Life

For a movie with such a title, this movie is certainly lacking life. Which is really disappointing considering Anton Corbijn made one of the most vibrant and thrilling movies of last year in A Most Wanted Man. Here he attempts to make a film about one of the most promising young film stars of all time, but somehow it just seems flat and one dimensional.

Dennis Stock (Robert Pattinson) is a young photographer who yearns for more than the work he is doing, which is mainly set photography and photos of actors for studios. At a casting party for the movie Rebel Without a Cause, he meets James Dean (Dane DeHaan), with whom he is immediately intrigued. Dennis wants to photograph James, but is met with resistance from both Dean and his agent John Morris (Joel Edgerton). He finally convinces both and goes to New York to take the photos, but struggles to find purpose in them. Meanwhile, James is struggling to keep studio head Jack Warner (Ben Kingsley) happy.

This film feels like it is struggling to show what it is about. To me it seems like they have taken Stock's iconic photos of Dean and slapped a haphazard story around what might have happened during the time they spent together. Through this speculation it's hard to see what actually occurred in the time that Stock and Dean had together, a fact compounded by the fact that Stock died five years ago and Dean over fifty.

Another thing that annoyed me throughout the film was its look. It was all very plastic and shiny. I know that this is the vision of 50s Hollywood we have, all bright colours and chrome, but it even extends to New York and Indiana in the winter. If Corbijn had have gone with a bit more of a grittier look to some of the sets (and you can tell that they are sets), then maybe it could've come across as more convincing.

Even less convincing in this film is the acting, with a few exceptions. While Robert Pattinson may have carried the desperation that the young Stock had with finding work, I found his accent to be incredibly unbearable and he had little chemistry with his co-stars. Dane DeHaan does a fine impersonation of James Dean, what with the mumbles and worried looks, but I feel as though he failed to capture the essence of Dean that comes across in the few movies he did. Joel Edgerton is somewhat likeable as John Morris despite not having a big part and Ben Kingsley doesn't really commit to his role as Jack Warner, but that's something I have come to expect from him. I really wanted to see more of Alessandra Mastronardi as I felt there was a good dynamic between her and DeHaan and it would have been interesting to explore that relationship.

Going back and looking at the actual photos that were the basis of this film gave me more insight into who James Dean was than watching this film. It also made me realise what a good choice it was casting James Franco as Dean over a decade ago.

A Most Wanted Man

Most of John le Carré's novels are fodder for excellent spy movies, this was proven with 2011's Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy. A Most Wanted Man is probably up there with some of the best spy movies and is helped along by a performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman that I will not soon forget.

This film takes a more mechanical approach to the spy game than Tinker Tailor did. There's no guessing or twists about who is a double, but rather focuses on a more straightforward look at modern espionage and the back-room politics that influence it. Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leads a covert team of anti-terrorism agents in Hamburg. Their main objective is to develop sources within the Islamic community to bring down more dangerous targets. They aim to make a young Chechan, Issa Karpov (Grigory Dobrygin), one of these sources by using his lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams).

The plot isn't too complex and is rather easy to follow along with. Writer Andrew Bovell conveys the tensity of the spy game quite well and has written some of the more minor characters, such as Robin Wright's American Martha Sullivan, with just enough intrigue that they are not forgotten within the overall plot.

Director Anton Corbijn is mainly a music video director and that comes through in a lot of the tight, claustrophobic shots that is used throughout the film. There are also some really beautiful long takes that add to the characters emotions.

It feels weird writing about an actor's final performance. This is the first time I've done this and it's extremely hard given that that actor has always been one of my favourites. Philip Seymour Hoffman's intense portrayal of the beleaguered Bachmann is probably one of the finer performances his given although not his best. At times his German accent slipped, but not so much you'd notice. At times you really feel for his character, who is under intense pressure from his superiors.

 Rachel McAdams really surprised me with this dramatic turn. She seemed believable in this intense film and could keep up quite well with other more experienced actors in this genre. Robin Wright was fantastic as well and was a far cry from her character on House of Cards.

Willem Dafoe is an old hand when it comes to a German accent and plays brilliantly through some of the most intense scenes in the film. I was a little disappointed with the underuse of Daniel Brühl who is a great actor, but relegated to the background of most scenes.

Verdict: A great send off for an amazing actor. Hoffman dominates almost all scenes of the movie, even the ones he's not in. The story is gripping and enjoyable.