Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Knew this one was being tested tonight, and I'm happy we've had people report in on it. The responses seem to be in direct opposition to one another, too, so I'll leave it to you to read both and sort out who makes a stronger case. I know I'm dying to see Gandolfini's work in this. I think he's a strong actor who is smart enough to avoid just repeating himself in SOPRANOS mode forever. That's why I hope he's still able to schedule CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, and why I can't wait to see THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE.
Anyway... the positive review comes to us from a first time spy we'll just call "Brubaker":
So I was lucky enough to get escorted into the nearly full and diverse movie theater to react to a "work print" of The Last Castle starring Robert Redford and James Gandolfini. I don't know all of the actors' names that were involved, and I hope you get a more technical review. I will just tell you what it did for me personally.
This is a very good movie. Entertaining. Not the way a horrible tired comedy is "entertaining" because you can't think of a more polite word, but The Last Castle had me involved. It's enjoyable and intense.
Acting=great
Plot=fair
Script=very good
Pace=good.
The direction was great in the way that it was so good you barely noticed it. It showed you this story, it didn't tell it. I noticed a few very cool camera shots, but nothing to flashy and it DOESN'T DISTRACT YOU FROM THE SCENE. I'm not familiar with the director's work and I don't recall his name, but I'd like to shake his hand and introduce myself because he hooked me. The ending leaves something to be desired, but its hard to put my finger on the problem.
The film starts off with wide/high slowly zooming shot of this military prison. We hear Redford reading a pretty good introduction about what makes a castle. I don't know how necessary it is but it sounds dramatic. This prison has all of the elements of a castle, but it doesn't keep people out, it holds them in... that's the gist of it. We see a very rough, violent, segregated yard-full of prisoners at recess. Pretty scary (and loud) stuff.
This prison is old, ancient for America, and the commander/warden (Gandolfini) is a very proud man. GANDOLFINI IS QUITE AN ACTOR. I've seen him in the Sopranos, and some of his movie roles. He seems to me always that same dirty/scary/scoundrel type that definitely gets the point across, but doesn't have what it takes to carry a movie. In the Last Castle, he does. He is not hateable right from the get-go. He is almost unrecognizable the way he falls into this role without the same mafia hit man impression he usually gives me. He plays Commander Winters, and it's a great character thanks to Gandolfini.
He gets news that they're getting a transfer. It's the newly convicted newly demoted-from-General Irwin (Robert Redford). Winters is honored but unsure about having this man he respects so much in his prison. You don't get much background on General Irwin, but its ok. You piece together that he did great things in the Gulf War and Bosnia. His men loved him and did great things under his command. Anyway here comes an imprisoned hero who got himself to this military prison early by pleading guilty and accepting the sentence. Winters wasn't ready for it. ALL IRWIN WANTS TO DO IS SERVE HIS TIME AND GO HOME to be with his grandson. The first scene with Winters and Irwin is well done. It's not confrontational in the least. It's actually very friendly and Irwin ends up making some funny/disrespectful comments about how this commander Winters has all of this encased war memorabilia. Irwin said it was a sure-fire sign Winters had never seen action on the battlefield, for a true solder would never want to have a glass case full of bullets and batons in his office. Winters overheard this while he was getting Irwin's book to be signed for Winters. Anyway, Winters felt weird having him, but didn't hesitate to tell him who the boss was at the prison.
The next day, Winters orders only one basketball to be distributed during "play time" which inevitably causes a racial fight. Winters knew exactly what he was doing and didn't stop it until it resulted in a guard getting injured. The fight was realistic and fairly brutal (a little white guy beats a big black guy, that was unexpected). But this all happens in front of Irwin who didn't get involved. It ultimately resulted in a guard down with head injuries and a prisoner with two precisely shot rubber bullets in his back (ain't it always the way).
That day at lunch a small group of prisoners coolly but convincingly tell Irwin about the injustice that Winters inflicts on the prisoners. There were two deaths that year and it's getting worse and worse. It takes a little bit of convincing and a taste of it first-hand when Irwin eventually orchestrates an uprising involving prisoners vs. Winters. He's reluctant but it sets up for some dramatic scenes when Irwin takes charge and you KNOW he can really do it.
That's the basic story, and it IS BELIEVABLE. Your probably all thinking the Commander/Warden would just put them all in "the hole" until they shut up, but it plays out brilliantly. It is NOT wholly unrealistic. The rebellion is all well done. The story involves a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-you's. It comes down do a GREAT action-packed, smart battle within the prison. I loved it. The audience loved it. I won't get into any more plot details. It's not all that simple, but you all don't need to know about every last line and movement. Not from me anyway.
Redford is awesome. He looks great. I was pulling for Irwin and his troops the whole way. It's really cool because they start this whole underground army on their own because they can't salute or call each other by their military names. They are stripped of those titles when convicted and we get to see the punishment for saluting in one scene. One of the great prisoner roles is that of Aguilar. Aguilar is played by the actor who played Frankie Flowers in Traffic. He is very convincing and lovable in his half retarded kind of way. I wish I knew more of the prisoner actors' names because they were pretty big roles, all well done. There are many funny parts in that cool-funny way. Some of the confrontational dialogue played out funny because it is just so cool and straight up no bullshit trash talking. The audience loved it in that sense. They laughed hard every time they were supposed to. I heard a few cackles during some parts that were a little too campy and war-movieish. This definitely plays out like a loyalty/war movie. A little like Shawshank Redemption but GEE I WONDER WHY.
I would have liked seeing some more Winter IS CRUEL TO Prisoners scenes, but I hated him juuuuust enough. It's semi predictable in some parts but realistic and even surprising in crucial scenes. I will definitely see it when it comes out again. I don't know what they are going to edit, it was a little over 2 hours. It looked ready for the final print to me with only a few exceptions, like cleaned up effects and music. Speaking of music, what the temp track consisted of was a comfortable blend between dramatic sweeping classical and modern hard stuff, more of the former, but it definitely has an effect. It has a few of the ol close camera shots that rise up and up until you see the bird's eye of the prison. I thought that was a signature Redford shot like from his Watergate movie. This has some GREAT characters (like Wheeler, the military man that verbally bitch-slaps Winters on his own turf), and I wish I knew the names of more of the actors because they were all AWESOME. Some characters were really original and all individual and ALL HUMAN. One interesting side note- Robin Write Penn was on the little flier that I got and I didn't see her in the movie. Anyway, THE LAST CASTLE IS COOL. I know this is long so FEEL FREE TO EDIT. I won't get pissed.
Next up, there's "BlueGuy," who really didn't dig what he saw. I'll let him explain why:
Harry, I saw a preview cut of Redford's new "The Last Castle" at the UA 14 Horton Plaza tonight in San Diego. The review follows:
After catching a preview screening of Robert Redford’s new film “The Last Castle,” one wonders if making a prison film today requires a filmmaker to steal liberally from classic films of the genre. No, director Rob Lurie’s opus doesn’t take from the esteemed ranks of Stallone’s “Lock Up” or the dykes behind bars epic Chained Heat 2 – anyone else find it odd that Stallone and his Amazonian ex both made prison flicks? Rather than ape cinematic gems starring people who have seen Stallone without lifts, Lurie chases after lesser known films in the genre like a little oldie called “Cool Hand Luke” or the totally ignored “Shawshank Redemption.” He aims low obviously, hoping to dupe the audience into believing the theme, characters and situations presented are entirely new. Judging by the preview audience’s warm applause, Lurie may be right on the money.
“The Last Castle” details the story of a 3 star general, Redford, sentenced to 10 years in a military prison, The Castle. Of course corruption and discontent run rampant in the prison lorded over by a weasely warden, Col. Winter, played quite well by Gandolfini in a non-cop, non-gangster role for once. The usual hijinks ensue; the imprisoned soldiers mostly mock Redford’s Gen. Irwin, while a few view him as the Second Coming. Naturally, the good guy only wants to be left alone, but his eyes are quickly opened to the horrors Gandolfini’s sadistic warden inflicts upon his prisoners. No, he doesn’t make them clean under the folds of flesh circling his mid-section. Far worse, the wicked warden (everyone boo and hiss) toys with his charges or overly disciplines them for minor infractions. Where will the villainy end?! Redford quickly woos the entire prison population, because obviously guys in military prison are just itching for some short guy with leathery skin to boss them around. Strangely (or due to piss-poor writing), not one group or straggler really challenges Redford within the prison population. Redford’s Irwin and Gandolfini’s Winter clash in the silly pride and mind games one expects from this kind of film. You never get a broken Luke or an Andy seemingly bitch-slapped into being the Warden’s numbers man. Nope, just like another vapid crowd pleaser, “Gladiator,” we get the General in “The Last Castle” as a stalwart, never-say-die, never screws up, perfect slave…oops, prisoner. In the end, there’s a big showdown – crackerjack pacing and editing too - with the two men trying to outwit each other for control of the prison and the obligatory, simpleton ending follows. Many of the audience members were overheard questioning why the obvious ending had to come together as such. These same people probably question the wisdom of taking “Full House” off the air.
Of note in the film, Gandolfini does deliver one solid performance. Gone is the goon-ish, goomba he displays on that mobster soap opera. He transforms himself into Col. Winters with a great halting, pseudo-intellectual speech pattern, shifty nature and the approach of a career bureaucrat high on the power he wields over his underlings. It’s a juicy role and Gandolfini exploits it to the fullest, raising it up where it stands proudly in the film’s cinematic wasteland of stupidity.
Redford, my how the mighty have fallen. This man once played the king of cool as Sundance. Now he just tries to play cool without acting. He’s moved on to be a “star” and that translates to, gimme my paycheck and I’ll give you a dead-on, useless Pacino-style line reading that matches exactly what the people in the cheap-seats want. His Irwin’s got the depth and characterization of your average “A-Team” episode. Irwin never struggles, he always succeeds and his one failure, that which landed him in the pokey, only seems to vex him because he’s now in jail. He’s not mired in any complex emotions or guilt. No way, in the 21st century we need go-getter “heroes” who never falter. We never see the brazen attitude that must have led Irwin to The Castle in the first place. Blame the writers and throw some at Redford for only putting half-days into it. His speeches come off more like a bored science teacher than someone trying to rally troops/prisoners.
Mark Ruffalo pretty much blew up the place when he made “You Can Count On Me.” The hell with Laura Linney, Ruffalo owned that film. Here he does a watered-down version of the same character, Terry, and that makes one wonder, is that it, Mark? I hope not. You shouldn’t be wasting your time in this film or anywhere near a secondary supporting role in cheese of this type. Ruffalo’s character for what it’s worth, comes in as the standard morally ambiguous fence straddler who must make the decision to go the easy route or “do the right thing.” If you can’t figure out what he’ll do, go back to your damn Etch-a-Sketch and Pokemon cartoons.
Where the film does work, is the last third, save for the denouement. Lurie and his team assembled some nice footage, matched it perfectly and came up with one of the more exciting and rousing finales in a long, long time. Until the all-too-necessary final confrontation. The last third is where “The Last Castle” broke away from “Cool Hand Luke” and “Shawshank.” It became it’s own pretty darn exciting little film for about 20 minutes but in the process of leaving out the inspirational sources’ endings, it actually failed by falling back on a standard Hollywood cliché: the antagonist, Irwin (if you don’t understand why he’s the antagonist, look up the word) and the protagonist face off for some final hackneyed dialogue and posturing. Did Luke get in the Captain’s face? Did Andy tell Warden Norton he was a lousy jackass? Hell no. But remember, kids, this is supposed to be a big crowd pleaser, so we gotta have them yack it up one last time.
All told, if the marketing machine can pull in crowds opening weekend, “The Last Castle” will do really huge business at the box office. This film got a rousing dose of applause from the audience. Apparently, they’re more familiar with the Stallone family’s prison work, so the blatant plagiarism of Newman and Robbins’ superior films remains a mystery. “The Last Castle’s” got stars, it’s got good trailer dialogue and it’s got things that go boom and a villain modeled after a boss everyone has had at least once. Note to producers: throw in some sex (alas no sodomy in the film at all, go figure?) and a cheesy romance and you might have a mega-blockbuster. Someone call Beckinsale and she can be Redford’s long-lost love in re-shoots.
Honestly, when “The Last Castle” hits theaters, do the right thing. Pop in “Cool Hand Luke” and “Shawshank Redemption” on DVD (VHS for the readers living in the dark ages), sit back and bask in the glow of solid acting, writing and directing all within the confines of prison life.
Call me BlueGuy.
If anyone else feels like chiming in who was there, hit me with an e-mail. I'd love to get some more opinions on it. Was this A FEW GOOD MEN crossed with THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION? Or does it work on its own as more character study than rehash?
"Moriarty" out.
