Matewan (1987)

Have seen quite a few films recently, but it seems only appropriate to start with the best of them. Based on real life events, Matewan focuses on Chris Cooper's union man, Joe Kenehan, who visits the town of Matewan to support a group of coal miners in their dispute with the mining company that has long exploited them and their families. Naturally, Kenehan stirs up trouble, whilst managing to unite the various factions of minors (including the 'scabs' who initially take the place of the indigenous striking minors), and all hell breaks loose.

As readers of MyFilmVault will know, this is my kind of stuff. It's tough, taught and hard-edged, with a powerful social conscience in tow. Yet, as I always say, it's the characters, and the actors who portray them, which make this such compelling, impossible-to-look-away, fare.

Perhaps MyFilmVault needs to have another section in movie-years for other notable bits of excellence. For the first time I would genuinely like to nominate the ensemble cast of Matewan for a stunning all-round performance which gives the film all its compelling drama. They surpass all other casts in terms of what they provide as an ensemble. In short, there are no weak links. Cooper is excellent as the film's focal point, James Earl Jones is superb (though sadly underused) as the earthy, best-name-ever-list-topper, 'Few Clothes' Johnson, Mary McDonell is good as the (nicely) understated love interest, Will Oldham is good as the young, idealistic, preacher Danny, and Gordon Clapp and (Lost's) Kevin Tighe are suitably despicable as the bad guys and David Strathairn...well, you get the idea. A stunning cast and huge kudos to John Sayles for directing them so well. This is one of those films where you can just tell the chemistry is right and each scene flows delicately and subtly into the next like the river that meanders softly and naturally through the titular town.

Haskell Wexler was deservedly nominated for the cinematography and the pastel, light, shades hide a darker underbelly and a cutting social commentary on the nature of exploitation and poverty and yet, with that, some of the more positive things that can come out of them, togetherness, struggle and unity. A true testament to an excellent director, a truly stunning ensemble performance, and ideals we, at the beginning of this new millennium, might do well to revisit.

Highly recommended to all!

A

The Bourne Ultimatum

My dad tells me these films (aside from the first) have absolutely nothing to do with the books aside from the name, which makes you wonder whether there's some money to be made publishing any old rubbish if it has a cool title, just so someone needs to pay you lots of money to use it. Indeed, I saw an interview with Paul Greengrass, in which he pretty much admitted that all they've done is taken the title and written their own script. Seems a fairly expensive way of making a movie.

Speaking of Greengrass, the British director of United 93 is the critical darling of the moment on both sides of the Atlantic with reporters calling for him to bottle whatever magic he had in making this and for him to direct all action films in future. Fairly impressive notices for a second sequel, even if both its predecessors were well received.

I have to confess however that I wont be applying for membership at the Paul Greengrass appreciation society. I absolutely detested his Bloody Sunday, which I found to be heavy handed and offensive. I also disliked his effort on the second Bourne movie, which I felt to be a pale effort compared to Doug Liman's first film. The thing with Greengrass is that he's really into this hyper editing, shakey-camera shit and I just don't like it. I have to say I wasn't as put off this time around but I suspect that's because I went in fearing the worst. In 'Supremacy' I swear to God I couldn't work out what was going on half the time because of the cross cutting and vomit-inducing camera work, particularly in the car chases.


I do admit though that I enjoyed myself this time around. One of the great things about great actors like David Strathairn getting Oscar noms, as he did for Good Night and Good Luck, is that they get to do stuff like this and he was a very welcome addition to the cast. Strathairn brings a certain gravitas to his role as deputy director of the CIA and his verbal sparring with Joan Allen works well. Damon is as dependable as ever and suits the character of Jason Bourne very well. I wont go into plot details because I don't need to. You know what to expect - it's a chase film from start to finish. Sometimes Bourne's doing the chasing, sometime he's the one being chased, but it's cat and mouse for 120 minutes and the time pretty much flies throughout.

This has been called the best summer action film by many a critic and it may well be the smartest, but damn it if I didn't enjoy Die Hard a little more. I'll not be winning any critic of the year awards for disapproving of Paul Greengrass and preferring Die Hard 4 to Bourne 3 but it is how it is. Enjoyable but not the near perfect action film it's perhaps billed as.

B-