Latest DVD releases reviewed: Abel; Louise-Michel; Dobermann; and, Norwegian Ninja
Paignton film critic Tom Leins heads to Mexico, France and Norway to investigate this week’s weirdest DVD releases.
Directed by Mexican actor Diego Luna, and co-produced by his Y Tu Mama Tambien co-star Gael Garcia Bernal -alongside Hollywood luminary John Malkovich –Abel (Network) is a bittersweet drama about a maladjusted nine-year-old boy who convinces himself that he is an adult, in an attempt to fill the void left by his absentee father.
Precocious youngster Abel (Christopher Ruiz-Esparza) begins the movie in a mental health facility, refusing to speak to anybody. His single mother is convinced that spending time with his brother and sister would help to boost his fragile state of mind, and sure enough, shortly after he arrives home he begins talking again. However, his baffled mother’s joy quickly turns to bemusement when it becomes apparent that Abel is now speaking and behaving like a responsible adult, not a carefree child. Unwilling to jeopardise the boy’s recovery, the rest of the family go along with Abel’s off-kilter behaviour, which is fine up to a point -the point being when his long-lost father turns up out of the blue.
Despite its curious -potentially underwhelming -premise, Abel is a genuinely impressive movie, and Luna handles the jarring blend of comedy and pathos with enviable flair. The comedy is derived from Abel’s preposterous seriousness as he oversees his siblings’ homework and interrogates his older sister’s new boyfriend, and young actor Christopher Ruiz-Esparza masters the deadpan delivery required by the role. However, underneath the abundance of surreal, laugh-out-loud moments there beats a dark heart, and Abel’s unpredictable story could go either way. Overall, Abel is a small but perfectly-formed gem that never strikes a hollow note.
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Partially inspired by the exploits of 19th century French anarchist of the same name, Louise-Michel (Axiom) is a twisted black comedy directed by absurdist French filmmakers Benoit Delepine and Gustave Kervern, who earned plaudits last year for their latest movie Mammuth. Louise-Michel follows the adventures of sub-normal ex-con Louise (Yolande Moreau) who loses her job at a children’s clothing factory when the owners abruptly close down the plant. At a loss what to spend their collective redundancy payments on, Louise persuades her frustrated co-workers to pool their financial resources and hire a hitman to kill off the people responsible for their sudden unemployment.
After a chance encounter with self-styled ‘security consultant’ Michel (Bouli Lanners) Louise decides that he is the best man for the job, oblivious to the fact that the extent of his experience seems to be patrolling his trailer park with a weird assortment of home-made weaponry. Unable to kill so much as a dog, the inept Michel decides to sub-contract the assassinations to a range of deeply inappropriate associates -including his terminally ill cousin who is in the midst of chemotherapy treatment. Indeed, that particular scene stands out in terms of both bad taste and visual panache, and underlines the film’s unique strengths. However, despite some arresting moments, Louise-Michel is a frustratingly uneven piece of filmmaking, and the directorial duo’s determination to offend sometimes gets in the way of the socio-economic satire that underpins the narrative. Nevertheless, a quirky, distinctive offering worthy of further inspection.
Every dog has its day, and after a decade out of print Jan Kounen’s notorious crime thriller Dobermann (Second Sight) is finally back on DVD. Unfortunately, time hasn’t been particularly kind to Dobermann, and the over-the-top post-Tarantino stylings feel strangely out-of-date. The reliably intense Vincent Cassell stars as Yann ‘Dobermann’ Le Pentrec, a fearsome criminal who terrorises Paris with his posse of depraved accomplices. However, after a spate of violent robberies it looks like the Dobermann gang’s days are numbered, and equally-unhinged cop Christini (Tcheky Karyo) proves that he is willing to stop at nothing to nail the criminals. Not for the first time Cassell stars alongside his future-wife Monica Bellucci, and while Dobermann is far from Cassell and Bellucci’s best work, it qualifies as light relief in comparison to the couple’s collaboration in 2002’s disturbing Irreversible.
Although some of the edgy material feels pretty tame by today’s standards, Dobermann’s uncompromising poise is still refreshing, and there is no doubting director Kounen’s vivid vision. The over-excited Dutch director helms a frenetic array of set-pieces, and the film is definitely at its strongest when the action is in full flow, recalling the bullet-strewn carnage of John Woo’s ’90s Hong Kong material.
While it may not be the long-lost classic that some film fans were anticipating, Dobermann is still an entertaining curio, and will appeal to anyone who craves another dose of Natural Born Killers-eqsue psychosis.
Bankrolled by the producers responsible for cult Nazi/zombie mash-up Dead Snow, Norwegian Ninja (eOne) is a quirkily self-conscious B-movie that follows the quasi-fictional story of charismatic Norwegian diplomat Arne Treholt. Back in 1984 real-life politician Treholt was convicted of high treason and espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union and Iraq, earning himself a 20 year prison sentence for his troubles. In Norwegian Ninja, however, Treholt’s already-fascinating story is re-imagined through the eyes of writer/director Thomas Cappelen Malling, who imbues the story with his own teenage pop culture reminiscences. As a result, the hapless Treholt is re-cast as a fearsome Ninja master working for King Olav to defend Norway’s honour.
Despite its intriguing premise, Norwegian Ninja is funnier on paper than it is in execution, and director Malling’s attempt to pay tribute to the B-movies of his youth means that the film is a sluggish triumph of style over substance. Whilst the lovingly crafted ’80s straight-to-video vibe is admirable, the humour has been largely lost in translation, and Norwegian Ninja ends up feeling like a weird, laugh-free excuse for a comedy.
- Interview: Billy O’Brien and William Todd-Jones - March 2, 2017
- The Childhood of a Leader: the birth of a terrifying ego - February 10, 2017
- Hold your breath: Don’t Breathe, and more reviews - January 26, 2017
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