Ridley Scott: The '00s

Gladiator

Hannibal (March 6/00)

Hannibal - which follows FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) as she's once again forced confront the sinister Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) after one of his victims (Gary Oldman's Mason Verger) embarks on a quest for revenge - hews surprisingly close to Thomas Harris' novel, yet there are a few deviations - with the most notable example of this being the infamous ending, which now leaves the story open for another installment. Some characters aren't here (ie Verger's pumped-up sister) and a few fates are sealed a little differently, but director Ridley Scott has otherwise created an almost perfect copy of the book's storyline. Of course, the big question seems to be whether or not Moore pulls off the part Jodie Foster made famous. I think she does. Obviously, there's not much of a physical resemblance, but she certainly inhabits the character. And then, of course, there is Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal. Now that Lecter's got free reign (he's no longer confined to a cell), Hopkins really has a chance to put some flair into the portrayal. Some of the most exciting parts of the film are when Lecter's stalking his prey. The gruesome end of an Italian detective is certainly a highlight, as is his confrontation with Verger's wild boars. But I also enjoyed the dialogue scenes between Lecter and Clarice, particularly their first conversation (held over a cell phone). The problem lies, then, in the overlength of the film. While there are many exciting scenes, there are just as many sequences that seem to go on too long. There are several interludes here that rival anything found in Silence for pure adrenaline, but there are also several moments that just don't work and should have been excised (or shortened, at the very least). I think a lot of this is due to Scott's excesses as a filmmaker. He's known for his love of over-the-top action and breathtaking scenery. And while Hannibal does feature plenty of those, there are several sections that are just too much. But that's besides the point. Was it entertaining? Sure. Did it come close to the genius that was Silence of the Lambs? Not really.

Kingdom of Heaven is an unmitigated disaster from start to finish, offering up a level of sheer dullness that's shocking - particularly given the talent that's in front of and behind the camera. It's hard to imagine anyone other than the most hardcore history buff embracing anything that's on display here, as screenwriter William Monahan constantly (and consistently) eschews exposition and character development in favor of spectacle and set design (both of which are, admittedly, quite impressive). The end result is a film that's far from compelling, and seems to exist only for the enjoyment of an incredibly specific audience (it's clear that a heavy dose of foreknowledge on the Crusades is a prerequisite for sitting through the movie). Kingdom of Heaven is set in the time period between the third and fourth Crusades, and our hero is a young blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom). Balian has just buried his wife when his long-lost father, the respected Godfrey of Ibelin (played by Liam Neeson), appears suddenly and offers to take him under his wing. Shortly after embarking on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Godfrey perishes in a brutal skirmish - leaving Balian in command of his father's small but loyal army. With its emphasis on style over substance, it's clear that director Ridley Scott has learned nothing from the failures of his last historical epic, the similarly incoherent Gladiator. Kingdom of Heaven is much more ineffective than that film, as Gladiator at least featured an intriguing central figure; Bloom's Balian is barely developed, and the actor isn't given a whole lot to do other than glower at friends and enemies alike. When you get right down to it, there's not a single interesting character to be found here (no small feat given the presence of several great actors, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis). It certainly doesn't help that Scott has evidently directed his performers to deliver their lines in grunts and whispers, rendering a large portion of the dialogue unintelligible (something that's particularly true of Edward Norton, who - playing the leprosy-afflicted King Baldwin - is forced to emote from behind a metallic mask). Exacerbating matters is the feeling that the characters exist only to further the plot; ie if it weren't for the lumbering machinations of Monahan's script, they'd have absolutely nothing to do. As a result, Kingdom of Heaven suffers from a pace that is maddeningly uneven - with sequences that veer wildly from kind of interesting to all-out interminable. Even the film's action sequences come off as lackluster, suffering from a been-there-done-that sort of feeling (that we couldn't possibly care less which side emerges victorious is, to put it mildly, problematic). John Mathieson's flat cinematography doesn't do the film any favors, and it's virtually impossible not to compare Kingdom of Heaven's visuals with Caleb Deschanel's astounding work in The Passion of the Christ (this is especially true of the sequences set within Jerusalem, for obvious reasons). Finally, stripped of its useless, soap opera-esque subplots (including a pointless rivalry between Balian and a power-hungry knight), the film does pick up a little bit as it draws to a close (perhaps only because we know it's soon to end) - but, not surprisingly, this doesn't last long and the movie just goes on and on and on. Kingdom of Heaven easily marks the worst film in Ridley Scott's long career, and has the dubious distinction of also being the worst epic to come along in ages (an impressive achievement when you consider the fact that both The Alamo and Alexander were released last year).

Based on a true story, American Gangster casts Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas - a savvy drug kingpin who eventually finds himself being pursued by a tenacious cop named Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). At a running time of over two-and-a-half hours, American Gangster generally possesses the feel of a rough cut that's in dire need of trimming - as evidenced by the presence of countless subplots and supporting characters (with the majority of both coming off as entirely superfluous). There's little doubt, however, that the film's most egregious failing is in its emphasis on Crowe's staggeringly needless character. While Crowe does deliver as compelling a performance as one might've expected, Richie spends much of the film's first half embroiled in a series of increasingly pointless situations (including a child-custody battle with his expectedly irate ex-wife). In fact, Richie doesn't even learn of Frank's existence until the midway point (!) - ensuring that much of Crowe's screen time leading up to that point feels like nothing more than filler. It gets to the point where the only thing holding the viewer's interest is the almost relentless stream of familiar faces in supporting roles, with character actors like Joe Morton, Jon Polito, and Armand Assante popping up for a few minutes at a time. Steven Zaillian's surprisingly choppy screenplay ensures that there's virtually no flow to the proceedings, and there's consequently no denying that the scripter's efforts at infusing the movie with an epic sensibility fall completely flat. Even the film's visuals manage to disappoint, as director Ridley Scott infuses American Gangster with an underwhelming and downright bland sensibility that hardly manages to evoke '70s era New York City (which, given the presence of ace cinematographer Harris Savides, is clearly no small feat). Scott's inability to effectively pace this bloated story proves to be the movie's most insurmountable obstacle, however, and - in spite of Washington's admittedly riveting turn - American Gangster ultimately comes off as just the latest disappointment from an increasingly irrelevant filmmaker.

Based on the novel by David Ignatius, Body of Lies follows CIA operative Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he attempts to track down a notorious terrorist based out of Jordan - with his ongoing efforts both assisted and hindered by his pencil-pushing handler (Russell Crowe's Ed Hoffman). There's little doubt that the film, directed by Ridley Scott and scripted by William Monahan, gets off to a relatively underwhelming start, as the complex storyline ensures that only viewers with an inherent interest in the subject matter will be able to comfortably embrace the narrative in its early stages - with the less-than-engrossing vibe compounded by an almost excessively deliberate pace (although, to be fair, the inclusion of a few well-placed and thoroughly enthralling action sequences ensures that one's interest never entirely flags). It's just as clear, however, that things pick up considerably once the focus shifts to the illicit (and decidedly outlandish) plot that Ferris sets into motion just past the one-hour mark, with the character's progressively perilous endeavors infusing Body of Lies with a jolt of energy that carries the movie right through to its admittedly convenient finale (ie those soldiers just happened to burst into the room at that precise moment?) DiCaprio's expectedly intense turn as the dogged protagonist is counterbalanced by Crowe's unusually laid-back performance, and it does go without saying that the compellingly off-kilter nature of their characters' love/hate relationship plays a significant role in the film's mild success. And although the unevenness of Monahan's screenplay plagues the proceedings on a lamentably consistent basis (ie what's up with Ferris' tentative romance of a local nurse?), Body of Lies ultimately establishes itself as Scott's most entertaining and involving effort since 2001's Black Hawk Down.