Flick of The Day: Walk the Line

Musical biographies are a tricky business at the best of times. Focus too much on the mythology of your average rock star and you end up with something endlessly turgid like Oliver Stone's The Doors and even when you are possessed with a good script, the film can hang solely on the performance of your leading actor. If he or she fails to capture the essence of a much loved loved star then the backlash can leave your film stillborn. Perhaps this is the reason for Martin Scorsese's long gestating Sinatra biopic failing to make it to the big screen as of yet. In any case, in terms of capturing a man and his career albeit only in snapshots then few have come close to 2005's Walk the Line which tells the life of country music legend Johnny Cash.

Walk the Line

Opening with Cash, played by Joaquin Phoenix, at the height of his fame and preparing to take the stage for his seminal Folsom Prison concert, we are soon in flashback mode for the rest of the film. We see Cash as a poverty stricken child toiling with his older brother in the fields under the eyes of their stern father, played by a man who has built a second career playing stern characters, Robert Patrick. Perhaps the defining event of his childhood is the death of his brother in a farm accident which his father blames him for. So far, so ho-hum and it is only when Phoenix arrives and screen that the film gets going. His taciturn take on Cash is spellbinding and holds the screen for the remainder of the film. Director James Mangold chooses to focus on Cash's rapid rise in the American country scene from recording for Sun Records to meeting Bob Dylan while chronicling his long term pursuit of his soul mate June Carter. Carter is given a witty souther charm by Reese Witherspoon and the chemistry with Phoenix works well. Both actors give all their own musical performances and the film is all the better for it.

Based on Cash's own autobiographies, the film doesn't shy away from portraying Cash as the flawed individual he was particularly focusing on the lost years of drug abuse and his poor treatment of his first wife. For all this, Joaquin Phoenix gives a measured and charismatic performance as Cash. He is perhaps the coolest character ever to populate the country music genre and consequently his fame transcends this.

Johnny Cash: [playing for the inmates at Folsom prison] Once in El Paso, I had this bag of... Oh... you heard about that? You been in El Paso, too? Well, anyways, I felt tough, you know?. Like I'd seen a thing or two, you know? Well, that was till a moment ago... 'cuz I got to tell you, my hat's off to you now, 'cuz I ain't never had to drink this yellow water you got here at Folsom!

Perhaps the strongest suit of the film is the decision to focus only on a small part of Cash's life concluding with the Folsom concert in 1968, something which really brought Cash to the mainstream. Taking on too much can lead to an over-long and under-detailed mess.

So that's that really, this is a well made biopic of a musical icon with a decent if not too cluttered script and fine performances from the leads. You don't have to be a lover of Cash's music to enjoy the film because there is much here to enjoy for the beginner. Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon would go on to Oscar nominations for their performances with Witherspoon carrying home the gong.

Flick of The Day: Buffalo Soldiers

It is funny how in the history of cinema, the relative success or failure of a film has hung on a very simple twist of fate. John Wayne's The Green Berets was a critical and commercial failure upon its release in 1968 due to its pro-soldier depiction of the Vietnam conflict and Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life was never fully appreciated till it was rediscovered on television. Today's flick of the day is another such film, Buffalo Soldiers. A biting satire of American soldiers stationed in Germany in 1989, it had the misfortune of being set for release in September 2001. After the events of 9/11, its cinema release was put back almost two years and whatever success it might have had disappeared.

Buffalo Soldiers

Set in 1989, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Buffalo Soldiers is the story of Ray Elwood, a brilliant turn from Joaquin Phoenix, as a conniving and ruthless member of the US Army who views soldiering as an entrepreneurial activity. If he isn't selling drugs, he is profiteering with stolen Army merchandise. Elwood and his colleagues are portrayed as drug addled thieves, and with every scene it becomes more apparent why this film was not suitable for a post 9/11 America. After a military accident, Elwood lucks upon a cache of weaponry which he plans to sell to a local hood for 35 kilos of heroin. Of course, Elwood doesn't have it all his own way. A new Sergeant, Robert Lee played by the very underrated Scott Glenn, is onto Elwood and displays an almost psychotic zeal in his attempts to ruin his life. As the film heads for its grand finale, it becomes apparent that while War maybe hell, peace time can be just as dangerous.

This is a very entertaining and darkly comic look at life in the US Army. It paints a bleak portrayal of the readiness of these troops to fight has the cold war ever become hot and this boldness of direction leaves a lot to admire. Joaquin Phoenix proves once again why he is one of the best actors of his generation. His career choices since then have been well documented, but it is a question worth asking that if this film has garnered him the success it should have, where he might now be. The bitter rivalry between his character Elwood and Scott Glenn is a sight to behold. It is central to the film and its most entertaining aspect.

Ray Elwood: There's basically two types of guys in the army - the motherfuckers and the motherfucked

It helps that there is a decent script at the heart of the film, at times wickedly funny and always memorably quotable.

If the film has a weakness, it is it's overt amorality. Elwood is a ridiculously awful individual and is set up early on for a comeuppance that never arrives. This is a tacit endorsement of his behaviour which deteriorates as the film goes on. His superiors are portrayed as incredibly inept. The always reliable Ed Harris gives a fine turn as Elwood's commanding officer and a cuckolded buffoon desperate for promotion. At every possible opportunity for Elwood to be found out, fate in the form of a scriptwriter's hand steps in to keep him out of harms way.

Ray Elwood: So how come they assigned you here? 

Knoll: I put in for it. My fiancée is here on base, so we arranged for a transfer together. 

Ray Elwood: Oh, how sweet. Who's she? 

Knoll: Margolis, Carol-Anne. Private first class. 

Ray Elwood: You call her by her last name? What do you do, salute in bed?

Overall, this is a worthy film and very entertaining at that. As a satire, it isn't exactly Jonathan Swift but there is much to enjoy. Harris, Phoenix and Glenn deliver strong performances and make the best of a decent script. If the directing is at times heavy handed, it evens out over the course of the picture. Decent if unspectacular but worth a look.

Flick of The Day: We Own The Night

Taking its title from the motto of the NYPD Street Crimes Unit, the now disbanded unit legendary for its no holds barred attempts to clean up the streets of New York as it descended into nightmarish levels of crime in the 1980's, James Gray's film is steeped in nostalgia for an era when the City was not the wholesome tourist destination it is now. This is something which has been documented before in the likes of Scorsese's Bringing Out The Dead and the work of Abel Ferrara with films like King of New York and Bad Lieutenant.

We Own the Night

Set against the backdrop of the ongoing and bloody war between the NYPD and the Russian mafia in 1980's Brooklyn and Brighton Beach, where Bobby Green, ably played by Joaquin Phoenix is manager of the hottest night club in town, which he manages on behalf of a Russian mafia front, unbeknownst of course. Bobby has a secret known only to his girlfriend, played by Eva Mendes, he comes from a family of cops. His father Bert, Robert Duvall in patriarch mode, is the deputy chief while his brother Joseph, a surprisingly good Mark Wahlberg, is a rising star. Together, Bert and Joseph are engaged in an investigation of the Russian gangsters who control the drug trade in the area. They attempt to reach out to Bobby, who blind to the actions of his Russian friends rebuffs them. It is only when the war on the streets begins to hit home that Bobby is forced to try and bring an end to the carnage that has engulfed the city.

The real strength of this film is the atmosphere and look that director James Gray has created. He seems to have a great feel for the material and there is much to enjoy in terms of the sights and sounds of 1980's New York from the music in Bobby's Club to the dark gritty violence that pervades the film, it pulls the viewer into the period and retains interest while the at times dense plot develops. It is helpful of course that all of the leads are in fine form, with Pheonix character having to carry much of the film as he transforms from a morally bankrupt Club manager to a crusading cop. A hefty transformation for any film to carry. The other saving grace of the film is a nuanced script with some memorable lines.

Joseph Grusinsky: I don't need any more guns in my life, that's for sure. But you should have one to be safe. It's better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.

Coming in at just under two hours, the film doesn't feel overly long and given the weighty storyline involved could easily have become a chore with a more indulgent director.That said, it is sombre in tone and those expecting constant action will be disappointed, with the plot playing out over the course of a year, giving it a more realistic feel.

All in all, this is a decent look at a very interesting period of recent history and anyone with a passing interest will find much to enjoy. The leads excel in what are at times stock roles with particularly fine turns from Joaquin Phoenix and Eva Mendes. Well worth a look.