Split **** Hitchcockian Horror with 23 Twists Been a funny old career for M.Night Shyamalan. When his good (6th Sense, Unbreakable) his good but when his bad (Lady in the Water, After Earth) his er... not so good.
Recently he drifted more into the Horror genre from The Happening, which is well... see that one for yourself and a return to form last year with creepy The Visit contemporary shot via Camcorder found footage a break away from his usual style.
Bringing us up to date with his latest offering Split starring James McAvoy. The film starts with the abduction of three teenage girls, who later discover that their captor Kevin (McAvoy) has not one but twenty three personalities. The outcast of the trio of girls Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) must find a way to escape and also discover the reason they have been abducted
before it's too late. The girls discovery of their captor's mental condition amps the creepiness and the intentional or not black comedy as one minute his fierce Dennis, to cross dressing as Patricia, to a nine year old boy. Its a perfect
blend of scares, freakishness, comedy and jumps as you literally don't know who he is or what he could next at this or any other point.
One of the make or break aspects of this film would be the actor himself who plays Kevin. If you got that casting wrong the the film would lose realism and integrity with a fate destined for the DVD bargain bucket basket at Pound Land (Where I recently bought Starship Trooper 3 on Blu Ray for £1 from as a comical Christmas Present for my brother if that heightens my point). I can unmistakably conclude the film made a great investment in casting McAvoy as the lead of Kevin. A skin head McAvoy seems to relish the role of not just one part but twenty three parts off whom he does a commendable job of portraying sometimes multiple characters at the same time.
At one point McAvoy has to skips through some his personalities in succession as if a CD was jumping from track to track which he pulls off with ease despite the obvious concentration and skill required to make this look effortless and more importantly natural. Here McAvoy joyfully seems like his back in Drama school going through a improvisations of multiply characters in class. Particular highlights of the 23 personalities have to go the scene stealing 9 year old boy who literally goes through the emotions from humorous banter, sweet adolescences, laugh out loud dancing, violent mood swings and has he would say "etcetera".
The film is inter cut with Kevin's Therapist Dr Karen Flecther played tenderly and with conviction by Betty Buckley. This gives the story a nice Thriller vibe as the shrink begins to discover something is terribly wrong and must work out the sinister secret her client, whom she deeply cares about, has done before it's too late.
Lower budgets seems to have served Shyamalan's creatively well here the
Direction of his story has become a back to basics simplistic return to
form. The director allows the camera to become the audience's
window into the unfolding events with a abundance of Point of View shots
which fit the story's format well.
There are a few wasted opportunities in any other wise neatly written script including the later revealed location of the captives which seems eccentric and not used to any potential unless it figuratively which isn't a real necessity. There are back flashes in the story which are welcomed additions bringing depth and understanding to the characterization of Casey giving her a tragic back story making her more than just the stereotypical high school recluse. Don't let the black humour fool you this film can and will get dark which goes further to back up the genre.
However combined with a ending that seems quite rushed and cramped with multiple open ended possibilities to an otherwise self contained story which does not entirely fit with the theme established up to that point. But with M.Night you have to ask was that his point of doing it?
Split has a unique premise which at times during it execution steps on the borderlines of pure lunacy with it's own action but to be quite honest that what makes this film so much fun. It's a horror that's well acted, well crafted, unique, funny, jumpy and fun.
Let's face it that's about as rare as bumping into someone suffering with dissociative identity disorder with 23 personalities in tow.
Live By Night is a book adaption picked up original by Warner Brothers to be a Leonardo DiCaprio starring vehicle but he left the acting side staying on as a producer with Ben Affleck eventually coming abroad the project as a Writer, Director and Star. In Live By Night we follow Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck) WW1 vet turned armed robber in 1920's Boston. The story hits the fast gear before you know it the action is let loose with car chases, shoot outs, sex and danger you feel like your enjoying a great season Finale of Boardwalk Empire. The film looks great and frankly with a budget of 65 million you would expect nothing less. But Joe career as a petty thief is cut short and following a few years in the slammer Joe emerges intent on self interest and becoming a gangster. Effectively the first 40 minutes is basically a extended opening sequence as the real story of Live By Night is Joe's arrival in Tampa Florida on behalf of the Italian Mafia to front their business interests. Here begins the saga of Joe trying to stay just on the right side of being a evil Gangster as he has to do dark things but Joe reluctance to fully embrace the cold blooded nature of his profession may put him in danger. He chooses not to expand into Heroin despite his boss's urges, strikes a mixed race relationship which provokes the KKK and often chooses compromise to killing. Inevitably all his problems may have to be solved by the latter. Affleck already has a nice solid track record of Directing after Gone Baby Gone, The Town and most impressively Argo. So the idea of writing, directing and starring may not be that daunting to him but with Live By Night he has work cut out for him as this is a big scale period epic with his character nearly in every scene over a 129 minute running time.
The story is engaging but Affleck acts through the plot beats almost on autopilot as ultimately his character is some what forgettable. Affleck's portrayal of gangster Joe Coughlin is by means in the same character league as say Pacino's "Tony Mantana" from Scarface, Joe Pesci's "Nicky Santoro" from Casino or hell Steve Busemi's "Nucky Thompson" from Boardwalk Empire they are all stand out memorable characters from the crime genre. This isn't the case for all the cast with stand out roles from Matthew Maher as the psychotic KKK member and Elle Fanning as the tragic chief's daughter. Both shine, one in menace and the other in tragedy. Sienna Miller & Chris Cooper also hand in competent supporting acting alongside Brendan Gleeson who's talent is at least utilised more here than his mere five minute appearance in Assassin's Creed earlier this year. Shocking waste of talent indeed.
Where Live By Night some what disappoints is after the riveting paced first 40 minutes (which is pretty much 80% of the film's trailer) it does seem almost like the film drops down a gear and stays there for the majority. The action is stylised and brutal fitting the genre but without the action evenly dispersed it does at some points feel to drag. However the audience is rewarded with a climatic shoot out which despite not being epic is certainly welcome. That pretty much sums up the film really. Live by Night is brought to life with a talented cast, production design and genre appreciating director but with a script that doesn't quite hit the nose in many respects the film falls quite short of being elevated anywhere near the hall of greatness. By Chris Hembury
Bryan Cranston and James Franco star in Meet the Parents style comedy... with swearing... oh and a dead moose in a urine filled tank. That about sums up the measure of this comedy that has decided it's going to be a down and dirty and never strays. James Franco plays the Hippie like Billionaire "Laird" who is in love with tight laced print factory owner Ned's (Cranston) Daughter. In order to meet Laird, Ned's whole family is travelling to Laird's mansion to spend the Christmas Holidays there and bond. Whilst Ned's wife and son are somewhat charmed by Laird's inner child charm Ned is instantly repulsed by this foul mouthed, loud mouthed, dirty mouthed eccentric but equally alarmed that his sweet daughter has fallen for him. One could even as.... Why Him? ;)
So the story kicks into gear with Laird trying to win Ned's affections by Christmas Day so he can can ask his daughter to marry him. Instead of being wooed Ned becomes more worried as Laird's attempts to impress back fire whilst Ned's instead attempts to prove that Laird is a fraud. And here we have Meet The Parents on acid including drug fuelled parties, dodgy tattoos, vaginal cleansing and testicle biting oh yes and that dead moose in the urine filled tank.
There are two real assets to this comedy as you might have guessed one being Cranston who goes full circle from Breaking Bad and Trumbo returning to his more Malcolm in the Middle persona looking like his having great fun having a break from the Drama Baird's for a while. Whilst there are a number of actors who could have taken on Ned's straight laced role and done a equally good job - Laird really was made his own from Franco. From his first appearance Franco switches the energy to high, maintains and entertainingly engages every scene with that balls out humour and at times that is literally happens as well. Deadpool may have more to answer for than we think. Ever since the R rated film super hero film went out instead of a safe PG13 and made a ton at the box office. A message was sent out that teen/adults had a fill of every film being cut into a PG13 including the likes of Die Hard box office success was more important than film quality. So 20th century fox's success with Deadpool they've become a bit braver.
Why Him? Sets the tone form the first scene with crude, lewd, swear filled humour and never strays from that identifying it's target audience as the teen to young adults who are going to love this ride however like Ned it's the parents who might be allot harder to impress. By Chris Hembury
Bringing us up to date with his latest offering Split starring James McAvoy. The film starts with the abduction of three teenage girls, who later discover that their captor Kevin (McAvoy) has not one but twenty three personalities. The outcast of the trio of girls Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) must find a way to escape and also discover the reason they have been abducted 
The film is inter cut with Kevin's Therapist Dr Karen Flecther played tenderly and with conviction by Betty Buckley. This gives the story a nice Thriller vibe as the shrink begins to discover something is terribly wrong and must work out the sinister secret her client, whom she deeply cares about, has done before it's too late. 
Lower budgets seems to have served Shyamalan's creatively well here the
Direction of his story has become a back to basics simplistic return to
form. The director allows the camera to become the audience's
window into the unfolding events with a abundance of Point of View shots
which fit the story's format well. 
Split has a unique premise which at times during it execution steps on the borderlines of pure lunacy with it's own action but to be quite honest that what makes this film so much fun. It's a horror that's well acted, well crafted, unique, funny, jumpy and fun. 
