tcordes

"Convoy" is probably the best WWII documentary I've ever seen, and I've seen nearly all of them. After watching about half of episode one, I was hooked, and quickly gobbled up the other three. This series was more compelling than most fiction! The fact all of these events actually transpired just makes it more so. Will the allies finally have the edge in this battle? Will the U-boats ever be stopped?

Even the most ardent WWII enthusiast will learn a shipping ton of new facts about this crucial part of the war. And the non-enthusiast who simply likes the war genre will find the effects, footage, and characters captivating. To boot, the series could almost be PG-rated as there is no gore or direct visual bodily violence; a plus for some. That said, there's plenty of explosions and destruction, but like many things naval, you miss the trees for the forest.

However, the human side is not lost, as interspersed throughout are myriad snippets from interviews with survivors from all sides of the conflict. Their stories are intriguing: what I wouldn't give to sit down and chat with them for a few hours!

For sure Convoy has a Canadian slant, being Canadian-produced. However, unlike some Canadian productions, they don't falsely play up the Canadian contribution to a cheesy level. The Canadian and British contributions to the Atlantic Ocean war are clear to see for all who seek out and watch Convoy. Los!

I feel compelled to write a note about this movie after having just seen it in the theatre. I hope to encourage those who may enjoy this film to go see it despite some of the iffy ratings and comments.

You'll enjoy it if the following is you:

1. has a sophisticated sense of humour

2. appreciates subtle humour

3. likes black comedy

4. "gets" off-beat humour

5. "gets" Far Side cartoons

See it with someone like-minded. Anyone else will probably get bored. That's not to say there's nothing else going for it because it does have a good plot, suspenseful (and funny!) action sequences and excellent acting, but without the jokes it probably isn't worth seeing. Fortunately, all of the above describes me, and I loved it!

Last, I must commend Dafoe (and the casting director!) for his amazingly funny performance. It's totally out of his usually type-cast as the "serious guy". Bravo!

*** NO SPOILERS ***

The film was funny, as expected; but not dying-on-the-floor-in-the-isle funny like the South Park movie was. In that respect I was a bit disappointed. However, I haven't laughed so hard at a movie in a long time so it's still up there. Also, the model and marionette work were superb and the songs were good. The gore level may have been high, but the swear-word count was actually surprisingly low (compared to SP) -- I'm not sure what the fuss is about.

Definitely worth a see for Trey/Matt fans and like-minded non-fans, but don't expect another SP:BLU.