Eric Cantona brings French flavour to a great Brit flick
Jun 11 2009 By Graham Young and Roz Laws
New films reviewed by Graham Young and Roz Laws.
Looking for Eric ****
Cert 15, 116 mins
Director Ken Loach will turn 73 on Wednesday, but he is clearly trying to follow Clint Eastwood’s example by delivering some of his best works in the autumn of a distinguished career.
Having always been driven by a desire to reflect life at the lower end of the social scale, his latest star comes from the most unexpected of places – the new breed of millionaire foreign footballer.
Written by Loach’s regular partner Paul Laverty, this is the story of Eric Bishop, a postman and father who has lost his way both on his rounds and in his life.
Depressed and feeling low, he barely knows which way to turn.
Enter Eric Cantona, philosopher extraordinaire, for some pick-me-up chats in the bedroom.
If the middle section falters, the film’s violent twist certainly gives it a kick up the pants ready for it to end with a wildly funny climax.
A blue-collar film starring a hero with an upturned red one, Looking for Eric is the best British film in its class since Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky a year ago.
And just as surprising is its ability to turn the downside of life on its head.
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The Hangover ****
Cert 15, 99 mins
Most of us have woken up with a terrible hangover and a hazy recollection of what happened the night before.
But imagine waking in Las Vegas after a drink-and-drug fuelled stag night to discover a wrecked hotel suite, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the cupboard and a tooth missing. You have no memory of the previous 12 hours – and Doug the groom (Justin Bartha) is missing, too. Best man Phil (Bradley Cooper), dentist Stu (Ed Helms) and child-like Alan (Zach Galifianakis) must retrace their steps to work out what happened and where Doug might be, in time for the wedding.
This is a genuinely funny film, much wittier than you would expect.
It gets a little childish at times. But if you’re in the mood for an implausible but fun movie, you will be entertained.
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Red Cliff ****
Cert 15, 147 mins
After a spell in Hollywood making films such as Mission Impossible II, director John Woo returns to his roots to make the most expensive Chinese language film.
It is a historical epic, set in 208AD when prime minister Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) has become a tyrant. He sets out to hunt down two rebels, warlords Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen).
As the Imperial Army sweeps south, Liu’s shrewd strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) goes to Red Cliff to persuade Sun Quan’s commander Zhou Yu (Tony Leung) to join forces with them to fight Cao.
The battle scenes are exciting, if protracted. What is far more interesting is the glimpse the film gives into tactics and planning. Who would have thought weather forecasting and tea making would be so crucial to the art of war?
It is far too long, but it looks fabulous, boasting majestic landscapes and characters with some depth.
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The Last House On The Left ***
Cert 18, 110 mins
After remakes such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre generated some cash at the box office, it was only a matter of time before Wes Craven’s first significant film was dusted down.
Made in 1972, the revenge-for-rape thriller was once banned in Britain, even though it was itself a remake of Ingmar Bergman’s 1961 Oscar-winning Best Foreign Film film, Jungfrukällan (The Virgin Spring).
But here it comes again, this time directed by Dennis Iliadis.
The plot centres on an escaped prisoner and his mad family torturing two young women, one of whose parents lives in the property of the title.
All hell then breaks loose in a film which purports to illustrate just how far ordinary people will go if pushed.
The rape sequence is over the top and the final scene is not at all necessary.
A cross between French rape shocker Baise-moi, Eden Lake and the (not-so) Funny Games, this is likely to leave most viewers feeling drained, not entertained. It is still a well-made thriller with some tension, as well as a heroic father (Tony Goldwyn) whose medical skills illustrate the importance of keeping cool in a crisis.
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The End Of The Line ***
Cert PG, 86 mins
If this documentary stands the test of its own gloomy prediction, there will be no fish left worth eating by 2050. He is no Sir David Attenborough, but The Daily Telegraph’s Charles Clover argues with conviction that sustainable fishing is the only way forward if the entire world is not to replicate Newfoundland’s destruction of its cod stocks in the 1990s.
While the shots of protected marine life illustrate what a brilliantly-diverse world lies at the bottom of our seas, then the giant trawlers on the surface are risking everything – particularly for the 1.2billion people dependent on fish for food.
Pret A Manager is to stop selling tuna sandwiches as a result of this film, which can be seen at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on Monday and Tuesday.
