American Gangster

WHEN it comes to a memorable movie experiece, you know you are in safe hands with Ridley Scott.
And with American Gangster, the versatile director has once again proven that there is no genre that he cannot master.
His early career saw him tackle the realm of science fiction with Alien and Blade Runner and when the 21st century kicked in, his interest seemed to sway towards historical epics with Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.
Now the cigar toting director has set about conquering the world of gangster movies.
Set in the 1970s, American Gangster is the true - albeit sensationalised - story of Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), the driver of a leading black crime boss.
When his boss suddenly dies, Frank sees a void in the power structure that he quickly fills.
Not long after, the streets are flooded with high quality drugs that Frank has sourced directly from the Far East during the Vietnam War.
Meanwhile, Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) is an outcast cop who loses the support of his corrupt department for playing by the rules.
Working on opposite sides of the law - each with their own ethical code - their worlds soon collide and only one man can come out on top.
If you’re looking for a violent gangster film, this isn’t it. There are some particularly grisly scenes but these are intertwined with some hefty characterisation.
With American Gangster you have to be patient - it slowly reveals its charms over its lengthy screen time.

Planet Terror

IF you’re willing to go the extra mile to see Planet Terror, then you’re certainly in for a treat.
The gloriously overblown zombie film has enough blood and gore to keep horror fans sated, enough cheeky one-liners to raise a wry smile and enough guns to make Arnie blush.
Planet Terror also arguably has the best cast since Pulp Fiction. Imagine Bruce Willis as an ominous lieutenant, Lost’s Naveen Andrews as a scientist, The Terminator’s Michael Biehn as a cop and a cameo from Tarantino and you’ll have a pretty good idea.
It is the story of an experimental bio-weapon that is set off at a military base in Texas. A horde of zombies are unleashed and a special ops tearaway and a go go dancer find themselves the unlikely heroes.
As the second instalment of the ill fated Grindhouse feature, the film is a tribute to 70s B-movies but with the zombie storyline, it is clear that director Robert Rodriguez is also paying respect to zombie movie legend George A. Romero.
When the Grindhouse double-feature hit the States, it received an abundance of critical acclaim yet failed to pull in the punters at the cinema.
This has obviously had an impact on the British screenings. Firstly, it is being shown separately to its companion piece, Death Proof and secondly, the film is only on a handful of screens across the region.
So do yourself a favour and search this film out - you won’t be disappointed. Planet Terror is on at the Odeon cinemas in Manchester and the Trafford Centre.

30 Days of Night

AT the northernmost point of North America lies a sleepy Alaskan city called Barrow, which endures a winter of permanent darkness.
This was the setting for the film translation of the comic 30 Days Of Night about a gang of vampires that go bump in the night.
On paper, this appeared to be the perfect premise for a straightforward horror movie but in practice, it lacks the tension to provoke fear or even capture the imagination.
Despite some vague attempts at characterization, director David Slade fails to inject any life into the Barrow residents led by Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Harnett).
Apart from a good job by Mark Boone Junior, the characters are two-dimensional throughout and frankly seem to have less soul than the undead bloodsuckers, making it very difficult to vie for them.

Meanwhile, with glazed eyes and vicious claws and teeth, the vampires look great but the effect is somewhat ruined with their annoying shriek.
The vampires also needlessly have their own language which makes no sense since the creatures used to be human. (Where do they learn this new language? Ghoul school?!)
30 Days Of Night does have some nice touches though. Horror fans will rejoice at the sheer level of blood and gore and a magnificent bird’s eye shot reveals the extent of the vampiric carnage.
But beyond that, there is very little to be desired. It has none of the sophistication of Interview with the Vampire, none of the slick execution of From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and none of the gothic style of Underworld. If you want a good film set in the dark, watch Pitch Black instead.