← Back to Reviews
in
War has been a constant in the world as far as humanity is concerned. Whether it is full-scale war, guerrilla wars, civil wars, or insurgencies, conflicts have been pretty much ever-present in our society. There is a claim that there have only been 26 days of "peace" since 1945, and 268 in the last 3,400 years. I don't know if that claim is real or not, but I wouldn't really bet against it either.
The question of what we do in the face of war, especially when it's something so common in our lives, is part of what fuels this short from Alejandro González Iñárritu. Powder Keg is yet another short film from The Hire series, produced by BMW. In this one, our unnamed driver (Clive Owen) is tasked with taking a wounded war photographer, Harvey Jacobs (Stellan Skarsgård), across the border and out of hostile territory.
Putting aside the reasonings and logistics of this BMW driver being thrown into this scenario – other than promoting the shiny BMW X5 3.0i, now with leather interiors. Perfect for transporting bleeding people! – I found the short to be quite effective. First, you can feel how close it is to González Iñárritu's sensibilities, but second, Skarsgård is great in the role as he transmits the bitterness and regret of Jacobs about what he sees as his inability to do anything in the face of constant war.
Fifteen wars, but he's about to deliver a "powder keg" in the form of evidence of a massacre that might make a difference in the country and maybe lead to a moment of peace. González Iñárritu uses a very frenetic and fast-paced approach with handheld cameras that might get on some people's nerves, but it does succeed as far as conveying the desperation of the situation.
This being the seventh of these short films I see, I can't help but reiterate my respect for everyone involved in terms of allowing such a marketing-heavy tool to tell stories that feel personal and unique to each filmmaker. It does require some level of leniency as far as the logistics of it, but the script and the cast more than make up for it.
Grade:
POWDER KEG
(2001, González Iñárritu)
(2001, González Iñárritu)
"I've had people wounded on their knees in front of me, begging me to help. You know what I do?... Ah, take the picture. I've never saved anybody... Fifteen wars. Not a single one."
War has been a constant in the world as far as humanity is concerned. Whether it is full-scale war, guerrilla wars, civil wars, or insurgencies, conflicts have been pretty much ever-present in our society. There is a claim that there have only been 26 days of "peace" since 1945, and 268 in the last 3,400 years. I don't know if that claim is real or not, but I wouldn't really bet against it either.
The question of what we do in the face of war, especially when it's something so common in our lives, is part of what fuels this short from Alejandro González Iñárritu. Powder Keg is yet another short film from The Hire series, produced by BMW. In this one, our unnamed driver (Clive Owen) is tasked with taking a wounded war photographer, Harvey Jacobs (Stellan Skarsgård), across the border and out of hostile territory.
Putting aside the reasonings and logistics of this BMW driver being thrown into this scenario – other than promoting the shiny BMW X5 3.0i, now with leather interiors. Perfect for transporting bleeding people! – I found the short to be quite effective. First, you can feel how close it is to González Iñárritu's sensibilities, but second, Skarsgård is great in the role as he transmits the bitterness and regret of Jacobs about what he sees as his inability to do anything in the face of constant war.
Fifteen wars, but he's about to deliver a "powder keg" in the form of evidence of a massacre that might make a difference in the country and maybe lead to a moment of peace. González Iñárritu uses a very frenetic and fast-paced approach with handheld cameras that might get on some people's nerves, but it does succeed as far as conveying the desperation of the situation.
This being the seventh of these short films I see, I can't help but reiterate my respect for everyone involved in terms of allowing such a marketing-heavy tool to tell stories that feel personal and unique to each filmmaker. It does require some level of leniency as far as the logistics of it, but the script and the cast more than make up for it.
Grade: