Length: 05:00
Logline: A mobster realizes his affair with his bosses wife has been uncovered.
This stylised noir looks good on screen but is a little hard to decipher plot wise. In the end I had to read the synopsis in order to fathom it out. It could almost be a bit tongue and cheek with questionable gangster talk, randomly jaunting down various dark alleyways and lots of cigarette smoking but judging by the soundtrack, it might be trying to be serious.
It's sometimes hard to judge a noir performance as the dialogue and melodrama aren't based in realism and often tries to mimic a 1930's comic book detective style. Matteo de Castello is strong in his delivery, of course the Italian accent works wonders (swoon). Lizzie Frances is the moll doll and although plays the part very well, it's the character she portrays that's a bit on the rough side. It's hard to see what her lover ever saw in her as she coldly gives him the brush off and she retains a terrible smugness about it all. She is the real villain of the piece but this actually makes for an interesting dynamic.
An unusual and evocative special effect is used in the background. Paint splatters and fluid smokey lines litter the dark outer edges of the screen, never intruding on the action but subtly setting an uneasy tone. The lighting combined with the polished black and white picture gives a sleek, modern graphic look which is one of the highlights of the film. I wasn't convinced the cut away edits with the pitchy buzz fitted in very well and it looks more like a daft attempt to make it more contemporary rather than adding anything to the story. Overall, the lack of clear exposition lets the plot down but there are still more interesting points than bad.
Best Bit: Fab lighting and ultra-modern look.
Worst Bit: Pointless running down alleyways.
Final thought: Urgh, smoking pregnant mothers. Die bitch die!
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
No comments:
Post a Comment