Signs
M. Night Shamalamahamawhatever. I always forget his name, but I'll be darned if he doesn't get the blood flowing. whatever his name might be.
Signs, his third directorial effort, tells the story of mysterious crop signs plaguing a small-time farmer (mel gibson) who was a preacher until his wife died in a car accident. I won't tell much more, because part of the fun is the way each plot point is revealed subtley before it's acknowledged.
Now, with this movie, mr night solidifies my respect for him as a writer, and a director (though, not as an actor, see below). Starting with his very constrained Sixth Sense, and then working through Unbreakable, mr night showed his restraint, and respect for movie techniques long past with his careful shots and dedicated directing style. In this movie, he takes actors young and not-so-young and pulls them through a wide range of emotions and situations without faltering. And with this, I'd say his largest gift is his ability to direct quiet. Most movies these days need to have something, an overbearing score, or a screaming teenager, to carry along a shot or scene without dialogue. Mr night seems unphased at the notion of having body language, and gestures be the only communication in a scene. And, as a writer he makes sure the fat is cut. This is a pretty fat-free dose of cinema, lacking the excess character intercourse of the Tarentinos of this world. Not to say there is anything wrong with tangent dialogue, but mr night makes a strong case for the effectiveness of a streamlined narrative. At the end, none of the scenes stood out in my mind as excessive, and that's something in mind might worth noting.
Oh, and there are other people working in the film too, yaknow, and they are no less noteworthy (save mr night's appearance). Mel Gibson plays the conflicted father with enough internal confusion that he portrays not just a father figure, but a human struggling with his emotional reality. Providing enough support to put many more experienced actors to shame, the four co-stars who share a lot of screen time with gibson do their best to act up a storm. The children, played by Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin seem to be a bit more grounded than normal children, but in this type of movie, it's a welcome manipulation. Hey, all the teenage actors in most modern slasher flicks act like children, so why can't a couple of children in an intelligent suspense drama act like teenagers? They can. And even the adult supports act like adults, which is a pleasant thing also. Joaquin Phoenix and Cherry Jones both do excellent jobs in their respective roles as brother and police friend.
But, there is a weak point that slightly jolted me from the movie-going experience, and that was the appearance of mr night on screen as a minor supporting player. A cameo appearance, hitchcockian style, would have been fine, but he seemed to be hell-bent on getting some decent screen time. I won't go into too many specifics, but mr night is fairly wooden, and does an only adequate job of reciting his material. A better choice for this role would have been someone like Wes Bentley, or Jake Gyllenhaal. The character seemed out of place with it's current execution, and for that I was perturbed.
The effects and camerawork were both excellent and enveloping. There are numerous minor effects shots scattered throughout the movie, and each seems well-integrated into the plotline. None of the effects really stood out as cgi, and that, to me, is the sign of a job well done.
Sure, some may argue after the movie is over about various ploting "why's" and "how's", but those are debatable. Add in a haunting, but not melodramatic score, and you've got a movie worthy of a watch. Though, make sure you see this movie somewhere dark and quiet, because half the fun is getting a little creeped out.
I give it 3 1/2 out of 4. |
