The Artless War

"The Art of War"
Overall Rating: *


Some people hate action films. "The Art of War," exhibiting every problem the genre is notorious for, provides a clear example why.

"The Art of War" opens in Hong Kong on New Years Eve, 1999. There, Shaw (Wesley Snipes)--a James Bond-like secret agent working for the U.N.--is attending a party on top of a hotel. Unlike the revelers, Shaw is not there to celebrate the "new millennium"--but rather, to spy on a North Korean general. The general has ended peace talks with South Korea, but Shaw promptly finds proof that the general is spying on the U.S, and, additionally, that he is having sex with teenagers. Shaw then uses this information to blackmail the general back into negotiations.

That mission, however, has nothing at all to do with the plotline--at least, what little plot there is. Basically, the movie sticks with the "best and loyalest agent is framed" formula. Predictably, Shaw--though everyone is either out to get him, or at least unwilling to help him--is able to hold his own. Also predictably, you should have suspicions about who the villains' real mastermind is about five seconds after meeting this person. This predictability is only part of the film's unoriginality. Several sequences seem almost stolen straight from "True Lies," "Entrapment," and various James Bond films, only to be awkwardly grafted into "The Art of War." Beyond these recycled elements, there is no plot. Shaw bounces from action sequence to action sequence almost at random. Nobody seems to have examined whether the final cut made sense. For instance, Shaw is able to find Julia (Marie Matiko) because he knows where she's going to be ambushed by the villains--though how he knows where and when to find her remains unknown. Nor does the movie offer any explanation of how Julia knew about an underground sex club; not that the club really matters, other than getting a few more naked women and guns (the latter when the police raid the place) on screen, I couldn't figure out any reason why Shaw and Julia went there. It was around here I decided that logical analysis of this movie was totally futile.

The logical gaps in the plotline might not be as bad, were there any likable characters. Sadly, aside from Julia--who seems to be an innocent victim--most of the characters are odious. Considering how Shaw treats her, I can think of two reasons why she protects Shaw at every opportunity and eventually falls in somewhat in love with him: stupidity, or Stockholm syndrome. Beyond keeping Julia handcuffed at nearly every opportunity, Shaw also beats people up without provocation--and this is the character we're supposed to like. As a general rule, the kindest thing you can say about most of the characters is that some of them are smart enough to be Machiavellian. So much for sympathy.

To give the film some credit, there are some good stunts. The one that comes to mind immediately is a sequence where Shaw manages to save everyone in a diner from a bomb--planted by a nameless villain in an awkward attempt to kill Julia. These well done scenes are few and far between, however.

Generally undermining the stunts is the cinematography. Many shots are underlit. Others are sped up to the point you can't follow them. One really confusing flashback sequence further muddles the picture. There are even a few bizarre camera angles to make sure every possible problem happens.

"The Art of War" is definitely not family fare. It has graphic violence, full frontal nudity and graphic sex scenes, considerable strong language, and on screen drug use. Throwing in that it's bad cinema, you really have everything that parents might want to protect their children from.

Sun Tzu must be turning in his grave--Hollywood stole his title, and stuck it on a really bad action film. As for this "The Art of War," there isn't really a full-fledged war, and there definitely is no trace of art.

Title: "The Art of War"
Release date: August 25, 2000
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: *
Aprox. run time: 117 min.
Director: Christian Duguay
Writers: Simon Davis Barry, Wayne Beach
Stars: Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer (plays Hooke), Marie Matiko

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/ArtofWar.htm
Added to blog site: 7/26/09

See it--it's the patriotic thing to do.

"The Patriot"
Overall Rating: ****½


As you've probably gathered from my selection of movies and my reaction to them, I'm a fan of action films. Two of my favorite from that genre are "Stargate" and "Independence Day"--both directed by Rolland Emmerich. Shortly after the disappointing "Godzilla," I learned that Emmerich's next project was "The Patriot," a movie based on the life of Francis Marion. The Revolutionary War is an historic period of particular interest to me, so I'd been eagerly awaiting this film for two years. I was not disappointed.

The film opens with Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson)--who is based extremely loosely on Francis Marion--quietly praying that his past sins will not come back to haunt him. A veteran of the French and Indian War and widower, Martin now wishes to lead a quiet life on his plantation. The events of 1776, however, will not allow this. His life is disrupted when he is called to the South Carolina Assembly to vote on a levy to support the Continental Army. There, he argues that while he believes in American independence, the time isn't right to fight for it. Despite his opposition, the measure passes, and his eldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) enlists in the Colonial Army. Two years later, however, Charleston has been captured, and the war is at the doorstep of the Martin plantation.

Many people have attacked "The Patriot" for how it deals with history. Mainly, the complaints are that Francis Marion wasn't really a heroic figure, that "The Patriot" glosses over slavery, and that it exaggerates the British brutality. The criticism about Marion is irrelevant since the movie centers around fictional characters. The other criticisms are not really fair: though the movie deals slightly with the issue of slavery, that's not what it's primarily about, and the worst act of brutality by the British--the only one that could really be called an exaggeration of what the British actually did--is committed by a fictional, rogue officer. This is not to say the movie is perfect in its history. The movie makes two wild gaffes in its history: the British didn't take Charleston until 1780, and the film's climactic battle doesn't correspond to any real battle.

It's strange that while the film makes these big mistakes, they seem to get the details right. "The Patriot" feels like a walk through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg or in Independence Hall. The attention to detail on the sets are only one aspect of the excellent special effects. As exhibited in his previous action films, Emmerich knows how to blow stuff up, and knows how to make it exciting; "The Patriot" does not disappoint on that count.

Where "The Patriot" differs from most action films, however, is in Martin's internal conflict. Martin has a brutal past, and fears his own brutality. His rationalizations about the time not being right for independence and his desire to protect his family are clearly--if subtly--not his main reason for wanting to stay out of the fight. Gibson deserves great credit for making apparent something that his character doesn't state--and may not even fully acknowledge.

"The Patriot" has very little strong language, and no strong sexual content (only an innuendo in one place). The main reason for its R rating is violence: the film has many battle sequences, including one where children fire on British officers. If I'd been rating the film, I might have given it a PG-13, but the film is certainly borderline.

"The Patriot" is easily the best film so far this year. Though it makes some historical errors, the film is an excellent production providing an engrossing story.


Title: "The Patriot"
Release date: June 28, 2000

MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ****½

Aprox. run time: 164 min.
Director: Rolland Emmerich
Writers: Robert Rodat
Stars: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs (plays Col. William Tavington)

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/Patriot.htm

Added to blog site: 8/3/09