A Disappointing Guy Pearce Trio

 

A Disappointing Guy Pearce Trio

by Kristin Battestella

I was saving these ho-hum reviews for other science fiction or action lists – spreading out my Guy Pearce career re-watch as needed. However, it's not really my Mike from Neighbors bias showing if the movies are kind of...not good, right?

Brand New World – I remember seeing this 1998 decidedly British parable also known as Woundings on television a long, long time ago. Though interesting, it seemed edited or that I missed something because nothing made sense. Without subtitles, the thick accents and mumbling dialogue contribute to the confusion despite talent such as Guy Pearce (Lockout), Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do!), Charlie Creed-Miles (Essex Boys), and Ray Winstone (Beowulf). At its simplest, this is women entertaining traumatized troops tired of the saucy sheep jokes and on to new fishy mermaid quips. Crappy commercials promise romance and adventure for these “Roses of England” leaving shabby Manchester behind, but the bawdy soldiers get right to the manhandling along the lovely Isle of Man coast. Winking pop music and colorful hooker stylings seem more eighties than the supposed futuristic amid juvenile dances, balloons, and now tame raunchy. Local girls the men supposedly love are beaten and threatened before being replaced by the Englishwomen, for oppressors who apparently saved the day haven't left now that the war is finished. The women observe the soldiers' delicate mine defusing work in tense scenes, but battle action flashbacks are treated as music montage heady brought on by the awkward sex. Of course, the women are blamed for the men's problems and apparently driven to lesbianism thanks to a William-esque regent who greets all newlyweds just to make out with the bride. The extreme training versus returning to society statements are lost in the trying to be edgy, pointless, nonsensical scenes that seem intentionally weird – undercutting the straightforward filming and compromising dramatic momentum. Whether these were already crazy, outlier misfits to start or subsequent shell shock extremes is never answered, and it takes an hour for the heavy to hit home. Fortunately, it is bemusing to see weakling Pearce groveling under Winstone's demented colonel. I love Pearce's dedication to mucking up his teeth for a character, and he takes Sarah-Jane Potts (Kinky Boots) to the cemetery. That's my kind of date! Well lit eeriness accents fine revenge, body bags, and limbs on the battlefield while distorted camera angles mirror the oppressive with large background figures looming over the small people at the forefront. A man holding a toy purple gun at a woman foreshadows the sexual implications as well as the one on one cliff side confrontations – for one way or another, the cowardly soldier will prove his manhood. Despite a great cast, lovely locales, and potential social commentary; the overlong, low budget incomprehensible never puts the pieces all together. I almost wish the same cast would remake this right.

Domino – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister), Carice van Houten (Melisandre), and Guy Pearce (Melisandre's non-Shadow Baby Daddy) star in director Brian De Palma's (Scarface) 2019 international thriller opening with Copenhagen style, buddy cops, and saucy night shifts. Rustic locales, staircases, and classy colors contrast the night time shadows, seedy, and edgy before seemingly simple domestic calls lead to elevators and bloody revelations. Foreground and background splices show both slights of hand, but surprising police mistakes hurt the gory victims, rooftop chases, perilous falls, and shadowy men in suits. Split screens parallel the gentile upstairs of the CIA safe house and its captivity below with intimidating video interrogations and threatening kids, but the overbearing score draws attention to itself. Fade in intercuts on scenes that are so thematically different make the film seem unfinished with hasty, disjointed pacing and tough to follow terrorist attacks that aren't fully explained. Why are we firing on people at a film premiere like a first person shooter video game? Personal violence, bone cracking, inner turmoil, and revenge are better brutal, yet we repeatedly leave potential triangles, quiet moments, mirrors, and unique angles for an attempted mainstream terrorism thriller chopping off people's heads. Between police investigations, belying suspect encounters, unnecessary bad guys, and explosive CIA puzzles, there are just too many stories at once. The primary character relationships should be enough with suspensions, affairs, and conflict at the top; but with international scene changes, fast continental travel, and Copenhagen police so far out of their jurisdiction in Spain, there's little time for dramatic conversations and truth amid the espionage. Critical character moments are stupidly revealed via scrolling through their smartphone photos, and wise audiences can spot the foreshadowing in the first ten minutes. Convenient clues are given to the characters in the last half hour, compromising the intrigue as artistic locations give way to silly drones and cliché bullfights. Binocular views, silent chases, and decoys are nice touches, but the suspense is inexplicably detached rather than Hitchcockian man alone. Are we supposed to care or be afraid and for whom? Spectators don't notice vendors shooting people at an event? Our in over their heads cops never inform authorities and it's a kick in the groin that saves the day? With six minutes of credits, this is a busy eighty-two minutes when we should have simply stayed with our initial police as they unravel the CIA revelations in the finale. Strange music cues more heroic than in danger acerbate the falling apart motivation and confusing messages. It's more important to arrest a man for a stabbing in Denmark than let him do his necessary CIA dirty work? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Seeking Justice – Nicolas Cage (National Treasure) and January Jones (X-Men: First Class) join Guy Pearce in this ham-fisted 2011 revenge thriller that starts with rape and descends into more awkwardness as it strays from the original justice. Nonsensical, overly contrived machinations trap innocent people into doing a secret vigilante group's dirty work when the elusive organization obviously has the means to do everything themselves. Threatening to murder the victimized, chasing people into traffic, framing an investigative reporter – how is this justice? Cops in on the “hungry rabbit jumps” passwords wink at the entire mob-like effort: if they do something for you, you have to do something for them via the right candy bar from the vending machine, buying a pack of gum, or mailing letters to Santa at the zoo. Such convoluted Rube Goldbergs at the hot dog stand aren't amusing for the audience, and any commentary about ineffectual legalese, bad law enforcement, the secret wealthy, or who you know being able to take vengeance into their own hands gets lost in the inexplicable. Phones, disc evidence, convenient car technology, computer ease, and newspaper snooping are very dated on top of obvious storage sheds, copies of copies, and preposterous incriminating footage. Supposedly elaborate Simon Says voiceovers become a chore to watch amid loud Monster Trucks shows, roundabout shootouts, and abandoned malls complete with mannequin decoys. District school teacher Cage is out of breath and not up to the action with Jones' local cellist – a very unrealistic and unbelievable couple living well beyond their means in a swanky New Orleans loft. Flashes of the attack and the injured woman in the hospital are more about his anger than her assault. Rather than her target practice or experiencing her recovery, we follow how his life is turned upside down by saying no to this vigilante organization. If he had been assaulted and couldn't deal with it while this group further terrorizes him with the repercussions, that would have been compelling. Instead, one wonders if the men should have reversed roles, for Cage hamming it up as a maniacal baddie enjoying the pursuit could have been interesting. Pearce is an intriguing, suave, commanding thug, but he'd be much more believable as the caught up every man evenly matched with Jones. By time we're down to the man alone on the run and the sacrificial Black best friend, there's no reason to stick around unless you are fans of the cast. I can't lie though, when Guy Pearce jokes about tax evasion to Nicolas Cage, I guffawed.

Have I see each of these movies more than they deserve? Yes. 🤣