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The first of many John Grisham novels brought to the screen, this mammoth story follows the life of young lawyer, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise), and his attempts to break away from his corrupt law firm. But, as always, breaking up is hard to do. Especially with pressure from the FBI to snitch the firm off and from the mob to stay at his job, or else! So, Cruise goes all out in an effort to get away from both the Feds and his law firm's goons, as well as an attempt to run away into a new life with his wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn).Quite gripping and suspenseful, with some top-notch performances from Cruise, Tripplehorn, Hal Holbrook as the head of the firm, Gene Hackman as Cruise's mentor and Wilford Brimley as the head of firm security and all-around sleazeball (!). The problems are that it's overlong and has some obvious changes from the original story. However, those obstacles can be overlooked, thanks to the relentless fast-pace of the story, and the excellent foot-chase of the climax. Stay tuned for further Grisham reviews this week.
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One of the weaker film adaptations of a John Grisham novel, it still has great suspense, political intrigue and a compelling story. Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts), a law student, gets involved in a major mess when she writes her theory about what happened in the assassinations of two supreme court justices. When someone kills her boyfriend over the brief, in an attempt on her life, she makes a run for it. As a fugitive, she attempts to find out who is trying to kill her and what motives these people would have to do it. With the help of Washington Post reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), she searches for the truth and a possible way out of this nightmare.A little less interesting than yesterday's The Firm, mainly because of the claustrophobic feel to it, the movie is not without it's redeeming virtues. They include the fine performances by Washington and Roberts and some honest suspense, supervised by director Alan J. Pakula. I think it's worth seeing perhaps once or twice, but no more than those two times.
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Certainly one of the better of the Grisham adaptations reviewed this week, another conspiracy is at hand in America, and it involves the whereabouts of the body of a state senator. When the accused mob hitman's lawyer goes out to the Bayou country to kill himself, he tells his secret to a 12-year old boy (Brad Renfro from Sleepers). Afterwards, when the lawyer indeed blows his brains out, Renfro is pressured by a high-powered Washington attorney (Tommy Lee Jones) to confess his secret. However, the hitman (Anthony LaPaglia) and his goons want to make absolutely sure that nothing comes out of the kid's mouth. The only person that Renfro can trust and confide in about this mess, is strong-willed and minded attorney, Reggie Love (Outstanding performance by Susan Sarandon!).A one of a kind film, that outdoes the first two Grisham films with excellent performances (Sarandon, Jones, LaPaglia), an outstanding debut for young Renfro and some very fine (and at times humorous) dialogue. The film will appeal to a wider audience than the earlier adaptations, because it isn't full of the usual heavy-handed lawyer lingo and it is chock full of characters that you can relate to more than the other Grisham renderings. I must say that Sarandon should have won the Oscar for this one, instead of Jessica Lange in the far-fetched soap opera, Blue Sky.
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One of the few nadirs of Tom Hanks career, this adaptation of Tom Wolfe's novel pretty much misses the mark. It involves cocky Wall street broker, Sherman McCoy (Hanks), whose life is changed for the worse, thanks to a wrong turn in the Bronx. The people he thought he could trust, including his wife (Kim Cattrall) and his mistress (Melanie Griffith), turn against him and cast him to the media circus that is attempting to destroy him. The only person who gives him any sort of "sympathy" is sleazy reporter Peter Fallow (Bruce Willis), who is trying to get the scoop about McCoy for his own personal gain.This black comedy which attacks the greedy and the wealthy of America, couldn't have had a more off kilter production. Their are some genuine laughs, some of which are provided by Willis. But my main gibe is the miscasting of Hanks, Griffith and Willis in crucial roles. Cattral's performance is one of the most over-the-top I've ever seen. In fact, everything seems to be overblown and the point of Wolfe's novel never comes across on screen. One of the many times when you should definitely read the book instead of watching the movie.
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One of the major box-office hits this summer, this vehicle for Tom Cruise actually stays somewhat true to it's TV origins. True, it's got a lot bigger action scenes than the TV show had, but it's also just as exciting as some of the old episodes. Cruise finds himself in the middle of a plot to frame him for the murder of his partners. Cruise must prove himself innocent, find the real culprits and save the world from evil (paging James Bond!).Despite heavy criticism, the film holds its promise for an exciting rollercoaster ride. My favorite scene involves his break-in of CIA headquarters to steal a special disk. To reveal more would just cause anger among some of my readers. Let me finish by saying that, although this does have some gaping plot holes in the script, they are overwhelmed by the charismatic performance of Cruise and some the running of some great action sequences. Don't forget the excellent updating of the Lalo Schifrin score. It's worth a try.
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Stephen King has had his stories mangled by filmakers before, but this cheesy excuse for a horror film doesn't even bother to leave it at mangling. It goes for the jugular and then slowly waits for the story to die. By the end, it does. The story has to do with a couple, who discover a creepy cemetery for dead animals. Beyond that is the place where "the dead walk". When tragedy strikes them, thanks to linkage of an on-coming semi-truck and the couple's young son's position on the road, the father (Dale Midkiff) decides that maybe he should use the spirit of the "forbidden" animal bone yard in hopes of compelling his child's come back from the great beyond. "Horror" results from dad's actions.Stephen King's darkest novel (and one of his most fantastic) is turned into a Friday the 13th clone. The characters are treated like pieces of meat, set up to be sliced and diced by zombie kids and pets. King at least gave the characters feelings and made them interesting. Here, they're just a bunch of unimportant cardboard dummies. They're just too many things wrong with this. Important characters and scenes from the book have been cut out, and new (and ludicrous) scenes and dialogue are added in. I bet even King couldn't believe the final result. For those of you who like seeing films like this, great news! There's a sequel that's even dumber and more incoherent than the first.
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One of the best Civil war films to come out in recent years, this story of the first regiment of black men is stunning and beautiful. We follow the men from training camps, where brutal drill sergeants use every means to turn them into fighting men, and then onto the battlefield itself. One particular regiment, the 54th, fought a battle that convinced the Union that black men were as good a soldier as white men. It inspired over 100,000 blacks to join up and possibly help turn the course of the entire war. Among the members of the regiment, which is lead by a young Northerner (Matthew Broderick), there is the gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). Freeman is one of the more knowledgeable of the soldiers and he understands all too well what they're getting into. Then there is Trip (Denzel Washington), an escaped slave from the South, who is tough as nails and embittered against the world for what has happened to him. Finally, a free northern scholar named Searles (Andre Braugher), whose eyes are ope
ned to the mistreatment of blacks in both the North and the South. He learns of injustice through some of his own hardships as he becomes a soldier and gains the respect of his fellow troops as he applies what he learns.An outstanding production, with a top-draw cast and an important eye for detail. The realistic battle scenes capture the agony, anguish, pain, triumph and yes, the glory of war. It's hard to say if it's pro or anti-war, since it captures both sides of the coin quite well. Thanks go in part to Washington (in an Academy-award winning role), Freeman, Braugher and Broderick, who seems to be playing his first real adult role here. The wonderful cinematography, art direction, costumes and choreographed battle scenes make you feel as if you are part of it. The ending is probably the most powerful scenes of war ever, capturing all facets of war movies of the past. This is definitely in my top ten list for best war films of all time.
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