Five Fingers for Marseilles

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.

This was a good movie. I can say I was highly impressed. The movie looked amazing first off. The camera work was amazing. Based off westerns, the movie is slow and dramatic but I loved the way the story and drama builds. I was always kept interested. The characters are interesting and the relationships between them are well crafted.

The main actor is very cool in this movie and is a great protagonist. He plays the badass hero role perfectly. The villain is very creepy and they did a good job of making him a menacing and evil character. Most of the side characters are also interesting and have their own agendas and issues.

I liked the R rating of this movie as they did not hold back in the scenes of violence. This allowed them to create some really intense scenes that really heightened the drama.

I loved the movie up until the third act. I feel like the third act becomes a bit slow and tedious as it builds to the final act climax which is a confusing gun battle that could have been crafted a bit better in my opinion. The finale left a sick feeling in my stomach as the directors decided to express a strong philosophy through this story which makes the story feel senseless but besides the ending I feel like this was a very well crafted and entertaining film with some great acting and cinematography.

Rushing toward the police car that has crashed in nearby brush, Tau races to rescue Lerato from the back of the police vehicle. As he nears the car, a white policeman slowly gets out of the car and is holding Lerato who is being held by gunpoint. This intense scene is just a glimpse of the suspenseful western, Five Fingers for Mareilles, which has proven to be a revolutionary piece of South African cinematography directed by the talented Michael Matthews. Matthews has decided to stay true to the South African culture, picking the native language as the movie's main dialogue and hiring a crop of new South African actors who are remarkable. Vuyo Dabula, who plays the Tau, the lion on Mareilles impressed me with an engaging performance that immersed me into his adventure of saving his hometown from the clutches of the feared Sepoko and his gang. The movie takes a twist on the bildungs roman genre, giving the audience a glimpse into South African society through the growth of the five fingers, the childhood clique Tau was a part of before an unfortunate event caused his life to spiral. The cinematography is stunning, prioritizing wide shots and muted colors to represent the open landscape of rural South Africa. It takes the classic spaghetti western genre and makes the movie its own, being modern through the use of parallels and breaking down racial walls with featuring a mostly all black cast that was phenomenal. I will be waiting for more work to feature Dabula as he gives an emotional performance, making an impact on me throughout his performance in the film.

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.

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