Four Movies to See

I usually consider a movie successful if it engages my attention and I am transported, albeit for a short time, to another place and, perhaps, to another time. Then all of the other elements of movie making come into play: script, acting, directing, maybe setting, music, and special effects. The movies that have my highest recommendation so far for 2007 include: “Eastern Promises,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Shoot ‘Em Up” and “Ladrón Que Roba a Ladrón.” These movies are not necessarily Academy Award quality, but they are certainly worth seeing. However, I would like to see “Eastern Promises” nominated for script, director, actor, and supporting actor.

“Eastern Promises” takes us into a world so removed from our reality that the brutality is difficult to watch at times. Steven Knight’s intelligent script poses the innocent Anna (Naomi Watts) as a foil for the sadistic Russian mafia leader (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his disturbed son (Vincent Cassel) and violent gangster Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). Their thought-provoking interactions illustrate that it takes violence to fight evil, that good is not vicious enough to be an effective adversary. Mortensen and Mueller-Stahl are superb and David Cronenberg’s taut directing adds another dimension to the film, especially the steam bath fight scene where a nude and unarmed Nikolai fights two thugs intent on doing major bodily harm.

“3:10 to Yuma” is a worthy remake of the 1957 original strarring Van Heflin and Glenn Ford.. This new version, pairing Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, explores good and evil and the various shades of gray in-between. And there are enough differences between the two movies that seeing the current “3:10 to Yuma” does not have the feeling of watching a re-run.

One reason to see “Shoot “Em Up” is its tongue-in-cheek tone . After all, how can you not laugh when Clive Owen’s character, Mr. Smith, goes out of an airplane without a gun or a parachute and he not only survives, but he manages to shoot the dozen or so armed men who follow him out of the plane. There isn’t a credible moment in the film and that’s part of the fun. The other reason to see this film is Clive Owen. He’s just too gorgeous for words.

I’ve already written two pieces on “Ladrón Que Roba a Ladrón” so I suggest you read those. However, at this point, I’m not sure this movie is still playing in theaters. You may have to wait until it’s available on DVD.