The Greatest Trick

Caleb’s been watching this one quite a lot recently, after having shown an interest in Wallace and Gromit, and I have to say I was impressed afresh by the heart, comedy, technical prowess and script on display in the movie. I saw it at the cinema when it came out, and liked it, but re-evaluation is always healthy, especially in the light of other films, namely last year’s Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which I don’t think comes anywhere near this film’s standards.

Anyway, the movie tells the story of Ginger (Julia Sawalha) and her coop companions - a load of chickens who are really rather bored by being trapped laying eggs all day and then heading for the chop when they stop producing. Into their farmyard falls/flies Rocky (Mel Gibson), a Rooster who can fly, apparently, and the girls get their hopes up when he promises to teach them. Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Tweedy, the farmers in charge, are taking steps to upgrade their chicken farming into something more profitable: pies.

The genius of the movie lies in its subtle-ish parodying of war movies, specifically The Great Escape. No kids will realise that’s actually what they’re watching, just with chickens playing the parts of Hilts, Mac, The Big X and the rest, but it is. And it does it fantastically. We get Ginger in solitary throwing a ball against the wall, just like Steve McQueen. We get chickens crawling along the wire until the sirens sound and the dogs bark. We get the ‘prisoner line-ups’ where the evil, black-booted baddies inspect the prisoners. We even get a character coming into one of the huts and emptying her trouser legs of the things she’s been collecting (and yes, you might wonder why a chicken is wearing trousers, but that’s the wonder of this movie!). Just the shots overlooking the farmyard with all the huts in rows make me nostalgic for The Great Escape - this is film-maker Nick Park’s affection for an older film played out on celluloid.

But it’s more than just a love song to another, great movie. Chicken Run has a great script and, at its core, a fairly standard but touching opposites-attract love story in Ginger and Rocky, who embody the basic personality differences between Brits and Americans and come to blows until they realise that with Rocky’s charisma and Ginger’s knowledge of her fellow-chickens, they can actually motivate this bunch of dunder-headed egg-layers to do something spectacular. The fact that plastecine can be manipulated to achieve such strongly emotional results is testament to the patience and talent in these film-makers, especially in the action sequences, such as the pie-machine section, which ends with a lovely nod to Indiana Jones.

The other main thing I really enjoyed re-discovering was the script and the comedy wrung from a “facing-death” situation for these birds. “So, what brings you to Britain, Mr Rhodes?” “All the great British chicks, of course!” Simple, but worth it when you know it’s a film you’re going to have to watch over and over, because you have a 3-year-old. Jane Horrocks’ character Babs is great value for laughs (”Ooh, chicken feed, my favourite!”), but when she gets concerned because she hasn’t laid any eggs for a week, things suddenly turn less than pleasant for her; in the same way as The Great Escape combines laughs with tragedy, so Chicken Run uses a very real threat of death to provide impetus for the plot and a backdrop against which humour can be all the funnier.

As I said at the start, I think this is far superior to the Wallace and Gromit film from last year, which could have been halved in length and worked much better, but Chicken Run never outstays its welcome. And any film that ends with two rats having a philosophical discussion about chickens and eggs has got to be worth a look.

A contender for cult film of the year, Brick is an unusual but highly engaging picture from director Rian Johnson. Essentially it’s a film noir mystery set in a Californian high school, as lonely outsider Brendan (Joseph Gordon Levitt) investigates his ex-girlfriend Emily’s murder by infiltrating the circles of school drug dealer the Pin (Lukas Haas).

Full of quirky direction, intriguing performances and offbeat sensibilities, this is indie-movie heaven both for those who like their films to be a bit different and also fun for those steeped in film noir lore. The characters and iconography of the genre are all present and correct – with femme fatales, hard boiled detectives and a whole slew of untrustworthy underworld types inhabiting the familiar dark world of drugs, guns, shadows and skewed camera angles. The only difference is they are all in school.

However this is not as accessible as the true greats of the genre like The Big Sleep, Double Indemnity or Chinatown, simply because of the peculiar lingo the students use, mixing old 40’s noir slang with new Californian teenage slang. Also towards the very end, the film loses momentum and becomes predictable.

Nevertheless, despite a ton of references to old Bogart movies and noir fiction, Brick manages to be startling and original in its own right, particularly in its use of music and sound. Solid performances also help, not only from Joseph Gordon Levitt but also Lukas Haas (the boy in Witness).

It’s easy to admire Brendan and sympathise with his melancholy predicament. He is uncompromising with justice and the truth to the point where it alienates him from everyone. This includes Emily whom we learn via flashback he was trying to protect from his school’s criminal underworld. She points out “you can’t protect me if I don’t want to be protected”. On a spiritual level, that makes the film an interesting comment on the potential cost of standing out from the crowd, plus an insight into how God must feel when we are determined to do the wrong thing.

Simon Dillon, June 2006.

I have recently discovered the Four Word Film Review site, and quite enjoy browsing there - it’s difficult to say something about a movie that succinctly and have it mean something! Anyway, you’ll see their UK Box Office Top 5 on the right with example reviews (which is probably a really bad idea, cos it’s quicker and easier to read theirs than ours!). See what you make of it, and if any objectionable content appears, please let me know, as I may not see it myself. Cheers.

United 93 – the true story of the passengers on the only plane in the 9/11 hijackings that didn’t reach its target – begins and ends with a prayer. At the start the terrorists pray before going to the airport. At the end, the passengers say the Lord’s Prayer as they take their heroic stand against the terrorists. These moments show this was not just a physical battle but a spiritual one. I’ll return to this point later.

Made with the full endorsement of the relatives of the United 93 passengers, the film nevertheless has attracted controversy, with some claiming it’s too soon for a 9/11 picture. But too soon or not, United 93 is an outstanding achievement and will undoubtedly get a best picture nomination come Oscar time. Neither sensational or exploitative, director Paul Greengrass’ signature documentary style (replete with “shakycam”) actually works very well here. He also recruits a cast of unknowns (all of whom do a great job), and even casts a key roles, such as FAA controller Ben Sliney, as themselves.

Make no mistake, this is no Friday night popcorn flick, but one of the most monumentally upsetting experiences you will ever have in a cinema. The first half in particular, prior to the plane being hijacked, is excruciating. The passengers undergo the usual mundane routine of air travel unaware of their peril and the terrorists they are rubbing shoulders with. They get frustrated at take-off delays, pay no attention to the stewardess’ safety demonstration, and make polite but disinterested small talk with one another. What makes these scenes disturbing is they are so commonplace and they are scenes we have all witnessed on countless commercial flights.

All of this is intercut with the situation in air traffic control and air force headquarters, where the broader 9/11 tragedy begins to play out. Sitting through these moments is like reliving the whole horrible experience all over again, and here is where I suspect most viewers will draw the line. My own vivid memories of that horrible afternoon watching the television incredulously all returned with a vengeance.

But despite all this, I did not find the film needlessly depressing but overwhelmingly positive. It shows the best and worst of human nature and the power of the right snap decision under pressure – both the decisions to ground over four thousand planes, and more importantly the riveting moment where the passengers realise they are going to die anyway, but there are far more of them than there are terrorists.

And here is where I return to the spiritual angle. The terrorists on United 93 tried to intimidate the passengers, but their captives overcame their fear and thwarted them. This film honours their memory by showing their immense bravery and courage, but it also demonstrates an important and inspiring spiritual principle about the power within everyone to overcome fear and do the right thing, however difficult, whatever the cost. In short, this is a true story that restores one’s faith in humanity.

I therefore urge you in the strongest possible terms to put aside any misgivings you might have and see this film. It does contain some bad language and violence, but it is obviously all contextual and justified. In any event, I cannot foresee a more brilliant, stunningly powerful and deeply moving film emerging this year.

Simon Dillon, June 2006.