Movie Review: Till (2022)

Genre: Biographical Drama  

Director: Chinonye Chukwu  

Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Whoopi Goldberg, Haley Bennett  

Running Time: 130 minutes  

Synopsis: In 1955, Mamie Till (Danielle Deadwyler) lives in Chicago with her 14 year-old son Emmett (Jalyn Hall). Encouraged by his grandma (Whoopi Goldberg) to discover his roots, Emmett is excited about an upcoming solo trip to visit cousins in rural Mississippi. Mamie is uncomfortable being separated from her son and worried about his safety in the overtly racist south. In the small town of Money, Mississippi, Emmett inadvertently insults a white store keeper (Haley Bennett), triggering bigoted rage and a subsequent quest for social justice.

What Works Well: Based on actual events, director and co-writer Chinonye Chukwu crafts a dramatic profile of a woman thrust into activism by tragedy. Emmett's harrowing ordeal is treated with respect, the hatred he suffered channeled through Mamie's insistence that the world witness the carnage on his body. In the complex central role, Danielle Deadwyler navigates a range of transformations starting with worry and ending with defiance, passing through the worst type of grief a mother can experience. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The singular focus on Mamie's perspectives, actions, and emotions is insufficient to sustain 130 minutes of drama. Most of the scenes linger for too long, and many repeatedly stomp over the same emotional notes. The secondary characters, racist villains, social context, and courtroom drama are relegated to stock representations and conveyed with mechanical disinterest. The glossy sets lack realistic grit, while the music digs into the trench of obvious emotions.

Conclusion: One strong woman in deep focus, surrounded by sketches.



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Movie Review: The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)

A covert action drama and thriller, The Red Sea Diving Resort offers a fascinating story of surreptitious refugee resettlement, but lacks character depth.

In the late 1970s, Ethiopia is in the grips of a brutal civil war. Mossad agents Ari (Chris Evans) and Sammy (Alessandro Nivola) work with local organizer Kabede Bimro (Michael K. Williams) to secretly relocate Jewish-Ethiopians to Sudanese refugee camps for subsequent passage to Israel. But Sudan's authorities crack down, briefly arresting Ari and Sammy before the CIA's Walton Bowen (Greg Kinnear) secures their release. Back in Israel, Sammy decides he has had enough of secret missions.

But Ari is still passionate about helping Kabede rescue Ethiopian Jews, and secures the backing of his boss Ethan (Ben Kingsley) for the Mossad to take over an abandoned and secluded diving resort in Sudan as cover for large-scale marine evacuations of refugees. Ari convinces Sammy to join the operation, and assembles a team including agents Rachel (Haley Bennett) and Jake (Michiel Huisman). When actual tourists show up the evacuations becomes more complex, then local Sudanese army Colonel Abdel Ahmed (Chris Chalk) starts to get suspicious about the resort's activities.

Inspired by real events and carrying echoes of Argo complete with all the unnecessary Hollywoodizations, The Red Sea Diving Resort enjoys quick pacing and a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction vibe. Writer and director Gideon Raff injects regular thrills and close calls to juice the action, and teases out the absurdity of secret agents actually entertaining clueless tourists in an enemy country.

While the events portrayed are memorable, the characters are not. The Mossad agents are loose interpretations of real people and largely devoid of meaningful background. Ari gets just the one stock scene to demonstrate a typical disintegrating family life due the perpetually absentee dad. Otherwise, Raff repeatedly plays the same two hollow notes of tension between Ari and Sammy. Ari operates on instinct and enjoys fast and loose improvisation; Sammy prefers more orderly mission planning. They bicker throughout, and that's the extent of human interest - the other agents could have been performed by robots.

A decent if not altogether successful attempt is made to avoid the white saviour trope. Kabede's character is a prominent events influencer, and narrates the film with often morose and overly solemn prose about the Jewish Ethiopians waiting for thousands of years to find Jerusalem. But give or take one kid and one outspoken mother, the refugees are reduced to huddled masses shuffled from here to there. And Jerusalem is treated like a mythical and perfect pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, with no mention of the real challenges experienced by the new arrivees in Israel.

When it comes to conveying danger, Chris Chalk does have fun in the antagonist role as the Sudanese intelligence officer menacingly sniffing something fishy at this waterfront. The Red Sea Diving Resort has no shortage of audacity, but mostly dives in shallow waters.



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Movie Review: Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

A drama about working class family struggles and the challenges of a tumultuous upbringing, Hillbilly Elegy enjoys fine performances and a rich, though-provoking narrative.

The events predominantly unfold in two time frames. As a law student at Yale, J.D. Vance (Gabriel Basso) is supported by his girlfriend Usha (Frieda Pinto) as he goes through the stressful intern placement interview process. His sister Lindsay (Haley Bennett) calls from Ohio with news their mother Bev (Amy Adams) has overdosed and is hospitalized.

In flashbacks J.D. recalls his turbulent upbringing. His grandparents Mamaw and Papaw (Glenn Close and Bo Hopkins) moved from ramshackle roots in rural Kentucky to Middletown, Ohio, but life for young J.D. was always tough. His single mother Bev was unstable, moving from man to man, getting into opioids and losing her nursing licence. Abusive towards J.D. but also loving and supportive when lucid, Bev was always an accident waiting to happen. Mamaw provides a place of refuge and has to decide whether to intervene to give J.D. a chance at a better life.

Now J.D. drives back to Middletown to help Lindsay deal with the latest overdose crisis, his mother's behaviour again threatening to derail his future.

Based on real events as recounted in Vance's 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy is a clear-eyed look at the vicious cycle of poverty, lack of education and abuse entrapping the disadvantaged. Without glamourizing or belittling the resultant hardscrabble life, screenwriter Vanessa Taylor and director Ron Howard also seek the strength instilled by family ties, and Bev's struggle to improve despite deep-rooted flaws.

Mostly steering clear of stand-and-gawk storytelling and resisting the strong temptation to give up on exasperating behaviour, Taylor's script focuses on origins, good and bad, forging J.D. into who he is. His upbringing meant he grew up in a hurry and faced decisions no child should be forced to make, but his mother and grandmother, sometimes despite themselves, also charted his tricky path to Yale. And so J.D. defends his family in front of slick suited lawyers at the risk of being perceived a bumpkin. With Lindsay's help he digs deep to find the good in Bev, looking past the in-progress self-destruction to the potential for a better future.

The rags-to-respectability journey is mostly composed of familiar elements, but Howard finds a pleasing rhythm between the current and flashback scenes, and delivers a coherent package in just under two hours. Flashback snippets to different experiences (Mamaw and Papaw as a younger couple, J.D.'s stint with the Marines) are less relevant. 

Amy Adams and Glenn Close deliver dedicated, intense performances. Adams is sometimes nothing less than scary in finding the suddenly unhinged moments of a mother unleashing fury at her son. Close redefines crusty, her face etched with years of struggle and no shortage of determination, the obvious creases hiding the still unknown agonies Mamaw endured with an abusive drunk of a husband. In a less showy role, Gabriel Basso succeeds as the level-headed anchor remarkably still capable of forgiveness. 

A story of potential hiding within suffering, Hillbilly Elegy differentiates between acknowledging grim shortcomings and accepting their permanence.



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Movie Review: The Devil All The Time (2020)

A sprawling multi-generation epic, The Devil All The Time is an intersecting drama engrossed in themes of faith, moral corruption, crime and revenge.

While serving in the Pacific during World War Two, Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgård) has a harrowing encounter with a dying Marine. After the war Willard returns home to the rural West Virginia - Ohio border region and marries Charlotte (Haley Bennett). They have a son Arvin and Willard turns to religion to help combat his war-induced demons. His mother Emma (Kristin Griffith) had wanted him to marry Helen (Mia Wasikowska), who instead weds travelling fake healer Roy (Harry Melling) and they have a daughter Lenora.

Tragedies disrupt Arvin and Lenora's young lives and by 1957 they have both moved in with Emma to be raised as step-siblings. In 1965 Lenora (Eliza Scanlen) is suffering high school bullying due to her devout nature, while Arvin (Tom Holland) tries to protect her. Ahead of them are challenging encounters with sleazy Reverend Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson), murderous couple Carl (Jason Clarke) and Sandy (Riley Keough) Henderson, and Sandy's brother, corrupt sheriff Lee Bodecker (Sebastian Stan).

An adaptation of the 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollock (who contributes the narration) and co-produced by Jake Gyllenhaal, The Devil All The Time settles down for a captivating 138 minutes of fluid character-driven storytelling. Breathing deeply from the rustic milieu of small backwater communities where religious fervour obscures reason with startling outcomes, director and co-writer Antonio Campos conjures up overlapping arcs spanning 20 years in the lives of memorable people.

Evil intentions skulking within religious verbiage and outlaw acts stemming from good intentions are the combustible fuel mix. From the moment he stumbles upon a badly wounded soldier nailed to a battlefield cross, Willard then his son Arvin confront a succession of moral dilemmas where the wrong action may be the right thing to do. In a time and place with limited other resources, faith is the most readily available route promising some version of salvation, but here malevolence awaits, charlatans lurking to exploit the vulnerable.

With about 10 influential characters and numerous events to cover, Campos maintains a superb level of intensity by deploying brisk pacing, spikes of gore and a dash of cogent flashbacks to reveal fate's invisible hand at work. From an early 1945 scene at a diner where both Carl and Willard meet their future brides all the way to the final showdown in the shadow of a once-standing cross echoing back to the war, The Devil All The Time carries the sly winks of the past, present and future huddled together. 

The ensemble cast members share the screen time with laudable efficiency, exploiting their moments to maximum effect and quickly establishing inherent conflicts. Harry Melling is suitably unhinged as Roy, his spider jar trick a highlight only until he surpasses his own derangement. Robert Pattinson as a predator disguised as the new preacher in town emits a stench powerful enough to waft right off the screen, while Bill Skarsgård and Tom Holland convince as successive generations of the same conflicted man.

The Devil All The Time is also everywhere and in everyone, some souls succumbing, others resisting by perilously outflanking evil.



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Movie Review: Thank You For Your Service (2017)

A drama about soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Thank You For Your Service is an unblinking exploration of the battle to survive after the shooting stops.

While on a tour of duty in Iraq, Sergeant Adam Schumann (Miles Teller) leads his men into an ambush, resulting in a severe injury to soldier Emory (Scott Haze). Another incident results in the death of Sergeant Doster (Brad Beyer). Schumann and his buddies Specialist Tausolo Aieti (Beulah Koale) and Private Billy Waller (Joe Cole) return home suffering from PTSD.

Schumann has support from his wife Saskia (Haley Bennett) but still finds it difficult to talk about his war experience. Aieti is prevented from re-enlisting for another tour due to memory loss issues, while his wife Alea (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is eager to start a family. Waller is unable to cope when he learns his girlfriend has abandoned him. Schumann and Aieti realize they need help and reach out to the Veterans Administration, but an underfunded system is slow to provide support, leaving the men vulnerable.

Inspired by a true story covered in David Finkel's book, Thank You For Your Service ventures into the difficult terrain of mental trauma, exposing a system designed to care for visible injuries but inept at supporting troops suffering from psychological damage. Jason Hall wrote the script and directs with admirable honesty, carrying echoes of movies like Brothers and Stop-Loss but delving deeper into the mechanics of a misfiring bureaucracy.

Schumann, Aieti and Waller are soldiers trained to kill and possess a natural aversion to even acknowledge the need for help. They also have varying degrees of family support, providing Hall with latitude to explore connections between family backing and extent of suffering. Waller arrives home to an empty house, his girlfriend having dumped him without the courtesy of a note. Aieti has a partner but she is preoccupied with starting a family. Schumann has a loving wife and two kids, and Saskia is not only strong and available to help, but unambiguously verbalizes her support.

The quest for help builds to a depressing lowlight: Schumann and Aieti come face to face with an overburdened VA system offering, with a straight face, months-long waiting periods to soldiers on the verge of blowing their brains out. Ill-equipped family members have to bear the brunt of propping up wounded warriors, or watch in horror as they disintegrate and threaten to harm the ones they love.

Miles Teller and Beulah Koale effectively convey the poignancy of proud young men groping in the unfamiliar darkness and disorientation within. In a well-written role, Haley Bennett is the stand-out performer, her Saskia not short of frustration but full of awareness and fortitude to navigate her husband's churn.

Thank You For Your Service never sparkles or surprises, nor does it intend to. The mission is a blunt and straightforward exposé of post-combat agony and systemic failure, accomplished with grim proficiency.



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The Movies Of Haley Bennett

All movies starring Haley Bennett and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Marley And Me (2008)

The Equalizer (2014)

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

The Girl On The Train (2016)

Rules Don't Apply (2016)

Thank You For Your Service (2017)

The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)

The Devil All The Time (2020)

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

Till (2022)

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
The Movie Star Index is here.

Movie Review: The Girl On The Train (2016)

A mystery thriller delving into topics of addiction, abuse, control and mental illness, The Girl On The Train introduces an intriguing premise with plenty of style, but ultimately meanders to a stock conclusion.

Hopelessly addicted to alcohol, Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the commuter train daily back and forth to Manhattan. On the way she passes the house of her ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux), who is now married to Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). Tom and Anna carried on an affair behind Rachel's back after she and Tom were unable to conceive. Two doors down and also visible from the train is the house were Megan (Haley Bennett) lives with her husband Scott (Luke Evans). Rachel does not know Megan, but from a distance the relationship between Megan and Scott appears idyllic.

What Rachel doesn't know is that Megan has had a miserable life, and is now seeing psychologist Dr. Kamal Abdic (Édgar Ramírez) to try and hold herself together while she works as a nanny for Tom and Anna. With Rachel descending ever deeper into an alcoholic stupor and apparently harassing Tom and Anna, she spots Megan cuddling with a strange man. When Megan suddenly disappears the same day that Rachel blacks out from too much alcohol, Rachel inserts herself into affairs that apparently do not concern her, and she draws the attention of Detective Riley (Alison Janney), who is investigating Megan's disappearance.

An adaptation of the Paula Hawkins novel directed by Tate Taylor, The Girl On The Train has a good set-up but a relatively limp finish. The idea of a self-doubting alcoholic observing her former life from a passing train and delving into a mystery shrouded in illicit affairs is compelling, and potentially Hitchcockian. For the first two thirds of the film Taylor does a fine job creating a fog of doubt about what is going on, with flashbacks and alternative points of view helping to heighten the interconnected complexities in the lives of Rachel, Megan and Anna. The final third surrenders meekly to the most banal of resolutions, ideas running dry and the mystery defaulting to an unconvincing antagonist and questionable motivations.

The premise is built on the differences between outside appearances and inward realities. The glow of light within a house seen from a passing train suggests cozy relationships and warm comforts. But inside the walls all manners of conflict reside, and what Rachel thinks she longs for does not really exist. In its better moments the film thrives on the differences between perceptions, memories and the historical narratives as seen from different perspectives. The damage caused by alcohol, abusive relationships, and depression spike the film with emotional possibilities.

Emily Blunt carries the weight of Rachel's failed life on her shoulders and is at the centre of the all the film's better moments. She receives limited support, with all the other characters and performances limited in scope and definition. Alison Janney suffers the most, the role of Detective Riley seemingly a poorly developed afterthought.

The Girl On The Train rides through several intriguing stops. Unfortunately the film blows a crass whistle instead of properly exploiting its own possibilities.

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