The Hunt for Red October
… it took me a long, long time to realise where the “The” goes in this title, and I still usually say “Hunt for THE Red October.”
Me:
- Sean’s eyes as the opening scene… tells you a lot about his status.
- And then the long pull out to show them in the sub conning tower – magnificent
- Also the MUSIC. So epic.
- Everything about this cast makes me happy.
- The credit scene with Jack’s desk etc: it’s surely the inspiration for the credits in Sahara, as an intro to the main character.
- Aw, Jack as the family man. And married to Dr Crusher – which will never not be weird.
- Starting on a plane! Just like Die Hard! And the man doesn’t like flying! Wait, is this a theme? (No: Arnie has no problem with the helicopter.)
- Slow pan up to the Central Intelligence sign – it’s a nice touch.
- There is no movie that is not improved by the presence of James Earl Jones.
- … and also the addition of Courtney B. Vance. “Sea-man Beau-mont.” I love me a human who’s better than the technology.
- Everything about the Paganini / Pavarotti story makes me laugh. Every time. (“including one WAAAAY out at Pearl”).
- Scott Glenn! Underrated, right? He does laconic beautifully.
- I like the close-ups inside the sub – makes it feel appropriately claustrophobic.
- For those of us who watched a lot of Spooks, seeing Peter Firth as the political officer and speaking Russian is super weird.
- … still, Firth didn’t quite deserve such a death.
- (Although: Putin! His characters’ name is Putin!)
- The switch from Russian to English is really nicely done.
- The reaction of my siblings when I told them what I was watching:
- Chekhov’s mini-sub and its universal docking clamp!
- Again for those of us with rather different experiences of Tim Curry: seeing him as a very serious medical officer! Is very weird!
- They really do clever things with the cinematography in the tight confines of the sub: camera in the printer looking up, etc.
- I thought it was only Welsh working men who were likely to break out into song like that?
- Imagine having a boss like the Admiral. Just drops you into a briefing for the Joint Chiefs and the President’s security advisor. When five minutes before you were happily researching in the stacks!
- Look at that man think! In a room full of hawks, he thinks! I know, I know, he turns into an action man, but at heart Jack is a nerd.
- I’ve only just noticed Admiral Greer putting his hand on Jack’s wrist to calm him down. Hilarious.
- And THEN Stellan Skarsgård turns up! This cast!
- Smoking on a submarine. What a world.
- This film can’t really figure out what it thinks of how the elite in a USSR sub would act. The officers are eating well; the doctor is a snob, discussing good food and going to the ballet; the officers are eating nice food and there’s fancy drinkware etc on the table. So… the USSR is kidding itself about being egalitarian? or something? We don’t see Bart Mancuso eating…
- Jonesy is just all about competence. No wonder I like this film so much. Most of it is just people being clever!
- And a nice bit of background for Jack, having been a marine and his terrible accident that explains his fear of flying.
- Capt Ramius is a steely-eyed missile man.
- Alec Baldwin is a walking carpet.
- And another incongruous actor: Daniel Davis, for those of us who grew up on The Nanny, as an American naval officer? Very weird.
- Capt Borodin’s desire to live in Montana, to breed rabbits, is adorable. (So of course he has to die.)
- Just enough background for us to appreciate Ramius’ history; not too much, just enough to make him real.
- Getting off a chopper to a submarine: may be one of the stupidest stunts ever.
- The Crazy Ivan guess is truly ridiculous. It’s probably the weakest moment in the film.
- Oh no! Not a reactor leak!!
- There’s Chekhov’s DSRV (and don’t tell me there’s a 40-something Australian woman who doesn’t think of Seaquest DSV when you hear that, I won’t believe you).
- Why does Jonesy join the American boarding party? Who knows!
- And Skarsgård comes screaming in back in for a dramatic dummy spit.
- I adore the interplay between the two captains. They’re so cute. Both ordering Jack around.
- When Jack exclaims “A goddamn cook??” all I can think in response is: “I also cook.”
- The final conversation on the river is very sweet.
- And finally: Jack can sleep, on the plane.
Him:
- Let’s take a moment to admire how good the bluray transfer is from the film. Colours are great but not overdone, suitably gritty with obvious film grain without being over sharpened or treated with hideous AI smoothing like so many 4k re-releases.
- And let’s mansplain turbulence to the air hostess who may have just flown one or two more times than Jack…
- We arrive at the US submarine building yard, obviously a fake set. The Americans don’t know how to make submarines.
- The whole helicopter ride out to the sub is genuinely stressful, and I’ve seen this film many many times.
- Morse code aint that fast! Especially if being decoded visually…. (Repeat from the American ship on the surface)
- Be careful what you shoot at, most things in here don’t react well to bullets….
Die Hard
I don’t remember the first time I watched this film. I don’t know how many time I’ve watched it, either. A lot. (Although not as many as my BIL who firmly believes in “Die Hard is a Christmas movie.”
- Our introduction to John McClane is through his faults: not enjoying plane travel. Fear – but also carrying a gun.
- Middle of the airport and he lights a cigarette? What a time.
- The introduction of Holly is fantastic – dealing with Ellis the idiot coworker, clearly a boss, also a loving mother.
- I like Argyle a lot. He’s a stereotype of course – the young mouthy black guy, listening to his rap music – but I still believe that he rises above the stereotype. Could just be that I am accustomed to him.
- Touch screen! So fancy. Unlike McClane’s reaction to Holly using a different name…
- By golly I loathe Ellis. The epitome of 80s corporate douche.
- I really like the dynamic of John and Holly. They’re in a difficult position personally, maritally, emotionally. I like that we land in the middle of ongoing arguments, and what it shows about each of them. Also that John beats himself up over it a bit.
- Also? John is not ripped. He’s no slob, but he’s no Arnie either. I prefer this era.
- The misdirect of the villains entering the reception is magnificent.
- I adore Alan Rickman’s entrance.
- Gasp! Villains are not speaking English! (At least they’re not Arabic or Russian?)
- I will neither confirm nor deny that I have made fists with my toes after a plane trip.
- Hans is sublime. The little black book, the impeccable suit. And of course, the English accent when that was still a Hollywood trope for a villain.
- Was it a reasonable assumption, in 1988, that Hans et al were terrorists? Since that is what Mr Takagi assumes. I don’t feel like there’s been any real indications of that – but maybe that’s my having seen it very many times.
- John has an emotional reaction to the killing! and makes a noise! So, quite different from other action-man types. And his first instinct is to get help in the form of firefighters – rather that going it all alone – but that doesn’t work. AND his first fight is intended initially to disable, rather than kill.
- Karl has already been shown to be a brute and a bit out of control, what with the chainsaw and the electrical cables. But Hans? Hans can still control him.
- The introduction of Al is a nice play on stereotypes: the fat black cop buying snacks – “for my wife; she’s pregnant” – although of course we have no idea whether he really is just a plod or not.
- Shows like this always make me think about the guts of buildings and how much we don’t usually pay attention to that.
- I enjoy how John gets more and more dishevelled over the course of the film.
- “Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs… “
- Poor Al didn’t deserve to have a body land on his car.
- I am fascinated by the narrative choice to give us so much insight into Hans’ plans – that he expected, indeed needed, police intervention, and so on.
- The media interlude is… weird. Why do we suddenly have a rogue reporter arguing with his network? Seems like an unnecessary addition to the narrative.
- “Enough plastic explosives to orbit Arnold Schwarzenegger” – it’s only 1988 and Arnie is already being referenced.
- Holly’s early interaction with Hans is perfection.
- 1988 is such a different time in terms of dealing with suspected terrorism. The response of the police boss on-site is wild – the fact that he’s allowed to be making that decision! And Al and John both know it’s terrible, showing that they are the smart ones.
- Ellis’ cocaine-fuelled greed-is-good attempt at negotiation always makes me want to punch something.
- … I have just realised that Al is the Sam Gamgee of the film.
- The way Hans manipulates the police expectations of terrorists… so clever.
- Ah, Agents Johnson. More fabulous stereotypes.
- I love the melodrama of Hans pretending not to be Hans. And his accent is hilarious.
- It’s hard to express how much I loathe the reporter and his approach to the McClane household. The reporter is more loathsome than Hans.
- Even when I recognise a trope like “the hero is wounded and we’re not sure if he can continue,” I still enjoy and appreciate it, especially here: pulling glass out of your foot, being exhausted – Willis plays it so well.
- Al’s tragic background… I mean, I get its copaganda, but it’s still touching.
- The irony of “Ode to Joy” as the vault opens – for the villains – is magnificent.
- This film does not love the FBI.
- Jumping off the roof, attached to the fire hose? Iconic.
- It’s such a great use of Argyle and his limo.
- This is 5 years after Wrath of Khan. Do we think “HAAAANS” is modelled after “KHAAAAAN”?
- The watch!
- Hans’ face, as he falls, is truly THE scene.
- Naw, the bromance of John and Al. Adorable.
- … and the resurrection of Karl is so unexpected. Does Al need this sort of violent redemption? I personally don’t think so, but then I’m not an American living in the 1980s.
- Holly punching the reporter, though, is basically justified.
His only contribution: hey. the villains’ theme is “Ode to Joy”!
Predator
This is only the second time I’ve seen the film – and the first time was last year. I don’t even remember how it came up, then, that I had never seen it – and my darling was horrified and I think we were watching it 60 seconds later. Thus I am still having some early reactions to the film!
My near-stream of consciousness notes:
- America in Central America, 1987: what a time.
- I didn’t recognise Arnie for a moment; he’s so small!
- I’m way more interested in Carl Weathers.
- I really enjoy the way these 1980s action films set up the caricatures within the team. Dutch is the leader, refuses jobs that don’t fit his remit (we’re a rescue team); there’s a Latino, a geek (white, obvs), a scary black guy, a Native American (I assume; after all, they use him as a tracker, and it’s the 1980s – and he’s played by a actor descending from Cherokee and Seminole nations), a tough white guy – and those really are their characters.
- Also, the “jokes” very much … of their time.
- I like the way the cinematography emphasises the claustrophobic nature of the jungle, with plants right in the fore of early shots.
- The skinned bodies are probably more graphic than a run-of-the-mill action film would include today.
- The introduction of the Predator’s IR vision is magnificent. Using first-person is inspired.
- It’s a more clever narrative than I initially expected: the rescue mission – which itself isn’t at all straightforward – and then the Predator as a completely seperate issue.
- It’s very violent. Honestly, the extended fire fight against the guerrillas is quite boring.
- Random woman as a hostage… doesn’t really serve much purpose except to slow them down. She seems like a mostly pointless inclusion, except that she gets to witness Geek Boy’s death. (And probably providing an inspiration for Prey.)
- The (non)-appearance of the Predator is also fantastic; and then the first time we actually see the Predator, he’s fixing a wound.
- Scary Black Guy Mack’s sudden emotional reaction to the Tough White Guy’s death feels weirdly out of place – for the character, and for the film.
- “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”
- OK, Anna isn’t so pointless after all. She’s cool.
- Scary Black Guy becomes Loony Black Guy. Yay terrible caricatures.
- Why does Carl Weathers have his shirt off? It’s really not clear.
- Last Stand of the Brave but Loony Native American. Yeesh.
- I do like the Smart Action Hero Arnie gets to play here: using Anna rather than seeing her as useless; realising the Predator comes through the trees, and that the Clever hides him; setting traps.
- Although setting a fire in the evening does rather defeat the “it hunts using IR” realisation. Atmospheric, though.
- The film would have been better to be about 10 minutes shorter. The extended fight scenes are just too much.
- The removal of the Predator’s helmet? Amazing. It is truly an exceptionally designed creature.
- Ah, the final fight, hand to hand, like true warriors.
- There’s no reason for the Predator to understand, let alone use, evil laughter.
- “Arnie in the mist.”
- I really like that no explanation is given for the Predator.
His notes:
- Opening sequence, spaceship on a stick… worse than Star Wars … but 10 years later.
- The arm wrestle… the making of many a meme.
- Choppers into the jungle, what could go wrong…
- Those ‘jokes’!
- Nothing says 80s action like underslung grenade launchers and shooting from the hip, despite this being 100% unrealistic.
- We start with war paint, we end with war paint (mud)
My thoughts overall: I really like this film. It’s completely of its time, it’s clearly one of the inspirations for The Expendables, it’s mostly a vehicle for Arnie but basically rises above that. Worth watching!
John McTiernan
On a recent re-watch of The Hunt for Red October, I realised that the director was John McTiernan – who also directed Die Hard. I am not someone who pays much attention to directors, with a few very famous exceptions. So I was curious what else he had directed. And thus I came across the list:
- Nomads (not watching)
- Predator
- Die Hard
- Hunt for Red October
- Medicine Man
- Last Action Hero
- Die Hard: With a Vengeance
- Thomas Crown Affair
- the 13th Warrior
- Rollerball
- Basic
Nomads we decided looked a bit too horror for our tastes. Neither of the last two films are available on streaming and the Rotten Tomatoes statistics for each of them are beyond woeful. But that still leaves an intriguing eight films…
(Last Action Hero is also not on streaming! And nor is The Thomas Crown Affair! Those just seem weird but also I don’t mind spending $5 renting them.)
Die Hard, by Jon Lewis
I received this c/ the publisher, Bloomsbury.
Yes, this is a book. No, it’s not the book that Die Hard the movie is based on. (Yes, at least to some degree the movie is kinda based on a book. Ish.) Yes, this is an academic-ish take on the movie. Yes, I received this just in time for Christmas, and yes I am Gen X enough that this fact made me giggle-snort.
In under 100 pages, Jon Lewis situates the movie Die Hard within Reagan-era politics and economics. The way it sits within an America still coming to grips with its loss in Vietnam and the events of the American embassy in Tehran, among other things. And the way Americans view terrorism and terrorists, too, and how that connects to Hans and his crew – these things may not have been directly in McTiernan’s mind, but the zeitgeist is real.
The book also situates the film within the larger action movie oeuvre, and situates John Maclaine alongside and against other action-movie heroes. I did not know that the director also did Predator (and The Hunt for the Red October)! I had no idea that the white ribbed singlet – the wife-beater – so iconically (for me) worn by Maclaine was first made iconic by Brando in A Streetcar named Desire. But I can absolutely see how the libertarian hero – often but not always affected by experiences in Vietnam – were a significant feature of this moment in American cinema. The “hard-body” heroes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger are different from the slighter Willis – what that means for relatability is interesting – and I had no idea that Maclaine’s pithy quips almost certainly derive at least in part from Willis’ TV detective.
Lewis spends a surprising amount of time recounting the beats of the film – surprising because I assume no one is picking this book up who hasn’t already watched the film (possibly several times, maybe not necessarily at Christmas) – but does usually tie this narrative recounting in to his theorising. My one significant gripe is that in listing the “whammies” – the moments of violence that punctuate the story – Holly’s punching of the reporter isn’t mentioned. It’s not as excessively violent as other moments, and it doesn’t kill anyone, but it’s definitely a shock. And one of the threads that Lewis follows throughout is the question about whether Maclaine is a decent husband (no), and – I think by extension – a decent father. This moment shows Holly getting to defend the kids, rather than Maclaine.
Anyway: if you or someone you know has a habit of watching Die Hard for Christmas, or quoting any of the eminently quotable one-liners at dubiously appropriate moments, and they don’t mind a bit of broader cultural discussion this is likely to be a good book for them.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Via Apple.
The cast is wonderful, the filming is fabulous, and I love it very much. This might be my favourite Macbeth.
The weird sisters:
- First appearance:
- The first speech is just narration to a black screen… until suddenly it’s a cloudy sky, with three birds circling, and then it’s NOT the sky but sandy ground.
- Brief interlude to Duncan hearing about the battle, and then back to the witches…
- Except it’s not a trio: it’s one woman, a contortionist with an amazing voice and honestly she’s the most terrifying witch I’ve seen yet.
- She seems to be on the battlefield, and she squawks like a crow – the symbolism is glorious.
- And when she speaks to Macbeth, she’s in front of a pool of water – with two versions of her reflected. And her voice is echoed to sound like more than one person…
- And then her two reflections leave the pool and come to stand next to her!
- Second appearance:
- Three figures in the ceiling, looking down at Macbeth – he hasn’t had to go looking for them.
- There are multiple voices, but only one face.
- “Double, double” is put here, as a way of calling the witch’s master. All ingredients thrown into a pool of water that’s in the castle.
- The emphasis on “no more” was some ominous foreshadowing.
Macbeth:
- First appearance: walking out of the sun, into our view: that’s a symbol. In appropriately worn medieval-ish battle dress
- Second appearance: There’s love for Lady Macbeth, but it’s more restrained than in some other versions. Possibly because they’re much older?
- I think this is my favourite version of the “he’s here in double trust” speech. Washington isn’t a coward, he’s being rational and thinking it all through.
- I like Washington’s thoughtfulness as Macbeth. I do think it’s about age; he would be much less convincing as an impetuous, ambitious man. Which is not to say that he is emotionless: his anger at the idea that Fleance might be the reason he has soiled his soul is real.
- Macbeth seeing Banquo, post-death, is preceded by a crow flapping down the hall… and then when he is fighting Banquo, it turns out to be a crow. Like the crow the witches appeared to turn into at the start….
- Unravelling terribly as the English army approaches.
- He’s so tired by the time the English arrive. And resigned to fate. The way he hears that Macduff was untimely rip’d… again, I think it’s age.
Lady Macbeth:
- First appearance: Long pale dress walking down a long, bright corridor. Hair is a crown.
- Her use of fainting is beautifully timed.
- As queen: she is now in a dark dress, beautifully embroidered. Hair still up in a crown, with an actual crown added to it.
- After the Banquo hallucination, she gives Macbeth a cup of wine and adds a drop of… something… and then the next thing we know, it’s “Tomorrow” and Macbeth wakes up and sees the witches. So… playing into Lady M as a witch herself…
- And then when she comes in to him, her hair is in a rough plait and very messy.
- We actually see her once more, briefly, just before the army arrives – and Ross sees her too, and approaches her… menacingly…
Bean there, Done that: The Island (2005)
I might have seen this twice? Maybe I saw it at the cinema? I have no clear recollection. Unlike Ronin, though, I know I have seem it.
- It has such a spectacular opening: the idyllic boat ride, the terrifying maybe-drowning, waking up in the whiteness of the bed… also, Ewan and Scarlett. SO hot in 2005… and also in 2025.
- I had forgotten this was a Michael Bay! Lots of blue already.
- Michael Clarke Duncan!
- And THERE’S Bean: Dr Merrick. Maybe a psych? Certainly a top person. And Lincoln knows that needing to see him means there’s something wrong…
- I adore his office. The art, the architecture, the desk-as-screen.
- His glasses are amazing – so early 21st century: frameless, rectangular.
- Slicked back hair, short of course.
- McGregor’s accent is very confused.
- (Steve Buscemi!)
- A pod with “Merrick something” on it, with a human inside… so Dr Merrick is the person in charge then. And thus we discover that the facility is making humans, and the whole “surviving a catastrophe” thing is a lie.
- The xbox boxing arena is terrifying.
- Bean sitting in his room, alone, to watch the Lottery: fireplace, high ceilings, very different from the rest of the place.
- McGregor gets to the area he’s not meant to be in… and then Bean sees him on the security footage and loses his nut.
- Bean does coldly furious very nicely.
- Finally realised who Jones Three Echo is: Neelix, from Star Trek: Voyager.
- Bean selling his product to rich people: the ability to grow a body that will provide organs, and promising that all bodies are vegetative, rather than aware.
- But apparently without living, the organs fail. Which… seems unlikely, but it’s a good story.
- (Djimon Hounsou! Oh. Except he’s a bit evil. Well, a security consultant anyway.)
- Hearing the original Tom Lincoln with Ewan M’s actual accent is wild.
- Bean announces that because of the defect – developing curiosity – four product lines are going to be… eliminated.
- And then he shows that he has a god complex, and that he has convinced himself his ‘products’ have no souls.
- (Dijon Hounsou comes good!)
- Bean actually gets his hands dirty, going after Lincoln with a gun! Fisticuffs ensue.
- Also his hair gets mussed.
- And then he dies because their fight means he ends up hanged.
- Everyone gets out, and now there’s going to be a terrible problem with famous people having clones hanging around, plus they all need to be taught how to live in the world… but that’s not the problem of this film.
- Thing I just realised: I know it’s a completely different situation, but there’s definitely a similarity between this and Severance. Innies and outies.
Verdict: Corporate villain. Even the starting point of his journey – wanting to provide organs for rich people so they can live longer – is grotesque: there’s no suggestion that he starts from a particularly altruistic position. And then willingly keeping conscious humans in prison for his own greed? Evil.
Movies: 5. Beans dead: 4.
Bean there, done that: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Takes a while to get to Boromir, but that’s ok. We know he’s on the way. Just need to get through the birthday party (not my favourite part of the story), the events in Bree, and the disaster at Weathertop. And THEN we get to Rivendell, and the Council of Elrond.
- Boromir’s entrance is glorious: hair flowing, shield on back, horse looking epic. The very picture of a warrior.
- The hair doesn’t look too bad: not as long as in Patriot Games, at least. And it suits the pseudo-medieval feel of the world.
- Boromir goes wandering, admiring art, meets Aragon… and realises who Aragorn is.
- Already we see some of Boromir’s trouble; ambition, a desire to be great, feeling overwhelmed by someone he thinks could be greater than him.
- Bean does stately very well – relating his dream, arguing with Gandalf from the point of view that he understands.
- And then Boromir gets spiteful: Gondor needs no king.
- “One does not simply walk into Mordor” – Boromir gets some of the great meme-worthy lines.
- Boromir shows his worth in accepting the decision of the Council. (Going just from the movie) I see no reason to suggest, from how this part is portrayed, that Boromir has any thought of treachery in this moment. He is committed to following what the others have decided. Partly to make sure Gondor get in on the honour, to be sure, but that’s understandable and not evil in itself.
- I really enjoy the ‘teaching the hobbits to fight’ scene. It’s about the most human Boromir gets to be, rather than the stuffed-shirt warrior – and shows us his connection to Merry and Pippin early on.
- Picking up the ring in the snow: poor Boromir. He’s far more fallible than he wants to be. (Also Bean plays this scene really nicely.)
- “This is no mine; it’s a tomb” – another great line.
- Nobody can doubt Boromir’s courage, with the way he goes wading into the pool to fight the basically-a-kraken.
- And again – as in the snow on Caradhas – Boromir takes care of Merry and Pippin.
- “They have a cave troll” – ngl, always love this moment. Every time.
- Again, in this fight Boromir shows his true worth; he is a skilled and fierce warrior.
- And again: crossing the broken stairs, Boromir jumps with Merry and Pippin.
- I knew all of these moments but I had never really put them together before. It’s quite lovely, actually.
- (Dwarves should be spoken to about the concept of balustrades, though.)
- It’s Boromir who holds Frodo back when Gandalf is about to fall – which makes sense: he’s probably the least connected to Gandalf of any of the Fellowship.
- When everyone is having a weep, Boromir comforts Gimli. And when Aragorn is being a tough leader, Boromir is the one who pleads to let them have a moment, “for pity’s sake.”
- Boromir’s gentle words to Frodo, about not carrying he weight of the dead, are revealing of who he could have been, with more encouragement.
- Ah Lothlorien. Poor Boromir’s background gives him no way of dealing with so many elves at once, and certainly not the power and majesty of Galadriel.
- What makes Boromir distraught is also revealing – the fear that Gondor is failing, that his father’s strength is failing, and what that will mean for his people and his city.
- And for just a moment, Boromir acknowledges Aragorn as king, and that his return to the city will be exactly what they need.
- Bean plays distraught well.
- I have never noticed that Boromir doesn’t get a special gift (aside from a cloak) from Galadriel.
- Boromir’s boat has Merry and Pippin in it.
- I don’t blame Boromir for trying to convince Aragorn to go via Gondor. He has so much faith in the strength of his people, and it blinds him to alternatives – and to Gondor’s failings.
- I like that Boromir is collecting firewood – he’s not too proud to do menial work.
- “You are not yourself” – this is the key, and Frodo knows it: the ring is using Boromir’s best qualities and twisting them.
- Bean plays the changing emotions in this section beautifully.
- And Boromir gets one glorious last stand. Protecting Merry and Pippin.
- He does a marvellous death scene, Bean.
- Boromir and Aragorn’s last scene is a beautiful one. It’s a cliche, the deathbed clarity, but I don’t care: “I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king.”
- Farewell Boromir, over the Falls of Rauros you go.
Verdict: A valiant warrior, let down by his upbringing (OK, so I know that from the rest of the trilogy, whatever) and ultimately susceptible to the ring precisely because he wants to bring glory and honour to his city-state and can’t see the broader picture.
Movies: 4. Beans dead: 3.
Bean there, done that: Ronin (1998)
I have absolutely no idea when I watched this film. I wouldn’t have seen it at the cinema, so it will have been at home sometime… something like two decades ago??
So, it’s a heist…
- Sean Bean is Spence, one of the men employed to retrieve a case.
- He seems to be ex-military, and calls himself “a weapons man.” Pretty sure that’s not an innuendo. At least, not in this context.
- (It’s a pretty great cast: I am indifferent towards De Niro, myself, but that’s a very young Stellan Skarsgard, and I often love Jean Reno. I recognise Natascha McElhone but I have no idea from where. And
Elliot CarverJonathan Pryce. ) - He’s English, and has short hair again (I approve). He’s also super nervy, and likes to big-note himself.
- Suddenly Spence is taking over the gun-buying operation? And he’s very jumpy. This seems like a very bad idea.
- It was. Sniper on the bridge, everybody shooting… Spence is very cranky. Absolutely no self-control.
- And then, when they’re back in the car, he’s manic: pleased and excited way out of proportion.
- And then he vomits. Is he high?
- I had completely forgotten how epic the driving is in this film. I know it’s what the film is known for, but knowing is different from seeing.
- Spence then tries to take over the briefing… but Sam / De Niro calls him, and there’s a scuffle, out of which Spence looks very poor. It’s beginning to sound like Spence isn’t the military man he claims to be.
- And so he is let go. With a stark warning about needing to forget the people he was working for.
- Wait, is that the end of Sean Bean in this film??
Oh well. Bean has left the building.
Continue reading →Bean there, done that 2: GoldenEye (1995)
I am well known for being a sucker for James Bond. But this post will be about Alec Trevelyan, I SWEAR.
Having said that, the opening shot – rappelling down a dam wall – is SPECTACULAR.
- The introduction of Alec, as 006 and speaking Russian and interacting with Bond, is glorious.
- And once again, Bean is proficient with weapons. There’s a lot of shooting.
- We’re back to an English accent, and a pretty posh one at that.
- Also, short hair. A much better look.
- Alec wanting to be all noble and self-sacrificial… and getting his way, as he gets shot by the Russian officer.
- “For England!” – what a difference from Patriot Games.
- (It’s a good thing James Bond lives in an alternate universe where gravity works differently, is all I’ll say about the conclusion to the prologue. Also, Tina Turner’s song is one of the great Bond themes… written by Bono and The Edge??)
- NINE YEARS LATER…
- (Famke Janssen deserved better. As did basically every other woman in the Bond franchise, I know. But this is from 1995 and it feels like it’s 1975. Urgh.)
- (Alan Cummings is hilarious, and provides one of my favourite lines.)
- We go for quite a long period without seeing Bean again, for all that he’s listed at the top of the film as “starring”.
- (Eeee Dame Judi! She is absolutely one of the key reasons for why the franchise was able to transition to the 21st century. She’s only 60 in this film.)
- (Eee Desmond Llewelyn. *Hearts* – he’s 80 in this film.)
- (And Robbie Coltrane! … such a good cast.)
- And then BOOM: “hello James” – Alec is back, this time with a scarred face, and is the terrifying arms dealer, Janus, whom Bond has been searching for.
- Turns out he’s the son of Lienz Cossacks who were betrayed by the British and then died in a murder/suicide; he has been planning for betrayal for years.
- His posh accent is glorious in this context.
- Long tank/car chase and we’re finally back to Alec, on a very fancy train (whoa, Snowpiercer connection!).
- Alec forces his attentions on Natalya, cementing his position as a villain.
- Bean rocks a suit very well.
- Seems that Alec is driven more by money than any philosophy or political ideology.
- And then we’re off to Cuba.
- Alec has a surprisingly sophisticated set-up for a secret base.
- He’s far more suave than the Sean of Patriot Games – which is no surprise, given their respective backgrounds.
- Oh and he’s targeting London? How original. And he’s going to steal all the money from the Bank of England and then wipe all the records via his EMP? uhuh.
- Villains should know better than to monologue when they have their enemy in their sights.
- Alec falls off the antenna structure; Bond catches his foot, and then lets him fall, in a nice(?) echo of the opening scene (rappelling down the dam wall).
- And despite landing on his back from a very great height, what actually kills Alec is the antenna falling on him.
Verdict: Unquestionably A Bad Guy. (He’s presumably been a useful 00 agent for MI6 before his betrayal of the organisation, but he ends his life as an immoral arms dealer and bank robber who is happy to create chaos for money.)
Movies: 2. Beans dead: 2
Randomly Yours, Alex 