It is hard to find a better feeling than monging out on a sofa or bed, Stella Artois in hand, a bowl of Pringles in your lap and smiling to yourself as you watch an incredibly entertaining film that you are fully invested in. I had these back to back this weekend with two films that beautifully compliment one another.
The first is Crimson Tide, directed by Tony Scott. This not only solidified 1995 as a blooming entertaining year but also how much I enjoy Scott's style. Whilst his brother Ridley favours more precise, money-shot based photography as well as balancing philosophical or literary themes, Tony goes for sensation. His camera is quick and the pacing rapid, offering repeated adrenaline rushes. True Romance is a fantastically re-watchable blast and Top Gun is pure cheese, but Crimson Tide goes for sheer thrills and atmosphere. Denzel Washington (Scott's muse) is Ron Hunter, the second in command of a nuclear submarine. He is cautious and crew-orientated. His captain is Gene Hackman's Frank Ramsey, the polar opposite. Orders are final, morale comes second and his pet Jack Russell is everything. Inevitably the two personalities repeatedly clash as nuclear orders come through, but then are followed by a half-intercepted message that could either say launch or not launch. It not only creates sizzling tension among the crew but also makes the audience decide on the best course of action. The two men get so wrapped up in it that there is a look in Gene Hackman's eyes that shows how he wants to launch the nuclear weaponry just to prove Hunter wrong. The claustrophobia of a submarine is palpable; trapped low in the sea with hot heads and world ending missiles. The torpedo sequences are as exhilarating as the mutinies and arguments, whilst pre-Aragorn Viggo Mortenson gets a particularly tense dilemma towards the climax. Washington and Hackman are superb. Hackman does the angry, self-assured leader so well that though it may be type-casting sometimes, its welcome type-casting. And as Hans Zimmer's score swells throughout (with a whiff of Pirates of the Caribbean) it is impossible to not be fully *ahem* on board with it. Blockbusters with an eye for character and character conflict as well as awesome action are just a joy.
With the beer refilled and my lips tingling from excessive salt and vinegar, I followed swiftly with my next Tony Scott 90s film: Enemy of the State. This 1998 thriller sees Will Smith at the peak of his powers and, again, Gene Hackman as the other half in a duo that takes an hour to form. Paying homage to 1974's The Conversation (a more contained Hackman performance), Enemy of the State sees Will Smith's lawyer caught up in a National Security Agency chase when an incriminating tape ends up in his possession. Ostracised through a smear campaign, Smith's Robert Dean teams up with seasoned surveillance man Brill Lyle (Hackman) to clear himself and expose the villainous government officials led by Jon Voight and including Jack Black. It is filled with satellite and CCTV photography, as well as all the 80s and 90s techie dialogue you would expect. Scott crafts a great sense of paranoia and government ubiquity and despite how much movement across Washington DC there is, it feels very claustrophobic because of this. This is why the companionship with Crimson Tide works: the tight geography of a submarine evolves into the tight geographical of the city where the powers that be always have eyes on everyone. There is no escape in either. Smith is ultra charismatic and believable, stammering his way through buying lingerie etc. Hackman takes a while to show up but, in a referential or continual performance of his Conversation character he is excellent. Their argumentative chemistry is a joy, and Hackman drops f-bombs with relish. It is less an angry role and more a tough and wizened role. He is likable and clever, but can also be a dick. And in the sequences set away from government eyes and ears there is brief catharsis; a blip in the otherwise perpetual paranoia. Another complimentary comparison between the two is that Hackman's Jack Russell in Crimson Tide becomes a cute ginger cat in Enemy of the State. Yes, the latter raises questions on surveillance, privacy and civil rights and is ahead of its time in that regard, but it is pure escapism and fun. Scott is a kinetic director interested in giving audiences a thrilling time and with a belly full of hops and crisps, these are two quintessential Friday night films.
No comments:
Post a Comment