BE Positive!
31 March 2007
I've gone on a bit of a DVD buying spree this weekend. I picked up Initial D for £5.00 from the HMV sale. I was once again tempted by the season two box set of House but resisted buying it, just about. The only reason I bought Initial D was because I needed something to watch. The price was good and it was something that caught my eye whilst I was browsing the foreign films section. Being a film based on a Japanese manga I assumed that it was made by a Japanese film house but it's actually made by a Hong Kong crew. In fact it's directed by the two guys who did the Infernal Affairs trilogy. Having directors of such high calibre this film promised to be something spectacular. And in some ways it was. The action sequences, of which there were a lot, were well shot and backed up by a thumping soundtrack. The plot, however, wasn't quite so good. It's not that surprising considering it's an adaptation of a manga which spanned many chapters. My main gripe with the story was probably the ending. It felt too rushed and left more questions than answers. Having said that, the majority of the film was enjoyable. If you enjoy the manga or the anime then you'll probably like this movie version too. If cars racing down a mountain at high speed, drifting around the corners is not your thing, then you'd probably avoid this film. Thankfully I'm the sort who does like it. And because of that this film was a nice purchase, despite the lousy ending.
One film that I did see which has a great storyline was Road to Perdition. I'm so glad I bought it now, and even more glad that it was for £3.00. The acting by Tom Hanks (playing Michael Sullivan) was also excellent in this film. The story revolves around the terrible events that happen after Michael Sullivan son (also called Michael Sullivan) witnesses a brutal shoot-out in a warehouse. Their world then slowly begins to fall apart and Michael Snr. must fight to save his son's life, as well as his soul. The grim deterioration of their peaceful life is expertly filmed and directed by Sam Mendes. The way in which the relationship between Michael and his son begins to develop after the tragedy is also very well done. By the end of the film they finally come to an understanding, although it's perhaps too late. All in all, a gangster film that doesn't just focus on the shoot-outs.
Posted byHocchan at 8:45 pm
