Kijken naar assholes (over onsympathieke televisiepersonages)

Posted on 2 oktober 2011 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Ik kan me vergissen, maar het lijkt in televisieseries een trend te zijn om van de bad guys de hoofdpersonen te maken. Kijken naar slechteriken kan heerlijk zijn; GoodFellas is en blijft mijn favoriete film aller tijden. In veel hedendaagse series zijn de hoofdpersonen drugsdealer (Breaking Bad), seriemoordenaar (Dexter), demoon (True Blood), of een combinatie van deze identiteiten.

Toch, heb ik gemerkt, zijn er voor mijzelf grenzen aan wat ik kan tolereren aan ‘inappropriate behaviour’ van een personage. Bij de pilot van de serie Sons of Anarchy bijvoorbeeld, over een Amerikaanse motorbende, ben ik direct afgehaakt omdat ik het geweld onprettig en ondienstig vond. De personages kon ik werkelijk niet uitstaan. In de serie hebben twee motorbendes een conflict; de Mayans en de Sons of Anarchy uit de titel. De eerstgenoemde groep heeft automatische wapens gestolen van de tweede groep en deze gaan ze terughalen. Er vallen vier doden onder de Mayans.

Het moment van afhaken was het feit dat de hoofdpersoon een dynamietstaaf in de kont van een zojuist door hem vermoord bendelid stak en hem aanstak. Is dat zo’n groot probleem? Immers, in The Sopranos en Oz zitten alleen maar moordenaars en van die series heb ik absoluut genoten. Toch is er een verschil tussen deze series en Sons of Anarchy. Iemand vermoorden is één ding, maar een dynamietstaaf in iemands kont steken na zijn dood getuigt van dermate weinig respect voor het leven dat zo’n persoon zelf geen reet meer waard is. Wat kan het mij ná dit incident nog schelen of dit personage leeft of sterft? Niks.

That’s not cool, man.

Toch is dit naïviteit aan mijn adres. Tony Soprano was geen haar beter dan de hoofdpersoon uit Sons of Anarchy. Hij vermoordde mensen voor geld of uit impulsieve woede, gaf geen moer om hun overgebleven families en als hij de kans zag te profiteren van iemand misère, twijfelde hij geen moment. Toch zat er een soort dualiteit in zijn personage, die hem ogenschijnlijk een schrijntje menselijkheid meegaf. Sons of Anarchy verhult de kwaadaardigheid van zijn hoofdpersonen niet: Dit zijn ze, mensen. Als ze dit al doen in de eerste aflevering, dan weet je direct waar je aan toe bent. In de pilot van The Sopranos ging hoofdpersoon Tony Soprano zwemmen met de eendjes. Zijn werkelijke aard kwam pas later aan bod.

Voor TV-makers zit het hem dus vooral in de aanpak. Tony had vaak vijanden die nog verdorvener als hemzelf waren. Ook deed hij af en toe iets dat okay was. Zo was hij een groot liefhebber van dieren, ging hij gezellig pizza eten met zijn zoon (vlak voor een koelbloedige liquidatie overigens) en hielp hij financieel een vriend die in de problemen zat. Dus TV-makers, als jullie naïevelingen zoals mij willen behouden nemen jullie The Sopranos als voorbeeld en tonen jullie niet het slechtste van de mens in ruwe vorm. Tenminste niet direct in het begin. Gewoon een vriendelijk advies.

Jeppe Kleyngeld

Blow

Posted on 12 juni 2011 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Ted Demme
Written by: Bruce Porter (book), David McKenna (screenplay), Nick Cassavetes (screenplay)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths

Year / Country: 2001, USA
Running Time: 118 mins.

Biopic about George Jung, perhaps the biggest American cocaine smuggler of all time. The movie begins with George’s youth in Massachusetts, where he sees his dad working his ass off and ending up poor anyway. He decides he wants to become rich. George moves to California in the late sixties where he becomes a huge marijuana dealer and importer.

After the death of his girlfriend and a prison sentence he picks up a new trade; importing cocaine. After not too long, he is dealing directly with Pablo Escobar and his Medellín Cartel. 85 percent of all cocaine used in the United States in that time – the disco eighties – now comes from Jung. Then he meets a new love interest: the Colombian Mirtha (Cruz). This means trouble mildly put. In addition to that, a conflict ensues with his business partner and Jung is headed for the end. His empire was built too swiftly; the foundations were not strong enough.

Within the rise and fall crime biopic genre, Blow is a successful addition. It leans a bit heavy on GoodFellas with the voice-over, the soundtrack, the editing and casting (Ray Liotta plays Jung’s dad), but after a while you notice that Blow is not just another rip-off gangster movie. It is about a man and the choices he makes. In displaying that, the movie succeeds because ultimately it touches you where it matters; in the heart.

Rating:

Biography: Ted Demme (1963, New York – 2002, Santa Monica) was an American film director and producer. His career had modest beginnings – starting as a production assistant at MTV, he later created the cable network’s seminal hip-hop show Yo! MTV Raps. Later, he directed several movies, TV episodes and documentaries. He frequently worked with Denis Leary and was the nephew of movie director Jonathan Demme. In 2002, one year after directing the successful Blow, he died from an accidental cocaine induced thrombotic heart attack. He was only 38 years old.

Filmography: Yo! MTV Raps (1988, TV series) / No Cure for Cancer (1992, TV doc) / The Bet (1992, short) / Who’s the Man? (1993) / The Ref (1994) / Beautiful Girls (1996) / Homicide: Life on the Street (1994-96, TV episodes) / Gun (1997, TV episode) / SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground (1997, TV segment) / Denis Leary: Lock ‘N Load (1997, TV) / Snitch (1998) / Life (1999) / Action (1999, TV episode) / Blow (2001) /
A Decade Under the Influence (2003, doc)

State of Grace (1990)

Posted on 4 januari 2011 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

‘The Irish Mob in New York’

Directed by:
Phil Joanou

Written by:
Dennis McIntyre

Cast:
Sean Penn (Terry Noonan), Ed Harris (Frankie Flannery), Gary Oldman (Jackie Flannery), Robin Wright (Kathleen Flannery), John Turturro (Nick), Burgess Meredith (Finn), R.D. Call (Pat Nicholson), Joe Viterelli (Borelli), John C. Reilly (Stevie McGuire), Deirdre O’Connell (Irene)

If you are going to make a movie about Irish hoodlums, this is the way to do it. State of Grace is the Irish GoodFellas and that is a major compliment. Its realism stretches far beyond a pint of Guinness and a few songs by The Pogues. The viewer gets treated to a real sense of what Hell’s Kitchen and its inhabitants are like.

The movie begins with Irish cop Terry Noonan (Sean Penn) returning to his old neighbourhood – Hell’s Kitchen, now named Clinton (!) – to perform an undercover job. His mission is to infiltrate the Irish gang run by Frankie Flannery (Ed Harris) and terminate it before a dangerous alliance is formed with the Italian Mafia. His former best friend, Frankie’s brother Jackie (Gary Oldman), is also a member of the gang. Noonan also rekindles an old flame with Kathleen, sister of the Flannery’s. He is quickly torn between his loyalty to his friends and his official mission.

The story may sound a little cliché, which it is, but State of Grace does have a couple of surprises to offer. What makes the film really work is the striking environment it shows and the flesh and blood characters that live in it. Poverty, crime, drugs and alcohol tore this neighbourhood apart. The misery caused by this is in these characters’ DNA and determines everything they do.

A proper gangster movie usually has a crazy, hot headed, loose cannon character (think Joe Pesci’s Tommy in GoodFellas). In this film, Gary Oldman plays that role. His Jackie is one seriously disturbed – and often funny – wacko. His performance is the best thing about State of Grace, but the other cast members are excellent as well. Robin Wright adds to the heart of the film as a caring young woman who wants to improve things, but can’t – not with these people in her life. Penn is also solid in the lead as the conflicted Noonan and so is Harris as the ice-cold gang boss Frankie Flannery.

The movie ends with a The Wild Bunch-like shoot-out. This might be a bit of an odd choice for ending this particular movie with, but it still works nicely. Director Joanou uses beautiful, slow motion bullet hits mixed with St. Patrick Day parade images to create a terrific and blood boiling sequence. If you are looking for a gangster film that almost matches Scorsese’s finest work, look no further.

Rating:

Quote:
FRANKIE FLANNERY: “If I don’t call you by two o’clock or Pat don’t call you, you come in and tear ‘em apart, the spaghetti still on their spoons.”

Trivia:
The word ‘fuck’ and variation are used 210 times in the film.

GoodFellas (1990)

Posted on 30 mei 2010 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

‘Three Decades of Life in the Mafia’

Directed by:
Martin Scorsese

Written by:
Martin Scorsese (screenplay)
Nicolas Pileggi (book ‘Wiseguy’ / screenplay)

Cast:
Ray Liotta (Henry Hill), Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), Robert De Niro (James ‘Jimmy’ Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), Frank Sivero (Frankie Carbone), Tony Darrow (Sonny Bunz), Mike Starr (Frenchy), Frank Vincent (Billy Batts), Chuck Low (Morris ‘Morrie’ Kessler)

GoodFellas tells the story of the 30 year lasting involvement of the Irish/Italian Henry Hill (Liotta) in the New York Mafia. It is based on the real life story of Henry Hill who went into the witness protection programme and described his experiences in the bestseller ‘Wiseguy’ by Nicolas Pileggi. Scorsese starts his movie with a most memorable scene playing in the seventies. The brutal murder of Gambino mobster Billy Batts at the hands of Hill’s feared associates Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and Tommy De Vito (Pesci). ‘As far as back as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster’ is Hill’s classic voice-over response. Later in the film when we return to this scene, we will learn that this is the point where things are taking a downturn for Henry and his pals. Batts was a made guy and killing him could get them all whacked when discovered.

After this extremely violent scene of great impact we are glued to our seats and the film takes off at an enormous pace. We flash back to the fifties, a glorious time for the wiseguys in Brooklyn. In a sort of documentary style Hill describes his fascination with the Mafia and how he worked his way up into that world of glory, power and violence. It isn’t until long before Hill becomes an accepted and even very popular associate of the most violent crew in the neighborhood. The crew is headed by Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino). His mentor becomes Jimmy Conway, an Irishman who like Henry can never become a ‘made guy’ because of his Irish blood. They are respected because they know how to earn, the greatest virtue a wiseguy can have. With the respect they get, they gain in power. They never have to wait in line anywhere and when they enter a club they get treated like movie stars with muscle.

After Henry’s youth is covered, there are basically three distinctive parts that follow: the glory days, in which Henry and his enterprising friends make giant scores, live the luxury life and still appear to have somewhat of innocence left. In these days Henry also meets his future wife Karen who gets a voice-over of her own, commenting on the Mafia life from the wives perspective. In the part that follows things start to slip. Sloppy and often unnecessary murders take place, largely due to psychopath Tommy. Henry and Jimmy have to face a long prison sentence and drugs make their entry. The final part consists of Henry’s paranoid cocaine trip leading to his arrest and downfall as a mobster.

The beauty of GoodFellas lies partly in its innovative use of cinematic techniques that not only help to tell the story as effectively as possible, but add to the immensely entertaining experience that watching this film is. Scorsese uses as many tricks as the running time allows him: freeze-frames, tracking shots, jump-cuts, pov-shots and extensive use of voice-over. It all fits perfectly in the narrative. Not one image feels even slightly misplaced, not one note of music mismatched, not one delivery of dialogue that doesn’t look and sounds flawless and effortless. Scorsese makes us feel what the characters feel by cleverly using cinematic language and succeeding brilliantly in making us part of Henry’s world.

Then there is the authenticity of the film that is just plain brilliance. Scorsese had the opportunity to observe the wiseguys well in his childhood and is aided by the perfect cast and production designers to bring his vision to the screen. It looks and feels so real that you can almost smell the garlic on De Niro’s breath as he is whispering something in Henry’s ear. The dark Mafia hangouts contrast beautifully with the colorful New York scene as the brutal acts of violence contrast with the family birthdays, christenings and weddings. It is like watching real Mafia footage. The inner workings of the mob are explained in great detail. A fine contribution by author and journalist Nicolas Pileggi who co-wrote the script with Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese and his team have managed to include in this movie what must be the largest number of famous cinematic finds in at least a decade; the mind-blowing steadicam shot of Henry and Karen taking the backdoor of the Copacabana, the shot of Jimmy visibly contemplating the murder of wig-man Morrie, the improvised ‘do you think I’m funny’ scene and the Layla montage of bodies of Lufthansa heist accomplices being found all over the city. Just to mention a few.

In basis, GoodFellas follows the classic rise-and-fall narrative of the gangster film, but in the process recreates an entire narrative technique breaking every rule in the book as it goes along. Storywise it differentiates itself from films such as The Godfather by strictly focusing on the street-level guys. It employs techniques to make you root for the bad guys. Just like the character Jimmy does in the movie. Where drug trade is firmly ruled against by Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, it does indeed cause the demise of the protagonists in GoodFellas. The last half hour is one bad-ass cocaine trip experienced by Hill. Edited with enormous pace and dynamics.

It is hard to say that Pesci steals the show as hot-headed Mafioso because all the performances are so great. But Pesci certainly portrays the most relentless mobster in film history and he justly won an Oscar for the role. De Niro shines in a role more in the background. His behaviorism in the film is so detailed that only that demands multiple viewings. Liotta is the perfect leading man, charismatic and absolutely believable as the likable wiseguy Henry. Lorraine Bracco, as Henry’s counterpart Karen, gives an equally enjoyable and fitting performance.

Altogether GoodFellas really is a masterpiece. Everything about it is stylish and fascinating. It is a richly detailed look into the Italian underworld making us alternately feel fascination and repugnance for the gangsters. The atmosphere is so great that you can watch this film over and over just for the sheer joy and level of experience it lends to. It is the ultimate piece of pop cinema out there. Brilliant at so many levels and some of the finest hours of cinema in my life.

Rating: