Clean

Clean (2004)-- Who am I to disagree with the Cannes Jurors, who gave Maggie Cheung the Best Actress Award for her role in this movie, but I just find her portrayal of a drug addict a bit forced. To be truthful, I don't personally know any heroin addicts, what they should look like is just a constructed image in my mind, although I'm trying my utmost to avoid stereotyping. But, the look of untainted facial features, the smooth and delicate skin, the bright round eyes, the funky hairdo, yes, despite her profession as a recording artist, but still, she is a bit too fresh in looks and demeanor. They say that some actors study and research their role before the actual filming. I just wonder whether she has done any homework. Compared to Charlize Theoron in Monster (2003), it's easy to find something's missing here. Yes, it could well be the makeup artist's fault, but the inner turmoil is lacking. Somehow, none of the characters succeeded to elicit any empathy from me....not even the child....except maybe Nick Nolte...now he has played his role sensitively as a grandfather who's left with a burden greater than he could bear. As for the plot, I was looking for some sort of a twist but none came. So, if the story is the straight forward (I'm not saying it's easy) transformation of a life, towards some sort of self-redemptive ending, then good casting and in-depth character development are essential. Short of that, the effect would be too clean to be convincing.

~~2 Ripples

A Perfect World

A Perfect World (1993) -- The title itself is hint enough that Eastwood is not bringing out another Dirty Harry sequel, even though it has all the ingredients: an escaped convict, a kidnapped child, an eager sheriff, a host of law enforcement officers whose ammunition is hubris and self-importance. In A Perfect World, the convict is a conscientious man torn between good and evil, a typical human being in any typical town. A kidnapped child is a friendly ghost, just wanting to have some fun, and willingly went along for the ride. And the Law, the law is the ever uncompromising, unbending authority seeking justice without mercy, revenge without compassion. At the end, Eastwood has us thinking, who actually is the good, the bad, and the hybrid? Costner has presented a very convincing character, tormented by his own demons, yet striving to right any wrongs driven by almost quixotic passion, an imperfect man righting the wrongs in an imperfect world. What do we know? As Eastwood's character concludes at the end...nothing....well worth the time in finding out.

~~~ 3 Ripples