Zero Dark Thirty provokes and disturbs

With Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, Jennifer Ehle and Kyle Chandler. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

When is the price for winning a war simply too high to pay? This is the question raised by Zero Dark Thirty, a compelling and disturbing historical thriller by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow. The film chronicles the lengthy intelligence operation conducted by the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden, whose capture or death was a matter of grave importance to the United States.

The depiction of the hunt for Bin Laden makes for gripping viewing. We largely experience events through the eyes of Jessica Chastain’s character, a CIA operative known only as Maya. Maya has spent her career gathering intelligence on the illusive founder of Al-Qaeda and her single-minded focus on Bin Laden often puts her at odds with her colleagues and superiors. Chastain is excellent in the lead role and succeeds in getting the audience to share her belief in her personal crusade. She reacts with understandable revulsion to the tactics used to gather intelligence but remains steadfast.

The moral quandary posed by Zero Dark Thirty is the film’s most challenging aspect. The interrogation of detainees by an American interrogator named Dan (Jason Clarke) is graphic and hard to watch. It would be hard to argue that the interrogation techniques used by the US government, as depicted in the film, did not amount to torture.

Zero Dark Thirty suspends judgement in this morass of ethical dilemmas and leaves the viewer to make up his or her own mind. It is troubling that the script does not deal more critically with the ethics and actual effectiveness of using torture to extract information, but there is little doubt that the events shown in the film reflect the truth of the situation on the ground. Zero Dark Thirty succeeds in being a technically excellent and gripping military thriller which dramatises a particularly dark period in American and world history.

Vars ná twee dekades

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY … Met Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher en Bruno Kirby. Regie deur Rob Reiner

When Harry met Sally … is ‘n romantiese komedie wat ná meer as twee dekades steeds vars en relevant voel. Die draaiboek deur Nora Ephron, met bydraes deur Billy Crystal, is vlymskerp en die karakters se ervarings en uiteenlopende perspektiewe op die liefde bly vermaaklik.

Natuurlik verskaf die verhouding tussen Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) en Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) die meeste van die vermaak. Deur hul vriendskap word die netelige kwessie van blywende liefde verken. Harry en Sally is jare lange beste vriende, ten spyte van Harry se filosofie van platoniese vriendskap tussen mans en vroue, naamlik dat sulke vriendskappe nooit goed uitdraai nie omdat seksuele begeerte altyd ‘n vlieg in die salf word. Die jare gaan egter verby en verhoudings kom en gaan vir dié twee, maar hul vriendskap bly onwrikbaar staan. Die spanning van die storielyn lê natuurlik daarin of daar ‘n kans is dat romanse ooit tussen hulle sal vlamvat en indien wel, wat dit vir hul vriendskap sal beteken.

Die fliek word tereg onthou as ‘n hoogtepunt in die loopbane van Crystal en Ryan en hul karakters bring elk iets uniek tot die fliek. Crystal se komediese spel is uitstekend en sy vertolking van Harry laat Ephron se skerp sin vir dialoog volkome tot sy reg kom. Alhoewel die beste dialoog vir Crystal beskore is, dra Ryan ‘n oormaat uitbundigheid en lewensvreugde tot die fliek by.

Die verhaal speel grootliks af oor die verloop van ‘n jaar in New York, wat tot die prent se kykgenot bydra. Dié stad se unieke aanloklikheid word ten volle benut en word perfek gekomplimenteer deur die uitstekende jazz-klankbaan.

Al dié bestanddele dra daartoe by dat When Harry met Sally … een van die aangenaamste bydraes tot die genre is. Ongeag wat die stand van sake in die kyker se liefdeslewe is, is dié die fliek wat enigeen behoort te oortuig dat elke pot sy deksel het.

Ontspanne pret vir naweek-aand

KLEIN KAROO. Met Tim Theron, Donnalee Roberts, Hykie Berg, Anel Alexander, Sisanda Henna, Pierre Breytenbach, Amalia Uys en Bouwer Bosch. Regie deur Regardt van den Berg.

Met die aanbreek van die ‘maand van liefde’ kom nog ‘n Afrikaanse romantiese komedie wat hoop om fliekgangers se harte te verower. Die bemarking en algehele styl van Klein Karoo herinner sterk aan verlede jaar se Semi-Soet en is gewis op ‘n soortgelyke gehoor gemik. ‘n Mens kan maar net hoop dat dié rolprent dieselfde sukses gaan behaal, maar dit is ‘n jammerte dat Klein Karoo daarmee tevrede is om dié bekende terrein weer te begaan eerder as om na groter oorspronklikheid te reik. Met dit gesê bly Klein Karoo ‘n aangename kykervaring en is goeie ligte vermaak vir ‘n naweek-aand saam met ‘n geliefde.

Die Klein Karoo self is ‘n welkome byvoeging tot die rolverdeling. Die natuurtonele is ‘n fees vir die oog en die rolprent baat beslis deur die ligging waarin dié liefdesverhaal hom afspeel. Die romantiese storielyn is heel meesleurend en pluk aan die hartsnare. Dit is voorspelbaar, maar die akteurs se spel slaag daarin om die gehoor aan die karakters se kant te kry en ons gun dié mense hul kans op geluk en liefde. Die sukses van die wyse waarop die liefdesdriehoek afspeel is ook danksy die klankbaan, wat die emosie van die rolprent onderstreep sonder om manipulerend te wees.

Die akteurs is ook uitstekend en dis goed om heelwat nuwe gesigte in ‘n Afrikaanse rolprent te sien. Vir meeste van die akteurs is Klein Karoo die grootste rolprent in hul loopbane tot dusver en nuwelinge soos Tim Theron, Sisanda Henna en Bouwer Bosch vaar goed langs ervare toneelspelers soos Hykie Berg en Anel Alexander. Klein Karoo is ook ‘n mylpaal vir Donnalee Roberts en is ‘n sterk aanduiding dat ‘n suksesvolle loopbaan in die rolprentbedryf op haar wag.

Gaan kyk gerus Klein Karoo as jy op soek is na ‘n lekker romantiese komedie vir ‘n Valentynsnaweek. Goeie Afrikaanse rolprente wat aan hierdie behoefte voldoen bly maar ‘n seldsame plesier.

Fun for young and old

WRECK-IT RALPH. With the voice talent of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch. Directed by Rich Moore.

The premise of Wreck-It Ralph is reminiscent of the Toy Story films and suggests that the characters of video game arcade machines live secret lives of their own when their human players are not looking. One of these characters is Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), a video game villain who has had enough of being the bad guy. Ralph just wants friendship and for people to acknowledge that he is basically a decent guy. Eventually, his frustrations boil over and he sets out on a quest to become a hero, unwittingly unleashing a force that threatens to destroy all of video game land.

Wreck-It Ralph is sure to be a hit with younger viewers. It packs plenty of entertainment value into 90 minutes and the pace rarely slows down. The lead characters are all interesting and likeable and make the film enjoyable to watch to the end. These characters are the driving force behind the film, since the plot, while fun, can also be rather over-developed at times.

The experience might be more hit-and-miss for adult audiences, but there is plenty here for grown-ups to enjoy. The film’s artistry and visual playfulness amazes throughout and shows great creativity in playing with the various visual styles encountered in the diverse video game realms the story moves through. Sharp-eyed viewers will be rewarded with countless clever visual puns and gags. The story carries an uplifting message regarding the dangers of egotism and of acknowledging and coming to terms with the good and bad within ourselves. The film gets its message across with subtlety and without becoming preachy.

Wreck-It Ralph is highly recommended for parents who enjoy going to the movies with their children. The strong visual style and thoughtful writing are sure to win the film many adult fans as well.