An Eclectic Mix Including John Singleton, Jason Bourne and Tim Burton

Posted by Jason Ihle | No Comments

This grouping of films is mostly of the action/adventure and fantasy variety. Here is probably where you’ll find some of the most dubious choices of my favorite films of the decade.

Kill Bill and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring would also be included in this grouping, but they were included in my first post.

The Bourne Identity (2002) dir. Doug Liman – A really thrilling action film that doesn’t forget that story and character are what drive a film. The action sequences serve as punctuation to liven up the story. It’s a shame that so many action films seem to begin with a string of set-pieces onto which sloppy characters and a terrible story have been hung like a gym sock on a towel rod. Not to mention Matt Damon is so good at both the acting and the physical action. And the film is peppered with great supporting players like Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Julia Stiles and Brian Cox. The sequels are worth mentioning as both very good and equally enjoyable but the first one had a freshness and originality that the latter two couldn’t possibly match.

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) dir. John Woo – It’s ridiculous, it’s over the top, and it has a final extended action sequence involving impossible stunts that give new meaning to the word absurd. It’s classic John Woo and it rips off the basic plot from Hitchcock’s Notorious, but his control over the action is just incredible. I loved every minute of it.

Serenity (2005) dir. Joss Whedon – Here was a film that I went into with no expectations and came out having discovered a uniquely different sci-fi film. It doesn’t have the kind of epic scope of a Star Wars or Star Trek, but it does share something in common with the former, involving a scrappy crew of deep space explorers led by a captain who is a revamped Han Solo.

Four Brothers (2004) dir. John Singleton – Here’s one of the unusual choices on my list because I don’t really count it as a really good movie. But when I saw it I was so taken in by the relationship between the titular characters (Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund), foster children all raised by the same caring woman. It’s funny and occasionally quite moving. The big action set-piece(major SPOILERS in this clip), an all-out assault on the brothers at their home involving automatic weapons and copious amounts of firepower is great action directing and imbued with powerful emotion. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I felt like I was right in there with them in that scene. Plus it’s got a killer soundtrack. As the film takes place in Detroit it’s loaded with Motown tunes by the likes of Marvin Gaye and The Temptations. And as a bonus it features the brilliant, but little known actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Fall (2008) dir. Tarsem – Commercial and music video director Tarsem’s second feature film was in production for several years. Principal photography lasted several months and was spread over two dozen locations in more than a dozen countries. He claims that no special effects are used in the film, but rather only natural settings and production design. Given the look of the film, that is a remarkable feat. The visuals are a feast for the eyes, to be sure, but the story is a fascinating adventure told by a depressive paraplegic to a young girl in a hospital. The performance of Romanian actress Catinca Untaru is one of the best child performances in film history.

Big Fish (2003) dir. Tim Burton – At the very least I often find Burton’s films interesting and occasionally very good. Mars Attacks! was misunderstood, under-valued and underrated. Sleepy Hollow was masterfully macabre. As far as dark fantasy tales go, this film is a really pleasing entertainment. It’s really well-acted with solid performances from Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman and Ewan McGregor.

Signs (2002) dir. M. Night Shyamalan – Shyamalan has been hit or mostly miss (in a big way) since his incredible The Sixth Sense. Signs was probably his next best effort as a director. This is a genuinely frightening tale of alien invasion that manages to avoid all the typical trappings. I particularly like his ability to take a world-shaking event and distill it to a personal story of a man and his faith. And this film has one of the best chill-inducing moments of the decade. The big-budget sci-fi films are often effective entertainments, but lose sight of character. Shyamalan gives his audience a reason to care about the external forces being exerted on his characters. Such a shame that his films since have devolved into self-parody.

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