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Show f iecirs : t, ,J ""3 the ov Directed by Antoine Fuqua Wntten by Alex Lasker and Patrick Cirillo Produced by Ian Bryce.Mike Lobell and Arnold Rifkin Starring Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Fionnula Flanagan, Johnny Messner and Tom Skerritt (out of four) a good eye. With cinematograph-eMauro Fiore, he's fashioned a by Jekemy Mathews cars of the Sun" is an attempt at a movie that 11 both a political drama '..lick and a action movie As an action film, it's exciting and ul in several scenes. As a drama, it raises some interesting points and features strong acting, although screen tune that i ould have brought life to the supporting characters is instead spent on explosions. The political aspect involves Special Operations Commander A K. Waters (Bruce Willis) leading a rescue assignment to a mission hospital in the Nigerian jungle. Rebel forces have taken over the country and are slaughtering the country. The U.S. military's only concern is American safety, so the only person they're required to rescue is Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci), the widow of a U.S. doc tor. There is also a priest and two nuns who may come along if they so chose. The 70 natives at the mission, however, aren't part of the rescue. This becomes a problem i sus-pens- "LanYu" Sltami Kvlt'tning Directed by Stanley Kwan Wntten by Jimmy Ngai, based on the novel Beijing Story by Beijing Comrades Produced by Yongning Zhang Starring Jun Hu.Ye Liu, Li Huatong, Shuang Li, Fang Lu, Jin Su and Yongning Zhang Not Rated Mandarin with English subtitles Opens Friday at the Tower Theatre In (out offour) Mathews the controversy sur rounding the making of "Lan Yu," one might expect a racy, explicit piece. But actually viewing the film reveals that it's a reserved work rich in its carefully realized style that happens to be about a homosexual relationship. Director Stanley Kwan's film isn't of the Hong Kong cinema that favors a stylistic depiction of violence, but of the smaller cinema that reflects on film's history and its various possibilities in light and movement. Kwan's colleague, Wong Kar Wai, is the best known directors working in this style, with films like "Chungking Express" and "In the IaI; -- 4 Mood for Love." From the opening shot, an expressionistic angle showing the film's anti-herthrough a mirror, to the two closing shots one examining the movement of light through a train and the sec- o RjO I Third-Worl- d march 6, 2003 RED I Magazine -- you. ;4M&&i -- x -- iW- - 11 Bruce W7J i-- o foto badass in "Tears .fi - - fJVJ-wL.- f?LZi Aft, 1 J aa of the Sun" just like in every movie. Although he was nice in "Moonlighting." safety. The Nigerian characters enforce this portrayal, as only one of them is written at all. Also, a revelation about a character late in the film brings up a logical question of why he wasn't loaded on the rescue helicopter. Plus, the third act wipes out all chances for further character development in favor of an action extravaganza. But there are several strong elements as well. As an actor, Willis puts many things across without appearing to try very hard. Here he portrays a charac ter who's exhausted by his work, who seems unhappy in a command position that requires him Then he begins to see more in the young man and turns him into a kept man. He buys Lan Yu fancy clothes to make him look Japanese instead of like a country boy. He also assures the innocent student that they will eventually tire of each other and move on. The two split up multiple times, teaching Lan Yu the hard truths of life and making Hadong realize that love is a possibility when he begins to miss Lan Yu. While the film is banned in China, there really aren't any sex scenes, although some scenes unfold while the characters are naked. It's pretty tame by today's standards in the United States, uphold order instead of just letting a bunch of men with guns run around doing whatever they want, which is basically what the genocide-orienterebel troops are doing. While overall the film lacks the resonance of David O. Russell's "Three Kings" (1999), another Hollywood film that ventured into military and political topics, it's slick and even manto ages bring up some political issues. to allow people to suffer. The film even examines the slaughtering and pillaging of villages, which most action films wouldn't pass on a hovercraft. The scenes are key to the film's persuasive ambitions and succeed by being more accurate as they are manipulative. We see the military regulations through Waters's commander (Tom Skerritt), who understands the position but is required to d well-acte- d, jeremyred-mag.co- N ond using pixelation to freeze moments of time the film investigates different forms of the moving image. This isn't meant to present the film as flashy, as it actually shows considerable reserve. Kwan even leaves out what most directors and screenwriters would perceive as key moments of excitement and merely has the characters mention what happened in conversation. The passage of time is also ignored, leaving only clues in costume and production design to suggest how many years have passed. In one scene, the character goes to the airport. In the next, he's at the airport several years later, we gradually realize. This sounds pretty ridiculous, but it gives more power to the emotional and erotic zones that the director really wants to deal with. The film's homosexual story isn't the sole reason the film it controversial, as Wong's "Happy Together" dealt with the topic in 1997. But Kwan shot the film in Beijing without permission from the Chinese government and the story, which starts in the late '80s. uses the corruption of Chinese businessmen and the events of the Tiananmen Square massacre as plot points. Hadong (Jun Hu) is a wealthy trader and the son of a government bureaucrat in China. He first encounters the title character when he decides to have a t stand with the poor architecture student (Ye Liu) and use his money as persuasion. one-nigh- v ,-.'- r realistic and frightening jungle. During the nighttime scenes, Fiore's camerawork fills the screen with realistic darkness, allowing only small and subtle reflections to light the scene. The greens of the daytime footage also call attention to the brutal and dangerous locale. Fuqua creates some riveting moments, and sometimes doesn't even need explosions to do so. One scene creates astounding tension when an upset baby is the deciding factor in whether or not a blood bath will ensue. Initially Waters just plans to leave the natives stranded. He ditches them when the helicopter lands, but, for reasons he can't explain, he makes the helicopter turn back and pick up some people while he and his men attempt to walk the rest to safety. The film is weak in certain dramatic aspects. Most of Waters's men have little or no personality, and serve as the brave American soldiers leading helpless people to the Mood for by Jeremy Tor Miiitcary Compassion evil-lookin- K In 01 when the doctor refuses to leave without them. Waters eventually agrees that those who can walk may come, but knows that the 30 or so people will not be able to fit in the rescue helicopter. Meanwhile, an leader of the rebel troops is tracking the group. Antoine Fuqua directed the film and shows the same visual sense of his previous efforts, like "Training Day." While he's yet to make a great film, he clearly has "Tears of the Sun" CulurnbiU Picturei Rated pies but the film still creates erotic energy through the forbidden excitement and the surprising discovery of love. It's impressive to find so much intrigue in a conventional story. This is a common story in all cultures and sexual orientations, see A: j m r If w - - this was a John Woo film, Jun Hu as Wandong would have his head blown off by now. Seriously. lan yu, page Rii |