Seven (1995), The Battle of the River Plate (1956), Game Change (2012)

Seven

A fine example of the 1990's Paranoia film (see also: Conspiracy Theory, Twelve Monkeys, The Usual Suspects, Enemy of the State, The X-Files, ect.). David Mills (Brad Pitt) is a determined and vaguely agitated young detective who has transferred into the homicide squad of an Urban hell of a community, he is partnered with older detective William R. Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a methodical, well read, and quasi-detached fellow on the verge of retirement. The two stumble into the web of a serial killer who is carrying out murders based on each of the iconic Seven Deadly Sins. Mills and Somerset grate against each other at first, but bond in there resolve to take the psycho down. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mills fetching young wife.

This is an early David Fincher film and it comes fully formed in his signature style and aesthetic, the feel of  the oily wallpaper is almost tangible. The gritty nature of the city and a brief reference about Mills transferring in from "up state" made me at first think the setting was New York (but as a Homicide fan I could also see it being Baltimore). However the climax of the film takes place in a nearby dessert, a rather California feeling one. The sense of disconnect between the eastern seaboard vib of the city, and the near bleached quality of the boardering desert convinces me that the setting is suppose to be a no- place place, much as the villain turns out to be a no- man, man. Creepy, engaging, very well made. I'd even call it Great.


The Battle of the River Plate

Late entry in the Powell/Pressburger cannon, and one of the weaker ones. The Battle of the River Plate is remembered, when it is remembered at all, as the only battle of the Second World War to occur off the coast of South America. The German 'pocket battelship' Graf Spee was having a heck of a spree downing British navel vessels as it criss-crossesd the Atlantic. Eventually the ships method of being relayed attack co-ordinates is deciphered (via the racing pages of Latian American newspapers) and a small armada of British ships attack the vessel, forcing it to limp into the harbor of then neutral Montevideo for repairs. A rather extensive portion of the film is devoted to diplomatic fights over the warships statues in a neutral country, and people trying to figure out what it's stoic Captain Hans Langsdorff (Peter Finch) will do when it comes time to leave port.

The film is quite slow and feels long, the build up to the initial battle is interminable and hardly counts as a build up, the wait for the second quote- unquote "battle" proves this movie to be mostly about waiting, and for something that's not that satisfying. The characters, almost entirely male, are cardboard officers club sorts, and though the story is based on a true one the people in it are among the most flat ever rendered on the British screen, and that's saying something. The villains in this film aren't Nazi's, there just Germans, we get no sense of the ideological element, or point of the war, both sides respect each other and play war as gentleman's cricket. This is fitting with P & P's long standing depiction of the the 'good' or 'sympathetic' German in their war pictures, but perhaps its taken a little far hear. Kind of boring, I can't bring myself to call it poor, so how about Fair.


Game Change

HBO movie adapted from the McCain/Palin portions of the book by the same title written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. I've read the book and this is a very straight forward adaptation of the material there in. The likes of Palin and McCain downplay the movie as well as the book and say that its not accurate, but I have a sinking suspicion that it mostly is. I didn't think McCain came off that bad, for a politician, but the portrait of Sarah Palin's not a flattering one. Julianne Moore is spot on as Palin, picking up the mantel from Tina Fey, of course the former plays her more serious but given the part is also funny. Much as I remember my reaction to her in 2008, Palin here gives off a great first impression, followed by steadily mounting concern. This is even played as a bit of a horror movie, a 'what hath McCain wrought' on the Republican party. Palin's notoriety has largely run its course by now, but she seems pretty committed to keeping her brand out there, even if its just for the merchandising. Good


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