Zero Dark Thirty

In 2003, CIA officers Maya (Jessica Chastain) and Dan (Jason Clarke) interrogate a detainee in an effort to gather intelligence and thwart future terrorist attacks. The detainee identifies the previously unknown Abu Ahmed as Osama bin Laden’s trusted courier. Maya then spends the next several years trying to identify and track down Ahmed and, ultimately, bin Laden.

Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal scored a major hit with 2008’s The Hurt Locker, but this most recent dip into the well of Middle Eastern intrigue is a different type of beast. Originally conceived as the story of the CIA’s failure to find bin Laden, real life events necessitated a major reimagining. The results are a success, albeit a qualified one.

Throughout Zero Dark Thirty, several CIA characters drop the word tradecraft: skill in plying one’s trade. And while it is synonymous with espionage, it can also be applied to the film itself. Zero Dark Thirty is impressively shot in a gritty, realistic style. It isn’t always eye-pleasing – unless grainy video footage and shaky night vision are your thing – but it adds a considerable amount of verisimilitude.

The acting is similarly polished. Though her character takes on arguably too big a role (see below), Chastain imbues Maya with passion and strength. We see her evolve from relative novice to relentless crusader, galvanized by loss and, sadly, devoid of any other purpose in life. Her CIA compatriots, all too often portrayed on the screen as either needlessly obstructive bureaucrats or ruthlessly amoral rogues, depicted realistically and humanely here. We see Maya’s bosses (led by James Gandolfini as CIA Director Leon Panetta) grapple with difficult decisions in light of a changing political reality. Even Clarke’s somewhat bombastic character is given some depth: he’s torturing detainees one moment and feeding ice cream to pet monkeys the next.

Though they are well-portrayed, the characters are done a disservice by Boal’s script. In one scene, a CIA officer allows a known Al-Qaeda member to bypass security on a military base on the rumor that he will work as a mole. In another, a white character on a surveillance mission walks into the middle of a crowded Pakistani city after being warned that whites are unwelcome. And then there’s Maya. While it makes sense to have someone for the viewer to identify with for narrative purposes, one can’t help feel that she gets too much credit here, especially in light of how the men who actually killed bin Laden are deemphasized. We meet the Navy SEALs toward the end of the movie, and even then, they are shown to be a bunch of dubious, eccentric yokels who only demonstrate competence once the raid on the Abbottabad compound commences.

In addition, the film appears to be suffering from an identity crisis. Sometimes, it plays like a political drama, at other times, it plays like a police procedural, and by the end, it’s an action film. This schizophrenia extends itself to the film’s pacing as well. Zero Dark Thirty often lags and sputters along sluggishly, but when it does leap into action, it does so with the unyielding tension that made The Hurt Locker such an adrenaline rush. As a final aside, the extensive use of chapter headings may be designed to evoke a “nonfiction” feel, but they are distracting and unnecessary.

Since its release (and probably even before), Zero Dark Thirty has been assailed by some for compromising intelligence and by others for promoting torture. Both claims are groundless (it’s worth noting that the initial informant only gives information after he is treated civilly), and they distract from what is otherwise a worthwhile film. It may not be worthy of its numerous Oscar nominations, and it almost certainly could have been more tightly edited, but its frank depiction of intelligence work in a dangerous and rapidly changing world makes Zero Dark Thirty a memorable and commendable effort.

7.75/10

Gangster Squad

In postwar Los Angeles, New York-born Jewish gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) looks to solidify his grip over the city’s underworld. His ruthless methods lead police chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) to retaliate with some ruthlessness of his own. Parker tabs World War II vet Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) to recruit an off-the-books squad to take Cohen down. Among the recruits are knife expert Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), gunslinger Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and his protégé Navidad (Michael Pena), and surveillance man Con Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi). O’Mara’s friend and fellow veteran Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) joins the mix later, but he brings a complication: he’s involved with Cohen’s moll Grace Farraday (Emma Stone).

I wanted to like this movie. I really did. James Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential is one of my favorite books and movies and L.A. Noire is one of my favorite video games. Combine that creatively fertile Los Angeles gangster milieu with an A-list cast, and Gangster Squad should have been a sure thing. Instead, the lackluster results are almost as much of a crime as anything you see on the screen.

Comedy director Ruben Fleischer makes for an easy scapegoat, but from a technical standpoint, he doesn’t disappoint. His cinematic L.A. is both ritzy and sordid, and it’s loaded with convincing period detail. While the film is quite violent, Fleischer avoids Tarantinoesque overkill and gives us some fairly suspenseful shootouts and car chases.

No, the real culprit here is Will Beal’s screenplay. Like The Untouchables, this film is ahistorical and overly simplified, but it lacks the former’s class. Most of the characters here are one-dimensional and thinly developed, the opening and closing narration is laughably bad, and the ending is downright inane (if also predictable). Such formulaic fluff might be acceptable for a network TV show, but it’s utterly disappointing to see in a big-budget movie.

Given the constraints, the cast at least tries. Penn in particular imbues Cohen with seemingly limitless ambition, avarice, and savagery. Kudos also go to Gosling, who is able to change from frivolous playboy to deadly avenger in the blink of an eye. Brolin comes across as wooden in the lead role though, and Stone’s talents are egregiously wasted.

On its own merits, Gangster Squad is watchable and occasionally even entertaining. But it’s a mere shadow of what it could have been.

7/10

Total Recall

In the dystopian future, a war-ravaged Earth is divided into the dominant United Federation of Britain and the independent Colony. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a Colony resident who works on an assembly line in the UFB. Bored with his job, Quaid decides to pay a visit to Rekall, a fantasy fulfillment firm that implants desirable memories. But before Doug can live out his spy fantasy, Rekall makes a shocking discovery: he actually is a spy with altered memories. As the bewildered amnesiac attempts to piece his identity together, he comes into conflict with the forces of UFB Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), including his very own wife.

Len Wiseman’s remake of Paul Verhoeven’s iconic 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle does its best to tonally distance itself from the original while remaining substantively faithful. While much of the plot remains the same, gone are the body-dwelling Kuato (he’s replaced by a more sensible rebel leader played by Bill Nighy) and a lot of the cheesiness. However, the 2012 version also sacrifices some of the ambiguity and intrigue over what is actually happening in favor of a more straightforward sci-fi action romp.

Wiseman’s film has a lot going for it visually. It takes stylistic cues from everything from Judge Dredd to I Robot. The action sequences, which include hovercar chases, explosions, and zero-gravity fisticuffs, are suspenseful, and the film sustains a quick pace. Though Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium) is only credited as a writer for this project, some of the combat seems to bear his trademark style.

On the other side of the camera, Farrell makes for both a more credible Quaid (a blue-collar everyman) than Ahnold ever did. Of course, he’s also less credible as a highly skilled superspy, but then again, a good agent wouldn’t appear to be a threat. Kate Beckinsale’s Lori combines two of the original film’s roles (sleeper agent posing as a wife and ruthless, bloodthirsty rival) and does so quite well: she’s tough, utterly implacable, and a little bit scary. Contrastingly, Cranston’s Cohaagen is more of an urbane malevolence. He delivers lines well enough, but he doesn’t bring a convincing presence to a fight scene. Rounding out the primary cast is Jessica Biel as a resistance fighter that Quaid dreams about. She’s more likeable here than in most of her film outings and is far more than a token love interest.

Where the film suffers is in its predictability. Verhoven’s film walked a fine line between the goings-on actually happening and the goings-on being part of Quaid’s fantasy. How much he knew about what was happening added a layer of complexity. In Wiseman’s version, there is a scene where a character tries to convince Quaid/Houser that he’s still back at Rekall, but it doesn’t convince the audience any more than it does him. Still, Total Recall is quite decent as remakes go. At the very least, it could have been a lot worse.

7.5/10 

Seoul Garden

Located at 5318 W. Market Street in Greensboro, Seoul Garden offers authentic Korean cuisine with pan-Asian flourishes. The menu includes soups, rice bowls, noodle dishes, and shared entrees. Lunch and drink specials are available.

Tucked amid a slew of other West Market businesses, Seoul Garden is quite easy to miss. The building is nondescript on both the outside (there’s signage, but nothing memorable about it) and within (the dark wood on white walls is classy albeit familiar). Indeed, the only thing that initially stands out about the establishment is the fact that it is Korean; there aren’t many in Greensboro.

Once the menu reaches your hands, however, everything changes. Seoul Garden has something for the newcomer and the Korean aficionado alike. Dishes range from simple, tried-and-true (udon and ishiyaki) to enchantingly complex (table-prepared gol dishes that combine everything under the sun). Our server recommended the bulgogi, so we tried one with beef and one with spicy pork.

Like any reputable Korean restaurant, Seoul Garden offers an assortment of banchan (side dishes). The kimchi and vegetable dishes were tasty, but a Waldorf salad-like concoction was perplexing. The bulgogi came as advertised, which is to say spicy (they can tone it down upon request) and sizzling hot. Throw in some complimentary miso and a sweet cinnamon iced tea dessert and you’re looking at quite a bit of food for the money ($9.99). It’s worth noting, however, that prices increase sharply among the more intricate shared dishes (including a reservation-only multi-course $100 halibut sashimi).

Staff at Seoul Garden are polite, but the service leans toward slow. This is not much of a problem from a hunger standpoint – the side dishes can tide you over until the bulk of your food arrives – but be sure that you plan for a leisurely meal.  Crowding was not an issue during our visit.

Don remains the more convenient option for a quality rice bowl, but with so many eye-catching options left unexplored, Seoul Garden begs for a return visit. This time, we’ll know exactly where to find it.

8/10