The Paperboy

Lee Daniels' follow up to his heart-wrenching Precious is set in the south of Florida in the late 60s, during the time of the Civil Rights movement. Whilst civil rights is not the main theme, they do provide a great background to the motivations of some of the film's characters.

The Paperboy follows idealistic writer Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) and his younger brother Jack (Zac Efron) as they try to clear a man who they believe was wrongly convicted of murder. Helping them are Ward's writing partner Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo), a black British writer, and Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), a woman who writes love letters to convicts. The brothers' father (Scott Glen) is the distributor of the Miami Times in their small town.

The group meet with the suspected killer, Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack), who seems indifferent to the fact that he is on death row, but maintains his innocence. Ward follows up on every single lead but can't seem to find any solid evidence to say that Van Wetter didn't commit the crime. Regardless of this, Yardley returns to Miami and runs the story in the Times. Van Wetter is let free from prison where he reconnects with Charlotte. Ward, who was mutilated by two sadistic men, and Jack are left to their own devices.

Daniels' does his best with a well-rounded cast. McConaghey shines as Ward Jansen and it is good to see him using his southern accent to use. Efron has come a far way from his High School Musical days and gives Jack a confused vulnerability that really works. The main star of this film, however, is Nicole Kidman. She really showcase her range as an actor. Her scenes with Cusack are, while disturbing, are amazing.

John Cusack has long been a favourite of mine and I was excited to see him in this. His portrayal of the villainous Van Wetter is as amazing as it is haunting. You could really believe that he is a murderous psychopath. This is the third film of the year that I have seen David Oyelowo in (the other two being Jack Reacher and Lincoln) and I have to say that he's growing on me. In each of these movies, he plays vastly different characters and I'm looking forward to seeing him in future projects.

Daniels shot this film in 16mm film and it really works. It suits the time period and the occasional blowout of light makes it look fantastic and real (as well as raw). It was a bold choice choosing this format and really pays off.

The soundtrack of this film is also superb. The use of contemporary soul and R&B music really lent to both the time period and setting.

Verdict: Although the story can be a little lacking at times, the drawcard here are the performances, especially from Nicole Kidman.