Cinemas - Starting this week - 16/11/07

Nov 16 2007 by Michael Green, Flintshire Chronicle

STARTING THIS WEEK

AMERICAN GANGSTER (18) (All major cinemas)

THERE are so many movies which spring to mind when considering the new Ridley Scott picture, you would think its sheer lack of originality would be too big an obstacle to overcome.

Denzel Washington’s rise through the ranks to become New York’s number one drugs kingpin has echoes of Scarface (although Washington is less manic than Pacino ever was).

Russell Crowe as a ramshackle detective whose personal life is going down the toilet as he realises just about every cop he works with is corrupt feels just like Serpico (this time Crowe’s performance is not a million miles away from Pacino’s in that movie).

And the fact Scott concentrates on a charismatic crook and dogged detective following their own paths towards an inevitable showdown feels a lot like Heat (the spirit of Pacino once again hovering over proceedings!), especially with two giants of the screen in the leading roles.

Yet somehow there is still enough in this epic saga to make it seem fresh, alive and exhilarating – not least the fact it is based on a true story of a criminal and a cop who, in reality, went on to become firm friends!

As good as Crowe is in his third collaboration with Scott, it is Washington who steals the show as he tends to do with any picture in which he appears.

This seemingly ageless star just gets better with every film and is constantly proving how convincing he can be in a popcorn crowd pleaser like Deja Vu (directed by Ridley’s brother Tony) or when he has something meatier to chew on such as his Oscar winning turn in Training Day.

Perhaps the film is a little overlong at 157 minutes especially as Scott directs at a surprisingly leisurely pace but it’s a story that covers a lot of ground and is one that benefits from the decision not to rush its various complex developments.

STAR RATING: ***

BEOWULF (12A) (All major cinemas)

ONE of the first of many distractions from the actual story you encounter during Beowulf is the realisation of just how much the animated versions of actors like Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie look like the real thing.

Director Robert Zemeckis has taken the motion capture techniques he employed so well in The Polar Express and taken them to the next stage with remarkable results.

But there also comes a point where you can’t help asking yourself that, if the aim was to convincingly recreate their likenesses, why didn’t he just shoot the actors live and surround them with CGI effects!

I suppose one reason is that we would never have had the pleasure of seeing Ray Winstone playing a hero so beefy and butch he makes Arnie in his heyday look like a wimp.

Of course, this is the least realistic representation of the actor concerned because, wonderful though he may be in so many ways, the real thing most assuredly does not look like Gerard Butler in 300 whereas his animated version here he is the spitting image.

Once you get used to the gimmick, there is an immense amount to enjoy about this revival of what is regarded as the first ever novel, especially an already celebrated naked fight scene between Beowulf and Grendel in which Zemeckis deliberately contrives to have our hero’s manhood covered by strategically placed objects at all times!

Received wisdom, though, suggests that the only way to fully appreciate this ambitious production is to make sure you see it in all its 3D glory.

STAR RATING: ***