The Lost City of Z

The story of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), a British colonel whose disgraced family name prevented his Army advancement and who, in several perilous trips up the Amazon river, saw a way to redeem it, seek insight into the misunderstood indigenous people, and find a mythic lost jungle city that would prove their advancement. Filmed on a beautiful canvas, James Gray’s somber Amazonian adventure piece is captivating in segments, but languidly paced and probably should have been drawn tauter while ultimately lacking resonance and paling somewhat to the great jungle river works of Coppola, Herzog, or Huston. Though Hunnam gives it an earnest go, I can’t help but think the project would have fared better on another, stronger actor’s shoulders. As for the rest of the cast, Robert Pattinson provides a quieting, stoic presence as Fawcett’s assistant, Miller seems lacking as the worried, progressive minded wife, and Angus Macfayden is memorable as a cowardly national hero who joins one of Fawcett’s expeditions.

*** out of ****

The Immigrant

A proud and stubborn Polish immigrant (Marion Cotillard) is rescued from deportation at Ellis Island by a charming pimp (Joaquin Phoenix) and ensnared in a life of misery and degradation, with her quarantined sister and a circus performer (Jeremy Renner) her only glimmer of life. Cotillard is exceptional and an anchor to The Immigrant, and Phoenix, reuniting once more with director James Gray (Two Lovers, We Own the Night) is quite good also, save for a concluding, revealing over the top speech. Renner is schmaltzy and the film's photography is perhaps overly polished, though still finely directed by Gray.
*** out of ****

We Own the Night

In the 1980s in New York City, drug related crime ran rampant and the police adopted the slogan "We Own the Night" as part of their efforts to battle the criminal element. In James Gray's film, we meet two brothers on both sides of this war. One is Joseph (Mark Wahlberg), quickly rising in the force and taking after their Police Chief father (Robert Duvall). The other is Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix), a successful nightclub manager with a loyal girlfriend (Eva Mendes) whose job description requires him to turn a blind eye to the illegal activities going on in his place of business. When the police declare war on the Russian family who own the club and pedal harsh narcotics there, Bobby's family is declared a target and he must decide on which side his loyalties lie. Gray captures this gritty picture in the same beautiful pallette that he used to film his likewise wonderful Two Lovers, which also starred Phoenix. In addition to the great look of the film, Gray offers us a compelling tale filled with no less the three heart pounding action sequences. Wahlberg delivers a performance I believe to be superior to that of his Oscar nominated work in The Departed. Here he plays a more complex character with a more nuanced portrayal. Backed up by the always assured Duvall. Phoenix's performance leaves a little to be desired and some later plot developments and character choices are extremely ridiculous but despite its flaws. We Own The Night is still an excellent police/family drama.

note: It was kind of neat to see former NYC mayor Ed Koch in a cameo playing himself early in the film.