Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with more SXSW reviews. Tonight I have what was actually a pretty great double feature to report about: HOOLIGANS, the Elijah Wood/Claire Forlani/Charlie Hunnam football (soccer for us yanks) gang flick, and UNLEASHED, a tale of heart and badassery (yes, I said badassery... I dare Rogue Pictures to use that on the poster!) starring Jet Li, Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins.
HOOLIGANS
This was one of those movies that I was just hoping wasn't going to suck. The Dude himself, Jeff Dowd, is repping this film and had set me up with interviews with the director and main cast members (I'm doing that in about 12 hours). I've been in situations before where I've agreed to interview people or have been at a movie where I knew the director was going to ask me what I thought immediately after seeing the film. Unfortunately, that has prompted some very uncomfortable moments.
So, here it is... I was sitting in the theater hoping the film would be a success so I didn't have the director and 4 cast members waiting to hear my opinion of the film the next day. I was pretty confident that it was a solid flick based on the last couple reviews I posted from test screenings last week. Both were positive, one very positive, the other mildly positive.
I have to say this movie kicks a lot of ass. It's not flawless, but it turned out to be more than just "pretty good."
Elijah Wood has been picking some great post LOTR material. He's not going for the big Rom Com or the Universal wet fart gag and cum-drinking comedy. He's gone for smaller roles in great scripts (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND), the total geeked-out stylized flicks (SIN CITY) and taking his time to plan a lead role in an indie flick about soccer hooligans.
Wood found a great bridging character between Frodo and whatever he's going on to in the future. As an American falling into the rough and tumble world off football gangs, Wood has the perfect innocence at the beginning and makes a great transition to a more world worn, rounded person... that likes to punch out those bastards that don't like West Ham.
The beginning of the film is a tad slow, but once Wood gets introduced to Charlie Hunnam (Nicholas Nickleby himself), the head of a particular football gang, the film takes off. It's really the budding friendship between Elijah and Charlie that makes this movie for me. I'm a sucker for a good buddy flick and this definitely is a good buddy flick.
The fighting is a bit choppy, which is a drawback for me, but it is well done. You can tell what's going on. I would have liked to have seen one of the big gang on gang fights from a distance with some time to take it all in (maybe in one of those 40 on 10 ones), but director Lexi Alexander made a choice to keep it as hectic and realistic as possible. That works on a level that having an operatic fisticuffs on a massive scale wouldn't, so she made a good choice. I'm worried it may effect the re-watch factor, though.
Claire Forlani plays Elijah's sister who married an Englander. It's her he goes to visit at the beginning of this film. She has, perhaps, the most challenging role in the film. To be perfectly honest, I usually don't care for Claire Forlani. She's never been the nails on the chalkboard that, say, Tea Leoni or Thandie Newton are to me, but other than MALLRATS, I just haven't cared for any of her performances.
This is easily my favorite thing she's ever done. Like I said above she has perhaps the most challenging role in the film. Her character only pops up in pieces, but she has to sell the emotion of seeing her brother fall in with these thugs, seeing the bruises, scrapes and scars that are leftover from his tussles with very little screen time. She's very subtle, but powerful in this film.
Charlie Hunnam is going to bust out very soon. He damn near steals this film as the leader of the gang. If it wasn't for his chemistry with Elijah Wood, this film would have fallen flat on its face. He's likable, but threatening. He's a badass, but soft where it counts. He's a very well balanced, well performed character. Hunnam has an ease in front of the camera that is striking. He'll go far.
The film is littered with great performances and familiar faces. Leo Gregory, a relatively unknown actor (at least here in America... I know I had never seen him before the movie tonight), is fantastic in the film as the right hand man to Charlie Hunnam's character. Gregory goes through the depths of hell in this film on every level and you see it in his eyes, body language and face. Gregory is one of those actors that wears his humanity, flaws and all, on his face.
You'll also see familiar faces like Rafe Spall (Timothy Spall's son who you might remember from SHAUN OF THE DEAD as the young Foree Employee that calls Shaun "Grand Dad") and Joel Beckett, who played Lee, the fiancee we all loved to hate, in THE OFFICE. Anyway, the film will surely, surely get picked up and released to theaters. It's a damn good movie. When it does, I'll make sure to let you folks know.
UNLEASHED
UNLEASHED is every bit the kick-ass return to form for Jet Li as Harry made it out to be in review. The film is gritty, harsh and full of skull cracking hits. Although, I must say that there's a lot less fights than I was expecting, but in its place was the heart of the film, which was superbly pulled off by Morgan Freeman (in his elderly negro mentor role... but this one has Freeman hitting on all cylinders, with his charm amped up to 11), Kerry Condon (Freeman's adopted daughter... who's supposed to be "almost 18" but looks more like late 20s... but that really doesn't take away from her character or her work in giving Danny back his humanity) and Jet Li.
Li is incredible in this role. Danny has been caged, trained and abused, having all remnants of his humanity sucked out of him by the slimy and just plain mean Bob Hoskins. You can the intricate research Jet Li did on the facial expressions, body postures and even the angle of one's head. He looks like a dog in this film. Not in a furry '60s Disney way, but his eyes and spirit.
I'm not sure what else I can say that Harry didn't. The fight scenes are impressive, stylized, but not boring or a rehash from any action flick of the last 5 years or so. The pace is quick and the cinematography is gritty and perfectly fit with the story being told. I highly recommend this flick.
Sorry for the short review for UNLEASHED. I really just don't know what else there is to say other than I really dug it.
So, I better get to bed. I gotta wake up early enough to prepare for my now (hopefully) comfortable interview with Lexi Alexander and a good amount of the cast of HOOLIGANS. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to transcribe that interview soon for you folks. SXSW schedule willing. 'Til then, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
