-
AUDREY’S CHILDREN: Natalie Dormer Shines in this Philly-Based Bio Pic
It’s been interesting to watch the trajectory of the careers of the actors from Game of Thrones, especially after the show’s divisive ending. To go from a show, that essentially the world was watching, to having to reinvent themselves, to show the world you’re more than this one thing, couldn’t be easy. One actor in particular that’s been having an interesting run, thankfully, is one of my personal favorites from the core cast Natalie Dormer, who made a name for herself as the smug and vamp-ey Margaery Tyrell. While on the show her biggest role outside of Westeros was supporting on The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay 1+2, once the show ended, she has made some very intriguing and personal career choices. From a writing/star turn as a blind pianist in the film In Darkness – to her latest Audrey’s Children, which hits close to home with a charming and heartwarming Philly based biopic.
Audrey’s Children has the actor embodying the role of British Doctor Dr. Audrey Evans, a trailblazing woman in the field of Cancer treatment. The sole female student at Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in the early 50s, when she graduated in 1953, and spent two years training under Sidney Farber, who is known as the father of modern chemotherapy. Later in 1964, she would be recruited by C. Everett Coop, the former U.S Surgeon General and Surgeon Chief at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), to found their pediatric oncology unit. At this point in time only about 10% of children who were diagnosed with cancer stood a chance at survival. It’s because of Audrey’s radical new approach to treating children called combination chemotherapy, that a cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence for a child.
The film itself is a charming snapshot of Audrey’s life in Philadelphia with a stacked cast featuring not only Dormer in period perfect hair and groovy business casual attire, but Jimmi Simpson, Clancy Brown and Brandon Micheal Hall. We witness the young doctor struggle with not only proving her theory of combination chemotherapy but doing so while entrenched in the male dominated bureaucracy of CHOP. There’s a quiet compassion and joy Dormer delivers on screen that propels the story, which is filled with the kind of biopic tropes you’d expect, but delivered with a sincere purpose to illustrate the challenges this woman had to overcome to not only be taken seriously, but to save the lives of the children she cares so much about. Shot in and around Philadelphia proper, the film features the city as both a character and a picturesque backdrop, and the 60’s era Philadelphia Eagles even show up.
Dormer definitely hasn’t lost her edge on either screen, as the film is as empowering as it is a delight to watch her inhabit this woman’s life with its simple pleasures and grand aspirations. It was a pleasant surprise that hopefully shows future directors the range she’s capable of with the right material and cast. Speaking of favorite HBO shows, it was also a treat to have her opposite Jimmi Simpson, who played the young William aka The Man in Black in Westworld, another personal favorite. The pair together really exemplified why typecasting is terrible, given his rather sympathetic yet reserved take on Audrey’s colleague and sometime accomplice in her journey. In case you couldn’t tell I simply adored Audrey’s Children, it’s a film that understands the assignment as far as a biopic goes, but one that does so while infusing the story with so much moxy and heart.
-
A WORKING MAN is an Unhinged Farce of an Action Movie
Director David Ayer and action legend Jason Statham unite to make a film that unravels into insanity minute-by-minute.
For the first 45 minutes or so of A Working Man, I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going to end up writing about it. The movements it was making felt sluggish and without any sense of velocity, a low energy action programmer that has littered the direct-to-video space for decades. Despite the strange pedigree of the film (a new David Ayer film, from a script co-written by Ayer and Sylvester Stallone, based on a novel written by right-wing comic book scribe Chuck Dixon,) it was giving me basically nothing to really center myself on other than how dull it all was.
Then that second half of the movie hit, and things went so wildly off the rails that I wasn’t entirely sure I was still watching the same film. What was at first a buttoned up, humorless horror story about the lurking threat of human trafficking spiraled into a recklessly violent riff somewhere between John Wick and the Punisher. New characters were introduced, namelessly, in costuming that threw the whole film off its axis. The film’s sense of morality seemed to devolve into a 12-year-olds sense of the coolest imagery it could conjure. It didn’t elevate what was a slog of a sub-De Palma crime thriller into something good per say, but it did at least become interesting. Everyone involved have made crazier projects (Ayer’s Suicide Squad is one of the most unhinged pieces of mainstream entertainment,) but rarely has a film convinced you it was totally normal, only to rugpull quite so brazenly.
A Working Man focuses on Levon Cade (Jason Statham, in familiar territory,) a former Royal Marine special forces agent who now works in construction in Chicago. A widower, Levon struggles to make ends meet, as well as finding himself in a seemingly unending custody battle with his dead wife’s father for his daughter. He does however have a close relationship with his employer Joe (Michael Pena, atypically restrained) and his family, including his college-aged daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas.)So when Jenny is kidnapped, Levon is called upon to find her. Initially reluctant due to concerns about utilizing his more violent nature, Levon eventually determines he has to do something. Thus commences his one-man mission to recover Jenny and return her home. Soon enough he discovers Jenny’s disappearance has connections with the Russian mob, and all the baggage that comes from that.
In many ways, Levon’s mission causes him to delve deeper and deeper into an organized crime underworld that becomes more bananas the deeper he goes. Initially he encounters low level bar-front drug lords; by the end his is dealing with Matrix cosplayers with mini machine guns and crazed expressions. At one point he bribes his way into the backroom of a rural cowboy bar, and has to go hunting through the forest to find a secret underground location, all of which is meant to be within driving distance of Chicago?
In essence, A Working Man is a film that promises one thing (a grounded thriller) and unravels into something else entirely (ultraviolent cartoon nonsense). The former is painfully dull, and the latter is so unhinged it bends towards self-parody. It also feels deliriously old-school, with its Russian bad guys who mostly speak to each other in English, unapologetic gun fetishism, and unambiguously pro-vigilante politics. It isn’t a film that just asks you to turn your brain off. It is a film that will make you wonder if your brain is actively fleeing your head. -
Criterion Review: Gene Hackman Shines in NIGHT MOVES
No one could have known that Criterion‘s new 4K restoration and release of Arthur Penn’s neo-noir classic Night Moves would serve as a de facto tribute to its star back when the disc was announced. The package came together in part to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary and in part because, well, Night Moves is just one of those movies that deserves a Criterion release.
But when Hackman and his wife Betsy were discovered dead in their New Mexico home in late February of 2025, the Night Moves release took on new significance. It would become the first major restoration and re-release of Hackman’s work in the wake of his death, adding weight and meaning to an already deeply meaningful film in his filmography. That made revisiting the film when I received this disc a little more emotional, and I’m pleased to say that not only does the film hold up, but it shines in this new presentation.
Hackman is Harry Moseby, a slick, stubborn private investigator who’s resistant to new ways of doing things, and job offers that would take him to the more mundane corners of the job. Harry still likes the thrill of the hunt, of the shakedown, of puzzling out not just cases, but the people who inhabit those cases. So, he takes a job trying to hunt down an aging movie star’s free-spirited daughter (Melanie Griffith in her film debut) and chases her down to the Florida Keys. Before he leaves, though, his personal life hits rocky ground when he discovers his wife is having an affair.
The film can be seen in many ways as the completion of a trilogy of Hackman films all in the detective genre, following William Friedkin’s The French Connection and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. All three deal with a man, played by Hackman, who’s very good at doing one specific thing, and who resists a world that pushes him to adapt to something new, or break with the tightly controlled world he’s made for himself. The French Connection earned Hackman his first Oscar, while The Conversation earned him a Best Actor award from the National Board of Review. Both films are considered among the greatest of the 1970s, which leaves Night Moves slightly in the twin shadows of their mighty presence. But as anyone who’s seen the film knows, there’s something special about this one, and it’s preserved in the Criterion release.
As you might expect from a high-profile restoration like this, the grain of Penn’s film, the texture of it, is well-preserved, but what I was especially concerned about was how the 4K upgrade would treat the light and dark of cinematographer Bruce Surtees’ ’70s chiaroscuro. Thankfully, the darkness is still inky, mysterious, punctuated by pale fluorescent lights and, in one of the film’s most famous scenes, the eerie green glow from beneath a glass-bottomed fishing boat. Contrasted with the bright, golden hues of the Florida sun, it’s a masterful upscale that loses none of the ’70s grit that makes Night Moves so memorable. It’s also, crucially, an upscale that preserves the subtle nuances of Hackman’s performance. Harry is a complex character, a man who’s forced to stretch himself, find new emotional tethers as his life unravels, and he’s not an easy man to really know. Hackman, then, has to play him as both a solid private detective and as a man on the brink of some kind of new self-discovery, and he achieves this with remarkable emotional precision. It’s a movie built on knowing looks behind the wheels of cars and mournful sights into the humid Florida night, and this edition keeps all of that intact. Throw in a dynamite essay by Mark Harris, and a wonderful commentary by Matthew Asprey Gear that digs into the film’s influence and the battle over Harry’s character, and you’ve got a must-buy for noir fans.
Special Features Included in Criterion’s New 4K + Blu-ray Editions of Night Moves:
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New audio commentary by Matthew Asprey Gear, author of Moseby Confidential
- New audio interview with actor Jennifer Warren
- Interview with director Arthur Penn from a 1975 episode of Cinema Showcase
- Interview with Penn from the 1995 documentary Arthur Penn: A Love Affair with Film
- The Day of the Director, a behind-the-scenes featurette
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris
-
Two Cents Laughs Along with THE COURT JESTER
The 1955 Danny Kaye musical remains a lovable classic
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
The Pick: The Court Jester (1955)
When I saw The Court Jester on Brendan’s suggested list of swashbucklers for this month’s theme, it was an instant yes. The ’50’s era musical features silly songs, crazy tight corsets and many men in tights. Danny Kaye stars as Hubert Hawkins, a former carnival worker who currently babysits the rescued baby heir to the kingdom but yearns to contribute more to the cause.
He and his partner Jean (Glynis Johns, Mary Poppins, While You Were Sleeping) come up with a plan to sneak in to the castle and put the rightful heir on the throne. A lovestruck princess (Angela Lansbury), her witchy maid (Mildred Natwick, The Quiet Man, Barefoot in the Park) and a scheming advisor (Basil Rathbone) to current king Roderick (Cecil Parker, The Lady Vanishes) quickly disrupt their plans. Hijinks ensue.
The Team
The Court Jester showcases Kaye’s earnestness, zaniness and eagerness to do most anything. I’ve been a fan since I first saw it in junior high; here’s where I admit that Danny Kaye in this picture was one of my earliest film crushes. The opening credits give us a clue as to what we’re in for, as he sings “Life Could Not Better Be” to the audience (the song will recur at the close of the film). Kaye’s wife and partner Sylvia Fine co-wrote the catchy songs with Sammy Cahn (“Written on the Wind,” “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”).
Glynis Johns is the straight woman to Kaye’s goofball character Hawkins. Her Jean is more serious and focused. Hawkins is easily distracted by accidental hypnosis or his confused assumption that Basil Rathbone’s Ravenhurst is their accomplice in the castle. That doesn’t mean Kaye and Simmons don’t have chemistry – let’s be honest, Kaye sparks off most of his scene partners in the film. The sweet lullaby scene where she tells him, “Sometimes tenderness and kindness can also make a man,” still makes me feel a certain way.
I won’t try to piece together the nonsensical plot, because nobody watches this movie for the plot. We watch to see Kaye’s arrogant Giacomo (under hypnosis) woo Princess Gwendolyn (Lansbury), to enjoy the witty wordplay (“the chalice from the palace,” “the flagon with the dragon,” etc.), and to see Hawkins and the rest of his renegade crew take on a tyrant. You can’t take The Court Jester too seriously, and it never asks you to. Yet it’s easy to see the classic film’s influence in later films, such as The Princess Bride. From the choreography (the knighting sequence, especially) to the songs to Kaye’s electric lead performance, there’s a reason we continue to turn to this silly musical in dark times to cheer us up.
THE COURT JESTER was my SPACEBALLS.
That’s Elder Millennial for “movie that parodied a childhood favorite of mine that I was so steeped in that every joke seemed tailor-made for me.” When my babysitter introduced me to a film where Mrs. Banks & Jessica Fletcher were scheming against Sir Guy of Gisborne, it wouldn’t have had to be better than competently mediocre to win me over, but unlike the aforementioned Mel Brooks B-side, this is a film I argue holds up marvelously.
Part of this has to do with the as-yet unsung titular hero, who seems a prefect fit for Danny Kaye’s combination of genuine song-dance-man chops and slick physical comedic timing. It’s downright exhausting watching him bounce around this marathon of carnival clown, lovesick romantic, and brainwashed assassin that he has to embody from scene to scene – often at the literal snap of the fingers. Fellow Cinapse Brendan, Foley, has called Kaye the best example of someone embodying the difference between Clark Kent and Superman right alongside Reeve, and it’s hard to dispute. But what makes him work is how everyone around him is playing just earnestly enough as though they were in a Grand Technicolor Swashbuckler without letting to much cheek overwhelm proceedings.
The film also manages more than a few impressive set pieces in its own right, from the comedic semi-musical knighting ceremony to a third act castle siege that could arguably be the inspiration for part of the Battle of Endor in RETURN OF THE JEDI. There are musical interludes that are still stuck in my head days later, a tongue-twisting escalating bit that rivals the infamous “Who’s On First?” and a final duel between Kaye and Basil Rathbone that’s both genuinely terrifying and hilariously exhilarating. This is the kind of film I love introducing people to, and should be sought out immediately by anyone unfamiliar who’s enjoyed this month’s theme.
Going into this Two Cents, I’ll admit that my knowledge and experience of this era of Hollywood filmmaking, specifically the large scale musicals that seemed to run the industry from the 1930’s all the way through to the early ‘60s, was admittedly lacking, and, truth be told, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. While I’m pretty sure my mileage will probably vary quite a bit with these films (I’d be lying if all the bright technicolor, big musical showcases, and broad pun-based comedy didn’t make me feel like I was having a sugar crash about halfway through), I can say that I enjoyed The Court Jester well enough.
The real sell here, and what kept me entertained throughout, is the masterful Danny Kaye. A perfect example of the Hollywood “showman”, Kaye is able to do it all here; dance, sing, sword fight, and comedy. His repartee between characters is what kept the energy high and fun throughout, from accidentally talking himself into an assassination plot, to bouncing in and out of his lothario persona at the snap of a finger. He’s entertaining as hell, with a supporting cast that are game to be bounce points or crash pads for his antics.
While I did enjoy this, I can also understand why the over reliance on films like this helped in the collapse of the industry back in the late ‘60s. Sure, I can totally believe that The Court Jester is the gold standard, and one of the “good ones”, but, betting the house on these big, broad musical comedies seems like an easy to forecast disaster all these years later (kinda how the superhero boom is looking in 2025…).
Looking at it through the perspective of the modern era, it feels fun and light and almost like a breath of fresh air, how everything just moves and clicks. But, it’s also very clearly the era’s equivalent of a “4 quadrants” film, designed to get as many butts in seats as possible. While I don’t want to seem like an old miser, wagging my cane at what people find fun, I also can’t not see this as what it is; a big, broad studio film.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just no fun anymore; I’ll just stick with my mean-spirited dramas and violent action films. And, what feels like embarrassing proof to that hypothesis: my favorite moment of the film was realizing this was the film used to help illustrate how weird and lonely Jake Gyllenhal’s character is in Nightcrawler.
I admittedly hadn’t watched The Court Jester until 2020. It was the height of lockdown, and like most folks, I was looking for something to take my mind off of anything having to do with the reality of the day. No one could have asked for a better diversion than this fairy tale about humility, chivalry, and the kind of zany laughter that the best classic comedies are made of.
I’m a huge fan of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Danny Kaye’s signature role, but I don’t think the actor ever found a part more suited to him than that of Hubert, whose variation on the classic Robin Hood character is full of such playful energy and true heart, it’s impossible not to fall in love with him. The movie feels like an obvious vehicle for Kaye’s talents, with a large assortment of moments that are solely built to showcase his flair for comedy. When you’re Danny Kaye, however, that’s not so bad. His energy and willingness to literally play the fool at every turn results in the quintessential comedy performance and his commitment to the material lifts The Court Jester into classic territory.
Kaye is not alone in making The Court Jester the laugh riot it is, however. The comedian is joined by a collection of talented actors who each bring their own brand of humor to the hilarious proceedings. Angela Lansbury, in particular, is a hoot as Gwendolyn, the scorned Princess, who scores unexpected laughs when she summons her maid to her room only to insist she drink a deadly potion as punishment for incorrectly predicting her future.
Yet nothing beats the movie’s most signature sequence in which a nervous Hubert is about to battle a more experienced knight and is told that he can save himself by avoiding the cup that has poison in it. The “pellet with the poison” bit is one of the most famous in all of comedy movie history thanks to its brilliant use of wordplay and actors like Mildred Dunnock and Glynis Johns matching the more experienced Kaye and working together in such perfect harmony for a laugh-filled few minutes. When it comes to old-school comedy from the kind of pros that just don’t exist anymore, very few titles beat The Court Jester.
The Court Jester pulls off that loftiest of satirical tricks: It is simultaneously a very funny parody of a thing while also being a sterling example of that thing. Yes, you can watch The Court Jester and delight in all the ways that the film subverts and mocks all manner of studio swashbucklers. This is after all a film with a climax involving a room full of people bowing to an infant child’s butt cheek. Silliness does abound.
But even if you’ve never swung through Sherwood Forest alongside Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, The Court Jester also totally works AS a big swashbuckling adventure film. Like Young Frankenstein does with Universal monster movies, The Court Jester builds a comic universe that’s just a nudge and a tweak away from the real deal, which only makes the outlandish comedic moments all the funnier.
And Danny Kaye nimbly negotiates the difference between sincerity and parody. It’s no surprise that he can play a lovably bumbling doofus, but it is surprising how successfully he slips into the persona of a swaggering lothario and bandit. The way he shifts from one character to another with just the slightest changes of posture and bearing is a real feat of full-body acting, and for my money is the best iteration of the Clark Kent/Superman split this side of Christopher Reeve taking off his glasses.
I would love The Court Jester enough just for being a colorful, witty good time, but what really knocks it over the line into full adoration is the way the movie quietly subverts typical ideals of masculine identity. Without putting so much stress on it as to stop the fun time, The Court Jester makes the very convincing case that empathy, kindness, and fearless silliness are every bit as proud manly qualities as brute force and power-grabs. Kaye’s Hubert starts the film lamenting that he’s not strong enough to make a difference, and by movie’s end it’s clear that it’s a different sort of strength needed to save the day.
This is likely the Two Cents film I’d least likely have watched on my own in the whole time I’ve written for this site. I don’t watch much that’s pre-late 60s. This month’s theme isn’t one I’m generally drawn to. And, I generally don’t find time to watch nearly any musicals not including any of the words Repo, Hedwig, or Rocky. However, I kinda loved the experience – even if not a film I’m going to run back to.
There was comfort for me in the music. While I rarely watch sure musicals now, this particular type of musical and era of film musicals is one I grew up digesting an awful lot of. My mother was a pastor most of my life but she has been a music lover her entire life. These musicals are generally wholesome, so they were on the TVs I grew up around quite often. She’d sing songs from The King and I or South Pacific day in and day out. While I don’t specifically remember this film, I remember seeing Danny Kaye on my screen and his voice is unmistakable.
Couple the comforting music and the fun story with the fact that I intentionally watched this film with some… herbal refreshment. The film’s colors and sounds were all the more vivid. The comedy was more engaging and damn right hilarious at times. The song and dance was extremely fun. And Glynis Johns all the more stunning!
I had a genuinely wonderfully enjoyable evening with The Court Jester that I’d never have had if not invited to by the wonderful Ms. Elizabeth, life could not better be!
March: Swashbuckling Adventure On and Off the High Seas
Our month of Swashbuckling culminates in the two-part adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel!
March 31 – The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (Hulu – 2 hrs 1 minute) / Milady (Hulu – 1 hour 55 minutes)
-
SXSW 2025 Ranked: Cinapse’s Top 10 Films
SXSW 2025 is over and with it Cinapse has an excellent crop of films for you to look out for. For this year’s wrap-up post, each attendee ranked their top ten films. Each staff’s number one pick received 20 points, with second place receiving 15 and third 10. After that, it followed in descending order with 7 points for fourth, 6 for fifth, and so on.
Cinapse had a record seven (!) attendees at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Even with that type of attendance we weren’t able to watch all 114 feature films (we saw about half) – and for many of the films only one or two of us were able to see. So keep all that in mind with our ranking: if more attendees saw the film it naturally would receive more points. Even with the flawed nature of the ranking, hopefully it clues you in to some upcoming movies to add to your Letterboxd watch lists. Without further ado… here are the top ten films Cinapse saw at SXSW 2025!
#1 The Rivals of Amziah King
“The Rivals Of Amziah King is revelatory. It is not without violence and bloodshed, almost a modern Western in that regard as it acknowledges that there’s an undeniable violence to America’s story. But as it revels in the healthy elements of our remarkable country, it also charts a new path forward through the capable actions of a Native woman, who isn’t always doing what’s legal, but is balancing the scales of justice in favor of what’s right. Patterson welcomes us into a vibrant tale of whimsy and wonder, of death and destruction, and offers a satisfying and entertaining bit of advice that we choose a narrow path or we’ll be led to destruction.” (Read Ed’s full review here, and Julian’s review here)
#2 Hallow Road
“At just over 80 minutes, there’s not an ounce of fat in Anvari’s latest. A taut and tense thriller that takes unpredictable paths and delivers a gut punch of an ending, one that sparks reflection on everything that came before. Hallow Road is a white knuckle ride that pushes us to ask how far we would go to protect our child, as well as ourselves.” (Read Jon’s full review here)
#3 We Are Storror
“Bay is a proven master of spectacle with really little left to prove at this stage of his career. And as much as we all love his gloves off excess, this Bay fan tends to connect most with some of his more grounded (for Bay) offerings, like the aforementioned Ambulance, or Pain And Gain, or even 13 Hours. At Bay’s direction here, the Storror crew opened up, stripped down (sometimes literally), got vulnerable, and made this film about pushing boundaries, seeking purity, and understanding when to change. It’s a character study filled with humanity, even when flirting with superhuman capability. It’s a singular cinematic experience viewers won’t soon forget.” (Read Ed’s full review here)
#4 Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
“It’s clear that much of what Matt and Jay accomplish comes from pushing the limits of what they normally would be “allowed” to do, and the result feels defiantly fun and exhilaratingly free. I hope for the sake of accessibility to great art that this movie comes out in the form we saw, because it’s a brilliant, hilarious ride that pushes buttons and utilizes IP in a playful way.” (Read David’s full review here)
#5 We Bury the Dead
“There are few horror sub-genres quite as explored as the zombie film. Thus it is remarkable when a filmmaker finds an inroad to explore the genre with fresh eyes. And yet Australian filmmaker Zak Hilditch’s We Bury the Dead, which premiered at SXSW, has immediately set itself in the canon of great zombie films. Not only does it find angles into the undead as a metaphor for the pangs of grief, but also creates one of the most beautiful zombie movies ever made.” (Read Jay’s full review here)
#6 Friendship
“Similar to I Think You Should Leave, Friendship comes preloaded with a “you’ve-gotta-see-this” cache. It’s Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd bouncing from one awkward situation to the next. There are a couple of reaction shots and off-hand comments that surely will become memes the second the movie opens. It’s a very funny movie. Of course it’s funny. The real test of Friendship‘s strength, like any relationship, will come with time and repeat viewings, which this movie is sure to garner.” (Read Julian’s review here, and Eddie’s review here)
#7-10 (Four-Way-Tie)
Fantasy Life
“Fantasy Life puts the audience in the middle of complicated lives lived between Manhattan and “The Vineyard.” While first-time director and lead Matthew Shear is responsible for much of the success of execution here, it’s his two absolute pillars of supporting actors that make Fantasy Life a gem. Amanda Peet plays an aging actress struggling with her life place in the world while still overwhelming Shear’s character with her beauty and charisma. Then there’s Alessandro Nivola, who’s all cool-guy and repressed desire. His hipster magnetism bursts off the screen like so much vintage raw denim. This is a tender film with a rock-solid cast.” – Rod Machen
Forge
“With unique characters and compelling performances, Forge keeps the audience engaged throughout. A colleague commented to me after the film about the rarity of a crime drama with no onscreen violence; it didn’t hit me til then. There’s an underlying menace through the dealings between the siblings and Beaumont, and even a slight current of discomfort between Coco and Emily. But no one is gunned down or stabbed. Instead, the twists in Ng’s smart depiction of white-collar crime involve wits, talent, and street smarts.” (Read Elizabeth’s review here)
Redux Redux
“Redux Redux is a family affair. Writer-directors Kevin and Matthew McManus are brothers, and lead actor Michaela McManus is their sister. It’s clearly a small production but the world doesn’t feel small. It’s packed with show-don’t-tell details while not getting bogged down in exposition. The score is propulsive and loud, the cast is naturalistic and feel like fully lived in characters, and the writing is sharp. The McManus brothers are ones to watch.” (Read David’s review here)
Uvalde Mom
“Uvalde Mom is an impressively considered construction, especially as far as the editing and the scoring. The thoughtful sound editing adds even more depth to the storytelling. Using a Texas-based crew – the filmmaker herself is from California – Prado’s film is a work of reciprocal trust and deep empathy. The director and her team spent time building trust with the subject and her family, and it shows.” (Read Elizabeth’s review here)
Honorable Mentions
Here are the films that landed just outside the team’s Top 10:
- Baltimorons
- 40 Acres (Read David’s review here)
- Threesome
- Dear Tomorrow
- The Surrender (Read Julian’s review here)
- Clown in a Cornfield (Read Dan’s review here)
- Fucktoys (Read Jon’s review here)
- Good Boy (Read Jon’s review here)
- Together (Read Julian’s review here)
- Arrest the Midwife
-
SNOW WHITE Avoid the Drama, Come for the Nostalgia
If you’re looking for an explainer on the controversy surrounding Snow White, its actors, their politics, and the behind the scenes drama, look elsewhere. I think with reviews when the lore becomes the sole conversation, rather than the actual art, it robs the film of its voice. While a tumultuous production cycle will likely birth a film where the drama is usually the more interesting conversation to write about, I think in Snow White’s case, there’s something special here that deserves to be discussed. That said I’m not even sure most of the film’s preteen core demographic or their parents even care about anything other than will this film deliver the nostalgic hit of dopamine and a mild distraction in these troubled times and it most definitely will.
For me, Disney’s live action output has been really hit or miss, while the ones I like (Beauty and the Beast, Pete’s Dragon) usually hit surprisingly hard, those that miss the mark do so inspiring the kind vitriol that might surprise some coming from a self proclaimed “Disney adult”. I get why Disney is doing this, in a world where IP is king, they got the kind that spans not just all four quadrants, but generations and that means A LOT of butts in seats. That said, I think not everyone of these adaptations is simply a cash grab, just sometimes I think there’s some room for narrative expansion given most animated Disney films rarely cracked 90 minutes or simply there’s something to say about material that’s close to 100 years-old at this point. With that in mind Snow White from the outset seemed like an ideal candidate, given its scant 83 minute runtime and its rather dated and passive protagonist.
Snow White begins by giving our namesake princess (Rachel Zegler) an actual origin story and some legit lore. Born of two caring parents, who were the beloved leaders of their small magical kingdom – one day tragedy strikes. Snow White’s mother dies and her father is bewitched by a woman (Gal Gadot) “from a far off land”(hence the Melania-esque accent!), who happens to in fact be a real witch. Shortly after their marriage, Snow White’s father is sent to defend the southern border(!!!) and while he’s gone the princess is demoted to a simple servant and hidden from public sight. In Snow White’s father’s absence her stepmother rules the now downtrodden realm with an iron fist transforming the once peaceful kingdom into a warrior nation. Snow White’s existence is eventually threatened, when the evil queen’s magic mirror lets her know she is no longer ‘the fairest of them all’, and the young princess is taken into the woods by the queen’s huntsman with instructions to kill her.
It is after the huntsman decides to let her live that she flees into the woods and not only runs into the seven dwarves, but a group of actors turned freedom fighters led by roguishly charming Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who then joins her on her quest to find her father. The big change narratively here is the agency given to Snow White, hence the title change to simply Snow White. She is not simply a passive young woman — first hated by the queen and pursued by the prince. She’s willing to put herself out there for what she believes in and fight alongside Jonathan and his band of rebels. Also, while they have updated the film a bit, so as to not provoke cries of “wokeness”, Snow White is still awakened by the kiss of true love, which equates to the love of a man; although the film does everything in its power to develop this relationship before this particular plot point.
Narratively the film feels like another, yet more stealthy musical Trump metaphor, but instead putting Melania in charge rather than a certain male wizard. Gadot here, who is usually one of the good guys, is just hamming it up, with a sordid side of camp as the evil queen. While some may complain her deliciously decadent performance may be too over the top, keep in mind this is a film where a grown ass woman has a non ironic two-sided conversation with a squirrel. This world being magical is how the film explains these cartoonish quirks and something that separates the seven dwarves into more the realm of magical creatures than little persons. To further solidify this distinction, Jonathan has a little person in his troop, who is as expected treated just like a regular person. This highlights the dwarves’ otherworldly otherness, and as someone who thought their appearance in the trailer constituted nightmare fuel, this does help to normalize them and add a much needed bit of context to the bits that have trickled out there.
Rachel Zegler simply put is a joy here, she delivers a heartfelt and fearless take on the iconic princess while giving Snow White’s time honored tunes a new life. The new songs work for the most part, penned by Pasek and Paul (The Greatest Showman and La La Land) who even manage to offer up a fun meta commentary on the Disney Princess with “princess problems”. She’s opposite Andrew Burnap, who plays her charming roguish love interest who’s obviously careful not to outshine his lead. The chemistry between the pair is thankfully believable, with their relationship having an actual evolution throughout the runtime, so as to really drive home the final act. Given this reassessment of characters, the dwarves don’t quite occupy the same runtime or importance to plot as the original, but that’s for the best given the aim here is to make Snow White a character worthy of her place in the parthenon of Disney princesses.
I think of Disney’s last few live action attempts, Snow White really did a great job treading that fine line of updating and giving the story a IYKYK metaphor while also modernizing the characters just enough to be relevant to a new generation. Surprisingly director Marc Webb manages to apply this upgrade without rocking the boat too much as to upset the more conservative stalwarts, since most “fan” critiques involve non film related issues to be upset at said film. Being a fan of the original, I was simply charmed out of my seat with the film’s love and respect for its predecessor, which really showed. Everything from the acting, to production design, to the amazing CGI animals just worked to fully immerse the viewer in this magical world where good triumphs over evil and we all live happily ever after. I think if you strip away the performative controversy and outrage over a children’s film, you will realize Snow White is a fun family film – that offers a much needed update to a nearly 90 year old title while not losing sight of what made the original so special.
-
SXSW 2025: REDUX REDUX is Tense Lo-Fi Sci-Fi
The pitch for Redux Redux is something like Saulnier’s Blue Ruin but with a sci-fi twist. It’s a low budget, grounded meditation on grief that erupts in shocking violence committed by someone that isn’t fully comfortable with committing it. It’s a prime example of taking the core of a tense character piece and making it feel fresh with a lo-fi sci-fi wrapping.
If that sounds like it’s up your alley, add it to your watchlist and read no further – I’ll tread lightly on spoilers but I’ll discuss the overall concept. Just know this movie gets the highest of recommendations from me, and while it isn’t reliant on twists I enjoyed going in blind.
The movie focuses on Irene, our Sarah-Connor-like heroine. She’s a multiverse traveler, hopping between different realities to see if there’s one where her daughter hasn’t been murdered by a serial killer. When she inevitably finds out that in every universe her daughter has indeed been slain by the same man, she hunts down the killer and brings him to vengeance, then hops on to the next universe to repeat the cycle. Eventually she comes across a foster kid trapped in the killer’s web, which upends her routine and forever changes both characters’ lives.
The bones feel familiar but the execution is stellar, and there’s enough inventiveness and craft in the production to keep you on the edge of your seat. The core concept isn’t for the faint of heart – the serial killer is nasty and Irene’s repeated revenge is frequently commensurate. There’s plenty of gore and violence, but it didn’t feel gratuitous. Like the aforementioned Saulnier, the violence is executed in a practical, messy, straightforward way.
Redux Redux is a family affair. Writer-directors Kevin and Matthew McManus are brothers, and lead actor Michaela McManus is their sister. It’s clearly a small production but the world doesn’t feel small. It’s packed with show-don’t-tell details while not getting bogged down in exposition. The score is propulsive and loud, the cast is naturalistic and feel like fully lived in characters, and the writing is sharp. The McManus brothers are ones to watch.
-
Disney’s New Version of SNOW WHITE is One Bad Apple
“Can you point me in the right direction?”
By now there have been so many different iterations of the classic Snow White story that I literally don’t know where else filmmakers would be able to take it. There have been four reworkings of the story in the last 12 years, including White as Snow, the modern French take starring the great Isabelle Huppert. After reviewing the first (maybe) Snow White spinoff, The Huntsman: Winter’s War in 2016, I thought I had seen the last of this story. I was wrong. With the wave of live-action remakes coming in the form of everything from Pinocchio to Mulan, it was only a matter of time before the studio gave one of its earliest classics the same treatment. Well, the time has come, and anyone who finds themselves walking into a theater to see 2025’s Snow White is in store for such a chore, they may as well be humming “Heigh-Ho” on the way into the theater.
Directed by Marc Webb, Snow White stays close to the classic tale of the titular beautiful princess (Rachel Zegler) who lives as a prisoner in her own castle thanks to the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), a woman with dark powers who has presided over the kingdom for years. As the magic mirror she possesses declares Snow White the fairest in the land, the Evil Queen orders her killed. However, Snow White manages to escape into the forest where she encounters handsome bandit Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) and seven dwarfs who come to her aid.
The quality of live-action remakes of classic Disney animated films has been all over the place. Talking to other people about the subject, it’s easy to forget that there have been more entries into this sub-genre than we realize. Naturally, with so much revisiting, the range is all over the place from the good (The Little Mermaid) to the bad (Dumbo) and plenty in between. Interestingly, Snow White falls into neither category as it’s just too lifeless and uninspired to register in any way. The movie is so even-keeled that there’s on occasion the need to check for a pulse from time to time. Snow White‘s lackluster quality stems from its plentiful problems. The pacing is beyond deliberate, the comedy is completely flat, and all of the new songs are just abysmal. The fact that one of them is called “Princess Problems” says a lot. Elsewhere, the use of modern-day speech patterns gets in the way, especially in a half-hearted attempt to get laughs. “Is the dungeon still an option,” Jonathan asks at one point. Animals with CGI personalities and a mo-cap animation design that makes the dwarfs look like older versions of The Garbage Pail Kids only bring the movie down further.
Some instances come about now and again when reviewing movies when a critic must concede that what’s ultimately wrong with the movie they are having a negative reaction to is that it simply wasn’t made for them. Snow White definitely would have fallen into this category were it not for the fact that even the kids at my screening seemed bored as there were little-to-no gleeful reactions among the mostly silent audience. This could possibly be because Webb feels kind of out of step with the project as a whole. There are some bright spots: the movie’s reimagining of the two classic songs does work, and the overall aesthetics of Snow White are stunning, with the feeling of classic Disney coming alive in a way it hadn’t in years. Yet despite being a director who showed great promise with his feature debut, 2009’s (500) Days of Summer (potential that came back around with 2017’s Gifted), the time Webb served in the comic book world with his two Amazing Spider-Man movies saw the same sort of by-the-numbers approach that prevented Snow White from ever having a chance.
As the title character, Zegler is a lovely enough presence on the screen. This has certainly already been proven. But despite the camera loving her, and radiating genuine warmth, even she can’t help but succumb to the movie’s kryptonite-level of blandness. She’s at least better suited to the world of Snow White compared to Gadot, who is beyond miscast and turns in a performance so misguided that you can’t even have fun watching her be bad. Burnap as Jonathan was most likely cast because he’s attractive (and probably because he fit the costume), but otherwise brings nothing to a nothing character. If there’s anyone who manages something in the way of emotion, it’s Andrew Barth-Feldman’s sincere turn as Dopey, who somehow carves out a surprisingly moving arc for himself.
I have to stress that a version of Snow White starring a Latina actress in the lead role cannot be dismissed. It’s both a milestone and a revelation that reinforces the notion that representation will always matter and that strides like these should be applauded. What shouldn’t be applauded are performers of color being placed in features that are clearly beneath what they are capable of. Zegler’s mesmerizing turn as Maria in 2021’s West Side Story earned her a Golden Globe nomination and truly was the kind of A Star is Born moment for the young actress. It’s hard to call her presence in Snow White a total misstep simply because of what her visibility in the role will mean for young girls who look like her, but there’s certainly something better out there for an actress of her caliber. I’m excited to see what Zegler does next and, after breaking through one of the most unbreakable glass ceilings in the industry, that could almost be anything.
500 Days of Summer, A Star Is Born, Andrew Barth-Feldman, Andrew Burnap, Disney, Dumbo, Evil Queen, Fairy Tale, Gal Gadot, Gifted, Heigh-Ho, In theaters, Live action, Marc Web, Movies, Mulan, Pinocchio, Rachel Zegler, remake, Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Garbage Pail Kids, The Little Mermaid, West Side Story -
Two Cents Revisits Neverland with 1991’s HOOK
BANGARANG!
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
Flashing blades, roaring cannons, daring rogues swinging through the air to the aid of their true loves and to battle dastardly villains – there’s a definitive image, however ephemeral in exact detail, that comes to mind when you hear the word “swashbuckler.” Stories of romantic adventure in this vein stretch back at least to the days of Alexandre Dumas’s Musketeers, Baroness Orczy’s Scarlett Pimpernel, and Sir Walter Scott’s Wilfred of Ivanhoe, and they’ve been mined for cinematic adaptation and inspiration almost since the birth of the medium, and their influence can be seen from Jack Sparrow’s Caribbean to galaxies far, far away. This month sees Cinapse’s team looking at nearly a century of swashbuckling sagas from their black-and-white roots to the brand-new reinventions of the form to examine why these tales are so enticing, so timeless, and who told them the best.
The Pick: Hook (1991)
When I first proposed Hook as my contribution to our swashbuckling month, I was met with some definitive opposition, noting that it’s not even the best Peter Pan film for the theme. But as a 40-something Xennial, Hook was a vital part of my childhood and – even if it’s simply nostalgia goggles – it’s my favorite Pan story, period. I thought the actual swashbuckling was pretty fun. But… I guess we’ll have to see what others think below.
Featured Guest
Devindra Hardawar
Filmcast Co-Host and Senior Editor for Engadget
Hook was a movie of many firsts for me. It was my introduction to the Peter Pan story at the age of probably seven or eight. It was the first time I saw a bad-ass brown kid – Dante Basco’s Rufio – in a big Hollywood movie. And it was my first taste of seeing the difficulty that adults have of maintaining their child like innocence, and also being present for their own kids.
Come to think of it, Hook was probably the first time that I saw a story that dealt with a haunting sense of loss. I think back to the idea of Grandma Wendy being the one who originally loved Peter, but who couldn’t stay with him, and who had to sit and watch him marry her granddaughter. He gave up his free-wheeling life for his granddaughter and not for her. I think of Tinker Bell, who also loved Peter, but could never really be with him and was ultimately abandoned. I think of the Lost Boys who lost their leader and then just had to fend for themselves against a murderous pirates. And I think of Peter’s real parents, who lost their infant child one day without any explanation.
I was shocked to learn as I got older that was considered a complete failure for Steven Spielberg. As a kid, it was a movie I watched countless times after I recorded it from HBO on an old VHS tape (and ultimately had to re-record after I wore that down). Looking at it now as an adult who dabbles in film criticism, I can absolutely see Hook‘s flaws. But I don’t think it’s a complete failure, even if Spielberg himself believes it is. And as a father myself, it hits even harder now. I used to be a kid who never wanted to grow up – now, at the very least, I want to be an adult that always has a soft spot for Hook.
The Team
Brendan Agnew
What a gloriously messy “one that got away from everyone” Hook is. This is clearly Spielberg back in the same “maximum everything” mode that capsized 1941, and while this movie is more successful that his WWII farce, it’s still unbalanced and bursting at the seams. For a film with such a relatively streamlined premise – Peter Pan has to return to Neverland to save his kids – there’s so many wacky asides and elongated subplots that the through line almost gets lost. And you can still see the scissor where huge sections were clearly cut (I know it’s insane to ask *more* from a 2½ hour movie, but I really wanna see the deleted material about what Maggie was doing).
But for all that, “the Ultimate Family Blockbuster Director making a Peter Pan movie with Robin Fucking Williams as The Eternal Youth” still delivers mostly what you want from that pitch. Williams relearning how to fly remains one of the great exhilarating sequences of 90s cinema with John Williams adding an entire extra star with his score, the cast may chew too much and too loudly on the scenery but it never stops being enjoyable to watch them do it, and the production design overdelivers with some truly unforgettable locations on those massive sets.
I could (easily) pull apart the saggy screenplay or the overstuffed cast (and I’ll admit the ’90s skater boy version of the Lost Boys is kinda laughable), but when Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams are swashbuckling around a T-rex sized dead crocodile, all the negatives kinda melt away. HOOK never fully coalesces into the perfect version of itself that it should be, but it’s still low-key a bangarang followup to one of my favorite stories ever.
Frank Calvillo
What if Peter Pan grew up? That was the original concept that set the ball rolling on this movie which defined a whole generation’s childhood and came to represent one of the lesser moments of director Steven Spielberg’s career. Much has been written about Hook’s journey to the big screen. There were the various script problems, the project itself changing hands, Kevin Kline being replaced by Robin Williams due to scheduling issues, the friction between Spielberg and Julia Roberts, and the danger of the whole movie getting away from its director due to a ballooning budget and a runaway schedule.
It’s sad to say that the problems still show up on the screen. The creation of the lost boys’ lair, the haphazard fleshing out of their characters, and the various hijinks that the script gives them were fun at a certain point in time, and, might still be for kids today. But it’s clear that, despite having an imagination like Spielberg’s, the intended pleasures of Hook only have so much milage. The jokes aren’t plentiful (despite Williams’ efforts), the magic itself feels halfbaked, and the death of the central lost boy Rufio feels equally in poor taste now as it did in the early 90s.
But if the problems are there, so too are the aspects of the original vision that do work. Reflecting years later, Spielberg commented how he thought the bookends of Hook, as well as the middle flashback sequence, all worked. Indeed, he’s right. It’s interesting seeing an adult Peter Pan in his grown-up element thanks to Williams’ performance as a grade-A yuppie. Meanwhile, the alternate take on how one of the most famous storybook characters came to be (especially concerning his relationship with Wendy) is both surreal and magical.
More than anything else, it’s the trailer that lingers in the memory when it comes to Hook. Seeing Peter’s kids taken from their bedroom gave off feelings of both fear and chills that were eventually replaced with vigor and curiosity as Tinkerbell dragged our hero on his adventure. It was the perfect setup for what promised to be the ultimate take on a classic tale, made even more enticing when that very same question popped up on the screen again. What if Peter Pan grew up? Well, for both better and worse, we got our answer.
Jay Tyler
Hook is one of those films that is nearly impossible for me to judge objectively. I was seven years old when it came out, obsessed with Peter Pan (nothing to unpack there) and a giant Robin Williams fan. It was the first film I remember hotly anticipating, waiting for months for it to be released.
But all that is preamble. What actually lives in my mind is the scope to which it was made. Giant sets with hundreds of extras is ridiculous costumes. A world that is filled to the brim. Objectively it is all a bit busy. But in my mind’s eye it was a fully realized world, brimming with childlike wonder. It is probably the most ersatz version of Spielberg’s childlike wonder, intentionally aligned to a sense of the new 90s aesthetic. The Lost Boys day-glow, skater pseudo apocalyptic vibe is seared into me brain as the height of a punk rock aesthetic that is immediately dated and corny, but goddamn if it doesn’t work for me.
But the real magic of Hook is Hoffman. Unlike Williams, who I knew through his work on Mork and Mindy reruns, I had no connection with Dustin Hoffman. But his performance, histrionic and unbridled, was precisely the kind of living cartoon I craved. I feared him and loved him as a child, and now as an adult I love how he and Bob Hoskins match the outrageous aesthetics of the film with their outsized performances. For any creakiness the movie may carry as an artifact of early 90s vibes, Hoffman’s understanding and meeting the assignment will always hold a special place in my heart.
@jaythecakethief.bsky.social
Justin Harlan
I feel pretty vindicated choosing this film for a few reasons… first, it seems that everyone had a good time rewatching it. This makes me happy, because the world is burning down around us and we need some form of escape every now and then. Second, the final battle is a damn blast. Third, the cast is brilliant. And finally, because it gives me an exc use to talk about two of my absolute favorite actors ever.
The first of those two actors is the obvious one – the late, great Robin Williams. His death still gets to me sometimes, but when I see him on screen I can’t help but light up. His presence is so powerful and he’s incredible as Peter Pan(ning). There’s so much emotion in him in this role, from disdainful anger to pure joy and everything in between. Robin Williams is an icon and one that means alot to me as a film fan that came of age in the 90s. This is among the most iconic roles he portrayed in my youth, so I will always look at it fondly.
The second of those two actors is another late, great legend – Dame Maggie Smith. While the role that really made me want her to be my grandma was her incredible portrayal of Professor McGonagall, I really love her in this… as limited as her role is. I forgot that she was Wendy going into this rewatch and what a pleasant surprise it was. She embodies every role she is in and this is no different. She is magical when she’s on screen – and, particularly, the scenes between she and Williams are just pitch perfect for me.
So, in other words, this was a great rewatch for me. Bangarang!
March: Swashbuckling Adventure On and Off the High Seas
Our month of Swashbuckling continues all March, culminating in the two-part adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel!
March 24 – The Court Jester (Digital Rental / Purchase – 1 hour 41 minutes)
March 31 – The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (Hulu – 2 hrs 1 minute) / Milady (Hulu – 1 hour 55 minutes)And We’re Out.
-
Reb00t: ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005) Drops the Political Message, Keeps the Mean-Spiritedness!
Does the 2005 film hold a candle to the original? Well, no, but it’s still a pretty fun, gnarly time!
Welcome to Reb00t! A series (with no set schedule!) where I dig deep through the 2000’s to find all the horror remakes that we were inundated with over that weirdly bleak decade. Sometimes they’ll be good, sometimes they’ll be terrible, sometimes they’ll be great. In a few, rare times, they’ll be better than the original! These are all my personal views, obviously, so feel free to tell me I’m insane in the comments.
—
This week, the inaugural week, I dove head first into the Aughts remake cycle, starting with 2005’s Assault On Precinct 13. This article will contain spoilers for a 20-year-old film and a 50-year-old film. You’ve been warned!
Now, the original needs no introduction. The film that kicked off John Carpenter’s career*, 1976’s Assault On Precinct 13 is arguably the greatest exploitation film of all time. It’s gritty, it’s mean, it’s violent as hell. A modern retelling of Rio Bravo, we follow a ragtag group of police officers, criminals, and civilians stuck in a decommissioned police station, fighting off waves of gang members attempting to break in and kill them all. It’s a film that could’ve been a lot of sizzle and no steak, but Carpenter shows right from the start that he is a world-class filmmaker, infusing the film with intense racial tension and views on police brutality. It’s a film that is still as potent today as it was in 1976.
Then, in 2005, Assault got its remake. Directed by Jean-Francois Richet (Blood Father, Plane), 2005’s Assault shifts quite a bit away from the source material. The decommissioned police station stays the same, as does the ragtag group of survivors. Where the script differs, though, is in the race politics and the aggressors. Gone is the racial tension between the black police officer and the white criminal; here, the police captain is played by Ethan Hawke, and the criminal by Laurence Fishburne. What was a simmering flashpoint in both the film and America at large in ‘76 was completely erased in the ‘05 remake.
Additionally, the change in the aggressors is also a complete departure from the original. In the ‘76 film, the gang members trying to push their way into the police station are faceless entities, more like insects trying to find a weak point in the wall, bordering on supernatural in their resilience. In the ‘05 film, they’ve been wholly replaced by corrupt cops, hellbent on killing the one man who can rat them all out. Instead of them just being darkened faces in the shadows, we spend a good amount of time with these cops, learning about their motivation and how far they’ll go to get the job done.
So, the big question here is; is it any good? Before I answer that, I think the most important thing here is to be able to take this as its own thing. Sure, it’s a remake, but you still want to be able to judge it on what it singularly is, as best as possible. ‘05 Assault, in particular, is good at never really giving any callbacks to the original. Many of the remakes from this era are so hellbent on referencing and giving homage to the originals that you can’t help but judge them against one another.
So, if we are to strip away the bias of comparing it to the original, what are we left with? Honestly, it’s a pretty solid and incredibly mean-spirited siege film that really doesn’t have any deeper message beyond “corruption is bad.”
The ‘05 film has a surprisingly deep roster, cast-wise. There is the already mentioned Hawke and Fishburne, but you’ve also got Gabriel Byrnes, Maria Bello, Drea de Matteo, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, and Ja Rule. Pretty much everyone either shooting or being shot at is a recognizable face. It also makes sure to put these pretty faces through the wringer, as ’05 Assault is essentially wall-to-wall action sequences once the first “assault” occurs. Everything from automatic machine gun fire, grenades, assault helicopters, Molotov cocktails, a Tommy gun, and even a samurai sword makes an appearance during all of the violent mayhem.
It’s also incredibly mean-spirited. I’m not saying the ‘76 film is soft, but the ‘05 film rides right on that line of being straight-up nihilistic, as our cast of characters is put through the meat grinder. There is one character in particular, therapist Dr. Alex Sabian (Maria Bello), whose experiences and her reactions to them feel genuinely cruel all the way up to her shocking demise.
This harshness, this nihilism, actually falls in line with my theory that ‘70s horrors remade in the aughts work a lot better than from other eras. The very specific dark mood of the ‘70s, caused by Watergate, Vietnam, and civil unrest, is not all that different from the trauma of the aughts, where filmmakers were working through their anxieties from 9/11, the War On Terror, and the market crash of ‘08. The same streak of nihilism connects the two eras of horror cinema, and their connector points are these remakes. As we continue this series, we’ll see how this theory pans out.
Now, to the narrative change which I can’t tell is a political message or just something the screenwriter thought was cool: the corrupt cops. Historical context would lead me to believe that this is truly just a “this sounds cool” change to the script (in ‘05, post 9/11, the police were still viewed as borderline angels in this country). That being said, what it is saying here is still very pointed, as the lead corrupt cop, played by Gabriel Byrne, keeps repeating that the loss of a few lives is worth it to keep his men safe. It’s admittedly an extreme way of saying it, but that’s essentially just “The Blue Wall,” where police will turn a blind eye or stay completely silent about police corruption and brutality. It might not have landed in any sort of way in ‘05, but if this was released in 2020, I think ’05 Assault‘s reception would be a whole hell of a lot different. This is all to say that, sure, the ‘05 film drops almost all of the politics of the original, but that’s ok because it’s still doing some politicking of its own (and, you know, the original still exists, too).
—
As we come to the end, the real question now stands: Is this worth a watch? My recommendation is a pretty resounding Yes. Yeah, it’s not as good as the original, but it’s still doing a lot of its own things that are unique and fun. I never felt bored or wanted to roll my eyes at how badly they had tried to reference something. Your mileage may vary, based on your love of the original, but this is still a fun, grisly ride.
*Yeah, sure, Dark Star was his first film, but I’m sorry, I’m not counting a student film that got kicked into a dozen drive-ins as his “breakout” moment. It’s Assault. Deal with it.
