B+
Despite being a reasonably conventional mystery thriller, In the Heat of the Night's contemporary undercurrent of class and racial tensions keeps all of its scenes enthralling. Silliphant's wittily trenchant script is gifted with exceptional blocking: conversations often take place in one take to stress the dialogue's lyrical repetition; the camera varies framing to retain dynamism during lengthy monologues; and the snappiest one-liners ("They call me Mister Tibbs!") are accentuated with rare close-ups. Furthermore, Poitier's and Steiger's dissimilar performances suit their mismatched characters. Poitier strides with a calculated elegance to reflect Tibbs' urban environment, whilst Gillespie's quick temper comes across in Steiger's constant gum-chewing.
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In the Heat of the Night 1967
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Inglourious Basterds 2009
B+
While Inglorious Bastards failed to invigorate me as much as Tarantino's other films, I nevertheless found the film relatively entertaining. Telling an alternate history of two plots to assassinate the Nazi Party's leadership, the movie's greatest asset is undoubtedly Christoph Waltz. Not only were his lengthy glares unnerving, but the actor also accentuates his lines with disturbing playfulness. Alas, Tarantino's excessive gore lacks the set-up required to render it cathartic. Although Nazism's barbarism is needless to vocalise, the absence…Translated from by
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Harakiri 1962
A+
Following an elderly ronin who explains his decision to commit harakiri to an audience of samurai, Harakiri fuses measured camerawork with energetic editing to create a galvanising masterclass in tension. Although it is primarily composed of static wides and mediums, Kobayashi uses both blocking (squares to symbolise the protagonist's entrapment) and lighting (angular shadows during the villain's monologue) to create engrossingly architectural compositions. However, Harakiri's most indelible moments are directed and scored brashly. My favourite instance begins with a…Translated from by -
Akira 1988
A–
We slowly pan up across an extreme wide shot of Tokyo, as the date and setting fade in and out. Then, unexpectedly, a white dome of light quietly envelopes this vast cityscape in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. A blurry, vein-like image match cuts to an unharmed city. However, the rapid scrawl mentioning WWIII and a chasmic crater indicate otherwise. In strikingly scarlet bold letters, we see the film's title: Akira.Although I won't craftily analyse the opening sequence any more…
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