Reviews

I'm surprised that there aren't more comments on Peck's amazing depiction of Atticus Finch, the father. In this era of absent fathers, preoccupied fathers, abusive fathers, immature fathers, etc, etc, Peck's Finch gives us all a soothing view of the best of fatherhood. Where else do we get to watch a man sit up with his ill child, stand firm in his convictions, show patience and gentleness with his children, demonstrate an appropriate level of humility, communicate righteous values to his children, and give his children a picture of integrity to emulate. Every time I view this film I wonder how Peck was able to pull this off. Every time I view this film, it gives me hope for the future of fatherhood.

I have only one word to describe this film in a nutshell: beautiful. I don't necessarily mean visually, although it is visually beautiful. I'm referring to everything in the film: The story, the cinematography, and just the emotions that this film generates in the viewer. This beauty is the reason that I've seen the film four times in the theater, and am planning on purchasing it on video as soon as it becomes available.

Acting: Chow Yun-Fat delivers a typical excellent performance. The real focus, however, is on the two woman who really drive the story, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. Ziyi in particular takes an increasingly central role as the story progresses, and her acting talents become more and more notable. I look forward to seeing her in later films. The thing that most impressed me most about the acting was the emotions that spoke through the language barrier. The third time I saw the film I paid less attention to the subtitles and more to the acting. I can testify that nearly all the performers are excellent.

Action: The action scenes are not actually the centerpieces of the film, although they are good enough to be. Yuen Wo Ping's choreography, coupled with Ang Lee's directing make for exciting, adrenaline filled fights. At first I wasn't sure to laugh or not at the flying scenes, but after I got used to it, they became some of the most fitting moments of the films.

Cinematography: I love almost any film with good cinematography, and this film was full of it. Sometimes it tends a little toward the dark side, but I think that may have been the effects of a dim theater. Especially well done were the scenes from the extended flashback in the middle of the film.

Score: Tan Dun's score won a well deserved Oscar. It sounds a little odd to my Western ears, but some of the pieces spoke volumes to me even without the visual images in front of me.

Story: Ah, this is the best part of the film. The story manages to fit this film into a variety of genres. This story is an action film, a drama, and a romance all rolled into one. This story is capable of being both uplifting and sad at the end. The ending is slightly ambiguous, but still manages to be perfect.

Basically, I believe this film comes close to being perfect. I give it 10 out of 10.

I had no idea what to expect when I went to see this film. I was happily surprised at what I saw. Guy Ritchie is another director who knows how to use high quality music video style, snappy editing and directing. Ritchie has written another wild, snarled plot in the tradition of Pulp Fiction. Actually, this film is extremely similar to Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels - identical would not be a stretch. But Ritchie is not plagiarizing - L, S, and 2SB is his film also. Like Run, Lola, Run, the music video style is used here only where it helps the film, not impedes it. The most inventive use takes us across the Atlantic in about 3 seconds - you'll have to see it to know what I mean. Almost all the characters have incredibly thick accents, requiring complete attention on the part of the viewer to catch the dialogue. But that only adds to the overall quirkiness of the film. All the actors are fairly good. The one who really shines, though, is Brad Pitt. He wallows in his seediness in this film, and appears to love doing it. His impenetrable Irish accent is really impossible to decipher, and creates some very funny moments. The other thing Ritchie plays with is time. A spectacular scene where three cars and three story lines interact is done in reverse. This scene is absolutely hilarious and very inspired. Warning note to guys: This is quite the guy's film. Think twice about taking a date with you to this one. With that said, I need to go reserve my copy of the video before it comes out. 10/10!!!

Usually when film buffs hear that a film is coming out that makes use of music video "MTV" style editing and direction, they cringe in dread anticipation. Usually, this style has served as a method to mask bad acting, plot, and script.

I am happy to say: NOT so with Run Lola Run. This excellent foreign film uses the frenetic editing along with great acting and story. The style actually supports the story. Since the movie is all about running, speed, limited time and time stress, the fast directing is just the thing it needs. Along with a powerful techno score, and enough twists to keep your heart pounding, Run Lola Run is probably the most stimulating thrilling film I have seen. Ten out of ten.