Hey folks, Harry here with our brilliant Asia-AICN editor DARIUS25 and his report on two of the films he's checked out at Toronto! We've been reading about the India film LAGAAN for quite some time in his reports, and now he finally gets to see and report first hand, and folks... This looks to be a damn fine film! And then as if to completely verify the ass-kickingly positive reaction that Anton Sirius gave to FULL TIME KILLER, Darius25 chimes in on that as well! Good stuff here... read on....
Hey all,
I just saw my first two films at Toronto this year and thought you might like to hear a word or two about them. Here goes.
LAGAAN (2001, India, Ashutosh Gowariker)
If you read the Asia-AICN columns then no doubt you've heard about this film which is gathering quite a few attention from the international audience. If so, skip the next paragraph which is a minor setup of the plot.
Lagaan (Tax) follows the story of a group of opressed farmers in the late 1800s who rebel against the ruling British army in a peaceful manner. Instead of engaging in bloody rebellion, they engage in a Cricket match to decide to fate of the villagers (who have to pay double the tax in a single year - an impossible feat for this group). The plot follows the usual underdog formula to a T. The hero, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), assembles a ragtag group of members and attempts to learn a game that they never knew existed. The first half follows the group's hillarious efforts to learn the game while the second half focuses on the gruelling match itself.
The plot is simple yet the film ends up being entertaining despite its long running time (3 hrs, 42 mins). Aamir Khan (who also produced the film) is notorious for being a perfectionist and it really shows - the game itself is a tense nail-biter that will keep you on the edge of your seats while the first half is just down right hillarious. The cinematography, the set designs, the costumes and the acting - everything is just grade A perfect. The film is a technical wonder that manages to match the qualities of a Hollywood production even with a relatively lower budget.
The acting is good all across the board - Aamir Khan is likeable as the noble hero and his acting is superb, as usual. But keep in mind that this is an ensemble film and not one character disappoints. Every single member of the Indian team is given ample time to shine and each has his moment. The two female leads, Gracy Singh and Rachel Shelley, are fine in their respective roles even though they're not given much to do. Paul Blackthorne goes a little over-the-top as the sneering villain but it doesn't disappoint.
Now I do have one concern for the film - this was my second time and some the scenes (especially in the first half) did drag. The director should have trimmed some scenes to make it just under the 3 hr mark - deleting the last song would have helped alot. Even though the film is fine the way it is, the long running time really kills its repeat value factor. However I'm the only one with this problem as there are many Indians who have seen the movie several times and come out with a grin on their faces. But make no mistake, the match itself is executed brilliantly and is quite possibly one the best and the most thrilling sporting events to be captured on film.
Watching the film with an international audience was a very unique experience. Everyone went in thinking it was a drama, a violent period epic of sorts and you should have seen the looks on their faces when the first song came around. But the film grew on them as it moved along and the sighs turned it tonnes of cheers and clapping. They laughed at every single joke and looked really entertained during the songs. The game sequences were the best as the audience got really, REALLY involved at this point. They started booing the brits and clapped and cheered whenever the Indian team accomplished something good. The film received a thunderous applause at the end and the director was greeted with lots of questions and comments in the Q&A session.
Let's just say that the film was a smash at this screening and I predict it will even be a bigger hit on Monday night, when Aamir Khan is expected to appear. I just hope it gets picked up for an international release so a bigger audience can enjoy the film.
FULLTIME KILLER (2001, HK, Johnny To and Wai Ka-Fai)
I also happened to catch the latest Johnny To-W-Andy Lau collaboration last night and let me just say it rocked!!
Seriously, I think this is Andy's best role in a LONG TIME and if there was any justice, he should get atleast a few nominations for his character. In this film, he plays Tok, a demented yet extremely charismatic assasin that you just can't help rooting for. He is a newcomer in his field and is not well reputed for his over-the-top executions. Everything he does is showy, flashy and just way too cool. That does not go well for his employers who just want the job done as quietly as possible.
The best assasin in the field is O (Japanese actor Takashi Sorimachi in his HK debut), a quite yet effective killer who gets the job done and disappears into his non-existent life. The guy doesn't want to exist and keeps away from all contacts - the only two people that know of his existence is his housekeeper (Kelly Lin) and his manager. Of course there is one more that know quite alot about him - Tok.
Tok wants to be the best in the field and just decides (rather too suddenly) to just wipe out his competition. That's the basic setup of the film which should prepare you to be amazed to see how far Andy goes to achieve his goals. Watch him as he wipes out every single bad guy, seduce the housekeeper in a really, really stylish manner (hint: watch out for a Bill Clinton mask), and engage in an EXTREMELY over-the-top duel with O complete with tonnes of guns, explosions, and even fireworks!!
The action here is superb - To and Wai Ka-Fai have made many good action films in the past and you won't be disappointed here. All of their usual trademarks and camera angles are present complete with the cool and stylish editing techniques. As with their other films, you won't see a lot of slow-motion two-fisted gunfights but you will see alot of sniping action and some great set-ups reminescent of "The Mission" (which they also made).
The plot is good but you know it's just a set-up for the action sequences. The acting, besides Lau, is decent with Sorimachi making a fine lead as the silent yet deadly O, and he manages to match Lau in many of the scenes. Kelly Lin is fine as the damsel in distress - she is cute but doesn't display any real acting effort. The usually reliable Simon Yam goes way over-the-top in his scenes and some of his actions come off across as being unintentionally funny (or maybe that's the point). I think his character and some of his actions toward the end made the film too campy and nearly pushed into the realm of cult films. This is not a bad thing, but if his character was played it straight then the film would be without any faults at all. Much of this is probably due to the original novel written Edmund Pang and the filmmakers' decision to stick faithfully to its source.
Nonetheless, this is a fine action film and I would go so far as to say it's the best HK gangster-action film since last year's Time and Tide. It may not be Johnny To's best film but if you are a fan of his previous work, then you won't be disappointed. And if you're a fan of Andy Lau - then you'll ABSOLUTELY LOVE this film.
This was a midnight screening so naturally the audience was very enthusiastic and made lots of noise during the initial reels. I almost expected a riot when Andy Lau made an appearance in the theatre but the crowd was much too polite for that. Lau entered surrounded by bodyguards and security personnel (along with Simon Yam and the two directors) but there were only a few people who bothered to leave their seats to catch a glimpse. The actors then did get on the stage much to the delight of the audience. Nothing much happened though as they just said hello and went back to their seats. They snuck out before the ending to avoid any contact with the audience but I would say it was still decent of Andy to appear at the screening.
All in all it was a pretty good day at the Film Fest (even though I didn't meet Aamir) and I hope the rest of the films to be as good as these two. See you all later.
- Darius25
