Le jeu du pouvoir

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 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.

It's odd how some movies really resonate with you as individual but do not necessarily have mass appeal. I think this is a sleeper, not many people have seen it. This is one of my favourites & a movie I go back to from time to time. It's a real journey, picking Spader & Cusack's characters up as they commence college like & following them for the next 10 years or so into there respective careers & personal lives.

While both are high achievers; Spader comes from a successful wealthy family & Cusack from a modest working class back ground. Consequently there attitudes & what drives them is completely different. I found exploring both characters fascinating as there relationship is put under enormous strain.

It's set from 1984 onwards so if you enjoy being nostalgic over that capitalistic age, & enjoyed the brat pack movies, this will help. Also an excellent score by Michael Lang called fanfare. Hope you enjoyed it like it did.

True Colors is certainly not a classic, but it is worth a look, Having seen it years ago I have always considered it one of those mini discoveries. A little film that I enjoyed that most people were not aware of. Viewing it now I still enjoyed the relationship between Cusak and Spader. We all know that politicians are scum and that the government is always at work for US, so NOTHING about this film or the morals of the people in it should surprise. What is a bit amusing is the fact that the film makers wish us to believe that Spader and the Justice Department have integrity. This is quite laughable.

My advice is to enjoy the concept and the journey these people take to achieve power.

"True Colors" tells of two male law school student who are best friends with contrasting integrity which leads to conflict. Spader plays straight man to Cusack's fast-track-to-success character who uses manipulation and ruthlessness on his way to a congressional seat. This yuppie-flavored flick is obvious in the way it presents it's "Ethics 101" plot but the story moves quickly and is sufficiently interesting to make it worth a look. An okay diversion for channel surfers interested in a film about two men from opposite sides of the tracks with enduring friendship fraught with conflict and moral issues.