STOLEN: Do we need this mundane flick?

What do you do on a regular day at work, when nothing special is happening, everything seems as normal and mundane as it can get? You go through the motions with a numbness that only an often repeated routine can bring. That exactly seems to be what has happened with the entire team of Stolen. Just another outing for the crew who planned nothing novel or exciting; a mish-mashed repeat of what most of them have been doing for quite a number of years. The results show very clearly on screen – a kidnapping drama that never gets the adrenaline flowing, the actors walking through the frames without conviction and action popping up every now and then in the form of a speeding car or a few gun shots. It is really difficult to remember a scene in the entire 96-minute duration which you could call unique.

Stolen is another one of those kidnap stories, the kind that Hollywood churns out when it is short of ideas. The protagonist could be a cop, a marine, a commoner, a moron, or a career criminal. Enemies of the past come back to haunt the present and kidnap the wife, girlfriend, brother, sister, daughter. Then the protagonist has to pay up or shoot the bad guy up. Well, you have the variables; throw them together and pick a combination. Stolen’s combination is one where the protagonist is a criminal, enemy from the past is a former accomplice, the one kidnapped is his daughter and the protagonist tries to pay up but ends up shooting up the kidnapper. Maybe the only shred of imagination that the makers have shown in here seems to be in the form of two cops who are constantly on the tail of the protagonist because they think he is up to something.

This is the kind of movie that you can call a ‘no-sweat movie’, because no one seems to have broken sweat over its making. The script seems to have been knocked together in a hurry and the cast assembled on a ‘whoever-is-available-besides-Nicholas Cage’ basis. Dialogues hardly stay with you for a minute after they have been spoken, the performances disappear from the mind the moment the credits begin to roll. You don’t have to try to forget Stolen, it vanishes from your mind altogether.

The one thing you want to say about this movie with conviction – clearly not enough thought or effort went into it and it reflects poorly on an A-list crew. You might be able to pardon this if you are a die hard Nicholas Cage fan, but that is an endangered species at the moment. Cage, you don’t need this half-hearted hotch-potch, it only damages your legacy. Stolen seems to be a movie made because a lot of people had nothing better to do, its not downright bad or boring, just so mundane and predictable that you would have preferred some innovative nonsense in its place. A better name for the Stolen would have been Lost, the team clearly Lost the plot.

Verdict: As mundane a kidnap drama as it can get!

skyfall

Skyfall

Bond is back. The pure nostalgia and adrenaline that the name provides is good enough for you to get to the theatre. Every Bond film is a piece of history. One of the oldest surviving franchises in world cinema, more than 50 years, and still having a huge following, Bond is indeed one of the biggest on screen icons we have. But, once you are past that nostalgia and thrill, which last for around 10 seconds when that trademark soundtrack plays for the first time, then it is the movie per se that has to hold your attention. Bond has your attention, no doubt; he has held it for 50 years. But, does Skyfall have your attention?

Skyfall begins with a bang. It’s a breathtaking chase along the streets, roads, market, malls and rails of Turkey. Bond’s at his best in this relentless pursuit, especially with a bulldozer on a train in one of the most daring ‘carriage-changing’ manoeuvres of all time; the nonchalance during this outrageous stunt is so signature of Bond! But, then M gives an order that sends Bond flying off the roof and into the abyss. His mission incomplete, his life in the balance and her Majesty’s Secret Service one man short – Bond has to resurrect!

Bond’s mission and his resurrection have a far more personal connection this time; he’s defending his own department, his own people, his own boss! And to begin with, he doesn’t even know what he’s dealing with, besides being in the worst physical shape we’ve ever seen him in. You might think that the initial 10 minutes sets the pace for the film; but, prepare for a drastic drop in momentum right afterwards, as the director opts to go for a brick-by-brick approach to constructing his premise. It’s a plan that seems to get bigger and more sinister every time you look at it, revealing itself in layers, each one darker than the other. The fairly engaging return to action of Bond takes us to Shanghai and then to an abandoned island where we get one of the most long-drawn sequences of the movie. You may have to stifle a few yawns through this passage of the script as the director takes his time with the characters, allowing them lengthy lines, glares and long walks.

What follows after this episode can however be described as one long action sequence, as Bond is back on home turf with the adversary trying to create havoc in London, with a personal account to settle. The finale takes us ‘back in time’, as Bond himself puts it, where nothing new-age really exists. In the midst of a Scottish bog, Bond crosses swords with the enemy; and guess who comes out on top.

Skyfall is more about Bond, the person, than the agent. Its more about him than any fancy gadget. In fact, a personal palm-print activated gun is as sophisticated as gadgets get here. No fancy cars, just one that is straight out of the 60s. No speedboats, exploding pens or watches that double up as transmitters. As Bond remarks about his equipment, ‘It’s not exactly Christmas’.

The one thing you might find different about Bond is that it tries to be more classy than any Bond film has ever been. He is not portrayed as the super-confident man who cannot get anything wrong. He takes a fall, he does look weak, but he doesn’t give up. That’s something that Daniel Craig has brought to the Bond franchise – closer to reality. But, whether you prefer that to the unmatched charisma of the earlier Bonds is entirely your take. But, poetry, in a Bond movie, as the set up lines for a shootout? The director sure has some nerve to try that. Sadly, it falls short of what he would’ve liked it to be. Clearly, not everyone can be as good as Nolan in using inspirational lines in propping up their heroes. This goes against the general associations that we have with Bond films. There was never anything poetic about a Bond film, it was all style and panache; Skyfall tries to walk the poetic road without too much success.

Skyfall is a first in the Bond franchise for quite a few reasons. It’s the first time we get personal with Bond, it’s also the first time where M is more than just a fleeting presence and a commanding voice. Its also the first Bond film where he actually turns away from technology to get an edge over his adversary. Sometimes, you think he is more Bourne less Bond. There are also strange similarities to The Dark Knight Rises if you look closely. Bond’s adversary was once a man on his side, knows the ways of the secret service inside out, has a disfigured face and outwits the entire system – tangential, yet undeniable similarities to the Batman movie.

As far as the action goes, the first 10 minutes set the bar so high that the rest of the action looks a bit dilute. The amount of firepower in the final face off could have been reduced, too much noise. But, the ingenuity of Bond and his team in booby-trapping the place can be enjoyed. One thing, the bad guys in the movie need advice from Clint Eastwood; ‘when you want to shoot, shoot, don’t talk’. They would’ve won if only they had talked less and shot promptly. The director needs to understand that dialogues at gun point are a thing of the past. But, the man-to-man fisticuffs are really well executed.

Daniel Craig is intense as usual. We’ve got used to his kind of Bond portrayals and he does not disappoint. Judi Dench is ever reliable as M in a role that is more extended than usual. Javier Bardem brings out wrath and sadism in his portrayal, while Ralph Fiennes walks through a role that really does not challenge him. It’s good to see Moneypenny return to the fray, though Naomie Harris doesn’t get too much to do than a ‘close shave’.

Skyfall is not the typical Bond film. Maybe we are seeing a change in the way Bond will be portrayed in future films; perhaps the time of the ice-cool 007 is over. The new guy is more practical, more fallible, more human – more James than Bond. Watch Skyfall without the baggage of the previous Bonds, you’ll find it interesting, though a bit patchy and slow at times.

Skyfall – a paradigm shift for Bond; go with an open mind!