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: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

John Le Carre has long been the master of the intelligent spy novel, the kind that seems to exist in a separate world from the likes of James Bond. Presenting the world of the cold war spy as a dark, treacherous place with realism at its core, today's flick of the day is one of the best adaptations of Le Carre's work outside of the BBC miniseries starring Alec Guinness.

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Starring the inimitable Richard Burton in the Oscar nominated role of the ageing tired British operative in Cold War Berlin, Alec Leamas. After losing another agent in a failed operation, Alec is recalled to London for a meeting with "Control", the head of the "Circus". He is to be pulled from field operations, but only for a special purpose, an elaborate plan to cause chaos on the other side by operating as a double agent. In order to make his defection appear plausible, he is stripped of his job, becomes an alcoholic and is imprisoned in a humiliating manner. Before long, the East Germans make contact and Alec switches sides. Like all great stories, all is not as it seems and there are a number of twists in the tale before a thrilling and tragic finale.

The main thrust of this story is that the activities engaged in by Western intelligence agencies can quite often not be squared with the supposed democratic values of their countries. The film is hard hitting and bleak throughout but has a powerful message at its core with Burton's portrayal of a disaffected and burnt out agent carrying the film throughout. 

Alec Leamas: [Yawns] 

Peters: Tired? 

Alec Leamas: Aren't you? 

Peters: No, I didn't have any drink with my supper. 

Alec Leamas: I didn't have any supper with my drink.

Though Ireland and Britain stand in for East Berlin, the film feels authentic throughout, a hallmark of the work of Le Carre. This gritty realism did not transpond to success at the Box Office, but it has meant that the film has stood the test of time unlike so many of its contemporaries.

Indeed the stark black and white photography does build an oppressive mood which is only released in the final scene. The film lives or dies with Burton's portrayal however and he is a rock throughout, never wavering in the belief system that he lives by.

Alec Leamas: What the hell do you think spies are? Moral philosophers measuring everything they do against the word of God or Karl Marx? They're not! They're just a bunch of seedy, squalid bastards like me: little men, drunkards, queers, hen-pecked husbands, civil servants playing cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten little lives. Do you think they sit like monks in a cell, balancing right against wrong?

This is one of the finest spy movies of all time, led by a grandstanding performance, and a realistic portrayal of a profession. This is a genuine must see for any fan of the genre.

Flick of The Day: The Hunt For Red October

The first and by far the best of the film adaptations of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series of thrillers, today's film is a classic tale of adventure set during the cold war. The film opens with a great introduction which sets the tone and pulls the viewer in 

"In November of 1984, just before Gorbachev came to power, a Typhoon-class Soviet sub surfaced just south of the Grand Banks. 

It then sank in deep water, apparently suffering a radiation problem. Unconfirmed reports indicated some of the crew were rescued.

But according to repeated statements by both Soviet and American governments, nothing of what you are about to see...

EVER HAPPENED"

The Hunt for Red October (Special Collector's Edition)

Sean Connery steals every scene as Captain Marko Ramius, a Soviet submarine captain put in charge of a new class of nuclear submarine, The Red October, that cannot be detected by sonar. He puts to sea with orders to engage in exercises but instead steams toward the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The Russian government tells the Americans that he has gone insane and intends to attack the US but Jack Ryan believes his intention is to defect and so begins a race against time to find The Red October.

Legend has it that Sean Connery initially turned down the role after being faxed a copy of the script as he didn't believe it made any sense. It later transpired that the first page was missing from the script. A very young Alec Baldwin is very believable as CIA agent Dr. Jack Ryan, bringing just the right mix of academia and macho action man to a role later played by Harrison Ford in the inferior Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. There is very fine supporting work from Scott Glenn as a US submariner and Sam Neill as Ramius's right hand man on board the Red October.

The film is slow moving by modern standards, particularly for a thriller however this suits the story. It is contemplative and there just isn't that much eye candy to show on board a submarine. The strength of the characterisation and the rather enjoyable ending pull it through. A big hit in its day, this film has stood the test of time and is well worth a watch.

Flick of The Day: The Lives of Others / Das Leben der Anderen

A critical and commercial success upon its release in 2006, The Lives of Others won the 2007 Oscar for Best Foreign Language feature and made its director, Florian Henkel von Donnersmark one of the most sought after talents in Hollywood. Unfortunately his next film was the dull and muddled, The Tourist. Only time will tell if his career will recover from this setback but in The Lives of Others, he has already created a modern classic that will surely be remembered as such in years to come.

The Lives of Others

Set in East Berlin in 1984, The Lives of Others tells the story of what it was like to live in a totalitarian state where your every move and utterance was monitored by the secret police, the Stasi. In a remarkable performance filled with pathos,  Ulrich Muhe plays Captain Gerd Wiesler of the Stasi who is assigned to investigate renowned playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend Christa Marie-Sieland, a glamorous young couple on the East German cultural scene. As he becomes more and more involved in their daily lives, living vicariously through them, he begins to question his superiors motives for investigating Dreyman and the role of the state in the life of an individual. This is not merely an exercise in highlighting the horrors of the communist regime, though as a Westerner you would undoubtedly be shocked by the power of the state, this is a truly suspenseful film as the plots winds its way to a conclusion that leaves the viewer satisfied. There can be no loose ends.

There are some very fine performances in this film but I cannot praise Ulrich Muhe enough. He imbues the character of Captain Wiesler with a quiet dignity that enables the audience to empathise with him. There is a discernible arc to the character throughout the film and as Wiesler begins to see the light, we do too. That's acting of the highest order and it is such a great shame that Ulrich Muhe passed away so soon after this performance, succumbing to stomach cancer on 22nd July 2007.

One of the real strong points of the film is the little subtle events that have far reaching consequences. The neighbour who looks through her keyhole, the slip of a tongue in passing conversation, it keeps the viewer on their toes and doesn't insult their intelligence by telegraphing every part of the plot. One of the finest films of the noughties, if not of all time, The Lives of Others is a chilling portrayal of a past that is as relevant as ever today, I urge you to see this film.