10. Eastern Promises RELEASED: OCTOBER 2007 A film of two halves, one mediocre but the other so powerful that it alone lifts the film onto this list. One half follows Anna (Naomi Watts) and her family, as they unravel the mystery of a murdered mother who left behind a parentless baby. The other follows Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) and his rise through the ranks of London’s Russian mob. Anna’s exploits are dull and lifeless, and both she and her family are incredibly stupid, falling into dangerous situations through sheer ignorance; as such, it’s hard to sympathise with them. Watts is good, but never great.
What makes Eastern Promises is Nikolai’s story. Mortensen alone carries these scenes with his arresting, sympathetic and nuanced performance – he is truly astonishing, and makes the film what it is. Director David Cronenberg’s brass-tacks approach is suitably unpleasant, making for a realistic, if never exactly enjoyable portrayal of old London town (where the movie is set). Could have been better, but the final twist ties the many plot strands together and leaves an intentionally bitter aftertaste that somehow feels satisfying.
9. Michael Clayton RELEASED: OCTOBER 2007 A gripping, well-acted and sporadically moving thriller, gracefully directed by first-timer Tony Gilroy, who also wrote the very smart script. Like Eastern Promises, much of Michael Clayton’s appeal comes from its performances – an exemplary George Clooney at the top of his game, Tilda Swinton’s slimy yet tragic Karen Crowder, and the ever-reliable Tom Wilkinson as walking nervous breakdown Arthur Edens.
The script is slow and meditative, rejecting eye-catching theatrics for a simpler form of character-based conflict. Most of the scenes play like mini one-act plays, all involving a pair of characters each struggling to gain the upper hand as their world comes tumbling down around them, whether it’s Clayton and Crowder, Clayton and Edens, Clayton and his superior or even (in one powerful scene) Edens and Clayton’s son. Gilroy’s handling is magnificent – each line has meaning, each piece of acting has its own little subtleties. Woefully unappreciated upon its initial release, I’m confident that Michael Clayton will one day be regarded as something close to a classic.
8. Death Proof RELEASED: SEPTEMBER 2007 Quentin Tarantino’s half of the Grindhouse double feature which he co-directed with lesser talent Robert Rodriguez. Releasing Grindhouse as two separate films in the UK completely ruined a unique cinema experience Brits might have appreciated more than the Yanks, but it does mean I can include Death Proof as a stand-alone entry in this list. Which is fortunate, as Death Proof is a masterpiece that towers far above Rodriguez’s Planet Terror (fun but mediocre schlock).
Death Proof is a horror film, a talkie and a slow-building thriller all tied into one neat package. Tarantino’s love of women, dialogue and cars has never before found a better outlet. He packs it all into Death Proof, imbuing what could have been a by-the-numbers horror flick with a unique style and heart. The blood and guts is there, but far more memorable than Tarantino’s vision of gruesome death is his vision of these women’s life, most especially a long one-take scene of four women tucking into breakfast while discussing Gone in 60 Seconds (“the original, not the shitty remake”). That’s filmmaking.
7. Sunshine RELEASED: APRIL 2007 Sci-fi at its most daring and intelligent, if not quite at its best. Sunshine’s flaws are just about outweighed by its many pros, including but not limited to Alex Garland’s ingenious script, the stunning set-pieces, beautiful effects and an amazing ensemble of actors (Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis, Micelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rose Byrne, Benedict Wong).
The problem with Sunshine is that in avoiding the ridiculous operatics of films like Armageddon, it is constantly fighting to remain exciting while never betraying its roots in realism. Weirdly, however, Garland and director Danny Boyle’s struggle to maintain this excitement actually warmed to the film, regardless of their success. Rather than give up and throw a weapon/alien/ticking bomb into the mix, writer and director stuck to their guns and kept it about the characters. For that alone, Sunshine deserves a place on this list.
6. The Bourne Ultimatum RELEASED: AUGUST 2007
Anchored by Matt Damon’s powerhouse performance and Paul Greengrass’ assured direction, The Bourne Ultimatum is a fine thriller, the most artistically viable blockbuster of the year. The action sequences are stupendous, the supporting cast even more so. As a resolution to the previous two films’ mysteries, it’s satisfying if not exactly surprising. A nice turn by Albert Finney makes up for the obviousness of his character.
I’d also like to make special mention of Julia Stiles, who after being sidelined in the last two films comes of her own in Ultimatum. Her scenes with Damon are mesmerising, the tension between the characters (both hostile and sexual) surprisingly sensual. I was left wishing their relationship could have been explored in further detail, though I can see why it wasn’t. Regardless, Stiles brought something more than I expected to the film, and full credit to her for that.
5. Into the Wild RELEASED: NOVEMBER 2007 An achingly beautiful, involving and moving story, superbly written and directed by Sean Penn (yes, the actor one). Emile Hirsch totally immerses himself in the role of Christopher McCandless, a real figure who died while traipsing around the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless rejected the false, emotionally vapid lifestyle of his parents in favour of travelling ‘into the wild’ by himself with no plan and little preparation. Penn and Hirsch reconstruct his travels beautifully, occasionally contrasting the un-tempered wilderness with his parents, a loveless union obsessed with outward appearances.
The explanations Penn’s screenplay provides for Chris’ actions are often too simplistic, but Hirsch makes up for this with a portrayal full of sincerity, reflecting both McCandless’ enviable wisdom and his infuriatingly stupidity (his death could so easily have been avoided). As his parents, Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt do what little they can with a pair of tiring stereotypes, more excuses for the main character’s actions than characters. Jena Malone, as Chris’ sister, is fantastic but tragically underused.
How the film really comes grabs you is with the friends McCandless makes during his journey. Catherine Keener, whose face expresses so much with so little, is mesmerising. Vince Vaughan plays it serious for once and is all the better for it. Kristen Stewart, as a half-hearted rebel with none of the resolve or smarts of McCandless, is a star on the rise. Finally, Hal Holbrook’s Oscar-worthy turn is a tragic, devastating take on the disastrous effects of loss on someone too old to rebuild. The ending is an emotional sucker-punch, utterly shattering and haunting – it stays with me even now.
4. Zodiac RELEASED: MAY 2007 A tale of innocent interest deepening to obsession, and obsession deepening to desperation. The Zodiac killer, who committed several gruesome murders in and around San Francisco and remains uncaught to this day, is the basis of this character study cleverly disguised as a crime thriller. As the killer was never caught, the dénouement never comes – instead the case stretches on and on, and we bear witness to the devastating toll it takes on the lives of the people unable to let it go.
Jake Gyllenhaal is engaging enough as Arthur Graysmith, but the really superb performances come from Mark Ruffalo (as the policeman on Zodiac’s case) and Robert Downey Jr. (a fellow journalist who works
with Graysmith, before eventually succumbing to alcohol and misery). Special mention too to Anthony Edwards as Ruffalo’s partner, the only stable character able of removing himself from the case; and John Carroll Lynch, terrifically scary as suspect Arthur Leigh Allen. David Fincher’s direction is meditative, gripping and very human all at once. Close to a masterpiece.
3. The Lives of Others RELEASED: FEBRUARY 2007 This one really is a masterpiece. It follows Wiesler, an agent of the secret police conducting surveillance in 1984 East Berlin, who takes an unhealthy interest in the couple he is keeping an eye on. Wiesler, as played by the late, mesmerising Ulrich Mühe, begins as a frightening figure but gradually shifts to a warm, likeable and disarmingly sympathetic protagonist whose expressive eyes alone melt the heart. Wiesler’s crush on the female of the couple, Christa-Maria, develops into something more resembling love, leading him to secretly ‘defect’ and alert her writer boyfriend that he is being watched. Though the ending is tragic, it is ultimately an uplifting story of redemption.
A knowledge of the period is of great benefit – A-level history students like myself should have no trouble – but regardless of whether you’ve even heard of Berlin, this is a perfectly constructed, tense and often deeply upsetting drama that should be enjoyed by all.
2. Knocked Up RELEASED: AUGUST 2007
In a year full of hits for Judd Apatow (he produced Superbad and Walk Hard, which is out 18th January) this, his second feature as a writer-director after The 40 Year-Old Virgin, has to be his best work of recent years (though it can’t surpass Freaks and Geeks, his 1999 one-season wonder). Knocked Up follows Ben and Alison, whose drunken one night stand changes both their lives when Alison becomes pregnant. In a sub-plot that threatens to outshine the main couple, we also observe the old and tired marriage of Alison’s sister (Leslie Mann, with Paul Rudd as her husband) who got together impulsively after a similarly unexpected pregnancy.
Sweet without becoming saccharine, funny without ever mocking itself, Apatow’s script is the perfect antidote to the plethora of identical romantic comedies that have graced our screens for so many years. It’s not always easy going – the arguments here are genuinely painful, especially for the viewer – nor should it be. Knocked Up is as real as comedies get. It’s not about creating funny situations so much as it’s about finding laughs in the most typical situations you could think of. In bursts uplifting and depressing, Knocked Up is another masterpiece and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
1. Ratatouille RELEASED: OCTOBER 2007 Which brings us to the third masterpiece 2007 has produced, unquestionably my favourite film of the past twelve months. Writer-director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles), the man who encouraged me to really take animation seriously, is a genius, and it shows in his third feature Ratatouille. It’s a film about artistry, about sticking with your dreams no matter what anyone else says, and ultimately about finding happiness in the most unlikely of places. Most of all, I believe it is about optimism. Life is often dark, drab and depressing, and so are many films (especially in recent years). Ratatouille takes the view that while there will always be struggle, fulfilling your dreams is never an impossibility. It is a view that I embrace.
Perhaps the greatest animated film of all time, Ratatouille is beautifully composed, expertly scripted and wonderfully acted. (Patton Oswalt is too perfect for words as Remy; special mention also to Ian Holm, Janeane Garofalo and of course Peter O’Toole.) The camera moves freely through the grandest of cities (Paris) and smallest of spaces (sewers), taking it all in before swiftly moving on to something else. In terms of story, Bird happily chucks out the rulebook – the central couple get together two-thirds of the way through, around the same time at which the main villain is dethroned, after which the remaining third of the tale is devoted to the redemption of jaded food critic Anton Ego. The final conclusion, genius in its simplicity, is grand and uplifting.
No doubt Ratatouille will receive the Best Animated Feature award at this year’s Oscars, but it is a great injustice that the reward it truly deserves, Best Picture, is out of its grasp. While it is often difficult to argue for animation to be taken more seriously considering the plethora of awful movies the technology keeps producing, Ratatouille shows off this art form at its finest. If only there were more Brad Birds out there, perhaps animation – and indeed, cinema as a whole – would be in considerably better shape.
Still, considering 2007 has produced three masterpieces (and that’s not including the 2007 films coming to the UK in 2008) perhaps I shouldn’t complain too much.
