Now that that's finished, I want to say that this film does exactly what it sought out to do. This film has all the marks of a standard gangster film, and the script, art direction, and acting all follow accordingly. Yes, it is not the most original film, and yes it does not break any boundaries or do anything spectacular, but I don't think it needs to. We have solid performances from Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling, though I believe Emma Stone is a bit lacking, and Sean Penn is a bit over-dramatic. The script is solid, and takes you through an interesting story.
My main complaint would be that there is more violence than what the script calls for. I'm all for violence in films. I love me some Tarantino. But the violence has to have a purpose. In this film, it seems like the violence is there to make the situation seem more dire, even though it isn't needed. That turned me away from it a bit.
However, possibly my favorite part of the film, is its art direction, the way it adds little moments of interesting camera work, like Sin City or something. Someone pulls out a lighter, and the film shows a high definition, slowed down shot of the sparks lighting the gasoline, and the flame roaring up. Little things like this really make the film work, as well as the accurate representation of L.A. in the 40's.
Solid film, solid script, solid acting, but nothing special.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment