matija Reviews

Derailed (I) (2005)

Everyman facing a heap of trouble

[9/10 · 5 March 2006]

Clive Owen convincingly portrays an everyman who lives a life where every day is the same - until he unexpectedly meets a woman on a train and his life starts going off in new directions.

When that turns bad, his old habits reassert himself: instead of forming a plan with built-in alternatives, or being a brilliant improviser (like so many other thriller heroes), he forms simple plans and is always at a loss when they fail.

Other people feel that there are plot holes in this movie, but I feel that it just shows an everyman who is a slow starter, not the dynamic super-hero so many other protagonists turn into at the first sign of trouble.

Recommended.

The Duellists (1977)

One of the few great, timeless movies.

[10/10 · 6 May 2000]

Often, when you watch a movie, you can tell when it was made.

It deals with the mores and prejudices of the time it was made. The costumes are done without attention to detail or the hair-styles of the leading actors don't belong to the time when the movie is supposed to be taking place.

Not this movie.

It deals with timeless themes: courage, fate, inevitability,

honor. The costumes are impeccable, and even the hair-styles change as time progresses, exactly as the fashions changed during the times of the Napoleon. Without knowing the actors (though the cast is composed of excellent, justifiably famous artists), there is no way to tell it was made in 1977. It might have been made yesterday, or it might have been filmed on the spot.

If you enjoy a movie where attention was paid to every detail to make it a true piece of art, if you enjoy dramatic photography thoughtful themes, and just the barest suggestion of dry humor, this is the movie for you.