moi_kamiar

Michael Winterbottom has already proved that he is not interested in being an auteur at all. In the career of prolific cineaste, you can't mark a trio of films which can reflect the same narratives, visuals, styles and concepts of cinema. After winning two bears at Berlinale with two docu-dramas, NOT OF THIS WORLD and ROAD TO GUANTANAMO, in previous editions, he's back with an experience in neo-noir, THE KILLER INSIDE ME, which is not convincing in different aspects. Adapting Jim Thompson's story, Winterbottom faces too many problems: first of all, he does not feel at home in Americas and sticks to a fabricated pictorial of the cinematic land, almost a collage of clichéd pics - far from inventivity and originality evident in John Dahl's ventures in the genre or U TURN; secondly and perhaps the most important one, casting of Casey Affleck as the main character is not convincing, since he does not reflect any complication, does not fit in a role with two women in love (played by Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson), does not affect the audience with his anger and does not afflict anyone with his weak voice also used as a Chandeleresque narrator; and at last, but not the least whole production seems to be pointless – both in content and form.

It starts just as a spaghetti western, but then comes a parody of spaghettis and samurai films with minimal use of dialogue and excessive extravaganza of imagery. While the scope of the film seems unbelievable, a little, simple story revolving some stupid stereotypes is going on. Starting with buying an imported gun, the premise recalls the emergence of modernism in traditional, moralist society as it happens in too many samurai ventures, but the concept is contrarily based on the consequences of reliance on such bad habits as greed and jealousy. Not as promising as his RAISE THE RED LANTERN and JU DUO, not inspiring as his LA VIE and HERO, Zhang Yimou's A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP is an eccentric experience by a cineaste assumed as a master: crazy, wild and frantic, but not trying to tell a story in the size of epic