Sylvester Stallone

In Purely Exploiting Gratuitous Violence, Paul W.S. Anderson’s ‘Death Race’ Remake Kills All Comedic Value

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:23:00 -0700

Rating: 2.0/5.0

CHICAGO – While 2008’s “Death Race” makes no secret about being a remake of 1975’s “Death Race 2000” with David Carradine as the title character Frankenstein and Sylvester Stallone as his archrival Machine Gun Joe Viterbo, what’s perhaps less obvious but still clear is how the film steals from others.

Though the “Death Race” story has a different book cover, Jason Statham’s character as Jensen Ames and then the masked Frankenstein can be directly correlated to (as just one example) Nicolas Cage’s character in 1997’s “Con Air”. We’ve certainly seen this before: a man who’s supposedly in the slammer innocently and has a monster axe to grind.

Navigator Case (Natalie Martinez) arrives from the women’s prison in an action-thriller set in the near future with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop in “Death Race”.
Photo credit: Takashi Seida

While films today can be rewarded for being quality remakes of compelling yesteryear memories, 2008’s “Death Race” not only disappoints in its unoriginal ripping from other films but ultimately loses face in its mission merely for unadulterated and gratuitous violence.

“Death Race” is yet another film along the lines of so many second-rate Hollywood products we see today feeling pressured to blow stuff up bigger and badder while servicing the human need to fantasize in the utterly ridiculous. All the while, a weak story is slapped on top of what essentially just amounts to an anthology of big booms.

Sometimes films succeed in being pure entertainment and don’t attempt to have underlying meaning or instigate inspirational change. When they do, though, they’re most successful when their fundamental purpose at least has some redeeming value.

Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) drives Frankenstein’s Monster in an action-thriller set in the near future with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop in “Death Race”.
Photo credit: Takashi Seida

The unfortunately simple message of “Death Race” merely says we’re living in a time and place where financial corruption can allow us to prostitute ourselves to charge $250 to watch one guy violently off another for our viewing pleasure. In the film, 70 million morbid viewers take the plunge.

To keep our sanity and our hope in this day and age, we have to believe our society won’t ever bow that low.

Perhaps the most interesting choice for “Death Race” was to send it entirely astray from “Death Race 2000” in its lack of comedy. The 1975 version was only part violence and very much part comedy, too. This time around, though, there’s also no presidential plotline.

Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) kills time in his prison cell in an action-thriller set in the near future with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop in “Death Race”.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

Instead of winning the 1975 death race for the chance to meet the president, the modern version offers the winner the chance to leave prison.

Frankenstein’s Monster is attacked in “Death Race”.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

The relatively unknown supporting character Frederick Koehler in this “Death Race” is actually one of the most standout and appreciated roles in the film.

While not exactly comic relief, he plays a memorably tense character named Lists who essentially serves as Wikipedia for Statham’s race-to-the-death driving team.

As for the decision to cast Joan Allen in 2008’s version, we can only pray that she doesn’t continue her current line of typecast roles any further.

Playing the warden in “Death Race” is directly akin to her Pam Landy government character in 2004’s “The Bourne Supremacy” and then again in 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum”.

While her character is no surprise based on her past work, the opposite can be said about Tyrese Gibson’s role in “Death Race”. The real-life model plays Statham’s archrival Machine Gun Joe Viterbo as well as an Old Navy model trying to sell ultra-luxury chic on a fine designer’s runway.

With a strangely unnecessary homosexual spin scripted for Gibson’s character that doesn’t make any meaningful sense as to why his sexual orientation would even matter, even though he attempts to sell you on being a man who gets down and dirty you’re still afraid for him to break a fingernail.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “Death Race” image gallery.

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One of the film’s one and only redeeming values is its decision to cast Statham as the title character.

Following his work on 2002’s “The Transporter” and then 2005’s “Transporter 2,” his ability to sell grit continues to get the job done here. Statham will deal his Frank Martin character a trilogy in 2008 with “Transporter 3”.

Famed filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson (who directed and wrote “Death Race” and also directed 2004’s “AVP: Alien vs. Predator,” 2002’s “Resident Evil” and 1995’s “Mortal Kombat”) continues playing to the darkest parts of the human heart and filling them with sludge.

Anderson in 2009 will next attempt to butcher a film version of “Castlevania” based on the beloved video game.

“Death Race,” which is written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, stars Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez, Ian McShane, Max Ryan, Jason Clarke and Frederick Koehler. The film opened everywhere on Aug. 22, 2008.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

After 19 Years, ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ Phenomenally Exhumes Venerated Roots

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 21 May 2008 22:00:38 -0700

CHICAGO – After such a long respite from the beloved film progression, I was initially just as skittish about seeing Harrison Ford back in the Indy saddle as I was watching Sylvester Stallone back in the ring in “Rocky Balboa” in his 2006 comeback and then again in 2008 in his “Rambo” return.

Shia LaBeouf (left) and Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Ultimately, though, I had faith in director Steven Spielberg not to royally torpedo the monolithically anticipated “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which resurrects the Chicago-born, 65-year-old Harrison Ford as one of my favorite film characters of all time.

Spielberg delivers. Thank the heavens.

In grappling with Ford’s real-life age, David Koepp’s screenplay comically writes in subtle jabs to wrangle with the reality. Just like Stallone didn’t try to hide it in “Rocky Balboa” and he instead decided to honestly portray it, so did Ford’s character grow older.

Of course, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is still a major Hollywood product and Indiana Jones is still Indiana Jones. He still flings through the air with bird-like grace, whips all obstacles in his way with laser-like precision and is imbued with the film’s classic and campy “kapow!” sound effects. I love ‘em to pieces.

Shia LaBeouf (left) and Cate Blanchett in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

While the character Indiana Jones has had an unfortunate television run by way of Sean Patrick Flanery in his young form from 1992 all the way through 2007, Harrison Ford as the real Indiana Jones we’ve all been enamored with last roughed it up in a major Spielberg production in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” in 1989.

Before that, it was five years earlier in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1984 and three years earlier in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981. Yes, that’s three years between the first and second, five years between the second and third and 19 years between the third and the fourth.

Though Shia LaBeouf at first felt like he stuck out like a mutilated thumb (he’s most certainly no Jonathan Ke Quan, who played the lovable Asian sidekick Short Round in the second film), he was written in as much more than just a steadfast assistant.

He has his own attitude, his own 1950s get-up, his own fascination with knives and swords, his own quick-thinking and fast-talking demeanor and ultimately his own brewing plotline.

Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

It’s a Goliath, too. Once we learn his true relation to Indiana Jones, we’re ultimately teased about his brewing ability to be Indy’s protégé and eventual replacement.

While such a storyline is to be appreciated and realistically understood based on the realities of the series and Ford’s age, I wasn’t entirely sold that LaBeouf nailed the part of the irascible Mutt Williams. He spent too much time combing his hairdo – yes, I know it was a sign of the times – and wasn’t as rugged as he should be to even nearly fit in Indy’s shoes.

There was storyline confusion there in his character as he flip-flopped between a slick greaser and a jungle-brawling Indy trainee. The jury here on LaBeouf is still out. While it was “Disturbia” in 2007 and then ultimately “Transformers” in 2007 that launched LaBeouf into the luminous limelight, I wouldn’t be heartbroken if he was replaced in a fifth iteration of the film.

While Karen Allen was excavated out of Hollywood hiding for a respectable performance ultimately designed to satisfy your sentimentality for the series, thank the heavens again for the always “A”-list performance from Cate Blanchett.

She makes her foray into the franchise as an menacing Russian who influentially disappears into her role. She’s spot on with her transformational image and accent and couldn’t have improved with hundreds additional takes.

Jim Broadbent from 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” is a refreshingly unexpected casting decision, John Hurt entirely escapes into his character’s insanity and Ray Winstone (who played the seminal “Beowulf” in 2007) felt like he was merely passing screen time and cashing a fat check.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” image gallery.

RELATED READING
More film reviews from critic Adam Fendelman.

Aside from the interesting introduction of LaBeouf’s character, Blanchett’s villainous antagonizing and the return of Indy’s always entertaining adventures, history may most scratch its collective head about Koepp’s decision to scribe a plot that twists and turns down such an unexpected road.

As we learn the true meaning behind the crystal skulls and their application, this plot evolution takes us to an unexpectedly bizarre place. Talk about a thing that makes you go “hmmm”.

Indeed, the revelation is also unexpectedly bizarre in a way that makes your head go: “Um, am I still watching an Indiana Jones movie or did the projectionist splice in some other film as some sort of sick joke?”

But alas, this is the real Indiana Jones deal. Despite some dubious decisions and anomalous outcomes, the spirit remains and Hollywood this time has fantastically exhumed its venerated roots.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” opened everywhere on May 22, 2008.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Stallone Sports Aggrandized Violence, Weak Storyline in ‘Rambo’ Revival

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:12:17 -0700

CHICAGO – The best quality about the fourth “Rambo” is its “Rambo” authenticity. The worst quality about the fourth “Rambo” is its “Rambo” authenticity.

Unlike the previous three, which consecutively released every three years in the 1980s (“First Blood” in 1982, “Rambo: First Blood Part II” in 1985 and “Rambo III” in 1988), the simply titled “Rambo” exactly two decades later featured some commonalties and also broke some new ground.

This gun racked up the most deaths for Sylvester Stallone
in “Rambo” in 2008.
Photo credit: IMDb

Sylvester Stallone – who’s now 61 years old, and though he shows it, still looks the buff part – of course starred in all of them as John Rambo. In addition to starring in the films in 1982, 1985 and 1988, Stallone was also a scribe. The films were all directed by other talents (Ted Kotcheff, George Cosmatos, Peter MacDonald, respectively).

This “Rambo,” by the way, was supposed to release before “Rocky Balboa” in 2006, but MGM green-lighted the remake of the better-written Rocky character first and put this “Rambo” on hold.

After taking a 20-year respite, Stallone is back as the larger-than-life David Morrell character in a film in which he stars, writes and for the first time directs. In his own iteration, it wouldn’t be spoiling to learn that the violence is decidedly aggrandized as that’s what you’re there for and that’s what you’d expect. There’s no doubt this time around that Rambo eats his biggest, fattest and most whopping death sandwich yet.

In 2008, Rambo racks up 83 deaths and eclipses his previous record of 78 set in 1988. Each film increasingly features more death: only one Rambo death in 1982, 58 in 1985, 78 in 1988 and now 83 in 2008. The friendly count skyrocketed in 2008 to 113 and eclipsed the previous good-guy death record of 37 in 1988. After taking 30 minutes or more to witness the film’s first death in each of the previous three, the first now comes in at just over the three-minute mark.

A Rambo death chart that compares films from 1982, 1985, 1988 and 2008.
Chart credit: John Mueller at the Los Angeles Times as posted at /Film

Staying true to the past, die-hard Rambo fans are treated to yet another haunted loner character.

He’s living in the middle of nowhere with people who don’t seem to mean much to him and passing the time doing Rambo-like things (i.e. fashioning metal while blanketed in a rain-drenched tent).

The concept of human connection doesn’t much appeal to him and only his father briefly crosses his mind when prompted.

Though taking a protective interest in the character Sarah (played by Julie Benz), Rambo exists without libido and clearly only lives to kill. There’s not one sex scene in any of the four Rambo films.

Through flashbacks to previous Rambo films, he’s reminded this time around that violence is all he knows, it’s what he does best and it’s what he’s meant to do (his life mantra is “live for nothing or die for something”). Unfortunately, it feels as if we’re drawn back to the theater to fill Hollywood’s pockets in exchange for bouts of purely gratuitous violence without a strong plotline.

Publicists initially shied away from screening the film to critics at all and weren’t planning to because they thought it wouldn’t be understood and appreciated. This “Rambo” did screen for critics at the last minute, though, without explanation of the previous hesitance. The reluctance must have had to do with the feared critical reaction of bringing back a brand after 20 years with a man who’s obviously aged that and then some.

On camera, though, Stallone is displayed intelligently. He’s still dirty, ripped and rough around all the right edges. This time, he’s shrouded in humility, mystery and even moments of tranquility and peace until the beast is unleashed. The concept is best illustrated while providing safe passage for a mission in the deadly Burma and he’s known to the traveling mercenaries just as “the boatman”.

The serene character within the ferocious character is the film’s most sly writer’s contribution.

Aside from Stallone and the obligatory girl-who-needs-saving role, the rest of the cast is rounded out by relative unknowns. Television actor Paul Schulze has decent camera and line time along with the gritty and merciless television actor Graham McTavish. James Brolin from the acclaimed “No Country For Old Men” was initially attached to play a colonel role (played in each of the three previous films by the late Richard Crenna) but was then written out of the script.

“Rambo” opened on Jan. 25, 2008.

Click here for our full “Rambo” image gallery!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com