MovieGuide Vice, Green Book and Destroyer reviewed, plus First Man on blu-ray

★★★★ Dir: Peter Farrelly

Starring: Mahershala Ali, Viggo Mortensen 12A 129m

Firmly installed as favourite to land the Best Picture gong at the Oscars, (following its recent triumph at the PGA awards), Peter Farrelly’s drama has everything a Best Picture Oscar winner needs, notably a heart-warming true-life story and a pair of top-notch central performances. Set in 1962, Green Book stars Mahershala Ali as a leading classical pianist who is about to embark on a tour of the racially divided Deep South. When a no-nonsense Italian-American (Mortensen) signs up to drive the maestro around, the stage is set for a mismatched buddy drama with a strong social message.

While that social message is naturally to the fore, the success of Green Book is down to the chemistry between Mortensen’s street-smart Italian and Ali’s erudite musician, a man who seems singularly ill-equipped to overcome any obstacles he might encounter beyond his ivory tower. That there will be obstacles ahead are apparent by the full title of the guidebook that the pair take on their journey: The Negro Motorist Green-Book, published to help African-American travellers in the segregated southern US states find safe accommodation. Some critics of the film have baulked at the idea of a ‘white saviour’ tale, but none could doubt the power and the integrity of both lead performances.