'71 / Unbroken

Lumping a couple of films in together here as they both star one of the UK’s up and coming talents, Jack O’Connell. No doubt O’Connell has some acting chops to him, but both '71 and Unbroken are films where he has so few lines to speak it’s actually quite hard to appraise his performances. Granted its due to script and character, but you can’t say these are eye catching turns like his cracking performances in Starred Up or Tower Block. Word was that ’71 was hotter than Death Valley and Yann Demange’s portrayal of a young British soldier (O’Connell) getting lost in the mean streets of Belfast during the Troubles has plenty going for it. In respect of its visual portrayal of the Northern Irish capital at that time it’s a triumph and Demange’s use of handhelds adds a feeling of real claustrophobia to the proceedings. This is Demange’s debut feature (though he has a solid track record in Shorts and TV) and he’s certainly going to be one to keep on eye out for on the aesthetic side of things. Less successful is Gregory Burke’s script. The premise of the person trapped in an unfamiliar and hostile environment is one of cinema’s oldest staples, but any thrills or twists are lost amongst some truly terrible character stereotypes. Plus, despite Demange’s statements to the contrary, its fairly obvious which side his sympathies lie meaning the films examination of both sides of the conflict is unbalanced throughout. Hats off though to Demange for having an attempt at addressing a situation that is still such a hot political potato (and good luck to anyone outside of the UK understanding the history of the whole business). Definitely worth a watch but, despite the technical improvements in the last seventy plus years since Odd Man Out, Carol Reeds similarly themed thriller is by far the superior film. Moving on to another production about conflict we have Unbroken, Angelina Jolie’s second film as a director, which tells the real life story of Louie Zamperini (O’Connell), a US Olympic athlete who survived the second World War despite being shot down, lost at sea and interned in a number of brutal Japanese prisoner of war camps. The film is basically split into three parts. The first follows Zamperini growing up and his development as a runner that leads to him competing at the 1936 Olympics. The second is his role as a bombardier in the US Air Force and subsequent crash into the ocean. Finally it’s his time spent as a prisoner, up until his liberation at the conclusion of the war. Jolie’s no fool and she’s employed a number of heavy hitters (the Coen’s helping on script, Deakins as cinematographer, Desplat on scoring duties) to lend her a hand and there are a number of impressive moments (the airplane fight scenes being a particular highlight). The problem the film has is that, despite appearances, its too lightweight for its subject matter. The final third of the film being a case in point where Zamperini constantly falls foul of camp commandant Mutsuhiro Watanabe, played, in somewhat bizarre casting, by Japanese pop star Takamasa Ishihara (no, me neither). Though it’s harsh at times, it’s a long way from the detailed history of what actually occurred (in reality Watanabe was a vicious sadist) meaning that the film doesn’t hit home as it should. Somewhat unforgivably as well, Jolie doesn’t even begin to explore the cultural reasons why the Japanese treated their POW’s so appallingly. A more confident editor would have helped as well, particularly for the middle section of the film which seems to go on for ever. On the acting front O’Connell is fine, but does little to show that his being cast over any of the other young actors out there has made a huge difference. Talking of up and comers – keep an eye out for Domhnall Gleeson as his campaign to steal the title of Being In Every Film Ever Made from Mark Strong continues to gather pace. Overall, not a bad film, but for someone as bloody minded as Jolie this really shouldn’t have pulled the punches it does. Rating (both films): 6/10.