|
|
|
The Devil's Own
Movie Stats & Links |
| Starring: |
Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt |
| MPAA Rated: |
R |
| Released By: |
Columbia
Pictures |
| Kiddie Movie: |
Not really. There's no sex, but lots of gunfire and the
story might get them bored. |
| Date Movie: |
Sure. Guys can talk about the kills and the girls can
talk about how cute Brad Pitt is. |
| Gratuitous Sex: |
Nope. |
| Gratuitous
Violence: |
Lots of quality kills, especially at the beginning.
|
| Action: |
Some suspense moments, but no real car chases. |
| Laughs: |
A couple placed nicely. |
| Memorable
Scene: |
Everyone but Brad and his buddy getting blown away in the
big gunfight at the beginning of the movie.
|
| Memorable
Quote: |
When Brad comes in to Harrison's house, Harrison Ford
says "It's good to have someone here that pees standing up." |
| Directed By: |
Alan J. Pakula |
| Produced By: |
Lawrence Gordon and Robert F. Colesberry |
|
|
The Devil's Own
A Movie Review |
|
 |
I'm was kinda worried going in to see "The Devil's Own." Yep, this
was the movie where it seemed every entertainment show on TV and the
entertainment magazines were having stories about the troubles on the
set. Brad Pitt said this, Harrison Ford was having problems on the
set, the story keeps changing, Sony's suing Brad, Harrison's pissed;
you name it, it seems someone said it, and people had this movie
doomed before the trailers even hit the theater. Then I saw the
trailer and thought to myself that it sure doesn't look that bad -
maybe they all pulled it together and two of Hollywood's premier
actors made nice and made a great movie. Well, I don't know if they
made nice or not, but I do know they made a good movie - not great,
but good none the less.
In its simplest term "The Devil's Own" is about an Irish
Republican Army dude, played by Brad Pitt, coming to America to score
some cool weapons, in this case some stinger missiles. Harrison Ford meanwhile is
playing an Irish cop on the streets of New York who has only shot his
gun four times in his 23ish years on the force. He's got his own
problems with his partner, and the last thing he really needs is a
criminal staying in his house, but he gets duped by an IRA supporting
judge to let Pitt stay in his house, and in the end it turns into a
clash between a cop and a criminal. Not always liking deep and
meaningful story lines, I personally think they should have left the
story at that - let's have some quality kills, good guys versus bad
guys, and maybe blow up some stuff. But no, they gave this film a
meaning and maybe for some people that's what they liked about it,
but for me, it made the film a little slow at times.
So, where do all of these meanings and lessons to be learned come
in? Well, it seems Frankie, the IRA dude played by Pitt, got to see
his dad gunned down when he was a little boy. This turns him into one
of the most wanted IRA members in the old country. You've got little
Frankie growing up without a dad, becoming a great killer supporting his cause, and low and
behold, you place Frankie, who has probably shot as many people as
Rambo, in a house where dad's got three daughters and his wife. Yep,
you get the feeling dad, played by Harrison, always wanted a son, and
now he's got one, too bad for him it's Frankie. Well, not to ruin a
lot of things because the story does have some surprises, but some of
the overblown messages permeating this movie for me were ones like -
we can't understand the fighting in Ireland because we're not a part
of it; if you've got a gun you should shoot people with it; even the
best of cops are crooked; and people in Ireland don't eat corned beef
and cabbage.
Now I know that this movie wasn't supposed to be just another
action movie, it was supposed to teach us something, but I think the
social messages were overblown for my tastes. Sure, put them in the
movie, but don't ram shove them down my throat with a plunger.
Now, getting past all of that stuff, "The Devil's Own" is still a
pretty decent movie played by two of the best actors out there.
Harrison Ford plays the "torn between the good guy and bad guy" role
perfectly. He comes off as the perfect family man, a great cop who
has dedicated his life to protecting and serving rather than blowing
away the bad guys, and just being an all around good guy. Brad Pitt, in total contrast, is the consummate
bad guy, able to shoot anyone at the slightest sign of danger, able
to ram his now good friend Harrison's head into a window, and hell
bent on getting those stinger missiles. Viscous and brutal meets Mr.
Nice Guy - it's a great plan but just sometimes drags a little.
You've got some action, some surprises, but some spots slow the
movie to a crawl. If you like a movie that preaches more than it
teaches, "The Devil's Own" will be for you. If you're looking for an
action movie like the adds seem to show you might be a little
disappointed.
It's 2 1/2 stars out of 5 from me and that's it for this one. I'm
The Dude on the Right, L8R!! |
