The Observer, September 7, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 2
Fall Movie Preview: Action, Westerns, and Clive Owen
This week, two radically different movies are released onto America's viewing screens. One, a remake of a classic Western movie originally made 50 years ago, features powerful actors and a great director. The other, a seemingly generic action movie, also brings much to the table, including Clive Owen. (Who doesn't love him?) Hopefully these previews will help you decide if either is worthwhile to attend this weekend.
Shoot 'Em Up
Directed by: Michael Davis
Starring: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci
From an outside perspective, Shoot 'Em Up looks like your average loud, generic, and generally awful action movie thriving on explosions and scantily-clad women to sell tickets. However, if one looks a bit deeper into the film, the excitement and passion brought by new director Michael Davis makes this an intriguing prospect for the fall. Nearly every production company passed on this film when presented by Davis, which would prompt most directors to give up. However, Davis, not to be denied, was so excited about the project that he created a 17-minute animated reel highlighting action sequences in his script, taking over 17,000 line drawings to illustrate some out-of-control ideas. One of the more notorious features is an uproarious gun battle during a birthing scene. Bob Shayne of New Line Cinema was impressed and picked up the film, adding a talented cast featuring Academy Award-nominated Giamatti and the handsome, reliable Clive Owen. The plot centers around a homeless man (Owen) is protecting a woman (Bellucci) and her baby from being slaughtered by a ruthless gangster (Giamatti). If you aren't quite ready to give up the pandemonium of summer just yet, Shoot 'Em Up looks to be your kind of film.
3:10 to Yuma
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda
This could very much be the most powerful of three blockbuster Westerners set to come out this fall. The acting prowess of those involved immediately sticks out at first look. Three-time Academy Award nominee for Best Actor, Russell Crowe has stayed out of the limelight for several years now and looks to cement his place back in contemporary Hollywood with his performance in 3:10 to Yuma. Peter Fonda is a Hollywood legend, most notably for his Western roles, and Christian Bale may be the best method actor of our generation. Yet the most marketable aspect of the film, even more than its Academy Award-nominated and winning actors, is its director. James Mangold has put out terrific films in his time, most notably Walk the Line, Girl, Interrupted, and the underrated horror/thriller Identity. The competition with two other fall Westerns, (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and No Country for Old Men), will be fierce. 3:10 to Yuma is a remake of the 1957 classic starring Glenn Ford and Van Hefflin, which gives it a little less flexibility and legitimacy to work with. The plot centers around outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) and Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Bale) playing cat-and-mouse, with Evans volunteering to bring Wade to the "3:10 to Yuma," a train scheduled to bring him to trial. Westerns could potentially be successful at the box office and among critics. How much so will be up to America to decide.
