rupcousens

Perhaps I went into Sinners in the wrong frame of mind, but by the 20 minute mark I knew this wasn't going to suck me in. The first hour is all setup as Smoke and Stack assemble their players, and not long after that the film takes its shift into scare-free and seen-it-all-before horror. Only in the middle does an anachronistic musical medley display real inspiration, and there is some welcome tension with the arrival of Jack O'Connell and his band at the party.

Michael B Jordan is undeniably charismatic in his dual roles, but where others have seen an inspired genre mash-up I experienced Sinners as an overlong and self-indulgent mess.

In many respects Blitz feels like the kind of staid historical picture that is made for an elderly audience, and only distinguished as a McQueen film by its thematic preoccupation (endemic racism amongst wartime Londoners) and the occasional visual flourish.

Endearing though Elliott Heffernan's performance as George is, the main problem is that his 'adventures' just aren't very involving, a series of repetitive and nuanceless parables about prejudice. I'm sure it wasn't an easy time to be a mixed race boy in London, but I wish this had been but one of a rich tapestry of themes in the script.

With the possible exception of the 'Lovers Rock' episode of the Small Axe anthology, it feels to me that McQueen continues to work in the shadow of his masterly debut feature, Hunger. By comparison, Blitz is workmanlike, pedestrian and thoroughly forgettable.

Rebel Ridge could have been a fantastically lean, mean genre picture, just like Saulnier's earlier Blue Ruin (90 mins) and Green Room (95 mins). But it's cursed by the flab and lack of discipline afflicting so many Netflix films, running to an absurd 131 minutes.

The film starts so well, with a completely arresting opening full of needle and tension, but then loses all momentum in one over-extended scene and otiose subplot after another, so by the time of the final showdown I had lost all patience with it.

It's all very well to give writer/directors creative freedom, but too often it means losing the art of economy and concision that a more parsimonious studio might require.