Reviews: Shane, MASH, and Repo Men

An eclectic bunch of films to say the least. I've picked out what I believe to be a good mix, as I didn't want you all to think I was going soft with the handful of 5 star reviews I've recently given out.

In the coming weeks, I've officially decided on my first list, which will be posted soon, with another bunch of reviews dedicated one of my favourite directors/actors of all time, the irrepressible and ever cool, Takeshi Kitano. But for now, here's some more reviews.

Shane
Upon recently watching Pale Rider, I subsequently found out it was based upon Shane, which until then, I hadn't really heard of. I enjoyed Pale Rider albeit some poor acting and a slightly uneventful middle, so I was eager to watch the film Clint Eastwood had based his unofficial remake around.

The stranger coming into town is one of the most popular stories of all time, especially in the Western genre, and Shane is one of the most successful in accomplishing this to a high standard. The main character, Shane, roles into town and moves in with a family who warm up to him very quickly, as he takes on the local gang of bandits.

My favourite aspect of the film was the actual character of Shane. Everyone loves a good character, and when acted and created well, they make a film come alive. This is coupled with the relationships he shares with the other characters, particularly the son in the family, which make the film quite beautiful to watch, being able to manipulate the tension and excitement relatively easily.

Shane isn’t just a film for Western fans, and is far more accessible than most, due to its familiar but not stale plot, as well as a likable set of characters, and some stunning photography. Shane isn’t as good as some of the Leone greats, but is a very much underrated classic.

Rating: 4/5.
Verdict: The good.

MASH
I’ve heard a lot of things about MASH, but it doesn’t seem to have as much of a following in the UK as it does in the States. Based on a book, with a TV series that followed it, MASH is definitely one of the most successful American franchises of all time.

The film itself revolves around life in a US army hospital camp in Vietnam, and the arrival of two troublesome soldiers Hawkeye and Trapper. The film has a unique structure, in that you can tell it’s directly transferred from a book, and consists of several chapters. Unlike Tarantino, the chapters aren’t explicitly stated, but as a viewer you can tell they’re there. There is also no direct objective to the story, and it is instead comprised of bite size chunks of life.

The film is a bizarre American version of a Carry On film, but not quite as funny. Maybe it was a case of the film not aging well, but I felt it was disjointed and poorly put together. MASH is a film that belongs in the era it was set in, and does not transfer well to today. Interesting characters and structure, but disappointing.

Rating: 3/5.
Verdict: The average.

Repo Men
This is what happens when you let your girlfriend’s sister take charge of picking the films. I’d been called into work for the graveyard shift when I was supposed to be stopping over, and they all went for a trip down to Blockbuster to pick out a few films. Due to my absence, they very kindly offered to watch Repo Men the next night with me. I’d have been better off going back into work for 90 minutes.

The film didn’t start off to badly. Relatively intelligent discussion, what seemed to be an interesting protagonist, and a nice bloody scene that I don’t recommend watching with your dinner. Sadly the film goes downhill from here, and it becomes predictable, boring, and poor performances take over. This is not helped by the ending, which believe me will make you wish you hadn’t watched it. There are too many clichés to count, and the story is severely flawed, with little justification for the events that take place.

The only redeemable qualities are Forrest Whitaker, who puts on the best performance of the movie as a dedicated but stoic killer, and the elaborate locations and sets. If you want to see a good post modern film, give Children of Men a watch. Repo Men just doesn’t cut it.

Rating: 2/5.
Verdict: The bad.

That’s it for now, but more to follow soon.

Dean