Movie Review: Six Degrees Of Separation (1993)

Genre: Dramedy  

Director: Fred Schepisi  

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Will Smith, Stockard Channing, Ian McKellen, Heather Graham, Mary Beth Hurt  

Running Time: 112 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York City, private art dealer Flan Kittredge (Donald Sutherland) and his wife Ouisa (Stockard Channing) live in a luxurious apartment. While entertaining a South African businessman (Ian McKellen), unexpected visitor Paul (Will Smith) arrives at their doorstep, professing to be a mugging victim, a Harvard classmate of the Kittredge children, and the son of Sidney Poitier. The Kittredge's are enchanted by Paul's sophistication, until they encounter a shock the next morning.

What Works Well: The adaptation of John Guare's play (in turn inspired by actual events) invades intellectual circles with an original mix of art, literature, sexuality, and bewildering con-jobs. Mild humour and madcap moments lighten the mood, and the characters are not beyond making light of their status-driven foibles while bumping against social issues including racism, classism, generational gaps, celebrity worship, and shady paths to wealth. The cast is rich with talent, and thrives within a milieu of goofy sophistication.

What Does Not Work As Well: Although director Fred Schepisi uses flashbacks and multiple storytelling frames, theatricality dominates, and many dialogue-heavy passages are wearily over-long. The second half notably loses steam in a search for content cluttered by barely consequential hangers-on. For all the insinuations around important topics, Guare's script is content with thematic gesturing and avoids venturing into substance.

Conclusion: Nibbles at a buffet of ideas but lacks focused commitment to any cause.



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Movie Review: Bad Boys For Life (2020)

An action comedy buddy movie, Bad Boys For Life evolves the series towards middle age realities but still offers a rollicking ride.

In Mexico, dangerous criminal Isabel Aretas (Kate del Castillo) breaks out of prison with the help of her son Armando (Jacob Scipio). They set out to seek revenge on all those who killed Isabel's drug lord husband many years prior, with Miami Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) on the hit list. Meanwhile, Mike's partner Detective Miles Burnett (Martin Lawrence) becomes a grandfather and seeks to retire from policing.

Armando shoots and seriously hurts Mike, and proceeds to assassinate others in his revenge quest. Mike recovers and is eager to investigate, but finds Miles fully retired and rejecting violence. Police captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) teams Mike with an elite investigative team headed by his ex-girlfriend Lieutenant Rita Secada (Paola Núñez), but they clash over his direct old-school methods. With Armando's killing spree not abating, Mike's anger increases, as does his determination to convince Miles to return to service.

Seventeen years after the first sequel, officers Lowrey and Burnett are back, a bit wiser and heavier, for another round of banter-laced mayhem. With their partnership now closing in on 25 years, they are men on the downside of their career, but only one of them knows it. Belgian-Moroccan co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (billed as simply Adil and Bilall) exploit creeping age and diverging levels of enthusiasm to maximum effect, the script (by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan) comfortably leveraging the available star power.

Bad Boys For Life is often funny, and sometimes hilarious. Martin Lawrence embraces Burnett's non-violent domesticity, leading to some of the best comic moments. The encounter with an accountant zonked-out on drugs is a classic, Burnett attempting to penetrate his soul with heart. A dead body falling from a great height onto a Nissan Quest and a criminal with an icky growth on his forehead are also excellent.

The action scenes arrive with the required regularity, and combine quality execution with laughs. The usual car and motorcycle chases culminate with the usual stunts, and plenty of helicopters enter the fray. The final climax is excellent, Lowrey and Burnett joining forces with Rita and her eclectic crew to turn an abandoned Mexican estate into a war zone. Poignant moments punctuate the action, and while welcome, the juxtaposition of jocular action with genuine loss and soulful revelations often results in jarring tonal dissonance.

The visual style is glitzy, vivid, and deeply infused with the vibrancy of Miami and Mexico. The supporting cast is crowded with characters but surprisingly effective. In short and sharp strokes Adil and Bilall create a potent mother-son antagonist duo in Isabel and Armando, while the agents working for Rita are efficiently brought to life by Vanessa Hudgens (kick-ass), Charles Melton (wise-ass) and Alexander Ludwig (on a psychoanalytical journey to discover his true identity).

Bad Boys For Life displays courage in introducing a late but still sharp narrative twist, consistent with the plot and characters but still quite spicy. The bad boys may be grappling with the passing years, but they still pack plenty of verve.

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Movie Review: King Richard (2021)

A biographical sports drama, King Richard focusses on the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Celebrating perseverance, the film serves an equal number of winners and faults.

In the tough Compton neighbourhood of Los Angeles, security guard Richard Williams (Will Smith) and his wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis), a nurse, are raising five daughters. From before they were born, Richard planned professional tennis careers for daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton). Now the girls are approaching their teens and Richard desperately seeks a professional coach to help their development.

But the family's background, race, and limited financial means are not a natural fit with the tony world of club tennis. Through sheer persistence Richard eventually secures the services of celebrated coach Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), but only for Venus. Brandy compensates by taking a larger role in coaching Serena. Venus dominates at the junior level, but Richard decides on a new path, signing with coach Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) and relocating the family to Florida. Despite the world-class amenities, Richard cannot stop meddling in Venus' burgeoning career.

Despite a gallant effort, King Richard never overcomes the sense that the story is oriented towards the wrong character, twice removed. Venus Williams is a seven-time Grand Slam winner; her sister Serena is widely acknowledged as one of the all-time greatest tennis players. And yet here is a film where Venus is at best a tertiary character and Serena barely features.

The sisters are credited as executive producers, and the focus on their father's determination and positive influence is well-intentioned, but also embraces elements of a hagiography. The Zach Baylin script only tangentially makes mention of the man's many troublesome antics. Instead the intention is to showcase only the best attributes of a dedicated father, and with such limited ambitions, the running length of 145 minutes is inexcusable. 

The unexplained internal inconsistencies are not helpful. Richard turns over every stone to find the best possible coaches for Venus and Serena, and then proceeds to ignore the best advice he worked so hard to secure. This is vaguely justified in the context of a dad seeking a well-rounded education and protecting his daughters from burnout, but also presented as deceptive and ungrateful behaviour. 

Will Smith sinks into the role but is barely challenged and remains close to the same self-confident notes throughout. Aunjanue Ellis as Brandy is more nuanced, and contributes an undercurrent of steely resolve in a couple of key scenes. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green is functional, and the tennis match staging is effective.

Thematically, King Richard chronicles the struggle to overcome humble origins, limited financial means, and Compton's reputation as a haven fot street violence. The challenge of raising five daughters in a tough environment propels the narrative, and the film's first half is stronger for it. Once the family relocates to Florida, the only remaining obstacle in Venus' path to success is Richard's obstinance. Perhaps unintentionally, the story drifts towards Venus achieving success despite Richard, and not because of him. 

An unpleasant odour of crass commercialism permeates the final act, and the value of a sponsorship contract is somehow placed on a higher pedestal than on-court achievement. King Richard is not meritless, just misdirected.



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Movie Review: The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006)

A drama about perseverance in the face of personal hardship, The Pursuit Of Happyness is a well-told inspirational story about a father's sacrifice and determination to turn his life around.

San Francisco, 1981. Salesman Chris Gardner (Will Smith) has invested all his savings in expensive bone density scanner devices, but is having trouble selling them to doctors in the area. His small family consisting of wife Linda (Thandie Newton) and young son Christopher (Jaden Smith) is buckling under the strain of dwindling financial resources. 

But Chris is good with numbers and people, and decides to apply for a stockbroker internship position at brokerage firm Dean Witter. Linda cannot take him seriously and eventually leaves the family.

Thanks to his persistent hounding of Dean Witter manager Jay Twistle (Brian Howe), Chris lands the internship. But it's an unpaid 6 month stint, which means he still has to hustle to sell the scanners and look after his child. Father and son run out of money and are eventually homeless, but Chris persists, determined to be the one intern out of 20 to be offered a job.

Inspired by the true rags to riches story of Chris Gardner, The Pursuit Of Happyness is an honest against-all-odds, feel-good experience. Celebrating fatherhood and a strong belief in self, director Gabriele Muccino sustains a narrative full of heart-wrenching moments but also love, hope and positive intent, and provides a sympathetic face to homelessness as a sometimes transitory phase. 

In addition to exploring the travails of the economically insecure, plenty of warmth is derived from Chris' dedication to fatherhood. Young Christopher's "Pursuit of Happyness" daycare in Chinatown is the only one his parents can afford, and the misspelled name hardly inspires confidence. But Chris never knew his father while growing up, and now wants to be the best dad possible for his son. And so even a daycare that screens Love Boat for the kids in the name of education about the navy is better than nothing. Later, Chris has to conjure up an imaginary landscape of dinosaurs to get his son through a tough unsheltered night.

The drama is lightly narrated by Smith, and his commentary latches on to a thought-provoking and deeply human theme in the Constitutional reference to the pursuit of happiness, rather than the end state itself. Chris acts accordingly, both professionally and personally, never settling and always striving to nourish his spirit with a promise of a better outcome.

The running length creeps towards excessive at just under two hours. Some scenes could have been cut and sequences of Chris running through the streets of San Francisco to make the bus or next sales appointment become repetitive. A what-else exasperation also sets in, as big and small gut punches keep landing (the film compresses Gardner's many real experiences into a shorter time frame).

In one of his career best performances, Will Smith again proves his dramatic role capabilities. Not a single joke or sarcastic note betrays Chris Gardner's mood of grim tenacity, and he keeps a straight face even during a late-in-the-day elevator-set verbal poke at a fellow intern.

Through the darkest days The Pursuit Of Happyness chases the faintest rays of light, barely perceptible and only to those with the courage to believe.



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Movie Review: Collateral Beauty (2016)

A drama with touches of humour addressing the consequences of personal loss and profound grief, Collateral Beauty is well meaning but excessively sententious.

In New York City, marketing executive Howard (Will Smith) is still in a deep depression two years after the death of his daughter. To try and cope with his grief he writes angry letters to the abstract concepts of Death, Love and Time. His business partners Whit (Edward Norton), Clare (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Peña) are facing a deadline to sell the company, but cannot seal the deal without Howard, the majority shareholder.

In desperation the partners decide to hire struggling theatre actors to engage with Howard, either to snap him out of his funk or prove he is incapable of functioning. Brigitte (Helen Mirren), Amy (Keira Knightley) and Raffi (Jacob Latimore) agree to impersonate Death, Love and Time respectively. Howard does take the initiative to join a support group managed by Madeleine (Naomie Harris), while the hired actors learn that Whit, Clare and Simon are facing personal issues of their own.

Death is part of life, love persists despite everything, and time is precious and should not be wasted are universal themes straight from the bottom shelf of simplistic self-help pop-psychology. Collateral Beauty wears these concepts with utmost reverence, and weaves around them a saccharin story befitting the excessively maudlin mood.

The clunky plot is an excuse to construct the rickety device of actors impersonating abstract concepts and ambushing Howard in street-level interventions. And it's no surprise whatsoever when backstories are introduced for Whit, Clare and Simon to double down on the sappiness of Howard's ordeal and give the hired actors more people to fix, Hollywood style.

But it's not all totally bad. Director David Frankel, working from a spec script by Allan Loeb, has an embarrassment of acting riches at his disposal, and makes reasonably good use of the talented cast given the emotional immaturity of the material. The shortish running-time of 97 minutes is shared equally among the many of stars on display, and most of them get at least a couple of scenes to shine. Helen Mirren appears to have the most fun as a never-will-be actress romping through the role of Death.

The perfectly sparkling locations featuring New York City decked out for Christmas fit perfectly within the film's simplistically magical ethos, but Loeb's dialogue exchanges needed at least one more thorough polish to scrub away the many awkward artificialities.

Collateral Beauty tries to achieve a whimsical fairytale vibe, but lands firmly on the wrong side of cloying.

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Movie Review: Seven Pounds (2008)

A redemption drama and romance, Seven Pounds is fervent but structurally over complicated and slow moving.

Ben Thomas (Will Smith) phones 911 to report his own suicide. In flashbacks, Ben verbally abuses Ezra (Woody Harrelson), a blind call center operator, and uses his IRS credentials to track down multiple people who owe taxes but also appear to have serious medical or social problems. They include Emily (Rosario Dawson), who suffers from a serious heart condition, and Connie (Elpidia Carrillo), a single mom being abused by her boyfriend.

Other flashback snippets show Ben as an aeronautical engineer; enjoying the company of his girlfriend; reliving the trauma of a car crash; having tense conversations with his brother (Michael Ealy); and moving into a motel room. He refuses to give a tax break to seniors' care centre manager Stewart (Tim Kelleher), who is mistreating patients. Ben comforts Emily after a medical scare and a mutual attraction develops, but he remains mysterious and refuses to reveal too much about himself.

After 2006's The Pursuit Of Happyness, Smith reunites with director Gabriele Muccino, and the result is a thick broth of sincerity and self-sacrifice. Although undeniably thought-provoking and debate-inducing, Seven Pounds also unmistakably tries too hard. Through its convoluted structure the film hides plenty from its audience and the jumbled fragments of flashbacks are confusing for the sake of confusion. Unraveling both the why and the what of Ben's actions is a big load for the film to carry, and suggests Muccino did not believe in the inherent strength of the core material.

And maybe that's because beneath the film's well-intended message, the plot holes are massive for what is intended as a grounded soul-searching drama. Seven Pounds skips over the ease with which government agents can be impersonated; transplants administered; families relocated; and vintage machinery repaired.

When the threads of the plot finally start to make sense, the film gains some traction, but then far too much time is invested in the romance between Ben and Emily. Many of the other good deeds Ben commits are treated in almost dismissive morsels, and for a long stretch Seven Pounds transitions from a dramatic story of penance to a straightforward, old-fashioned romance between two damaged individuals.

Will Smith stretches his more serious acting muscles and is suitably dour for most of the film. Rosario Dawson emerges as the emotional centre, and radiates a joyful determination to appreciate life in the face of Emily's seemingly unalterable impending rendezvous with death.

Seven Pounds asks big questions, but though jumbled delivery comes up with only partial answers.

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Movie Review: I Am Legend (2007)

A science fiction horror thriller, I Am Legend is a compact rollick through impressive post-apocalyptic territory.

In the near future, former Army medical doctor Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the sole human survivor is an abandoned and destroyed New York City. The Krippin virus, initially developed as a cure for cancer, has mutated and wiped out most of humanity. Those who survive have morphed into violent Darkseekers, flesh eating zombie-like creatures who avoid the light but rule the night.

Neville is immune to the virus, and along with his dog Sam, he survives on a day to day basis, although increasingly slipping into delusions caused by abject loneliness. In his homemade lab Neville continues experiments to try and find an antidote, while sending out desperate radio calls to try and connect with any other survivors. Led by an increasingly bold alpha male, the Darkseekers start to stalk Neville.

The third film adaptation of the Richard Matheson book, I Am Legend benefits from terrific set designs, featuring an eerily desolate New York devoid of humanity. Director Francis Lawrence creates a bleak tableau where nature is reclaiming a once thriving metropolis, and a singular man now inhabits what used to be home for millions. It's a chillingly surreal vision of a future where civilization is wiped out, one man reverting to hunter gatherer status.

And I Am Legend thrives on the mood of loneliness. For most of the film this is a one-person show, Neville a solitary human, the story told through his eyes and in his head. His continued search for a cure appears to be a Quixotic quest for the impossible, his fight against the Darkseekers an asymmetrical conflict waiting for one slip up.

Will Smith delivers one of his better dramatic performances, carrying the entirety of the film. He combines customary cool with hints of hallucinations. The flashbacks to the night Manhattan was evacuated and Neville separated from his family provides another opportunity for Lawrence to create an imposing set, this time teaming with thousands of panicked residents and military types. The events of that frenzied night continue to haunt Neville, giving Smith plenty of traumatic depth to latch onto.

When Neville interacts with the Darkseekers the action scenes are fast, frantic and violent, and the overuse of CGI necessitates jerky and often less than coherent editing. The efficient running time of 100 minutes imposes a rushed final, and while the ending is reasonably satisfying, it leaves some intriguing Darkseeker threads unexplored.

I Am Legend offers an eerie vision of the future, beautiful in its wretched bleakness. The City's sole survivor is in a desperate fight to maintain humanity's tenuous hold on the planet, but he does get to experience the stunning roll back of civilization.

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Movie Review: Hancock (2008)

A superhero comedy with a difference, Hancock deserves credit for conjuring up an original perspective on all-powerful heroes, but then clumsily bifurcates into a discordant narrative.

In Los Angeles, Hancock (Will Smith) is an indestructible superhero with a bad attitude. He can fly, stop trains and bullets, and throw any object to a great distance, but he is also surly, destructive, frequently drunk and generally disliked, despite stopping criminals in their tracks. Meanwhile, Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) is a public relations consultant struggling to get his career on track. Married to Mary (Charlize Theron), Ray is finding no takers for his concept of branding corporate charity initiatives.

After Hancock intervenes to save Ray's life at a rail crossing, Ray takes it upon himself to try and improve Hancock's image. The superhero reluctantly agrees and surrenders himself to a stint behind bars as punishment for the carnage he has caused. Hancock is slow to participate in rehabilitation programs, but gradually opens up about his past and the source of his simmering anger. Revealing information about Hancock's background suddenly comes to light from an unexpected source.

At approximately the halfway point of Hancock, the big twist is revealed, and the film heads off in a whole new direction. Which is a pity. The abrupt change of trajectory launches the narrative towards a convoluted origins story where new facts come fast and furious, and none of them are given sufficient air to breathe. A lot is revealed about Hancock and his relationship with another character, but it's a rushed blur of history and science-fiction-made-up-on-the-fly.

It is too much to ask a 92 minute film to adequately tackle two different weighty themes, and Hancock's first part is by far the better. With some excellent laughs and a caustic attitude, director Peter Berg explores the emotional malaise of a reluctant superhero. Hancock is much more comfortable passed out cradling a bottle than rescuing anyone, but rescue he does, often leaving a trail of expensive mayhem in his wake. What causes a superhero to descend into a funk, and possible pathways for him to recover, make for a fun initial ride.

Will Smith and Jason Bateman bounce off each other with contrasting energy levels, Bateman's Ray fully invested in his own can-do pseudo management babble, Smith nailing Hancock's spare-me standoffishness. Charlize Theron gets to do a lot more in the second part of the film, but by then all the emotional momentum of the film's set-up is lost.

Elsewhere Berg mixes in the usual tired CGI effects at regular intervals to satisfy genre fans who just want to see ridiculous pixel-generated action.

Hancock soars when it sets its sights on the future, and stumbles on its own myth when it tries to explain the past.

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Movie Review: Focus (2015)

A drama and romance set in the world of high stakes con artists, Focus is too slick for its own good and never gains emotional traction.

Smooth con man Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith) easily picks out the inexperienced Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie) as she tries to pull off a clumsy sting. She insists on shadowing him to hone her skills and tracks him down to New Orleans, where she joins his crew as they work the crowds ahead of a big football game. Nicky and Jess become a pair, and after clearing over a million dollars from swindles in one week, Nicky matches wits with the extremely wealthy Liyuan Tse (B.D. Wong) in a high stakes betting duel.

At the end of the New Orleans trip the relationship between Nicky and Jess ends abruptly. Three years later in Buenos Aires, Nicky is planning an elaborate con job with wealthy motor racing team owner Rafael Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro). But Nicky is stunned to again bump into Jess, who is now Rafael's girlfriend. Nicky is torn between reigniting a romance with Jess and fulfilling the con, while Rafael's head of security Owens (Gerald McRaney) grows increasingly suspicious of Nicky's motives.

Co-directed and co-written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, Focus looks sharp and exudes a certain amount of appealing cool. The pacing is brisk, the cinematography rich and Will Smith and Margot Robbie make for an elegant couple.

But that's about all there is to enjoy in Focus. The film is too eager to portray Nicky as the king of the ultimate con, always several steps ahead of everyone around him. But without delving into the depth of his character he remains a superficial presence, with every one of his actions likely to be not what it seems. The film defaults to an exercise of guessing what the next game is rather than investing in any actual onscreen romance or drama. Nicky cannot be trusted in anything he says or does, so there is no value to be gained in believing any of his romantic overtures or spoken words.

Ficarra and Requa also push the envelope too far. The impromptu gambling joust with Liyuan Tse crosses the line into ridiculous territory, while the final con in Buenos Aires is both poorly defined - something silly about peddling secret algorithms that make racing cars go faster - and ponderously executed with an absurd variation on an old trick.

Focus has a few enjoyable moments mingling among crooked tricksters, but is mostly a frustratingly shallow exercise.

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Movie Review: Winter's Tale (2014)

A century-spanning fantasy romantic drama, Winter's Tale combines a love story with an eternal battle between good and evil, with plenty of supernatural elements thrown in. Attempting to be profound, the film is a hopeless mess.

In New York of 1916, Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), having survived been set adrift in a small boat by his parents in 1895 after they were rejected as immigrants, attempts to escape a street gang led by the demon Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). A white horse that can fly helps Peter's getaway, and eventually leads him to the door of the sickly Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), her rich father Isaac (William Hurt), and younger sister Willa.

Peter and Beverly fall in love, while Pearly pleads with his boss Lucifer (Will Smith) for permission to put a stop to their magical romance. Peter stays one step ahead of Pearly, but the relationship with Beverly suffers, and Peter lands in New York of 2014, where his story will continue.

Based on a book by Mark Helprin adapted and directed by Akiva Goldsman, Winter's Tale may have worked well on the written page, but is an unmitigated disaster on the screen. The film's ambition far exceeds its cinematic abilities, and comes across as fairy tale for children being repackaged as a serious romantic drama for adults, and falling into a vacuum of confused and morose nothingness.

The story demands natural acceptance of flying white horses, demons on the loose but with turf restrictions, Lucifer holding court in New York City, and plenty of romanticized bumf about miracles, destiny and people turning into literal stars. The material may have had a chance to succeed with a whimsical light touch, but Goldsman goes the ultra serious route, delivering a grim, dour and boring two hours.

Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe and Will Smith generally embarrass themselves in roles where anything goes since there are no familiar rules in this world. Farrell's character exists as a baby in 1895 and is still going strong in 2014, but never expresses any emotion other than grim displeasure. Crowe as a demon seems obsessed with Peter but Goldsman does not pause to explain why a petty thief is such a danger to a demon. Smith sits back and reflects on a sidetracked career, the devil reduced to dealing with the machinations of a fledgling romance between a burglar and a frail woman.

Jessica Brown Findlay portrays the tragically sick but otherwise perfect vision of a woman who fulfills every superficial man's dream of beauty and tenderness with no depth of character necessary. Meanwhile, Jennifer Connelly and Eve Marie Saint appear in the latter 2014 chapter, and seem genuinely confused about their roles in the story.

Buckling under its own weight of needless solemnity, Winter's Tale is better left untold.

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Movie Review: Independence Day (1996)

An alien invasion science fiction extravaganza, Independence Day packs a globe-full of carnage into the story of yucky invaders intent on destroying Earth, and the human efforts to repel them.

With July 4th approaching, a menacing armada of mammoth alien spaceships arrives over Earth, disrupts all satellite communications and takes up station above major cities. US President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman), a former air force pilot, is unsure of the aliens' motives and whether or not to order an evacuation. His advisors include the stoic General William Grey (Robert Loggia), excitable Secretary of Defense Albert Nimzicki (James Rebhorn) and Communications Director Constance Spano (Margaret Colin).

Constance's former husband is David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), an intellectually gifted MIT graduate whose lack of ambition has landed him a job as a satellite technician at a television station. David decodes the aliens' inter-fleet communication signal, revealing their countdown towards a massive hostile attack. David and his father Julius (Judd Hirsch) rush to the White House to try and warn the President. In Los Angeles, Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) is a cocky air force pilot, debating whether to propose to long-term girlfriend Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox), an exotic dancer. He interrupts his vacation and reports back to base upon witnessing the alien spaceship above LA.

The aliens do indeed attack as predicted by David, causing massive loss of life and the destruction of entire cities. The President is hustled off on Air Force One, but the First Lady (Mary McDonnell) isn't so lucky. Hiller joins an air force counterattack, but the advanced technology of the invaders proves too strong. President Whitmore faces a monumental challenge to save the human species, and the path to unlocking an effective military counter strategy passes through the government's secretive Area 51 facility in the Nevada desert.

Directed by Roland Emmerich, Independence Day is a throwback to 1950s style humans vs. aliens sci-fi thrillers. With the advantage of glitzy special effects and charming actors radiating heroism, the film rides a cool groove of action and devastation, set against end-of-the-world excitement. The film takes its time in the first 30 minutes to establish an interesting set of characters, and once the aliens reveal their intent, Emmerich kicks off more than two hours of merriment and mayhem around a simple question: how will humans fight back when faced with nothing less than a surprise war of annihilation with superior extraterrestrials.

For all the sound, fury and glib one-liners, not all of Independence Day is as slick as it would like to be. The scenes of massive spaceships hovering over cities are impressive, but never quite satisfying with the enemy craft rarely fully defined. In general the computer-generated scenes of destruction are hit-and-miss, with the scale sometimes appearing suspect. To maintain family-friendliness there is a notable absence of corpses in scenes where survivors stumble through the wreckage of cities reduced to rubble. The technological key to defeating the aliens, once found, is barely explained, with star charisma expected to be more important than even an iota of scientific discourse.

The romance elements are standard fare for the genre without getting too much in the way, while the independence day hokum about the rebirth of humanity on America's birthday is adequate for easily excitable patriotic young minds, but is best not dwelled upon.

But star charisma is what Independence Day is all about, and the combination of Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum does not disappoint. Smith oozes star power, gets the best lines and the snappiest attitude, and emerges as a hero as both an ace pilot and a man sticking by his exotic dancer girlfriend. Goldblum plays perfectly off his persona as the geeky-but-potentially-cool science guy cultivated around The Fly and Jurassic Park. Bill Pullman is adequate but lands in more bland territory compared to his two co-stars.

The secondary cast adds plenty of texture and is better than the regulation stock characters. Robert Loggia adds stature as the General standing by the side of the President, James Rebhorn is his counterweight as a Secretary of Defence playing politics at the wrong time, and Judd Hirsch get an expanded presence as David's slightly overwhelmed but still thoughtful father. Randy Quaid achieves one his better supporting roles as an alcoholic crop duster with a colourful history related to the aliens, and eventually finds his inner Slim Pickens.

Flashy and furiously fun, Independence Day has much to celebrate.

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Movie Review: Concussion (2015)

Based on real events, Concussion is the story of one doctor who uncovered the epidemic of head injuries with long-term effects besetting the National Football League. The film is earnest in tone, but also mechanical in execution and only moderately engaging.

It's 2002, and Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) is a Nigerian immigrant doctor working in the Pittsburgh coroner's office. When retired legendary Pittsburgh Steelers centre Mike Webster (David Morse) is found dead at age 50 from unknown causes after having been reduced to a rambling, incoherent man living in a pick-up truck, Bennet performs the autopsy. Not finding any obvious reasons for Webster's inability to function and untimely demise, Bennet doggedly pursues expensive lab tests until he uncovers severe but barely visible brain trauma caused by repeated blows to the head. Meanwhile, in his personal life, Bennet meets and starts a romance with immigrant nurse Prema (Gugu Mbatha-Raw).

Supported by county coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht (Albert Brooks), Bennet publishes his findings. Soon he is subjected to an intimidation campaign as the NFL closes ranks and attempts are made to discredit Bennet and his work. But more deaths of former NFL players come to light, including Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk and Andre Waters, all suffering from similar symptoms and brain damage. Dr. Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin), the Steelers' former doctor, comes forward to help Bennet publicize his research, but getting the NFL to admit that there is a problem will be a struggle.

Concussion benefits from an excellent Will Smith performance, putting on a Nigerian accent and bringing to life a confident, methodical and extremely amiable yet highly principled man. Smith is the main reason to watch Concussion, as the rest of the film barely rises above routine fare.

Written and directed by Peter Landesman based on the book Game Brain by Jeanne Marie Laskas, the film struggles to generate drama beyond the obvious. The script is filled with peripheral doctors drifting in and quickly out of the story, barely introduced and adding little punch. There are doctors who validate Bennet's work and co-publish with him (including Paul Reiser in just the single scene); there is an unfriendly colleague at the coroner's office; there are grim-faced officials, experts and quacks at the league offices. None of them stay long enough to register as relevant. Even Alec Baldwin as Dr. Julian Bailes struggles to define his role in the unfolding conflict between the findings of his profession and the interests of his former employers.

On the positive side, the romance between Bennet and Prema is sweet and adds texture, two medical professionals connecting more through mutually respectful rationality than infatuated chemistry, Prema gradually revealing her inner strength to cozy her way into Bennet's home and heart. The one other supporting character who rises above the cursory writing is Albert Brooks as Dr. Cyril Wecht, a veteran coroner who sees past Bennet's eccentricities, and recognizes that sometimes medical science has to trump both finances and public apathy.

Concussion is well-intentioned and has an important story to tell. It is also rather blandly executed and feels incomplete. Dr. Bennet Omalu is an outsider who dared to reveal the human carnage being caused by a brutalistic sport. But out on the playing fields, brains are still being destroyed as the rabid beer-swilling fans bray for even bigger hits and the crude business of sports-for-profit rolls on.

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The Movies Of Will Smith

All movies starring Will Smith and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Six Degrees Of Separation (1993)

Bad Boys (1995)

Independence Day (1996)

Men In Black (1997)

Enemy Of The State (1998)

Ali (2001)

Bad Boys II (2003)

Hitch (2005)

The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006)

I Am Legend (2007)

Hancock (2008)

Seven Pounds (2008)

Winter's Tale (2014)

Focus (2015)

Concussion (2015)

Collateral Beauty (2016)

Bad Boys For Life (2020)

King Richard (2021)

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