If there's one thing to take away from Knight Of Cups its that it kind of dispels some of the rumors a lot of folks still buy in to about Terrence Malick. Like Tree Of Life & To The Wonder before it, Knight Of Cups is another semi-autobiographical tale that's partially inspired by Malick's life. In the film Christian Bale essentially plays Terrence Malick ("Rick") - a disenfranchised screenwriter with relationship problems wandering through the decedent underbelly of the entertainment industry (like the tarot card story of The Knight Of Cups, Rick is a bored, flighty, artistic dreamer).
There's this mystique about Terrence Malick that some folks don't want to let go. He's often made out to be this JD Salinger-esque figure in the movie biz because he didn't put out a film in the 20 year span between Days Of Heaven (1978) & The Thin Red Line (1998). But the thing is, he wasn't somewhere off in seclusion meditating on a mountain (this is an image I seriously feel like some folks had of him). Terrence Malick was somewhat active behind the scenes in both film & theater. It's well documented at this point that between the late 70's throughout the 80's Malick did everything from ghostwriting & script touch-ups, to starting & stopping various film & theater projects.
For more on Malick's personal life I highly recommend reading the latest edition of One Big Soul which sheds a lot of light on his so-called "inactive" period (the subplot concerning Rick's brothers in Knight Of Cups is exactly like Malick's real relationship with his late brothers).
Personally, I enjoyed Knight Of Cups overall but I wouldn't really recommend it to just anyone. Not even the casual Malick fan (if there is such a thing). To quote my friend/PINNLAND EMPIRE contributor Leanne Kubicz - Terrence Malick absolutely went "full Malick" on this one (I know that sounds dreadful to some of you but I love that. Knight Of Cups is kind of like Terrence Malick's Inland Empire in that there isn't much of a filter). Because I'm such a big fan of his recent work, I do feel the strange need to be a little protective/territorial no matter how understandably frustrating he can be at times. At this point everyone should know what they're getting in to when it comes to a Terrence Malick film. I never understand all the recent negative/snarky reviews from critics & bloggers who are familiar with his work & style yet always manage to get worked up and angry as if, at this point, they don't know what to expect from a post Thin Red Line Terrence Malick movie. For those who do want something different from the filmmaker, this is his first film set outside of a rural territory/small town, and he works with an ensemble cast of some unlikely actors. This is also his first movie broken up in to chapters.
Knight Of Cups falls right in line with the style of Tree Of Life & To The Wonder (all three films kind of act as a trilogy for Malick's personal life). There's lots of dreamy/breathy voiceover narration that'll probably make the average person roll their eyes. Emmanuel Lubeski uses the same style of cinematography as his previous collaborations with Malick (I still find it odd that folks have issues with his Malick-related work while his work for Alejandro Innaritu gets blind praise).
Visual similarities between Terrence Malick & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu...
Tree Of Life / The Revenant
Tree Of Life / The Revenant
To The Wonder / The Revenant
The New World / The Revenant
I’m almost convinced at this point that Alejandro Inarritu is lightweight obsessed with Terrence Malick so much that he not only utilizes Malick’s current cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki in the same exact way, but he even releases his films around the same time as Malick (sidenote - I had the pleasure of seeing The Revenant last night at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music and while it was entertaining, it also hammers home my point). I know Innaritu & Lubezki are connected through the Mexican film scene but no one started using Lubezki’s current style until Malick did with The New World (2005).
In Knight Of Cups Malick draws visual inspiration from filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovsy & Michael Mann...
Solaris (Tarkovsky) / Knight Of Cups
Michael Mann-esque cityscape: Miami Vice (Mann) / Knight Of Cups
Miami Vice / Knight Of Cups
I can only speak for myself when I say that Malick's exploration of inner-turmoil, confusion and just that overall feeling of "blah" speaks to me right now more than any other filmmaker (with the exception of Carlos Reygadas). And you know this feeling has to be true because it takes a lot of courage/balls for anyone to openly admit something like that and actually mean it (I often face ridicule from my friends and my fiancée for my love of Terrence Malick's films). I think we all know that Malick is looked at as more of a joke/slow-moving target than a serious filmmaker these days.
It's easy to watch Knight Of Cups and claim that nothing happens or it isn't about anything (like some early reviews have been saying). But that is kind of the point (sorry to sound pretentious and blindly defensive at the same time, but it's true). This film draws inspiration from a period in Malick's life when he was feeling kind of "blah" and a little cloudy. Christian Bale's silent/brooding/confused performance in Knight Of Cups falls right in line with Ben Affleck in To The Wonder & Sean Penn/Hunter McCracken in Tree Of Life (which makes sense as all of these actors are essentially portraying Terrence Malick at different stages of his life).
The Thin Red Line / Knight Of Cups
My only (major) issue with Knight Of Cups is that it makes Rick out to be kind of a hypocrite. Throughout the film there's this unspoken vibe we get from him as if he's quietly judging all the glutinous materialistic folks he's surrounded by in the entertainment industry, yet at the same time we see him driving fancy cars and frolicking around with beautiful women. I wonder if this inner-conflict was intentional or if Terrence Malick really is a clueless hypocrite that doesn't realize he's judging the same lifestyle he possibly indulged in at one point.
The female presence in Knight Of Cups is bound to ruffle some feathers. With the exception of Cate Blanchett, every woman we see serves no purpose except to pout, be moody and look attractive.
Knight Of Cups is a breath of fresh air from all the imitation Malick films that have surfaced since Tree Of Life (The Better Angels Mud, Take Shelter, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Birdman, The Revenant, etc). While some of the aforementioned films got Malick's stamp of approval (The Better Angels) and are somewhat enjoyable (Mud), most of the Malick-influenced films are underwhelming (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) or just downright bad/overrated (Take Shelter). It's time dad came back to reclaim his (small) throne.
Tree Of Life / The Better Angels
If you enjoyed To The Wonder (yes, enjoyed) along with the recent work of Nicholas Winding Refn (I'm convinced Malick was partially inspired by Drive & Only God Forgives) then this is for you. If you hated To The Wonder then just save yourself the aggravation and stay away...
I was going through my external hard drives again and I found these cross-comparison images that I forgot to post somewhere between my old write-ups of Heat & Public Enemies (if you remember, I was in a serious Michael Mann phase between late 2011 through mid 2012).
It’s a pretty straight forward representation of Mann’s constant exploration of the duality/rivalry between hero & villain. So instead of letting these images go unused, I figured I post it up…
Top to Bottom: Manhunter Heat Public Enemies Collateral
In the tradition of David Lynch & 'Mulholland Drive', Michael Mann's 'Heat' originated from a failed television project ('LA Takedown'). 'Heat' carries over the same basic plot as well as certain specific lines from 'L.A. Takedown' (there's even a cameo in 'Heat' from Xander Berkley who appears in the original). And strangely enough, 'Heat' and 'Mulholland Drive' share another common bond. Aside from being set in L.A., certain aspects of both films are LOOSELY based on true events and real people (with 'Mulholland Drive', David Lynch was subconsciously influenced by the death of his former assistant, while certain characters in 'Heat' are based on real people). 'L.A. Takedown' was a more simplified version of what Mann really wanted to do. It didn't have so many characters, not as many subplots and its only 90 minutes long, whereas 'Heat' is almost 3 hours with quite a few side stories.
In 'Heat', Al Pacino plays "Vincent Hanna": A somewhat unusual, yet dedicated police lieutenant (based on real life police officer-turned screen writer Chuck Adamson) who's on the trail of "Neil McCauley" (Robert Deniro) and his crew (Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo) who're about to pull a major heist. Hanna and McCauley's relationship, which we'll get to a little later, is a bit strange but at the same time very interesting.
I really appreciate the fact that even though 'Heat' is essentially an action film (or "crime drama"), Michael Mann took his time, and wasn't afraid to make a long, complex tale involving many different players and subplots. These subplots include: Hanna's marital problems and his suicidal stepdaughter (played by Natalie Portman), McCauley's relationship with his girlfriend and his pursuit of a former partner of his who double crosses him (just like in 'Thief', 'Public Enemies' and 'Miami Vice', Michael Mann creates a world where there's GOOD bad guys). The film also delves in to the life of Denrio's partner/2nd in command; "Chris" (Val Kilmer) who's also got marital and gambling problems. Over the years I've heard some people complain about all the additional characters and subplots, but in my opinion I thought they gave the film depth. In addition to basing Al Pacino's character off of a real life police officer, Michael Mann also based John Voight's character off of actor/author/ex-con Eddie Bunker (reservoir dogs and animal factory), who also acted as a consultant on 'Heat'.
The rest of the supporting cast in this film is so stacked, you often forget all the actors in it like; Ted Levine, Tom Noonan, Hank Azaria or Dennis Haysbert. Even a pre-entourage Jeremy Piven has a small part.
'Heat' is one of my favorite movies, but at the same time I cant deny it has its plot holes or unbelievable moments like; Al Pacino man handling Henry Rollins (i don't think so), Val Kilmer's getaway at the end or 3 guys greatly outnumbered by a S.W.A.T. team who manage to shoot their way out and get away with only 1 casualty, but none of that really seemed to bother me, because in my opinion it didn't take away from the "big picture".
This isn't just a blog entry about 'Heat'. Its also doubling as a study on Michael Mann and his style of film making (with 'Heat' as the main focus). Ever since i started doing the "images & stills" studies on various directors on PINNLAND EMPIRE, I've always felt the one i did on Michael Mann was pretty weak, so I'm gonna make up for it now...
"MICHAEL MANN STYLE":
In my opinion, 'Heat' is an important landmark. Its where all the great elements of Mann's early work like 'Thief' and 'Manhunter' (the acting, the grittiness, the music) met the great elements of his future work like 'Miami Vice' and 'Collateral' (unique cinematography, bright lights, big cities, nightclubs, beautiful lighting, etc). Techniques and shots were carried over from 'Thief' and 'Manhunter' into 'Heat', and we were also introduced to new techniques and shots in 'Heat' that Mann continues to do to this day...
'Manhunter' (1986)
'Heat' (1995)
'The Insider' (1999)
'Ali' (2001)
'Heat'
'Public Enemies' (2009)
'Heat'
'Miami Vice' (2006)
'Public Enemies'
'Manhunter'
'Heat'
'Miami Vice'
Every director creates their own world. Some directors like Lodge Kerrigan or David Lynch create a world of unease and crazy people that you don't wanna visit. Directors like Cassavetes show realism. Other directors like the obvious Tim Burton create a land of fantasy. Mann kinda combines all of those worlds. 'Heat' may appear to be realistic, but so many things in that movie would NEVER happen in real life. With a director like Mann, even with all the criminals, shootouts and violence, its a world you wouldn't mind visiting because he makes everything look cool and sleek. In 'Heat', he makes L.A. (a city I'm not too fond off) seem like a place I would enjoy.
INFLUENCES:
Its common knowledge to most movie nerds/Michael Mann fanatics that Alex Colville's painting; "Pacific" not only inspired some great shots in 'Heat' (below)
but 'Miami Vice' as well...
and as i said in my review of 'Thief', Mann draws inspiration from french crime directors like Jean Pierre Melville (specifically 'Le Circle Rouge'). Deniro's performance in 'Heat' is very Alain Delon-esque (minimal emotions, cool, calm, collected). Melville's influence on Mann has also trickled down to other filmmakers like Nicolas Winding Refn in 'Drive'...
'Le Circle Rouge'- Melville (1970)
'Heat'
Melville's influence on Michael Mann's other work (note the style of lights and the way they're shot in Melville's film compared to Mann's Ali)...
'Le Circle Rouge'
'Ali'
DENIRO & PACINO:
Of course the biggest hype around 'Heat' was that this was gonna be the first film to have Pacino and Denrio on screen together (as we all know they were both in 'The Godfather Part 2', but never at the same time). Say what you want, but Michael Mann has managed to quietly work with some of the biggest actors from each era. James Caan in the early 80's, Denrio, Pacino and Russell Crowe in the 90's and Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Javier Bardem and Christian Bale in the last decade. He was quite aware of the hype that would be surrounding this, and he made the audience wait until that classic scene when both iconic actors wold be in the same scene together. In the first half of 'Heat', Mann teased us with the stakeout scene, which is edited to look like Deniro and Pacino are looking right at each other when in fact they're in completely different locations.
He prolongs the meeting between Pacino and Deniro yet AGAIN, with another similar scene in which they aren't on camera together, but both are aware of each other's presence...
Eventually we get the famous "cafe scene" where Pacino and Deniro finally meet (which is kinda edited in a similar fashion as the stakeout scene from earlier). Their relationship in this scene, as well as this movie is like a flirty heterosexual relationship. Both characters have (some) respect for each other, even though they're technically enemies. Its this unspoken "thing" between the two of them...
Now that we've been face to face, if I'm there and I gotta put you away, I won't like it. But I tell you, if it's between you and some poor bastard whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow...brother...you are going down. - Vincent Hanna (Pacino)
There is a flip side to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down? Cause no matter what, you will not get in my way. We've been face to face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second. - McCauley (Deniro)
The respect that Hanna has for McCauley is a little odd. Its like he has a crush on him or something. His choice of words in that scene is a bit strange. As a cop, why wouldn't he like it if he had to take down a criminal who was putting the lives of others in danger (you know, essentially doing his job)? Through out the film whenever Hanna mentions McCauley, he repeats the line; "this guy is good". On the flip side, it seemed like once McCauley found out Hanna was on to him, he wanted to go through with it even more because it would be the ultimate challenge for him.
'Heat' is easily one of the best movies of the 90's and one of the greatest crime dramas of all time (...in my opinion). A true Los Angeles film that deserves its place among other ensemble modern LA films like 'Shortcuts' or 'Pulp Fiction'.
