Reviews

Entire Churches and Bible Study Groups Really Need to See This. Absolutely the whole counsel of God is shared in this movie. Nothing was left out, not the reality of Satan and his intentions, not the existence of sin, not the truth that all we like sheep have gone astray, not that our righteousness, apart from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are filthy rags doomed to hell. It is all there, the truth shared with a pure heart fervently. At a time when hell is not real to many Christians, this puts hell front and center!

Finally, the Church can watch a movie that speaks faith and shows the hand of God in the lives of His people. Taking the Lord at His Word, living it, loving it, breathing it, memorizing it. Such is the bread of life!

For man shall not live by a baker's loaf alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The message of this movie is exactly that. Man must decide today, "Whom shall ye serve? God or mammon?" Choose this day. Don't wait. Now is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time. Hell is real as they keep saying throughout this fantastic film. And it is a very joyous film.

If this country will, with a contrite heart, bow to the King of Kings and repent, and turn from their wicked ways, then will He hear from heaven and heal our families and our land!

I like how they respected the Amish. Witness is one of the most sensitive and well-written crime movies I've ever seen. The crime itself is mundane: an Amish boy witnesses the gruesome murder of an undercover cop; Detective John Book investigates and finds out corruption inside the police; he runs for his life and hides amidst the Amish. What is fascinating is the several contrasts between city life and country life, between the peacefulness of the Amish and the violence of Book's world, between his loud personality and the shyness of the Amish. Its about community. It's also how violence can affect peoples' lives; and more importantly it's a beautiful love story. Peter Weir is a filmmaker who seldom disappoints: I've enjoyed his work in The Year of Living Dangerously, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, and Master & Commander. But for me Witness is his masterpiece. It's built on simplicity, sharp writing, tight editing, beautiful cinematography, inspiring music, and powerful performances by the cast. Harrison Ford shows what a great actor he can be. Kelly McGillis gave the performance of her life as an Amish widow starting a conflict with her community as she falls in love with an outsider. Danny Glover, Josef Sommer, Lukas Haas and Jan Rubes complement the cast wonderfully. Technically speaking, this movie is excellent. Maurice Jarre, who passed away recently, composed one of his finest scores ever, which suits the images many times. There's especially a sequence in which the whole community raises a barn and I'd say half the charm of it comes from the score playing. The screenplay is concise and clear, and Thom Noble's editing doesn't let the story stray once. The cinematography captures the beauty and tranquility of the fields and the grandiosity of the city buildings which leave the Amish awed.

Anyone who enjoys cinema for a good story with rounded characters interpreted by great actors can't miss Witness.

Good action film. Shifting to 2032, instead of the dystopian vision of the future we were expecting, Los Angeles (or San Angeles as its now called) has become a peaceful society. The world has become a very happy place. A place of no crime, no hate, and no sex!! The benevolent dictator (if there is such a thing!) of San Angeles, Dr Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne) is none too happy that some citizens are not following his grand, master plan. Some people have broken away from society and live underground, wanting to live their own lives, led by fast-talking leader, Edgar Friendly (Denis Leary). Raiding the surface world for food and supplies, Cocteau wants them dealt with. And he has a radical plan. Thaw out Simon Phoenix to kill Edgar Friendly. Of course it doesn't work out that way, and Phoenix is far more interested in taking over the defenceless San Angeles, which rapidly becomes the war zone it once was. Since the police (SAPD) are ill-equipped to handle this, they come up with a radical plan of their own. Thaw out John Spartan to deal with Simon Phoenix. Partnered up with SAPD cop Lenina Huxley (a delightfully perky Sandra Bullock), in the hunt for Phoenix, they wind up tearing down the hideously nice San Angeles in the process.

Demolition Man is a very funny satirical version of the future. Its observations are not as astute as RoboCop, but there are occasions where it is an action film of striking intelligence. The fact that the future is so nice and non-violent is a neat twist on what we usually expect from stories about our oncoming future. But the novelty is that San Angeles is so nice and non-threatening that it's almost scary. And just as frightening as any dystopia. From 1984 to Children of Men.

There are lots of wonderful throwaway gags too, packed away into the background. There are too many to mention, but I like the neat little touches the film keeps coming up with. Like when Dr Cocteau holds a meeting, instead of addressing people in person, at the conference table are these little TV screens that swivel around as Cocteau walks about. And the cars of the future drive themselves. OK, that one's not so unexpected. But buildings that clean up after themselves! Bet you didn't see that one coming!