Film Review : The Assassination Of John Lennon By The Coward Mark Chapman

Well, the film is actually called The Killing Of John Lennon but the opportunity to pun on the previous post was too much to resist. In any event, Chapman wasn't a coward - just a grade A nutter.

The film was put together from Chapman's own writings and just confirmed that the confluence of circumstances which allowed him to kill Lennon seemed almost so random. Who's to say that if he hadn't been able to see Lennon on that fateful day that history may have been different.

As an ardent fan of the Beatles and their solo careers, it's possibly not the type of film that you can actually enjoy. But it is certainly one that you will want to see to try and see if you can gain some kind of understanding of the events that lead to Lennon's death. I think you might understand what happened - but as to WHY it happened, that will take something else again.

The depiction of the actual shooting was fairly gruesome and brought home without any hint of subtlety what a horrible way it was for anyone to die. An interesting counterpoint to the almost romantic tinge that surrounded the Jesse James film.

I well recall how shattered and desolate I felt when I woke up on the morning of 9th December 1980 to be greeted with the news of the shooting. This brought those feelings all rushing back and, to that extent, that's probably enough to mark this movie as a successful venture.

Does it leave any room for even some sympathy for Chapman? Not really, even though he was clearly mentally unstable and was incapable of anything other than dysfunctional relationships. He's still in Attica and, I suspect, likely to stay there. Frankly, I doubt he'd last long in this world were he to be released.

Film Review : The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Caught this today and it's certainly going to be a contender come Oscar time. Brad Pitt gives an awesome performance and the sheer menace he portrays onscreen is terrific, whilst Casey Affleck gives a career defining performance as the young man who fawns after James reputation and celebrity (although it would have had a different word for it in those days) but who finds that there is a twist in the tail for him after the fateful deed. And also a mention for Sam Rockwell (who's been away from our screens recently) who is excellent as the older Ford brother.

I was so sure that this film was what the word "elegiac" was designed for that I checked out a dictionary definition which suggested that it meant lamenting, and suggested other alternatives like melancholy, sorrowful and mournful. Absolutely spot on.

As the story unwinds at a slow pace (which doesn't labour in a long two hours plus film) you begin to feel that James somehow selected Ford as his nemesis given his state of mind at the time the story is unfolding, notwithstanding Ford's collaboration with the law to seek to deliver James and thus ensure his own fame and fortune.

I fully expect to see this film and its' principal actors amongst the Oscar nominations once the new year rolls around. I think both performances and film were better than American Gangster, and I now await with keen interest the release of Charlie Wilson's War which does appear to be the early runner for the statuettes.