I corridoi del potere

from Dane Youssef

The Brat Pack actors are certainly a talented bunch. Everyone has a favorite. For me, it's a toss-up between James Spader and Anthony Michael Hall.

John Cusack was mesmerizing back in his early-days. He was a teenager, but he looked, sounded and acted very adult for his age. "The Sure Thing" put him on the map and "Say Anything..." made him a household name.

But while Crowe's "Say Anything..." was obviously a great movie, it was both a blessing and a curse for Cusack, who has rarely played anything else in his career. I know, I know. He's been in countless other movies. But "a rose by any other name..." His character, no matter what the movie, is essentially always Lloyd Dobbler.

Spader sometimes played other types besides the oily Steff from "Pretty in Pink." His typecast-breaking turn came when he played the lead in this movie.

But I know Cusack can do more. I keep waiting for him to. Which was one of my guilty pleasures of this movie.

The story and plot are the right out of the old fable about the rich man and the poor man who come together and create something special... and then the rich man betrays the poor man and casts him aside. And the poor man plots to take revenge...

Another big twist that "True Colors" has is it's twist in typecasting. Cusack specializes in playing sharp, calculated, smarter-than-average teenager... who's heartbroken and devastated... and is desperately trying to win back the girl. Here, Cusack plays a character who's as smart as the heroes he usually plays, though here he uses his intellectual gifts for evil instead of good. His goal is usually to win the girl's heart. Here he betrays the girl (and his close friend) in order to get what he wants.

And Spader usually plays blue-blooded, silver-spoon fed, upper-class yuppie scummy villains. Here he's still a rich blue-blooded yuppie. But a hero, who uses his financial connections to right wrongs and do just.

The two meet the first day of law school where there's a fender-bender and brief scuffle. Cusack angrily attacks Spader violently and blames him for the whole thing and the two have to be pulled apart. Later on, things get worse as they discover... their assigned to be roommates. Cusack smooths things over by admitting the whole thing was his fault. You'll see why.

Afterwords, the two form a fast friendship and Spader even uses his financial backgrounds and connections to help Cusack out. Later we find out that Cusack is lying about his background to fit in and the payoff feels lifted out of a soppy, moralizing and insipid sit-com where today's moral is... "If you have to be someone else to get a friend, then they're really not your friend."

Richard Widmark is great as well as the ailing senator who sees potential and ambition in Cusack after he sees what looks like Cusack doing him a favor, little realizing how dangerous Cusack is. Spader girlfriend considers breaking off the relationship for Cusack who can keep her bringing in big cash. She doesn't realize that Cusack is willing to betray her too, in order to get what he wants.

One of the major problems is that their true colors are obvious from the beginning. Cusack is clearly someone not to trust from the start and Spader all but actually walks on water. Another is that the movie is too thin. There isn't enough entry.

The movie... skims too much of the surface. And Spader's big plan and the finale is pretty tacked on.

The movie aspires to be a movie like "Patriot Games" or "Citizen Kane." But everything is routine and predictable and there are precious few new touches to this tired formula. If screenwriter Kevin Wade could've given the script a bit more depth and discovery into these characters and done a little more with the formula, this could have really been something special. The cast does what it can, but inevitably, a good cast can only take a movie so far. Still, it's worth seeing just for Cusack turn towards the dark side and Spader as a yuppie with heart.

Oh, well...

--Filled With Personal Politics, Dane Youssef

This is one of the finest political movies ever done. And if he doesn't decide to return to the screen post his 90th birthday, it is a fitting swan song to the career of Richard Widmark.

James Spader's Tim Gerrity and John Cusack's Peter Burton meet on the first day of law school and get assigned to be roommates. The film follows the career paths each take, the same woman they both are involved with and the values each takes from his background and develops along the way.

Spader is the idealistic upper middle class kid who is born to a tradition of public service and attracted by the idealism of it. He's good in his part, but it's John Cusack's portrayal that really drives this film.

Driven is the word for it, that is exactly what Peter Burton is. He's from a lower middle class background and he's desperate to escape. In fact, he's invented a background for himself that's phony and the scene where that is revealed is one of the movie's high points. I will not say any more.

I've known a few Peter Burtons in my time too. Desperate to succeed at any price, willing to sacrifice friends and family to do it. It's what makes John Cusack's performance so real for me. I think it is the finest thing he's ever done on film.

Richard Widmark plays United States Senator Joseph Stiles, a Yankee blue blood type to the manor born. Harry Carey, Jr., in his memoir, In the Company of Heroes described Widmark as one of the smartest and most literate men he's ever encountered, a man able to talk intelligently on a variety of subjects. Because of that, I have to believe that this role must have been a personal favorite.

The best scene in the movie is when Cusack, who Widmark has made a protégé of, essentially blackmails Widmark into supporting Cusack for an open Congressional seat. Widmark is a politician and one who has he himself describes can play hardball if needed. But he's also there to try and do some good. He has to give into the blackmail for reasons I won't go into, but he does rip open the character of Cusack in some unforgettable dialog.

I would also commend to other actors in this. Mandy Patinkin who plays an unscrupulous businessman/racketeer with an understated malevolence and Paul Guilfoyle who is Widmark's chief of staff, who has Cusack's number, but is unable to do anything about it.

I'm surprised that no Oscar nods came with this film, especially for Widmark as a supporting actor. I couldn't give this film a higher recommendation.

How do politicians become so corrupt? This film explores one pathway: ambitious young man willing to bend the law, take opportunities (or make them) as they come, sacrifice friendship, invent the facts to suit the occasion etc.

This time, however, we have the pleasure of seeing some accountability - too bad it doesn't happen more often.

Well acted, well directed. I gave it 8.

During the summer of 1992, when I was just a young lad of 19, my friend's mother rented TRUE COLORS, and, while I was over, she told me that she already saw the movie and that I should watch it because she thought I would like it. TRUE COLORS changed my life. After watching the movie I got pumped up to go to law school and I am now attending NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL. The movie has intelligent characters, a deep plot, and a powerful message. This movie is not like the tripe that Hollywood is pumping out on a daily basis today, but it is more like the classic filmnoir movies of the 1940's. This movie demonstrates that the lust for power, if unchecked, corrupts. That following Christmas my friend's family gave me TRUE COLORS as a Christmas gift. I still have it and watch it maybe around twice every few months to remind myself why I am in law school. Other movies that I recommend include: THE FIRM, FALLING DOWN, SCARFACE, and 8mm.

This should be my "John Cusack" holiday weekend, with 2 DVDs rented starring the actor. Earlier, I had reviewed one of his earlier works when he was a teenager - Better Off Dead, and here, I'd think it probably is his first role as a slimeball.

John Cusack and James Spader (Sex, Lies and Videotape) play two friends, Peter Burton and Tim Gerrity, from Law School, and chronicles their friendship. They hit it off from a small automobile accident (pardon the pun), and progressed from minor adversaries, to best of friends. Until Peter's ambition gets the better of him, as he aims to become Congressman in 10 years.

From the start, we see a flip side to Peter's goody-two-shoes character. He always has something to hide, and has an ulterior motive to things that he does. He tells little white lies to get his way, and has a siege mentality that it's always him versus Them. He gets envious of Tim's seemingly good life, and coverts Tim's girlfriend Diana, who is the daughter of a Senator. And thus begins the Kane and Abel like story, of betrayals, and counter betrayals between the two men.

Peter gets involved with the mob in his bid to become elected, while Tim, working for the Justice Department, volunteers himself to get the dirt on Peter. It's always about the girl, or is it? And as Tim puts it aptly, only somebody close to you, can do the most damage. They know your secrets, and best of all, they have your trust. It's true though, if you think carefully about it, the best person to ruin you (reputation, etc), is none other than the person you trust the most. Again, looking at the two characters, there is no right or wrong, it all depends on the methods one uses to achieve one's goals.

It's also an interesting look at the shady dealings of politics, of allegiances made because of donations or help to campaign funding, of owing favors to those who voted in favor of you. Things are never that simple, and the mantra shared by both characters are, so long as you don't get caught.

John Cusack has got this charismatic charm, and in this film, uses it well as he seeks to become a politician (you have to have charisma as you deliver those speeches). James Spader too holds his own, as the naive Tim, who slowly discovers betrayal, and decides to turn the tables against the hunter. Fans of John Cusack, you must catch this! Code 1 DVD is the bare bones version, aside from the usual audio and scene selections.