Firstly, I like movies like The Fall. They are right up my alley. I love indie films that don’t star the typical cast of Hollywood over actors and don’t have a single corporate sponsor meddling with the script to get their product mentioned by name. I love the old, off-brand and downright weird movies you can find at any given moment on the Sundance Film Channel. To me, the average Adam Sandler or Jason Statham movies are almost unbearable, while indie films carry all the promise of a first time film maker or a director that doesn’t have to deal with budgetary costs because they don’t actually have enough money to have a budget. I recently saw “Rubber” which is a full length film about a used tire abandoned in the desert that inexplicably becomes the embodiment of evil, and kills random people in the American Midwest by exploding their heads. I loved it. You will not, so don’t bother.
The reason for the disclaimer is because I wanted to clarify my point of view and give you an idea of my tastes first, since I don’t write many film reviews. The Fall is about an early film era stuntman who managed to paralyze himself from the waist down during his first attempted stunt. While laid up in the hospital he befriends a small local girl who has been hospitalized with a broken arm, and he helps pass the time by telling her fairy tale legends about a group of warriors on a revenge mission.
It opens as “David Fincher and Spike Jonze presents” which is more of less a guarantee to see something unusual but memorable. Fincher is best known for his directing work in Seven and Fight Club, and more recently for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Spike Jonze on the other hand is basically the kookiest, but viable, director in Hollywood, and I guarantee you have seen his work - you just don’t know it. He directed the films Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, countless music videos (including Beastie Boy's Sabotage) and has become well known for his commercial work.
The movie started slow, but its striking visuals and fast developing subplot really catches your attention. The fact that the a majority of acting is mediocre and that you cannot understand most of what the little girl says because she doesn’t happen to have any eye-teeth becomes easy ignorable due to the films engrossing nature. And while the director fails to weave real life and the fairy tale together in fluid fashion, the story is mystifying enough to keep your attention. Thankfully, It doesn’t become laborious or confusing to watch because it doesn’t try to make itself hard to follow…just hard to predict. These are the types of movies that I love; something that stands on its own worth and asking for nothing from its audience but an open mind.
Then, about an hour into the film, it goes from Secondhand Lions to The Nightmare Before Christmas to Pan’s Labyrinth in less than a minute. This dynamic change in the story telling style left me totally lost and grasping for meaning. It went from being something really fun and interesting to one of the most confusing and upsetting films I have seen in a while. Please forgive me for tightening up on the details here, but be a spoiler I shall not.
The movie actually ends with a black and white montage of early film stunt scenes. In case you aren’t aware, when a stuntman dies these days (like during the recently Expendables 2 filming – no pun intended it’s just the most recent case) it’s highly unusual. But in the days of early action films, being a stuntman was a job for the true lunatics of their day. It wasn’t a profession, they didn’t have any respect in the film community and they had little technology to rely on; not to mention the fact that compositing (bluescreen) didn’t exist until the 1940s. Jumping off bridges, elaborate fight scenes, cars chases, and anything else dangerous was actually done by real people who sustained real injuries. In fact, a surprising number of world records actually exist today because of stunts required in movies. The montage was a nice way to wrap things up and I found it fitting for a film that told a serious story without taking itself too seriously. I wouldn't call this a great movie, but it was bold and different; two characteristics in film making that never gets enough recognition. Its worth a look for the scenery (it was filmed in over 20 countries) and the stylization alone, and I recommend it for any fan of the fantasy genre.
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