A movie with particularly clear and finalized title, which I was expecting to be very good. It actually amazed me…
This performance by Joaquin Phoenix is truly astonishing, as he really immerses in the character. The lead indeed deserved to get the best actor won at “Festivalle de Cannes”. I saw so many shades of human fright and terror in him, so much humane aspects, that I really now admire his traits. I had some reservations before, but he has brought the craft to perfection.
And with such a beautiful and unique script, this thriller can’t really be avoided.
The used before “hitman rescues a girl” trivia is known to us, but the direction by Lynne Ramsay has quite the perfect execution of every small detail. I believe you can’t really be spoiled, as the structure of the movie follows some well known patterns by “Taxi driver” and “The Professional”. What really depressed me in a good way were the pacing (the movie is only 1:30 hour long), the finest details (those hallucinating episodes!!!) and the overall weight of the film. I cannot really stress out how much I enjoyed seeing two human beings, who were enemies a moment ago, singing the same song!
The cinematography of this masterpiece is very diverse. The shots aim from various angles, always pointing out both important and contradicting emotional values. I liked very much the use of music in this movie. There are a lot of messages about the current American culture and what it is obsessed with, and they are enhanced by every word in a song in the background. We have a nice mix of old time hits with modernistic sound.
I liked also the homages to Psycho and other easter eggs in this small, but full of matter film. Movies have to be inventive, but also have to show that the craft has developed from and been influenced by other masterpieces.
Character development is important, steady and fulfilling. The audience craves for a moment to breathe and it gets it only with the last words in the film.
When I start to compare this movie with others, I can only say that every inch of it is genre perfect and the last bit of spice which I always need to give a film 10/10 is there. You cannot anticipate it, you cannot think of it, you just feel it. A perfect movie about human beings, which are capable of utmost violence and at the same time crazy-incidental altruism. Much like nowadays hurry-to-grave lifestyle on our 7 billion planet.
The cinema of last two-three years has steadily grown its reconciliation branch. We must talk to each other about every possible problem between us. Every possible way that we can. Every time that we can. Time is important, we don’t have that much of it.
yyanchev 