Memories of Murder: a 2003 Korean film based on the Hwaseong serial murders of 1986 - 1991, focusing on two detectives, the amiable Detective Park (Song Kang-ho), and the highly professional city detective Detective Seo (Kim Sang-kyung).
Zodiac: a 2007 American film that depicts the manhunt for the infamous Zodiac killer in 1960s/1970s San Francisco Bay area.
Directing:
Bong Joon-ho
v.s.
David Fincher
It has to be said that both directors' work on their respective films rank among the all-time greats. Both craft such incredibly detailed and harrowing portraits of unseen and never-to-be discovered serial killers, but in such different ways. Fincher's approach is arguably more unrelenting in its darkness, but Zodiac is never one-note in this regard. It has sequences like the basement scene, and of course the murder sequences (and one lucky escape that is absolutely terrifying), which are horrifying in that they really get under your skin and make you feel like your at the scene of crime, at the moment. Fincher never cheats on the scares, and nor does Bong, who crafts everything from a rather entertaining and tense chase sequence, to a suspect's terrible and avoidable death, to a deeply unsettling rain-drenched murder.
The department of scares and chills are handled very well in both films, but where they perhaps most excel is in the procedural side of things. Bong opts for a somewhat more lighthearted approach in some ways, blending dark comedy with pure darkness to create some morbidly funny sequences, particularly on the incompetence of the cops. You really get to know the people investigating the crime as multidimensional characters, and it makes their every action resonate all the more. The 'Sad Letter' sequence is particularly amazing in how quickly it shifts from humorous interplay to a heartbreaking realization of failure. With Zodiac, Fincher presents a fascinating, broader scope of the procedural to take down the Zodiac killer. There's a touch of levity that he brings to the entertaining depiction of the media frenzy surrounding the case. But the dominant element is dread and paranoia, and Fincher masterfully creates this growing unease and terror within each investigator, and an obsession that strengthens with every passing day the killer is not found.
I always think a perfect way of appreciating what Fincher and Bong do with their respective films is to look at the opening and endings of their films. They create such a harrowing arc in both films and reiterate similar elements/themes at the beginning and end to such different effect, with Fincher creating a surprisingly emotional conclusion within the framework of such a morbid case, and Bong crafting such a haunting ending out of a film which started in such a languid and easygoing fashion. Both films are directed impeccably, but I guess I'll give the win to Fincher by a hair for how he manages to make unrelenting dread feel so unnervingly natural within the film, without feeling over the top.
Winner: David Fincher
The Leads:
Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung
v.s.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo
Though acting may not be the most crucial element to either film, the strength of it in both films is essential to their success. Memories of Murder has a smaller ensemble and a more intimate scope and perspective of its two protagonists, Detectives Park (Song) and Seo (Kim), whereas Zodiac flits frequently beyond San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist-turned-amateur sleuth Robert Grayson (Gyllenhaal) and SFPD Inspector David Toschi (Ruffalo), in fact they could be argued as supporting as well if not for the second half of the film which gradually settles its main focus upon the both of them.
All four actors I mention here do an excellent job with their respective roles. Gyllenhaal has perhaps the more thankless role of the lot as its mostly a reactionary role as the audience's avatar into the world of the Zodiac, but he's effective as being our ostensible protagonist, conveying the growing obsession with the case with aplomb, and makes for an interesting counterpoint to Ruffalo, who plays a badass cop who never acts like a badass, he just is. Ruffalo could not be cooler and more assured as the legendary Toschi, who Steve McQueen looked to as an influence for Bullitt and who was the inspiration for Dirty Harry, and he's extremely good at slowly showing how even this cool customer gradually becomes worn down with the demons of the unsolved Zodiac cases. They also have a very interesting dynamic together that proves particularly fruitful in giving brief glimpses of hope in the second half of the film.
Song and Kim get considerably more time and focus together and thus, I'll have to concede that they made more of an impact on me overall. Song, one of Korea's greatest actors, is terrific as the hapless moronic but well-intentioned cop Park who treats the murder cases perhaps a bit too affably at the outset, and makes for a great duo with Kim's Seo who is a driven, serious and straightlaced fellow who immediately detects something bigger than just a series of random murders. They make for quite an entertaining comic duo in the lighter moments of the film, and even more effectively an affecting portrayal of how the mysterious murderer's actions cause such emotional distress in the normally stoic Seo, and a sort of emotional maturation in Park. It's great work by both actors as they manage to make such a strange coupling of characters and ideologies work in pursuit of a common good that ultimately fails. Winner: Memories of Murder
The (Alleged) Murderer: Park Hae-il v.s. John Carroll Lynch
I have to say that while Park Hae-il's (who can also be seen in a far more likable role in Bong's The Host) Park Hyeon-gyu is appropriately creeping and unnerving, and makes for quite the convincing likely suspect, a lot of that effect is created by the atmospheric direction around his scenes. John Carroll Lynch, playing Arthur Leigh Allen who became on the primary suspects of the Zodiac case, has arguably less screentime than Park overall. It doesn't matter, because in his one big interrogation scene he's an extremely creepy creep, in such a naturalistic fashion. His delivery of the line 'I'm not the Zodiac, and even if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you' alone is worth the price of admission.
Winner: Zodiac
The Ensemble
This is definitely one place where Zodiac trumps Memories of Murder, and not that the latter has a bad ensemble at all - Kim Roi-ha is enjoyably sleazy as one of the dumb local cops, Jeon Mi-seon is a sweet supportive figure, and Song Jae-ho has his moments as the strict superior to Park and Seo - but the former has an amazing one. Charles Fleischer, he of Roger Rabbit fame, has one incredibly creepy scene, Robert Downey Jr. is his usual spunky and entertaining self as the hotshot journalist Paul Avery, and Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, and Anthony Edwards have their own memorable moments as more minor but still very impactful characters. Best of the lot, though, is perhaps Jimmi Simpson as one of the Zodiac killer's victims. He has about a minute's worth of screentime at the very end of the film, and gives one of my all-time favourite reaction shots to a picture of 'him'. Winner: Zodiac
Screenplay
Both films have incredibly intricate and detailed screenplays, and the one to Zodiac is particularly surprising in that it was written by James Vanderbilt who would later go on to write...the Amazing Spider-Man films, and uh, White House Down. Where those films were at the same time painfully generic and hopelessly disordered in their writing process, this film pares down any extraneous material, is respectful of the victims' privacy while giving enough insight into the murders, and provides such snappy dialogue and exposition-free handling of the case's details. I'll have to give the win here to Memories of Murder though, for its often hilarious and heartfelt, heartbreaking and deeply personal, while also very understatedly intelligent screenplay that grants so much character development on the go, and culminates in one of the finest closing words in all cinema: 'Ordinary'.
Winner: Memories of Murder
Editing
Both films are paced impeccably, with Zodiac in particular never feeling quite as long as it actually is. Both Angus Wall and Kim Sun-min have standout sequences in this regard, Zodiac in the Lake Berryessa scene where despite the sunny backdrop manages to create an utterly horrifying sequence by how every line, reaction shot and sound effect is so unnerving, and Memories of Murder in the aforementioned chase sequence. I give Zodiac the edge here because in the wrong hands, it could have felt like a very long and dragging film due to how many different subplots it has to undergo.
Winner: Zodiac
Cinematography
As terrific as Zodiac's cinematography is, Memories of Murder has some of my all-time favourite shots. I'll let the visuals speak for themselves here. Winner: Memories of Murder
Sound
I have to go back to that basement scene again. It manages to make a casual visit downstairs to a seemingly kindly old man's basement the stuff of nightmares, and a large part of that has to be attested to the excellent sound mixing and editing which achieves the perfect balance of horror and ambiguity. Memories of Murder has excellent sound design as well, but again Zodiac wins by the slightest of hairs.
Winner: Zodiac Soundtrack
Memories of Murder and Zodiac both have music playing a big part in their films. With Memories of Murder the extradiagetic score by the prolific Taro Iwashiro is eloquent and beautiful, but also so very haunting, and the intradiagetic use of the 'Sad Letter' is unforgettable. Zodiac's score is very effective, David Shire makes sure never to overplay his cards and never oversteps the boundaries between creepy and too-obviously creepy. And of course there's the use of Donovan's 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' at the beginning and end which cements it among the best uses of film music in history. Winner: A tie
Verdict: Both are great films. I suppose I'll give the slight edge to Zodiac, but they're both downright amazing films in their own ways. Neither ever feels like an exploitative serial killer film, but rather a film that very deeply feels for its victims and investigators, and creates such compelling narratives without resorting to cheap scares or gratuitous violence.
As much as I really, really admire Infernal Affairs, I wouldn't necessarily say its direction is one of its strongest suits. It's certainly competent enough in terms of establishing a very appropriate universe for its world of crime and the police universe, but compared to say Beast Cops it doesn't manage to do it with as stylistically memorable flair. Plus there are a few moments where Lau and Mak delve into melodramatic territory with their direction, in particular one death scene where the use of slo-mo. The Departed on the other hand is one of Scorsese's most concise and technically immaculate pieces of work as a director. Regardless of whether or not his Oscar win was an 'overdue' prize, I do think he deserved it because his work on the film is rather brilliant. Not Goodfellas level brilliant of course, but he manages to expand upon the scenes established in the original and wih his style of montage, seamless exposition, and increased grit managed to create in Boston a whole new police and underworld life that is very vividly realized. By just contrasting the two crucial scenes below you can see exactly how Scorsese's work really works in a more understated but effective fashion than Lau and Mak's solid but sometimes overblown work which kind of nullifies the impact of deaths (although the acting is a different matter...)
Winner: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
The Undercover Cop:
Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Chen Wing-yan
v.s.
Leonardo DiCaprio as William "Billy" Costigan, Jr
These two performances are actually incredibly difficult to compare. One reason why I do appreciate The Departed as a remake is because it takes a different approach to many of its characters in terms of their history and role within the story; it's taken some time for me to truly take to it in this fashion, but I do like how DiCaprio's Billy Costigan and Leung's Chen have differentiated approaches to the writing behind their characters. Costigan is a recently integrated mole into the gang life, with a family history of crime to back him up, while Chen is something of a veteran mole who has grown weary of his life as an undercover cop and wants 'an identity', to be a 'good man' once again. Technically they both go over the same sort of character arcs - both want out of the undercover business, especially once they realize there's also a mole in the police department - but the way they go about performing it is a different story.
Leung has a world-weariness and easygoing charm to his portrayal that works in particularly good tandem with the performances of the gangster types around him who are more energetic and loud with their portrayals. He completely nails the 'triad' aspects of the character by his innate cockiness and familiarity to the crime life, but he's also terrific at showing the tired man behind it all who just wants to break free from it. DiCaprio's performance is in contrast more high-octane and broad, which also fits perfectly in with his film. It's a performance that's grown on me a great deal; it's certainly very tic-cy and neurotically infused, but over time I've realized that DiCaprio know exactly what he's doing in playing the character as such a ball of conflicted emotions brimming underneath the hardened surface he must maintain. Both actors are brilliant at bringing out the innate weaknesses of their characters with a certain strength to them keeping up their respective 'acts' and fishing out the police moles, and lend a terrific amount of weight to every scene they show the toil of undercover work taking its toll. In the more 'personal' and intimate scene where they reveal their inner natures completely to their therapists, or when confronted with the deaths of their friends. I'd say they're about on par throughout their whole performance, but I'd say Leung trumps DiCaprio ever so slightly in that his emotional reactions to his closest friend's death and finally nabbing the mole are absolutely brilliant, even though DiCaprio's equivalent handling of the rat in the police department is terrific too.
Winner: Tony Leung-Chiu Wai, Infernal Affairs
The Police Mole:
Andy Lau as Senior Inspector Lau Kin-ming
v.s.
Matt Damon as Staff Sgt. Colin Sullivan
Interesting case of casting for both these characters. In the same way one could describe Tony Leung Chiu-wai as the DiCaprio of Hong Kong in many ways (similar stature as actors, respect, although their approaches to roles are quite different), Matt Damon and Andy Lau both have a sort of 'squeaky clean' onscreen persona in terms of their roles usually being that of heroic figures or likeable average joes. Both are good at that sort o thing, Damon in particular using it to terrific effect in the likes of The Martian and The Adjustment Bureau, but it's always interesting to watch them step out of their comfort zones, Lau in Love on a Diet for example, Damon in True Grit and The Informant! and both actors here. Their approaches are interesting to compare in that one decides to play the police mole as an outright villain and the other attempts something else altogether.
Damon is an actor with limits, I'll admit that, but he is very well aware of them and manages to use them to his advantage here. Technically speaking Damon's Colin Sullivan has a 'squeaky clean' sort of stature within the police force, earnest, keen, always willing to try and move up in the department. Damon brings that energetic enthusiasm he's very good at into his performance but also rids himself of pretty much all the charm he also usually brings to his roles. In that Sullivan could be best described as a pain in the ass, and Damon brings a unique sort of sleaziness to his portrayal of the slimey toady that works well for the film. Beyond that I don't think he tries to do anything too daring with the character and maintains a consistent portrayal of this till the final scenes of the film where he does show a bit of regret in the character, but smartly not too much so as to make the film's conclusion VERY satisfying. The conclusion to Infernal Affairs however is less satisfying, and not just because the 'bad' mole lives while the 'good' mole dies. Because Lau's police department mole is a rather sympathetic character in many ways, a criminal that's for sure, and a very ruthless one who's opportunistic in his ways, but Lau manages to convey an underlying regret at his past and a desire to reform himself into a 'real' cop that's quite moving. While Damon gives a very effective performance for the film he's in, I'd say Lau gives the far more intriguing, complex portrayal of a regretful mole.
Winner: Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs
The Mob Boss:
Eric Tsang as Hon Sam
v.s.
Jack Nicholson as Francis "Frank" Costello
Easy choice. Nicholson's Costello is one of his worst performances; it's cartoonish to the extreme, completely destroys the extreme realism that Scorsese's direction creates when he goes too over the top, and for all his snarling and posturing ends up being more bizzare than menacing. He has a few good moments like his final scene and a few moments with DiCaprio, and he is Jack Nicholson after all so he does have presence, but overall it doesn't work for me. Tsang's Hon Sam is a more straightforward sort of gangster fiure, more understated and far less mannered in his portrayal of a man who enjoys his position of power immensely, and though it's not a masterful portrayal of a mob boss, it's a good one that only adds to the film in a positive fashion.
Winner: Eric Tsang, Infernal Affairs
The Police Superintendent/Captain:
Anthony Wong as Superintendent Wong Chi-shing
v.s.
Martin Sheen as Capt. Oliver Charles Queenan
On a sidenote, I've always been surprised that Sheen's only collaboration with Scorsese thus far has been in this. Anyway, Sheen's portrayal of the warm but stern fatherly police figure to DiCaprio's Costigan is very effective in giving an otherwise rather heartless film a bit of heart, and makes his swift departure from it rather heartbreaking. Wong gives a more stoic performance as the Superintendent, he's rather good at that though I prefer a Wong who lets loose like in Beast Cops, or who has a it more deadpan fun like in The Mission, but I repeat he's good at doing the stoic cop routine. I actually really like his fun little scene leading up to his demise where he masquerades as a Hong Kong stockbroker to hide away from the gangster, unfortunately the film botches up his death scene BIG-TIME. I hate to keep yammering on about the death scenes but it's one of the aspects of Infernal Affair that really push it down from a technical standpoint while strengthening my view of The Departed's direction (credit to Leung for selling it, though).
Winner: Martin Sheen, The Departed
The Other Policemen:
Berg Ng as Senior Inspector Cheung, Wan Chi-keung as Officer Leung, Gordon Lam as Inspector B
v.s.
Mark Wahlberg as Staff Sgt. Sean Dignam, Alec Baldwin as Capt. George Ellerby, and Anthony Anderson as Trooper Brown, James Badge Dale as Trooper Barrigan
I'm probably in the minority but I love that Wahlberg got nominated for the Oscar over Nicholson because he's probably my favourite supporting performance in the film. His foulmouthed Dignam technically doesn't serve much purpose to the plot outside of comedic relief and the final scene, but I don't care he's such an entertaining presence and adds so much to each scene, especially in his rapport with an equally hilarious Alec Baldwin as another uncouth, but rather charmingly so, cop. Anderson and Badge Dale have more limited roles but do manage to make an impression, unlike their Hong Kong counterparts who are completely forgettable. I'd say that yes, the film does not give them much to do, and in turn makes them mere bystanders for much of the plot.
Winner: The Departed
The Love Interest:
Kelly Chen as Dr. Lee Sum-yee, and Sammi Cheng as Mary
v.s.
Vera Farmiga as Dr. Madolyn Madden
One of the weakest aspects in both films are the romantic suplots. At least in Infernal Affairs they're not dwelt upon too much, and Chen and Cheng have a certain charm and likeability in their roles, and chemistry with Leung and Lau, respectively. Farmiga technically has a 'meatier' role as a love interest to both the main characters but she's a rather bizzare and boring presence, doesn't really add much to the film and when she makes an impact it's a poor one with her bizzare line readings and reactions. She has one kind of okay scene, some of her reactions to DiCaprio explaining his demons in the therapists office, but otherwise she's kind of terrible.
Winner: Infernal Affairs
The Henchmen:
Chapman To as "Crazy" Keung, Dion Lam as Del Piero
v.s.
Ray Winstone as Arnold "Frenchy" French, David O'Hara as "Fitzy" Fitzgibbons, Mark Rolston as Delahunt
I have to say, well done to both films on casting very convincing crooks. Infernal Affairs has a criminal ensemble that stands out way more than its 'good' guys because of how much energy each of the triad cast members, small or big roles, bring to their performances. To in particular is a charmingly funny and vulgar presence, who has some nice chemistry with Leung, and though Leung does the heavy lifting in their final scene together To is also very affecting in showing the dying moments of 'Crazy' Keung as a sort of final blessing and warning to his best friend. I'll have to give the edge to The Departed here though. The always dependable face and presence of David O'Hara is solid as always, Ray Winstone is actually rather terrific and fits perfectly into the grimy Bostonian underworld as the rather menacing Frenchy, and both do really good accents. I prefer To to Rolston ever so slightly in their sorta equivalent roles, but overall the criminals in The Departed are more memorable and help to make up for Nicholson's overblown performance.
Winner: The Departed
The Screenplay
Controversial but I'll give the edge to Infernal Affairs here. The Departed has a great script in terms of its concise and efficient plotting, and exposition, its very economic backstory to characters, and best of all its firebrand and coarse dialogue that's all so tripping to the tongue. However, Infernal Affairs has a downright brilliant screenplay that, while sometimes compromised by the film's direction, still manages to stand out very well. I love how it structures the dynamic between the two central cops over the course of the film, fleshing out their discourses in the two main scenes they interact with each other in some beautifully written scenes, and there's singularly standout speeches like Keung's dying words and of course the film's heartbreaking conclusion. It may not be as flashy and watertight as The Departed's Oscar-winning script, but it has an emotional core and depth that's rather remarkable.
Winner: Infernal Affairs
Cinematography
Easy win to The Departed here. Infernal Affairs has slightly workmanlike camerawork, although not without a few inspired colour touches, that works well enough for the film, but hardly makes it stand out among the Hong Kong flock, it's certainly no Wong Kar-Wai film from a visual standpoint. The Departed has low-key brilliant cinematography that makes use of grimy environments in a stylized fashion that has traces of Goodfellas to it. Winner: The Departed Editing
Both films are really, really well edited. I'll give the edge to The Departed since it makes a 150 plus minute film flow along beautifully, but Infernal Affairs's editing is no slouch, In particular, these two scenes are great examples of editing. Winner: The Departed Sound Winner: The Departed Soundtrack
Winner: The Departed
Both to The Departed easily. Infernal Affairs has a few corny sound editing and mixing moments (see: the death scenes I've posted above), while The Departed in classic Scorsese fashion, sounds immaculate and utilizes its musical score and eclectic collection of contemporary songs marvelously. Final Result: Infernal Affairs 5, The Departed 8
I've grown to really appreciate both films over time. The Departed is definitely the 'better made' film overall just in terms of being a film, watchable through every minute and technically immaculate as a crime thriller. Infernal Affairs is flawed, holding it back from perfection, but also has an underrated poignancy and emotional core that makes its ending particularly memorable, not taking the easy way out at all. Though again, The Departed too has a brilliant ending, just in a different way. They're both very, very good films, so check them both out.
Points system: 6 points for #1, 4 points for #2, 2 points for #3, 0 point for #4, -2 points for #5, - 4 points for #6
Direction
1. The Russo Brothers, Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Scott Derrickson, Doctor Strange (+4)
3. Tim Miller, Deadpool (+2)
4. Bryan Singer, X-Men: Apocalypse (0)
5. Zack Snyder, Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-2)
6. David Ayer, Suicide Squad (-4)
The Russo brothers have now proved themselves to be, essentially, masters of the superhero genre in almost every regard. Civil War seemed like an impossible feat to pull off, with so many different elements to balance while never losing sight of it being a Captain America film, it's a wonder it didn't all become a huge mess. That they managed to craft what is the greatest superhero film of this decade so far, is incredible. Doctor Strange was finely directed by Scott Derrickson with a very assured and consistent hand that establishes another successful, and in this case very stylish element to the Marvel Cinematic Universe very well. Tim Miller's direction is fun and knows how to make use of its somewhat scattershot components very well, even though it never stands out beyond being serviceable. X-Men: Apocalypse is interesting in that several elements of the X-Men films Bryan Singer had previously been less adept at - the 'lighter' moments, the 'fun' segments - are directed very well, but when the material calls for the more dramatic and 'serious' side of his talents, he falters big-time. Although his direction never is bad like Zack Snyder is for about 95% of BVS, failing to engage the audience whatsoever in Superman's plight and thoroughly messing up large portions of the Batman side of things, though within that are some cracking sequences which show promises of a great film. Ayer's direction is easily the worst on this list as he never finds a proper tone to the film; it would've benefited if he'd stuck to the gritty, hard-hitting machismo he'd established well in the likes of End of Watch and Fury, since his work here is ultimately a mess, with neither the humorous or darker side of things cohering properly, resulting in every scene spiraling out of control in a bad sort of way.
Screenplay
1. Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Deadpool (+4)
3. Doctor Strange (+2)
4. X-Men: Apocalypse (0)
5. Suicide Squad (-2)
6. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-4)
Deadpool has a very, very, very funny script; it's enjoyably self-referential and meta in its deconstruction of the superhero genre, perfectly evoking the same sort of atmosphere as the comics. Doctor Strange has a screenplay with a few thinly sketched bits involving Stephen Strange's life back in the Big Apple, and a few rushed character developments brushed over with vague speeches (hello, Baron Mordo), but it's very brisk, describes its concepts thoroughly and in an accessible way, and the highlight is like Deadpool the humour, especially in scenes involving the two Benedicts. There's nothing overtly BAD about the scripts to Apocalypse or Suicide Squad, their plots are just extremely unoriginal and many characters become mere visual ciphers due to how thinly sketched they are in the script. There's some funny one-liners and character moments in both those films though.
The top and bottom of my list though are worthy of particular mention. The script to Civil War is everything the script to Dawn of Justice should've been. It establishes the conflict between the two parties with clarity and depth, and fleshes out exactly why each individual takes on their respective stances, without ever making anyone out to be a strawman. The central relationship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes is beautifully crafted by the script, as is the growing animosity between Steve and Tony; the villain's plotting though rather complex, all makes complete sense and is never compromised by the writing. And there's beautiful little scenes of individual writing like Wanda Maximoff and Vision discussing their place in the world, the final conversation between Tony and his best friend Rhodey, and the incredibly moving funeral of Peggy Carter. BvS has a script that is littered with plotholes in terms of the villain plot, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. The villain is as sloppy in terms of characterization as his grand schemes, and you never quite understand what he's getting at, and not in a 'mysterious' sort of way, more a 'stupid' sort of way. The central conflict between the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader is incredibly dumbed down from what could've been, springing from some incredibly convenient contrivances and resolved with the stupidest scene of the year. Very little, if any, of the screenplay works, and I struggled throughout in trying to pinpoint where the stories and characters the film tosses around were building up to.
Hero (es) (Main)
1. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool (+4)
3. Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange (+2)
4. Will Smith and Margot Robbie, Suicide Squad (0)
5. James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: Apocalypse (-2)
6. Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Batman v.s. Superman Dawn of Justice (-4)
No matter what way you look at it, DC really flunked it with Superman, among other things. I'm a Man of Steel apologist, but even that film had problems with how it depicted Superman, although it worked there because he was still a superhero in development, there were definitely lots of flaws with how one-note and moody he was at points, although Cavill had more to work with as well in terms of charm and emotional power. Here, Superman is little more than a walking, barely talking prop, a piece of meat. In contrast, Bruce Wayne/Batman gets a lot of focus, but the film really drops the ball in trying to make Batman a straight up psychopath, a somewhat dumb detective who makes judgements that are WAY too swift. Ben Affleck manages to make a lot out of a rather poorly written role and excels best as the man in the Batsuit, and is a suitably brooding Bruce Wayne. As for suicide squad, the two selling points and leads of the film, Deadshot and Harley Quinn, are introduced, fit the tone of the film, and both Will Smith and Margot Robbie are charismatic enough performers to make their characters work memorably, even if there was perhaps even more depth to be found in the roles.
Cumberbatch's Dr Strange is rather memorable bit of Sherlockian arrogant genius routine at the start, and is very convincing in gradually transitioning the character into a better man and earning the 'wow, he's a badass now' moments. His accent's a bit iffy, I'd rather he used his normal accent, but I didn't mind as it added to the...strangeness, of Steven. Ryan Reynolds, of course, got to play the role he was born to play of Deadpool. It's not his best work, that'd be Mississipi Grind, but he certainly fits the role to the tee and nails every second of the irreverent superhero routine. The current controversy behind the scenes of Deadpool 2 I'd actually say is earnt because frankly, I feel Reynolds knows the vigilante better than anyone else.
As for the established heroes, what I loved about the dynamic between Chris Evans' Captain America/Steve Rogers, and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man/Tony Stark, is that they built it up through every previous film, even the lacklustre ones. Yet even within just the context of Civil War it works. When Cap says 'the safest hands are still our own', or talks about how though you can't always save anybody, you can't give up, even the brainwashed Bucky Barnes, you believe his conviction entirely; and Downey Jr. fascinatingly turns the characterization of Tony Stark in a full circle by utilizing the elements of his previous performances in a different fashion, to create a truly distraught, disillusioned man crumbling from within. Together, the two heroes work in tandem to create something quite special. With X-Men: Apocalypse, we once again get the McAvoy/Fassbender/Lawrence trio established by this new X-Men 'prequel' universe. I'll get onto Fassbender in a bit, but what worked wonderfully in Days of Future Past sort of falters here. Professor X sort of retreads along the similar lines of the previous film again, and it's not as effective this time round, though you have to give McAvoy credit for giving it his all once again. Mystique as a hero I've always been a bit 'meh' about, it worked (sort of) in Days of Future Past, it doesn't here. Firstly because it just doesn't cohere with the plot in a seamless fashion, secondly because Jennifer Lawrence just cba. Neither actor is terrible, in fact McAvoy is quite good still, but the way the characters are utilized in the film just feels uninspired and ineffective on the whole.
Antagonist (Main)
1. Daniel Brühl, Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Mads Mikkelsen, Doctor Strange (+4)
3. Ed Skrein, Deadpool (+2)
4. Oscar Isaac, X-Men: Apocalypse (0)
5. Cara Delevinge, Suicide Squad (-2)
6. Jesse Eisenberg, Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-4)
It was a bad year for superhero villains, largely. Less said about Jesse Eisenberg the better; the thing is, with the right sort of approach, say his Mark Zuckerberg mixed with the more direct, biting ill-intentions of his James Simon in The Double, he could've been a great Lex Luthor, but I don't know, maybe he didn't film deserved a great villain and just decided to have a bit of fun. Fair enough, right? I'm kind of tempted to rank Delevinge and the horrifyingly poor portrayal of the Enchantress lower than Eisenberg because it's just an embarrassing performance for a good actress. I've had enough of mystical sorcerers/sorceresses as villains in these sorts of films, especially when they result in every film finale having that 'vague beams shooting out of building' denoument that feels painfully rehashed every time it's used. Following on the trend of good actors placed in bad roles, the great Oscar Isaac is placed under unrecognizable makeup, and utterly wasted as the titular Apocalypse. I did not feel compelled at all by the aesthetic or the performance, which is odd because pretty much everything else I've seen Isaac in, no matter how big or small the role, he's impressed.
Skrein's Francis (as Wade Wilson would like to have you know) is technically a fairly standard 'bad Brit' villain, nothing great but perfectly serviceable. I'd say the same for Mads Mikkelsen's Kaecilius, except he's played by Mads Mikkelsen, who always adds a little something even to the most thankless roles. The villain here is an even thinner one than his Casino Royale antagonist, but Mikkelsen adds enough menace, poignancy and even some wry humour to his portrayal to make an impression. The best villain this year, however, was funnily enough also from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which usually has the tendency to have thankless villains even in their best films. Daniel Brühl's Zemo is a much more modest figure than some of the previous gods, men in iron suits and electric whiplashes, robots, etc. but he's also the greatest because the scope of his plans are so brilliantly realized by the script and his performance. Zemo is more an Iago figure than some overt, cackling villain, and I loved the originality behind such a portrayal. Once again, Civil War wins these stakes.
Ensemble (Part I, the 'good' side)
1. Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Doctor Strange (+4)
3. Deadpool (+2)
4. X-Men: Apocalypse (+2)
5. Suicide Squad (-2)
6. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-4)
Superman's side of things couldn't possibly be blander in Dawn of Justice, where Lois Lane (Amy Adams), already not the best fit for the role, becomes a bit of a stick in the mud, the Daily Planet team are decently acted enough but don't have much to do. I'm tempted to rank the 'good' ensemble of Suicide Squad at the bottom purely because many of the well-acted and well casted characters they have, like Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang, and Jay Hernandez's Diablo, are very underused. Then you have characters like Katana who's utterly sidelined and useless for much of the film, and Rick Flag who was originally going to be played by Tom Hardy and ended up being played by Joel Kinnaman, who gives the worst supporting performance of the year so far. The character is intended to be a bit of a blank slate, I'll grant him that, but he somehow manages to make every line reading and gesture seem so completely out of place, and really drags an already not very good film down with every line reading. Thankfully, Viola Davis' Amanda Waller helps to somewhat redeem the film on that 'authoritative' front since she gives a rather entertaining, cold and professional performance as the true boss of the Squad.
I'd say the 'good' ensembles to Apocalypse and Deadpool are about on equal par; the usual regulars of Nicholas Hoult, Lucas Till, and especially Evan Peters as Quicksilver, are all fine, as are the new entrants of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler. Rose Byrne gives a kind of awful reprisal of Moira McTaggert but that's alright since she doesn't do all that much. In Deadpool we get some very entertaining comedic relief in the form of T.J. Miller's Weasel, fine romantic support in Morena Baccarin's Vanessa, and some rather entertaining sidekicks in the form of X-Men Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus. They all add to the film very nicely and provide more than worthy sparring partners for Deadpool.
Doctor Strange's entrance into the mystical dimensions is greeted with some welcome faces: Tilda Swinton as the Anicient One providing gravitas, humour and an added dose of poignancy, Chiwetel Ejiofor as the straight-laced and moralistic Mordo, and Benedict Wong as an enjoyably serious, deadpan Wong. They all have great chemistry with Cumberbatch and add to the film in their own ways, and I also have to praise Rachel McAdams for making the most out of her incredibly limited love interest role. Then Civil War. For the 'good' side of the conflict, I'll go with Cap's anti-Records side. Elizabeth Olesen's Scarlett Witch gets a massive upgrade this time round in terms of characterization and stuff to do and acts as one of the hearts of the film, and while the likes of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) get less to do, they stand out incredibly well despite their limited screentime, bringing a welcome dose of humour (especially Rudd) to the film - and Ant-Man also gets perhaps the single most AWESOME moment in it.
Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter doesn't get a lot to do, but nails her big scene of her speech at Peggy Carter's funeral, a speech which encompasses the core themes of the movie. Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff is used to sort of balance the two conflicting sides together and Scarlett Johansson gives a really impressive performance in playing the conflicted nature of her character finally guided towards helping Steve. Anthony Mackie's Falcon is an even more energized, even more charismatic and funny presence this time round; and strikes up a really funny camaraderie with Steve Rogers' other best friend, Bucky Barnes. Sebastian Stan and Chris Evan strike up a believable and very moving friendship that is the true heart of the film, and helps make Civil War not just a story of conflict but also of friendship.
Ensemble (Part II, the 'bad' side)
1. Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Batman v.s. Superman (+4)
3. Deadpool (+2)
4. Doctor Strange (0)
5. X-Men: Apocalypse (-2)
6. Suicide Squad (-4)
For the 'bad' side of the BvS: Dawn of Justice ensemble, rather than focusing on the very forgettable side characters to Lex Luthor's plot (only Holly Hunter and Scoot McNairy make impressions purely because they're good actors in strangely small roles), I'll focus on Batman's side of things. Now despite seemingly forgetting that she's with him in the third act (a set up for a really awkward joke), Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is absolutely splendid, and I can't wait to see more of her portrayal in the near future. Jeremy Irons isn't exactly having the time of his life as Alfred but I found he gave more than enough humour and wit to the role to make it work very well, and I'd love to see his dynamic with Bruce expanded in the upcoming films. Deadpool and Doctor Strange have serviceable side villains, I enjoyed the whole Dormamu section in Doctor Strange more than most, definitely. I'd say Deadpool is better in that regard because its villains are so squeamishly sleazy that you want them to get their comeuppance so, so bad.
Apocalypse and Suicide Squad are both largely disastrous in terms of establishing the side villains. The Enchantress' brother shape shifting morphing thingy is so poorly established by the film that there was absolutely no, menace, whatsoever, Even worse is the overhyped incarnation of the Joker by Jared Leto, a performance that gets worse and worse the more I think about it. The villains in SS are essentially failures through and through; the Apocalypse villains aren't that much better though. Most of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are entirely useless beyond their participation in a few action scenes; Psylocke, Angel, Storm, all get very little to do than stand around and strut their extravagant costumes. But Michael Fassbender as Magneto actually gives a very good performance this time round as a particularly heartwarming, loving Erik Lensherr in the first act, resulting in a tragic scene which involves some of the best acting of Fassbender's career. Unfortunately after that he also becomes more just a stand around, look cool with your powers sort of villain.
For this round again, I'll have to award Civil War the win. Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, despite his short screentime, is quite memorable within it. The more minor characters of Rhodey, Vision, etc. on Stark's side have a lot to do in very little time, and Don Cheadle and Paul Bettany are more than up to task. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross is something of an underutilization of William Hurt, but he is perfectly fine in the role, and the character serves the purposes of the plot well enough. The highlights though of the new 'anti-Cap' ensemble, would be the fantastic introductions of T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Boseman could not be more perfectly cast as the epitome of grace and class as the Prince of Wakanda, delivering his lines with such elegance and poise; he shows the path of grief and vengeance he goes down remarkably well, carries himself with such assurance in the action scenes, and his final scene with Brühl is one of the best-acted scenes of the year. And ol' Spidey, after that dreadful The Amazing Spider-Man series,
Special Effects
1. Doctor Strange(+6)
2. Captain America: Civil War (+4)
3. X-Men: Apocalypse (+2)
4. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (0)
5. Suicide Squad (-4)
6. Deadpool (-2)
Doctor Strange has some of the best, biggest special effects of the year; every trippy, dimension-bending scene is so flawlessly handled. Civil War also has incredible effects, we've seen a lot of them before but a lot of exquisite, subtle work is done on stuff like Black Panther's eyes, and the bigger stuff like that Giant Man scene. Apocalypse and Dawn of Justice have perfectly decent SFX in all regards, again nothing we haven't seen before, but largely without flaws; and Deadpool and Suicide Squad, while having a few iffy and in the former's case, slightly more budgetary-constrained effects, are largely fine too. Really, from a technical standpoint, none of these films have massive special effects problems, though Deadpool has with good reason, the smallest scope of it. Set Design
1. Doctor Strange(+6)
2. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (+4)
3. Captain America: Civil War (+2)
4. X-Men: Apocalypse (0)
5. Deadpool (-2)
6. Suicide Squad (-4)
Again, the whole world crafted in Doctor Strange is something to behold; the Kamar-Taj, the Sanctums, even just Strange's hospital, all have such character of their own. Dawn of Justice has a particularly spiffing looking Batcave, Civil War has a few memorable sets (though what takes place in them is more memorable), and the X-Mansion, etc. in Apocalpyse look good as always. Again there's a certain less appealing and forgettable quality to a lot of Deadpool's sets but they're not bad, it's just not the film's focus; and Suicide Squad has the prison which is well designed, but everything else feels a bit off. The Joker's apartment and the finale, in particular, just feel a bit out of place. Costumes/Makeup
1. Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice(+4)
3. Doctor Strange (+2)
4. Suicide Squad (0)
5. Deadpool (-2)
6. X-Men: Apocalypse (-4)
I have many reservations about the new Batman, but the Batsuit is not one of them; and Wonder Woman's costume is great too. These two elements alone put it near the very top. Civil War and Doctor Strange, as per usual for Marvel, establish the old heroes with their usual great set of costumes and the new ones have some spiffing gear, especially Strange's Cape, Black Panther's whole suit, I wouldn't say the new Spidey suit is an absolute favourite of mine but I like it well enough. Also, some extra credit to Civil War for it's wonderful matching of Vision with some fine smart casual clothing. The other films are all just fine on the costuming front besides Apocalypse which makes some seriously bizzare choices with the Four Horsemen. Editing
1. Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Doctor Strange (+4)
3. Deadpool (+2)
4. X-Men: Apocalypse (0)
5. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-2)
6. Suicide Squad (-4)
For such a long and epic film, Civil War actually breezes along quite nicely, with a good amount of pacing and yet never feeling rushed; each scene builds to the next one very well. Almost as impressive is Doctor Strange which also establishes its new universe with a remarkable pace that arguably might be too fast at certain points, but nevertheless is extremely solid work. Deadpool flaws along very well too, I'd say the opening and the ending is a bit choppy in parts but that might've been intentional, and really the midsection where Wade Wilson establishes himself as Deadpool is pretty well-paced stuff. Apocalypse is perfectly fine in this regard, I have issues with the film's but not really how they're edited together. Dawn of Justice is a film you can just tell by watching it that there's a more coherent extended edition lurking somewhere, oh wait...anyway, the film itself is poorly edited in many regards, just in terms of not bridging scenes from the Batman and Superman side of things all that well, certain scenes dragging on for too long, too short, or just not making sense at all.
It'd be at the bottom of the list if not for the atrocity of editing that was Suicide Squad. I'd say part of my enjoyment of the film came from how atrociously the first few minutes or so were edited; absolutely no coherence at all, and the more I think about it my enjoyment might've been in a very Wiseau-esque fashion. Past that point, the pacing is really off at various points, Joker's scenes in particular fittting extremely poorly into the film; and one notable instance of terrible editing is the scene where the Enchantress turns 'bad'. It comes out of nowhere, establishes nothing, and once it flashes across the screen you derive nothing from it. Sound
1. Doctor Strange(+6)
2. Captain America: Civil War (+4)
3. Batman v.s. Superman (+2)
4. Deadpool (+0)
5. X-Men: Apocalypse (-2)
6. Suicide Squad (-4)
All films sound okay, to very good. I'll give the edge to Strange because in the scenes where we're immersed in the 'otherworld' are all rather evocative. Civil War, BvS, Deadpool all have good sound effects, and even if Apocalypse and Suicide Squad have iffy moments in terms of the action scenes, they're still both largely solid. Cinematography
1. Doctor Strange(+6)
2. Captain America: Civil War (+4)
3. X-Men: Apocalypse (+2)
4. Deadpool (0)
5. Suicide Squad (-2)
6. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-4)
Again, Strange has cinematography that is really out of this world, and I'd say it's one of the highlights of the film, though Civil War is close on its tail with its less extravagant but equally effective camerawork that's particularly dynamite in individual sequences like the opening action sequence to take down Brock Rumlow, the Spiderman v.s. Bucky and Falcon fight etc. Apocalypse has some solid camerawork, particularly in the Wolverine sequence and of couse any scene involving Quicksilver; and Deadpool is also very finely filmed albeit with a slight tinge of budgetary constraints to its aesthetic. Suicide Squad and BvS both have extremely problematic camerawork, and I'll put the latter at the bottom for now because outside of the Batman warehouse scenes, the excessive use of slo-mo by Zack Snyder and odd angles he uses to film various sequences, from action to simply conversation/exposition scenes, are really distracting.
Soundtrack
1. X-Men: Apocalypse(+6)
2. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (+4)
3. Deadpool (+2)
4. Captain America: Civil War (0)
5. Suicide Squad (-2)
6. Doctor Strange (-4)
BvS has a marvellous Junkie XL/Hans Zimmer score, the stuff of dreams really, and Deadpool has some perfectly matching tunes, especially 'X Gon' Give It to Ya'. I love Civil War to bits but I'll admit the soundtrack doesn't really stand out in the way that the other great Marvel films like Iron Man, The Winter Soldier and especially Guardians of the Galaxy do; Suicide Squad has some great songs it actually uses quite well in parts, but cuts them off to early and the actual score is fairly generic. Doctor Strange, though a film I really, really liked, has a largely forgettable soundtrack. In the end though, I'll give the win to X-Men: Apocalypse since it blends a solid action score and 80's tunes seamlessly, and feautures 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' by the Eurythmics in what is still one of my favourite scenes of the year. Fun Factor
1. Deadpool(+6)
2. Captain America: Civil War (+4)
3. Doctor Strange (+2)
4. X-Men: Apocalypse (0)
5. Suicide Squad (-2)
6. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-4)
Not gonna lie, though it had lots of issues, I largely enjoyed Deadpool through and through because it was such a fun, easy watch. Not a single dull moment even in the sketchier and less well-made bits, though I would say that Civil War is far more satisfying to watch overall. Doctor Strange was quite a blast, far more than I expected it to be, Apocalypse has a lot of extremely fun moments to make up for the questionable choices in the screenplay, performances etc. Suicide Squad was fun, though at points in a 'so bad it's fun' sort of way, and I mostly hated BvS through and through for its mostly dreary, dark and dull tone. Seriously; the Nolan films were dark and gritty, but also made it compelling to watch and in parts, so very exciting to watch. Snyder's take on the Bat seems to be directed to making him as gruesome and unpleasant to watch as possible, and his take on Superman seems to be at best, indifference, and at worst a certain dispassionate quality to his direction. Emotional Factor
1. Captain America: Civil War(+6)
2. Doctor Strange (+4)
3. Suicide Squad (+2)
4. Deadpool (0)
5. X-Men: Apocalypse (-2)
6. Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice (-4)
Though I can see why some may not have felt so strongly about it as I did, Captain America: Civil War is probably still the most emotionally powerful film of the year so far - I say so far because it looks like Hacksaw Ridge, Silence, Fences and Rogue One are all going to be pretty emotionally charged. Anyway, Civil War acts as a sort of emotional statement on the journey of my favourite Avenger. It explores every facet of what makes him a true hero even with the odds stacked against him; and I've mentioned how all the most poignant sequences, from the funeral scene to his reminisces with Bucky about the past, and to add to that you have Tony Stark's equally heartbreaking storyline of self-reflection and being haunted by his past. In comparison, the other superhero films this year can't quite match the depth of emotional intensity in Civil War, but Doctor Strange does have a strong emotional undercurrent in both Strange's journey into a better man and the Ancient One's final scene, even if Baron Mordo's character transition is a bit shortchanged. Suicide Squad, for all its flaws, does manage to have a few genuinely heartrending subplots; Deadshot's relationship with his daughter is rather movingly handled, Diablo's backstory is rather powerful and makes you care about the character in a very short span of time, and despite the insurmountable flaws of the film on a technical level, there's glimpses of a darker and more emotionally impactful film in these moments. Deadpool and Apocalypse work less well in the 'emotional' moments than the 'fun' moments, but aren't overtly bad in them, and Deadpool sort of works around that by always having a tongue in cheek during these scenes. Apocalypse would be more powrful if it made better use in developing McAvoy's Professor X arc though; in comparison to Days of Future Past, it seems relatively tame and derivative. Batman vs Superman though, completely mucks up its emotional core. Batman's rage at Gotham's destruction is well handled in the opening sequence, but Superman's own emotional journey is seriously stunted and underdeveloped (especially if you compare it to Captain America's arc over his first two films), and the 'MARTHA' scene is one of the worst failures at emotional manipulation in recent memory. I'll end with this.
Results:
Captain America: Civil War - 72
Doctor Strange - 48
Deadpool - 24
X-Men: Apocalypse - 0
Batman v.s. Superman: Dawn of Justice - -14
Suicide Squad - -34
It's strange because on my rankings of 2016 films, Suicide Squad actually ranks slightly higher than BvS because I enjoyed it more - maybe I need to re-evaluate that. But besides that, these rankings make sense; Civil War is still my favourite film of the year so far, I really liked both Doctor Strange and Deadpool, Apocalypse was average, and the other two are bad, not wholly bad, but poorly made films.
