The American

Perhaps because the late Martin Booth’s novel “A Very Private Gentleman” wouldn’t sell well as a film title, the film version of said novel is now “The American.”

In it, our “hero” is Jack (George Clooney), an assassin who, in his first scene, kills two other assassins and his own female companion in Sweden. His boss, Pavel (Johan Leysen) sends him to Rome to hideout from any potential repercussions. There, he meets Mathilde (Thekla Reuten), who wants him to build her a highly-efficient gun. He also meets a prostitute (Violante Placido), and a priest (Paolo Bonacelli). Thanks to the latter two, Jack, aka Edward, decides he wants out of his dangerous profession.

Yup, that’s pretty much it for the story. There is no major shootouts ala the Bond movies, or a clear-cut sense of plot. It’s just a character study of an assassin, perhaps like if it was James Bond considering retirement one movie after he killed all the real bad guys. On that level, thanks to Clooney, it succeeds.

Its director, Anton Corbijn, has mainly done music videos. To his credit, it doesn’t resemble a full length music video. His cinematographer, Martin Ruhe, and Editor Andrew Hulme, have aided him in constructing a nicely-shot, properly edited story. Thanks to the latter, the film is effectively suspenseful when it needs to be.

It does move incredibly slowly at times. But one should remember that it’s about a character’s life unraveling on-screen. Otherwise, one’ll get lost and confused at times in the plot.

Get Low

Although the advertisements of Get Low give top-billing to Robert Duvall and Bill Murray, it’s pretty much the former who’s the star of the show. And thanks to Duvall, it is quite a memorable show indeed.

Duvall is Felix Bush, a real-life Tennessee hermit whom his fellow citizens regard with superstition. His only companion is his mule, whom he tells would-be trespassers to beware of. Hearing one day that an old friend has passed on, Bush decides to plan for his own funeral…and have it while he’s still alive to hear the townsfolk talk about him!

This is a godsend for opportunistic undertaker Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). He has his protégée, Buddy (Lucas Black), make the arrangements for the funeral, including the hiring of Felix’s favorite preacher (Bill Cobbs). The plans for the big day get disrupted when Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), an old acquaintance of Felix, comes in. With her, comes the tragic secret that prompted Felix’s hermit ways in the first place.

As I said, this is Robert Duvall’s show all the way. He makes such a performance as this old coot that one is easily drawn into the story. That’s not to say that the other actors are just not worth it. Among them, Bill Murray as Frank is quite an amusing character.

Its director and editor, Aaron Schneider previously won the Oscar for his short film Two Soldiers. This is his first feature film as Director, and if this is any indication, should be the first of many fine ones.

The Kids Are All Right

An issue I had with Lisa Cholodenko’s otherwise all-right The Kids are All Right was how abrupt the ending was. I’ll get to the ending a little bit later, and instead, spend some time to dictate what this film is about.

Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and her brother Laser (Josh Hutcherson) were both conceived due to artificial insemination from the same donor. Their household is headed by their Lesbian mothers Nic (Annette Bening), the physician and Jules (Julianne Moore), the stay-at-home mom with dreams of landscaping.

Thanks to Joni, the kids’ father, restaurateur Paul (Mark Ruffalo) finally enters the picture. Despite admitting he only did his part just for cash and for the hell-of-it, he gets along quite well with the kids. He especially gets along with Jules, with whom he carries on an adulterous affair.

Naturally, the aforementioned ending is triggered once the affair is finally discovered. I won’t say further, but let’s say some of the plot isn’t clearly resolved on-screen. I think the idea was to have its audience discuss and think about the ending amongst them. I know I am as I’m writing this; it makes a little more sense.

As for the actors, they are quite all-right to say the least. As Paul, Mark Ruffalo makes a likeable guy, perhaps too likeable as a third-wheel in a relationship. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening, as Jules and Nic, make for an excellent couple in love. These are the highlights of such a nice cast.

Much of the credit for the actors’ performances goes to Cholodenko and her co-writer, Stuart Blumberg. They’ve avoided potentially overused dramatic clichés in their depiction of relationships. They thus act like real people, and not actors clearly begging for the Academy’s attention. I’m quite positive it’ll get the Academy’s attention anyway because it’s one of the best films of the summer.