A Pair of Films

During the Christmas period, I caught up with a couple of films that had been added to Netflix, one that carried a fair bit of expectation and the other that quietly arrived with little fuss (and was all the better for it).

First up, Bright. Starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, Bright posits an alternate world where Elves (upper class), Humans (Middle Class) and Orcs (Lower Class) live together. All is not well, as the heavy handed social commentary would have it and it is with this background that Edgerton plays the first Orc police officer in Los Angeles. Cue the usual mistrust, racism and bigotry. Add to that magic users and you have a smorgasbord of story tropes to fill two hours.

Now I will say that this film has been panned by critics, some labelling it the worst film 2017. That, it is not, in my humble opinion. True, it's not high art, but then it was never meant to be. What it is, however, is a cracking popcorn movie that will do for an evening's entertainment. The story moves at a good pace and the $90 million budget looks well spent on effects (and probably Smith's fee). Acting is average to good. Smith seems to be relying upon the same schtick that has carried him since Independence Day (except a bit more sweary - even with the early morning scene introducing the character), and whilst this is seems as effortless as always, it does feel a little lazy. Edgerton is superb, despite the hindrance of prosthetic make up. He carries the sense of newcomer and outsider well, adding an honour that is missing from much of the human cast. Noomi Rapace is decent but wasted as the Evil of the story, and although she doesn't phone her performance in, the script doesn't give her much to work with. Overall though, it's an entertaining movie that, if you have Netflix, you should give it a go.

Bright, as noted above, has taken a lot of flack and part of that will be down to the nature of its release. No cinema showings for this one as Bright is the start of Netflix's plans to take on movie studios and deliver more of its own content rather than rely upon buying rights to others - an example being the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that Disney have taken back off Netflix in order to launch their own streaming service. As such, Bright is very much a tent-pole release and one that has a lot riding on it. Given a sequel has bee green-lit, we can presume that, despite the critical response, the viewer response has been good enough.

The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is more of a thriller, telling the story of a Chinese businessman whose daughter is killed by a renegade Irish terrorist attack. What follows is his attempt to find out who committed the attacks and the revenge he seeks.

The film has had quite a decent international cinema release but not in the UK. On a $35 million budget it took $140 million so it was a success. For a UK release though, it's been handled by Netflix which is a shame as it deserves a wider audience.

Chan plays pretty much against type as a 61 year old (which he was at the time of filming) and really gets to show his acting skills. There is a tangible sense of grief and anger as he slowly follows the trail to those who killed his daughter. There are a few fight scenes, and boy, does he get his arse kicked at times, but his character's background is explained well and doesn't take away any of the story. The film also proves that even in his sixties, Chan still can move about.

Pierce Brosnan plays the Northern Ireland Assembly Deputy Leader who previously led the IRA and renounced violence for a political solution - or did he? No plot spoilers but there is enough meat on the story to keep you entertained, even if Brosnan's Northern Irish accent does slip every now and again. The supporting cast are all good and the film ramps up the tension, particularly in the last half hour, to a conclusion that gives a fitting pay-off to all concerned.

If you do have Netflix or can get a free trial, I would certainly recommend The Foreigner.