‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard,’ ‘Beach Rats’
½ The film features a director in Patrick Hughes who has only two so-so feature films to his credit, a writer in Tom O’Connor who has only penned one produced movie script before and a pair of actors in Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson who love to improvise.
This isn’t a formula for failure, but really doesn’t suggest it’s a blueprint for a great success, either. What “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” ends up being is a film with some very high and desperately low moments that rises above standard action film fare because of Mr, Reynolds and Mr. Jackson.
The nonstop bickering between bodyguard Michael Bryce (Mr, Reynolds) and the man he has to protect in seasoned assassin Darius Kincaid (Mr. Jackson) never allows for a dull moment — even with a quiet moment would be deeply appreciated. There hasn’t been this kind of insane banter between two guys involved in a constant gunplay since the days of “Lethal Weapon.”
½ Just as Eliza Hittman did with “It Felt Like Love” in 2013, the writer/director of the dreamlike “Beach Rats” shows the kind of confidence in her work that she doesn’t need neither manipulation nor distractions. Her style is to strip away anything that doesn’t support the truth of her characters, whether that be unnecessary lines of dialogue or traditional lighting. There a brutality and vulgarity to this approach Hittman uses to her advantage.
Hittman’s story revolves around Frankie (Harris Dickinson), a teenager from the Brooklyn area whose void of any signs of ambition. The director slowly unfolds Frankie’s life while casually weaving in his attraction to Simone (Madeline Weinstein), a sexually aggressive party girl who has to battle with the attraction and rejection Frankie shows to her. Weinstein’s driving sexuality and guarded innocence echoes of Susan Sarandon’s performance in “Atlantic City.”
The director’s work isn’t for those who only appreciate those who make movies by the rules. It’s for those willing to share an experience and not have to be rushed to see it unfold. ½ Visually, French director Luc Besson’s “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is tres magnifique. When it comes to the story, the film is what Pepe Le Pew would call a “le cinema avec grand stinker.”
“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” would be a perfect coffee table book. A massive tome of drawings and pictures would provide hours of entertainment. The script, even printed on a onepage pamphlet, would be mostly blank.