― cruizen, his unwavering FAN. (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr. Tony Plow (Leee), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:56 (nineteen years ago) link
Actually, he does grin very briefly. The camera doesn't hold on it so I wonder if it was a reflexive action that Mann left in and not anything deliberate.
The real star of the movie is the City of Los Angeles - obviously fitting for a neo-noir about anonymity. Each frame could have easily been blown up into a coffee table-sized book of photographs.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:57 (nineteen years ago) link
Absolutely OTM.
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:59 (nineteen years ago) link
I think it's a Michael Mann thing. I didn't mind it too much - heck even the Oakenfold during the scene at the Fever club was pretty effective. Really the only time I found the music intrusive enough to kick me out of the moment was the idiot song that comes on during the coyote sighting.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:41 (nineteen years ago) link
I really liked the sequence when Ruffalo seems to save the day, then takes three in the chest, Foxx's shoulders slump and he gets in the cab. Ruffalo's death was unexpected, even under "the good guy automatically gets killed" logic.
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:45 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyway, I went to see it because I love the way his movies look on a big screen. I wasn't disappointed. His movies are like giant video installations, and it was way cooler than anything I saw at the Whitney Biennial.
― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:07 (nineteen years ago) link
whoa. lop off the last 30 minutes and the film could easily have gone this route.
spittle, you are cool..
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:17 (nineteen years ago) link
Vincent was just such a weird character, wasn't he? And the way no one in the office building at the beginning or in the hospital reacts at all to this silver-suited dude wearing shades indoors after dark? He was like the most conspicuous hitman ever. But then he wants to be all "anonymous", and has the whole riff about the guy dying on the train and no one even noticing, as if there's anything remotely overlookable about him. But I guess that's what Edelstein got at with that line about the lonely man in the great suit.
― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:23 (nineteen years ago) link
spittle, it's funny that you say vincent = imaginary; the other day there was some cruise bio thing on E, and i started cracking up at the thought that he was delivering his interviews to noone, just an empty room with a camera, for hours. there's something abt cruise that invites that kind of dislocation.
i liked the shootout at the club even tho i could feel the movie heading south during and after; cruise (even if he doesn't 'get' his character the way welles got harry lime) does understand the kinetics of that kind of thing. his chilly gunhandling was fantastic.
― g--ff (gcannon), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:26 (nineteen years ago) link
Actually, I liked that about the character. He *doesn't* get it, not completely. He's ex-special forces, not a natural, charming philosopher like Lime. He's resigned himself to the fact that killing is his job, but in several scenes, it's made clear that he's not at peace with it.
― Harold Media (kenan), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:31 (nineteen years ago) link
"private sector? six years"
― g--ff (gcannon), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr. Tony Plow (Leee), Thursday, 12 August 2004 21:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 22:06 (nineteen years ago) link
And while the blacked out building is illogical (though, no more than anything that precedes it), it (including the subsequent train chase) disposes with the plot irregularities in favor of pure mood, and, further, it's exquisitely brought off -- there's no musical score to distract from the level of suspense. And TC (or a stuntman) bailing on the window-thrown chair. That counts for something.
― Mr. Tony Plow (Leee), Thursday, 12 August 2004 22:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― amateur!!!st, Monday, 16 August 2004 15:35 (nineteen years ago) link
i don't think i mean this.
― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 16 August 2004 17:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― g--ff (gcannon), Monday, 16 August 2004 17:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― :|, Wednesday, 20 October 2004 09:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 10:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 10:43 (nineteen years ago) link
i dont know, ive maybe seen half an episode of homicide in my life. but if you mean the faux-amateurish hand camera style, constantly zooming in and out and moving around, thats not it. its one long take, the camera is fixed on bardiem and the zoom-ins are microscopic, hardly noticable. crosspost.
― :|, Wednesday, 20 October 2004 10:52 (nineteen years ago) link
DVDs. Rent 'em. Seriously.
― Lifted, or, the story is 'neath my ass (kenan), Wednesday, 20 October 2004 14:57 (nineteen years ago) link
We kept thinking it'd end up like Se7en where Max phones up Jada Pinkett Smith right at the end only to discover that Vincent had killed her right at the beginning of the movie and they'd been driving around LA all night without him finding out.
― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 04:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 04:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 05:03 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 05:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 05:26 (nineteen years ago) link
i get that weird Japanese vibe from all of Mann's post-HEAT stuff. No clue as to why.
― AIDS BENEDICT (Adrian Langston), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 05:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 05:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 06:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― La Monte (La Monte), Monday, 30 May 2005 01:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 30 May 2005 04:35 (nineteen years ago) link
i don't think it was a really great movie in any way except the visuals. but i really enjoyed nonetheless. largely because it is maybe the best-looking movie i've seen in a really long time, save for perhaps bad education. what a great look. i love the way this movie looks. great-looking movie. movie=great looking.
i thought it looked great.
― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 30 May 2005 15:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― Another Allnighter (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 15:16 (eighteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 15:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Actor Sizemore fails drug test with fake penis (jingleberries), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― Another Allnighter (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 18:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 18:33 (eighteen years ago) link
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 18:37 (eighteen years ago) link