Jack

One of the best opening sequences in all of film. Perfect soundtrack. Great movie.

Whenever someone tells me they’re studying journalism, this is what they should be talking about. This movie is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Interesting premise, captivating performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, and absolutely gorgeous cinematography. Action packed chases, shootouts, and all of it just to make the background noise you put on while you have your breakfast.

I wanted to spend a lot of time making this opening line poetic or dramatic or something, but that’s not really in the spirit of these films. What is in the spirit of these films is being very long winded, so get ready for a long review. Across these movies there’s no particular line or piece of writing that screams “literature” or “wow so beautiful”. I mean the whole trilogy is beautifully written and performed, and in every sentence it feels like someone is putting words to the human experience that we couldn’t say before, but it’s not through fluffy prose or faux-Shakespearean dialogue. At the heart of it, what pulls you in, what these movies most valuable export is, is simple human conversation. In the first two films, we see the way the simple sharing of your life, your experiences, what makes you an individual, brings these people together, and it’s beautiful watching these two flawed people connect like two tuning forks meeting at the same frequency and perpetuating themselves into what is essentially one conversation cut into a feature film. In this third film, however, we see more of the opposite, and this is what makes this one perhaps my favorite of the three. As the audience, we see how, after years of companionship and compromise, those same connections and memories become ammunition for a conflict that has been festering since the start. And it hurts. After spending so much time with these characters, rooting for their love, rooting for everything to work out, we finally think that it has, only to realize that even in this idyllic place that there are still problems to fight through. And how they fight. It feels like you’re a child in bed hearing your parents scream at each other through the wall. The majority of this movie is a tennis match where the prize is mutual resentment. The pacing of it is so unforgiving. It just keeps going tearing at your heartstrings, and there’s always another hurtful thing to be said; you just can’t stop watching. At the start of it you probably picked a side, but by the end you just want it to stop, and I’m glad the film did end where it did.  I’ve said that these films, and life in general, are about imperfect people being perfect for each other, but really this film shows that, even in the best case, you have to fight for your sliver of perfection, and it’s easier when you have someone worth fighting for.

Not a single survival instinct was had. I liked this a lot tho. Was a pretty big fan of the original series, and I think they did a great job. Eerie has hell. Can’t wait for the sequel.