"The Hunter" review

"A stranger in a strange land" has been a stable of storytelling throughout human history. While arriving alone to a location, a character can try as he can to remain who he was before his journey, but he will almost certainly be changed by those around him.  The journey itself can change the character, and have them grow into someone different and new.   Daniel Nettheim's 2011 film The Hunter is one such film which follows this trope.

                The story is that of Martin(Willem Dafoe) a mercenary hired by a company to track down, and kill the last Tasmanian tiger in existence, due to the creature's pharmaceutical capabilities.  During his mission Martin is given lodging with a local woman(Frances O'Connor) and her children, who have been rocked by the disappearance of her husband one year prior.  While the children are more than excited to have some company, the wife has since fallen into a neigh cationic state via stupor brought about by over-prescribed medication.  Along with having to hunt the tiger, and restoring the family's homestead, Martin must deal with Jack(Sam Neil), local guide who seems to have an ominous connection with the family, as well as local loggers who want outsiders to stop imposing on their livelihoods.  All of this transpires around Martin, while he still ventures out into the wilderness in search of the legendary creature.

                Dafoe is in his element as the slightly-distant mercenary, who at first is only concerned about his mission, but becomes a sort of replacement for the family's missing husband.  He comes across as a man who gains a sense of humanity which was missing, but regains it throughout his journey.  Concise, cold, and a man who tries to focus on his job, but gets sidetracked by the world around him.  As always Sam Neil is fantastic in any of his roles, though mostly known for his work in Jurassic Park he has a large filmography full of quality work.  There are two child actors in the film who are actually very good, where as in some films a scene can be killed by a child actor who is placed in the film because one of his family is a producer on the film, or something.  But the performances by young actors Morgana Daviesand Finn Woodlock are quite good, and fit well with the tone of the story.

                When it comes to the visuals, the film relies heavily on the wild, and at times almost alien landscape of Tasmania.  Where as in film Australia is generally restricted to the red sands of the outback, or the rainforest areas along the country's east-coast, The Hunter reveals Tasmania to viewers who might have the foreign land revealed to them for the first time.  The variation in the landscape changes throughout the film, and works as a way to frame Martin's journey.  The house he stays at is in a very grounded and peaceful forest area, but as he gets closer to finding the tiger nature becomes more hostile, starting with a temperate forest, to marshland, and eventually to a snow-covered mountain area.

                The setup of the film is Martin's search for a creature which is supposedly extinct, but during most of the movie that plotline takes a backseat to his interaction with the locals, and the effect that he as an outsider has on the community.  Where are before his arrival things weren't great, the townsfolk and loggers were content to live their lives, but the rumors of a living Tasmanian tiger have begun to spread, and fears that conversationalists will put an end to the logging rise up.  This of course leads to mob mentality which causes trouble for Martin, as well as anyone who isn't in favor of the logging industry. Though Martin has no real stake in the outcome of anything besides his job be has built up enough of a connection with his hosts that he does try and affect the situation, albeit not in a direct manor.

                The Hunter is a superb film, visually, writing-wise, as well as fantastically acted with an amazing performance by Willem Dafoe being the highlight of the film.  Martin's journey as a character is the cornerstone of the film, with the audience following him throughout his trials and tribulations in search of an animal thought to be long dead.

"Filth" film review

              

            Not all protagonists in films are goody-two-shoe, Boy Scout types.  Character flaws can make a film's hero more sympathetic, or give them more of a challenge in overcoming their obstacles.  But can we like a main character when he is made out to be one of the worst possible examples of a human being without making them completely monstrous?  In the example of the film Filth directed by Jon S. Baird,  the answer is a surprising yes.

                Bruce Robertson(James McAvoy) is a slimy, low-down detective Sergeant in Edinburgh, Scotland who tries to manipulate his way to a promotion via a murder investigation, believing this to be the key to winning back his family.  Along with investigating the murder itself, Bruce goes through the list of all his compatriots and devises a way to either remove them from the running for the promotion, or display their ineptitude. In his personal life Bruce enjoy bullying his mild-mannered, well off friend Bladesey(Eddie Marsan), as well having visits/hallucinations with his deranged Australian doctor(Jim Broadbent).  While the main plot point of the story is the murder of a Japanese foreign exchange student, the investigation is more of a backdrop to an exploration of Bruce's character.

                As previously stated, Bruce is scum, one of the lowest forms of human life, filth incarnate, yet he is somehow enduring, and against all odds, likeable.  Starting with the first appearance of the character he is constantly doing something vulgar, sexually devious, or downright deplorable.  Normally this kind of behavior would make a character despised by the audience, Bruce has an undeniable air of charisma about him, as well as certain charm.  This is due in part to both the excellent writing, and an incredibly strong performance by McAvoy who is able to portray this human pile of garbage without making it overly hokey.

                Thankfully the horrid behavior of Detective Sergeant Robertson is merely the outward shell of his true character: an incredibly broken man.  Throughout the film the true nature of Bruce's past and mental issues come to reveal themselves fully.  Every once and a while hallucinations will emerge, changing people's faces into those of various animals, namely Bruce looking like a pig.  The hallucinations are brought on by the combination of alcohol and medication that Bruce is constantly consuming, essentially trying to bury the pain brought about by the loss of his family.  As the story continues the audience is show the great extent of the mental illness, and how it extends towards the rest of Bruce's life as well as how it effects everything around him.  Despite his deplorable behavior, there is still the remnant of a good man still left within him;  one of the few positive actions he takes in the story is when on the street berating a homeless man, Bruce is the only one to take action to save the dying man.  This one scene strengthens the audience's attachment to their loveable boor, but is also an allegory for the his situation: he is the only one who can take action to save himself.

                The film is able to present itself visually in a way that presents the bleakness of the story, washing out most scenes with a faint blue tinge.  Story wise the events take place around Christmas, but the somber presentation of the streets of Edinburgh take precedence over the normal cheery nature of the holiday.  With images of Christmas strewn few and far between, with one scene having a homeless man wearing a Santa hat showing the sometimes superficial nature of the holiday; try as you may, but sometimes you can't cover up problems with the facade of something cheerful and happy.  That very idea works well as a way of looking at Bruce, while he is a vulgar and lewd ass, he also has a plethora of underlying issues which simply cannot be covered up.

                Along with James McAvoy, the cast gives a great performance, as mentioned before Jim Broadbent as Dr. Rossi, a hallucination that tortures Bruce in the guise of a demented psychiatrist.  Jamie Bell(Billy Elliot) as the rookie detective Lennox who has taken by Bruce's both as a protégé and as a detective and as a stepping stone for promotion.  Chrissie, played by Kate Dickie(Game of Thrones), is both the wife of one of Bruce's fellow detectives, as well as one of his many mistresses he uses to try and fill the void in his life.  Perhaps one of the more important characters is Eddie Marsan's Bladesey, who is Bruce's only friend, despite his constant bullying and mistreatment of him.  Though Bladesey can be seen as a punching bag, he is the only character who seems to care about Bruce, though it can be seen as misguided, rather than the last human connection left in his life.

                Filth is quite an amazing film, while there have doubtlessly been films before made about corrput cops, they weren't made quite like this.  Given the subject matter this film could have been quite unremarkable, but it gives it own spin on various themes and ideas, and takes strides in its macabre tones, and does not pull any punches.  If you are looking for a dark, raunchy, funny, and also incredibly worthwhile film, Filth should be at the top of your list.