The Films of Doug Liman
Getting In
Swingers
Go
The Bourne Identity
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (June 7/05)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith marks Doug Liman's first movie since The Bourne Identity, and it seems clear that the filmmaker is attempting to reinvent himself as an action director. Though his sense of style isn't quite as slick as some of his contemporaries (ie Lee Tamahori, Michael Bay, etc), there's no denying that Liman is just as guilty of eschewing character development and plot in favor of larger-than-life action sequences. The film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John and Jane Smith, a seemingly normal married couple whose relationship is suffering from a distinct lack of communication. As it turns out, both John and Jane are assassins (for different companies, of course), though neither is aware of the other's true identity. But when the two are sent on the same mission, a brutal confrontation between the couple becomes inevitable. The realization that Mr. & Mrs. Smith has been written by Simon Kinberg, the man responsible for the recent XXX follow-up, doesn't come as much of a surprise, given that the two films feature an emphasis on spectacle above all else - with the movie's second half especially guilty of this. This is despite an opening hour that's actually quite tolerable, as we tag along on John and Jane's respective missions; it's all very superficial and fluffy, but engaging enough thanks to a pair of dynamic lead performances (Pitt is particularly good in one of the most mainstream roles of his career). Eventually, though, the whole thing just becomes too trivial; because John and Jane are never developed beyond their most outward and basic attributes, it's virtually impossible for the viewer to develop any kind of a rooting investment in their respective fates. By the time we get to the prolonged shoot-out inside a department store, there's no shaking the feeling that we're watching action for action's sake. And at a running time of around two hours, the film is at least 30 minutes longer than it needs to be - a problem that's hopelessly exacerbated by the incredibly thin storyline. Mr. & Mrs. Smith will undoubtedly please audiences that are hungry for a big, dumb action movie, but for those viewers expecting something a little more complex from a director like Doug Liman and an actor like Brad Pitt, the film comes off as nothing less than a huge disappointment.
out of
Jumper (February 14/08)
Though a mild improvement over Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jumper nevertheless suffers from precisely the sort of problems filmmaker Doug Liman has come to be associated with in recent years - with the director's continued emphasis on big action sequences rather than coherent storytelling clearly the most problematic (and recurring) deficiency within his work. The frenetic plot follows a young man (Hayden Christensen's David) whose ability to instantaneously teleport to anywhere in the world has caught the attention of Samuel L. Jackson's villainous Roland, and much of the movie follows David's efforts at battling Roland along with the help of fellow jumper Griffin (Jamie Bell). Screenwriters David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, and Simon Kinberg - working from Steven Gould's novel - have infused Jumper with a schizophrenic sensibility that ensures that the movie is rarely boring, though it often does feel like the scripters have attempted to cram too much story into the film's 88 minutes. There's consequently little doubt that the narrative generally sputters along in fits and starts, as it's in the copious action sequences that Jumper manages to hold one's interest (such moments are awfully well done, admittedly, despite Liman's relentless reliance on quick cuts and shaky camerawork). The end result is a mindlessly engaging piece of escapist fare that benefits from its uniformly able performances and refreshingly brisk running time, yet it's certainly impossible not to wonder when (or if) Liman will return to the comparatively masterful territory of early efforts like Swingers and Go.
out of
Fair Game (October 7/10)
Based on true events, Fair Game follows CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) as she attempts to deal with a number of post 9/11 security issues - with problems ensuing after her identity is revealed in the wake of her husband's (Sean Penn's Joseph Wilson) involvement in a covert operation. There's little doubt that Fair Game gets off to a decidedly underwhelming and uninvolving start, as director Doug Liman, working from a script by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth, aggressively emphasizes Plame's day-to-day exploits as a covert CIA agent - with the frustrating absence of character development during such sequences ensuring that viewer is initially unable to work up any enthusiasm or interest in Plame's ongoing exploits. The lack of an entry point for the audience ensures that Fair Game's opening hour is essentially a love-it-or-hate-it proposition, yet it's just as clear that the film does improve quite a bit once Plame is forced to deal with the consequences of her exposure. (Having said that, the less-than-subtle bent of the Butterworths' script does prevent even this section of the film from becoming quite as electrifying as Liman has clearly intended.) The inclusion of an emotionally stirring final 20 minutes ensures that Fair Game concludes on an unexpectedly positive note, although, by that same token, one ultimately can't help but wish that the remainder of the proceedings had been equally involving and engrossing.
