Clive Owen did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Will Cameron in Trust.
Clive Owen plays the father of the girl Annie (Liana Liberato), whom the opening act of the film seems to be living the idyllic enough lifestyle in a Chicago suburb. Owen plays the early scenes of the film very much as the common man just going about that life with his family and wife (Catherine Keener) with the rest of the family. Owen doesn't put too much on it in his scenes of advising his son to avoid peer pressure with just a gentle reminder with a bit of a tough dad but not an overplayed quality. Mostly we just see the general warmth of the dad as he's going along with his good life, we see him with his boss occasionally who is overly brash, however even that Owen plays off as a slightly judgmental smirk. That is until his daughter is lured to a hotel room where she raped, however that is only the first crime, as this quickly leads Annie's best friend to report it which creates a public spectacle of the rape. And here's where the film could've fully fallen off a cliff or become something truly powerful but it doesn't really do either. It isn't quite an after-school special, but it isn't completely elevated beyond that. The writing frequently is, David Schwimmer's fairly terrible visual choices throughout additionally are, but what Schwimmer does manage to get right is within the performances of the actors. The actors very much save the film because it would've been extremely easy to fall into over the top choices given the material, but for the most part this is avoided.
Owen is one of the focal points of the emotion of the piece and is moving in the early scenes of reaction to the rape in just presenting the sudden horror upon his face that quickly switches to vicious anger towards the man responsible for the act. Owen matching the intensity effectively by very much bringing to life the immediacy of the reaction. And it would have been easy to seem too much or too soft in a way, but Owen does make it all feel very real in the moment. Unfortunately the film ends up being a little repetitive in where he goes from there as we basically get one frustration after another, as the FBI fails to catch the man, Will notices sexualized images at work and becomes frustrated by the fact that his daughter continues to obsess over her groomer. Owen's performance though does modulate between these elements playing in the moments in the world just the quiet burden that never leaves the man. When reacting to his daughter or to the investigation, Owen's intensity does feel earned as the perpetual anger of a man who wants to hurt something to avenge his pain yet ends up turning back on his own family. The film ends up not giving him too many interesting places to go leaving Owen to have to repeat notes as the character just continues to be in this state of anger, though again Owen effectively always weighs it down with sadness and the sense that is all part of the frustration of the helplessness he feels in what happened to his daughter. I suppose I could be more critical and say Owen doesn't differentiate between these scenes enough, however I think it is more so the writing that keeps him lost and angry for most of it. And Owen does hit his notes effectively again, as we have a more harrowing scene coming from the daughter's reaction to this trauma that is certainly moving and painful in again Owen bringing that pain to life with visceral intensity. The final scene though of the film involving the family is perhaps too clean in a way as the daughter and dad finally connect again as he espouses all his fears to her and they finally reach something. Something that might have worked better if the script built to it more. Again though Owen in the more sedated performance of a moment of clarity is affecting in bringing an earnest vulnerability that shows the same pain just expressed in a healthier way. However then the film ends, and you know just how limited Will's whole story ended up being, though Owen's efforts are admirable avoiding the worst option, albeit not quite truly elevating it beyond the full limitations of the piece.
63 comments:
Watching this after Smooth Talk must have done this no favors.
Indeed
Yeah, Owen is good as usual, and the film isn't terrible but as you said, it could've been much better.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on this film's cast?
Louis: Thoughts on this cast and director for a '00s Conclave?
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Lawrence: Jeremy Irons
Bellini: Dustin Hoffman
Tremblay: Donald Sutherland
Agnes: Claudia Cardinale
Tedesco: Giancarlo Giannini
Anonymous:
Liberato - 4(An extremely tricky part though I wouldn't say the writing entirely makes the right pathway for her in some key parts. Regardless she is effective in bringing just that sense of teenage insecurity that fuels her interest in the groomer to begin with naturally playing between the notes of fear with that sense of trying to find someone who just supports her. Afterwards it is what gets really tricky though she is moving in playing just the raw weight of dealing with becoming the center of a spotlight within her world for such unpleasant reasons and plays that pressure well. The aspect of her character still thinking the situation was okay, is something that the film doesn't quite manage to thread fully despite being a particularly disturbing notion, though again Liberato plays into the note convincingly by tying still to the same vulnerability. Like with Owen it gets wrapped up too easily, leaving the performance not as powerful as it could've been, but she is good.)
Keener - 3.5(As the mom who keeps it together more she is also moving in portraying the direct emotions of the situation convincingly throughout, and while she's not the focus consistently of the film she adds to the reality of the piece effectively.)
Davis - 3(As a very limited version of the therapist role she does what she can in bringing this certain contrasting calm within the narrative though even her scenes feel a bit underwritten and underexplored.)
Clarke - 3(Never mind seeing an early Clarke role, and he's good in bringing the right severity yet mixed with a quiet frustration of the FBI agent doing his job but also attempting to be as accommodating as the situation will allow.)
Coffey - 3(Effectively creepy in playing the note of "saying the right thing" while just beneath it showing the actual intentions of the man all the same.)
Tony:
That's pretty much perfect to the point I feel I can hear Hoffman delivering Tucci's lines, Sutherland looking suspiciously, Giannini looking smug, Irons weighed down by burden of his task and Cardinale giving a cutting stare.
Ratings for the cast of Touch (2024)?
Louis: Next time I win a predictions, I might request a backlog performance that you actually have already seen, I really think this is such an underrated gloriously entertaining performance from a Bond Film, Gene Siskel loved this performance as well, would you be willing to take a look at it again if you know which performance I am referring to?
Havent' been on this blog as much as I once was lol, its always been like a sanctuary to me =D so I hope everyone is doing OK and happy for the Holidays..
RatedRStar: Let me make a wild guess, Jonathan Pryce in Tomorrow Never Dies?
Ytrewq Wertyq: Definitely not lol its a secret..... umm....definitely =D.
Louis: Any updated thoughts/ratings on the cast of Hannah and Her Sisters?
RatedRStar: I was gonna say Cumming in GoldenEye but we haven't got to 95.yet.
Louis, what did you think of Belleville Rendez-vous from The Triplets of Belleville.
Louis: What's the earliest available day for you to see Nosferatu.
Anonymous:
Olafsson - 3.5(Honestly it's mostly just for the ending scenes where his chemistry is winning in terms of creating an authentic feeling chemistry with his co-star, more so than the fairly surface love story we get in the past. They do say a lot in a little just through performance. Before then I think he's fine, but just fine really.)
Koki - 3(Again find the early love story less interesting but I think she was the more interesting of the two. Giving a certain earnestness even if she didn't entirely make me care.)
Kormakur - 2.5(Fairly bland but not actively bad just more so forgettable.)
Motoki - 3(Honestly probably the best part of the film in just finding a lot of character very quickly and in an entertaining way.)
Narahashi - 3.5(Again it is the chemistry that is so convincing that she brings with her scenes with Olafsson and you are granted their past more so than I think the past you even see. She wears that burden well but with enough of a present warmth that is well realized.)
Robert:
I'd move Hershey up to a 5 as well though Wiest is still my favorite of cast, as Hershey is essential for her storyline as I think it would've been very easy to frankly not believe it at all, because Elliott in so many ways is actively despicable, though Caine plays that note well. Hershey manages to bring so much vulnerability but also the sense of discovery within the affair though which she never simplifies at any point. Hershey manages to portray what compels her, yet never makes it something that seems easy within itself as she at the same time takes in a certain shame and jealousy in moments related to her sister. She never makes it a mere plot point by any means very much showing what Lee is getting out of the relationship but also the challenge of it at the same time. She and Caine do have great chemistry, but great and complicated chemistry where you see in every interaction sort of the lust of the affair but also the complexity of what it means for her.
I'd also move Allen up a bit, obviously Allen doing Allen but I think he hits the right tone pretty well here in being the most comedic part of the film, and he is funny, however the humor he brings never overwhelms the overall tone nor does it leave him unable to be part of the slightly more dramatic elements.
Glenn:
It's a very strange song, though there is something strangely hypnotic about its specific odd repetitive rhythm and instrumentation, broken up by the equally repetitive albeit also captivating repetition of the Triplet's "chorus".
Luke:
Probably the 26th at the earliest.
Louis, if you don't mind my asking, in what order are you watching the recommendations? Are you going by a particular schedule, or it is simply random? And what is next on the docket?
Has anyone seen the television adaption of day of the jackal? Eddie Redmayne gives a career best performance
Dirk: He's doing it randomly this year.
i always thought that Hannah and her Sisters was in many ways Woody's masterpiece, and that it was his very best acting turn too.
Despite calling myself a big fan of his, that is mostly for his scripts. I never supported him having won Best Director, given that his directing style mostly consists of "Aim the camera in one direction and turn it on. Put Jazz music over afterwards". However, if he had won for either Hannah or Crimes and Misdemeanors, i would not see a problem in that
Tim: It's not as though I disagree with you fully, but directing actors and guiding them on tone is a huge part of great direction too.
yes i know that, i was trying to be funny
guess that didn't land ...
Christopher Nolan's next film is an "action epic" adaptation of The Odyssey, which sounds AWESOME.
Matt Mustin: Just saw the news, happy to see something fresh from him. It's gonna be sick.
Might end up being a great double feature with Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Louis: Thanks! It at least gave me an excuse to post a song from “Inside” on here.
Also, your 2020s cast for an Eggers version of Island of Lost Souls.
Luke, which period of history would you most love Robert Eggers to tackle.
Tim: Allen's direction of his 80's films is actually pretty strong on even a visual level. Maybe it's because most modern films don't bother with blocking, but I noticed how precise his choices were in that department with Hannah and Her Sisters (and Another Woman for that matter).
I think 1986 is a rather underrated Oscar year, I think Hannah and Her Sisters is Allens most accessible film, love Platoon, love the hidden gems like Mona Lisa and actually Salvador is quite well made and having seen Coda, I think Children Of A Lesser God is actually a very well made film compared to it.
Louis: Any TV you've been watching lately?
Couple further thoughts on Nolan doing The Odyssey:
- Holland and Damon seem *bizarre* casting choices for that, unless he's planning to modernize it, which could also be very cool in it's own way.
-Kenneth Branagh will FOR SURE be in this.
Louis: What's your thoughts on the, I think, brilliant addition of Mr. Jorkin in Scrooge (1951)?
Anonymous: The Reign of Terror.
Hell, give Eggers Devil in the White City, no one else is doing anything with it.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the Masters of the Universe cast? And also your rating for Langella.
Bryan:
Dr. Moreau: Willem Dafoe
Edward Parker: Robert Pattinson
Sayer of the Law: Ralph Ineson
Montgomery: Ethan Hawke
Lota: Anya Taylor-Joy
Matt:
I love the addition of Jorkin as additional motivation to Scrooge's moral decay, who acts essentially as the same as Matthew McConaughey in Wolf of Wall Street, in terms of presenting greed as a positive if not "fun" thing. Warner also is terrific in his three relatively brief scenes by being so charismatic as a proper salesmen for his perspective. But what I love is the complexity of the character is written as this alternative reflection of Scrooge. Because Jorkin, unlike Scrooge, appears to be happy on the surface at the very least, however unlike Scrooge, his amorality actually goes even further as we see he is an embezzler something I do not think Scrooge would ever do (part of the reason why he can change), as his greed is entirely legal, where Jorkin is a worse person than Scrooge was even at his worst, but, has a much jollier time doing it.
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on Seamkhum, Assaratanakul and anyone else who stood out to you from How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, and thoughts on these scenes:
"Sons get assets, daughters get cancer"
"You're my first place"
Happy holidays to everyone.
Louis: Thoughts on the Frasier episodes Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz and The Fight Before Christmas?
Merry Christmas Everyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR5V0C8vGxc
Merry Christmas Everybody!
Which Christmas movie or movies are you going to watch this year?
Louis: Thoughts on the voice acting in Ernest and Celestine.
Happy holidays, you guys.
Louis: Have you ever given your Top 10 Christmas movies?
Louis: Before you see Vengeance Most Fowl, you don't mind adding and rating Chicken Run and The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit on Letterboxd.
And I'm pleased Matthew recommended Shaun The Sheep Movie, I hope you'll give it 4 stars.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
This time I decided to check out Pottersville. At first it seems like it's setting up to be wacky and promisingly weird, then the whole thing becomes completely unfunny and "realization" of main character's arc felt soooo lame. Don't waste your precious time watching this or else you'll get coal.
Shannon-2.5
Greer-2.5
Perlman-2.5/3
Poor man's Alan Tudyk-1.5
Hendricks-2
McShane-3
Lee-2
Merry Nosferatu Day
Louis: Ratings and thoughts on the cast of Vermiglio.
Nosferatu is marvelous, easily Eggers's best in my book. Lily Rose-Depp, what a performance.
Tahmeed: Looking forward to your review. :)
I need to process Nosferatu, because it was both exactly what I wanted and what I didn’t. I feel a little suffocated.
Think I might as well drop some brief cast ratings (without getting into too much of course). On the film itself, will need some time to fully dive into it, but I loved it.
Rose-Depp - 5 (she has one or two scenes which I still can't believe she pulled off, astounding physical work while also very much grounding within the emotional core of the film).
Hoult - 4.5 (what a year he's had, perfect audience surrogate/straight man that strangely reminded me of Taylor-Joy in The Menu at first. Does so much with every reaction. )
Dafoe - 4/4.5 (was glad to see him pop up, it's kind of 'expected' Dafoe but a very strong example of it).
Taylor-Johnson and Corrin - 4
Ineson - 3.5 (always a pleasure to see him pop up)
Skarsgard - 4.5 (very much a take it or leave it performance, and but I'll just say once I got used to his choices, he's very effective).
I kind of thought Depp was iffy in some moments, but I suppose she fit the with the operatic tone. Hoult would be my pick for MVP. I know I’m usually the Aaron Taylor-Johnson apologist, but I thought he was completely miscast.
Tahmeed; your rating for Simon McBurney?
*NOSFERATU SPOILERS*
Anonymous: He's a 4, thought he made a very strong impression. Reminded me of Will Geer in Seconds at first where how every amiable line delivery so effortlessly sinister, certainly wasn't expecting the rest of his work to turn out the way it did, but was pleasantly taken aback.
Robert: Hoult has been sitting quite well with me, in that he took a theoretically thankless role that he could have played blandly earlier in his career, and made it so much more by at first using the early scenes to get us to care for him more, and then his frightened acting throughout was quite great in the first act.
On Rose-Depp, I did think of one or two scant moments that seemed 'iffy', but to me it played as kind of a purposeful choice that worked within the tone the film is working with.
I’m surprised you liked Taylor-Johnson, because I found him actively distracting. Falls flat at even being pompous. Completely fumbles his emotional crumbling at the end.
Robert: I certainly felt he was much better at playing the dedicated friend to Thomas than he was as the pompous elitist later on with Ellen (which I think needed a bit more on the writing and performance side), but I personally found him quite affecting at the end.
Louis: Thoughts on the voice acting in Vengeance Most Fowl.
Tahmeed: Your category placements for Hoult and Skarsgård.
I Loved Vengeance Most Fowl. A blast from start to finish and my favourite Aardman feature to date.
Louis: Is there a strong possibility it could make your Adapted Screenplay top 5.
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