Michael Fassbender as the killer: Will kill for his wife, living amongst the normies
Michael Fassbender as David: living amongst the normies, drugs his friends
Michael Fassbender in Black Bag: Drugs his friends, will kill for his wife
Juxtaposing Kurtz’s assassination with the sacrifice of a Carabao ritualizes Kurtz’s death and implies that Willard is not interrupting anything; he’s performing a role. Importantly, we don’t see where Willard ends up after he completes his mission. Does he return home, or does he go further up the river?
You don’t need minefields, snipers, bandits, car chases, or double-crosses when you’ve got one of the most thrilling premises ever devised— the TRUCK is a BOMB that will EXPLODE if it hits a speed bump.
But here, the trucks might as well not be carrying nitroglycerin. So many bullets pass politely through the trucks’ beds, touching nothing. The roads are paved or at least level for most of the trip. And when they’re not, it’s no problem! Just ford the river, no sweat. Falling rocks? Please—there’s a canvas covering.
What a waste.
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
I loved:
- The claustrophobic cinematography of the first half of the film. Lots of extreme close ups, lots of shots with very shallow depth of field. Some shots are completely out of focus. Everything is murky, subjective. There are no answers to the pain, rot, and darkness of the city or in Batman’s soul, at least for the first hour and a half or so of the film.
- The noir-ish atmosphere and tropes. The rain, the throbbing Batman…