After hearing about her for years,I have this year being pleased to finally see Kristin Scott Thomas (KST!) in the stylish Neo-Noir Love Crime and the earthy Drama Leaving.Shortly after watching Leaving,I was intrigued to find that the BBC were going to show one of KST's English language movies,which led to me walking on by.
The plot:
As a photo of his tobacco farming granddaddy hangs above him, Carter Page III finds the only way that he can get near the power player in Washington is to be an escort to their wives.One of Page's main clients is Lynn Lockner,who has been having an affair with lobbyist Robbie Kononsberg (who gave Page bad advice on the stock market.) Going to pay him a visit,Lockner finds Kononsberg murdered. As Page tries to help Lockner keep the affair hidden,he begins to walk out of step with the elite.
View on the film:
Continuing on the major theme of his work,the screenplay by writer/director Paul Schrader walks with a Neo-Noir of the outsider looking in. Surrounded by the elite, Schrader makes Page a loner whose every feature from his hair to psychological intimacy is part of a façade for the client. Finding Kononsberg dead, Schrader splinters the Neo-Noir with cynical political shots over what power players will do to keep their piece of the pie.Keeping Page as an outsider, Schrader aims for a cerebral Noir.Whilst this approach does lead to the viewer feeling as detached from the high-life as Page,it causes the title itself to be caved in a blank,strung-out atmosphere,where the murder charge and the characters themselves are emotionless and paper thin.
Entering to the wonderful synch-Blues (!) score from Anne Dudley, Schrader and cinematographer Chris Seager swagger with a Neo-Noir style,lining Page's house in deep neon blue,and the crawling camera moves giving the film a dry Erotic Thriller mood.Burning up the riches of the elite, Schrader soaks the movie in a peculiar lime green that subtly expresses how rotten and mouldy the power they hold onto is. Refusing to do press for the flick due to hating his own performance, Woody Harrelson does lay on the Southern Charm a bit too thick,but does capture Page being a completely detached Noir loner on the scene.Adding a touch of Film Noir and Neo-Noir class, Lauren Bacall and Willem Dafoe give terrific, greasy performances as Natalie Van Miter and Larry Lockner,whilst the elegant KST smoothly threads the films cold pessimism with Lynn Lockner concern about becoming an outsider,as the walker walks away.
The plot:
As a photo of his tobacco farming granddaddy hangs above him, Carter Page III finds the only way that he can get near the power player in Washington is to be an escort to their wives.One of Page's main clients is Lynn Lockner,who has been having an affair with lobbyist Robbie Kononsberg (who gave Page bad advice on the stock market.) Going to pay him a visit,Lockner finds Kononsberg murdered. As Page tries to help Lockner keep the affair hidden,he begins to walk out of step with the elite.
View on the film:
Continuing on the major theme of his work,the screenplay by writer/director Paul Schrader walks with a Neo-Noir of the outsider looking in. Surrounded by the elite, Schrader makes Page a loner whose every feature from his hair to psychological intimacy is part of a façade for the client. Finding Kononsberg dead, Schrader splinters the Neo-Noir with cynical political shots over what power players will do to keep their piece of the pie.Keeping Page as an outsider, Schrader aims for a cerebral Noir.Whilst this approach does lead to the viewer feeling as detached from the high-life as Page,it causes the title itself to be caved in a blank,strung-out atmosphere,where the murder charge and the characters themselves are emotionless and paper thin.
Entering to the wonderful synch-Blues (!) score from Anne Dudley, Schrader and cinematographer Chris Seager swagger with a Neo-Noir style,lining Page's house in deep neon blue,and the crawling camera moves giving the film a dry Erotic Thriller mood.Burning up the riches of the elite, Schrader soaks the movie in a peculiar lime green that subtly expresses how rotten and mouldy the power they hold onto is. Refusing to do press for the flick due to hating his own performance, Woody Harrelson does lay on the Southern Charm a bit too thick,but does capture Page being a completely detached Noir loner on the scene.Adding a touch of Film Noir and Neo-Noir class, Lauren Bacall and Willem Dafoe give terrific, greasy performances as Natalie Van Miter and Larry Lockner,whilst the elegant KST smoothly threads the films cold pessimism with Lynn Lockner concern about becoming an outsider,as the walker walks away.