In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's Reviews

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Hello MoFo’s! And welcome to another edition of At the Theater with The Gunslinger 45. Not actually at the theater with this review (though I did see it in the theater when it first came out). I have wanted to do a review of this movie for a while now, but I have been putting it off. I did so because I wanted to wait until I felt comfortable doing a proper write-up for this flick. Why? Because this is a movie about cops in patrol… and as some of you know, I am a cop in patrol. So why would I want to review this? At one point when the flick was initially released, there was talk about how this was a more realistic look at the police then other TV shows and movies. Lethal Weapon, Law and Order, the God awful CSI, to Dirty Harry; all of these shows and movies have depicted law enforcement in one form or another. And most people know it is all Hollywood. But End of Watch was looked at as different; it was supposed to be more reality based. Or at least this was the talk among a bunch of grunts stationed in Fort Hood when we saw the flick over the weekend. And now I have the unique opportunity to determine that. Also I want to do it because I think being a cop is the best damn job in the world and want to give you a small slice of my 9-5 (or in my case 4 to midnight). And since I officially made it off probation and have been on the streets for 1 year, why the hell not talk about it? So is this another Hollywood fantasy? Or is this actually a slice of reality? The short answer? A little from column A, and a little from column B. You want the long answer? Then suit up kiddies for a ride along with Officer Gunslinger as we patrol the streets with End of Watch! With commentary and true (and sometimes humorous) references of actual calls for police I have answered.

So our movie takes place on the mean streets of South Central Los Angeles and opens with a monologue by Jake Gyllenhaal. He gives a speech about what it means to be police; both as an officer of the law and as a human being. The entire time this monologue is over footage of a car chase as captured from a squad car dash cam. It ends with a shoot out and introducing us to our main protagonists Officers Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and his partner Officer Zavala (Michael Pena). From there we cut to Taylor and Zavala in the police locker room. Taylor has a project for a filmmaking college course and he has opted to document his job as a police officer. Thus setting up the use of tiny body cameras, hand held cameras, and various other forms of shots to create the movie’s “found footage feel.” The movie follows the lives of Zavala and Taylor as cops. You see them at calls, you see them doing paper work, you see them off duty, and you see how they live and who they share their lives with. You also get to see them get into too deep with members of the Cartels who happen to run the local drug trade in South Central LA. What follows is life on the street from the view of the cops with boots on the streets.

So let’s address the elephant in the room, is this a 100% accurate depiction of life on the streets? HELL no. Then again, no movie or TV show ever is. Even a show like Cops with actual police and sheriff’s deputies is not a 100% accurate look at policing. Why is that? Because these movies and TV shows are ENTERTAINMENT. As such they have to try and get to the good stuff to keep the audience’s attention. Not every call the cops go to is a code 3 emergency (that is when we drive with lights and sirens). Not every call is a disturbance. Hell not every call for police is even in regards to a crime (more on that later). So the director David Ayer (the guy who wrote Training Day, SWAT, and directed Street Kings) has to balance reality and accuracy with pleasing the audience. And I say he did it pretty damn well. So let’s look at what is real and what is fake.

Let’s start off with the Hollywood BS. There is no way on God’s green Earth the supervisors of Taylor and Zavala would allow them to film their jobs as cops for a class project. As one officer said in the movie early on, that is considered evidence. Officers who wear body cameras are required to upload and tag footage from their cameras. And “deleting” the footage would be considered tampering with evidence. Also there are shots of the movie that are more than a little cinematic. These shots look too good to be taken by a handheld camera, or could not have been captured by the equipment they have. The aerial shots of the city, the love scene, and the like are all presented in the film for the purposes of good story telling and scene cohesion, but they were in no way captured by handheld cameras. Then again, the look of the movie is really cool. So I don’t mind it. And I am sure as hell not going to complain about a movie looking “too good.” The final shootout is pure Hollywood. And really, why the hell does no one pick up a damn AK? I know you have to use department standards weapons as a cop and can’t bring whatever you want to work, but when you are outnumbered and out gunned, better to face possible discipline alive then dead. The scene where Pena’s character takes off his badge and fights a guy in his own home is also fiction, and a great way to get complained on. And the entire Cartel and Federal Agents show up out of the blue subplot is pure fiction and have been done to death on TV shows like Law and Order. It is also HIGHLY unlikely that the local beat cops are going to stumble on the Cartels in such a way that leads to them putting a hit on cops. And this is coming from a guy who works in a city where the Cartels operate in! And of all the guns I have recovered, I have yet to find a gun as nice as the blinged up AK and 1911. The guns I get are going to be the Hi-Points, Cobra Arms, Jennings, and similar cheap Saturday night specials; with the high end guns I have recovered being Glock, Taurus, and Colt. And those are the ones that will be stolen. Remember, I work in the hood.

In addition to the more blatant Hollywood troupes, Ayer has to have a good balance of fiction with reality. As such he does include various kinds of calls cops get called to. We even get a few non emergency calls for police that are actually common place. But even those are played up a bit for Hollywood entertainment. Taylor and Zavala go to a health and welfare check call. Cops go to those often. This is when a family member is concerned about an elderly family member who usually lives alone and has not been heard from in a while. Usually the family member is alive. This time we get a dead body. Do those calls end with dead people? Of course. But when we find those houses, they certainly don’t contain remains of dead people the Cartel killed inside. Taylor and Zavala also go to a loud music call. Again, very common call; especially on the weekends. But this one JUST happens to have the same gangbangers from earlier in the movie that killed a guy in a drive by. Again, Ayer has to keep the keep the audience riveted, so he bends reality for the sake of good drama.

In addition to certain common calls being used in the film, certain calls I seem to go to everyday are noticeably absent in this movie. Like where the hell are the domestic disturbances? I watch a patrol cop movie for an hour and fifty minutes that in the context of the film lasts months and not ONE call where a wife, husband, baby daddy, boyfriend, girlfriend, or homosexual lover are fighting and someone has laid hands on one another? What fantasy world is this?!?!?!? Family violence calls are police bread and butter, so a patrol cop movie without them just seems weird. Also, where are the calls for police to deal with mental health patients? Sadly, the powers that be did away with the men in white with the straight jackets. So someone in their infinite wisdom (or was it stupidity) decided cops would take over the role of dealing with people with mental illness who might be a concern. So when we have a person who is diagnosed with a mental illness, said person is off their meds (or the meds aren’t working,) and is either suicidal or a danger to others, the cops get called. We place them in handcuffs and take them to a hospital with mental health capacities. They are not under arrest, but the cuffs are needed for officer safety and the safety of others. That is under our general orders. I once had to take a lady to the local hospital that was having a MAJOR depressive episode where SHE asked me “PLEASE TAKE MY LIFE! SHOOT ME PLEASE! YOU CAN DO IT!” After explaining that I was not going to shoot her, she was thankfully cooperative and we got her the help she needed and transported to the local hospital.

And those are the legitimate calls for police. Where are the “not police” calls? Where are the calls where a teenager is acting out of control and the mom expects me to scare the kid straight and correct years of bad parenting in 10 minutes? Where are calls for police that are civil matters? I am a police officer; I deal in the penal code. I have NO AUTHORITY in civil matters. If Person A loaned Person B money, and Person B won’t pay them back; I cannot kick in doors and force him to give you back your money. That is a civil matter. Take them to court. I cannot force your ex-girlfriend to give up the TV you shared now that you two broke up and she is moving out. That is considered shared community property. Take them to court. I cannot fine parents for “failing to raise their kids” because your daughter got into a fist fight with the neighbor’s kid in the middle of the street. That is mutual combat. I can’t do anything there. And I sure as hell should not be called to your apartment to get your lesbian lover to give back your cell phone after an argument because you happen to be bed ridden and can’t get it yourself. And if you do call for me, have the good decency to BE FULLY CLOTHED OR COVERED WITH A SHEET WHEN I ARRIVE! I do not need to see you in your 350 pound birthday suit lying on the bed!!! And yes that was an actual call I went to! And no, I will never be able to unsee it!

Now there are other tiny errors in the movie that are minor and not that big a deal, but I noticed anyway. Now I can’t comment on differences in equipment or radio usage. These are subject to departmental standards as set forth by General Orders. Some agencies issue 9mm handguns, others have 45’s or 40’s etc. Some departments use Glocks, Sig’s, Smith & Wesson, etc and agency vehicles range from Ford Crown Victorias, to Dodge or Chevy and so forth. Each department is different. That being said, if you’re going to say the department issues a Glock 19 handgun (the compact 9mm model) and you hold up a full sized Glock that CLEARLY shows it is the Model 22 in 40 S&W, try to get the props department to correct that error before you print it. Same goes for the “Spyderco” knife Gyllenhaal holds up that is actually a Smith & Wesson First Responder folding knife. I know this, because I have and carry the same blade (I bought it because I saw it in the movie). And yes, it is as awesome as it looks. And to top it off I don’t know what LAPD’s policy is, but everyone seems to have shotguns in this flick, and barely anyone on my department carries a shotgun save for a few older cops. Everyone else either just sticks to their handguns or has upgraded to the patrol AR-15. But I will not hold it against the movie. Again, there are going to be differences in policy regarding other aspects of cop work in this movie; like citations. Most agencies don’t have quotas for traffic tickets. Mine sure as hell doesn’t (I can write as many or as few tickets as I like). In the movie you have a Sergeant telling Taylor and Zavala to write more tickets. Certain agencies have actually even gotten in trouble for citation quotas. So I am pretty sure that it fiction, but I don’t know what LAPD’s policy on tickets are.

Finally Ayer’s does his best when it comes to the writing, but it does have its limitations. Ayer wrote this movie but he was never a cop. We deal with some of the strangest cases and call that unless you have worked in law enforcement, will never even think where capable of happening. As such, the movie will lack a certain authenticity without the calls you go to that you just can’t write. Ayer can’t write the rolling up on a young woman passed out face down on the side of the road with a PCP laced joint in one hand and a lighter in the other. And he certainly can’t write that once she woke up she started to try and light the joint up again for another hit. He can’t write rolling up on a bait car where a uniformed security officer is holding the pair of Jordan’s that he took out of the bait car. And he can’t write that said security officer tells me “I would like to report these as stolen.” Fun fact, the security officer was immediately arrested for burglary of a motor vehicle. Ayer can’t write how the people you deal with will share the most explicit details of their sex lives with you even when the that has NOTHING to do with the call you’re on. You will hear the most convoluted and stupid excuses from “these pants I’m wearing are not mine officer, that crack pipe is not mine” to “Officer I have not been drinking, and I did not get into an accident. I just parked my car in the center lane of this street to take a nap. I don’t know who hit that truck that is in front of me. You’re just racist!” He can’t write about running code 3 to a domestic disturbance and having to file charges on my complainant’s 32 year old sister because she threatened to throw hot cooking grease on him because he drank all of the Hawaiian Punch. And he sure as hell can’t write a scene where the caller on a robbery call turns into a suspect for sex assault of a minor because she makes a res gestae statement admitting to performing oral sex on a 14 year old boy during the investigation. And yes, ALL of these calls happened and yes they are all kinds of sad, funny, downright disgusting, or a sick combo of all three. You cannot make this up, because half of it sounds too stupid to be fiction!

Now I have picked apart this flick for its inaccuracies and Hollywood fluff. So what you are probably wondering. Is anything they say in this movie true? Oh hell yeah there is. In the movie Taylor and Zavala talk about how cops in certain agencies will get into more action and capers in a very short time in their time on the force then other cops at other agencies will see in their entire police careers. This is 100% accurate. The cops in this country are made up of a large walk of life. They range from the small town police chief (think Chief Brodie in Jaws or Andy Griffith), county sheriff and his deputies (ranging from large to small), to the big time in major cities and metropolitan areas (like me). A big city cop in the right part of town is going to get into more action and do WAY more than those in smaller agencies that might have a total of 6 officers on the entire department. I made my first arrest on day two on the street; I pulled my gun out and pointed it at an aggravated robbery suspect for the first time in my second week of training, and got my first felony arrest in my first month on the street. I have made arrests for everything from major felonies like aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and burglary of a habitation to misdemeanors like criminal trespass and public intoxication. I have made arrests on family violence assaults in all forms, drug arrests for crack, powder cocaine, PCP, and marijuana. I have arrested people for warrants ranging from unpaid citations to felony warrants. I have gone to shootings, stabbings, made arrests off sitting on drug houses, conducted felony traffic stops, DWI’s, worked with plain clothes and K9 elements, gone to calls with SWAT on barricaded suspects, worked with the bait car unit, drove code 3 to emergency calls, drove in one car chase, and seen plenty of blood and dead bodies from both natural and un-natural causes. I have recovered stolen guns, stolen cars, and even found a few missing people. And that has just been in my first year on the force. Hell the last call I went to this past week, we arrested a guy was for him beating up his disabled mother! When Pena’s character says that you get into the good stuff and that is just the first half of your shift, he is not lying! That is NOT Hollywood, that is real life. Now it does not happen back to back to back (usually) but it will happen often enough if you are patient.

In addition, this is movie does do a damn good job of portraying the life of a patrol officer. Now sure they Hollywood the calls up, but they still got the presentation right. Taylor and Zavala are a couple of young and ambitious officers on what appears to be third watch (the evening shift). That is where the most fun is and where the majority of young officers start (that or deep nights) because they lack the seniority needed to go to the day watch. They are not super specialized detectives or operators. They are the jack of all trades beat cop. You see the pissed off and bitter cop who has become jaded and angry after getting in trouble and jacked over by the department higher ups. You see a glimpse at a rookie and her field training officer and how nerve wrecking that can be. You even get to see one wash out. You see the smallest of accurate details in the everyday life of patrol. You go to the locker room with vests and wet towels hung up outside the lockers. You go to the detail room where the Sergeants and higher ups break down what is going on and points of interest. Next is the scrabble to your car where you find it by using the car alarm and popping the trunk, and then it is off to the street where you survive on a steady diet on caffeine; be it coffee or energy drinks. I myself prefer Red Bull and the caffeinated Mio Energy water flavoring. And while not really shown a lot they are not lying when they say they do a lot of paper work. Oh dear GOD is there paperwork! As for the people you deal with, these are not pieces of Hollywood fiction. You got your loud pains in the butts sure, but you will also deal with EVIL on this job. And I don’t mean the BS Politician A is from the opposite party I support that makes him evil crap. I mean true evil. The kind of evil that abuses his own wife and kids, the evil that shoots his fellow man over drug turf, the evil that sticks his finger up his own toddler’s rectum while his buddy is in the corner watching. Yeah… I have been to those calls and filed those reports. You will see the very worst of humanity on this job. The kind of humanity that thinks life is cheap and bought and paid for like a carton of milk. And all that negativity, violence, and depravity you then have to bring home with you. Truth be told… the things you see never really goes away. They will stay with you until your dying day. But you have to deal with it. You NEED an outlet. And the movie shows that truth in a short, but poignant way. Gyllenhaal goes to one particular call with the kids whose drug addict parents have ducted taped the kids in the closet. You see he is more than a little disturbed by this, and he clears his head by working out. That is actually one of the best methods of dealing with the stress. Lord knows I make it a rule to go for a long run if I catch a call for police regarding a sexual assault. Especially if the call involves kids. The stress and emotional wear is a far bigger killer then all the gang bangers, thugs, and assorted street walking scum. The movie certainly is not over inflating that.

There is also one aspect of policing that Ayer captured very well. A very grim reality that always hangs over our heads as police. Something we know is coming, but something we never hope to experience.

And that is the police funeral.

It is difficult to describe. The profound sadness. The loss of a brother you may never have met. You never exchanged words but the world seems a little more empty with his passing. It is a very somber experience. Knowing one of your own is not coming back. You watch as people say kind words to eulogize the dead and look on helplessly as their families cry at the side of the casket. For those who gave their lives there is no tomorrow. No next time. Their watch has ended. The movie does show a very accurate portrayal of the cop funeral. The long precession line traveling slowly towards the church and ultimately the grave site. Everyone dressed in their Class A uniforms. Silent and grieving with black tape over their badges. The only thing I can say negative about this scene was the setting was too small. For us, cops from far and wide come to the funerals. Other cities and other states. At the funeral I went to I saw police from Maine to Alaska show up. NYPD, LAPD, state troopers, Boston, Houston, and more. Even smaller agencies from Wyoming and Fargo North Dakota showed up. Because it is true what Gyllenhaal said in the opening monologue. We may die, but we have thousands of brothers and sisters ready to back us up. That brotherhood is real. Realer then anything Hollywood could ever portray. And we all come together in our hour of need. It was one of if not the worst experiences I ever had. And I hope to never experience it ever again.

But at the end of the day, I still got a job to do. I get up, get ready and have to go out and handle business. Because few else will. And at the end of the day after all is said and done; after all the crap, all the anger and negative emotions, being lied to, the drama, and the ever present danger of getting killed; I find myself saying the same thing to myself. I ****ing love this job.

So yeah, the movie is fiction, but there is a lot of truth to the movie. Probably more fiction then truth, but hey, it is a movie. I want to be entertained. If you want a peek at real policing, try a documentary. Maybe watch some of The First 48 if you want a look at homicide detectives. Or if you want the real deal do a ride along with your local police agency. I suggest riding on 3rd watch or deep nights. Days are kinda boring. But if you want a really good action movie where they look a patrol cops for once with a lot of creative camera work and shots, this is the flick to watch. Gunslinger approved for a good time.




Still reading the review. Very surprised that JayDee is actually a police officer.



I didn't like this movie when I first saw it. I reviewed it, too, and I only gave it
then.

That was four years ago. I own the movie because it's Jake Gyllenhaal, and I'm gonna have to watch it again. I *think* I may like it more now. But I don't know. I thought I would love it.



I didn't like this movie when I first saw it. I reviewed it, too, and I only gave it
then.

That was four years ago. I own the movie because it's Jake Gyllenhaal, and I'm gonna have to watch it again. I *think* I may like it more now. But I don't know. I thought I would love it.
Eh. Worth a shot. Thanks for reading!




Silence

Hello MoFo's and welcome to another edition of At the Theater with The Gunslinger45. A new year has started and that brings new hope for the future and the start of a new cinematic year. It also brings wide releases for films that got limited releases in 2016. Hence we have the wide releases of Silence and Patriots Day. Two films I want to see. But when given the choice between the two, you know which flick I will choose. There are three constants in the film world. The MPAA is loony, the 70’s were awesome for film, and The Gunslinger45 LOVES Martin Scorsese! Anyone who has been here long enough knows Martin Scorsese is my favorite film director. I have seen all of his feature films, he directed my favorite movie, and he was integral in my favorite period of film: New Hollywood. The last time I visited Scorsese in the theater it was in 2013 with The Wolf of Wall Street. Most people here know how much I adored that movie and how it has become a top 25 favorite film for me. So naturally I have been dying to see his new work. This film however does not focus on crime, instead choosing to focus on another of his favorite themes; the Catholic faith. Marty was raised in Holy Mother Church even to the point where he wanted to become a priest. And while he went into film and has since lapsed as a Catholic, he has stated that the spirituality is still something ingrained in him. And this movie has been a passion project for him for the past two and a half decades. And it has only been recently that he was able to fulfill his artistic vision. Now Scorsese is no stranger as using faith, Catholicism, or Catholic guilt as themes in his movies. Many of his films incorporate these themes to one degree or another. Catholic guilt was a heavy theme in Mean Street and Raging Bull and they were used in moderation with Taxi Driver. But concepts of faith and religion were in full view in his passion project based of a fictional novel, The Last Temptation of Christ. Silence is another such passion project for Scorsese. The film deals with spirituality, is another adaptation of a novel, but this time it explores Christianity in the Land of the Rising Sun. Will this film be as controversial as The Last Temptation? Find out as we explore Silence.

The film’s plot centers around two Portuguese Jesuit priests Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garupe (Adam Driver). They priests in the time of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians). A historical time of religious persecution of Japanese Catholic converts during the Tokugawa shogunate. Christians are tortured, persecuted and executed with many dying as martyrs. Among the persecuted is another Jesuit Priest Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson). Father Ferreira was their mentor and news reaches them that he has renounced his faith, thus becoming an apostate. Not believing that their mentor and man who helped them foster their faith would ever renounce God; the priests leave the St Paul Mission at Macau not only to find their mentor, but to spread Catholicism. The film portrays their struggles of faith, the persecution of Japanese Christians, and exploring the concept of God’s silence.

Now I really enjoyed the movie on many levels. The first thing that struck me was the cinematography and creation of the shots. After an excellent opening title scene, we are thrust deep into Edo period Japan with a far out shot of the Japanese country side. The shot has rocky hills with steam and smoke rising from the ground of the local hot springs. What blew me away was how even though I bought a ticket for a Scorsese movie; he opens the flick with a shot straight out of a Kurosawa period piece. And that is part of what really enthralled me about this film. The plot and themes of the flick are pure Scorsese. The film also incorporates a few of his visual signatures like slow motion, voice overs, etc. But the setting and heavy visual theme of nature and the elements is drawn straight from Akira Kurosawa. There are many homage’s of the more famous Kurosawa shots in this movie. I saw one shot that looked like it was from the trial scene in Rashomon, others like it was from Kagemusha, and the viewing the opening shot of Silence reminded me of Ran. And the elements themselves are used heavily by Scorsese in this movie. There are lots of shots in the rain, the fog, the ocean, darkness, sun, and wind. And Scorsese was able to use these outdoor shots and craft such breath taking visuals. I was really impressed. I had heard he drew heavily from Kurosawa on this film, and I was really delighted to see he pulled it off so well. It felt like I just watched one last Kurosawa movie. At least in the visual sense of the film. I also need to heap heavy praise on the Japanese cast because they shine in this film. The Japanese cast either speak nothing but Japanese (with subtitles) or speak little or broken English; with bilingual characters being the rare exception. And when they are bilingual they are usually center characters to the plot.

The core of the film however is crafted by Martin Scorsese. The film centers on the struggle of the Catholic martyrs who suffer and die for their faith. You see tortures and executions at the hands of the Buddhist soldiers, samurai, and the Grand Inquisitor who is the governor of the area. You also see the priests spread the faith, hold mass, baptize children and adults, and hear confession. But you also see the great length the priests and the Japanese Christians go just to hide their worship. And while the concept of faith is central to the movie, it is silence that is the ultimate lynch pin of the film. The concept of God’s silence is not new to cinema. It has been explored by Bergman often enough. And while the idea of a silent God for Bergman was more of a Scandinavian (and I assume Atheist) perspective, Scorsese comes at it from a Catholic viewpoint. This is seen in the voice overs of Father Rodrigues and especially when he says God has forsaken him. A clear reference to the struggle Christ went through during his crucifixion. In fact there are many parallels that Father Rodrigues faces that mirror the final days of Christ. And that was meant to be deliberate and even mentioned in the film by Father Ferreira. Though where Christ was the Lamb of God and the one who bore the pain and suffering from his scourging and execution, it is the Japanese Christians who suffer the most in the film. Very little is done to Father Rodrigues physically. The Japanese Governor and Inquisitor does not want to make the priests martyrs, he wants them to renounce their faith so they can serve as an example. As such, he tortures and executes the Japanese Christians. This naturally torments Rodrigues; but what makes the suffering so bad for him is that through all the struggles, trials, and torture he feels that God has left him alone. That God sits silently and watches. Hence the title of the book and the movie.

Now I did know the ending of the book going into the film and it stays true to that. I won't spoil it for you. But I did like was what it seems Scorsese added at the end.

WARNING: "Major Spoilers" spoilers below
In the end Rodrigues becomes an apostate. During his final trial God finally speaks to him. God tells him that he has always been there with him, and tells Rodrigues to trample upon a fumie (a piece of Japanese religious iconography). Rodrigues then lives the life of a Japanese man with frequent renunciations of God as part of the government keeping tabs on him. This leads to his cremation ceremony and Buddhist burial with his Japanese name. All of this happens in the book, but I have found no evidence of what follows next was in the original novel. The camera pans into the vessel holding Rodrigues’ body and we see a small hand carved wooden crucifix in his hand. Bringing the theme of Silence to full term. He suffered the silence of God, and now has kept the faith in silence. While it may divide the faithful on if this was a true keeping of the faith, I thought was a very good way to end the film.



I really liked this movie. The scale of the film with its shots and locations was epic. The themes of the film is pure Scorsese and it felt visually I was watching a lost film Akira Kurosawa movie. I really enjoyed it and I will most certainly want to buy this on Blu Ray when it comes to DVD. It may have people in the Vatican split, but put me in the camp that enjoyed the film.






The Great Wall

Hello MoFo’s! And welcome to another edition of At the Theater with The Gunslinger45. Well it February of 2017 and that means two things. A fresh start to a new year and it is the dumping season for movies studios. That special time of year in January and February where the powers that be decide to stick the films they think won’t do well in any other release date. For whatever reason they either think they will fail in the summer blockbuster season, won’t cut it during Christmas, are trying to squeeze into Oscar season, or are just plain crap. Now we do get some badass flicks every now and again during this time. We had Deadpool last year and that was very good and very financially successful. The John Wick movies were both released in this time period and they were great. And Peter Berg and Mark Walberg seem to do pretty damn well in January. But we also get a lot of crap like the Fifty Shades movies to a cartoon movie featuring Rob Schnieder as a polar bear. And it seems Universal has opted to release this movie now to deal with what is generally weaker competition. Now I first heard about this movie when I saw the trailer for the flick last year. I saw the epic scenery, the massive set pieces and I saw Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal. To which I asked “Why the hell is Matt Damon and Oberyn Martell in a movie about the Great Wall of China?” It looked pretty epic looking, but in all honesty I was not exactly pumped to see the movie. I knew it was being made by Zhang Yimou (the director for Hero) but still I was not moved to see it. But then the internet and social media just had to have their opinion on the trailer. People took to Twitter and Facebook screaming whitewashing! People cried to the heavens accusations that Matt Damon was playing a role intended for a Chinese actor. And a prominent Asian actress claims he was playing a “white savior” to protect Asian people. And because current events; a bunch of people made jokes about how the movie was about then presidential candidate Donald Trump. Naturally I was confused by the response. Now sure the movie did not look that interesting, but I was taken a back on how pissed off some people were at Matt Damon being in the flick. Not quite Affleck as Batman pissed, but still it was kind of intense for a little bit. The controversy died down but my interest remained peaked. I needed to know if this movie was worth the internet anger. So was this movie worth the hate? Well the short answer is no. In fact I thought the movie was pretty good. If you want the long answer then let’s go and make China great again with The Great Wall.

We start the flick off with lots of wide shots on 5 foreign riders running from pursuers on horseback. We come to find out the 5 used to be 20, but have lost many numbers to the dangers on their journey. These men are mercenaries who came to China to trade for black powder. The plan was to get the powder, bring it back to Europe, and retire wealthy men. This band of mercs includes Matt Damon as William and Pablo Pescal as Tovar. William and Tovar encounter a strange beast that kills the remaining 3 members of their group. Naturally they are freaked out by a strange creature (known as a Tao Tei). They manage to kill it and ride like hell to try and reach safety. They make their way to the Great Wall, which they find is occupied by soldiers and is friggin YUGE! Williams and Tovar are taken captive by the members of the Nameless Order lead by General Shao (Zhang Hanyu), Strategist Wu (Andy Lau), and his commanders. Their captivity however is short lived. While the two are captive, the Tao Tei begin an attack on the wall. They want over the wall, and if they succeed they will eventually overrun the world and mankind will become extinct. William and Tovar manage to free themselves of their bonds and proceed to kick ass and chew bubble gum, despite bubble gum being a few centuries away from being invented. In addition to displaying their prowess in combat, the proof that they killed a Tao Tei scout in close quarters combat displays they might be able to aid the Nameless Order in their upcoming siege. As such, William and Tovar are given quarters in the barracks. While William and Tovar are at the wall they encounter another foreigner named Sir Ballard (Willem Dafoe). Turns out Ballard came to the Wall 25 years ago on the same mission as them. But he was forbidden to leave the wall since the Nameless Order can’t let the secret of the Wall and their mission be known. Ballard and Tovar plan to try and sneak out of the Wall with black powder, but William is getting other ideas about staying and fighting after he forms a bond with Commander Lin (Jing Tian) of the Crane Troop. The flick details the ultimate decision William makes and the fight between man and the monstrous Tao Tei.

Now over all I liked the movie. But the flick was by no means perfect. The main plot of the movie is perfectly fine. The Tao Tei are monsters believed to be sent by the gods and punish man for the greed displayed by its Emperor. So every 60 years the Tao Tei attack China to feed its Queen so she can multiply and make more creatures. Sounds like a great plot, except the movie kinda shoots itself I the foot during the opening. During the opening credits, the flick leads with the true fact that the wall took over a millennia to build. If it took so long to build it, how the hell did the Chinese last so long before the wall was built? I mean even with 60 years between each attack how did they not get over run the first time out? How were they keeping the Tao Tei out? I don’t think the Tao Tei will submit to deportation. Not to mention the Nameless Order has a hell of a time fighting the Tao Tei with the Great Wall. How did they manage this without the wall even completed? Now the movie does detail that the Tao Tei are gradually getting smarter and that is making them more difficult opponents, but even as mindless beasts they should have been able to overrun the Earth already. I kind of think this might be me nitpicking, but I wanted additional information about the history behind the Tao Tei invasion. The film does give us back story but I wanted more of it. I mean the movie is maybe an hour and 40 minutes long, I think we can have Strategist Wu give us 5 minutes to give a bit more back story or have a flashback.

Which leads me into another big issue with the film; certain plot points and character developments feel rushed and underdeveloped. The biggest of which was William’s character arc. Now the setup is good. William is a mercenary as opposed to Commander Lin. Despite both being taken into service to military companies at very early ages both are very different. Lin was given to the Nameless Order at an early age and charged with keeping China and the world itself safe from the Tao Tei. William on the other hand was pressed into combat for food. Fight and kill to survive long enough to eventually fight for gold. William fight’s for himself while Lin fights for others and they make excellent foils for each other. The arc is supposed to show William’s character grew from soldier of fortune to fighting for something he believes in. And this would be great except there is a lot of telling and not enough showing with regards to his character. We are told he is a liar and a thief, but we never see it. We are told he trusts no one, but we do not see it. It just felt like they could have expanded on this change more.

Then again the entire movies’ mythos could have been explored more. The film tries to set up the world of ancient China and the military order but I want to know more about its history. I wanted to know more about how the Tao Tei came to be and how they operate. For a movie that is trying to build up this huge epic story and world building they try and cram all of this in an under 2 hour movie. I think the flick could have been helped by an extra 30 minutes to really help flush out the story and world building a little bit. I mean they are not trying to set up Middle Earth here. And this is kind of nitpicking of the movie; but the whole “queen” of the evil monster race thing has been done. And to be fair, this movie was no Aliens.

In addition, I was distracted by Damon’s attempts at an accent. I don’t know if he was trying to do Irish, English or Welsh, but the accent was bad. I mean really bad. It was so bad I wanted Mark Walberg to show up with bags on his feet and murder that accent The Departed style! And stupid does not even begin to describe the ridiculous prattle by members of the Nameless Order about how black powder was such a horrible weapon. If by horrible they meant THEIR BEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON AGAINST THE BLOODY TAO TEI! I mean hell I would have built my whole defense around black powder, but that is just me. Finally the film was pretty predictable with an almost by the numbers Hollywood story. Key word almost.

But despite the movie’s flaws, there were still plenty of positives. First off the movie was a hell of a lot of fun. This is a popcorn movie through and through. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. While I would have liked to have seen more than three different designs for the Tao Tei, the designs were pretty cool. And the costume design was fantastic! The armor for the Nameless Order were colorable and memorable, the designs were unique and in depth, and each was for a different company within the order with a different task. From the black armor of the melee Bear Company to the elegant and graceful blue armor of the all-female Crane Company. And when you have a few hundred extras on set in armor it really makes a colorful and memorable scene. They didn’t even have to do much. Even standing in massive formations in overhead shots was just as impressive as they were when they were in combat.

Much like Silence, we have a predominantly Asian cast with a few non-Asian actors led by an accomplished film director. The scenes with the Chinese cast were very well done and the ratio between the scenes being all in Chinese with subtitles or a mix of English and Chinese was about 50/50. The scenes with Matt and Pablo were good for the most part. The beginning scenes showed they had excellent chemistry and played very well of each other. In addition the chemistry between Matt and Jian was very good too. They were able show a genuine bond with hints of romance, but subtle enough to avoid it being a straight up romance subplot. And since the movie already had more than a few different subplots already, this was the right choice. Speaking of good choices, this film avoids the done to death “foreigner joins the natives” trope ala Dances with Wolves or The Last Samurai. That is because he doesn’t have to. The story is a monster movie yes, but it is mixed in with a story of redemption for Matt’s character. Matt’s arc runs parallel to the idea of human greed embodied by Dafoe and Pascal, and how he is drawn to more noble endeavors by Commander Lin.

But hands down the best part of the movie were the visuals! The camera work was superb and brilliantly captured the epic settling of Northwest China and the grandeur of the Great Wall. There were plenty of far off wide shots and overheads to really capture how big the wall was, how big the Nameless Order was, or how many Tao Tei were attacking. The filmmakers really wanted to hammer in how big the movie was by showing as much of it as they could. The set design was also absolutely outstanding and enhanced the massive feel to film! And it felt like an actual set and not some George Lucas green screen wankery. Now there was plenty of CGI for the monster hordes and a few other scenes, but that was to be expected. All of these visual wonders were amplified by the fact that I went and saw this movie in IMAX 3D. I am a firm believer in seeing movies in the theater and I have preached on multiple occasions that many films are enhanced by seeing them on as big a screen as possible. And an epic style film demands to be seen in IMAX. The IMAX viewing just enhanced how big the wall was and the level of the fight scenes, and enhanced the fight choreography. The only thing I can take away from this movie’s fight scenes was that some of the fighting seemed a little too much like “The Watchers on the Wall” episode of Game of Thrones. From the blade wall defenses, the warriors attacking people while suspended from ropes on the wall, to a Game of Thrones cast member being put into the movie; it is clear they writers pulled a few note from HBO.

So now that we have established that I think this was a good movie. The movie was flawed, but it was still very entertaining. But what about the controversies I listed earlier in the review? I mean the controversy was the entire reason I saw this flick. Do those concerns hold any water? Well the “white savior” cries were BS. Yes Matt was a hero in the movie, but he was not the only one. Many of the Chinese cast had hero moments in the movie, especially Jian’s Commander Lin. So much so that

WARNING: "Major" spoilers below
Commander Lin gets promoted to General and deals the final death blow to the Tao Tei queen where Damon had failed.


And as I stated before, Matt’s character was not Chinese. His character was never supposed to be Chinese. There is no issue in that regard. Top it off the director Zhang Yimou wanted Matt to be in the damn movie. This is a Chinese and American collaboration for an epic blockbuster. Zhang Yimou wanted a big name actor for the film, and he opted for Jason Borne. So much for the cries of those aboard the U.S.S. SJW concerning this non-troversy.

In all honesty I liked the idea about an American and Chinese collaboration. One of the things that make film so special is that it has the ability to be a barrier destroying force. Film is able to unite other nations, races, cultures, and creeds through a common love of art. Films made by one culture influences another, that film is seen by another artist and that influences that group of people, who in then influence others, who then go on to influence another generation of filmmakers, and repeat the cycle. From the French Lumiere Brothers helping launch film with one of the first movie cameras, to DW Griffith and Eisenstein leading the way to the foundation of film grammar, to the rise of Golden Age Hollywood which gave us John Ford who influenced Kurosawa, to the French New Wave being influenced by Film Noir, both of whom then influenced New Hollywood among dozens of other film movements and scores of directors, who then went on to influence another new generation of filmmakers and so on and so on. Film exists in its own little world. A world told at 24 frames per second through a lens and capable of brining artists of the world together. So when two highly cinephilic cultures decide to come together to make a film, it is not only exciting, but something I want to support. Now I wish someone had spent a little more time to flush out the script more, but I admit I had a lot of fun with this movie. Sadly the film is on pace to maybe break even, assuming the $150 million film had a similar promotion budget. And this is due to the film is flopping in the US. Which sadly might hinder any other film collaborations between two countries on this scale.

The film has many flaws, but there are still rewards to be had. Unfortunately I feel that this is going to be a film where the full effect of the film might be lost to a lot of people who wait to see this on DVD or Netflix. Much like Gravity or Avatar, this film needs to be experienced in the theater, especially in IMAX. But unlike Avatar this movie was actually good. Or at least good enough. If you feel that you might like this movie and the film is still in theaters I say give it a shot. And if you can afford and have the opportunity to see it in IMAX I say go for it.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I was a bit curious about whether this was worthwhile, and if so, some fun popcorn experience. . . It definitely seemed to be a large screen watch and glad to see your approval/insistence on going the full IMAX experience.
Didn't expect the story to be very strong, but very happy to hear that it wasn't, all together, bad either.

I really liked your argument of how film makers from different countries influenced one another and the how it all trickles down the generations. VERY nicely done.

I try to ignore a lot of internet hate spouting and glad to hear, for this one, that was spouting simply to spout. (How they love to do that)

D@mn fine review and a very EXCELLENT soap box declaration, gun. BRAVO
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
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~Mr Minio





Kong: Skull Island

Hello MoFo’s! And welcome to another edition of At the Theater with The Gunslinger45. GIANT F**KING MONSTERS! I have been a big fan of these kinds of flicks since I was a kid. I grew up on Godzilla movies, I watched a few Gamera flicks, Mighty Joe Young, and I watched a bunch of King Kong movies. I saw the original on TV at a very young age, I know I saw King Kong Lives, and I am not 100% if I saw Kong 76. I also saw the Peter Jackson King Kong movie in 2005, which I liked but did not love. Then again my most memorable and favorite King Kong movie I saw was King Kong vs Godzilla. We owned that movie on VHS, and you better believe we watched the hell out of that movie when I was 5. Hell, me and my brother recreated the movie a bunch of times with our Godzilla and King Kong action figures. And I can’t talk about King Kong without speaking about how King Kong the Ride was a lot of fun at Universal Studios in Florida. So I kinda had to see this movie. I wish that I could say was super excited to see this movie, but I really wasn’t. In honest truth King Kong while really cool, will never have the childhood hook that Godzilla did. Godzilla was a better monster, had better movies, had more movies, and represented a bigger part of my childhood then King Kong ever could. Hence why I was excited to see Godzilla (2014) and I loved that movie. Now did I like this movie? F**K YEAH is the short answer. For the long answer grab your guns and hop into the chopper as we explore Kong: Skull Island.

We open the in WWII. An American airman and a Japanese pilot crash land on what will be known as Skull Island. They try to kill each other until the fight is interrupted when Kong happens by. We then fast forward to the 70’s. And not just any date in the 70’s, it was right when direct US involvement in Vietnam came to an end. We see John Goodman and his sidekick scientist played by Houston Brooks are going to see a US Senator. They are a part of Monarch, a government organization set up during the Truman days. They are in desperate need to get to Skull Island since their organization is going broke and loosing it’s relevancy as war time is coming to an end. They need to get to the island and hopefully find something relevant there so they can keep their doors open. They manage to get the green light for the expedition and request some military back up. The first part of that comes with the recruiting of Lt Colonel Packard (Sam Jackson). He is the commanding officer of an Air Calvary Unit for the US Army. He is a decorated war hero who is coming to terms with the war coming to an end, and accepts the job to escort Goodman and Brooks to Skull Island. Next the recruit Tom Hiddleston who plays Captain Conrad of the British SAS. He is hired to be a guide since he has extensive experience in jungle warfare, operating in dense vegetation, and locating downed pilots. Next they hire a photo journalist played by Brie Larson. They all pack onto a bunch of Huey helicopters and make their way through the perpetual storm system that surrounds Skull Island. Everything looks to be going smoothly until they encounter King Kong, who proceeds to smack the ever loving crap out of the choppers. The surviving members of the expedition team are now forced to try and get the hell out of dodge until their back up arrives in three days. But the island is populated by a lot more than just Kong.

So I really dug the movie, but the movie is not without flaws. The biggest issue is the pacing in the beginning of the movie. The set up for the film felt like it was on fast forward. John Goodman and Brooks have a conversation that set’s up the back story for Monarch and why they need to go to the island. And it is done very quickly. Then comes the recruiting of the other expedition members who are also set up and established at an almost break neck speed. It did not flow at all and felt really rushed. Now there were a few minor gripes like how they seemed to try and fit in a “war is bad we are all people” message. This is particularly described by John C. Reilly who plays the American pilot who crashed landed in the 40’s. His character talked about how he befriended the Japanese pilot when they crashed and how when they stripped away the uniform they were just people. Brie Larson’s “anti-war photographer” character also has a few quips with Lt Col Packard about war. I got nothing against political messages in giant monster movies. Hell, Godzilla was one big metaphor for the atomic bomb. But it felt out of place in this movie. But not quite as out of place as Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again” in the movie. That came out of nowhere. I thought they were trying to homage Dr Strangelove, but I don’t know how. Felt distracting for me.

But enough of my gripes; this movie was great! You like Vietnam War movies? You like giant monster movies? Well you are in luck! This is basically King Kong in a damn Vietnam War movie! From the rocken 70’s sound track to the lighting and color scheme, this movie felt like a Nam war movie! I mean for f**k sake the poster I saw when I went to the movie theater looked like Kong was in Apocalypse Now!



And it kinda is! We get an epic combat scene involving Kong fighting a bunch of Hueys and a Chinook and eventually lead to a river boat ride to get the hell out of dodge! Only Col Kurtz is a massive 50 story gorilla instead of a massive overweight Marlon Brando! And Lt Col Packard could be the Lt Col Kilgore of this movie, he acts more like Ahab. Sam Jackson does a great job at being this movie’s pissed off and unhinged character. But the real star of the movie is King Kong. Who is done really well by Industrial Light and Magic. And while I felt that Kong itself had better motion capture effects in the Peter Jackson movie, this Kong is more of a badass. I sat through two and a half hours of a good Kong movie only to witness a few pretty good fights. But I had to wait through a lot of people drama to get to them. This movie cut to the chase early and satisfied my longing of giant monster madness. Let’s face it if I am going to rewatch a modern Kong reboot, it is going to be this one.

Remember how I said the movie felt rushed in the beginning? That is because they were trying to get to Kong ASAP. Warner Brothers apparently listen to the criticism of Godzilla 2014 about taking too long to get to the damn fights. So we get to Skull Island in like the first 15-20 minutes. Which means we get to see Kong fight a lot. We see him fight the choppers, a giant octopus (which I took as an homage to King Kong vs Godzilla), and he fought a bunch of these new monsters called “skull crawlers.” Which is a major upgrade from Godzilla 2014. But, in Kong: Skull Island while you do have more fights, do not come close to topping the final fight in Godzilla 2014. But that being said the fights in this movie are still awesome, and more frequent then in the 05 movie.

But then we get the final cherry on top. If you see this movie, wait for the post credit teaser.

WARNING: "Post credit clip" spoilers below
We see Hiddleston and Larson back at Monarch HQ. They are talking with the Monarch employees who reveal to them that there are other monsters out there. And we then cut to other primitive paintings of what are clearly Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah. It even ended with Godzilla’s signature roar. Firmly cementing the shared universe, and setting up for the already confirmed King Kong vs Godzilla movie.


Needless to say I walked out of the theater excited and as giddy as I was when I was 5!

So I really liked this movie. It was a great fusion of a giant monster and a war movie and improved upon a bunch of criticisms of the last Godzilla movie. If you like giant monster movies, see this movie! You will not be disappointed!




off topic but how many of your top ten films have you seen in the theater
I have seen 6. I have seen Taxi Driver, Dr Strangelive, Blade Runner, Temple of Doom, Clerks II, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the theater.

I am waiting very patiently for Apocalypse Now to finally come to the Alamo Drafthouse.