Archive for August, 2006
Fast Company (1979)
Fast CompanyCanada 1979
Director: David Cronenberg
Amongst director David Cronenberg’s other body of work, this film is a bit of an anomaly. Rather than a body horror film like Rabid or a psychological thriller like Dead Ringers, Fast Company is a straight drama, a familiar story about a race team fighting against greedy sponsors.
Story-wise, this film bears little resemblance to Cronenberg’s more well-known work. Ignoring the story, however (something very easy to do), Fast Company looks like a Cronenberg film. The same visual style, pacing, and camera angles seen in Rabid are visible here, more refined and polished. Fast Company is a great looking film, especially on DVD. Cronenberg has a real eye for composition and this makes the racing sequences dynamic and compelling.
The acting is quite good, with a number of distinguished Canadian actors performing well in supporting roles. John Saxon plays a good villain, chewing the scenery just enough to make his point.
The biggest flaw of Fast Company is easily the horribly dated soundtrack. The title song is laughable, something you’d expect to see in a Stone/Parker parody somewhere down the line. The film would be greatly improved with a new soundtrack or, even better, no soundtrack at all.
Finally, the ending of the film is ludicrous and seems to come out of nowhere. I’d expect to see something like this in a bad Dukes of Hazzard episode, not a Cronenberg feature.
Fast Company is a flawed, occasionally entertaining racing movie from a talented director, an odd anomaly in a lauded genre career.
Colin Le SueurThe Descent (2005)
The DescentUK 2005
Director: Neil Marshall
Though the horror genre has traditionally been dominated by the Americans, a recent wave in international horror films has served to refresh the tired Hollywood standard. Films from Japan, Australia, and South Korea have challenged the preconceptions of the horror film. Britain, in particular, has produced several clever and interesting horror films in recent years.
The Descent is tense and compelling, deliberate and frantic. The story (six friends become trapped underground and encounter frightening creatures) is simple and the characterisations are sparse, but this pared-down approach helps to increase the tension and claustrophobic nature of the film. There are subtle character and plot touches if you look for them, but director Mitchell never forgots that this film is a horror.
Mitchell is ruthless in the subject matter, as well. I was happily surprised that he wasn’t afraid to put the characters through intensely traumatic experiences; modern horror films are so often unwilling to walk the line between edgy and over-the-top. The Descent finds a good balance between the two.
For the most part the acting is good, though most of it gets lost in the darkness and screams.
I don’t normally comment on the endings of films, to avoid revealing too much. In this case, however, I would suggest seeing the uncut British version of the film rather than the edited American theatrical release. There was a very significant cut made to the ending of the American release that changes the entire tone of the film. The scene removed from the uncut version elevates the film to a whole new level. Both versions will likely be available on the Region 1 DVD release.
The Descent is a sharp, frightening horror film that you shouldn’t watch alone in the dark.
Colin Le SueurFearless (2006)
Fearless (aka Huo Yuan Jia)China/Hong Kong/USA 2006
Director: Ronny Yu
Language: Mandarin
Until Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 2000, wuxia (Chinese martial arts) films were relatively low-profile in genre cinema, at least in the West. Though popular and prolific in Hong Kong and China, wuxia films never managed to attract mainstream attention in North America. Crouching Tiger brought this kinetic and historical form of martial arts film to a wider audience, creating awareness and a new demand for wuxia. Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and now Fearless followed, creating a new sub-genre of prestige wuxia, expansive and high-budget, films that appeal to both a Western and Chinese audience.
Fearless follows the precedent set by Crouching Tiger and the others, combining elaborate and well-choreographed martial arts action with stories of revenge, honour, and redemption. Unlike Crouching Tiger, however, which was based on a series of wuxia novels, the story of Fearless isn’t as compelling or powerful. This is interesting, considering that Fearless is based on a true story.
Director Ronny Yu, recently busy with Hollywood horror films such as The Bride of Chucky and Freddy Vs. Jason, does an acceptable job. The action sequences are exciting and well-edited, but the film feels slicker than most wuxia, more Hollywood. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fearless is an American co-production and will be in North American multiplexes in the fall.Crouching Tiger and Hero offer a more calm and reflective approach, something that would’ve benefitted this film.
The action sequences are amazing, fight choreography courtesy of Woo-ping Yuen, legendary martial arts choreographer. The wire-work is kept to a mininum, with a more realistic approach than seen in Crouching Tiger, among others (bear in mind “realistic” is a relative term, however; the fight scenes in Oldboy, for instance, were much more realistic, though not nearly as intricate or exciting).
Jet Li has said that Fearless will be his last wuxia film, explaining he has nothing left to explore in the genre. If so, Fearless would serve as a fitting tribute to the innovative genre, a genre that gave Jet Li his long career.
Colin Le Sueur