First Among Equals

With a title that brings to mind the film noirs of yesteryear, or, an egg for that matter, 1992's Hard-Boiled is an action packed extravaganza from writer/director John Woo (his last bombastic Hong Kong feature before heading over to Hollywood). With a score that often surprisingly leans to the jazzy side (composed by Michael Gibbs), providing a noirish vibe to be sure (the at-times harsh lighting does not hurt either), Woo actually originally set out to create some sort of unique cross between Dirty Harry and Bullitt (a self professed lover of Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen), and, if you amped the action up to eleven in both of these films, you’d have something along the lines of Hard-Boiled.

Oh, how time flies. . . twenty two years ago, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) was outsmarting many a villain, one of which was Max (Vanessa Redgrave) – a woman who was a British arms dealer. . . now, in 2018's Mission: Impossible – Fallout, it is implied that the American spy is dealing with that original foe’s daughter, the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). It is a signal of a franchise that, for the most part, has done things right. . . each movie (other than the woeful second effort), finding a quality mix of action, adventure, spycraft and intrigue (all while developing an entertaining story that combines outrageous, authentically shot stunts that somehow outdo the previous film’s seemingly unbeatable sequences), while also highlighting the longevity of a successful franchise and career (Tom Cruise now only a year younger than Jon Voight was in the original movie).

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. . . Tom Cruise is the reincarnation of several silent film stars. Think Buster Keaton – the man willing to jump, fall, slide and put his life on the line for his beloved fans (the front of a house almost crushing him – miraculously finding his way through the upstairs window thanks to a perfectly placed nail on the ground). . . or Harold Lloyd, dangling from a breaking clock eight stories high. . . also Douglas Fairbanks Sr., who we see falling down a ship’s sail with only his dagger jammed into the fabric to control the drop. . . as well as the countless gags performed by the magical Charlie Chaplin. With Mission: Impossible – Fallout being released today (the sixth film in the jaw dropping franchise, I thought it would be a prudent idea to revisit the 2015 fifth feature, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation). Opening with a death-defying stunt which has Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) dangling from the exterior of a plane taking off, it is a perfect example of what I am taking about above. Completely real, you are actually seeing the actor take off (it took eight tries to get everything perfect), and, each time they reached an incredible five thousand feet. He had to wear special contact lenses, as a speck of dust in the eye would have blinded him, whilst also helping him keep his eyes open.

With its sequel being released today, I thought this was the perfect time to look back at 2014's The Equalizer – the first time the director/actor duo of Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington re-teamed since their impressive 2001 effort Training Day (they have since filmed The Magnificent Seven and The Equalizer 2 together). Loosely based upon the 1980s television series of the same name (starring Edward Woodward), Denzel Washington steps into the role of Robert McCall. . . a lonely, quiet and highly OCD man living in Boston. . . who is clearly low on sleep – as he spends his evenings at an all-night diner reading classic literature. During his days, he works at a big box hardware store, a semblance of a bland, repetitive life (his mind often lingers on the past, a complicated history of regret and loss). . . his fellow employees constantly guess what his former job was. . . McCall claims he was a former Pip (as in Gladys Knight & The Pips), showing off his dance moves as the much younger employees look up the reference.

The anticipation was palpable. . . after a bunch of unique trailers (Superman phone booth spoof, deceased PBS artist Bob Ross riff, ‘oh shit, we forget to put the computer generated effects in’, and apologies to David Beckham), Deadpool has finally returned to theatres – one of the most anticipated R-rated sequels in quite some time. And, for the most part, it thrives. This time directed by stunt man turned action maestro David Leitch (John Wick; Atomic Blonde), he reintroduces us to Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the sarcastic, fast-talking quasi hero who cleans up the streets by leaving one dead body after another littering them. Though all is not well, and we soon flash back to learn why our protagonist is so morose – a nice touch, while he sulks, he plays a music box that features Wolverine impaled on a stake. *** Warning, one major and a few minor spoilers in the upcoming paragraphs.***