Short Attention Span Review: The Assignment (2016)

Short Attention Span Review: The Assignment (2016)

Walter Hill is one of my favorite directors.  Sometimes I think he may be my favorite, and at a bare minimum, he is safely in my top three alongside QT and John Carpenter.  So, while a goofy premise and lackluster reviews kept me from watching The Assignment until recently, I couldn't fathom Hill churning out a picture as lousy as this one was made out to be.  Upon review, I can say that this is no out and out travesty, but it isn't all that good either.  While the cast is on their game, with Sigourney Weaver leading the way while Michelle Rodriguez and Tony Shalhoub are both rock solid, and Hill's direction is slick as usual, The Assignment is a bit of a bore.  If it had been engineered to produce grindhouse thrills, I think it may have been a wicked good time at the movies, but the film suffers from an identity crisis that undermines it at every turn.  The Assignment surely has the necessary ingredients for an action yarn or a grimy thriller, but despite the relevant plot points and characters being in play, it fails to yield a single worthwhile action scene or any real thrills.  The key components seem ill-suited for a psychological thriller or (gasp!) a drama, but all too often that seemed to be what Hill was aiming for here.  It's a head-scratcher, and while it may not be a total mess, it is a flat and dull affair that wastes an awful lot of potential. 

Final Grade: D

Weaver does a fine job throughout and makes for a most curious villain, but the movie is too unfocused to match her performance.

Top 5 Main Themes from John Carpenter Movies

It's no secret here that I'm a fan of John Carpenter.  He could be my favorite director, though I can never fully determine whether I would put him atop my list over Walter Hill and QT.  Regardless, I treasure his work and I've frequently raved about Carpenter's scores, most of which he composed himself.  I decided to take a look at his filmography and rank my Top 5 Main Themes from his pictures.  I'm not calling it my Top 5 John Carpenter Main Themes because one of my favorites is from The Thing, and that particularly nightmarish bit of music was composed by the impeccable Ennio Morricone and not Carpenter himself.  Of course, that is the only piece of music on this list that Carpenter isn't responsible for.

Top 5 Main Themes from John Carpenter Movies

 5) Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Like many Carpenter efforts, this theme seems a bit simple in that it is only comprised of a few layers, but the way these elements are layered together and the effect that they combine to create are anything but simple.  Bonus points: Carpenter claims that budgetary concerns dictated that this theme (and in fact, the entire score for Assault on Precinct 13) be composed in a single day.
Assault on Precinct 13 theme on YouTube

 4) Big Trouble in Little China (1986)Much like the movie itself, this theme is cheeky and full of energy.  If there's one theme on my list that others may swap out for another Carpenter gem, this is probably it, but I love it.  I offer up my sincerest apologies to the Escape from New York theme.
Big Trouble in Little China theme on YouTube

 3) The Fog (1980)
Eerie and intense, this is the epitome of a horror movie theme.  I'm inclined to think that it may in fact be Carpenter's creepiest composition.  It's so haunting, so melodic, . . . so damn awesome.
The Fog theme on YouTube

 2) The Thing (1982)
An ominous masterpiece that reeks of doubt and doom, the theme for The Thing builds the perfect mood for the movie.  In truth, this sounds more like Carpenter's work than Morricone, but Ennio was at the wheel and contrary to some reports, Carpenter didn't tell him what to do.  They didn't even speak the same language.
The Thing theme on YouTube

1) Halloween (1978)
Intense, iconic, and still imitated, the main theme for Halloween has to be viewed as one of the best themes of all time.  Sure, there are richer pieces of music to be found throughout the motion picture landscape, deft and nuanced works of art with a higher pedigree.  Yet this riveting theme is right up there with the very best of them in terms of impact and popularity for a reason.  It's pitch-perfect. 
Halloween theme on YouTube

Short Attention Span Review: Broken Trail (2006)

I'm a big fan of Walter Hill's work--in fact, I think he is one of the most underrated directors of all time.  He's the man responsible for hit movies like 48 Hrs. and The Warriors, as well as unheralded gems like The Long Riders, Southern Comfort, and The Driver.  Most of his pictures (to include those set in modern times) rely on western themes and feature tough heroes and despicable villains at odds over their individual views on justice and the law.  Until recently, I had never viewed Hill's 2006 miniseries Broken Trail, which originally aired on AMC.  I'm glad I finally gave it a look--Broken Trail is an excellent western, and excellent westerns are hard to come by these days.  Robert Duvall stars alongside Thomas Haden Church and it's no surprise that Duvall excels as an ornery cowpoke with a soft and gentle side he works very hard to conceal.  Church is a bit of a revelation here, though, and that did surprise me.  Tough, brooding, and direct, it's his performance as Tom Harte that really steals the show.  The picture is built around an attempt to drive horses across the country that becomes more and more complicated as various twists of fate test our capable leads.  Broken Trail contains a few riveting setpieces, but it relies more on character development and intrigue than shootouts to tell its story, and as such it won't appeal to those who measure a good western by how many shots are fired.  There's as much time devoted to the relationships forged with a handful of Asian women who wind up under the care of our hardened cowboys as there is time devoted to their struggles with the various bad men who they encounter along the way.  Broken Trail may disappoint those looking for an action-packed jaunt through the wild west, but it will greatly please those who want to see a detailed saga about good people faced with difficult choices.  I often put Hill's work on a pedestal, and I feel that Broken Trail ranks among his very best.  In fact, it may be his most thoughtful and moving effort, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy a rich story with a lot of scope. 

Final Grade: A

Bullet to the Head

Not too long ago, I sat down to watch The Last Stand and was pleasantly surprised.  I was expecting something average and I was worried that it would be downright lousy, but it was actually pretty good.  I had similar expectations for Bullet to the Head, but I think it was totally badass.  Now, to be fair, I'm a diehard fan of Walter Hill, a stellar director who has never received the credit he deserves despite directing a number of hit films, including 48 Hours, The Warriors, The Long Riders, and Southern Comfort.  After an absence of ten years or so, Bullet to the Head was a return to form for this gifted filmmaker.

I love Sly, and he was perfect for this one, but I think that Jason Momoa really made the movie as a fearsome villain who was absolutely lethal.  The action scenes were amazing, the tone and the score gave it a bit of a Sin City vibe, and the pace was perfect for this type of film.  It was fairly simple and some of the dialogue was clunky, but that's okay.  It's an action film, after all, and I thought it was pretty damn cool.