rooprect
This is not a gangster movie.The above point is so important it deserves its own paragraph. Really, this is as much about gangsters as "2001 A Space Odyssey" is about space monsters and laser battles. So if you're looking for a gangster movie then you might wanna find yourself a nice wholesome De Niro movie where he does batting practice on peoples brains.So what exactly is this movie? "In Praise of Shadows" (the film's original title before some marketing bonehead changed it to the flashier yet utterly meaningless "Shadows & Lies") is a film for shadow lovers. No, I don't mean goth chicks who sleep in coffins, although those folks are certainly invited to the party. I mean, in the tradition of the Japanese essay "In Praise of Shadows" from which this film derived its rightful title, it is for those of us who choose dark subtlety over bright glitz. As a line in the film goes: darkness allows us to focus on details that would be lost in bright light. And so, literally as well as symbolically, this is a story that's told against a dark, unknown, mysterious backdrop.James Franco, in his best role ever, is a mysterious drifter with many similarities to Camus' "The Stranger". He is morally ambiguous, neither kind nor cruel, neither good nor bad, but simply what he is. He takes a job as a criminal henchman almost out of curiosity (or boredom) rather than any other motivation. His first day on the job he meets the boss's mistress, and that leads to... shall we say... complications.The plot is certainly a tense one, and whoever wrote the DVD packaging (probably the same bonehead who renamed it "Shadows & Lies") had a field day ramping up our expectations for a wild thrill ride of Scorsesesque proportions. But, here I go again, this is not a gangster film.Sure there's blood, drugs, prostitution and a bullet or two. But there's also hummingbirds, trees, prehistoric jellyfish and a frog or two. WTF, you say? Yeah, doubtlessly anyone expecting a gangster flick will say WTF. But I would sooner compare this incomparable film to the works of Japanese master Takeshi Kitano ("A Scene at the Sea", "Dolls", "Fireworks") or maybe even Kieslowsky. If you aren't familiar with those directors, don't worry; I'll try to explain...Here director Jay Anania (NYU film professor who taught James Franco) takes a deliberately slow and very visually vivid approach. You won't find any jumpy Mtv edits or grandiose camera flourishes to upstage the raw simplicity of the moment. Neither will you find a lot of quippy one-liners or drawn out monologues to express what is sufficiently done with a facial expression. The story being told here is not a flashy, action-packed romp (although, like I said, there are some tense action scenes) but instead it's the story of how one man with no identity, no past and no future, methodically observes his world and forges a sort of identity for himself through actions that can only be described as if he were playing out a dream, one episode at a time.And dreamlike, this definitely is. With a fractured narrative that jumps back & forth in time and often to odd, seemingly irrelevant characters, it disrupts our expectations of a straightforward story. It becomes a challenging mystery--not necessarily how the plot will play out, but who the main character is. What is his nature and what will he turn out to be? And the same is to be said of the surrounding characters: who will they turn out to be, and will they be guided by free will or predestination?Well, it's been a long ramble but if you made it all the way through I think you'll enjoy this movie as much as I did. In closing I'd like to say it one... more... time...Aw hell, why don't I just quote a scene from the movie.WILLIAM: You're talking as if you're in a movie, Victor. A gangster movie.VICTOR: Do you think you're a gangster?WILLIAM: No!
kosmasp
This movie is different. It does have some recognizable names in it and it might sound intriguing. But it might also bore you to death. Saying this was moving at a snails pace would be an exaggeration. Some people might call this "Artsy", some will call it waste of time. It's tough to say what corner you'll be belonging to.But you will be able to tell, where your feeling about the movie lie, after a couple of minutes. Though you might not always be able to tell what the characters feel at any given minute. There was a very irritating scene with James Franco, where he is being asked things (mostly about his emotional state). It almost looks like he's about to crack up and laugh. Not something that seems fitting considering the situation he's in. That might be over analyzing, but watching this movie will bring this sort of thinking out of you
skripachka
Watch this for the beauty of the movie and the fact that it views like a book. You get the opportunity to think. Others find it slow but it is one of those movies that convinces you the pace of life should be a little bit slower to make you think before you speak. Faster dialog is hardly believable anyways and this film has the pace of reality--where people take a minute to think before speaking.And I've never seen Franco be convincing--turns out intellectual pondering characters is his forte. Go figure.The shots are lovely but also if you can get past the somewhat loud nature of the narrating (both in volume and the sense that sometimes its trying too hard), it has a calming sense.
Tony Heck
"When you need me to do something, you ask, I assume this is how this works." After a man called "William" (Franco) get caught lifting a stranger's cell phone, he gets recruited by the local mob boss (Lucas). While being asked to do simple little jobs "William" meets a beautiful woman, and his life changes. Going in I was expecting more of a gangster movie then this. Most of the movie consists of "William" walking around to voice over. This is a very, very slow moving movie, that in a few places seems to go nowhere. It is not a bad movie, but it has the feel of a foreign/art house type movie, and most people are not into this type of thing. If you are looking for an absolutely independent movie with big actors this is what you are looking for. If you want a great gangster movie full of action, this is not it. I would call it a little like "Public Enemies" without all the action sequences. Not that bad, not that good. I give it a C.Would I watch again? - I don't think I will
