Displaying items by tag: Lily James

RELAY

US, 2024, 112 minutes, Colour.

Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jarad Abrahamson, Pun Bandhu, Elsa Davis, Victor Garber.

Directed by David Mackenzie.

For most of the time, this is one of those paranoid thrillers that were popular decades ago, industrial espionage, technological surveillance, threats, dangers, counter surveillance.

The setting is New York. The issue is a big company, food company, working on developments but finding debilitating side-effects in their products, concealing the documentation. And these situations which lead to conscientious whistleblowers, pursuit of the whistleblowers, the recovery of documents.

In this case, the whistleblower is Sarah Grant, played by Lily James, in hiding, with documents, menaced by the company’s agents, taken on by a mysterious personality, a broker (the original name for this film). He is played very effectively by Riz Ahmed, able to live a shadowy existence, master of disguise, unobtrusively infiltrating situations. And, significantly, his mode of communication with Sarah Grant as well as her pursuers, is via at tri-state communication system, Relay.

With Relay, messages are typed for the central exchange and then voiced to the recipient by the staff. This is a method used for hearing impaired people. It also offers an opportunity for voice disguise and identity anonymity.

The group of pursuers is led by Sam Worthington. (Interesting that this New York story is directed by Scottish David Mackenzie and the two leads are British and Sam Worthington, born in England, growing up in Australia.)

What brings some humanity to the film is a gradual revelation of the broker’s story, Muslim background, New York City, 9/11, work on Wall Street, business exposes and his becoming a freelancer broker. But, the way this is revealed is through his attending of AA meetings, bringing some more personal depth to his character.

And, as might be expected, there is a twist in the drama. For this reviewer, the twist was too much, throwing too much doubt on the “realism” credibility of all that we had seen previously. And, while weapons previously were verbal threats and challenges by Relay, the culmination brings us to guns and knives, desperate chases…

Some have relished the dynamism of the story and for most of the film this is quite strong Others have found the twist and its consequences too much.

1. The original title, The Broker, and the focus on –? The film title and the focus on the communication system, tri-state, for hearing impaired, for voice disguising? Its use throughout the film?
2. The New York settings, the city, apartment blocks, the streets, offices, Grand Central station, since in Poughkeepsie? The musical score?
3. The initial situation, setting the tone? Hoffman, the meeting with McVie, with Ash? Documents, payments, at the train station? The introduction to Ash?
4. The new situation, Sarah Grant, the company, third development and experimentation, concealing failures in research, whistleblower, needing protection? Her presence, her character, communication with Ash via Relay? Her speaking, “Go ahead”? The quibble about “all right”? Her isolation, needing protection, the documents?
5. The character of Ash, seeming loner, a lonely life, the importance of the AA meetings, the discussions with Wash? After the meetings? The later meetings and his revelation about himself, Muslim, in New York, 9/11, his drinking, Wall Street, his tasks, broker and cover-ups? The explanation of himself, his personality?
6. The dealings with Sarah, the relay calls, his watching her, his various disguises? Her vulnerability, alone, jogging?
7. The corporations group, their personalities, working together, pursuit, the van, the phone calls through Relay?
8. The details of the plans for the documents, Ash and his cupboard, using US Post, the details, forwarding, collecting them? The news about the missing pages, Sara apologising, her mistake? The plan to put them in the newspaper, the group watching, the false tracking, photos and the use of many cameras, identifying Ash?
9. The plans for the money, sent to California, to be forwarded to Poughkeepsie? The plan is to save Sarah? Her being taken by the group, the Schubert concerto, Ash pulling the alarm, the escape?
10. The twist in the plot, credible or not? Undermining the realism of everything that had gone before, especially Sarah’s character and performance? The extreme detail in presenting the pursuit and finding the truth about it?
11. The shift from menace, paranoia, phones and cameras, Relay? The van, the tasers, guns, capitation his escape, the running, wounded? His previous phone call to Wash, the police arriving, the arrests?
12. The credibility of Sarah, the situation, the reality, her harsh toughness after the seeming romance?
13. Audience interest in this kind of thriller, espionage, psychology – but how much affected by the final twist and the ending?

GREEDY PEOPLE

US, 2024, 112 minutes, Colour.

Himesh Patel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James, Uzo Aduba, Tim Blake Nelson, Simon Rex, Jim Gaffigan, Joey Lauren Adams.

Directed by Potsy Ponciroli.

The title is absolutely correct. And, there is only one of the principal characters who is not greedy.

This reviewer had read only the cast list before seeing the film but, about 15 minutes in, the title Fargo came to mind, thoughts about the Coen Brothers and their style of filmmaking. (And, then reading the comments and reviews, practically everybody thought of Fargo and the Coen Brothers!).

Once you’re on the wavelength of Greedy People, there is no turning back. Screenplay, by Mike Vukadinovich, is cleverly funny, situations highly contrived but that is part of the enjoyment. And, gradual revelation of links between the various characters and their behaviour, the consequences of greed (and husband organising the murder of his wife also reminiscent of Fargo) becoming more humorously deadly as the film goes on. This is entertaining black humour.

At the opening, we are introduced to a sympathetic young policeman on his first day in a small town in Providence, Will he ia played by British actor, Himesh Patel. His wife, played by British Lily James, is pregnant. And then he meets his partner, one of the brashest to the brash, Terry, played by a very nonchalant Joseph Gordon Levitt, a walking satire of verified self-importance.

Answering a police call, and misinterpreting it, Will becomes involved in a scenario that he could never have imagined. He calls Terry – and thus begins a series of choices that will lead to disaster, greed, violence and general mayhem which makes greedy People both interesting and funny.

There is a good supporting cast, especially Tim Blake Nelson as the fish Baron of the town (and Tim Blake Nelson had played the  title character in the director, Potsy Poncirili’s western, Old Henry). Among the supporting characters is an awkward masseur, Simon Rex, under the domination of his religion mother. There is hit man in the town, philosophical but deadly, played by Jim Gaffigan, The Irishman. And there is his Colombian counterpart who, apparently, has jurisdiction in the town for hits. There is the fish Baron’s ambitious secretary. There is also  Uza Aduba who is the good one, the police chief.

So, with memories of the Coen Brother films, tantalising situations, ironic and satiric dialogue, audiences can sit back and enjoy the mayhem until the final macabre, laugh-out-loud image and a nice postscript, perhaps another tribute to the Coens, with Raising Arizona.

1. The title? Tone? Expectations?
2. The satire, the irony is, linking to the Coen brothers, Fargo?
3. The variety of chapters, the focus on each character?
4. The introduction to Will, bloodshot eye, his relationship with Paige, her pregnancy, his first day? The revelation about his father and the stealing of money? Murphy as the boss, solid and reliable? The introduction to Terry? Terry and his style, forthright, the talk, the copies and meals, going to see the Chinese lady, the rendezvous, the loud music, Will responding to the call, thinking it a burglary, going to the house, the woman and her cutting the carrots, his entry, her fear, the shooting, the fight, her fall, the wound to her head, her death? Calling Terry, is arriving, discovering the bag of money, the plan, roughing up the house, inheriting the money in the locker, noting the missing bike? Getting an alibi, holding up the driver, the fierce argument, the time?
5. The character, Terry, life, bullied at school, becoming a policeman, 16 years, his personal style, bravado, unselfconscious, the relationship with the Chinese woman, her husband? The situation, the money, the locker, owed? His coming to dinner, the encounter with Paige, the threats, killing the dog?
6. The husband, Chetlow his grief, his being interrogated, the revelation of the truth, hiring the Colombian hitman, the payments, at work, the secretary, the affair, the plan? The Colombian, the truth about his not doing the murder? 48 hours for payment? The suspicions of the Mass are?
7. The masseur, suspicious, the meeting, his explanation himself, his work, the dancing, the sex, his mother intervening, having seen the money, escaping on his bike?
8. Paige, pregnant, painting the house, doing the shopping, the information about the Irishman? Will telling her the story but blaming Terry? The invitation to dinner, Terry at the talk, the threats, the death of the dog? The decision, going to the Irishman, the talk, his philosophising and rationale about killing, the local areas for hitmen? Her getting the money, $50,000 to pay him?
9. Will, disturbed in the night, the masseur, observing hetlow, the secretary, mother, the shootings, the secretary shooting? Everybody dead? His phoning Terry? The phone calls to page? The confrontation between Will and Terry, Terry shooting him?
10. The phone calls, Murphy, pursuit, and the shooting, Will dead?
11. Terry, confronting the Irishman, the fight, the Chinese woman defending him, shooting the Irishman?
12. Murphy, the tracking, her arrival, confrontation with Terry? His menacing Paige, her shooting him?
13. The hospital, the birth, page wanting to abscond with the money? The Colombian arriving, taking the money, killing Paige the elevator? The secretary, going to the lift? Murphy waiting, the noise, the lift opening, the two dead, the money scattered?
14. The nice ending, Murphy and her caring then for the baby, the back story of the death of her child?