I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Who is a terrorist, and who is a freedom fighter? This based-on-fact action drama about a 1988 hostage crisis in a tropical French colony, when local separatists took over a police station, focuses tightly on procedural as military negotiator Mathieu Kassovitz works to extract those captured while doing to his best to avoid further radicalizing the locals. Perhaps the focus on the procedure is too tight: the film often gets bogged down in it. Some bits are quite good, however: Kassovitz, delivering more as star and director than as writer, gives us a chaotic jungle battle scene that presents the illusion of a seamless single take; and running motifs of politics and media threatening the negotiations are deftly handled. A bit of judiciously editing was needed, perhaps, to tighten it all up.
I’m loving your Quick Takes! Little bites of MaryAnn review goodness!
Thank you. This is just me finally conceding that I simply will never get around to writing full reviews of everything I see. Instead of waiting for the imaginary moment that will never come when I will get to those full reviews, I might as well just get my basic reaction out there. And to give you guys a place to talk about these films, too.
Excellent! I am pleased. Yay not letting the perfect get in the way of the good! I’d rather see short initial reactions than no reactions at all because you don’t have time to do everything. =)