Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Faster

Here is an enjoyable and dark ride, one of slew I've seen lately, that stands above the crop. The crop? "Edge of Darkness", "Law Abiding Citizen", and "Harry Brown" come to mind, each have their merits and strengths and I sat through them entertained. "Faster" offers similar themes, stripped to their essence, monologue redacted.
Dwayne and BB Thornton live in their roles. I know, the car repair dude in "U-Turn", but man, both of these guys hit this Grindhouse Joint with nary a wink to the audience. Tom Berenger does a quick, perfect turn as the flic opens, as effective as his role in "Inception" but even more fleeting.
The score is by Clint Mansell, and does not assault, but informs. The camera is, on the other hand, flash and spectacle. This is not the Crank Camera kids incredible acro-cam, (they actually shot in daylight) but dark, grimy hi def angles and zooms. This dark palette meshed seamlessly with Mansell's throbbing bottom.
No one wanders into a movie like this expecting high art. It is certainly a treat to see fine craft and charisma together without the Luc Besson slapstick(which I love) or the gore fest that has gained so much ground since the wars started.
Make no mistake, the violence is quick and harsh and big, but I saw no identifiable organs and the camera chose to linger on the list rather than bodies. Let me wrap this  with the title of a Minutemen Doc as a summation, "We Jam Econo" and a nice quote from Faster, "Where's the exit?"
Recommended.