Film Review: King of Thieves

James Marsh’s King of Thieves is a broadly enjoyable crime caper drama. The second half of the film falters, compared to a peppier first half. 

An ageing group of crooks contemplate an audacious job. Hatton Garden is the home of jewellery district. The group decide to pull off a heist that could earn them millions…

Telling the story behind the 2015 Hatton Garden robbery, King of Thieves combines a crime caper with a drama. Director James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) gives character to the little-known villains, and tells the story of the heist and the subsequent fallout.

Given that the events took place in very recent history, it is forgivable to question what the the film will offer. Nevertheless, King of Thieves is sufficiently entertaining, even if all the elements are not on point. The film is one of two halves. The first focuses on the build up to the heist and the job itself. The second concentrates on the gang’s behaviour after the robbery, and the police investigation.

The introduction of the main characters is adequate. Later in the film, Marsh’s focuses on the main players in the gang, and this works well. There is humour to be found, especially in the first half. Marsh lulls viewers into a sense of familiarity with the protagonists, before reminding of their menace. The crime caper aspects work well. The film falters as it progresses, however. This is because the dramatic aspects are not that impactful. The police investigation element is depicted in an interesting enough fashion, even if the investigators are nameless. The focus on the in-fighting of the gang does not engage in the same way the lead up to the heist did.

Michael Caine and Ray Winstone are perfectly fine, although they never leave their comfort zone. Jim Broadbent steals the show, portraying a menace that is striking. Charlie Cox also does well as the youngest member of the group. King of Thieves offers a great cast, but not that memorable of a film.

Film Review: The Mercy

James Marsh’s The Mercy offers strong performances and decent storytelling. The only real fault is that the film eschews the most fascinating aspect of the story.

When he hears about the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, Donald Crowhurst decides to take part. The only problem is that he lacks the experience and vehicle to do so, being an amateur sailor. Putting his business and house on the line, Donald sets sail…

The story of Donald Crowhurst taps into the David and Goliath trope with an amateur sailor wishing to beat the odds in a round the world race. The Mercy functions on two main levels; Crowhurst’s ambition and his journey, and the story of those left on shore. James Marsh directs the focus on protagonist. It is a story of trials, mostly of the main character but also of his wife. The film takes artistic licence with Donald’s time at sea, focusing on the isolation felt by the protagonist at being alone for so long.

For all it’s earnestness, The Mercy does not pack that much of an emotional punch. Viewers will no doubt sympathise with Clare and to a certain extent protagonist. Marsh wisely shows flaws of protagonist; this makes the character more convincing. Yet it may not help viewers to fully engage with him.

For those who do not know about the race and Crowhurst, the story takes an interesting turn. In the second half of the film, there is a shift in mood as necessitated by the narrative. Marsh aims for a level of tragedy which the film does not quite reach. Whilst some reasoning behind Donald’s decision-making is revealed, there is not as much focus on the trickery of the protagonist. And this is the most interesting element of the true-life story.

Colin Firth delivers a great performance as Donald Crowhurst. He is supported by Rachel Weisz very ably, albeit in a bit of a thankless role. David Thewlis is also good. The Mercy‘s various parts are admirable. Yet overall, the film does not quite hit the spot.

Previews: Peter Rabbit Featurette, Ferdinand, More!

Lots to see in this week’s preview of coming attractions, including a new Peter Rabbit featurette, Ferdinand, Smallfoot, and more…

Peter Rabbit Featurette

This Peter Rabbit featurette wisely introduces the wider cast of the film. With James Corden receiving bad publicity recently, Sony uses this feature to shift focus to other cast members. Corden is joined by Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie, and Domhnall Gleeson in this big-screen adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s work. Peter Rabbit will be released on 16th March 2018.

Ferdinand Clip

This is a clip from upcoming animated adventure Ferdinand. The film is about a bull who is mistaken for a dangerous beast, and taken from his home. The voice cast includes John Cena, Kate Kate McKinnon, and Gina Rodriguez. Ferdinand will hit the big screen on 9th December 2017.

The Greatest Showman Featurette

This featurette for The Greatest Showman focuses on Zac Efron, and what attracted him to work on the film. The Greatest Showman is an original musical about P.T. Barnum and the birth of show business. Hugh Jackman leads the cast, and is joined by Efron, Michelle Williams, and Zendaya. The Greatest Showman will be released in cinemas on 26th December 2017.

Smallfoot Poster

Here is the new poster for Smallfoot. The film is an animated adventure about a yeti who finds something he didn’t think existed – a human. The film is directed by Karey Kirkpatrick, director of Over the Hedge. Smallfoot features the voices of Channing Tatum, Zendaya, Common, and Danny DeVito. The film is set for release on 5th October 2018.

The Mercy Trailer

The Mercy is director James Marsh’s (The Theory of Everything) latest film. The film tells the true story of an amateur sailor in the late 1960s, who hopes to be the first person in history to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe without stopping. The film stars Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, and David Thewlis. The Mercy will be released on 9th February 2018.

Film Review: The Theory of Everything

Twee drama The Theory of Everything is well acted, and looks the part. James Marsh’s film strive for sentiment is not wholly successful however.

Whilst a student at Cambridge, Stephen Hawking meets Literature student Jane Wilde. As their relationship develops, Stephen is diagnosed with motor neurone disease. The couple must overcome these difficulties, whilst Stephen pursues his promising career…

Director James Marsh offers a pleasant portrait of a relationship in The Theory of Everything. The film depicts the depth of feeling between Stephen and Jane. In this sense, it feels authentic.

The Theory of Everything touches upon Stephen Hawking’s career as punctuations on a journey, but does not excavate into his theories in any detail. Instead, the film concentrates on the couple’s relationship in this period. The nature of Stephen’s illness is a key factor in the relationship, and this is dealt with using physicality more than anything, and humour as appropriate.

The Theory of Everything is twee in its style and sentiment. Perhaps the depiction of Stephen and Jane’s marriage is realistic, but it is completely nice. In cinematic terms, this means that there is no strong dramatic curve. At times, Marsh and screenwriter Anthony McCarten aim at emotion, but deliver pleasantry. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, but the film lacks a hook which would make it truly engaging.

Eddie Redmayne offers a convincing performance as Stephen Hawking. The physicality of his performance appears authentic; he seems to embody the well known character. Felicity Jones is solid as Jane, and Charlie Cox offers decent support as Jonathan. Costumes and art direction go a long way to set the scene.

Those expecting a biopic of the famed scientist might be disappointed by The Theory of Everything. The film is a romantic drama first and foremost. The Theory of Everything is congenial, even if it lacks dramatic punch.

Film Review: Project Nim

Project Nim is a fascinating documentary about an experiment that took place in the 1970s. The film offers a balanced view, and yet is most heart-wrenching.

In 1973, Columbia University professor Herbert Terrace began to conduct a radical experiment to see with a chimpanzee could learn to communicate with language in the same way as a human child. Baby Nim was taken away from is mother and sent to live with a family on the Upper East Side in New York. Within a few months, Nim is able to communicate with sign language, yet his relationship with humans is never straightforward…

Project Nim is an effective documentary because it retains a sense of objectivity whilst dealing with an emotive subject. James Marsh’s film attempts to display the various viewpoints without positioning one view above others. Speaking to a number of individuals involved in the project, the film offers a balanced survey of events that unfolded.

For those who are not overly familiar with the experiment, Project Nim offers a real sense of peril as well as educating with the facts. The various stages of Nim’s life all seem to have an inherent danger, albeit from a variety of sources. This is one of the factors which really engages the audience. This sense of peril is somewhat placated with the various anecdotes that are told. These are often amusing, and work well to lighten the tone.

Allowing the participants of the experiment to each give their view, certain issues emerge. It is quite apparent who had Nim’s best interests at heart and who were more concerned about extenuating issues. The documentary does not illustrate this in the way it chooses to portray characters, however. As each participant is given time to discuss their time with Nim and the experiment, some clear heroes and villains emerge just by the way they speak about the project.

Project Nim raises some interesting questions about the nature of the particular experiment, as well as this kind of scientific research as a whole. Nim is an incredibly cute subject, which makes the sense of tragedy all the more poignant. Again, Marsh’s film does not seek to instil a certain viewpoint; the audience is left to make up their own minds about the ethics of such an experiment.

The film intersperses video footage from the time of the experiment with interviews and reenactments. The style works well, and there are a few nice touches such as the fading out as each participant’s segment ends. Marsh seems to have interviewed most of the main players, offering a rounded approach.

Those who are well aware of the experiment will find Project Nim absorbing for the insights it offers. Others are likely to be fascinated by such an interesting an unusual tale.