Christian Bale Archives - chimesfreedom

A Dark Humorless Somewhat Revisionist Western: “Hostiles” (Short Review)

Hostiles movie Critics seem divided on the latest interpretation of the great American Western, Hostiles (2018). Is it an “excellent modern take on the Western” or is it “a brutal, shallow Western“? Well, there is truth in both views about the new movie directed by Scott Cooper.

The film is set in the West during 1892 in the waning period of the American Indian wars, around six years after Geronimo has surrendered and less than two years after the Wounded Knee massacre. Christian Bale stars in Hostiles as Joseph Blocker, a captain nearing retirement. BLocker has seen and done horrible things during the wars with the Native Americans.

Blocker’s final assignment is to escort an ill chief (Wes Studi) from New Mexico back to his tribe’s lands in Montana so the chief may die on his own soil. Blocker, who has nothing but hatred for the Native Americans, does not want the assignment. But he is forced into it. So, he sets off with a few men and the chief and the chief’s family.

Along the way, Blocker’s group picks up new people and loses others. The film opens with some Native Americans killing a family, with the only survivor being Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike). Soon, Blocker’s group finds Quaid, still traumatized from her own experience.

The movie follows Blocker’s struggles with his beliefs about duty and about his old foes as he also tries to get his group to safety in a hostile land. Some of the travelers have their own demons. And other characters are somewhat developed, but the film mainly focuses on Bale’s character.

Not the Greatest, But a Good Addition to the Western Canon

There are echoes of other Westerns here. Blocker’s changing assortment of traveling characters may remind one of The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), for example. But the most obvious connection here is to John Ford’s beautiful classic, The Searchers (1956). That film followed John Wayne’s racist character searching for his niece. One may also recognize echoes of the final shot from The Searchers in the final scene of Hostiles, one of my favorite touches in the new film.

Hostiles does not rank among my favorite Westerns. But it does a decent job telling a story steeped in realism as do many revisionist Westerns, even if one may debate how far the movie deviates from traditional Western stereotypes. And the acting is superb all around. The movie features another great performance from the always fascinating Bale, who also did a very good turn in the recent Western 3:10 to Yuma (2007).

The movie, though, is not an enjoyable ride. While there are scenes of horrible violence, the movie lacks the excitement and pace of most Westerns.

Darker Westerns can still show flashes of joy or humor — as do The Searchers, Unforgiven (1992), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), and The Outlaw Josey Wales. But there is little human joy or laughter in Hostiles. The story reveals some friendships and human connections. But the dour movie could have done more with them. Those few moments still seem buried in the darkness of the story, perhaps because the camera rarely leaves the grim Blocker.

Hostiles is a good movie and anyone who enjoys Westerns should check it out. I see why critics and viewers are somewhat split on the film, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 72% Critics Rating and a 71% Audience Rating. While Hostiles is not a fun ride and one may debate its success as a Revisionist Western, the film gets credit for trying to do something deeper than most recent action movies.

What did you think of Hostiles? Leave your two cents in the comments.

What Song Does the Sergeant Sing About a Sparrow in “Hostiles”?

The Myth of Redemptive Violence (Part Two): The American Western

The Myth of Redemptive Violence: 3:10 to Yuma (Part One)

James Arness: 1923-2011

True Grit ’10 vs. True Grit ’69

Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

What Song Does the Sergeant Sing About a Sparrow in “Hostiles”?

Sparrow Hostiles

While watching the Western Hostiles (2018) you may have noticed a character singing a beautiful song while playing mandolin around the campfire. What was the song?

Although it sounds like it is a timeless folk song, it is a new song written by Ryan Bingham called “How Shall a Sparrow Fly.” Bingham recorded the song for Hostiles, which stars Christian Bale. And that is Bingham playing the song as a sergeant in the movie.

In the video below, Bingham plays “How Shall a Sparrow Fly.”

Bingham also co-wrote with T. Bone Burnett the excellent Oscar-winning song “The Weary Kind,” which appeared in Crazy Heart (2009). That film, which starred Jeff Bridges, was directed by Scott Cooper, who also directed Hostiles.

Bingham recently explained to Variety that Cooper asked Bingham to be in Hostiles when he saw some video of Bingham on horses. After getting the script, Bingham worked up “How Shall a Sparrow Fly” on his mandolin while touring.

Unfortunately, “How Shall a Sparrow Fly” did not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. But it is a wonderful song from the singer-songwriter.

“How Shall a Sparrow Fly?” appears on the Hostiles soundtrack with a full orchestra.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

A Dark Humorless Somewhat Revisionist Western: “Hostiles” (Short Review)

Keeping the Wolves At Bay

Ryan Bingham: “Radio”

A Crazy Violent Act and A Very Good Film (“The Dark Knight Rises”)

The Dark Knight Rises . . . In Legos

The Myth of Redemptive Violence (Part Two): The American Western

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Buy from Amazon

A Crazy Violent Act and A Very Good Film (“The Dark Knight Rises”)

The movie theater where I watched The Dark Knight Rises (2012) had this poster in the coming attractions display, warning the audience for Step Up Revolution (2012). While the dance movie has garnered some positive reviews, some are concerned that a scene with the dancers wearing gas masks amid a cloudy haze might evoke thoughts of the shootings at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. My theater, however, had no similar warnings for The Dark Knight Rises, a film that is full of scenes of terrorism, violence, and killings. I guess it is all about expectations, and one going to a Batman movie in 2012 should expect levels of violence that far exceed the Batman television show of the 1960s.

I have written about how movies often follow a familiar pattern of endorsing redemptive violence, showing a hero who is repeatedly beaten down so that we want nothing more than for the hero to rise up and use violence against his oppressor or oppressors. And The Dark Knight Rises follows this typical movie pattern, where we accept that the solution to the problems will be more violence. Director Christopher Nolan does present these themes with more complexity than other movies, as we see Bruce Wayne tiring of the Batman job while Batman still declines to use guns.

But I do not think that the movie violence itself determines whether a film is good or bad, only that we film-goers should be knowledgeable about the way our entertainment is used. So, that said, The Dark Knight Rises is a well-told story that ties up and concludes one of the best trilogies in movie history. So do not let the press about one crazy act in Colorado stop you from going to see this film.

The film picks up years after The Dark Knight (2008) left off, and it also ties in much of the story of the first film in the trilogy, Batman Begins (2005). Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is a recluse and Batman has disappeared. A powerful new villain, Bane (Tom Hardy), appears, and we meet Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). We learn of a connection between Bane and Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson) from Batman Begins. And, well, if you have not seen the previous two films — or it has been awhile — you might want to rent them before seeing The Dark Knight Rises as the new film assumes a certain level of familiarity with the earlier films.

The acting is excellent, as Bale may give his best performance as Wayne/Batman, showing layers of character in Bruce Wayne and growling less as Batman than in the previous film. While Bane wears a mask so you cannot see his mouth, Nolan makes sure you can understand what he is saying. Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), Alfred (Michael Caine), and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), return as much of the heart of the trilogy. The film also introduces new key characters, including young police officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard).

The movie has several layers that may leave one wondering about the message of the film. Bane and other villains talk about the oppressed rising up against the rich class, which some have noted evokes recent protests by Occupy Wall Street. But as the bad guys advocate chaos and destruction, does that mean Nolan is against them? Or is he just incorporating the reference without taking sides? And is Nolan supporting the strict Harvey Dent law that evokes recent terrorism laws passed in the U.S.? The answers are not clear, but good movies give one something to think about after the lights come on, and The Dark Knight Rises is worth further thought and discussion.

Although the film takes 2 hours and 44 minutes to reach its conclusion, it did not seem long to me, as it tied together the various stories (although there is no reference to The Joker out of respect to the late Heath Ledger). About half-way through the film someone said something that made me realize how the film would end, but I was still entertained as the movie took some twists and turns to get there.

Conclusion: How does the film compare to its predecessors? The Dark Knight had the great performance of Heath Ledger, so I suspect most people will find that the second film is their favorite of the series. I also liked that The Dark Knight avoided the typical villain-as-brilliant-genius story and went for a villain-as-mentally-ill story, which as we see from the Colorado shooting is probably more realistic. But for the excellent screenplay asking more complex questions than a typical superhero film, a few surprises, and the way Nolan wrapped it all up, I would make a case for The Dark Knight Rises as one of the best final films in any trilogy.

Other Reviews Because Why Should You Listen to Me?: Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 87% rating from critics and a 92% rating from audience members. The movie has received some mixed reviews, perhaps partly due to high expectations. Anthony Lane at The New Yorker says The Dark Knight Rises is “is murky, interminable, confused, and dropsical with self-importance,” although he finds the film redeemed by Anne Hathaway’s performance. The Daily Mail calls the movie “a pretentious mess.” Bob Garver at the Herald-Mail, by contrast, says the movie is “satisfying enough to be considered a worthy finale” to the trilogy. Lisa Kennedy at The Denver Post liked the movie even more, saying “the film is a feat of painstakingly crafted closure.” Omer M. Mozaffar wrote a very good essay about the trilogy on the Chicago Sun-Times website, but be warned that it contains spoilers if you have not seen the film. Finally, my reference in this post to “redemptive violence” in films, cartoons, etc. comes from scholar and theologian Walter Wink, who passed away this May. Although he wrote books on the topic, one of his short essays on redemptive violence is at Ekklesia. RIP.

What did you think of “The Dark Knight Rises”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

The Dark Knight Rises . . . In Legos

New Trailer for 3D Lego Movie

Should You Hear the People Sing in “Les Misérables”? (Review)

Pee-wee Herman’s “Dark Knight Rises”

“The Grey” Is Not the Movie You Thought It Was (Missed Movies)

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Short Review)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

The Dark Knight Rises . . . In Legos

One of the most highly anticipated films of the upcoming summer is The Dark Knight Rises, the conclusion of the Dark Knight trilogy with Christian Bale that started with Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), the latter of which starred the late Heath Ledger. The trailer for the new film makes me want to see it even more than I did. And now a new version of the trailer in Legos makes me want to see a Legos version of the film too.

Here’s the trailer that is remade in the Lego trailer scene-for-scene:

For an extra treat, press the start button on both videos, syncing the first scene, and you can watch the same scenes in both real and Legos versions at the same time. The non-Legos human version of The Dark Knight Rises comes to theaters on July 20, 2012. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine.

What movie trailer would you like to see in Legos? Leave your two cents in the comments.

A Crazy Violent Act and A Very Good Film (“The Dark Knight Rises”)

New Trailer for 3D Lego Movie

Pee-wee Herman’s “Dark Knight Rises”

New Jimi Hendrix Album (and Video): “Both Sides of the Sky”

A Dark Humorless Somewhat Revisionist Western: “Hostiles” (Short Review)

What Song Does the Sergeant Sing About a Sparrow in “Hostiles”?

(Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)

The Myth of Redemptive Violence (Part Two): The American Western

In Part One of this two-part series on redemptive violence in American Westerns, we considered how the 2007 version of 3:10 to Yuma significantly changed the ending from the 1957 film. In making the change, the movie embraced the myth of redemptive violence, a concept explained by writer Walter Wink in several books.

“The Myth of Redemptive Violence” appears in the media and popular culture to teach the lesson that violence provides redemption. In these scenes of redemptive violence, the audience feels a release and joy that the hero, often in an apparent beaten state, rises up in a flurry of violence to save himself or herself, save another, or save an entire town.

It is through the act of violence that the hero and society is redeemed and saved.

{Note: This post and the previous post discuss the ending of classic Western film and thus include spoilers.}

Classic Westerns: Shane, High Noon, & The Searchers

Although redemptive violence seems more common in today’s action films like in the updated 3:10 to Yuma, it has been present throughout film history. Many classic Westerns perpetuate the myth of redemptive violence.

But the best of them add a layer of complexity and avoid the simple violence-as-redemption lesson. For example, the classic Shane (1953) fits Walter Wink’s pattern of redemptive violence with Shane beaten until he rises up to redeem himself through violence. But the movie adds something more. Shane’s acts of violence do not bring him a happy life, it was not done out of his own vengeance, and it also may have brought about his sacrificial death.

Similar underlying complex themes are present at the end of High Noon (1952). The movie at first glance ends with a typical redemptive violence shootout, where we are relieved that Gary Cooper killed the bad guys. But his redemption comes from his fulfilled duty more than the violence. Ultimately, he rejects the violence when he throws his badge on the ground at the end and rides off with his Quaker wife to be a farmer.

Similarly, Robert Altman’s beautiful McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) still offered a nod to redemptive violence with the killing of the bad guys. Yet, it also showed us the hero’s tragic death and the consequences of violence.

The Searchers (1956) bucked the redemptive violence myth further. Although the film promises violence at the end, instead we get mercy. The hero then is left with a troubled future because of his violent past.

In the scene below, we see Ethan Edwards, played by John Wayne, finally capturing his niece stolen by the Native Americans. Edwards is an angry violent man who hates the Indians so much he plans to kill his niece who was taken into their culture. But near the end of the film, his character finds redemption through a small nonviolent act.

Naked Spur (1953), starring Jimmy Stewart, features a similar ending. Stewart’s Howard Kemp is angry and seeks revenge throughout the movie, only to break at the end to find himself in something besides violence.

Modern Westerns: Unforgiven, Appaloosa, Dances with Wolves

In this new century, movie makers often create movies that fail to grapple with the complexities of violence and instead offer violence as redemption. Even in the highly regarded “anti-Western” of Unforgiven, where many critics praised its realistic treatment of violence, the movie ends with acts of redemptive violence just like other Clint Eastwood Westerns. The movie promises more, but in the end it slips back into the pattern of redemptive violence as we enjoy watching Eastwood kill the wounded and unarmed Gene Hackman.

Similarly, Appaloosa (2008) offers us a complex vision of the West. But it still settles on a final shootout so viewers are satisfied that the bad guy is killed.

Dances with Wolves (1990) attempted to get out of the cycle of redemptive violence. It does have flashes of it though, such as where the white men – whose evil is shown by the fact they kill Kevin Costner’s horse and the wolf – are killed in a battle at a river. Had the movie ended there, it would have been a redemptive violence lesson: Good guys kill bad guys.

But the film continues and the ending is something different.

After the bad white men are killed, Kevin Costner’s character remains troubled by what the future might bring. And the movie ends with him and Stands With a Fist, in effect, sacrificing their lives living with the tribe to leave on their own to protect the tribe. Thus, the movie ends with an act of sacrifice rather than an act of redemptive violence.

The ending of Dances With Wolves, though, is somewhat unsatisfying. Perhaps it is because the movie led us to believe that it would provide us with redemptive violence due to its previous acts of violence. But at the end there is no big act of violence to put an end to the bad guys and make the good guys heroes. Maybe because the good guys of the movie are the Native Americans, and we all know they do not win, the movie could not end differently. Costner and the tribe never get their redemptive violence because the Native Americans of history never did.

Conclusion

The themes of Shane, High Noon and The Searchers — with their ambiguities and troubled heroes – almost seem too complex in comparison with the modern version of 3:10 to Yuma. The modern movie says, “the bad guy is now good because he killed the bad guys.” But in these older movies, it was not enough to vanquish the bad guys. There was something troubling that lingered even after the final acts of violence.

Of course, not all old Westerns were as complex as The Searchers, so maybe it is unfair to make a comparison across time to a few classics. Still, watch for redemptive violence messages in any modern action film you watch.

Because so many films teach us that redemptive violence solves problems, we must consider what our entertainment teaches us. And we must consider how that entertainment may reflect our society today.

What do you think about the use of violence in film? Leave your two cents in the comments.