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Sunday, January 2, 2011

mind GAMES


I didn't see many films over the holidays but I did get a chance to finally see Guy Ritchie's Revolver (2005). Staring Jason Statham (as Mr. Green), Revolver is a gangster styled film that has more twists and turns than Lombard Street does in San Francisco. Don't get me wrong, I loved it although it got pretty bad reviews from the critics, I found it quite impressive. I love films that make me question everything, including my expectations, and Ritchie delivered. Revolver is a philosophical piece of work that portrays the ego as the ultimate enemy. It's a cautionary tale, one that reminds us to question our motives and expectations least we end up fighting ourselves over and over again.

Ritchie's camerawork caught my attention right from the beginning. Most memorable were his upward angles from the floor and the use of a handheld camera, each adding to the intensity of the action. I thought rotating the camera reinforced the circular pattern of the storyline. There was so much information thrown out all at once that one could easily get sidetracked and confused. An example of this was the introduction of Lord John (Tom Wu) and Lily Walker (Francesca Annis). I never figured out their importance but I assumed they were used to add texture and credence to the work as a gangster film.

Ritchie's editing is eye catching as well. He introduces animation during the fight between Lord John and Macha's (Ray Liotta) crew. There are rewind sequences that reinforce a circular event, casting everything back to Mr. Green. His voice-over throughout the film leads to the belief that we are caught inside of his head, in the middle of a story, right in the midst of the intense action. We are on the mission as well and we never know more than he does. The mixture of dark and dramatic opera and techno that accompanies each theme has a way of also framing the story as an emotional roller coaster. We go up, we go down, and we are never sure of what's around the next corner.

I could go on and on about Revolver and Ritchie's use of filtered lighting, his mise-en-scenes and the costumes. Let's face it, I was blown away and I don't normally love action films but this one exceeded all my expectations. I thought the quotes at the beginning were a nice touch because they set up the storyline. However, the interviews at the end of the film dispelled how faulty the intro quotes and our expectations as viewers really are. We were set up and like most people who want to believe there is an enemy - we fell for it: hook, line, and sinker.

My favorite quote: "The greatest con, that he ever pulled...was making you believe...that he is you". -Avi