Review: "The Empire Strikes Back" is Still the Best Film of 1980

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 81 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Irvin Kershner
WRITERS: Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan (from a story by George Lucas)
PRODUCER: Gary Kurtz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Suschitzky (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Paul Hirsch
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA
/THRILLER with elements of romance

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Alec Guinness, Jeremy Bulloch, Clive Revell, Denis Lawson, Jason Wingreen (voice) and James Earl Jones (voice)

The Empire Strikes Back is a 1981 epic science fiction film and sequel to Star Wars (1977). The film continues the Star Wars saga and the adventures of Luke Skywalker, as the hero who destroyed the Death Star moves closer to his destiny.

After imperial forces destroy the rebel base on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) leaves his associates to begin his Jedi training with the wizened and tiny Jedi master Yoda (Frank Oz). Meanwhile, Darth Vader (David Prowse with James Earl Jones voice) pursues Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), et al across space to capture them and use them as his bait for trap Skywalker, with whom he’s become obsessed.

Seeking safe refuge, Solo takes his friends to the Cloud City of Bespin, a mining operation run by a rival and “old friend,” Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). But Cloud City becomes the place where friends unite and face tragedy and where young Skywalker learns a secret too horrible to believe and almost too terrible to false.

Of the three original Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back is the best film in terms of quality of filmmaking. The writing, acting, and directing are much better, and director Irvin Kershner (who is otherwise known for his work directing TV series and movies) emphasizes the drama, whereas Star Wars creator George Lucas focused on making the original film more of a fun and rollicking movie in the tradition of the old movie serials. While Kershner’s film did not have the element of surprise that Lucas’ had, his movie (although he obviously had much guidance from Lucas) is better than Lucas’ in some aspects. It’s a darker film, but is still enthralling with its razor’s edge of tension. The thrills are still there, but The Empire Strikes Back also has an atmosphere of dread hanging over it, as if bad things simply must happen to the protagonists.

It’s simply a good film, and virtually anyone who likes, or at least, doesn’t mind watching sci-fi, fantasy, or space opera films will like this. But everything aside, while the film’s subject matter may seem frivolous, the filmmakers present it in such a fashion that this is truly one of the best-made films and most fun to watch movies of the late 20th Century. I’d recommend it and sing its praises even through the roar of a thousand of dissenting voices.

10 of 10

NOTES:
1981 Academy Awards: 2 wins: “Best Sound” (Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, and Peter Sutton) and “Special Achievement Award” (Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson for visual effects); 2 nominations: “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, Harry Lange, Alan Tomkins, and Michael Ford) and “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams)

1981 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (John Williams); 2 nominations: “Best Production Design/Art Direction” (Norman Reynolds) and “Best Sound” (Peter Sutton, Ben Burtt, and Bill Varney)

1981 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams)

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Review: Original "Star Wars" is Still Powerful

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 67 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Wars (1977)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
MPAA – PG
WRITER/DIRECTOR: George Lucas
PRODUCER: Gary Kurtz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gilbert Taylor (D.o.P)
EDITORS: Richard Chew, Paul Hirsch, and Marcia Lucas
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice), Phil Brown, and Shelagh Fraser

Star Wars is a 1977 epic science fiction film, specifically a space opera, which is a genre of science fiction literature. For a time, Star Wars was the highest grossing film in movie box office history (when not adjusted for inflation). I believe that the film’s special effects (revolutionary for its time) and narrative purity (how straightforward the plot and story were) are two of the main reasons the film was so popular and had broad audience appeal. Star Wars may be entertainment and escapist entertainment, at that, but there are elements, ideas, and characters that ring true and feel familiar to the viewer.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away a young farm boy, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), joins the rebellion against an evil galactic empire. It starts when his Uncle Owen (Phil Brown) buys two druids, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), sent by a rebel leader, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), with a message and coded information to an old Jedi Knight, Ben/Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness).

Luke joins Obi-Wan, and with the help of a rakish smuggler, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and his hairy compatriot, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), they embark on a mission to rescue the princess. But waiting for them is the Empire’s most dangerous weapon, the Death Star, and its most fearsome thug, Darth Vader (David Prowse with James Earl Jones providing the voice), and Luke is in for the fight of his young life.

Much has been made of Star Wars since its appearance in the summer of 1977; the story behind the film’s production and how it almost never made it to the big screen is a popular part of Hollywood film lore. Star Wars officially ushered in the era of the blockbuster film, as its box office take set the standard by which studios judged a film’s success. The film’s special effects, though seemingly dated, were considered a landmark achievement in the late 70’s and inspired SFX artist to reach higher.

In terms of art, Star Wars is a great film no matter how you cut it. The story is simple and straightforward, but it also hits on many mythological themes that resonate with audiences from diverse backgrounds. It’s the ultimate popcorn movie – a fantastic time at the cinema. Fun to watch and occasionally heart-stopping, Star Wars is epitome of the matinee movie’s promise of thrills and chills. When the lights in the theatre dim, Star Wars begins and takes you on an extraordinary journey to another place and time.

10 of 10

NOTES:
1978 Academy Awards: 7 wins: “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (John Barry, Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley, and Roger Christian), “Best Costume Design” (John Mollo), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, and Robert Blalack), “Best Film Editing” (Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew), “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams), “Best Sound” (Don MacDougall, Ray West, Bob Minkler, and Derek Ball), and “Special Achievement Award” (Benjamin Burtt Jr. for sound effects, for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices); 4 nominations: “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” (Alec Guinness), “Best Director” (George Lucas), “Best Picture” (Gary Kurtz), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (George Lucas)

1979 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (John Williams) and “Best Sound” (Sam Shaw, Robert R. Rutledge, Gordon Davidson, Gene Corso, Derek Ball, Don MacDougall, Bob Minkler, Ray West, Michael Minkler, Les Fresholtz, Richard Portman, and Ben Burtt); 4 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (John Mollo), “Best Film,” “Best Film Editing” (Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, and Richard Chew), and “Best Production Design/Art Direction” (John Barry)

1978 Golden Globes: 1 win: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams); 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (George Lucas), “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role” (Alec Guinness)

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Julie Taymor and Coen Bros. Films Debut on Blu-ray

THE TEMPEST: This modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s final masterpiece is an exciting, mystical and magical fantasy with Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren (Best Actress, The Queen, 2006) leading a star-studded cast including Russell Brand (Get Him To The Greek) and Alfred Molina (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice). Exiled to a magical island, the sorceress Prospera (Mirren) conjures up a storm that shipwrecks her enemies, and then unleashes her powers for revenge. Directed by Julie Taymor (Frida) — and complete with exclusive bonus features — The Tempest, with its innovative twist, is a supernatural dramedy filled with Shakespearean villains, lovers and fools that will leave you spellbound. The Tempest will be released as a 1-Disc Blu-ray for the suggested Retail Price: $39.99 U.S.

GREY’S ANATOMY: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON: Includes all 22 episodes in the popular medical drama‘s seventh season which features an exclusive extended version of the one-of-a-kind 'Music Event' episode, plus “The Making of the Music Event” created especially for the DVD. This DVD gives fans exactly what they‘ve loved for seven seasons – watching the compelling ensemble deal with life-or-death consequences, while they find comfort, friendship and, at times, love in one another. Through it all everyone involved discovers that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white -- real life only comes in shades of “grey”. Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Seventh Season will be releasing as a 5-Disc DVD set for the suggested retail price of $45.99 U.S./$54.99 Canada.

PRIVATE PRACTICE: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON: From the creators of Grey’s Anatomy, comes the fourth season of ABC‘s sexy medical drama, Private Practice. Re-experience daily life for Dr. Addison Montgomery and her family of colleagues at the Oceanside Wellness Group as they rely on one another to deal with every complex romance, medical case and moral dilemma that comes their way. Offering fans the chance to own every season episode on DVD, including the critically-acclaimed, award-winning episode "Did You Hear What Happened To Charlotte King?," the release also includes exciting never before seen bonus features! Private Practice: The Complete Fourth Season will be releasing as a 3-Disc DVD set for the suggested retail price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada.

O BROTHER WHERE ARE THOU? BLU-RAY: George Clooney (The Perfect Storm) and John Turturro (Cars 2) embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this hilarious, offbeat road picture. And now, for the first time, this quirky gem shines more brightly than ever in Blu-ray High Definition!

Fed up with crushing rocks on a prison farm in Mississippi, the dapper, silver-tongued Ulysses Everett McGill (Clooney) busts loose…except that he’s still shackled to two misfits from his chain gang: bad tempered Pete (Turturro) and sweet, dimwitted Delmar (Tim Blake Nelsen) With nothing to lose and buried loot to regain, the three embark on a riotous odyssey filled with chases, close calls, near misses and betrayal. Experience every unpredictable moment as it plays out in the crystal-clear sound and breathtaking picture quality of Blu-ray. Populated with strange characters, including a blind prophet, sexy sirens and a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman), O Brother, Where Art Thou will leave you laughing at every outrageous and surprising twist and turn! O Brother Where Art Thou? will be releasing as a 1-Disc Blu-ray for the suggested retail price of $26.50 US / $31.50 Canada.

COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO BLU-RAY: Jim Caviezel (Deja Vu) and Guy Pearce (Bedtime Stories) give sizzling performances in The Count Of Monte Cristo. And now, for the first time, the world’s greatest tale of betrayal, adventure and revenge is more riveting than ever in Blu-ray High Definition!

When the dashing and guileless Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) is betrayed by his best friend (Pearce) and wrongly imprisoned, he becomes consumed by thoughts of vengeance. After a miraculous escape, he transforms himself into the mysterious and wealthy Count of Monte Cristo, insinuates himself into the French nobility, and puts his cunning plan of reprisal in action. Experience the resounding clash of swords and the deadly glint off every razor-sharp blade. With the pristine sound and magnificent picture quality of Blu-ray, this swashbuckling thriller will have you perched on the edge of your seat until the very last drop of sweet revenge is exacted. The Count of Monte Cristo will be releasing as a 1-Disc Blu-ray for the suggested retail price of $26.50 U. S./ $31.50 Canada.

Review: "Running Scared" Overdoes it on the Gritty (Happy B'day, Paul Walker)

TRASH IN MY EYE NO. 143 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Running Scared (2006)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong brutal violence and language, sexuality, and drug content
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Wayne Kramer
PRODUCERS: Michael Pierce, Brett Ratner, and Sammy Lee
CINEMATOGRAPHER: James Whitaker
EDITOR: Arthur Coburn

CRIME/THRILLER/ACTION

Starring: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Karel Roden, Johnny Messner, Ivana Milicevic, Chazz Palmiteri, Michael Cudlitz, Arthur Nascarella, and Alex Neuberger

In Grimley, New Jersey, Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is a low-level employee for the Italian Perello mob. The first real disaster of his decade-long connection with the Perellos arrives when a drug deal goes bad, and Perello family scion, Tommy “Tombs” Perello (Johnny Messner) kills a dirty cop. Ignoring Tommy’s explicit instructions that he get rid of the gun he used to kill the corrupt cop, Joey keeps it as “insurance” against the Perello mob that he might need in the future, but his decision immediately puts his family in danger.

Joey’s son, Nicky (Alex Neuberger), and his son’s best friend, Oleg (Cameron Bright), are hiding in the basement when Joey hides the weapon, and Oleg secretly steals the gun. Oleg later uses it to shoot his abusive Russian stepfather, Anzor (Karel Roden), a drug-addict who operates a backyard crystal method lab, before running away. That one act of self-defense puts everyone of Oleg’s trail: the Russian Yugorsky mob to whom Anzor belongs, Tommy Perello and his goon, Sal “Gummy Bear” Franzone (Michael Cudlitz), and nefarious Detective Rydell (Chazz Palmiteri), a dirty cop hell-bent on exploiting the tension between the Perellos and Yugorskys to collect two million dollars in blackmail money from Tommy Perello.

Meanwhile, Joey with the help of his wife Teresa (Vera Farmiga) and Nicky embark on a frantic all-night search for Oleg and gun, not only to protect the frightened boy from those who would kill for the gun, but also to save their own lives should the Perellos discover that Oleg has the gun Joey was supposed to destroy.

In the field of gritty urban thrillers, Running Scared, seems determined to out gritty them all. The film is supposed to harken back to days of the 1970’s adult thrillers, according to this film’s writer/director Wayne Kramer (The Cooler). However, Running Scared seems firmly entrenched in the school of Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 seminal crime film that became the most influential film of the rest of the 90’s and still casts a shadow on crime flicks to this day. Running Scared also belongs to the classic Film-Noir tradition of sober and stark black and white crime movies, except it’s in color. Color films like Pulp Fiction technically aren’t noir, but their combination of noir and the pulp crime fiction that was so popular during the middle 20th century has created something that can be called “pulp noir.”

Kramer’s Running Scared is edgy and violent, and obsessed with the extreme fringes of criminal society and the low life. Kramer so convincingly creates this world that he’s also able to turn pretty boy movie star Paul Walker into a cheap, dangerous thug. This is probably Walker’s least superficial performance to date, and that’s say something about an actor who clearly comes from the Kevin Costner/Keanu Reeves school of stiff acting. Kramer also makes the most of promising young actor Cameron Bright (Oleg Yugorsky), who has an emotive face. There’s something about his performance that reflects what the other performers are trying to do. Against Cameron’s character, the other characters reveal their true selves.

Well-written and thrilling, Running Scared does have a singular, fatal flaw – Kramer’s stylish photographic look for this movie. Kramer and his cinematographer, James Whitaker, who worked with Kramer on The Cooler, use elaborate steadicam and crane shots to create constantly moving camerawork. Then, they combine that with manipulation of camera shutter speed, image destabilization, and use of a hand-cranked camera. The entire film is also shot in moody lighting. It’s all supposed to create an atmosphere of menace, adrenaline, and nerve-wracked emotions, yet in the end it just got on my nerves.

These are the kind of artistic or visual choices that can hamstring, if not outright ruin, a good film. Kramer’s has as exciting story, colorful characters, interesting situations, an appealing setting for a crime film, and a plot line that could hold the attention of kid on a sugar high, but it’s mostly spoiled by visual flourishes that are exactly that – just flourishes. They don’t add as much to the storytelling, or at least not as much as Kramer thought they would. It’s a shame, really. Running Scared is a worthy choice for lovers of crime cinema – the razor’s edge in mob flicks. It could have been a contender for greatness…

6 of 10
B

Sunday, July 02, 2006

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"My Country, My Country" is a Family Story

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


My Country, My Country (2006)
Running time:  90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
CINEMATOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR: Laura Poitras
PRODUCERS: Joceylin Glatzer and Laura Poitras
EDITORS: Erez Laufer and Laura Poitras
Academy Award nominee

DOCUMENTARY – Family, Politics, War

Starring: Dr. Riyadh & family, Peter Towndrow, and Edward Wong

In her Oscar-nominated documentary, My Country, My Country, filmmaker Laura Poitras provides an inside look at war-torn Iraq from the perspective of a Baghdad doctor and his family. The film follows the doctor from mid-summer 2004 to shortly after the January 30, 2005 elections.

Dr. Riyadh is a physician who serves the people of his community in the Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiya in the city of Baghdad. Working from the Adhamiya Free Medical Clinic, Riyadh is a healthcare provider, but he’s also an advocate for the people in many other areas of their lives. For instance, he helps some of his patients get much needed cash.

Dr. Riyadh, a Sunni, is a critic of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, but he supports the idea of democracy as a way to save Iraq. He runs for office during the tumultuous January 2005 elections as a candidate for the Baghdad Provincial Council representing the Iraqi Islamic Party. Poitras follows Riyadh as he campaigns for office, visits the notorious Abu Ghraib prison where he counsels prisoners (including a 9-year old boy), and consults with American military officials. Poitras also observes varied groups, interests, and parties involved with the buildup to the election including the U.S. military, an Australian private security contractor (OAM), and a New York Times reporter.

Laura Poitras’ camera is very revealing as she captures the weary Riyadh in the six months leading up to the election of the Transitional National Assembly. The Sunni doctor’s weariness is evident as he examines patients and engages his family in caustic debates and acerbic conversations – often accompanied by gunfire outside the family home or on TV. Although the election occurred just a little over two years ago, My Country, My Country isn’t dated because the Iraq War is ongoing and so are the repercussions of the January 2005 elections.

Although Poitras gives her viewers that you-are-there immediacy, the film seems too interior and insular. There are glimpses of the larger outside world, but much of the film is inside something – a doctor’s office, a home, an office, meeting hall, etc. My Country, My Country, which was broadcast as an episode of the television documentary series, P.O.V., is more about Riyadh’s dismay and malaise, and less about Iraq. Although her film is engaging, Poitras seems to have not noticed that both her camera and her narrative yearned to break free from Riyadh and see more of post-invasion Iraq. Still, My Country, My Country will remain an essential look at the personal cost of the war from the standpoint of an ordinary Iraqi man.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Documentary, Features” (Laura Poitras and Jocelyn Glatzer)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Review: Steven Soderbergh Tries Noir in "The Limey"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Limey (1999)
Running time: 89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence and language
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
WRITER: Lem Dobbs
PRODUCERS: John Hardy and Scott Kramer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ed Lachman
EDITOR: Sarah Flack
COMPOSER: Cliff Martinez

DRAMA/CRIME/MYSTERY

Starring: Terence Stamp, Leslie Ann Warren, Luis Guzmá, Peter Fonda, Barry Newman, and Nicky Katt

Director Steven Soderbergh’s (sex, lies, and videotape) style probably took a radical turn when he saw Quentin Tarantino’s film Jackie Brown. The juxtaposition to time and scenes that made Jackie Brown so engaging is very evident is Soderbergh’s excellent 1998 film, Out of Sight (which shared the same production company as Brown), but this isn’t a knock on him, like accusing him of merely coping. Artists absorb from their experiences. Soderbergh just happened to find another way to tell a film story that would not only force the audience to pay attention and follow the story, but that would also add a dimension to the time, setting, and characters.

He breaks into this new style with a stride in the neo-noir flick, The Limey. He uses flashbacks and flash forwards that might be flashbacks. He has dialogue that overlaps into the present or that runs over a scene that happened in the past. It is not at all confusing, but it is rather bracing. This is beautiful and delicious eye candy. You could find yourself wanting more of this time slippage, indeed, eagerly awaiting each new time shift in the narrative. I really liked how dialogue that is read in one scene, actually belongs in another, but relates to both. Soderbergh uses this not only to establish the story’s timeline, but to establish character and motivation. This seems to give a better understanding of what each character means to the story, whether his part be large or small. It brings so much depth to the film and makes it all the more interesting.

Soderbergh has previously worked with The Limey screenwriter, Lem Dobbs, in Kafka from 1991. They have something special together although Dobbs had complained at the time that Soderbergh had taken liberties with the Kafka script that Dobbs didn’t like. Together they create something that isn’t just different; it’s also a kind of cinematic storytelling that takes advantage of all of film’s visual possibilities.

The story, about an English father who comes to the United States to confront the man he considers responsible for his daughter’s death, is very good. Things aren’t what they seem because what starts out as a hardboiled tale becomes a study of two men’s past and how that shapes their relationship with the same woman. Terence Stamp (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), as the matter of fact rogue, is endearing in an odd sort of way, and the supporting cast, including Lesley Ann Warren, Luiz Guzman, and Peter Fonda, serve the story and the lead quite well.

This is a little film that passed people by, but fans of Soderbergh or Stamp’s work shouldn’t miss it. The Limey is a quality film on a landscape that is covered with too many movies that leave you with an empty feeling.

7 of 10
B+

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Review: "The Road to Guantanamo" a Sign Post on the Road to Damnation

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TRASH IN MY EYE No. 231 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Road to Guantanamo (2006)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK; Languages: English and Urdu
Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R for language and disturbing violent content
DIRECTORS: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross
PRODUCERS: Andrew Eaton, Melissa Parmenter, and Michael Winterbottom
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Marcel Zyskind
EDITORS: Mat Whitecross and Michael Winterbottom

DRAMA/DOCUMENTARY

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun, Waqar Siddiqui, Afran Usman, and as themselves: Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, and Shafiq Rasul

Part documentary and part drama, The Road to Guantanamo presents the true story of three British Muslim men, known as “the Tipton Three,” who were arrested in Afghanistan and unjustly held for more than two years in two U.S. detention camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

September 2001: an immigrant from Pakistan living in Tipton, Birmingham, England, Asif (Afran Usman) is informed by his father than he is of the age in which he must marry, so Asif heads to Pakistan to meet his betrothed. Asif’s friends: Ruhel (Farhad Harun), Shafiq (Riz Ahmed), and Monir (Waqar Siddiqui) agree to accompany him to Pakistan. While there, the quartet decides to cross the border into Afghanistan just as United States begins its bombing campaign to topple the Taliban, Afghanistan’s ruling government, because it gave aid and comfort to Al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, which the U.S. held responsible for the attacks against the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

During the chaos, Monir disappears and Asif, Ruhel, and Shafiq are captured by the Northern Alliance. They are flown by American military to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they are imprisoned in Camp X-Ray and, later, Camp Delta. This is the first hand account of their experiences in Afghanistan and of their experiences during the two years the U.S. military held them prisoners at Guantanamo until they were released.

Director Michael Winterbottom and co-director Mat Whitecross blend dramatic reenactments, interviews with the surviving men, and archive news footage into a gripping docudrama that is a blunt expose of the out-of-control security measures that came about after 9/11. One’s feelings about this movie will depend in large part upon which side of the political spectrum one resides. If you think that the administration of President George W. Bush was correct in its attempt to skirt the Geneva Convention in regards to “enemy combatants” (which is what the administration dubbed Al-Qaeda fighters), then, you may not like The Road to Guantanamo. If you think that this administration has long been out of control, acted like war criminals, and/or broken both U.S. and international law, then, you may like this quite a bit.

Beyond politics, this film is a harrowing tale of what happens when people are falsely imprisoned. The Road to Guantanamo depicts how cruel it is to be lost in a bureaucracy that just won’t stop and listen, especially when a little extra concern on the part of American officials would have relieved this trio of much suffering.

Winterbottom and Whitecross’ choice to reenact the young men’s experiences and blend them with interviews of the actual young men themselves gives the tale, if not outright validity, then, certainly high drama. The directors engage us with their approach, and the actors in the reenactments give a rawness to their performances that in turn give their scenes a sense of verisimilitude. Although it seems a bit light and shallow at times, The Road to Guantanamo is a great story, and rather than read what I have to say about this movie, it’s best to let the real storytellers transport you to their harrowing world of imprisonment.

8 of 10
A

Friday, November 10, 2006