Monday 10 December 2012
Sunday 9 December 2012
Pearl harbour cast
Ben Affleck
Josh Hartnett
Kate Beckinsale
William Lee Scott
Greg Zola ...
Ewen Bremner
Alec Baldwin
Jaime King
Catherine Kellner
Jennifer Garner
Jon Voight
Cuba Gooding Jr.
| Directed byMichael Bay | |||
Pearl harbour overview
A massive air attack. Brilliantly plotted by the Japanese (portrayed as somewhat humane and militaristic), it caught the sleeping giant recovering from a Saturday night hangover and totally unawares. And filmed, it must be said, in some style. It's the equal of the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan and is what could be justifiably described as a tour de force. Whatever the flaws of the rest of the film, there is no doubt that the attack sequence is not only the highlight, but worth the entrance fee alone.
Unfortunately, once the air attack on Pearl Harbor is complete, the film takes another hour to finish. We learn that the army landed a surprise air attack on Tokyo in retaliation against the Japanese with, predictably enough, the Lazarus-like figure of Rafe and his old buddy Danny leading the way. This is a needless addition to the movie and only serves the purpose of cheering up American audiences who would have been upset to see a film ending with Yankee butt being whipped.
Nevertheless, it could all have been a lot worse. Director Michael Bay has made his best film to date (not surprising when you realise the competition is Armageddon, Bad Boys and The Rock), and for two thirds of the film he manages to keep the film on an even keel. Despite the lacklustre front trio of stars, there is some able support, notably in the shape of Cuba Gooding Jr, who steals the film's emotional highpoint.
Pearl harbour review
So much has been written about this movie before it even opens that it
arrives on our shores with a great deal of advance publicity. Most of
this has been negative. Is it the most expensive flop ever made? Well,
reports of the film's demise have been greatly exaggerated. This is
definitely no Heaven's Gate, the film that sank United Artists and
ushered in the era of the multi-million budgeted feature. Neither is it
another Titanic (as much as it would like to be). Yes it is a flawed
film, yes it is overlong and yes it is at times unspeakably corny, but
overall it is a solid piece of Hollywood cheese which is highly
entertaining for much of its three-hour running time.
It's a fairly perfunctory set-up. Although they are desperately trying to be Jack and Rose from Titanic, Affleck and Beckinsale fail to deliver a totally convincing screen relationship. This could be the fault of the script but it could also be the fact that they are both too annoyingly good looking to actually relate to. Anyway, all of this is accepted by the viewer since it's not too much on the eye or brain, and everyone knows what's going to happen next.
A massive air attack. Brilliantly plotted by the Japanese (portrayed as somewhat humane and militaristic), it caught the sleeping giant recovering from a Saturday night hangover and totally unawares. And filmed, it must be said, in some style. It's the equal of the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan and is what could be justifiably described as a tour de force. Whatever the flaws of the rest of the film, there is no doubt that the attack sequence is not only the highlight, but worth the entrance fee alone.
Unfortunately, once the air attack on Pearl Harbor is complete, the film takes another hour to finish. We learn that the army landed a surprise air attack on Tokyo in retaliation against the Japanese with, predictably enough, the Lazarus-like figure of Rafe and his old buddy Danny leading the way. This is a needless addition to the movie and only serves the purpose of cheering up American audiences who would have been upset to see a film ending with Yankee butt being whipped.
Nevertheless, it could all have been a lot worse. Director Michael Bay has made his best film to date (not surprising when you realise the competition is Armageddon, Bad Boys and The Rock), and for two thirds of the film he manages to keep the film on an even keel. Despite the lacklustre front trio of stars, there is some able support, notably in the shape of Cuba Gooding Jr, who steals the film's emotional highpoint.
It's a fairly perfunctory set-up. Although they are desperately trying to be Jack and Rose from Titanic, Affleck and Beckinsale fail to deliver a totally convincing screen relationship. This could be the fault of the script but it could also be the fact that they are both too annoyingly good looking to actually relate to. Anyway, all of this is accepted by the viewer since it's not too much on the eye or brain, and everyone knows what's going to happen next.
A massive air attack. Brilliantly plotted by the Japanese (portrayed as somewhat humane and militaristic), it caught the sleeping giant recovering from a Saturday night hangover and totally unawares. And filmed, it must be said, in some style. It's the equal of the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan and is what could be justifiably described as a tour de force. Whatever the flaws of the rest of the film, there is no doubt that the attack sequence is not only the highlight, but worth the entrance fee alone.
Unfortunately, once the air attack on Pearl Harbor is complete, the film takes another hour to finish. We learn that the army landed a surprise air attack on Tokyo in retaliation against the Japanese with, predictably enough, the Lazarus-like figure of Rafe and his old buddy Danny leading the way. This is a needless addition to the movie and only serves the purpose of cheering up American audiences who would have been upset to see a film ending with Yankee butt being whipped.
Nevertheless, it could all have been a lot worse. Director Michael Bay has made his best film to date (not surprising when you realise the competition is Armageddon, Bad Boys and The Rock), and for two thirds of the film he manages to keep the film on an even keel. Despite the lacklustre front trio of stars, there is some able support, notably in the shape of Cuba Gooding Jr, who steals the film's emotional highpoint.
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