Enemy

Released:  February 6^th, 2014

Rated:  R

Distributor:  A24

Starring:  Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini

Directed by:  Denis Villeneuve

Written by:  Javier Gullón

Personal Bias Alert:  expected it to be difficult to understand, doesn’t like spiders

3.8 of 10

            The problem with mysteries like the one Enemy plays with is that you have to drop the right amount of bread crumbs as you tell the story.  If you leave too much, you give the answer away, but if you leave too few, the ending won’t make sense.  To complicate matters more, everyone’s ‘right amount’ will be different depending on their knowledge of things like cultural references and genre conventions.  I know this isn’t a new observation to anyone, and you might be rolling your eyes at me thinking that I’m about to go on some long-winded explanation of a very basic concept.  Well, that eye-rolling state is exactly what I was in while watching Enemy, because it left far too many bread crumbs as it told its story.

            A brief explanation of the plot is best as the film does try to be mysterious about its narrative.  Suffice it to say that Jake Gyllenhaal plays two men who look exactly alike, and the reason for this is the enigma the film ponderously unravels.  You never get a ‘Hallelujah, the explanation is this’ moment.  Instead, it wants you to think about its intentions, its meanings, and its odd spider metaphor.  Seriously, spiders real and imagined pop up several times in this film, and it’s as heavy-handed and simplistic a metaphor as most everything in this movie.

            Writer Javier Gullón really put all his eggs into the mystery basket with this script, choosing not to expand on characters or themes beyond what was absolutely necessary.  The film expects you to be incredibly interested in figuring out who the two men are in relation to each other, apparently not realizing that some of us would figure out the basics of what’s happening pretty early on and not care too much about the details.  That’s the boat I was in, even pinpointing what I still think was the major theme of the film in the first 30 or so minutes, being left to slog through the next hour plus without getting much for it.  Frankly, a character finding their double isn’t unique; the 2013 film The Double (in which the character aptly finds his double) is based on a novella of the same name by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which also happens to be the name of the José Saramago novel this film is based on.  What that other film and I’m guessing the two novelists understood was that this setup isn’t enough on its own to be interesting, and more must be done with it.  Enemy doesn’t share this insight, so it does little besides set up the scenario and watch it playout.

            The fault of the mystery being so obvious lies with director Denis Villeneuve, as much of the tipoffs about what’s really going on stems from how the material was presented.  There’s a sort of double warning at the beginning of the film that the material may be difficult to discern:  first we get a title card talking about there being order in chaos, then we get a heightened, almost dreamlike opening sequence that’s wordless but chock full of metaphors that slap you in the face with the message ‘you don’t understand what I mean yet, but I’m important!’  Either one by itself would get a thinking man’s moviegoer alert and watchful.  Together, they just get your head churning on overdrive.  Villeneuve proceeds to shoot the first half using such carefully constructed shots that it’s hard to miss what he’s hinting at.  Perhaps if he hadn’t gotten the audience so engaged or if he had hidden his meanings better then the film could’ve been more enigmatic.  As is, it’s just obvious.

            At least if you become unengaged you can sit back and watch Jake Gyllenhaal craft two distinctly different characters.  Costumes do help distinguish them, but their gate is what really sets them apart:  one a bit plodding and hunched while the other moves with purpose and confidence.  It’s not anything too big, which makes the time spent examining it rewarding.

            If you don’t come up with a plausible narrative explanation quickly, then this film might maintain your interest purely to figure out what the hell is going on.  Many people seem to be fascinated by this, but others, like myself, sniff out a shallow meaning underneath all the weirdness, which makes it wholly uninteresting.

Other Notes:

Ø  I enjoyed the waxing and waning presence of the score.

Ø  Random Isabella Rossellini!

Ø  I watched Chris Stuckmann’s explanation of the movie thinking I might’ve missed something.  Unfortunately, all it revealed to me was a better explanation of the spider metaphor, which didn’t get too far away from my own and certainly didn’t add anything to my appreciation of the film.  Here’s the link to Chris’s breakdown:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AWkqRwd1I

Dracula Untold

Released:  October 10^th, 2014

Rated:  PG-13

Studio:  Universal Pictures

Starring:  Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Samantha Barks

Directed by:  Gary Shore

Written by:  Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless

Personal Bias Alert:  likes vampire movies, familiar with almost no one involved

4.5 of 10

            The title is the first clue that something’s wrong with this film.  I mean, really, is there any aspect of Dracula’s origin that hasn’t been told?  I’m no expert, but a childhood spent watching The History Channel taught me about Vlad the Impaler, Elizabeth Bathory, and few other historical blood users that may have influenced Bram Stoker’s vision.  Dracula Untold uses Vlad, the most commonly sited of these influences, as a jumping off point, and even though it’s not particularly original, it does manage to cobble together enough decent elements to almost make it enjoyable.

            This movie’s Vlad (Luke Evans) starts off as the established ruler of Transylvania, a man who’s content to quietly raise his son and his people under the thumb of the Turks.  When the Turks show up demanding 1,000 boys for their army, Vlad decides it’s time to cut ties and is forced to draw from his dark past and from an even darker power in the mountains to save his people.

            Dracula is in the title, so I don’t think it’s any secret that Vlad seeks out a vampire in those mountains.  Played with gusto by Charles Dance (you know, Tywin Lannister), the scene between the ancient vampire and Vlad is everything you want in a vampire film:  darkness, blood, some body horror, and a good-looking guy to stare at.  The scene gets a lot done, too, and its success reminds you why execs at Universal look at the Dracula property and see a hit film.

             The good-looking guy in the aforementioned scene is Evans (trust me, you don’t want Dance), and his performance singlehandedly makes this film better than it should be.  He manages to root the underdrawn, overstretched Vlad in some sort of reality, and I found myself really caring for the poor guy.  He’s equally good in the action scenes, drawing out a menacing side that effectively portrays the monster he’s trying to be.

            Helping out Evans is an excellent effort by the costume, makeup, set design, and special effects crews.  The film looks great, and that’s directly due to the efforts of everyone involved in these and other departments.  The world they’ve created is ornately detailed, and the big and small set pieces feel appropriately scaled.  What’s most impressive, though, is the special effects, particularly the bat transformations that are featured in the trailer and the poster.  It’s a seamless stream of motion, with Evans slowly disintegrating and bats forming from the void.  I have no clue how much money was spent on this effect, but it was worth every penny.

            The problems come anytime this film tries to tell an actual story.  It seems the filmmakers didn’t think we’d be interested in a simple vampire story, so they jazzed it up with as many subplots as possible.  There’s not enough time to explore each one, so instead they skim the surface of each, leaving me wondering which I should be most concerned about and not particularly caring about any of them.  The biggest failure is the subplot involving Vlad’s family, which falters under the lack of relationship development and the poor performances by Sarah Gadon and Art Parkinson (more Game of Thrones people).

            Otherwise, some overly flashy cinematography and generally wooden performances keeps the whole thing a bit off-putting.  I can’t say I was ever bored, the film does keep things moving, but outside of a mild interest in Vlad himself, I didn’t care much about what was happening.  Reminiscent of my feelings towards 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman, Dracula Untold is an empty, frustrating waste of some excellent elements.

            Other Notes:

Ø  The lack of blood allowed in a PG-13 movie and a vampire story doesn’t mix well.

Ø  Samantha Barks is listed as a star, but her role was cut in editing.  I guess she can still pretend that he’s beside her.

Ø  That guy’s money was literally protecting him.

Ø  You know you’re having issues when the blood starts whispering to you.