Director: Kenneth Branagh

Cast: Michael Caine, Jude Law

Rating:

A feature with a vigorous staging of glamorous manly figures; The wise (Mr. Wyke) & The hunk (Mr. Tindle)… a trailer teasing you with piercing stares, intense dialogues and noxious bids… case in point… I am interested!

So we set our expectations, pitch our excitement, hit the “play” button, and get the show rolling: The two men meet, a conversation is initiated… The conversation is still on… still on… still on… still on… movie ends!!

I don’t need to illustrate any further if you are already a fellow movie aficionado who happen to bump into some of Kenneth Branagh’s works… well this is one of them…

As much as I genuinely respect Branagh, I still don’t admire his urge to promote himself as a Pointy-Head. His directing style and melodramatic acting do fascinate us in theatrical Shakespearean renditions, but he shouldn’t be carried away when directing every piece of his work… Can one desire too much of a good thing?! As Shakespeare once mentioned in As You Like It.

Don’t get me wrong on this; the trailer was handled smartly… well that’s the reason they make them; it drifted our perception to a presumed expectation of the movie… a form of manipulating the truth (or so they call ‘lying’!) its an unspoiled teaser introducing big names to create a bigger hoopla effect.

The movie is not a typical remake, though, you ‘fellow movie aficionados’ have heard of the same title with the same lead, Michael Caine, back in 1972…That’s true!! It seems like Caine’s affection to his work had a rather fusing effect. However, this one has a different take, other than Caine being Mr. Wyke not Mr. Tindle, the view of how the story unfolds was evolved covering the 40 years evolution in film making, modern perceptions, and unfortunately, human principles. Yet, the only standalone interesting theme of the movie was common between both… two men fighting over a woman that you will never get to meet.

The movie as a concept sounds interesting, and the performance is dramatically original especially when you see the dark side of these amiable faces. Without mentioning the movie’s urban one and only set, Wyke’s Villa… a blend of contemporary artistic work that is cold and distinct… a fair definition of the movie itself.

Branagh had a remarkable thought to deliver, for you would understand him being interested in a plot that operates on a complex human situation… defining its nature, camouflaging its effects, and showcasing its outlay. But he again was lost in over-dramatizing the film’s visual, conversational, and dramatic features.

The movie is prestigiously over-packed with big names, interesting plot, and an awfully monotonous scenario… to form together a product of minimal significance or delight… If only I knew what to expect that night! I would have watched Branagh’s Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Law’s The Holiday, and Caine’s Alfie in one shot and decided to skip this one.

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