All of this week’s films can be rented from the usual places unless otherwise stated…
Silk Road tells the true story of the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht who started a hugely successful website on the dark net selling drugs and the (fictionalised) cop, Rick Bowden, who pursued him. The basic story is pretty interesting and Nick Robinson and Jason Clarke do good work as Ross and Rick respectively. But writer Tiller Russell’s screenplay is pretty uneven. He clearly wants your sympathies to lie with Ulbricht, but frequently presents him as arrogant and dim-witted.
Silk Road: 6 out of 10
More recounting of true events can be found in The Man Standing Next. In the aftermath of the Korean war, the country is ruled by a military dictatorship, headed by President Park and facilitated by the secretive KCIA. In 1979, the measured head of the KCIA, Kim Gyu-pyeong, finds his position undermined by the President’s increasing reliance on his new, impulsive, security adviser Park Yong-gak and by his predecessor’s decision to reveal the country’s secrets in the US.
This a terrifically gripping film. The background is presented in a clear and efficient way and the political intrigue is compelling. Credit has to go both Min ho-Woo who directs and his co-writer, Ji-min Lee for making this as tense as any fictional story. The cast is universally excellent, with Lee Byun-Hung the standout as the conflicted and complicated KCIA chief.
The Man Standing Next: 9.5 out of 10
I have never read any of Tom Clancy’ novels but his Jack Ryan stories have mostly translated to the screen very well irrespective of who played the lead character. Unfortunately, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (free on Amazon Prime), that centres on Navy Seal John Kelly, is comparatively disappointing.
There are the requisite number of big action set pieces that are well enough delivered, as you would expect, by director Stefano Sollima and Michael B Jordan is intensively effective as Kelly. The problems are all with the writing. The plot about American/Russian political shenanigans is both too familiar and ludicrous. Also, the identity of the bad guy, that is meant to come as a big reveal, is obvious as soon as the actor enters the movie.
Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse: 6 out of 10
Finally this week, there is the muddled science fiction drama, Flashback. Whilst his mother’s mental health deteriorates, Fred (Dylan O’Brien) starts having flashbacks to the disappearance of a girl he knew at high school. There are lots of ideas here but the slow pace and poorly developed characters resulted in my loss of interest way before the end.
Flashback: 4.5 out of 10