Bent
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Movie Reviews of Bent
Movie Review: Gripping. . . but could have been better. . .
Summary: 3 Stars
This may very well be the first somewhat 'mainstream' film produced that has directly addressed the pink triangle. The film has some solid and heartbreaking performances, particularly from Clive Owen (most notably in the train scene when he is repeating to himself hysterically, "this is not happening, this is not happening": you can see genuine terror in his eyes) and the cinematography is beautiful in parts. Granted, the film has a lot going for it, but there are still too many distractions. Most notably among these is the faux-avante guarde, Guy Ritchie-esque dialogue between the characters, particularly the Nazi camp officer "who sees everything". And then there is the horrifyingly miscast Mick Jagger who...well, we'll just leave it at that. These flaws just detract from what could have been a groundbreaking masterpiece. But the film's main performances and atmosphere make up for it to some extent. Come to think of it, the film could also have been better adapted from the stage to the screen; almost a third of the film depicts the two main characters moving rocks back and forth in a quarry, during which the dialogue between them is supposed to be the focus. On stage, this may be suitable, but not for the big screen. Overall, this was a good film but it could have been far better.Movie Review: a brief look into the history of persecution of people
Summary: 3 Stars
The movie is a reminder of the tyrannical intolerance of this era in history. Granted it's not a documentary;yet the portrayal is definitely convincing. Clive Owen carries the role well with his intensity as an actor. I was hoping that Rachel Weisz was in this movie with a substantial role.
The portrayal of homosexuality in the movie is indicative of a more tolerant world. Homosexuals come out of the closet now and aren't supposed to be discriminated against. Some right wing, Christian conservatives might consider this movie as not "safe." Freedom of information and freedom of expression is being "curbed" by this sector of America. The fact that this movie can be viewed is testament to freedom of information and freedom of expression and it is my sincerest that maybe movies be made someday about the well-intended "intolerance" of the conservatives in America.
Movie Review: Well intentioned, but really not very good at all
Summary: 2 Stars
Clive Owen plays Max, a loose, carefree, and cowardly playboy who is captured by Nazis along with his gay partner and shipped off to the Dachau labor camp. He pretends to be in the yellow star unit meaning that he is Jewish instead of the pink triangle unit meaning that he is gay. But he meets a member of the pink triangle named Horst who he befriends and begins developing feelings for as they work day after day moving rocks from one place to another. The film is based on a play of the same name that gained much critical acclaim and won many awards.
The easiest way to look at this film is as a message film, with the message being to always stay true to who you are and to be strong of the community that you represent. The film nails this concept pretty much about as solidly as a message film ever could. Unfortunately, the film fails to rise above that. It fails to both entertain or to intrigue. The film feels blatant and obvious in it's storytelling, and as a result it loses the sincerity that it requires to work as a film. The film caters to it's target audience and does nothing to spark the audience's interest in the characters themselves. As a result, you never really care about the main character Max, nor do you care about anyone else in this picture. The film, instead, romanticizes the situation. It becomes a celebration of sexuality rather than humanity. The film opens with an orgy and several gay sex scenes, all directed with the intention of pleasing the audience, and then it dissolves into English soap opera territory before jarringly throwing the audience into the horrific atmosphere of the death camps. Even when we are in the death camps, however, the film doesn't really try to build any sympathy or character. We empathize somewhat with the plight of Max and the terrible things that he is put through, but we don't really see any reason to care more or less about his character or his choice of actions.
Things only get more and more ludicrous as the film continues. There's a sexual torture scene on the way to the camp, the endless scenes of sexual tension between the men at the camp, the many many moments of bland atmosphere in which there is no dialogue. All these scenes are well done, but none of them add anything to either the characters, the situations, the theme of the film, or the plot. All exist only for the audience's enjoyment. This film could have been just as effective without these scenes, which only increase the running time of the film. There are scenes that come off so stagey that it becomes cringe-inducing. There's even a scene of gun violence that feels extremely prepared and strangely very choreographed in a ridiculously blatant way. In addition, the continuity falls apart as well. The shooting scene results in a character's death, yet there are no bullet holes or blood on his clothing. To make things worse, a character puts the dean person's clothes on himself and ends up making the goof even more obvious than it already is. This film is a mess!
Bent is a failure of a film. I appreciate what Sean Mathias was trying to do, but he really mishandles it. There are some things that work, and those things are mostly in the early scenes. There is an early scene involving Mick Jagger, in a top-notch performance as a drag queen, that is pretty cool. Ian McKellen makes a brief appearance as well, and I found his character to be more interesting than anyone else in the film. The performances aren't bad. There is some decent scenery. The music score is somewhat memorable. The scenes on the train are really harrowing. The film isn't horribly made, but there's really no reason for me to recommend it. I understand that this film has somewhat of a following in the queer cinema realm, but I've never really liked most of those films anyway. Just do yourself a favor and skip this one. It really isn't any good at all. I think that this kind of story can be told successfully, but this isn't worth seeing.
Movie Review: Rocks in My Head
Summary: 2 Stars
At the films opening I really did not know what I had gotten myself into, then quickly the film takes a dramatic turn when a HOT SEXY GUY has a tragic run in with the Gestapo and our lead is on the run. The Movie had a couple of Very Powerful Scenes (train scene), there were times when the Dramatic Tension built to a Powerful Crescendo and some Strong Scene Structure, Scripting and Directing, however I really felt this movie did not reach its potential and I felt that Clive Owen performance was a bit weak. The Movie had much potential; however it fell a bit short of expectations.Movie Review: For dedicated homophiles with strong stomachs only
Summary: 1 Stars
This is the story of the concentration camp inmates forced to wear the pink triangle, symbol of their homosexuality.This film was formerly a successful play and perhaps it succeeded because of its shocking topic, but this director is no Steven Spielberg. Never did I feel one bit of realism or sympathy for the characters although the brutality was unceasing and the story intense. For example, a boxcar scene which might have worked in a play was just too stagy, and the camera lingered much too lovingly over attractive semi-nude male bodies. We've found out by then, of course, that the title, Bent, refers to the shape of the lead character's male organ although there were no camera shots of this. The dialog seemed contrived, the prisoners all looked too healthy and fit, and, while this film might be applauded for handling, at last, a forbidden topic, it just didn't work as a film. Even Mick Jagger, miscast in the role of a drag queen who runs a nightclub in Berlin, just couldn't save it.