January | 2020 | BS Reviews

Opening with a moment of unity and closing with something far different, Les Misérables follows three members of an anti-crime brigade in Paris. The film begins with a soccer match that has hundreds of locals shouting in solidarity for their national team but quickly shifts to its focus: the relationship between law enforcement and the citizens they serve. Corporal Ruiz (Damien Bonnard; Dunkirk) transfers into a new police unit in is placed on a team with Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djibril Zonga). He quickly realizes their methods and beliefs are very different from his own as they torment the community and reveal possible illicit connections to criminal groups. The film is not an adaption of Victor Hugo’s famous novel, but it shares many of the same themes of class struggles and takes place in some of the same locations a century and a half later.

Director Ladj Ly’s greatest gift is his control over crowds. The film carries a sense of unease with characters constantly in conflict. The police clash with the residents who clash with their mayor and with other factions. There is an omnipresent civil unrest that threatens to boil over into outright violence at any moment. Simple discussions immediately escalate into screaming matches between divided groups, seconds away from beating each other senseless. The message is one of pent-up frustration. Whether it’s their living conditions, their economic opportunities, or their treatment by the police, the people of this neighborhood have suffered injustice and it has manifested in a level of collective agitation that is a powder keg just looking for a spark.

The street crime unit is always combative in their interactions with the locals.

The film questions, and answers, the police’s role in this chaos. Supposedly the protectors and agents of law and order, the street crime unit sees itself as the only thing keeping the neighborhood peaceful. Ruiz is a newcomer and is appalled by the actions of his teammates. They are self-righteous, unjust, and actively antagonistic. At times, their behavior is almost unbearable as Chris sees a teenager he finds attractive and threatens to molest her under the guise of a drug search. They view themselves as infallible and refuse to apologize for any of their harassment with a character even screaming “I am the law!”. Their beliefs and the realities of their behavior are shown in stark contrast.

Ly sees law enforcement that behaves in this manner as the progenitors of discord and violence in the community. He places special focus on the youth of this area who are tormented at an early age by the police. They learn to run away immediately, even when they have done nothing wrong, because they know that their innocence or guilt don’t factor into how they are treated. They become the true victims as Ly reinforces his thesis. The message can be a bit heavy-handed at times with characters like Chris being an indefensible tyrant, but Ly makes a compelling case for how systemic abuse by authorities can create and perpetuate a cycle of violence and discord in struggling communities.

4/5 stars.

Set on a drilling base at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Underwater follows a crew of workers when something goes terribly wrong. Norah (Kristen Stewart; Personal Shopper) is a mechanical engineer that narrowly escapes a collapsing wing of the base and informs the others of the catastrophic damage. It appears that an earthquake has destroyed most of their base and its crew. As Norah and the others attempt to escape, they encounter anomalies that suggest they may not be alone on the ocean floor. The film is the first studio feature of William Eubank (Love), an indie sci-fi director, and he carries much of his style into the project.

Eubank is adept at creating tension. It’s immediately obvious that several of the crew are going to die, the questions are who, how, and when and Eubank keeps this guessing game interesting. Some deaths are predictable when characters venture away from the group, but other deaths can be swift and unexpected. There are plenty of jump scares, but few that feel cheap. There are moments of levity used to break the tension with T.J. Miller (Cloverfield) making sarcastic jokes in precarious situations, but these aren’t as annoying as they initially appear. Miller serves as an audience surrogate, pointing out the insurmountable danger they face that films often ignore. His jokes are usually only worth a chuckle, but they’re not to the film’s detriment.

The film boasts impressive visual effects. The sets have the unadorned look of an oil rig rather than a high-tech sterile environment and it adds to the realism, particularly when portions of the base collapse. Eubank uses the same contrasting speed-up / slow-down effect from his earlier films during explosive scenes to capture the power of the blasts and it provides some needed style. There are also interesting designs like the pressurized suits the crew wears to traverse the ocean. The suits could easily be mistaken for mech suits with their intricate, almost modular appearance. The designs of the sea creatures are mostly standard, but their quick movements and glowing eyes are frightening enough. The best design is revealed towards the end when the film shows it still has a secret up its sleeve and is able to create a unexpected, but truly awe-inducing moment.

While the direction may be strong, it’s impossible to ignore the script’s unoriginality. The film is a cross between Alien, The Abyss, and The Descent with little original plot to add. It has the same blue-collar cast as Alien, the setting of The Abyss, and the creatures and claustrophobia of The Descent. The main crew has little development and the film seems more interested in its set pieces than its characters. Surprisingly, this was a beneficial choice. The lack of character focus allows the film’s strongest features, it’s visuals and direction, to shine. In the few moments when relationships and backstories are emphasized, the cast struggles with the lackluster script and do the film a disservice. It’s story is completely familiar but the film’s tense direction and visual flair are enough to make it an enjoyable ride.

3/5 stars.

BS Reviews

Monthly Archives: January 2020

Les Misérables (2020): Injustice and Cyclical Violence

Underwater (2020): Familiar, but Enjoyably Tense

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