June was a bigger month than May for cinema, with 6 films taken in. Let’s get started.
The Hitcher is a remake of the classic Rutger Hauer film about a couple who don’t pick up a hitch-hiker they almost run into. The hiker, the bad guy, then ruthlessly chases across state, murdering anyone who gets in the way. Sadly, it lacks the excellent directorial work of it’s namesake, becoming more of a modern (and by that I mean “dumb”) horror film rather than a taut psychological thriller (with more than enough action). Sean Bean also continues his recent run of terrible performances. Though I can’t really recommend The Hitcher, there is at least one scene that is really quite something to see.
I once said that the big failure of Ocean’s Twelve was that it didn’t really show the heists being perpetrated by the main characters: Ocean’s Thirteen makes me take that back. This time they painstakingly go over every tedious detail of the large scam, spreading some sections way beyond breaking point. Again, this is basically watching an A-list cast mess around on holiday, with a overwritten dialogue and underwritten plot. If you liked the second film, you’ll probably like this.
French thriller Tell No One is about a man whose wife is killed after they have an argument and, seven years later, he spots her on CCTV. From there the investigation reopens, placing him as a suspect, as he tries to understand what’s happening. The director captures every aspect of the story perfectly, from the bitter anger to the overwhelming passions. Beautifully shot and performed, and only marred by a few extraneous scenes and characters, this film is one of the best of the year.
One of the few Asian action films to make it through this year, Exiled is a fairly silly example of the gun play and gangsters genre. Normally the story is just an excuse for some ludicrous action scenes, but here there are nowhere near enough worthwhile action scenes to keep things moving forward. It suffers sorely by tring to be more stylish than it is. A regrettably poor entry.
Owen Wilson tries his hand at the fright game in Vacancy. This is a modern horror film done well, balancing the brutal and gruesome with intense emotional moments and impossible but necessary decisions. The set-up is unsurprising, but the pay offs are of a high enough calibre that it does not matter. Vacancy won’t win any awards, but it’s a fine example of the genre.
Finally, Captivity is pretty much the opposite in terms of the quality of horror it offers. More of an excuse for a bunch of pre-canned set-ups than an attempt to do something that makes sense as a whole, this film fails on a number of levels, not least of all a number of weak performances and a nonsensical plot. If you liked Saw, you might like this (similar style). If not, avoid.
The winner this month was the excellent Tell No One, proving itself to be great in almost every suit.