I’ve never been happier to say that I loved a film. Martin McDonagh is clearly a very talented writer and director, but I really didn’t get on with his previous film – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – which I found just relentlessly misrerabilist. His newest film is still a pretty melancholy tale, but it’s also suffused with a lot more laugh-out-loud moments and far more likeable and interesting characters.
The film shares a few themes with his first film – IN BRUGES – in that it’s about shady characters going to a place they’ve never been, in order to perform a dark task. And finding catharsis and redemption (of sorts!) on the way. I’m not sure it’s quite as good as IN BRUGES (which is sublime), but it’s not far off either.
So, a light spoiler-free overview of the plot. Set in the 1970s, John Malkovich stars as Chris Carlisle, a veteran CIA officer, working for their South American operations, who’s clearly about to either retire or be retired. A coup is being planned to overthrow a recently-elected Marxist president in Chile, and Chris’s failing memory and loose lips are seen as a liability. He’s sent away to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) by MJ (Steve Buscemi), their anxious CIA bureau chief. Accompanying him is Lee Chesterfield, Chris’s loyal partner and protégé (played by Sam Rockwell) who’s been told to keep an eye on him. But of course Lee, MJ and Chris himself all have their own secret agendas. And when Chris befriends a pair of young leftist female students, his loose lips about the agency may trigger catastrophic – even revolutionary – events.
It’s an unabashedly political film, without being preachy. More matter-of-fact about the shady things done by the powers that be to maintain the status quo. However the characters – especially the central pairing of Chris and Lee – are the heart of the film. Much like In Bruges, you have a kind of father-son pairing. And John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play off each other so well. Sam is always great at playing vulnerable characters, and his attempts to shepherd the older, wiser but mentally-failing Chris and protect him from his own boss, is deeply relatable. In the Q&A after the film, Martin said that the role of Lee was written specifically for Sam, and that the casting for Chris was made afterwards. This surprised everyone, because John Malkovich is so perfect in the role of Chris. I think it might be one of my favourite performances I’ve seen from him. There’s a subtlety at play and at the start of the film, his doddering-ness is not hugely endearing (though occasionally does prompt some very funny scenes) but as the film goes on, we really get to go inside his head and heart and experience his journey to a late-life redemption.
Speaking of the Q&A, there was one final surprise of the evening. Martin McDonagh was interviewed with an American fella who seemed awfully precocious. I quickly realised he was either a theatre or film director himself. But it was only when he mentioned “The Darjeeling Limited” that I twigged it was actually WES ANDERSON on stage with him! What an incredible pairing. Not so much a Q&A (as the audience didn’t get to ask any questions) but something better – more like a private conversation between two great and talented friends talking about their work, and letting us all earwig in on them! One of the best post-film events I’ve ever seen. Almost as good as that time Edgar Wright brought out John Landis as a surprise guest after a screening of THE BLUES BROTHERS!
Anyway, back to the film – it’s great, thoroughly recommended. If you liked his other films, you’ll love this one (even if – like me – you weren’t a fan of Banshees!)
