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A MIGHTY HEART Michael Winterbottom Starring Angelina Jolie Dan Futterman Munich was a great film; granted, it didn't really take sides and fell a little flat in places but it was largely a great success. Angelina Jolie's new flick, A Mighty Heart, is just like Munich, if Munich was shit. Some may find that steep, coarse and unnecessary but I genuinely do not; this film is dull, repetitive and ultimately pointless. As a documentary piece, this film would work rather well but as a drama the lack of on-screen content and the lack of evidence clearly show. The whole thing reminded me of Babel, with its over-heightened sense of self importance, shaky cam editing, gritty choreography and general air of pretentiousness. Director, Michael Winterbottom, has his ups-and-downs but is known (in the UK, at least) for his amazing work on 24 Hour Party People and A Cock & Bull Story; despite this, A Mighty Heart feels more like the maudlin Welcome To Sarajevo and the rather plain Code 46. The film opens with an explanation of journalistic coverage of the Middle East and the real-life kidnapping of Wall Street Journalist, Danny Pearl [Futterman]... that's right, the film opens with the kidnapping. The worst part about this film could be that it focuses on the struggle of Marianne Pearl [Jolie] or that it has been made far too soon, without substantial evidence. As what happened to Daniel Pearl is largely unknown, the story slips back-and-forth between Marianne worrying and the police following leads. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone intent on watching it but that's about it, all the way up to the inevitable conclusion that was broadcast worldwide. The film is so disjointed, mixing a distraught Marianne with fond and happy memories that you have to ask yourself, why has this been made into a film? Why am I watching this one woman get her hopes up and remain strong when I know what's going to happen? Sometimes these questions can be answered with, "because it's an exceptionally good story that has been well told" in this instance, it's just not the case. The acting is all commendable and I had no real issues with anyone except Angelina Jolie (see character of note below) but the source is so weak that you wonder how it was possible to keep the film running as long as it did. I don't want to sound rude and because these incidents happened (and are still happening, I might add) it is very difficult to express a blunt and honest opinion but this film shouldn't have been made. Danny, the source of the controversy, is not a likeable character. I found him annoyingly portrayed as a whiney irresponsible man. He's a journalist, that's fine but the reason he was picked up was due to the fact that he was hunting down an extremely dangerous man in a part of the world that despises him doubly for being both Jewish and an American. In addition to this, I had issues with the fact that the journalists themselves are surprised by the actions and reactions of the press, despite the glaring fact that THEY ARE THE PRESS! They should have known what to expect as they are generally pushing it upon everyone else; madness! It is my opinion that this film will damage the already battered public image of India, Pakistan and the Middle East in general. During one scene in particular, Marianne is being interviewed in the weeks following her husband's beheading, she explains that Danny was murdered and it was tragic but ten Pakistani's suffered the same fate in the same week. The point is supposed to outline that the people of Pakistan are not to be blamed or held accountable, that the film is proof that they did everything in their power to track down this one man, despite the odds. All it ends up highlighting is the futile nature of the film and implies that the life of one American is worth at least 10 Pakistani's. I am not making any political statements, nor voicing any anti-US opinions, I'm simply explaining the (probably unintentional) message I took from this film. Having said that, I'm sure people will repeat the 'Babel incident' and bestow upon it the highest honours. Release Date: 21st September 2007 The Scene To Look Out For: I rather liked the scenes with 'The Captain' [Irfan Khan] as he ran around slapping people, asking, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?" The so-called torture scenes, which shy away from any actual torture and simply leave the audience thinking that the terrorists gave up information quite easily, were quite entertaining. I don't want to sound like some bloody-thirsty maniac but the notion of shying away from violence in an essentially violent piece is a little moronic. Notable Characters: Angelina Jolie plays a pregnant French-Cuban journalist, living modest means, travelling through the Middle East with her Jewish-American journalist husband... AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Give me a break! Ms. Jolie no doubt signed up for this role as it offers, joy, happiness, sorrow, worry, grief and everything else an actress could wish for but it's just another excuse for her to say, "Let's save the world, it's a pretty crappy place." I was tempted to use "Nooooooo" as my highlighted quote simply because an act that should have been incredibly moving came off as nothing more than over-the-top and a little disturbing. Again, that sounds horrible but that was the impression I was left with. Highlighted Quote: "Why was he targeted? He is an American" In A Few Words: "Poor, disappointing and to be brutally honest, should never have been made in the first place" Total Score:   3/10Matthew Stogdon |
