
on an exciting thrill ride.<br />
Another film in the Festival that covers similar territory is Largo<br />
Winch (PAGE 43). The story of the unconventional heir to a<br />
multinational corporation returning to rescue it from destruction is<br />
jam-packed with scenes of corporate intrigue and sabotage, which<br />
often leaves the boardroom and spills over into the outside world.<br />
The title character of the film is a globetrotter, hoping from nation<br />
to nation Brazil to Hong Kong to Croatia, in an attempt to uncover<br />
the riddle at the film’s center. Along the way, as he gets caught<br />
up in corporate intrigue, Largo and his adversaries participate<br />
in several chase scenes, and other moments of suspense and<br />
exhilaration. The film is not just an exercise in turning one’s brain<br />
Mesrine:<br />
Killer instinct<br />
Page: 46<br />
Mesrine PuBlic<br />
e n e M y n u M B e r 1<br />
Page: 46<br />
larGo Winch<br />
Page: 43<br />
off however, as the context of these action scenes is completely<br />
lost if one cannot understand the back story behind them. The<br />
film also serves as a commentary, albeit an exaggerated one, on<br />
the high stakes world of the modern business community. Hitmen<br />
and spies are common parlance for the wheelers and dealers of<br />
this film’s world, and while its characters might not always take<br />
the structures of society quite seriously, the film still appears to<br />
have something to say about those structures as well.<br />
Animal Kingdom (PAGE 34) is another film which falls into the<br />
action genre. This Australian film, set in Melbourne, tells the<br />
story of a family of criminals, whose violent actions in the drug<br />
trade are seen from the perspective of a 17-year- old member,<br />
who is entering this world after previously being shielded from<br />
his family’s violence. While the content of the film seems like<br />
the typical action fare that one might see at the local multiplex,<br />
the film itself seeks to separate itself from its more mainstream<br />
cousins in several smaller ways. Reviews of the film coming out<br />
of Sundance have described the style as “naturalistic,” and while<br />
the content follows the typical action movie, things aren’t always<br />
shot in the same way, nor do they unfold at the same tempo. This<br />
is a film with a difference in style, portraying this genre in a new<br />
context.<br />
Finally the award-winning Israeli film Lebanon (PAGE 44) uses war<br />
to mirror the ills of society. Taking place all within the confines<br />
of the tank or views seen through the tanks scope, the films<br />
claustrophobic vision makes for compelling viewing. While action<br />
is at every turn, amongst the booming of tank fire and searing<br />
rounds of gunfire, the psychological rigors of war and the battles<br />
raging inside the heads of the soldiers take center stage.<br />
aniMal KinGdoM<br />
Page: 34<br />
leBanon<br />
Page: 44