Sick to death of all this Valentines business? Can’t even bare to think about ‘lovey dovey’ rom-coms right now? Well, lucky for you, we here at The Indiependent have compiled a list of films – from classic Tarantino flicks to a fascinating Swedish psychological study – that are sure to eradicate all traces of romance from your mind. So buckle up and get ready for some bloody good fun!
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
“That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.”
After a four year coma, a bride (Uma Thurman) awakens and swears to take revenge on her former assassin colleagues who murdered her husband and destroyed her wedding. The premise is simple but the films dabbles in quality far from simplicity, Kill Bill Vol.1 is one of my Quentin Tarantino’s most famous forays and for good reason too.
There are many perfect positives to Kill Bill like it’s quirky smart dialogue, smart sound effects and generally energetic pace. But where this film really stands head over heels are the strong female characters presented to us by Tarantino, It took me a while to realise that almost all the main characters in this film were female bad asses who are all equally interesting with fascinatingly, gripping back stories which are presented to us in such creative, original ways. This film will transfer you far away from the lovey dovey romance of yesterday into a hard hitting world of samurai swords, gore and ultimate violence. It’s an immensely simple revenge movie stabbed in the heart with Quentin Tarantino’s signature style, injecting the film with pure artistic form and film making passion. A fun, entertaining, good time where the love is located in how the film is manifested rather than the story itself.
Filth
“The games are always – repeat always – being played. But nobody plays the games like me. You just have to be the best, and I usually am. Same rules apply.”
For Edinburgh based Detective Sergeant, Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy), everything is a game. Drugs and alcohol are part of his everyday life, his friends are playthings and his colleagues are pawns in various plots he hatches to ensure he wins his prize; a promotion to Detective Inspector. Things appear to be going his way when he is assigned a high profile murder investigation, which Robertson sees as the last step to take before the elusive promotion is finally his. Ironically, it is the very trigger that makes his grip on reality start to slip, as he begins hallucinating various scenarios involving his doctor (Jim Broadbent).
As Bruce descends into madness and his behaviour becomes more erratic, we get to see all the choices that led him to this point. As far as he’s concerned his life is great. But as it slowly unravels, we become the surveyors of this antithetical man who believes in himself completely but is at the same time desperately insecure. Any love in this film is seen as a weakness – something to be exploited and ridiculed. Bruce loves himself and his wife but chooses a path of inevitable self destruction. Bruce’s friend Clifford (Eddie Marsan) loves his wife – so Bruce bullies him and harasses her. Bruce’s main competition for the promotion, Ray Lennox (Jamie Bell) is a drug addict. So of course, Bruce feeds his habit. Not exactly the stuff of romance, but bloody good fun.
Blade
“You better wake up. The world you live in is just a sugar coated topping. There is another world beneath it…the real world…and if you wanna survive it, you better learn to pull the trigger.”
A birth, a death and a literal bloodbath. All of this happens in the first few minutes ofBlade; the first of three films starring Wesley Snipes as the half human/half vampire ‘Daywalker’ first made famous in the Marvel comics. Eric ‘Blade’ Brooks is not a nice guy. He is a man who is battle hardened and singularly-minded in his goal to wipe out vampire kind for good. Alongside his ally/surrogate father Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), Blade’s target is Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) – an arrogant, radical thinking vampire who seeks to free the ‘Blood God’ La Manga in order to create a world of open vampire dominion.While on the hunt for Frost, Blade meets Karen Jensen (N’Bushe Wright) – a haematologist who gets caught in the crossfire of this decade-long war. After being bitten by Frost’s right-hand man Quinn (Donal Logue), Karen joins Blade on his journey, in the hope that she can learn about her condition and find a cure – an endeavour that is pointless to Blade.What to watch AFTER Valentine’s Day
I’m not giving anything away when I say that this film is brutal. But there is an odd sense of beauty in it. The fight scenes are amazing to watch in their own right, but as a whole this is a story about a man fighting to create a world that he probably won’t live to see. Add in themes of addiction, elitism, defiance and all out survival and you’re left with something as vivid and exciting as the comic book pages from which this story was first born.
Play
‘Play’: A title with so many meanings for a film with so many layers. Inspired by real court cases in his native Sweden, Ruben Ostlund’s film about two groups of children is not a walk in the park. Shot in an observational manner, the film looks at issues such as race, abuse of power and psychological games. We see children as bullies, con artists, manipulators and a number of other despicable stereotypes that we would naturally abhor and despise in adults. The fact that they are children though, only makes this more shocking to watch. Every moment is planned – on both sides of the camera. Ostlund knows what we need to see and the group of boys with the power know exactly what they’re doing, even if it feels spontaneous. By the end of the film, we see just how our perception of things is sometimes more important than the truth. The final scene is one of vindication but also pity. But this is only triggered because of outside perception to the events. This film is controversial, thought provoking and at times uncomfortable to watch. but utterly riveting from start to finish. The language barrier that might deter viewing isn’t an issue at all given the chance – the topics of Play are plain to see any language.
Inglourious Basterds
Though perhaps not one of Tarantino’s bloodiest films, Inglourious Basterds is still a wonderfully good action movie – for three main reasons. Firstly, it’s set in Nazi Germany, with the story founded on a reckless group of Jewish-American soldiers (called ‘The Basterds’) who have made it their business to eradicate the Nazi threat themselves; by scalping, scarring and – even on occasion – bludgeoning SS officers to death one by one. Like Pulp Fiction, the story has several elements to it that are all brought together in one truly explosive finale. Obviously as far as real life history is concerned, this plot is completely unfounded – but if you accept the film on it’s wholly patriotic alternate view of the war, it is intensely enjoyable. The second reason it’s great is the cast; most notably Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. Pitt plays the Basterds’ leader, Lieutenant Aldo Raine while Waltz – who won his first Academy Award for the role – plays SS Colonel Hans Landa.
In their performances, the two actors elevate their characters from standard protoganist/antagonist roles. Pitt’s Raine is comically arrogant, and very American – but has a moral fibre that is admirable. While Waltz plays Landa to titillating perfection, mixing cold-hearted villainy with a refined and oddly gentle touch. Also among the cast are actors such as Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Daniel Bruhl and Melanie Laurent. But the third and final reason for the film’s brilliance is arguably the unifying link between the stellar cast and plot; it’s trademark Tarantino style of violence, satire and hyperbole. The film is unashamedly graphic and despite it’s despairing historical attachments, is also never afraid to make jokes. And to top it off, it is oddly feel-good – if like me, you feel a certain joy in seeing a Nazi get his balls blown off.
American Psycho
A cult classic, Mary Harron’s film adaptation of Bret Easton-Ellis’s controversial novel American Psycho is an intense, but oddly humourous insight into the mind of a yuppie-serial killer. Christian Bale stars as Patrick Bateman – an investment banker who has it all; good looks, wealth and arm-candy in the form of his fiancé Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). However, he has become so obsessed with his yuppie lifestyle, and the pressures of keeping up appearances, that he develops an ever-increasing need to quell his maddening bloodlust and commit murder. The film is slick and has a twisted sense of humour, in which Bateman’s violent outbursts are undercut with satire – as he kills for seemingly ridiculous reasons, like when someone gets a better business card than he does. The film also features one of the best soundtracks ever – with songs by pop artists like Huey Lewis and The News, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston suddenly (and joyously) becoming anthems to swing an axe to (As illustrated in the infamous clip below). It’s slightly bizarre and more than a little violent, but with it’s unnervingly good central performance by Bale and brilliant script, there’s no wonder it’s a classic.
Words by Eddie Michael, Megan Roxburgh and Annie Honeyball
Compiled by Annie Honeyball