Munich

A Steven Spielberg movie, Munich is a film that was "inspired by real events". What this means is the story gains some credibility, but you need to go and learn about those events for yourself to have any idea where fiction takes the place of fact. No bad thing.

The story begins with a Palestinian terrorist cell, Black September, taking a group of Israeli athletes hostage at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Then the bulk of the film is an account of the Israeli response and it's effects on the men tasked with carrying it out. From here on, things start to feel a little bit James Bond, as we're led through a series of assassinations and escapes. These actions start out quite restrained, but escalate in their scale and audacity with each outing. Where Munich should be commended is in that it maintains a serious approach to the violence and avoids glamorising the action, even when tense and dramatic.

Although told from an Israeli perspective, the script does briefly touch on the way these events affected the Palestinians. During the initial attack, at the games, we're shown the families of the hostages and of the terrorists and get to observe their reactions as they watch events unfold on television. There is also a scene where our "heroes" meet a terrorist cell and a conversation takes place where they get to describe their side of it. It's a nod towards consideration of the motivation of the men who kicked off this episode of the Arab-Israeli conflict, but I didn't feel it was given much breathing space.

The film is definitely well made. It's well acted, with Eric Bana in the lead and another notable appearance from Daniel Craig. The direction is up to Spielberg's usual high standard and the budget he commands is evident in the way large sets are dressed suitably for the period. However, I didn't end up feeling the movie contributed much of anything new. I don't think it's one that will stand out for me a couple of years from now, but I realise that's a personal perspective and other viewers will probably discover different levels of value in the production. For me, it was one more in Spielberg's collection of serious films and though well executed, I feel it will lack long term personal impact.

Munich

Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond was clearly made with good intentions. It aims to educate the audience about the illegal diamond trade and how it fuels conflict in Africa, but it does this through the story of three incredibly stereotypical main characters: Leonardo DiCaprio as a white Rhodesian diamond smuggler who wants out, Jennifer Connelly as an American magazine journalist with a heart and Djimon Hounsou as an innocent local exploited by everyone he encounters.

The narrative touches on such important subjects as the use of children as soldiers, the plight of refugees and the behaviour of weapons traders and it doesn't shy away from conveying the brutality of these needless wars. However, as the film attempts to cover so much ground, it often ends up feeling shallow and fails to do justice to the serious subject matter. Some characters appear only long enough to present a moral message, without adding anything to the plot.

The trouble is, the film never manages to rise above the patronising way it delivers these messages and never achieves a level where you really care about the characters. We're supposed to be rooting for Hounsou, as he struggles to relocate his family, but his fisherman's innocence is so overplayed that it destroys any credibility he brings to the role. The guy represents the victims of war, but the fact he can't even grasp the idea of lying makes it difficult to believe he's even a real person.

For me, the only redeeming feature of this film is DiCaprio himself. It's good to see him playing the part of someone you really don't like and amusing to hear him trying out his Zimbabwean accent. He handles the weak script well and makes a slightly more believable character than the others, although the film puts him through a predictable and frankly unnecessary personal transformation, as he does everything he can to locate the blood diamond of the title.

Overall, this film has it's heart in the right place, but really... it's one to miss.

Blood Diamond

Infamous

Myriad stars appear in this pseudo-documentary drama about the author Truman Capote and the events that unfold as he writes his magnum opus. But it's not just a roll call of A-listers. No, Infamous is a vehicle driven by the incredible character of Capote himself, convincingly portrayed by Toby Jones.

Diminutive, effeminate, flamboyant and squeaky, the man is as startling to the viewer as he must have been to the people of the small Kansas town who found him mincing down their Main Street. Just as he wins them over with his star-studded anecdotes, he wins the heart of the viewer when he lowers his defences and lets them in.

This all comes about as Capote sets out to write an article about the effect of a terrible multiple murder on those same townsfolk. As he gets deeper into the case, he pulls all sorts of strings to gain access to the killers and his article turns into a novel. Describing it as a new form of reportage, Capote starts to lose track of whether he's writing fact or fiction and begins to step over the line in his relationship with one of the murderers, excellently played by Daniel Craig.

In the end you're left wondering how true the film's portrayal of events really is, when the film deals with a man who stretches the truth in his own novel. I am interested in seeing how this movie compares to 'Capote', which sees Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead role.

Infamous

Priceless (Hors de Prix)

This was our very first disc from LOVEFiLM and we started with a cracker.

Set on the French Riviera, the story sees Audrey Tautou on top form as the charming, sophisticated, but disingenuous companion of a wealthy older man. A brief encounter with the hotel barman (Gad Elmaleh) throws a spanner in the works and pitches the two stars into an ongoing battle of wits as he fights to win her affections.

The plot reads like your typical rom-com stuff, but the leads bring sass and charisma to the scriptwriters' high class soiree. Tautou does not play the timid, but generous girl of Amelie, but more the feisty, manipulative type with an agenda of her own. Elmaleh portrays a naive, lost puppy who learns the art of manipulation himself and soon gets to demonstrate his ability to play a suave, but troubled aristocrat. I'll be adding his other appearances to my must watch list.

Priceless

What Gives?

I've been a film fan and a gamer most of my life. I own hundreds of movies and all the latest hardware, but recently I've been trying to check my entertainment budget and act a bit more like a grown up.

Thankfully, a friend has just saved me from that terrible fate by hooking me up with a three month free trial at LOVEFiLM. Cheap access to masses of films and games? Nice.

So brace yourself for reading about every single disc they send me. Whether a diamond or a lemon, I'll detail each and every one on these very pages.

Cheers,
FD