In the blood (2014)

Summary
When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible.

Genre : Action/Crime
Country : UK/Puerto Rico 

Cast :
Gina Carano : Ava
Luis Guzmán : Chief Ramón Garza
Danny Trejo : Big Biz

Director : John Stockwell


My Opinion 

"When all the bastards are gone and dead, only then rest your head."

Lets hope not too many movie lovers take this movie too seriously otherwise the Dominican Republic will have a serious tourism problem. Who wants to travel to such an idyllic island and ultimately face the local mafia? The tropical paradise photos of this incredibly beautiful island will fade after watching this low-budget action movie. The chance that you'll disappear and end up being used for some seedy business seems not unlikely. So it's advisable to avoid this extremely dangerous island and put your mind on some other tropical island. The local Dominican population won't be concerned, but the tourism industry will lick its wounds. Just kidding, I don't think it's not gonna rock the boat !

"In the blood" could only convince me in a moderate way until the denouement took such absurd proportions that it was hugely laughable. I am more inclined to believe the advertisement in which two barrels of cheap washing powder are being exchanged with that of a cheaper brand. This was just a hodgepodge of poor plotlines and probably some poor ideas that were shrugged off by others filmmakers. At the time Danny Trejo (Can anyone tell me in which movie he doesn't appear ?) pops up, the chance of this being a lousy B-action movie becomes huge. And when you realize that there are still films where Trejo occurs in, which are way better than this one , there's clearly something wrong with this film.

Gina Carano, a famous MMA fighter, is back in action. Her performance as Mallory Kane in "Haywire" is still fresh in my memory, and the only thing I can remember is that it was a kind of "Bourne Identity" film. For the rest it wasn't that special. Carano is a skilled practitioner of mixed martial arts and has a sensual beauty. That's a fact. On the other hand she also acts in a stiff manner, which is mostly compensated by using a specific positioning of the camera in the film process, which ensures her lascivious formed body parts being clearly visualized, just to cover up this issue. She plays Ava, a reformed drug addict, who's on a honeymoon in the Caribbean with her new husband Derek. He's also a former drug addict and they've met in rehab. Everything seems rosy, as witnessed by the vivid images of sheer love. However, sometimes you get the feeling that the two are strangers to eachother while watching the sunset. The chemistry between the two is sometimes hard to find. The moment Ava demonstrates her techniques, taught by her father so she could defend herself, in a nightclub where she fights like a real fury, Derek looks at it with amazement and probably wonders who he's married to. Pretty unlikely.

However, everything goes awry when Derek falls into an abyss during ziplining, getting seriously injured. Fortunately, his cell phone miraculously survives the terrible fall. He's picked up by an ambulance and obviously Ava can't join the ride because of some insurance rules. Afterwards she comes to the conclusion that her husband is nowhere to be found and apparently wasn't admitted to any hospital. In short, Derek disappeared. And the candidate suspects are lining up. Smooth young Manny (Ismael Cruz Cordova) who volunteered to show the island, the instructor at the zip-line, the local criminal Big Biz (Danny Trejo), the skeptical police chief Ramon Garza (Luis Guzman) and even her father in law are all potential suspects. Because Ava can't count on any sympathy, plus nobody is willing to organize a serious search for Derek and last but not least she's also taken into custody, she decides to take matters into her own hands and starts a personal quest to find Derek.

The fact that bodies are piling up as she progresses in this research isn't annoying. Ultimately that's what everybody is waiting for. A seemingly fragile woman who's sweeping the floor in a fairly heavy-handed way with all kinds of scum. However, in most cases the portrayal isn't very original and sublime. The only fight scene worth to watch was the one in the nightclub. The following confrontations are rather dull and laughable implausible. Only Luis Guzman, also someone who has a long list of meaningless performances in all sorts of films such as in "We're the Millers", could really convince me in terms of acting (Mind you,compared to others in this particular movie only). Trejo's only quality is portraying a bad-ass, which isn't so difficult to achieve with his appearance. And Amaury Nolasco is someone who, after his appearance in "Prison Break" and recently in "Animal", tries to look like a bad-ass, but judging from the scene in the small village at the end, he's still a harmless wimp.

The final revelation of how it all fits together, at the same time reflecting the double meaning of the title, is of such a low level that I'm sure that the screenwriters spent more time in the salty water then at the writing table at that point . Are you someone who loves seeing a fragile-looking wench slapping around a notorious gang of muscular-looking bullies, then you'll enjoy yourself with this one. However, it's advisable to take a stimulating pill in order to survive the outrageous bad last 15 minutes.

My rating 3/10
Links : IMDB
 

At the Devil's door (2014)

Summary
When ambitious young real estate agent Leigh is asked to sell a house with a checkered past, she crosses paths with a disturbed girl whom she learns is the runaway daughter of the couple selling the property. When Leigh tries to intervene and help her, she becomes entangled with a supernatural force that soon pulls Leigh's artist sister Vera into its web - and has sinister plans for both of them.

Genre : Horror
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Ashley Rickards : Hannah
Naya Rivera : Vera
Catalina Sandino Moreno : Leigh

Director : Nicholas McCarthy

Alternative title : Home


My opinion 

"I saw a beast coming out of the sea.
It deceived the inhabitants of the earth,
and forced all people to receive a mark o, their right hands,
which is the number of the beast.
And that number is 6-6-6”

When you expect a kind of "The Exorcist" variant with a person possessed  by a demon, ranting and raving while being chained to a bed, vomiting green slime, reciting incoherent fragments of text in a foreign language that he/she doesn't master and spinning his/her head around in a supernatural way, then you're wasting your time with "At the Devil's door", because this is not that type of film. But if you are a lover of the more subtle horror genre with a nasty undertone and a sinister, menacing atmosphere created by the use of shadows, moving objects and a constant palpable threat, then this is a must see.

Of course there will be grumbling about the lack of depth of the characters and of real scares. Firstly, I think a horror isn't always successful by using irritating artificial frights (as in "The Quiet Ones" where they used deafening sound effects) or by excessive use of gore elements. To me a horror is brilliant when, even if these elements are applied to the minimum, and it still has a nasty and devilish atmosphere. And you don't need profundity to create that. I suggest you watch a shakespearean drama when you're into that. You also don't expect scary moments while watching a romcom.

It all starts with a teenage girl called Hannah (Ashley Rickards) who makes the mistake to accept the invitation of her boyfriend to play an innocent game and as a reward gets 500 $ for doing that. In a ramshackle caravan somewhere in the middle of a desert, an eccentric, horrid guy plays a cup game with her and comes to the conclusion that she is "chosen" and she should go to a particular intersection and speak out her name so that "he" will know her when the time is right to call her ... Years later we meet the real estate agent Leigh (Catalina Sandino Moreno) who's going to sell an abandoned house which later appears to have been the parental home of Hannah. Together with her sister Vera (Naya Rivera), she is sucked into a demonic game where evil is trying to nest in human society.

"At the devil's door" basically covers the same theme as told in Goethe's work "Faust" : the closing of a pact with the devil and giving your soul in exchange. In this case it's not really voluntary, but it's kind of the same idea. The scene in Hannah's bedroom suggests that it will turn out to be a typical horror about possession and that an accumulation of clichés will be the result. Nothing could be further from the truth. The story very slowly unravels a sinister plot while using the principle of "less is more". This paranormal horror, in which a mix of "The Exorcist" and "Rosemary's Baby" is interwoven with a little family drama, makes sure you haven't got a clue where it's leading too. In addition, there are some surprising twists in the story which sufficiently compensates the lack of some decent frights. There are some extremely strong fragments in it. Like Hannah's bedroom scene, the "Little Red Riding Hood" type of girl who turns a babysitters night into a hysterical experience for the concerned parents, Leigh's confrontation with evil and the ultrasound ("The Possession" flashed through my head for a second). Simple and unspectacular portrayed. Subtle and exciting at the same time.

The two main players Catalina Sandino Moreno and Naya Rivera are two outstanding actresses and beautiful at the same time. For once they aren't like most girls in a horror film, running around screeching and being slaughtered by some demonic power. They are intelligent go-getters who defend themselves. They both have a very different role in this film and divide the whole into two additional episodes. And the little girl Ava Acres who played "the girl" at the end, had such a minimal role but played it in such terrifying way. Most will call the end weak and disappointing. Personally I thought it fitted the entire movie and made it pretty open-ended so a sequel isn't unthinkable. All praise to Nicholas McCarthy who tried to create some new animo in the horror genre.

 

My rating 7/10
Links : IMDB
 

Bad Country (2014)

Summary
When Baton Rouge police detective Bud Carter busts contract killer Jesse Weiland, he convinces Jesse to become an informant and rat out the South's most powerful crime ring. So when the syndicate orders Carter's death and Weiland's ID'd as a snitch, the two team up to take down the mob and the crime boss who ordered the hit.

Genre : Crime/Action/Drama
Country : USA
 
Cast :
Matt Dillon : Jesse Weiland
Willem Dafoe : Bud Carter
Neal McDonough : Kiersey
Tom Berenger : Lutin

Director : Chris Brinker

My opinion 

"South Louisiana in the 1980s was a different kind of time and place. Some called it lawless. But it wasn't. Others said we just got a certain way of doing things down here. But it ain't that either. Instead, I call it what it was. Hell with the lid off."

"Bad Country" is the last thing Chris Brinker created as a filmmaker. He passed away while finishing this. The first and only film he directed. An allegedly brutal crime film in which a police officer from Baton Rouge (Willem Dafoe) is trying to round up an entire criminal gang. And that with the help of a former gang member (Matt Dillon) who tries to escape from being locked up in prison for a long time. All this set in Louisiana in the 80's with his sultry climate. The criminal gang is led by a posh looking, rich and ruthless chief of the crime syndicate who looks like a cotton plantation owner of the 18th century : sophisticated dressed and living in a generously sized house with white columns. Only the whip was missing. "White power" was clearly the dominant message which you also could conclude after seeing the inventory of Bud Carter and the collection of tattoos that adorns his body.

Despite the impressive cast (Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, Tom Berenger, Bill Duke, Neal McDonough), of which there are a few who proved several times in the past that they are able to play a criminal or crime fighter, it's just a crime movie like so many others, in which all known clichés are used. You can expect a load of wasted ammunition because of the back and forth firing with a considerable arsenal of firearms without apparently knowing where and at who to shoot. A lot of boys bragging and macho talk. A not so kosher negotiation techniques. An FBI delegation who loves to interfere again, seem to know everything and eventually make a complete mess of it. Promises aren't kept which results in a decisive revenge. And then there's the final round where everyone and no one is a winner.

Willem Dafoe did a great job as a detective who knows how to run an investigation thoroughly and at the same time takes his responsibilities. A beautiful interpretation at times. Matt Dillon on the other hand, whose recent roles in "Pawn Shop Chronicles" and "The Art of the Steal" weren't that memorable either, disappointed and didn't carry weight in this movie, even though he's the owner of a giant walrus mustache which many balding guys would envy because they could use the hairpiece as a toupee. It even seemed as if the two protagonists were in competition about that. Tom Berenger (the last time I saw him acting was in "Training Day") was convincing as the ruthless crime lord Lutin with the looks of a Pavarotti. A nice supporting role was played by Bill Duke and Neal McDonough. The first as the high-ranking official from Washington Nokes (with a memorable scene where Jesse Weiland agrees to cooperate and Nokes briefly dots a few i's) and the second one as Lutin's sneaky counselor.

For me "Bad Country" was a "meh" movie. You can't really say it's a terribly bad movie, but it's also not a movie that impresses you. Put all existing films that deal with organized crime in a line, and this one won't be noticed between all of them in terms of originality and inventiveness. Unfortunately we will never know what Chris Brinker still had up his sleeve and if he could overwhelm us with some other filmic creations. Too bad !

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

The Addicted (2013)

Summary
Four friends spend a night in an abandoned drug rehab clinic hoping to film some paranormal experiences. They soon end up fighting for their lives as a 25 year old legacy comes to haunt them... One of them is more involved than they would ever have thought...

Genre : Horror
Country : UK

Cast :
Jenny Gayner : Nicole Hunter
Sean J. Vincent : Adam
Thea Knight : Liz
Dan Peters : Mike

Director : Sean J. Vincent

My opinion 

“Jezus Christ Liz, you got him”

Sometimes you think no film can be painfully worse than the one you just watched.  And then you come across something like "The Addicted". Really anything you can think of, is of a pitiful level in this movie and makes sure you'll grind your teeth out of misery. Technically and in terms of the scenario it's all hugely laughable and abominable. Enervating poorly filmed. No originality and inventiveness. Stupid and incomprehensible story twists. Special effects from long time ago. Terribly boring in-between fragments and an endless repetition of the same idiocy. Even the fact that this is a low-budget B-movie can't condone that it's a pitiful and miserable spectacle. Even though I am a huge fan of non-commercial, low-budget creative inventions, I found that this monstrosity is not worth to use the word "creative".

The start wasn't that bad actually. It looked really cliched, but I was hopeful. I ignored the fact that again a well-known concept was used and I didn't yield to the temptation to mull about the decline of the intelligence of today's youth. Another gang of teenagers who feel the irresistible urge to visit some creepy building, this time an old drug rehabilitation center, for one night to fulfill a scary evening activity. "Why the hell would anyone want to do this ?" I wondered again. The quartet is a mixed bag of known impersonations. First, a dumb blonde, which of course thinks it's just fun, and her fearless tough boyfriend. Then there is a little less brave female member of the company who only wants to return home and who is accompanied by a gallant young man who will watch over her. If only I could have placed a bet somewhere that the fearless blonde would be the first one to kick the bucket, I would have made a lot of money. After they forced a door (of which the lock is attached to a single ring. Sophisticated security), there's somebody who gets out an Ouija board from under his coat. And then suddenly it starts to go woefully wrong. Lights explode (That was as frightening as a light that goes out in the Christmas tree at home), probably a sound technician starts to slam on iron with a solid hammer and then the first victim is drawn into the shadow and returns as if she had a kind of Olympic accident. The last victim was killed in a rather unique way.

 

But after this promising start, the level and credibility went down quickly. The way the movie continues defies all imagination and it seems as if they assume that the intellect of the viewer is equivalent to that of a mayfly. Inaccuracies, errors and incredibility's follow each other steadily. After a night guard (why this poor sucker needed to guard this building which will be demolished in the future anyway, goes over my head) disappears, the journalist Nicole Hunter (whose father was employed in this center. How is it possible? What a coincidence.) has to make a sensational reportage and therefore decides to spend the night there together with her boyfriend and a couple of friends. They are going to use a lot of technical material to record any supernatural phenomena there. The fact that she concluded already that something supernatural is going on there,is mind boggling in itself.

And now a brief summary of some moronic things I've noticed. Breaking into this building seems so ridiculously easy. And apparently there's a huge instruction manual at the entrance because everybody knows where the generator is located. The lighting looks like Christmas decorations, I noticed immediately. Nicole has a shitload of high-tech film equipment, but she needs to attach a camera with tape to a gantry. There are countless attempts to get through the door where they entered the building. And yet it was not until the end that Nicole discovered the grinding wheel which she uses on the steel door like a real metal worker (including a cigarette dangling between her lips). If you are good in maths and think logical it won't be very difficult to guess who's behind all these disappearances. That this person interacts with a supernatural entity is completely ridiculous. It started look more and more like a failed Scooby Doo cartoon. And it appeared as if the disgruntled spirit walked out of the PC game "The 7th Guest".

 

Technically the film was sometimes painfully amateurish. Several times there was even incomprehensible camera work. For instance the image was moved from a conversation to a side view of a car. Weird. Or during a phone call the camera goes back to the start of the scene without any reason. The film is also filled with immense long fragments that look like a home video. Like the 3-minute fragment of a pleasant evening the four friends spent at home, where they probably made ​​the decision to pass the night in that building. 3 Minutes of footage with cozy chatting and smiling people who enjoy a glass of liquor. The whole thing was so meaningless that they repeated the same dreadful things many times. I've lost count of how many times they did the same route to the next floor using the stairs. And the fire doors where checked twice to make sure if it was possible to escape from there.

After the ridiculous ending and the attitude displayed by Nicole and her sister, my conclusion was made quickly. This is the most absurd movie I've seen this year. A film not worthy to be called  horror and a mockery to the medium film in general. The only thing that gave me shivers when talking about this film, is the fact that I've seen it completely. My worst nightmare now is the idea that I would be forced to watch it again (harrowing scream). 

 

My rating 0/10
Links : IMDB

 

The Calling / The Two Faces of January (2014)

A twin review.

The Calling

Genre : Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Susan Sarandon : Hazel Micallef
Gil Bellows : Ray Green
Ellen Burstyn : Emily Micallef

Director : Jason Stone

Summary
Detective Hazel Micallef hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Fort Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.

My opinion
"The Calling" is a thriller about a religious serial killer. Just as "Frozen Ground" it takes place on Canadian territory. Despite the star cast (Susan Sarandon, Donald Sutherland and Topher Grace), this film is just a mediocre movie that certainly doesn't reach the level of "Silence of the Lambs". Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon) is a detective in a tiny little village where criminals apparently don't show up, because it's totally ​​crime-free. Micallef has her own personal problems with alcohol and pills playing an eminent role and making her spend more time next to the bed than in it. The retrieval of an old woman with a surgically precise slit throat, is the start of a thorough investigation that leads to a serial killer who bases his actions on an old religious story. Micallef, her colleague Ray (Gil Bellows) and newcomer Ben Wingate (Topher Grace) face a difficult task to solve this. Topher plays again such a role that the sad expression on his face comes in handy. And Sutherland acts in his familiar style and explains the entire case as a Santa-like priest. Consequently the culprit is known very early in this film and there isn't much tension left anymore. So Simon (Christopher Heyerdahl) is introduced: a charismatic and imposing character, entirely in black and with a perfectly trimmed gray beard. He has such an appearance so you immediately get the feeling that he's a reborn Jesus character. Ultimately, this turns out to be just a mediocre TV movie, with nice outdoor shots and downright no tension. There was just a tiny difference to other movies about serial killers, that made it stand out (But you have to watch it to figure that one out). Perhaps the denouement can still provide some sensation. For me it was rather measly insignificant and predictable.

My rating 5.5/10
Links : IMDB



The two faces of January

Genre : Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :Kirsten Dunst : Colette MacFarland
Viggo Mortensen : Chester MacFarland
Oscar Isaac : Rydal

Director : Hossein Amini

Summary
A glamorous American couple, the charismatic Chester MacFarland and his alluring younger wife Colette, arrive in Athens by boat. While sightseeing at the Acropolis they encounter Rydal, a young, Greek-speaking American who is working as a tour guide, scamming tourists on the side. Drawn to Colette's beauty and impressed by Chester's wealth and sophistication, Rydal gladly accepts their invitation to dinner. However, all is not as it seems with the MacFarlands and Chester's affable exterior hides darker secrets.

My opinion


A slightly above average desert sand colored crime thriller, you immediately associate with a solid Hitchcock mixed with elements of an Agatha Christie novel. The rich American couple Chester (Viggo Mortensen) and Colette (Kirsten Dunst) are on vacation in Europe and meet in sunny Greece the American guide Rydal (Oscar Isaac) who isn't afraid to swindle people on a small scale. He offers Chester and Colette a guided tour through the city. Eventually, the couple also doesn't appear to be innocent and after Chester killed a fairly intrusive private investigator, Rydal offers its services to help. What follows is a psychological jousting in which jealousy and a budding romance plays a central role. A stylishly filmed psychological thriller, with excellent performances and a subtle captured escape from Athens to Heraklion and eventually ending up in Istanbul. In terms of content, the whole isn't really that big of a deal and I was expecting something more from this movie. A story in which a small crook helps an even bigger crook and becomes trapped in a psychological love triangle. Beautifully filmed, evocative at times, but ultimately a bit dull and ordinary despite the charismatic performances. Hossein Amini, who wrote the scenarios for "Drive" and "47 Ronin", fails to create the same tension as in "Drive". Maybe a tiny recommendation : why not direct a self-written scenario ...
 

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB
 

The legend of 1900 (1998)

Summary
Shortly after the Second World War, Max visits an English pawn shop to sell his trumpet. The shopkeeper recognizes the tune Max plays as one on a wax master of an unreleased recording, discovered and restored from shards found in a piano salvaged from a cruise ship turned hospital ship, now slated for demolition. This chance discovery prompts a story from Max, which he relates both to the shopkeeper and later to the official responsible for the doomed vessel, for Max is a born storyteller. He was befriended by another young man, the pianist in the same band, whose long unlikely name was Danny Boodman T.D. Lemons 1900, though everyone just called him 1900, the year of his birth.

Genre : Drama/Music/Romance
Country : Italy

Cast :
Tim Roth : 1900
Pruitt Taylor Vince : Max Tooney
Bill Nunn : Danny Boodmann

Director : Giuseppe Tornatore

Alternative title : La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano

My opinion

“You're never really done for, as long as you've got a good story and someone to tell it to.”

There are some films that, despite having such a miserable long playing time, won't bore you quickly. However, there are films which have a regular playing time and still bore you to death. In the first category I include "The Lord of the Rings", "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "The Shawshank Redemption". You can add "The Legend of 1900" or "La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano", which takes about 165 minutes, to this list, because this is a breathtaking and fascinating masterpiece. A musical journey told in the form of a fairy tale, that grabs you by the throat in the beginning and releases you when the credits start. I'm not really a jazz enthusiast or a piano recitals specialist, but it aroused my musical curiosity. Sometimes it feels as if you are getting musical education and you're actually continuously looking at some virtuosic piano playing like in "Grand Piano". There is however a big difference with the latter. And that's the fact that you stay intrigued and want to watch further so you can see how it unfolds. And you don't need toothpicks so your eyes stay open. It's not a recent film, but there was somebody who was praising this movie on some webpage and I had to see it.

The whole story is told from the perspective of Max Tooney (Pruitt Taylor Vince) who played brass trumpet along with a legendary pianist in an orchestra on a cruiseship called "The Virginian".This legendary pianist once was abandoned by some poor immigrants and was left to be found in the class of the wealthier passengers, probably to ensure his future, but was eventually discovered and adopted by Danny Boodmann (Bill Nunn), a coal-man in the engine room. The young boy was named Danny Boodmann T.D. Lemon Nineteen Hundred.Or just plain simply 1900, his year of birth. To avoid problems with certain instances 1900 lived deep in the hull of the cruise ship, until the day Danny died. Then he suddenly disappears. Until he reappears one night, sitting behind a piano and playing it in a wonderful way. He'll become the most virtuoso fabulous pianist in the world who doesn't have the courage to set foot on shore.

 

"The Legend of 1900" was directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and is based on the monologue Novecento of the writer, music critic, saxophonist and occasional actor Alessandro Baricco. Overall, I thought there were three major chapters in this film. The first part can be described as "Oliver Twist on The Titanic." The same atmosphere and guidance as in Titanic, but without an iceberg anywhere, so the crossing to America was completed without a hitch and one could behold the Statue of Liberty after arrival. A kind of Walt Disney-ish part where the first years of 1900 were told in an amusing way. The second part is the largest and most musical part. A series of musical interludes, including the piano duel against Jelly Roll, "The man who invented jazz" as people said, and 1900. Ennio Morricone provided the musical frame. So you know that this is a guarantee for masterful pieces of music. The third part is the most philosophical and tragicomic area. The attempt that Max is doing to get 1900 to leave the old cruise ship before it gets demolished. Three chapters which flow into each other fluently. In the beginning it alternates between the past and the present by means of flashbacks. An engaging, comical and touching film that continues to fascinate and amaze.

Tim Roth, who I recently saw starring in "Broken" and also has an impressive resume on his name, takes care of the lead role as the adult 1900. I think he's a wonderful actor who just has an innate calmness, interspersed with a truly sad, melancholic posture and gaze. The childish amazement about everyday things and the otherworldliness are expressed by him in a simple, unaffected way. He seems like a humble, timid and kind person, until he uses a heartfelt "asshole". A pianist who uses his emotions and the observed characteristics of people in his piano playing and only lives for his music. During a recording that was made by a music company, which would make him world famous and very rich, you can hear the tone and atmosphere of his piano performance slowly turn into a very intimate timbres merely by the appearance of a lovely lady. Even the deep philosophical reasoning in the end sounded acceptable, although 1900 didn't enjoy academic education. He gave a simplistic though rational explication about his state of mind and fear of the unknown.

Pruitt Taylor Vince takes on the role of Max, the lone musician who is forced to sell his instrument. He wasn't really known to me. When I read his biography, he seemed to have made quite a furore in the years 80-90. He has won an Emmy for his role in "Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer" and starred in "Mississippi Burning", "Jacob's Ladder" and "Heavy". Eventually after "The Legend of 1900" it looks as if he has been forgotten a bit and only played small parts like in "Beautiful Creatures", "Homefront" and "13 Sins". Probably those parts were so small that I can't even remember them. All in all I found him fitting for this part although there was sometimes a case of overacting and he wasn't really in sync with the rudderless ship during the storm as he was wobbling all over the place. This stormy scene was for me rather too dramatic and slapstick-like. Pretending to be seasick, swaying back and forth and doing the waltzing dance while sitting behind the piano.

Although this film is appropriate for it, it still didn't become an overly grand Hollywood spectacle in which they couldn't resist to use excessively sentimental stuff and exaggerated wide angle action effects. It was sometimes overwhelming and impressive. The moment someone sees the Statue of Liberty and the whole ship starts waving with handkerchiefs and everybody is shouting out of intense joy (while the upper class sticks to a polite subdued applause) was the first goosebumps moment. After the umpteenth time however, despite the successful comedic approach in the end, it was a bit too much. Also the piano duel was a highlight where it was indisputable that 1900 played in such a way that it looked like he was playing with four hands (and the highlight of the smoldering cigarette ofcourse). Yet at one time I had reached a saturation point. A superb duel and brilliant expressions, but still it was excessively long.
But these tiny remarks don't outweigh the greatness of this film. Brilliant, excellent movie !

My rating 9/10
Links : IMDB