Cypher

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Rating 2¾


Directed by Vincenzo Natali

Written by Brian King

Jeremy Northam (Morgan Sullivan / Jack Thursby), Lucy Liu (Rita Foster), Nigel Bennett (Finster), Timothy Webber (Callaway), Kari Matchett (Diane Thursby), Kristina Nicoll (Amy Sullivan), David Hewlett (Virgil Dunn) and Peter Mensah (Vault Security)


Morgan Sullivan is an out-of-work accountant with a stifling suburban life and a wife who nags him about taking a job with her father. Instead, he gets involved in corporate espionage for “Digicorps” and is given an assumed name, Jack Thursby. Over time he starts to increasingly assume this identity to the point where the lines between reality and fantasy become more and more blurred. During his first assignment he encounters the mysterious Rita Foster and eventually begins to work as a double agent for “Sunway”, but he is warned that he is a pawn in a dangerous and deadly game being played by Sebastian Rooks, the enigmatic and shadowy boss and lover of Foster.

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‘Cypher’ is a 2002 Canadian psychological sci-fi spy thriller. It has been compared to the work of the late cult science fiction writer Philip K Dick and I guess it might be described as “cyberpunk”, although I am a little unclear about some of these terms. It was directed by Vincenzo Natali, whose previous film, his debut full-length feature, was the cult 1997 sci-fi film ‘Cube’, which received a fair amount of critical attention, although the reviews were mixed.

Stylistically, ‘Cypher’ is quite similar to ‘Cube’ and quite clearly the product of a director with a recognisable signature style. Both films are, effectively, about nothing. There is no clearly defined back story or reason for the events that unfold. In ‘Cypher’ we do not know with any certainty what Digicorps or Sunway are. We do not know the nature of the espionage or what it is intended to achieve. We know very little about Morgan Sullivan and while we might assume to know why he wants to assume this new identity, the details are never clear to us. Everything is slightly surreal and off-kilter. Nothing looks quite right, nothing is quite as it should be, as if perhaps it is all a hallucinogenic dream.

The performance of English actor Jeremy Northam is equally eccentric, but also rather engaging. It certainly fits in with the pervading sense that nothing here is as it should be. I am not sure what American viewers would make of his American accent. It reminded me of something that I cannot quite put my finger on, but I was, for some reason, put in mind of Cary Grant in screwball comedies like ‘Bringing Up Baby’ and ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’.

The film is a little bit too stylised for my tastes. I would prefer more human emotion and drama and less technological wizardry and hi-tech hardware. However, that would somewhat negate the point of the film. I did rather enjoy it, although I cannot imagine feeling any great compulsion to watch it again in a hurry.

Jeremy Northam made his breakthrough in ‘Hamlet’ at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1989. His first American film was the ‘The Net’ in 1995. I seem to be one of the few fans of this much-maligned Sandra Bullock film. Lucy Liu is, I guess, best known for her role in the long-running television series ‘Ally McBeal’, a popular show that certainly divides opinion. I personally find it offensive and demeaning to women. Her film roles have included the two ‘Charlie’s Angels’ films and ‘Kill Bill: Vol 1’. Kari Matchett is an excellent Canadian actress, best known for her work in American television series like ‘Invasion’, ’24’ (season six), ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’ and ‘ER’ (season fourteen). She starred in ‘Cube 2: Hypercube’, which was not directed by Vincenzo Natali. She was also featured in seven episodes of Gene Roddenberry’s ‘Earth: Final Conflict’. Natali directed three episodes of that series, although they did not work together on it. Her role in ‘Cypher’ does not amount to very much.

‘Cypher’ has a 56% rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 16 reviews. It is also known as ‘Company Man’ and ‘Brainstorm’.

Review posted 28 July 2009



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The Invasion

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Rating 2


Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Written by David Kajganich from the novel by Jack Finney

Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jackson Bond, Jeffrey Wright and Veronica Cartwright


When a NASA space shuttle explodes on re-entry and debris from it crashes back to Earth over a wide area it releases an intergalactic spore that invades its human hosts, taking over their bodies while they sleep and turning them into “pod people”. Tucker Bennell (Jeremy Northam), a senior investigator working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is one of those infected. His estranged wife Carol (Nicole Kidman), a successful psychiatrist, begins to have suspicions, which she shares with her best friend, Ben Driscoll (Daniel Craig), a hospital-based doctor.

The first thirty minutes or so set the scene with a reasonable degree of attention to detail, passably introducing the creepy aura of a major city, Washington D.C., fast taken over by the hordes of emotion-free pod people. Once the basic facts are established, however, it turns into a frenetic and ham-fisted race against time, as Carol tries to escape from the locked-down capital and make her way to Baltimore to rescue her young son Oliver (Jackson Bond) from her husband.

Strange fractured editing has been employed to tell the story, jumping back and forth within very small timeframes. It is not confusing to the development of the story, but it does give the impression of a film that has been rather clumsily put together. After the relatively encouraging first half-an-hour it rapidly unravels and spirals downhill.

When ‘The Invasion’ was released into American cinemas in August 2007 it was greeted with scathing reviews and subsequently had a miserable showing at the box office. It would eventually gross $15 million in America against an alleged $80 million production budget, with a further box office gross of $26 million overseas. The blame for the failure of the film was placed squarely at the door of Nicole Kidman, who, in time-honoured cinematic tradition has now been accused of being “box office poison”, despite her being one of Hollywood’s few genuine international film stars.

Having watched the film, it is clear to me that any responsibility for its failings is the result of studio interference. Executives at Warner Brothers were not happy with the film made by director Oliver Hirschbiegel. They brought in the Wachowski brothers (‘The Matrix’) to re-write the script and after a break of thirteen months they hired James McTiegue (‘V for Vendetta’) to direct the additional scenes, during which Kidman broke several ribs and was hospitalised when a stunt went wrong.

‘The Invasion’, which was variously known as ‘The Visiting’ and ‘Invasion’ during production, is yet another adaptation of Jack Finney’s 1955 novel ‘The Body Snatchers’. It was originally adapted for the big screen in 1956 and re-titled ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’, a classic film of its genre directed by Don Siegel, who would later make ‘Dirty Harry’. A 1978 remake by director Philip Kaufman (‘The Right Stuff’) was a critical and box office success and it was re-made again in 1993, the title now shortened to ‘Body Snatchers’. This third version was directed by Abel Ferrara, who had previously been responsible for controversial films like ‘Driller Killer’ and ‘King of New York’.

The influence of Jack Finney’s novel has extended elsewhere, for example the excellent 1998 Robert Rodriguez high school horror ‘The Faculty’ and the sadly short-lived 2005 ABC network television series ‘Invasion’. The theme itself dates back even further than Finney’s novel and can also be found in ‘The Puppet Masters’, a 1951 novel by Robert A Heinlein, and in the 1953 film ‘It Came From Outer Space’, based on a Ray Bradbury short story.

The original 1956 film has variously been claimed to be an allegory for the perceived threat of Communism or a comment about the paranoia in McCarthy-era America, both themes being inter-related. The 1978 film drew on the continuing fallout from the Vietnam War and Watergate. The 1993 film was a commentary about the rigid restrictions that society places upon itself. This fourth film takes place in a post 9/11 climate of international conflict caused by racial, religious and political intolerance.

‘The Invasion’ is a weak and unnecessary version of a story that has been successfully adapted for the screen several times. However, the sexist and maybe even misogynist finger-pointing in the direction of Nicole Kidman, and unproven claims that her alleged heavy use of Botox had already turned her into an emotionless pod person before the film even went into production, is entirely unjustified. Her substantial body of work has surely already established her acting and box office credentials, and she is certainly the best thing about this mediocre film.

Veronica Cartwright, who has a small role here, had a leading role in the 1978 film and also made a three-episode guest appearance in the ABC television series.



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The Net

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Rating 3½


Directed by Irwin Winkler

Written by John D Brancato and Michael Ferris

Starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam and Dennis Miller


I count a lot of films that are now widely acknowledged as classics, both by critics and film fans, amongst my favourites. These do tend to be films from an earlier era and not all of them have always been so highly regarded. I am thinking about the likes of ‘The Thin Man’, ‘The Ghostbreakers’, ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’, ‘On The Town’ and ‘Touch Of Evil’.

I can spot a “classic” film when I see one, although I might be inclined to question that accolade when it is applied to some films. However, when it comes to films, and indeed actors, from more recent times it seems as if I invariably make choices that are widely derided by critics and film fans alike.

This brings me to ‘The Net’. This is one of several Sandra Bullock films I like. Others include ‘Practical Magic’, ‘Hope Floats’ and ‘The Lake House’.

Many people would argue that the films I have just mentioned are cynical join-the-dots Hollywood popcorn fodder, made for the lowest common denominator, with absolutely nothing to recommend them. The Hollywood studios that produced these films would, I suspect, pay little attention to such criticism. Whatever the general opinion of her film choices might be, Sandra Bullock is a genuine box office heavyweight.

This is no indication of any artistic worth in the films she makes. However, the constant allusions to the death of her career I keep reading about simply seems to suggest that film critics are not very good at paying attention to what is actually going on.

I sometimes feel as if I might just be the only person in the world to actually like ‘The Net’, despite its success at the box office, a gross of $111 million. However, although the 33 reviews collected at Rotten Tomatoes result in a 30% rating, which is poor, this is a lot better than I was anticipating. Two good reviews of the film are worth mentioning here.

Roger Ebert opened his review with the comment;

“Perhaps this is simply a charmed period in Sandra Bullock’s life, and soon she will return to earth as an actress at the mercy of her material. Just now, however, she seems able to transcend the genres she appears in – to make us care about her characters even when they’re mired in preposterous dreck.”

He ends the review with the words;

“If Sandra Bullock ever gets a great screenplay, we may need seat belts.”

Michael Dequina, reviewing the film for ‘Mr Brown’s Movies’, wrote, “Irwin Winkler’s thriller is fun popcorn entertainment, thanks in no small part to the always-likeable Bullock.”

These comments get to the heart of why Sandra Bullock films are so popular. She might not feature in the pages of celebrity magazines and gossip rags, but she is a genuine film star in the old fashioned sense of the term. She’s a “Marquee” name who can pull in audiences, despite the old hackneyed myth that female actors don’t have box office appeal.

I’ve always thought Bullock approaches every role the same way; no matter what kind of character she happens to be playing -- in other words, a kind of reversal of method acting. Instead of stripping away and submerging her own personality and morphing into the characteristics of the character she is playing, becoming that person, she gives the character her personality characteristics. Because she is also a skilled actor, this means she can take on a variety of different roles and make us care about each character, whatever their circumstances, simply because she projects a very likeable persona.

It seems to me she is doing what the old Hollywood stars used to do. She plays herself irrespective of the role. It worked for Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne, to name but two.

One criticism of ‘The Net’, apart from the implausibility of the scenario and the supposedly turgid sub-Hitchcockian directing job done by Irwin Winkler, is that the IT-world setting/context immediately dates the film horribly. As Brian McKay at efilmcritic.com put it:

“Stay away from this – unless of course you’re an AOL user with a 28k modem and a Pentium 90mhz, in which case you’ll be right up to speed with this film.”

Here’s an extract from another review, this one written retrospectively in February 2006:

“The Net has aged just as poorly as one might’ve expected; a surplus of dated references to floppy discs and dial-up modems cements the film’s status as a mid-90’s relic.”
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

This exact same thinking has been applied to many other films and TV shows over the years. I’ve never really been able to understand this kind of thinking, although that might just be because the strange world of IT still remains a complete mystery to me, even though it’s something I use every day.

‘The Net’ is my favourite Sandra Bullock film. I always enjoy watching it and not only do the alleged faults not bother me; I can’t even identify their presence in the first place.



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