Enforcement Synopsis: Police officers, Jens (Sumon Sears) and Mike (Jacob Lohmann), are on routine patrol in Svalegården’s ghetto when the news of Talib’s death comes in over the radio, igniting uncontrollable rage and a lust for revenge in the ghetto’s youth, and the two officers must find a way out.
After a tumultuous last few years, audiences’ relationship with police procedurals has evolved for the better. Gone are the days where glorified fantasy narratives prop up police into superhero-esque roles. Filmmakers are instead shifting their focus to portraying the police and their complex quandary of responsibilities, tapping into zeitgeist subject matter like policing ethics and their unbalanced race relations with dramatic impact.
Thankfully, writer/directors Anders Ølholm and Frederik Louis Hviid have constructed a police film for our challenging modern times with Enforcement. While the duo establishes a seemingly-sturdy foundation, their well-meaning efforts ultimately divulge into a cookie-cutter actioner.
If the opening frames were an indicator, Enforcement could have been one of the best police procedurals in some time. Ølholm and Hviid start with an eye for realism, allowing their depictions of day-to-day duties to speak volumes about the police experience. Jens may handle his responsibilities with a semblance of ethics and empathy, but Mike’s volatile behavior represents the violent corruption that has permeated generations of officers (a few challenging frames of abuse land with raw impact). I like that the writer/directors allow their first act to speak without being too overt, reflecting on their potentially-volatile ideas without spelling things out.
It’s a shame that the initial intrigue ultimately goes nowhere. Ølholm and Hviid exhibit more prowess behind the camera than with their screenplay, with the duo ultimately embracing a generic sense of identity once the plot kicks into gear. Despite their ample screentime, neither Jens nor Mike develop into characters with much substance, while the potent depictions of racial discrimination aren’t expanded on as they should be (Mike wrestles with his past misgivings but without much urgency or depth). I wish the duo brought more dimension to the table, but their well-meaning efforts ultimately reduce into standard-issue action fare.
As a taunt actioner, I can see how some audiences could jive with Ølholm and Hviid’s efforts. Their skilled hands implement an assured mixture of shaky-cam footage and intimate tight-frames, portraying violent skirmishes with tension and an eye for real-world impact. That being said, even their directorial strengths can’t overcome the material’s inherent inauthenticity. Enforcement should be the type of film that exists in a state of ambiguity, but Ølholm and Hviid can’t help drifting towards more conventional territory. The second half falters into a series of false frames, wasting pertinent social themes on a script too timid to engage with its own content.
I wouldn’t label Enforcement as a bad film, but I can’t say the film works as intended either. Ølholm and Hviid disappointingly morph their strong conceptual design into been-there-done-that action movie fare.
PhobiasSynopsis: Five dangerous patients, suffering from extreme phobias at a government testing facility, are put to the ultimate test under the supervision of a crazed doctor and his quest to weaponize fear.The film’s story is told in an anthology structure with five directors crafting the six parts.
Anthology storytelling is a complex beast. The idea of multiple filmmakers contributing their own stylistic sections into one narrative has an initial allure, but it seems a majority of these offerings feel every bit of their patchwork design. Recent examples likethe V/H/Sand ABCs of Death films only worked in scattershot windows, never finding the consistency or cohesiveness to pull off their unique set-up.
The latest to attempt the anthology gauntlet Phobias takes a horror lens towards five damaged patients suffering at a government facility. While riddled with inconsistencies, the film’s team of upcoming filmmakers (Camilla Belle, Mariette Go, Joe Still, Jess Varley, and Chris von Hoffman – each writing and directing their own vignettes) craft a fittingly gnarly genre vehicle from their intriguing conceits.
In their efforts to mesh the supernatural with the super-powered, the filmmaker quintet establishes its own macabre identity onscreen. Each vignette utilizes muted color tones and ingenious techniques to maximize the film’s low-budget assets, setting a foreboding sense of atmosphere that permeates through every frame. The five filmmakers continuously impress with their ability to push the premise’s creative elements to their limits. Between the film’s series of haunting specters and bloody encounters, Phobias effectively digs its nails under the audience’s skin.
I also credit the quintet for approaching their subject matter with a sense of humanity. While their stories vary from a content perspective (they range from an isolated man discovering newfound powers to a woman suffering from PTSD), each finds cohesion through the filmmakers’ depictions of mental degradation. I love how the visceral horrors manifest the characters and magnify their deeply-seated traumas, with Phobias operating at its best when connecting itself to the struggles of its societal outsider protagonists.
Phobias is as spirited as they come, but some of its ambitions outstretch the film’s execution. The individual segments fit nicely from an atmospheric and content perspective. I just wish the central narrative took more time to shade in its intriguing ideas. Ruminations centered on mental health struggles and the disenfranchised treatment of outsiders ultimately go nowhere, while the film’s central framing device does little to give these characters presence (the ensemble cast is fine, but the characters feel like empty ciphers). At its 85-minute runtime, Phobias is a bit too slight to reach its more meaningful goals.
I admire what Phobias accomplishes within its genre framework. The quintet of talented filmmakers assembles an enthralling yarn from their limited assets while displaying promise as potential stalwarts in the horror-sphere going forward.
March is finally here! The weather is getting warmer, brighter days appear to be ahead regarding COVID-19, and there’s still a bevy of new releases hitting airwaves. To catch-up with some of the month’s overlooked titles, I am reviving this feature to discuss a few major streaming titles. Let’s get the ball rolling!
HAPPILY – Directed by BenDavid Grabinski
Synopsis: Tom and Janet’s friends are jealous of their lustful relationship. When a visit from a mysterious stranger leads to a dead body, they begin to question the loyalty of their so-called friends.
Diving into marital strife through a subversive lens, BenDavid Grabinski’s writing/directorial debut Happily certainly goes for broke from a conceptual perspective. While his first feature may be an exercise in style over substance, Grabinski’s creative verve discovers several intriguing avenues for audiences to delve into.
Grabinski deserves praise for his thoughtful blend of pitch-black comedy and high-concept storytelling. His trippy detours find adept ways to ruminate on commonplace bickering between couples, often analyzing how two supposed lovers become bitter rivals once frustrations ascend to the surface. Stars Joel McHale and Kerry Bishe strongly sell Tom and Janet’s glowing love, allowing the couple’s initial chemistry to evolve once unique problems arise.
It also helps to have a versatile supporting cast, with sharp comedic players like Paul Scheer, Natalie Morales, and Stephen Root bringing a lively crackle to each frame. Happily always finds avenues to entertain, but I do wish Grabinski instilled a finer thesis. The film’s dive into marital complications lands on surface-level conclusion, relying too-heavily on wordy exchanges and a spelled-out obviousness to tackle interesting ideas (the third act is disappointingly predictable considering what proceeds it).
While relatively simple from a thematic perspective, Happily finds enough purpose within its fusion of well-trudged ideas.
Happily released in theaters and Video On Demand on March 19th.
THE FATHER – Directed by Florian Zeller
Synopsis: Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne (Olivia Coleman), encouragingly introduces. Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne; she can’t make daily visits anymore and Anthony’s grip on reality is unraveling.
Despite its superb awards acclaim, I was somewhat hesitant going into The Father. Plays are one of the toughest pieces of literature to adapt to the screen, with most landing with a staged aroma that doesn’t take advantage of the cinematic platform. Thankfully, writer/director Florian Zeller’s adaptation of his own play strikes a powerful chord with its depictions of dementia.
Zeller’s big-screen transformation keeps intact the play’s minimalistic allures while encompassing a few thoughtful visual touches. Whether it’s a sudden pierce from Ludovico Einaudi’s score or the intimate framing of Anthony’s breakdown, Zeller finds enough clever ways to manifest the character’s mental degradation onto the screen. At the end of the day, this is Anthony Hopkins’s film and he steals every minute of it. Hopkins performance swerves on a swivel, ranging from joyous reflections to intimidating demands on the drop of a dime. It would have been easy for the tortured persona to become a caricature, but Hopkin’s poise and emotional authenticity consistently rings true.
The Father certainly works for what it is, although I am admittedly less high on it than some of my peers. Similar to Still Alice, I do think the movie’s earnest intentions are somewhat limited. The screenplay gives the supporting players little agency outside of the obvious, while the use of clever techniques feels a bit too infrequent to fully re-invent the work’s stagey origins.
That being said, The Father strikes genuine sentiments where it counts, and it should serve as another welcomed reminder of Anthony Hopkins’s storied talents.
The Father released on VOD on March 26th
YES DAY – Directed by Miguel Arteta
Synopsis: Always feeling like they have to say NO to their kids and co-workers, Allison and Carlos decide to give their three kids a YES DAY — where for 24 hours the kids make the rules. Little did they know that they’d be going on a whirlwind adventure around Los Angeles, that would bring the family closer to each other than ever before.
Going into the cartoonishly earnest Yes Day, I was expecting to be lulled to sleep by a queasy mixture of family film contrivances and over-saturated tendencies (let’s face it, most offerings in the genre stick close to a familiar formula). Surprisingly enough, my begrudging pessimism transformed into genuine enjoyment during director Miguel Arteta’s film. Arteta’s brisk effort embraces the genre’s colorful allures while avoiding any mawkish sentimentality.
It helps that the talented cast radiate with charm. Jennifer Garner is tailor-made to portray the firm, yet fun-loving matriarch of the family, while Edgar Ramirez has a blast stepping out of his usually solemn comfort zone (Ramirez needs to do more comedies like this, he has such a bright presence onscreen). Their dynamite chemistry helps carry along the narrative even as it trudges through familiar ground. Arteta also deserves credit for his deft handling of the film’s sentimental frames, allowing messages about embracing fun and parental responsibilities to register without feeling overbaked.
Yes Day doesn’t do anything particularly revelatory. The plotting steps in a myriad of familiar cliches and the film explore its feel-good messages with seldom detail. For what the movie achieves though, Yes Day charms within its own spirited energy.
Yes Day released on Netflix on March 12th
COMING 2 AMERICA – Directed by Craig Brewer
Synopsis: Prince Akeem Joffer is set to become King of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street-savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his royal father’s dying wish to groom this son as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America once again.
Eddie Murphy made a revelatory comeback in 2019 with Dolemite is My Name, a razor-sharp comedy that affectionately conveyed Murphy’s lightning rod talents. Now re-teaming with Dolemite helmer Craig Brewer for Coming 2 America, I was excited to see how the duo revived one of Murphy’s iconic comedic roles. Instead of continuing his winning streak, Murphy sadly transports audiences back to his mid-2000s decline, an era where dreadful efforts like Norbit and The Adventure of Pluto Nash completely wasted the star’s distinct talents.
Coming 2 America may be better than both of those films, but its positives don’t outstretch either title by much. Brewer’s haphazard film switches between nostalgia-baiting and a myriad of weak modern references (once Akeem said “on fleek”, I knew I was in trouble), with neither generating much in terms of genuine laughs. Everything here just feels tired. The observant jokes and grimey imagery from the original are swapped out for a bland studio flavor. There are no sparks of ingenuity or creativity to be found, with the star-studded cast showing up to collect their checks and get out of the way.
Oddly enough, Coming 2 America uses several direct references from the 1988 original. Those seldom glimmers are honestly the best part of this passionate studio comedy. As a twenty-year-old sequel, Coming 2 America does little to justify its existence.
Coming 2 America released on Amazon Prime on March 5th.
The Vault Synopsis: When an engineer (Freddie Highmore) learns of a mysterious, impenetrable fortress hidden under The Bank of Spain, he joins a crew of master thieves who plan to steal the legendary lost treasure locked inside while the whole country is distracted by Spain’s World Cup Final. With thousands of soccer fans cheering in the streets, and security forces closing in, the crew has just minutes to pull off the score of a lifetime.
He may not be a household name domestically, but Spanish writer/director Jaume Balagueró has achieved a significant level of influence during his career. Balagueró cleverly revived the found footage genre with Rec in 2007, a cult favorite that became a central influence for a new generation of spooky titles. After strong initial success, Balagueró has struggled to recapture that lightning in a bottle.
A few poorly received offerings (you probably haven’t heard of Muse and Inside, and for good reason) have left the director searching for a sense of identity outside his horror sphere. Balagueró’s latest, a heist rift on the 2010 World Cup entitled The Vault, at least marks a step in the right direction. That being said, this competent, yet rarely compelling offering never stretches past familiar conventions.
Heist films elicit a restless sense of unease when operating at their apex, whether that be through the meticulous behind-the-scenes planning or the perilous mission itself. Balagueró does a serviceable job at capturing the genre’s dashing sense of adventure. He keeps a firm grasp on pace while implementing a sly mixture of edits and stylistic frames. I also admire how straightforward The Vault is. Balagueró and his writers know exactly the kind of taunt yarn they want to create, keeping their focus more on genre entertainment over any revelatory developments.
While that can work in theory, The Vault’s vanilla execution never engrossed me. Balagueró is restricted to “director-for-hire” tendencies aside from a few vibrant flourishes. It’s a letdown for his lively visual identity to settle despite working in a genre defined by its auteur filmmakers (from Michael Mann’s Heat to Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, great voices have always reinvigorated heist movie tendencies). The film is consistently capable, but it never builds enough momentum to keep audiences invested during the patient build-up.
I can get down with a no-nonsense heist story. That being said, I wish the writers imbued the rudimentary screenplay with a semblance of identity. The thriller elements miss on swagger and charisma, lacking the kind of bold energy to keep audiences attuned. When the script tries to develop attachment through its makeshift family, its sincerity lands closer to clumsy hokiness. Corny character dynamics and stale dialogue exchanges leave characters in a state of total disconnect. I wish the capable cast received more dimension to work with. Stars Freddie Highmore and Astrid Berges-Frisbey lack natural chemistry onscreen, while the assured supporting players have little to do with their relatively hollow roles.
The Vault lands in a so-so middle ground. Fans of heist adventures should find some passable entertainment here, but the general lack of personality and verve left me wanting more.
Nobody Synopsis: Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a suburban dad, overlooked husband, nothing neighbor — a virtual “nobody.” When two thieves break into his home one night, Hutch’s unknown long-simmering rage is ignited and propels him on a brutal path that will uncover dark secrets he fought to leave behind.
As the John Wick franchise has grown from cult favorite to blockbuster success, old-school actioners have received a newfound appreciation from modern audiences. The genre continues to evolve from its nitty-gritty 80s roots, with frenetic new voices like Chad Stahelski, Gareth Evans, and David Leitch punching their own stylistic stamp on familiar trappings.
With the latest action/comedy hybrid Nobody, Hardcore Henry director Ilya Naishuller cements himself as another dynamic voice in the action sphere. Naishuller’s gleefully relentless blood bath indulges in the genre’s extravagant allures. Simply put, Nobody might be the first great crowd-pleaser since last year’s theatrical shutdown.
Where some action films bask in their machismo grit, Nobody embraces a refreshingly self-aware comedic streak. John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad sets the groundwork for a plethora of playful surprises, subverting expectations similar to how the nebbish Hutch violently shocks his prey. After establishing his expertise in action mechanics with prior efforts, it’s a blast to see the writer now playing in the sand with his eccentric colorings. Between seeing an old fan-favorite blasting a shotgun (you can guess from the cast list) to Hutch retrieving his daughter’s missing kitty watch, Kolstad constantly pushes the lunacy with agreeable results.
All of Kolstad’s inventive touches set up Naishuller well for his brand of relentless carnage (seriously glad this guy is directing a studio film after Hardcore Henry, which still stands as one of the most innovative actioners in recent memory). Naishuller choreographs a delightful dance of brutal violence, implementing a plethora of smooth camera motions to highlight every bullet and blood splat. I love witnessing his reckless creativity behind the camera. Naishuller has a blast of dreaming up sequences that feel wholly unique to the long-standing genre.
None of these elements would work without Bob Odenkirk’s assured central performance. The beloved veteran feels tailor-made to play Hutch, with his agreeable presence serving as an unassuming facade for his hidden violent streak. While I wish the film provided Hutch with more dimension (Kolstad’s script occasionally touches upon paternal responsibilities – particularly for men pushing against traditional “hunter/gather” gender normative before eventually shying away), Odenkirk’s sincere delivery portrays the character’s insular conflictions with dramatic weight.
All and all, Nobody kicks all sorts of ass during its endlessly enjoyable runtime. Here’s to hoping this is the start of another dynamic action franchise.
