V for Vendetta

Near-future scenario has Britain being run by a fascist dictator (John Hurt) with only one wraith-like dark knight in a Guy Fawkes mask and calling himself “V” (Hugo Weaving) conspicuously willing to stand up to the tyrant. This Guy makes his presence known mainly by blowing up buildings (the Old Bailey, Parliament). Natalie Portman is a young TV reporter who gets caught up in the conflict when V rescues her from intended rape by a pair of the dictator’s thugs. This pseudo-philosophical romp from the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix movies) is getting criticism from conservatives (Dubya is going to hate it) for glorifying terrorism, but it’s the old terrorist vs. freedom fighter thing, so read it as you will. Tempest in a teapot. This maniacal concoction is idea-powered, provocative, disturbing and brutally gorgeous. Yes, it’s subversive, but in an easy-to-follow, teenage kind of way. Mostly it’s just a bit of Orwellian fun, and at least it makes you think. Great British cast includes Stephen Rea, Rupert Graves, Tim Pigott-Smith and Stephen Fry. (132 min)

Cinemas 1 27 40 65 71 82 90 96 99 102 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

Ice Age: The Meltdown

In 2002’s Ice Age, three mammals that would make Darwin gag try to return a human baby to its tribe as the glaciers edge south. Now our furry threesome is trying to outrun global-warming-caused advancing floodwaters. This would make them tens of thousands of years old, but let’s not quibble. This accounting office-mandated sequel, though hopelessly padded (even musical numbers), is entertaining in a scattershot sort of way, but hasn’t a tenth of the soul of the original. The antics of the saber-toothed squirrel thingy and his acorn, however, are alone worth the price of admission. (90 min)

Cinemas 2 10 26 56 61 70 95 96 99 102 107 109 111 112 114 115 116 117 118 120


The New World

Terrence Malik makes slow films that require patience to watch (Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line), and this more truthful telling of the story of Pocahontas (not a difficult thing, Disney), the Algonquian princess who helped the first settlers at Jamestown and later traveled to England (thus a double meaning for the title), is more like watching a painting being created. Lush and visually sumptuous, though marred by some badly written voiceovers, this is an often-fascinating rumination on the true nature of civilization. 14-year-old Q’Orianka Kilcher stars opposite Colin Farrell and Christian Bale. (155 min)

Cinemas 1 29 55 62 71 82 90 95 96 99 102 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120


The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

I confess to stopping on Nickelodeon from time to time while channel surfing and finding this unashamedly childish kids’ program to be wittier than expected, and eventually just had to have the SBSP underwear. Kidding. How can you not like a program that has character names like Eugene H. Krabs, Squidward Tentacles and a starfish named Patrick? Theme of this nautical nonsense is the eternally optimistic title character’s efforts at self-improvement in the seabedroom community of Bikini Bottom. It’s not all that deep (sorry), but it’s fun. And anyone who says it isn’t is just a big Goofy Goober. (87 min)

Cinemas 33 96


Underworld: Evolution

What’s there to say about this unintelligently designed sequel to the witless, humorless vampire-versus-werewolves original? You liked the first one; you’ll like this noisy, violent mess. Kate Beckinsale for some reason again stuffs herself into a squeaking black neoprene body suit (hubby is the director). Continuous chases and repetitive, lengthy battle scenes alternate with dull, endless exposition. The CG fangs and fur fly furiously as the wolfmen and bloodsuckers (plus a few hybrids) go at it, but I had the same problem I had with the first: Who are the good guys? Why do I not care? No fun. (106 min)

Cinemas 2 51 61 90 99 102 109 112 113 114 116 118 120

Nanny Mcphee

After a poverty-stricken (but somehow grandly domiciled) widower has run through 17 governesses for his seven unmanageable brats, a kind of grim Mary Poppins on steroids shows up on his doorstep, mystically confident that she can bring the children into line. No spoonful of sugar for this crone. Ugly, fat and with several facial warts, this is a governess you don’t want to cross. But with each life lesson learned by the children, she loses a wart or a pound or two and becomes more becoming. On the one hand, this children’s film (not for all ages) boasts a fine British cast (screenwriter Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Imelda Staunton, Derek Jacobi) and is refreshingly free of those annoying pop-culture references. But it’s not especially witty or original, those fine actors are confined to broad caricatures, it gets a bit gooey at times, and it’s curiously lacking in charm and warmth. Still, it is sure to delight its small target audience (young children, mainly young girl children) if not their parents. (97 min)

Cinemas 7 57 102 114 120

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

In his quick, smart and original directorial debut, Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black has fun with the noir genre while engaging in a bit of self-parody, and the result is an irreverent comedy-drama. Black also wrote The Long Kiss Goodnight and Last Action Hero. A spot-on Robert Downey Jr., who tells us what’s happening, or is supposed to be happening, in a chatty, self-deprecating voiceover, is a petty New York City crook who stumbles into an audition for a Hollywood movie and finds himself LA-bound for a screen test for a role as a private investigator. There, in order to gain real-life experience, he is teamed with a gay private detective (Val Kilmer) named Gay Perry. You gotta love it. Soon the bodies and bullet casings are piling up and the one-liners flying. Think Get Shorty. Michelle Monaghan fulfills the femme fatale duties with sexy aplomb. I don’t really remember the story all that well, but, unsurprisingly considering its screenwriter origins, the fun’s in the telling. I could see it again. (103 min)

Cinemas 99 102

The Libertine

Though Johnny Depp is usually the best thing about his movies, it took some courage to take on this portrayal of John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester, who died in 1680 of syphilis at age 33. A Restoration-era sex addict, drunk and writer of poetry and plays of astounding obscenity to whom moderation did not come easily, the earl tells us early on, “You will not like me.” We don’t, but we still watch, and Depp even elicits an illogical sadness from us toward the end. Directed by Laurence Dunmore from the screenplay by Stephen Jeffreys and also starring John Malkovich and Samantha Morton. (120 min)

Cinemas 8 24 96 112 116 117 119 120

Me and You and Everyone We Know

The central plot in this lovingly crafted indie has two people, a divorced shoe salesman (John Hawkes) and a struggling performance artist (promising writer/director Miranda July), trying to breach the barriers to communication. As the title suggests, there are several interesting subplots involving characters we all meet every day. The whole thing moves elliptically toward its destination at a slow and deliberate, even poetic pace. It’s sweet, funny, whimsical, unpredictable, idiosyncratic, a little eerie and entirely original. A true independent film that may leave you a better person. (90 min)

Cinema 21

Paparazzi

In this illogical, immoral and adolescent-level revenge flick, a nouveau-popular action movie star (Cole Hauser) decides to open a can of extra-violent cease-and-desist on a group of paparazzi (led by an overacting Tom Sizemore) that caused injury to his wife and kid in an auto accident (exploiting Diana or what?), and basically becomes a serial murderer. Now, a good revenge movie has to have an undeniably evil villain, but these guys are just boors with poor fashion sense and a disregard for privacy who probably seem a lot worse to moviemakers than to moviegoers. Directed by a hairstylist. (86 min)

Cinema 6

The Producers

Some filmed musicals work (Oliver!), and some don’t (The Phantom of the Opera). This filmed adaptation of the stage adaptation of Mel Brooks’ 1956 directorial debut kept me busting a fairly constant gut. Pair of greedy Broadway producers (Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick) connives to stage a musical so offensive (Springtime for Hitler) that it will immediately close and they can keep the (multiple) backers’ money. Includes some of the funniest gay guys to ever hit the screen (“Keep it Gay!”). Helped immeasurably that the songs and lyrics were written by Brooks and not, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber. (128 min)

Cinemas 2 11 26 45 60 70 90 95 96 99 102 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

Tom Dowd and the Language of Music

John Coltrane, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Ornette Coleman, The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Les Paul, and on and on. All great artists, but the success of their records was due to the efforts of a visionary recording engineer named Tom Dowd. Mark Moormann’s documentary on this entertaining, gregarious fellow, seven years in the making, examines Dowd’s career, starting from when records were cut directly onto discs through his development of slide faders and a workable eight-track to today’s digital techniques. Dowd was (he died in 2002, just before this film was completed) more than the “guy in the booth.” He was to many artists a father figure, psychologist, musically sophisticated technological innovator and as much a genius on the mixing board as the greats he recorded. The film includes some awesome archival footage and a wondrous ending sequence, when as a demonstration for the movie he remixes the 30-year-old master tracks of “Layla.” This film is not for everyone, only people who like music. (82 min)

Cinema 38

DiG!

Doc-maker Ondi Timoner followed two ‘60s-revivalist bands around for seven years and came up with this occasionally insightful look at the love-hate relationship between them. Would probably play better if more people had ever heard of the bands. Focuses on Brian Jonestown Massacre leader Anton Newcombe who, while obviously talented, perfectly (and tediously) defines the infantile, self-involved/destructive, rock-hubris dickhead. Narrated for some reason by the (by comparison) better adjusted Dandy Warhols lead Courtney Taylor. Movie says genius is worthless without discipline and professionalism. (115 min)

Cinema 19

Doom

Jeez, what a piece of crap! But then this blood-soaked Alien rip-off was doomed from the start. It takes place on Mars (Mars movies are always turkeys) and it’s based on a video game. Amusingly awful plot has a team of Marines with nicknames like Sarge (a shirtless The Rock), Duke, Destroyer, Goat and The Kid heading for a laboratory where a big, nasty, super-human zombie thingy has been busy ripping apart and eating people. Lines like, “Waidaminnit! This thing didn’t butcher Willits; it is Willits!” and “It must be a genetic mutation!” Don’t see this movie; you’ll only encourage them. (104 min)

Cinema 109

Firewall

Serviceable and well-crafted if relatively formulaic and not entirely plausible Harrison Ford suspense thriller has a bank cyber-security manager (Ford) and his wife (Virginia Madsen) and family being taken hostage by a gang of computer crooks led by really smart Paul Bettany, and he must rely on his wits and technological expertise to save the day and $100 million of the bank’s money. Ford gets to do his righteous, barely controlled anger thing a lot, and Bettany is suitably cruel and sneering and, as most villains are these days for some reason, British. Fair if forgettable fare. (105 min)

Cinemas 1 27 40 65 71 82 90 96 102 109 111 113 114 116 117 118 119 120

Loverboy

This gooey, turgid, feature-length directorial debut of Kevin Bacon features his wife Kyra Sedgwick as an obsessive, controlling and immature woman who craves motherhood but none of the responsibility that should come with it. Her much more mature six-year-old (Dominic Scott Kay) begins to resent his nickname (title) and realizes that maybe regular school would be preferable to the stream-of-consciousness home-schooling nonsense he’s getting from his non-conformist wacko mom. Numerous cameos by the Bacons’ famous friends can’t save the unconvincing script and overall sense of self-importance. (84 min)

Cinema 36

Love’s brother

This directorial debut of accomplished Ozzie screenwriter Jan Sardi (Oscar nom for Shine) is the old-fashioned telling of a simple story. Set in a close-knit Italian immigrant community in Melbourne in the ’50s, it involves a pair of brothers. The homely Angelo (Giovanni Ribisi), after being continually turned down in his attempts to woo a mail-order bride from Italy, includes in his next letter, to a beauty named Rosetta (Amelia Warner), a photo of his more handsome brother Gino (Adam Garcia, making up for Coyote Ugly), passing it off as himself. She accepts and travels to Australia and certain disappointment, but Sardi sidesteps the obvious. This dessert flick will not show you anything new, and the outcome is fairly predictable, but the getting there is singularly sweet, and it’s hard to dislike. Compared to the plastic, contrived and melodramatic romantic comedies being churned out by Hollywood these days, this is a breath of fresh air. Beautifully filmed by Andrew Lesnie, who shot LOTR. (103 min)

Cinema 52

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Dry English wit meets gothic horror in this Oscar-winning masterpiece by stop-action animation genius Nick Park (Chicken Run). If you’re not familiar with this dynamic duo—the ever-optimistic, reality-challenged inventor Wallace and his vastly more intelligent and mature dog Gromit—the film starts out with a few sequences to bring you up to scratch. Plot has to do with Lady Tottington’s upcoming annual Giant Vegetable Fete, for which Wallace and Gromit are responsible for seeing that none of the entrants gets eaten by those pesky (but cute) rabbits. The pair operates a PETA-approved animal control service (called “Anti-Pesto”) in which they utilize a giant bunny vacuum. But their skills are challenged with the emergence of what seems to be a giant, ravenous super-rabbit. (The movie’s tag line is “Something wicked this way hops.”) Voice talent includes Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Peter Sallis (as always) as Wallace; Gromit doesn’t talk. It’s an antidote to all those recent dazzling but content-free CG animations and the feel-good movie of the year. (85 min)

Cinemas 35 49 102 110 112 113 116 117 119 120

Cursed

Lousy, lackadaisical, lycanthrope looniness lacks originality or entertainment value, and may be the most witless werewolf movie ever made. Christina Ricci (Why, Christina?) puts in a career-worst performance as a recently bitten person trying to find and behead the lobo that bit her, etc. Call this unfunny, not-very-scary schlock-fest the flipside of the Scream series, the previous collaboration between director Wes Craven, who should know better, and screenwriter Kevin Williamson, whose trademark wit is glaringly absent. Bad acting, screen-saver special effects, lame attempts at humor. No bite. (96 min)

Cinemas 5 102

Eight Below

In this remake of Japan’s 1983 Nankyoku Monogatari, eight sled dogs are reluctantly left behind when a monster storm approaches their Antarctic research facility. There’s not really much doubt that all or most will survive; movies like this don’t end badly. But it’s still a knuckle-biter, thanks to its focus on the dogs, which have been only slightly anthropomorphized as they go about their (curiously well-lit for an Antarctic winter) efforts to survive (the leopard-seal attack lifted me off my seat), and the Disney schmaltz is kept to a minimum. Jack London would’ve enjoyed this movie. (120 min)

Cinemas 11 34 50 61 96 102 110 112 117 120

Last Days
Gus Van Sant’s haunting art film for grungers is a minimalist look at the last days of a dope-exhausted rock star who may or may not be Kurt Cobain. It’s a brilliant mood piece, maybe Van Sant’s recent best. The glints of humor are wry and the construction not necessarily linear. The main character (Michael Pitt) mostly wanders around a big house, fails to react to people (including a Yellow Pages salesman and some Mormons), makes a little music and eventually, without drama and probably without even knowing it, dies. There are no reasons offered, no details explained. Stays with you. (97 min)

Cinema 20

Two for the Money

Boys Night Out B-Movie is about fulfilling one’s potential, manipulating emotions, making money and saying f**k a lot. Poor but uncannily accurate Vegas sports handicapper (Matthew McConaughey) is headhunted by the frenetic owner of a successful New York sports betting hotline (Al Pacino in a role that seems like it was written for him, and probably was). He rises to the top while we get an education and a look at the underbelly of the sports business, but then starts believing he’s psychic, loses his mojo, and begins a melodramatic downhill slide that’s far less interesting than his rise. (122 min)

Cinema 43

A History of Violence

David Cronenberg’s most “mainstream” effort to date, when compared to such mindblowers as Scanners, The Fly, Naked Lunch and Dead Ringers, is still a Cronenberg movie, which means that it’s slyly subversive, psychologically complex and, of course, totally original. Tom Stall, a mild-mannered small-town Indiana café owner (a finely balanced performance by Viggo Mortensen) gets his 15 minutes of fame when he is lucky enough to get the better of and shoot a pair of murder-minded thugs that have invaded his diner. But the ensuing TV coverage of this local hero catches the attention of some Philly mob types (a wonderfully villainous performance by Ed Harris) who think Tom is really Joey the hit man who disappeared 20 years ago, and nothing Tom says or does can convince them that this is not true. This deliberation on the meaning of identity unfolds in a linear fashion and seems clear-cut, but look again. Cronenberg doesn’t do clear-cut. Also Maria Bello and Ashton Holmes, and William Hurt has a small but singularly effective role toward the end. (95 min)

Cinemas 44 91

Aeon Flux

Sci-fi romp with a lot of good actors (Charlize Theron, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Okonedo, Frances McDormand, Pete Postlethwaite), but not much good acting. Maybe this is one of those films actors take on in the belief that it will “round out” their filmographies. Whatever. Takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where hairstylists seem to have run amok, with an autocratic government, scruffy rebels, etc. It’s not wholly uninteresting; there is some nice imagery and an intriguing metaphysical plot, if you can find it. But it’s mostly people running around blowing things up and shooting each other. (95 min)

Cinemas 3 11 26 45 60 70 90 95 96 99 102 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

First, this is not really a horror movie. While there may be a few defibrillator-level shocks, don’t expect any of that pea soup-spewing stuff. This one comes at it from a courtroom drama angle:
a priest is on trial in the death of the title character in an exorcism gone wrong, as told in flashbacks. But it’s not explained how the jury is to decide. If they believe in God and the devil, he’s innocent. If not, he isn’t. Shaky premise aside, this hybrid does explore some legal and ethical issues, and the acting, by Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott and Laura Linney, is top-notch. (113 min)

Cinemas 2 10 26 56 61 70 90 95 96 99 102 107 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Tommy Lee Jones’s directorial debut is an homage to old-time loyalty and honor. When an illegal-immigrant friend (Julio Cedillo) of a ranch foreman (Jones) is mistakenly shot and killed by a cruel, stupid border guard (Barry Pepper) and the Law does nothing about it, the foreman, who’s slightly mad, decides to dispense a little justice on his own, but of the poetic, lesson-learning kind. He kidnaps the guard, digs up his friend, and the three set out on a spiritual as well as physical odyssey to the man’s village in Mexico for a proper burial. Unhurried, observant of human nature and darkly humorous. (121 min)

Cinema 100

Mad Hot Ballroom

Wise and sweet documentary about an American Ballroom Theater program to teach 5th graders from 60 New York schools how to tango, rumba, fox trot and meringue. It’s Spellbound for ballroom dancing, except that these are just ordinary everykids. The filmmakers followed teams from three diverse neighborhoods through to the citywide final competition. Though a bit repetitive, it’s fascinating to watch the magical learning process from the kids’ awkward beginnings to a gradual gaining of self-confidence. They matter. What was cool to me was the racial harmony, and how much they care. (120 min)

Cinema 99

Manderlay

Danish polemicist Lars Von Trier loves to bash America, a country he has never visited. In this second installment of his US trilogy, after Dogville, gangster-daughter Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard replacing a bailed Nicole Kidman) stumbles onto a small Alabama town where slavery still exists. LVT’s snide, ham-fisted criticism, shrill moralizing and simplistic views underline the fact that his opinions, which are not without basis, are nonetheless secondhand. And tedious. Ironically, his hatred sabotages his own story and dilutes any thought-provoking ideas (Iraq War allegories) he may come up with. (139 min)

Cinema 52

Touch the Sound

Almost mystical performance documentary by Thomas Riedelsheimer about Evelyn Glennie, a renowned Scottish percussionist who happens to be deaf, using her body cavity, hands and feet to sense vibrations. “Hearing is a form of touch,” she says. It is said that the loss of one of the five senses results in the remaining four compensating, and Glennie proves this demonstrably in every scene. The film follows her to Germany, New York and Tokyo (nice impromptu performance with available items in a Japanese restaurant). Her finale, a marimba piece with Fred Frith on guitar, is especially effective. (113 min)

Cinemas 25

Syriana

This deeply troubling look into the international oil industry is a geopolitical thriller that defies reviewing. The more I say, the less sense I will make. It’s way too complex to synopsize. Suffice it to say that there are three densely packed, interlocking plot threads: Veteran Middle East CIA operative (George Clooney, leading a huge cast) becomes a liability to his government; a reform-minded Emir-to-be wants what’s best for his people, which may not be what’s best for the US of A. And two major oil companies contemplate a merger. Don’t be dismayed if you can’t figure out what the hell is going on; I think the point is that even the characters involved (or their real-world counterparts) can’t, so convoluted is the global market for oil and the myriad conspiracies to get it. Structurally, it’s reminiscent of Traffic, the screenplay for which was adapted by writer/director Stephen Gaghan. Plot-driven, cynical, realistic and mesmerizing, this one challenges you on many levels, but if you pay close attention—maybe even in a second viewing—you will get more out of it. (126 min)

Cinemas 1 23 27 40 65 71 82 90 102 109 111 112 113 114 116 117 118 119 120

Brokeback Mountain

If the subject matter in this groundbreaking film by Ang Lee makes you uncomfortable and you’ve already moronically simplified it as “that gay cowboy movie,” then stop reading this and go back to your PlayStation. But by the same token, if you’re a contemporary gay person, please understand that this is not about you either. These guys are not coming out of the closet; they don’t even know there is a closet. It’s a universal story about longing and passion crippled by society that may cause you to remember some path not taken. It never grandstands and there’s no “message.” (134 min)

Cinema 20

The Chronicles of Narnia

Four London kids evacuated to a country mansion during the Blitz discover a door in the back of a closet that leads to a fantasy world in which the forces of good, represented by a big, computer-generated lion who thinks he’s Christ, are battling the forces of evil, represented by Tilda Swinton, who prefers the air-conditioning kept on “winter.” Directed by Andrew Adamson (Shrek 1 & 2), who knows what he’s doing, this C.S. Lewis children’s tale is a lot of fun for kids and parents alike, assuming you can get past the Christian allegorical underpinnings. Call it Lord of the Rings lite. (140 min)

Cinemas 4 5 47 60 70 81 90 95 96 98 99 102 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

Saint Ralph

“Spunky” (caught masturbating) 14-year-old Catholic schoolboy in Ontario is told by his Nietzsche-spouting track coach (Campbell Scott) that his winning the Boston Marathon would be a miracle. And doctors have told him that only a miracle will bring his sainted mom out of her coma. He puts two and two together and comes up with five: that the former will cause the latter to happen. Yes, it’s another cornball Canadian Catholic cross-country comedy-drama, rife with stereotypes (especially the unrealistically disapproving headmaster) and bogus spiritual advice. Recommend it? That’d be a miracle. (98 min)

Cinema 22

Walk the Line

This one escapes the musical biopic formula by focusing on one of the best love stories ever brought to the screen. It’s the story of Johnny Cash’s (Joaquin Phoenix) relationship with June Carter Cash (Reese Witherspoon), a famed singer in her own right (Cash died in 2003, four months after his wife). The film chronicles his initial success, the pills and the booze, and his recovery, thanks to June. Historically interesting are the early concert tours he did with the likes of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. You’ll like this one whether or not you were a fan. And, well, knock me down and stomp on my face! Phoenix and Witherspoon, in addition to their Oscar-worthy performances, do their own singing! And if you were a fan, you’ll be glad to know that, unlike some such flicks, most of the songs are played all the way through. And he really did propose marriage to June on stage in the middle of a concert. Chemistry to spare. No offense to country music fans, but this one rocks! (135 min)

Cinemas 8 42 96 102 116 117 119

Crash

The idea in this intelligent examination of racism in America by Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby screenplay) is that all, yes, all of us—black, white, Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern—are to a certain degree racist under the surface, no matter how nobly we deny the charge, and that the assumptions we have of other races prevent us from seeing what’s really there. Its intricately constructed plot consists of interconnecting story lines, like Magnolia or Short Cuts, that crash into one another to produce unexpected results. A strong ensemble cast (Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Brendan Fraser, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillippe) brings to life characters we can care about. Particularly strong is the scene in which Newton and Dillon have their second encounter, a rescue sequence that’s exciting and moving at the same time. This cautionary tale is actually about something, avoids cliché, is never preachy and is fascinating because we never know what’s going to happen next. One of the best, and certainly most compelling, films of the year. (122 min)

Cinemas 7 52 91 112 116 119

Munich

Steven Spielberg more than atones for War of the Worlds with this “based on fact” fiction about an unofficial revenge squad sent out by Israel to kill the 11 Black September terrorists responsible for the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. It’s a hard one to label; it’s a brutal and unsettling edge-of-your-seat thriller, and at the same time a haunting ethical argument and a brave cry for peace. The team, led by Eric Bana in a flawless performance, soon finds out that this eye-for-an-eye business gets a lot more complicated than one initially expects, as what began as patriotism turns to moral ambiguity and the hunters become the hunted. Spielberg takes both sides (or neither), as he asks what do revenge killings accomplish when each victim is immediately replaced by someone even worse, and the main result is a (truly) vicious cycle of mutual reprisal? In this it is as relevant today as in the early 1970s. Perhaps more. You will go away thinking. (164 min)

Cinemas 4 5 30 48 63 71 81 90 96 99 102 109 111 112 113 114 116 117 118 119 120

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