Unit 10 Road to Perdition film review.

Setting of the Road to Perdition
Road to Perdition was released on July 12, 2002. It received a single Oscar, as well as twelve other wins. Written by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner of the Writers Guild Association, Road to Perdition was Directed by Sam Mendez. This film takes place during the winter of 1931 in Chicago.

Plot
Road to Perdition is about a twelve year old boy named Michael who finds out how his father has been putting food on the table; murdering people as a hit man. When Michael’s father, Mike, realizes that his son is in danger he rushes home to protect him only to find his wife and other son are dead. Mike takes Michael out of the house and tries to protect him, while at the same time getting revenge on those who have wronged his family.

Actors
Tom Hanks plays the role of Mike Sullivan, a man who is hired as a hit man for a crime boss named John Rooney. Mike see’s Rooney as a father figure and remains loyal to him for many years. Throughout the movie you Mike’s character becomes less aggressive and more of a father to his son Michael.

Tyler Hoechlin plays the role of Michael Sullivan, a twelve year old boy who sees his father kill a man. This action leads to the eventual death of his mother and brother, throughout the movie you can see Michael’s guilt grow. Although Tyler doesn’t get very many lines playing the role of Michael, he does a good job of showing his characters progression.

Presentation
I wasn’t very fond of the presentation of this film; I feel the lines were forced and that it took too long to get into the main story. The film is two hours long and could have done without the first forty minutes. The scenery was bland and the camera angles actually gave me a migraine. All in all the presentation was very disappointing.

What happened during this time period?
In the booming 1920’s women were finally allowed to vote thanks to the ratification of the 19th amendment. By 1923, out economy was stronger than ever before thanks to Harding. The 1920’s were a great year for most Americans; many purchased their first vehicles, owned household appliances, and went out for entertainment often. This streak ended in 1929 when the booming stock market crashed, leading to the great depression. During the great depression, our economy was in horrible shape and people were becoming miserable. One in every five people was left without a job, and businesses were shutting down.

Comparison
This film takes place in the great depression, and because of that many people are left without jobs. It is this fact that leads to Mike Sullivan taking his job as a hit man. He often thanks John Rooney for allowing him to work under him, claiming that if it weren’t for him his family would have nothing. The only other thing this film has in common with the timeframe it was based upon was the sense of corruption and desperation. Police officers taking bribes to look the other way while families do despicable acts just to survive, all in all not a very happy time for Americans.

What have I learned?
I have learned from the reading material and my movie that the people in this time period went through some serious highs and lows. Women finally gained the right to vote, African Americans began to join our culture in places like Detroit and Chicago, and job security was a given. Only ten years later when the stock market crashed one in every five people were unemployed and people were generally miserable.

*****I give this film a 6/10*****

Unit 9 Film Review: The Lost Battalion.

Setting of the Lost Battalion

The lost battalion is a made for T.V. movie that was released on December 2, 2001. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, It was written by James Carabatsos of the Writers Guild Association, and was made to be seen on A&E. This film was nominated for three prime time Emmys, along with three other nominations and two wins.

Plot

This movie tells the true story of how former New York lawyer, Major Charles White Whittlesey is sent on a suicide mission to take the French territory that was held by German forces in the Argonne Forest. The Major takes 500 men in with him and is promised support from the French and other allied nations but receives nothing. Major Whittlesey holds his position against all odds, hoping that what he and his men are doing will help end World War I.

Actors

Rick Schroder takes the lead role as Major Charles White Whittlesey; a man who used to be a lawyer in New York who agreed with Woodrow’s anti-war campaign. Schroder portrays the Major as a very serious person who is looking out for the safety of his men. Whittlesey tries to keep his battalion looking sharp even after suffering many casualties in order to show no sign of weakness.

Jay Rodan plays the role of Lt. Leak, an “apple Knocker” from Texas who just can’t seem to understand them City folk. Most of the movie the gangsters from New York pick on Leak because he’s from a small town and often can’t understand what they are saying. Throughout the movie the soldiers bond with one another and try to help keep each other’s morale up. Jar Rodan did a fair job at portraying Leak as a naïve boy from a small town.

Presentation

The presentation in this film was excellent; to be honest most war movies bore me to tears, sometimes taking me four or five sessions just to finish it. This film was different, however; the characters were diverse and intriguing and there was no shortage of action. Whether it is the German forces firing upon the 308 or the allies accidentally bombing the American encampment there was always something going on. The acting was superb and the battles were realistic.

What happened during this time period?

Tension was building between America and Germany on May 7, 1915, as a German submarine sunk a British liner which held 1,198 people, 128 of whom were Americans. Wilson Woodrow ordered an immediate halt to attacks on liners and Merchant ships. The German’s agreed to this but attacked two more vessels over the next two years; Wilson demanded that Germany abandoned submarine warfare, or he would break their diplomatic relations. Again, Germany agreed, and again, Germany attacked. On January 31, 1917, Germany began attacking U.S. Vessels, and after five were sunk Wilson Woodrow asked congress for a declaration of war; it was quickly approved on April 2, 1917. America was now part of the First World War.

During World War I many battles were fought to gain control of strategic territories, including the Meuse-Argonne, which cracked Germany’s vaunted Hindenburg Line. Nearly two million Americans were set out to fight in this war, with help from the French and British. Women in America began doing the jobs that the soldiers used to do, many even joining the military to help build weapons or heal the wounded. On November 11, 1918 in the 11th hour, Germany agreed to an Armistice and the war was over. Although many Americans died in World War I, even more were infected by the Flu which took many lives. Later, Woodrow established the League of Nations which contained the leader of each nation; the purpose of this group was to resolve conflicts without going to war.

Comparison

This film was quite accurate on a number of levels; the movie is based on a real battalion which was sent on a suicide mission in order to advance into the Argonne Forest. These were considered to be acceptable losses by high ranking Generals who likely had little remorse for what they were doing. This movie also showed that battalions were sometimes composed of a very diverse set of people; French, Americans, British, and people from Poland. Also, there was always a chance that Americans could bomb their own encampments on mistake while trying to strike the enemy.

What have I learned?

In this unit, I have learned how World War I began and ended. I also learned how the groundwork was laid for World War II from our unreasonable requests of Germany. We claimed that Germany was solely responsible for the war and that they should cover the multi-billion dollar cost in reparations, even though there were many other nations involved in the conflict. Also, before this unit I had no idea that women helped prepare the weapons and vehicles that our soldiers used.

*****I give this film an 8/10*****

Unit 8 Project: Unforgiven film review

Setting of Unforgiven

Unforgiven was released on August 7th 1992. It received four Oscars and 30 other wins. The film was written by David Webb Peoples of the Writers Guild Association, Clint Eastwood directed the film and also took the lead role as William ‘Bill’ Munny. The film is based in the Wild West time period in the latter half of the 19th century.

Plot

The story of Unforgiven begins when two cowboys come to the quiet town of Big Whisky. The cowboys stop by a whore house and when the entertainer mutters something unfavorable about the cowboy, he, with the help of his partner, cut the prostitute all over her body. The Sheriff, Little Bill gives the two cowboys a slap on the wrist, taking a few horses from each man with no whippings or jail time. The women of the whore house put their money together and seek the aid of willing bounty hunters to punish the cowboys properly. Word reaches a young would be killer who enlists the aid of a formerly renown killer to claim the reward.

Actors

Clint Eastwood played the role of William ‘Bill’ Munny, a man who was once revered as a ruthless bounty hunter. Munny had taken the life of men, women, and children; pretty much anything that moved at some point in his life. He stopped killing and started raising a family and a farm, a decade later however, Munny’s wife has passed on and his pigs are dying rapidly; money is short and in order to provide for his children Munny returns to his former occupation as a bounty hunter for one final kill, but has he lost his touch?

Morgan Freeman plays the role of Ned Logan, a long time friend of Munny who had been through many fights with him. Ned plays as the voice of reason throughout the movie that doubts the usefulness of “The Schofield Kid,” and often tests him. Towards the end of the movie Ned decides to go back home, turning his back on the money when he realizes the risk is too great. Ned gets caught and is brutally beaten to death as the Sheriff tries to get information on his two partners.

Presentation

I have never been too fond of Western films in general, but this film was bearable. Clint Eastwood performed exceptionally well with the exception of some of his dialogue which went on for a bit too long. Most of the dialogue was him talking about how he didn’t feel right doing what he was doing; this allowed viewers to see that although he was far from being a hero in this film, he wasn’t a true villain either. The backdrops were repetitive, but that is to be expected from this time period.

What happened during this time period?

The Wild West time period began and ended in the 19th Century. A key theme in this time period was conquest. Americans were trying to take over any land they could find including the land of Indians, in order to pave the way for more towns and railroads. It wasn’t only the white man attacking Indians, however; the Ute’s helped the white man conquer the Navajo Indians. When people weren’t trying to take over land they were trying to make a living; perhaps you would pay for food with the money you earned at the local tavern? Perhaps you made your living as a bounty hunter, killing wrongdoers with the promise of a cash reward.

Comparison

This movie displays how small towns functioned back in this time period very well. The sheriff in a town held the majority of the power and if he were corrupt enough to take bribes from would-be prisoners it would be easy for him to let them go. Another important aspect of history seen in this film would be how people could take the law into their own hands; if the price was right you could hire a bounty hunter to take out anyone you wanted.

What have I learned?

I have learned that in this time period courts weren’t used as often as they could have been. In smaller towns people could be executed just on suspicion of a crime. One important fact I had never known was that Indians worked with the White Man in order to get rid of rival factions of Indians. In these Indian wars many Indians had their land and their livestock stolen from them.