A Mighty Heart (9/10)
posted in Movie Reviews |
I knew little more than the cursory aspects of the story going into the film. I knew how the story ended, at the very least. I have nothing but respect for movies that are based on true stories, where you know how it will end, that yet managed to somehow capture your attention and keep you intrigued up until said ending. Ultimately, those kinds of movies are held together by character writing/acting. To cite some of the greatest examples of such a challenge, one needs to look no further than Apollo 13 or United 93. While this movie is nowhere near the ambition and scope of those two, it’s still a very well made film. And I must point out one of my favorite things about this film - its overall lack of political motivation or sentiment. Surprisingly, despite the fact that it could easily be steeped full of political and religious statement, is steers clear of such motivations. It remains grounded as a character drama about Mariane Pearl and her experience.
Writing: Like any historical representation film, the challenge in the adaptation is condensing reality into a strong but abbreviated narrative flow. For this film, we are shown roughly a month in time for the events of the film, and it holds together quite well. Some of it is pulled off in terms of filming and editing rather than writing, but the script clearly must have been well assembled from the start. When you know that a couple of the main characters in the story served as advisers to the film, you have to assume at least the major aspects of it is true to life, if not most of it.
Production: Here is a particularly strong aspect of the film. The story is represented in near-documentary form, incorporating much of the real life event (via news clips, etc). It is captured through casual, hand held documentary viewpoints. While it may have worked in United 93, director Paul Greengrasses other uses of hand held docu-style filming has been maddeningly terrible (The Bourne Supremacy, for one). Director Michael Winterbottom pulls off that technique in this film with far more talent than Greengrass does. It’s as if he used a documentary crew that knew how to actually use a camera. The gritty nature of the surroundings - the vast, sprawling city of Karachi, Pakistan - really help sell the reality of the story as well. Many of the investigative aspects of the story are played out in montages that are less interested in the forensic nature of a modern procedural than they are about portraying the chaos of the setting and the methods employed by the investigative teams.
Cast: Angelina Jolie is flat out fantastic in her mostly restrained performance. There’s none of the Lara Croft showmanship at work here. This is an actress who’s inhabiting a very real character. She’s not larger-than-life. Quite the contrary - she’s extremely ordinary. All the choices about the character are made in that frame of mind, from the wardrobe to the (lack of) glamor and make-up. This is an award-worthy performance, like many others that have successfully portrayed a real-life character with such down-to-earth success. Other characters are well rounded by a fine, unassuming cast. Will Patton is the standout supporting actor, who gives his role that serious but borderline amused nature he so often brings to roles. I have no idea how close that is to the real life Randall Bennett, but it works for the film. Dan Futterman does a nice job with his brief role as husband, kidnapped reporter Danny Pearl.
Music: Director Michael Winterbottom had previous worked with composer Michael Nyman, and this time out works with his daughter, relative newcomer Molly Nyman. Co-composer Harry Escott must be her official collaborator, since their credit list reads pretty much identically. The score is appropriately ethnic to the region and works well on an emotional level. It’s no best score of the year contender, but it’s certainly a well made score.
