IT'S OSCAR SEASON...SO THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF 10/10's. Spotlight is perfect. I’ll come out and say that immediately. Many of the films that I rate 10/10 aren’t. It’s more about how I’m swept up by a film usually, but Spotlight is actually perfect. Every performance is intense, and the story that they are telling is so fascinating, and disturbing that it will leave not one person who see’s it unscathed. The emotional power of this film is huge, but it seems lean and mean and brutally honest. And it’s that honesty that really brings the film around. Spotlight is a film about The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team that uncovered the child molestation scandal that had been happening in Boston, and is still happening now. The fact is there’s no way that this movie could help but be difficult. But none of that ever feels like it’s trying to be, and that’s the real trick. Its difficulty feels honest, and so does everything else. No single character is a caricature because they as characters seem so simple...until you realize the reason why no one is using “stupid” drama and forced complexities in the script is because all the characters respect each other. Nobody thinks less of anyone on this team, and it creates a spectacular base to build a procedural drama on because it allows the individualism of each character to come out and make the whole production miles more interesting. It helps that the team isn’t glorified here. These are real people with huge flaws, and problems bubbling under the surface just like the city they live in. A city that has left thousands of victims only a few of which are portrayed. But that’s enough. Only a few descriptions of what happened to these men is enough. If that was the only thing the film had it may have been too little, but the cast here is so scarily packed with great actors that it would be hard to screw it up. It would be easy though for these performances to seem “turned in” because of just how procedural the film is. They. Are. NOT. THOUGH. Mark Ruffalo is subtle, and acts with more than just his face while becoming quickly the most sympathetic of the team. Michael Keaton is less so, but the complexity of his character, and the flaws make up for that. I was struck by certain unprecedented naturalistic feel to Keaton, and well everyone’s performance. If a film like Steve Jobs is awesome because it the writing snappy even though it seems slightly fake because of how smart everyone actually is; Spotlight is one that dazzles by seeming as real as possible. Every reaction by each actor seems to be calculated down to the eyes, and it’s so real it has to be seen to be believed. The cinematography, and direction seem to be the same. Todd McCarthy is a great director, and Spotlight is so good that it might just have us forget The Cobbler. The direction is excellent with each scene holding its own secrets. I implore you to see Spotlight, and there are many reasons for you to do so. It’s educational, it’s informative, it’s excellent. Spotlight is one of the more thrilling things I’ve seen all year, and you should see this movie. I give Spotlight a 10 out of 10. REVIEW BY STEPHEN TRONICEK
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |