Five Fingers for Marseilles

I don't think it is a good thing to say "the movie meant well". The intentions were remarkable and the goal it set was admirable. But it is one of the more positive things I can say about this, wins and nominations for whatever aside. One of the best things of the movie for sure though, is its cinematography and the landscape we get to experience.

That alone may feel like worth your time. Then again there are nature documentaries for that. I do not want to sound to negative, because I clearly can feel what the movie was trying to do. Unfortunately the movie and its actors never reach the heights it sets out as goal. Especially some of the accents ... and having read a positive review of this were it is mentioned too ... it may throw you off. The pacing, while "consistent" is another major issue. It really starts to wear you off. Especially because the character may grab your attention for a minute or two, but never are able to hold it.

I really wanted to like this more, but I would not be true to myself if I just said it is great just because it is different. A shorter running time and a few changes might have done wonders ... and while I do not want to step on anyones foot, maybe some cast changes too

Five Fingers for Marseilles is Michael Matthew's modern take on the classic western genre. He pays homage to those films that came before his, especially to classic spaghetti westerns such as The Dollars Trilogy, known for their standoff scenes. The movie uses the stand-off to parallel itself, beginning with harmless slingshots and ending with guns. Sean Drummond, the writer, created characters I really enjoyed. This vibrant cast was made up of actors I had never seen before, and I was quickly pulled into the story. The director clearly understood the characters and what they needed for me to get lost in their portrayals of these hometown heroes turned villains. Vuyo Dabula, who plays the main character, did a great job portraying the anti-hero and I found myself both routing for and intimidated of him by the end of the film. Each character had their own past to deal with and I was captivated by how they all chose to deal with their mistakes. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it.

Films coming out of South Africa are getting better & better. Last week i watched Catching Feelings and it was good. Yesterday i had to watch this one, who wouldn't after seeing the trailer and poster ? This film reminded me of Bruce Willis' 1996 cowboy movie Last Man Standing because they are alike. Difference is Fiver Fingers for Marseilles is not as straight forward and at 2 hours long it seems like 3 because the pacing is slow. The setting up of characters in this case epilogue is around 20 minutes. Then everything seem puzzling and you will ask yourself why, how, when. The biggest flaw is the script. It was written by a certain Sean Drummond who i presume is an English speaker and then given to a translator who did direct translation resulting in some dialogue/sayings/phrases being lost in the process. I don't even speak South African languages but i picked some of it. The other flaw is the casting. The younger Lerato of about 14 years old is light skinned (popularly known as yellow bones) as an adult woman she is now darker skinned which never happens thereby not making sense. It is mistakes like these that turn local audiences off because we feel we are being taken for granted. The bright side is the main cast is just brilliant. I had doubts about Vuyo Dabula's acting chops in Generations because he is one dimensional but now i am convinced he has talent. Hamilton Dhlamini who plays the villain is just magnificent that you would think he came out of a Hollywood horror movie. Veteran Kenneth Nkosi and newbie Zethu don't disappoint.

Keep it up guys.

NB: If you're Sotho, the accent and bad vocabulary will put you off. I'm glad I was told this before watching, so I went in prepared and told myself to ignore this.

Viewing quality - The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and the cameraman wasn't stingy at all. During scenes, the panning is very clean. The night shots aren't so great for me though. They were a little restrictive with the lighting. The colour scheme shows that the town has warm weather, however, I wish the night lighting would resemble shots like these[goo.gl/Njhfg7]. The night scenes should have been nice, crisp, night shots, but with a warm feel instead of the cold blue like the image on that link. I've noticed that a lot of South African films are a little behind when it comes to lighting.

Storyline - I will not be giving away much, but it's about a boy from a small oppressed town, who had to run away from his neighbourhood after doing something really bad and returned home as an adult only to find that the oppression hasn't changed - It is the oppressors who have changed. I'll refrain from adding to this to avoid giving spoilers.

Quality of play - Apart from the accent, the acting and film quality was perfect. There are quite a few mysteries that make you feel like it would be a good idea to watch the movie again, but not at the cinema. It doesn't feel like a rush.

Movie conclusion (my version) - You live by the gun, you die by the gun - Hence the constant and explicit 'voilence' references throughout the movie. The scene about the pastor at the very end sealed it for me. If you haven't watched you'll have to watch to understand.

Sigh.. Okay about the Sesotho - I think Michael Matthews disregarded the fact that a bad accent can affect a movie negatively. I'm not sure if the target market is international, but South Africans, including non-Sotho speaking South Africans could hear that the accent was very off. This was with almost all the actors, including the main actors. It seems like the line-up was more important though. After all, seeing who is starring is has a lot of people interested in the movie. If only the actors spoke proper Sesotho.

The story is a strong commentary on social and economic disparage plaguing this world. In this case a world of post-modern, rural life set in South Africa. It is a full-bodied, complex character study with heart and a hefty dose of classic spaghetti western attitude. The protagonist is a compelling, emotional character that shows all the scares and tribulations of a hard life. Scares he wears effectively on his sleeve. A very convincing performance. The antagonists and varied townsfolk are all equally convincing personals and framed nicely in the story.

The effects are standard, well-done elements one expects in a somewhat violent tome of expressionist folderol which plays out as perfect as any 70's experimental American western. The real effects are the musical score, atmosphere and cinematography. All are exceptional. The film isn't excessively exploitative with the bloodshed or violence, so when it happens it becomes very affectational moments.Overall "Five Fingers For Marseilles" is above average for indie film making. It does move a bit slow but the pace becomes almost hypnotic in its ability to capture your attention and be entertaining.