Review of Highwaymen (2004) by Christopher L — 08 Sep 2004

It's been a while since I reviewed any movies. So, over the past two weeks I sat myself down and absorbed at least four. Instead of my usual, long winded critiques, I've decided to give you my thoughts and feelings on all four in a more compact and straightforward manner. That's right, there will be no fatty reviews here today. Today, we're eating lean.

Up first, is Taking Lives. My initial interest in this picture stemmed from two factors: One, it's directed by DJ Caruso, who also directed the underrated and underseen Salton Sea. Two, the premise of the film is dripping with creativity. It's about a killer who steals the identities of his/her victims. I thought to myself, now this I gotta see.

Sadly, I never got around to catching it on the big screen, as doing so is quite rare for me these days. But, it did afford me the ability to go into it on DVD with low expectations. Because of this, the movie snuck up on me and became a pleasant surprise. Angelina Jolie gives a subtle, yet precise performance as a forensics expert who seems a bit too into her job. Not only does she collect pictures of corpses, but when we first meet her, she's lying in a fresh grave. Although she doesn't see or speak to dead people, I bet she would very much like to.

Ethan Hawke is the one who shines here, as a nervous, charming artist. It's a joy to watch him make this character his own. The only other person who comes to mind for this role would perhaps be someone like Tom Cruise, but I feel his star power might have overshadowed the character. Regardless, Hawke is hypnotic in the film, especially a second time around when you know what happens to him.

Taking Lives does have some minor flaws. For example, Kiefer Sutherland pops up in a glorified cameo pretty much serving as a red herring. After his exit, I found myself questioning how he was able to get into Hawke's apartment when it was apparently so well guarded. In the end, it's nice to see him and he does turn in a memorable performance, but he's not really necessary.

There's one other tiny flaw. At some point, there is a scene where a man decapitates a woman. The effect is obviously so fake looking, I almost laughed out loud. It came dangerously close to ruining the picture for me, but I was able to keep my composure and enjoy the film for its stronger points. One of those main points being the cold, gloomy visuals. The opening stunt is delightfully shocking, and it lets you know right away this picture has more to offer than first suspected. While some of the plot turns are fairly predictible, their execution and the performances are what makes it fresh and fun.

"The headlights are just like his eyes...Only one works." - Highwaymen.

Our second offering is Highwaymen. This is what would qualify as a guilty pleasure. Jim Caviezel appeared in this one just before he died on the cross for our sins. He makes great use of those big, sad eyes and beaten down demeanor. He's likeable, which is very important in a movie such as this. He plays a lonely man bent on a mission of revenge. He's on a high speed chase to find an elusive El Dorado, after it mowed down his wife a few years back.

It seems the driver of this suped up Cadillac just loves torturing people with his car. In fact, it seems to be all he lives for. What's more, he wants Caviezel to chase him. This is a twisted version of cat and mouse where there are no real winners, but somebody is definitely gonna lose. Rhona Mitra plays the latest victim in their personal little game, doing her best Catherine Zeta-Jones impression. She actually does a better job at it than Catherine seems to, meaning I think she can act, and this version doesn't make me want to turn off the TV.

Colm Feore is eerily menacing as the next Anthony Hopkins. His performance has a slight sympathy to it. This makes it easy to see where both characters are coming from. Make no mistake about it though, Feore's villain is extremely evil and messed up.

Robert Harmon directs this movie with all the style and energy he showcased so many years ago with the cult favorite, The Hitcher. He has a way of making these kinds of pictures work. It's almost too easy to go over the top and utterly stupid with this kind of material, but Harmon has a strong visual eye that grounds things in reality, even when you don't believe what you're seeing. I wish he would make another one of these kinds of pictures, so he can create a strong trilogy for himself. The less said about the average offerings of They and Nowhere To Run, the better.

Some elements are a bit contrived, and the very end (the last sixty seconds or so) is completely silly and unnecessary. However, the movie as a whole is total popcorn entertainment. It's an entertaining, high octane thrill ride that was built for the drive-in theaters of the past. I don't know about you, but sometimes this is just the kind of delightful snack one needs to cleanse the pallette of all those over-important melodramas flooding the marketplace. It goes down with ease and even has a pleasant aftertaste.

"So, what's the craziest thing you've done lately?" - The Girl Next Door.

The Girl Next Door was severely bashed by the critics during its initial release, mainly due to bad marketing and an over abundance of striking similarities to Risky Business. Interestingly enough, it wasn't until such comparisons were being made that I wanted to see the movie. Being a big fan of the 1984 film, I was curious to see how the material would fare with an updated sensibility. I'm happy to report, that for the most part it works, and the film comes out mostly unscathed.

The story concerns a decent, hard working kid named Matt, played by charming newcomer Emile Hirsch. He's graduating high school soon with high marks, and a possible scholarship to boot. It's in these last days of his senior year, he begins to reflect, and feels as though he's missed out on an awful lot of fun to be had. He seems to get a second shot at such an opportunity when he meets his new, next door neighbor. She's played with a double shot of sweet and sexy by Elisha Cuthbert.

This girl is really something. It's a pity girls like her don't really exist, because the world would be a much more beautiful and peaceful place if they did. Aside from being stunningly attractive, she's also friendly, clever, and she seems to bring out the best in those around her. She likes Matt for who he is, not for what he can give her. She teaches him how to stand up for himself and even how to treat a lady. Her relationship with Matt is one of sweet simplicity and it's most fun during the early stages, before a huge bomb gets dropped.

I'm sure those of you reading this aren't living in a cave somewhere and you most likely own at least one TV. Due to that crappy marketing of the film, it should come as no surprise to you that the bomb is this: The girl next door turns out to be a porn star. This startling development, while definitely original, is not the real focus of the picture. Things don't really get bad for Matt until he meets his girlfriend's producer Kelly, played with great, manic energy by Tim Olyphant.

When Olyphant is onscreen, he owns the picture to the point where you almost don't care about the rest of the movie. It's obvious that his slick turn in Go is what got him considered for this part. Luckily, this character has a lot more to do. However, Kelly lacks some consistency. Too often, he flips back and forth between charismatic badass, to just plain mean and illogically violent.

This is the only case where Director Luke Greenfield drops the ball. He obviously has a love for films of the 80s. That nostalgia is evident throughout this picture in almost every way. From its carefree, but bittersweet tone, right down to using the melodic synthesized score of composer Paul Haslinger, a former member of Tangerine Dream.

All in all, this is a wholly cute and harmless picture, hitting only the occasional sour note. Had some of the characters been finer tuned and developed, this could've become an easy classic. As it is, it still gets the job done in reminding us that they rarely make movies with such heart these days. In a slew of angsty drama, cynical and even mean-spirited comedy, it's good to take in some breezy fun once in a while.

"What I really want more than anything, is for it to be okay with you for me to feel something again; even if it's pain." - Garden State.

Garden State is one of those rare treasures that comes along and reminds us why we love the movies. It's a refreshing story of personal pain, warmth and ultimately joy. It comes to audiences during a summer time usually reserved for overblown, disjointed, forgettable action pictures. During months of feature length, special effects trailers, it's a welcome addition of a sweet, small story that actually has a beginning, middle, and an end.

The story deals with a struggling actor (Zach Braff) having to return home after the death of his mother. Not only is he estranged with his resentful father, but also with himself, having been extremely over medicated for years. While he is in town, he meets an eccentric young woman played with surprising vulnerability by Natalie Portman.

Through this new relationship, the hero begins to wake up to long dormant emotions of anxiety, forgiveness, and especially love. The film has a slight, Wizard Of Oz kind of similarity to it. Zach Braff plays the lead as an amalgamation of all those famous characters. He's desperately trying to reconnect with his mind, heart, courage and also trying to find his way back home, both physically and spiritually.

Zach Braff has not only written a painfully insightful and poetic script, but he also directs the film with a confident hand and a bold eye. The visuals take on a bright, dreamlike quality. It puts us in the hero's mindset. We're experiencing the film through his weightless, glowing perceptions.

The film is just shy of a masterpiece. It only falters in that it creates some supporting characters who are a bit too cartoonish to be believably contained within this story. They're almost too kooky simply for the hell of it, but these moments are few and far between. The important thing is they don't stray too far from what the story is really about. The film is beautifully uplifting and heart wrenching at the same time. Zach Braff is someone worth keeping an eye on.

Kungfubear out!