(4 stars out of five)--Right from the opening sequence of this film (an inspired montage, following a single bullet as it is created, packaged, sold, and finally, shot into the head of a young man -- all set to Buffalo Springfield's classic anti-war song "For What It's Worth"), you know it means business. It does not shy away from its opinions and messages. I assure you: don't be scared away by the awful trailers for the film... the marketing people obviously had no idea how to market this movie, and as a last-ditch effort, made it appear to be an action film. It couldn't be more the opposite. It leaves hardly anyone unscathed in its open disgust of war and violence: entire countries are taken to task, and a nicely-written text at the end of the film informs the viewer that the biggest weapons dealers in the world are also the permanent members of the UN... the film is saying, in so many words, that the U.S. and other countries are no different than the despicable arms dealer that Nicolas Cage plays in the film. The movie's message is quite dark, but true: things go round and round, people will die, the soldiers will get younger, and as long as money is involved, nothing will change. It's quite unsettling, but the film has a sense of humor that keeps things going. Andrew Niccol (writer of The Truman Show) writes and directs the film with wit and intelligence, and the cast is first-rate. It's one of those films where the message of the picture - and how clearly and effectively the filmmakers get that message across - is almost more important than the film itself. We don't always get the feeling that the movie has a firm hold on its story, but the message of the film comes across as clear as day... with startling effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment