Once the most decorated cop in New York – bold and smug Pole Stanley White (Mickey Rourke) – becomes responsible for Chinatown, he resolves to cease a wave of unbridled violence entailed by the head of Chinese mafia Joey Tai (John Lone). Notwithstanding, this task is not that easy to fulfil
After an artistic five-year marasmus, Michael Cimino returned with this wonderfully executed piece of gangster cinema which is so beautifully shot and riveting that Razzie Award nominations seem to be some sort of absurd and satire (It was nominated only inasmuch it was directed by oath-laden Mr Cimino). It bombards its viewer with outstanding visuals and spellbindingly edited action sequences and in addition to this, it is scored by the great composer David Mansfield whose ecstatic and aggressive soundtrack already infuses a portion of adrenaline into one's veins. The rendition by Cimino is indubitably exquisite and there is a tangible touch of aesthetical imagination of Cimino virtually in every scene. Cimino, a director who does comprehend how to conjure up an evocative climax, slowly boils the whole plot and simmers the scolding substance till the explosive and exciting denouement arrives – so suggestive as if it was doused in some nitro-glycerine. The ensemble is meticulously delineated with red, azure hues as well as some contrasted ones such as white and black slightly reminiscent of a palette of film noir which was likewise possibly Mr Cimino's intention. The colourful décor is enchanting and unlike some visually unsuccessful motion pictures, the tints appear to be flowing out of the screen which is something emotionally sensational.
Yet, Cimino's movie is everything but perfect. Despite this laudable visualisation, which is pleasant to eulogise over, it has some structural foibles and invariably problematic script. The story revolves around Stanley White – a cop who is a racist owing to the fact that he used to serve in US Army in Vietnam. Thus, he dislikes Chinese and the violence occurring in the district serves him as one of the arguments of his antipathy. Other characters, including Tracy Tzu and Joey Tai, are initiated quite daftly. However, after a period of time, once White and Tai face each other, there is a conversation between them and the nature of this discourse is rather confidential – White addresses Tai by name as if they had known each other for ages, hence, their relationship is pretty shallow, without adequate foreshadowing and furthermore interactions between them lack chemistry. The plot is divided into two quasi-entirely-separate motifs: White's and Tai's. Whereas White has some nuisances with his wife and there are a lot of quarrels transpiring between them, Tai is generally concerned about expanding his power as the head of Chinese mafia and endeavours to expose his ruthlessness and omnipotence. The dichotomous tale is quite engaging, still, there are flawed parts and the texture is permeated by dissonance forasmuch the action intertwines with minor episodes and rarely focuses on those major ones. The material undoubtedly indicates Cimino's tendency to longer flicks, yet it is devoid of textural integrity. There are likewise some redundant scenes e.g. one random-like shot before the assault on a Chinese restaurant – it displays a car with some thugs nearby the building, providing the instant with no depth whatsoever, creating not too much tension and looking more distracting than gripping.
Nevertheless, the film works well on account of solid mise en scène and the stunning soundtrack by Mansfield who utilizes apparently Chinese instruments with a view to introducing a viewer into sinister world of Chinatown. Cimino concretises the concept very neatly, exploiting swift montage, chic action sequences as well as drama-driven ones, particularly between White and his consort. Mickey Rourke stands out as Stanley White, conveying lots of charm to his role and he genuinely comes up to one's expectations as the audacious cop. Ariane never succeeds in being sufficiently convincing, notwithstanding, she is likable as the reporter and she isn't this sort of actress which could ruin the whole movie. John Lone, known for his part in Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, is very good as the boss of Chinese mafia, but fades away in comparison to Rourke who simply is the best performer all around.
Obviously, it isn't anything that explored something unexposed before, yet, it's a phenomenal piece of action nosh that ought to please both Cimino fans and those searching for some thrills. Apart from this, those seeking for some interesting overtones, there seem to be some parallels between Cimino himself and the character of Stanley White who endeavours to remain an unscrupulous policeman defending justice, but he disregards his faithful wife and the helpful reporter. Arrogant as Cimino was, he possibly attempted to explain and apologise for the financial catastrophe of his predecessor i.e. Heaven's Gate on which he had spent a huge sum of money due to his hubris and overambitious artistic aspirations. Of course, it is only a domain of presumptions, but anyway it is always worth a look what this director chose to film after aforementioned flick and upon being labelled as "the one who sold his soul to the devil" and butchered by a crowd of blood-thirsty critics.
After an artistic five-year marasmus, Michael Cimino returned with this wonderfully executed piece of gangster cinema which is so beautifully shot and riveting that Razzie Award nominations seem to be some sort of absurd and satire (It was nominated only inasmuch it was directed by oath-laden Mr Cimino). It bombards its viewer with outstanding visuals and spellbindingly edited action sequences and in addition to this, it is scored by the great composer David Mansfield whose ecstatic and aggressive soundtrack already infuses a portion of adrenaline into one's veins. The rendition by Cimino is indubitably exquisite and there is a tangible touch of aesthetical imagination of Cimino virtually in every scene. Cimino, a director who does comprehend how to conjure up an evocative climax, slowly boils the whole plot and simmers the scolding substance till the explosive and exciting denouement arrives – so suggestive as if it was doused in some nitro-glycerine. The ensemble is meticulously delineated with red, azure hues as well as some contrasted ones such as white and black slightly reminiscent of a palette of film noir which was likewise possibly Mr Cimino's intention. The colourful décor is enchanting and unlike some visually unsuccessful motion pictures, the tints appear to be flowing out of the screen which is something emotionally sensational.
Yet, Cimino's movie is everything but perfect. Despite this laudable visualisation, which is pleasant to eulogise over, it has some structural foibles and invariably problematic script. The story revolves around Stanley White – a cop who is a racist owing to the fact that he used to serve in US Army in Vietnam. Thus, he dislikes Chinese and the violence occurring in the district serves him as one of the arguments of his antipathy. Other characters, including Tracy Tzu and Joey Tai, are initiated quite daftly. However, after a period of time, once White and Tai face each other, there is a conversation between them and the nature of this discourse is rather confidential – White addresses Tai by name as if they had known each other for ages, hence, their relationship is pretty shallow, without adequate foreshadowing and furthermore interactions between them lack chemistry. The plot is divided into two quasi-entirely-separate motifs: White's and Tai's. Whereas White has some nuisances with his wife and there are a lot of quarrels transpiring between them, Tai is generally concerned about expanding his power as the head of Chinese mafia and endeavours to expose his ruthlessness and omnipotence. The dichotomous tale is quite engaging, still, there are flawed parts and the texture is permeated by dissonance forasmuch the action intertwines with minor episodes and rarely focuses on those major ones. The material undoubtedly indicates Cimino's tendency to longer flicks, yet it is devoid of textural integrity. There are likewise some redundant scenes e.g. one random-like shot before the assault on a Chinese restaurant – it displays a car with some thugs nearby the building, providing the instant with no depth whatsoever, creating not too much tension and looking more distracting than gripping.
Nevertheless, the film works well on account of solid mise en scène and the stunning soundtrack by Mansfield who utilizes apparently Chinese instruments with a view to introducing a viewer into sinister world of Chinatown. Cimino concretises the concept very neatly, exploiting swift montage, chic action sequences as well as drama-driven ones, particularly between White and his consort. Mickey Rourke stands out as Stanley White, conveying lots of charm to his role and he genuinely comes up to one's expectations as the audacious cop. Ariane never succeeds in being sufficiently convincing, notwithstanding, she is likable as the reporter and she isn't this sort of actress which could ruin the whole movie. John Lone, known for his part in Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, is very good as the boss of Chinese mafia, but fades away in comparison to Rourke who simply is the best performer all around.
Obviously, it isn't anything that explored something unexposed before, yet, it's a phenomenal piece of action nosh that ought to please both Cimino fans and those searching for some thrills. Apart from this, those seeking for some interesting overtones, there seem to be some parallels between Cimino himself and the character of Stanley White who endeavours to remain an unscrupulous policeman defending justice, but he disregards his faithful wife and the helpful reporter. Arrogant as Cimino was, he possibly attempted to explain and apologise for the financial catastrophe of his predecessor i.e. Heaven's Gate on which he had spent a huge sum of money due to his hubris and overambitious artistic aspirations. Of course, it is only a domain of presumptions, but anyway it is always worth a look what this director chose to film after aforementioned flick and upon being labelled as "the one who sold his soul to the devil" and butchered by a crowd of blood-thirsty critics.