Andrew
Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
THERE is a reason why Julia Raul’s portrayal of European dictator M. Bison during the 1994 cult classic “Street Fighter”, opposite 90s action man Jean-Claude Van Damme, remains one of the most talked about and memorable performances in cinema history.
That is not an exaggeration!
In overall, the movie is really bad as the action demeans the video game of which it is based on while the plot is simple and tedious.
Its only saving grace is the aforesaid Raul performance.
Under normal circumstances, the movie “Street Fighter” would have been viewed as beneath Raul’s talents.
This is against the background that the late Puerto Rican was viewed as once in a generation talent, who had a Golden Globe and Emmy award to show for it.
However, he decided to take on the role because his kids loved the video game so much.
The kids helped him prepare for the role and it is reported that they also accompanied him to the set during filming as his health was deteriorating at the time.
He died before the movie was released.
Watching Netflix’s latest attempts at the action genre “The Gray Man” brought back memories of the late great Julia Raul. There is nothing more special and memorable than watching an actor throw caution to the wind and really have a good time on set.
It is a rare treat in this day and age.
Daniel Day Lewis, the late Marlon Brando and Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Robert De Niro have made method acting so popular.
Yes, there have been moments in which it made for great cinema (cue Ledger’s Joker in “Dark Knight Rises”) but sometimes we just want to see an actor loosen up and have fun.
Much like “Street Fighter”, there is not much to write home about “The Gray Man” as the spy-movie genre is full of the plots and characters on display.
But the Russo brothers, Joe and Anthony, do an excellent job in the action and pacing department.
However, it is the performances of the movie’s two main lead characters Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans that distinguishes the production for the rest.
Gosling stars as Sierra Six, a member of a CIA black ops programme that engages convicted felons to be hired assassins for the United States government.
He goes on the run when he comes across highly sensitive information about his employers.
Apparently, he discovers his new boss Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page) had been abusing CIA resources and personnel for his own benefits.
Carmichael decides to enlist the help of failed CIA agent Lloyd Hansen, who now works in the private sector and is a former Harvard University classmate of his, to kill Sierra Six and retrieve the flash drive with the highly sensitive information.
What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse between Sierra Six and Hansen.
It is an out of character role for Gosling, who is best known for comedy and drama roles. But he excels, largely due to his stonewall performance and boyish charm.
Evans, on the other hand, shaves off his Captain America persona and dives head-first into the role.
Hansen is psychopath who views killing people as a sport and pleasure act. He is witty, extremely intelligent and has no regard for human life.
Evans does an excellent job in selling all these points, and his banter almost makes him likeable.
He is the complete opposite of Gosling’s Sierra Six, who prefers to let his fists and guns do most of the talking.
The likes of Page, Billy Bob Thornton (Donald Fitzroy), Julia Butters (Claire Fitzroy) and Ana de Armas (Dani Miranda) deserve special mention in the performance department.
Bur some feel Armas could have given more flesh to her character. The Spanish actress does hold her own during her scenes but a little more backstory to her character would not have hurt.
She spends more of her screen time killing and fighting Hansen’s henchman, as Sierra Six’s only other ally, but her lack of meaningful dialogue reduces her to nothing more than eye-candy.
Aiding Gosling and Evans’ performances is the keen eye of the Russo brothers, who bring their A-game behind the producer and director’s chair.
The use of aerial shots, mostly through drone technology, helps elevate some of the action scenes which come at you at a frantic pace.
Despite being in circulation for no more than three weeks, the film has done enough for Netflix to not only order a sequel but a spin-off too.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu