Rhythm Section (2020) --- "Witness The Birth Of An Assassin."

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     Directed by Reed Morano (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Power), written by Mark Burnell, and based on Burnell's novel of the same name, The Rhythm Section (2020) is an action drama about a grieving woman who sets out for revenge after discovering the plane crash that killed her family was a terrorist attack. Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) has lived a life of self-destruction for the past three years after her family was tragically killed in a plane crash. She’s living in a dirty London brothel when independent journalist Keith Proctor (Raza Jaffrey) informs her that it was a bomb built by Reza (Tawfeek Barhom) on the orders of international terrorist known as U17 that that took out the plane, and despite British Intelligence being aware that Reza is an engineering student at the local University, nothing is being done about it. After getting over her shock, Stephanie tracks down Proctor’s informant, a former MI6 operative known as“B” (Jude Law), whom she convinces to train her to become and assume the identity of an assassin in order to get revenge on U17. What starts out as a quest for the truth soon turns into a quest for revenge as Stephanie decides to punish all those responsible.

     Although The Rhythm Section has all the credentials of a spy-focused action thriller like James Bond or Atomic Blonde, this story is more focused on Stephanie’s emotional journey and much less on being a big-budget blockbuster spy film. In fact, the film doesn’t spend too much time on the big action sequences but instead chooses to go with more grounded fight sequences or a claustrophobic car chase that is shot entirely from the car’s passenger seat.  It is a tense and engaging thriller film that is far removed from the typical spy-films of the same big explosions and cool gadgets. In addition, it appears that the film is poised to launch a new style of secret-agent films with this film being Stephanie's origin story that explores how she acquires her assassin skills and uses them to fulfill her own personal vendetta against those who killed her family. All of which is to ensure that Stephanie and her character arc remain the central focus of the film, allowing this film to stand out from others in its genre. The Rhythm Section’s directing style is immersive and claustrophobic in a way that is uncomfortable and frustratingly shaky or disorienting at times, but it is also a style that is refreshing because it takes the audience out of their comfort zone and chooses to be something more than just another action-spy-thriller.

     The cast performances are solid. Blake Lively (Age of Adeline, The Shallows, A Simple Favor) is one of my favorite actresses and here she does a phenomenal job as Stephanie Patrick. The entire film rests on her character and while she is no Atomic Blonde, she does deliver a raw and authentic performance that is realistically believable. Jude Law (Captain Marvel, Sherlock Holmes 3) is also one of my favorite actors and while I thought he delivered a good performance, his character was never developed further so the audience was never able to connect or be emotionally invested in him. He’s a very fleeting character that pops up for part of the film and then remains an enigma during the rest of the film. Also, the antagonist(s) were dull and one-dimensional, they weren’t interesting enough to increase the stakes so as a result, the climax was not as surprising as the story intended. In short, director  Morano, Lively, Law, and the rest of the supporting cast - Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) as Marc Serra, Raza Jaffrey (Lost in Space) as Keith Proctor, Tawfeek Barhom (The Looming Tower) as Reza - deserve a better film.

     Overall, The Rhythm Section (2020) is not your typical action-spy-thriller, in fact, it is almost the complete opposite with its unique directing style that gives it a scrappy, unfocused, and yet raw, emotional, and immersive feel to it. This was not what I was expecting but it was interesting to see something different than the Bond-type film I was expecting. It's a refreshing change of pace that is poised to be the start of a new kind of spy-thriller film. I highly recommend that you check out this film and determine for yourself what you think of the film. Do you agree with me? Or do you disagree?

Final Vote --- 7.5 of 10 stars

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Just Mercy (2019) --- “This Is About All Of Us.”

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     Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (The Glass Castle), co-written alongside Andrew Lanham (The Glass Castle, The Shack), and based on the memoir of the same name by Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy (2019) is an American legal drama about Byran Stevenson and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard Law, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) heads to Alabama to protect the legal rights of wrongly-accused death row inmates with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most difficult, cases is that of Walter ‘Johnny D’ McMillian (Jamie Foxx,) who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to die for the notorious 1987 murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite an abundance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him was a forced lie. In the years that followed, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, even with the odds and the system stacked against them.

     Director & co-writer Cretton structures Just Mercy as a procedural legal drama, observing the case from the early 1980s all the way to the eventual retrial in 1992. Alabama, who is still practicing the death penalty, is shown as a state that doesn’t even bother to hide its racial prejudices, demonstrating that the entire justice system is rigged to funnel people like McMillian, that they don’t like, into jail to kill them within the means of the law. In short, its ‘legal’ murder. Being imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit is something that most of us can’t even fathom and when you add the death penalty it becomes a horrifying tragedy. But this is something that happens more times than we might think possible. This is why Stevenson and Ansley founded the non-profit organization Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), whose mission is to get innocent and/or wrongly convicted people off of death row.

     Now Just Mercy is not your typical courtroom drama, nor is it a straightforward biopic. While is does repeat much of the same formula that can be found in similar films, this film sets itself apart by putting the truth on trial and showcasing how broken the US criminal justice system is. The film is a layered combination of Stevenson’s personal experiences and his efforts to highlight racial and demographic inequality within the Death Row system. It’s not a brutal and unflinching intense drama by any means but it does force the audience to mentally prepare for some horrific details makes a powerful and poignant psychological argument about the absence of justice and humanity.

     However, despite all of its good points the film also has the habit of overstating its more obvious elements. There are a number of references to the fact that the town is where  Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and drives the point home when Stevenson’s is recommended to go check out the Harper Lee museum. In addition, Larson’s Ansley character primarily amounts to an embodiment of white guilt who's only there to act appalled at some horrible everyday occurrences but is not given much to go beyond the repetition of “I’m sorry.” Nevertheless, Just Mercy is an emotionally gripping story that connects strongly with the heart of the viewer until the very end. 

     The performances help carry the story and provide the focal point with which the audience can connect to. Michael B. Jordan (Raising Dion) is not my favorite actor, in fact, I could go so far as to say that I’ve never actually cared for his acting for a number of reasons. However, here he delivers a captivating and impassioned performance, filled with emotional power, as Bryan Stevenson. Jamie Foxx (Robin Hood, Ray) as Walter McMillian conveys the feelings of resignation to a man who’s lost all hope within a racist justice system. And while he shines in a number of scenes, his resignation implies cowed victimhood that settles uncomfortably over the entire film. Brie Larson (Avengers Endgame, Captain Marvel 2) is good as Stevenson’s friend and assistant Eva Ansley but she is given little to do in the film except being a source of white moral outrage. Rob Morgan (Stranger Things) delivers a touching performance as Herbert Richardson, a war vet whose crime was a result of PTSD and should be convicted to a mental hospital, not death row. Tim Blake Nelson (Angel Has Fallen, Watchmen) makes an impact as Ralph Myers, a convicted murderer with a twitchy delivery. Others like Rafe Spall (The Big Short, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) as Tommy Champan, O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Den of Thieves, Straight Outta Compton) as Anthony Ray Hinton, and Lindsay Ayliffe (Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings) as Judge Foster also gave some good minor performances. 

     Overall, Just Mercy (2019) is an emotionally gripping story that connects strongly with the heart of the viewer until the very end. While it may rely on formulaic structures and predictability to illustrate its point, it rises to the challenge of not being your typical courtroom drama nor a straightforward biopic. It is a powerful drama that delivers an affecting story filled with riveting legal drama and an impassioned and scathing attack on the horrors of a corrupt institution that still exists today. This is about standing up for not just people of a particular demographic but all people who have the misfortune of not being given a fair trial or fair justice. In addition, the performances help to elevate the story and provide a focal point with which the audience can connect with. I highly recommend that you check it out when you can.

Final Vote --- 7.9 of 10 stars

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The Last Full Measure (2019) --- “The Ultimate Sacrifice Deserves The Highest Honor.”

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     Directed and written by Todd Robinson (Phantom, Chicago PD), The Last Full Measure (2020) tells the true story of  Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine), a U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen (PJ) medic who personally saved over dozens of men under heavy fire during a rescue mission on April 11, 1966. Although he was offered the chance to escape on the last helicopter out of a combat zone, he chose to stay behind to save and defend the lives of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, before making the ultimate sacrifice in the bloodiest battle of the Vietnam war. 32 years later, disinterested Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman (Sebastien Stan) is on a career fast-track when he is ordered to investigate a previously denied Congressional Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger made by his parents (Christopher Plummer & Diane Ladd), his PJ partner (William Hurt), and the soldiers he saved, which was denied decades prior and downgraded to an Air Force Cross. As part of his investigation, Huffman seeks out the testimonies of the veterans (Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, and Ed Harris) who witnessed Pitsenbarger's extraordinary valor, despite the fact that he would rather be doing anything else. But as he learns more about Pitsenbarger’s courageous acts and uncovers a high-level conspiracy behind the decades-long denial of the medal, Huffman starts to take his job more seriously and becomes hell-bent on seeing Pitsenbarger awarded the decoration he so desperately deserves, putting his own career on the line in the process.

     The Last Full Measure is a full-throated, misty-eyed celebration of heroism that isn’t far removed from attending a military funeral because it inspires the same kind of emotions from its audience. Although making that sentiment compelling for two hours is a tall order, this is a solid and mournful drama that garners the viewer’s respect and admiration for Pitsenbarger, whose entire life gets reduced to a single act of uncomplicated nobility. This is why heroism is both complicated and simple, it usually requires a great sacrifice that is sometimes never intended to be repaid. The recurring flashback scenes to the rescue mission where Pitsenbarger was killed are raw and gritty, serving their purpose of depicting him as an angel of mercy during a time of hell, while the present-tense scenes, which take place in the late 90’s, lean heavily on emotional speeches about the kind of man Pitsenbarger was. Now keep in mind that this film is based on a true story, that doesn’t mean that it is entirely accurate and some of the present scenes are fictional. However, considering that facts and the difficult subject matter that the filmmakers were tasked with, I can understand why they made the changes they did in order to make a more audience-pleasing film. If you are interested then I recommend that you check out The Last Full Measure: Fact vs. Fiction to find out more.

     Sebastian Stan (Avengers: Endgame) is solid action and his performance as a composite character, Scott Huffman, is pretty good. At first, he appears to be one-dimensional and disinterested with everything, even his family, but as he slowly starts to understand the extent of Pitsenbarger’s heroism and how it has impacted others he starts to become a more endearing character to watch. As always, Christopher Plummer (Knives Out) does a great job as Frank Pitsenbarger and his speech about what it truly means to be a parent is heartfelt and meant to inspire Huffman to be a more present dad in his kids’ lives. This is a surprisingly gentle performance for Plummer, who prefers thornier roles, and I believe that he easily evokes the necessary warmth and kindness needed for the role. William Hurt (Goliath) as Tully, Ed Harris (Geostorm) as Ray Mott, Samuel L. Jackson (Spider-Man: Far From Home) as Takoda, and the late Peter Fonda (The Most Hated Woman in America) as Jimmy Burr all deliver outstanding performances that demonstrate how war affects people and what they do in order to cope with the aftermath of war. Bradley Whitford (The Call of the Wild) is great as the film’s antagonist, Carlton Stanton, the beautiful Alison Sudol (Fantastic Beasts as Queenie) as Tara Huffman helps remind us that Huffman is not completely a dispassionate heartless person, and Jeremy Irvine (The Billionaire Boys Club) was splendid as William Pitsenbarger

     Overall, The Last Full Measure (2020) is an entertaining drama about honor the service and sacrifice of those who fight for our freedom. Of course, Vietnam was a senseless and unnecessary war, and that is what makes Pitsenbarger’s story that much more heartbreaking. The story here is great and while it also subjects to fictionalization in order to be more pleasing to audiences, it does offer insight into what could have happened given certain circumstances. The cast performance was pretty solid despite the number of well-known actors on the roster sheet. This film is about respect, honor, sacrifice, and legacy, if you are a fan of any of those themes then I highly recommend that you check out this film.

Final Vote --- 8.2 of 10 stars

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Richard Jewell (2019) --- “A Great Cast Shines In Clint Eastwood’s Drama About Heroes Under Suspicion.”

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     During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), who dreams of becoming a cop, is working security at a music festival in Centennial Park when he discovers a suspicious backpack under a bench near the music control tower. With little time to spare and not willing to take any chances, Richard helps evacuate as many people from the area as possible before the bomb explodes. Although he is hailed as a hero in the initial aftermath of the event, the law enforcement wannabe reaches out to his old friend Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell), an independent and anti-establishment attorney, to represent him when he became the FBI’s (Jon Hamm) number one suspect and the media (Olivia Wilde) falsely reports him as a terrorist. But Bryant soon discovers that he is out of his depth when he has to fight the combined powers of the FBI, GBI, and APD to clear his client’s name, while also preventing Richard from trusting the very people trying to destroy him. Directed by Clint Eastwood (The Mule) and written by Billy Ray (Terminator: Dark Fate, Gemini Man), Richard Jewell (2019) is a biographical drama based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article "American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell" by Marie Brenner. 

     At 89 years old, Clint Eastwood has transitioned from playing the dual role of actor & director to primarily staying behind the camera and he has become increasingly fascinated with real-life subjects and has, additionally, been interested in dissecting the concept of heroism and villainy, whether it be fictional or reality-based. In Richard Jewell, Eastwood returns to these themes by examining the titular character experience a rollercoaster ride of transformation from being society's hero to being their villain. Apart from saving lives, Jewell is not a very compelling muse for a box office hit, but the campaign mounted on him by the FBI and the media is. The film shows how Jewell became the center of attention first for saving lives and then later for fitting in with the FBI’s profile description of the likely assailant. And while he was never formally charged he was harassed and demonized by law enforcement and the media. The feeding frenzy that surrounded his story nearly killed him as well as traumatized his mother, and Eastwood depicts this in a manner that is irate and furious but without going off the rails.

     The film takes the unusual approach of casting the media and law enforcement as the antagonists because Eastwood wanted to illustrate the power wielded by both agencies and how sometimes they abuse those powers when they come to a conclusion that is not entirely truthful. Yes, the First Amendment is the First Amendment, people have the right to express free speech but people should also be held responsible for the irresponsibility of the tone used when telling a story. This is not the first time that the media has falsely accused someone of being someone that they were not, and it was definitely not the last time. The film shows how one rumor, one piece of false information printed in a newspaper can destroy a person’s life in a way that is almost impossible to fix. Additionally, the film shows how when overzealous government agency are given too much freedom in an investigation can be ruled by personal biases rather than studying the evidence. As far as I am concerned, they saw Jewell as an easy way out and even when the evidence said otherwise, they simply adjusted their narrative in order to fit the conviction that they wanted; it was coercion at its fullest. And while some might see Richard Jewell for the political film that it is, it is also undoubtedly a David vs. Goliath story that I am sure many people can relate to today. 

      Eastwood has been known for having a complex conception of heroism and villainy, that he clearly believes in good and evil, and here he proves once again that he is one of the few directors who has the guts to be raw and unapologetic in depicting the bad characters as being unapologetically bad. Jon Hamm (Good Omens, SNL) represents law enforcement by portraying the composite character Agent Tom Shaw and his performance is incredible. He demonstrates how his character is seething with resentment for the bomb going off on his watch and makes Jewell the target of his rage. He’s stubborn and unrelenting, and even when he knows that he has no evidence for a conviction, his ego and rage prevent him from admitting he’s wrong. Olivia Wilde’s (Life Itself) portrayal of the aggressive and callous reporter, Kathy Scruggs is eye-opening. She portrays her as a scoop machine who justifies her actions because she believes that she’s got something to prove simply because she is a woman in a largely male newsroom. But having reasons and ambitions doesn’t always make you right, and while Hamm’s character fails to evolve beyond his preconceived beliefs, Wilde’s character does evolve. Although she was a bit cringe-worthy to watch throughout most of the film, she ends up redeeming herself by the end when she figures out that Jewell is innocent and expresses remorse for destroying a man’s life with false accusations. Kathy Bates (Netflix’s The Highwayman) as Richard's mother Bobi and Nina Arianda (Goliath, Billions) as Watson Bryant's paralegal, Nadya, provide two of the strongest supporting roles throughout the whole film. Bates starts out as a loving and simple mother to Richard, but her press conference captures the emotional turmoil of character in a new light, while Arianda brings some warmth and welcome sarcasm with her performance. Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya, Late Night) is spot-on as the idiosyncratic Richard Jewell and Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit) is perfect as the sarcastic Watson Bryant, and together the pair deliver some interesting and heartfelt moments that allow for them to play off of each other’s strengths. 

     Overall, Richard Jewell (2019) is a David vs. Goliath story mixed in with some political themes that make for an interesting and entertaining film. Clint Eastwood has been known for creating films that are raw and unapologetic in their story. Of the many things that this film touches on here is what people should take away from it: people have the right to express free speech but there are consequences to our actions, and people should be held responsible for what they do, especially when it has a direct negative impact on someone’s life. Just because you don’t agree with something doesn’t always mean that it’s right or wrong, at the end of the day the truth will speak for itself. I highly recommend that you watch this film and come to your own opinion, at the very least it will be entertaining and thought-provoking.

Final Vote --- 8 of 10 stars

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