A history of violence: "A Prophet"(09) and "Gamer"(09) - REVIEW(s)

I was in the mood for violence yesterday, and boy did I get it, albeit from two films at opposite ends of the quality spectrum. One was an acclaimed Cannes Grand Prix winner from last May, and the other a star vehicle for Gerard Butler made by the directors of Crank. Care to take a guess at which one I preferred?

Jacques Audiard's A Prophet has held my interest ever since the acclaim from Cannes, through the chilling trailer, and up to Nathaniel R giving the film an A- on The Film Experience. I've had a little trouble with films flying the "acclaimed French product" flag recently (Reprise, Summer Hours), so I had my reservations despite my general excitement. Thankfully, Audiard's film (and France's Foreign Language Film Submission for 09) exceeded my expectations, and even surprised me in a few places. One of my complaints with films like Summer Hours is that in the film's attempts to have some degree of distance/objectivity in regards to characters, that the plot quickly grows tiresome and feels empty, despite plentiful potential for compelling film making. Though this same trait is somewhat present in Audiard's film, there is still a compelling story and intriguing characters that keep the film from falling into "blah" territory, and maintain a level of interest. In a nutshell, this is the story of Malik, a 19 year old, illiterate, French Muslim who rises through the ranks of the mafia during his six years in prison. Despite its length (2.5 hrs) and slightly episodic nature in the middle portion, Audiard's film is compelling written and edited. Malik: What's wrong, Cesar?

Cesar: I just saw 'Gamer'...

Much like The Hurt Locker, the various "episodes" that make up the bulk of the film are woven together with such fluidity that they feel smooth, despite the presence of titles in big, white text. However, the more connected scenes are the strongest, and I can easily say that, also like The Hurt Locker, the best scenes, most engaging scenes are at the beginning and end. Aiding the film in the background is the compelling, at times surprisingly delicate score, even though the sound mix occasionally has it blaring a bit too loud. Still, it's just more proof that 2009 is one of the strongest years for scores of the past decade. In the foreground are the performances, and they're quite strong, though I'm not sure any of them would crack my top 5 (certainly top 10, however). As Malik, Tahir Rahim makes for a compelling protagonist, despite some of what he does. Rahim's wiry build and face communicate neither overt menace nor a wilting flower personality; he's someone who takes time to adjust to what he's getting into. Two key supporting performances are quite impressive as well. Niels Arestrup makes a convincing, though never cartoonish, mob boss who takes Malik under his wing (although he never hesitates to hit the young man to keep him in line). But my favorite of the cast has to be Adel Bencherif as Ryad, Malik's closest friend. Despite Ryad's personal troubles, the script never milks the situation for schmaltz, making the character empathetic without whoring him out for sympathy and tears. Bencherif makes you feel for the character without histrionics; his persona is tough, but still very gentle and likable. If I have any gripes, it's that there are one or two prison characters who feeling somewhat unnecessary, and one line of dialogue that's well...heavy handed (trust me, you'll know it when it's uttered). That said, Audiard's film is so gritty and engaging, and filled with such striking moments (two dream sequences and a handful of symbolic hallucinations are particularly haunting) that it's hard to gripe too much. Not only is this a great film, but one of the best of 2009, and maybe even my new pick for Foreign Language Film.

Unfortunately, Gamer is exactly the opposite. Despite its short runtime (1 hr 25 min), by the time it's over, I was more than ready for it to be over. Though it has two impressively staged/shot/edited action scenes, they're both squeezed into the first 25 minutes. After that, it's a long, stupid, sleazy hour until you're free. Set in a slightly futuristic world, gaming master Nick Castle (Dexter's amazing Michael C. Hall) has developed two hit video games. One is called Society, and the other is Slayer. Both games involve real people plugging into the minds of other real people, and controlling them. The main focus of Slayer is that gamers control actual convicts, who, if they survive 30 games, are given a full pardon, all while spectators look on like it's an NCAA game (hehe, see what I did?). However, like the film's attempt at social commentary is like everything else: weak. Gerard Butler, who's slowly encroaching on Jason Statham's B-Movie-Action throne, doesn't get much to do other than look sullen and yell (he barely talks in the first 30 minutes). I kept waiting for him to pull a Harrison Ford and gruffly tell someone that he wants his family back, since this is basically the plot. While this is going on, we get glimpses of a resistance trying to bring down Castle's game (led by Ludacris, and backed up by Allison Lohman, who rushes through her lines so fast you can just feel her trying to get off of the set). Then there's Butler's wife, who's stuck making money by being an avatar for Society, where we get the film's sleaziest moments. And I mean sleazy. The first shots of Society are tacky, but at least they're brief. As the film goes on, we're treated to more, and it just gets worse (there has to be a better way to justify a boob shot...right?). And then we have Kyra Sedgwick, who should have been able to know better, but probably had to get a paycheck after that whole Bernie Madoff fiasco (seriously, what on earth was her character doing???). You gonna try and stab an Emmy Winner, boy?

OH, and THEN, there's John Leguizamo in an absolutely nothing role as well...some guy who likes to give twitchy monologues to Butler, and then dies and we're supposed to be all "oh no that guy died!" I'm sorry that I'm getting so fragmented, but...GAH, there's just so much that's either dumb, lame, or exceedingly trashy it's hard to keep focused. At least Michael C. Hall tries to have fun and camp up his role, complete with overwrought southern drawl and a scene where he lip-syncs and dances while sending drones to punch Butler. Not making that up. That's it, I'm done with this. To the makers/writers of this film, all I can say is this:

A Prophet: A-

Gamer: D+