Jason Isaacs

  • Skyfire (2019)

    Skyfire (2019)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, October 2021) Cynical observers will comment that, true to the way they’re behaving in other industries, China has spent decades studying, buying and appropriating everything they could find about blockbuster filmmaking before making their own. In Skyfire, we see the Chinese film industry turning to disaster films as their next target, even going to the trouble of hiring a western has-been director of the form (Simon West, long past his Con Air/Lara Croft glory days) and a western actor (Jason Isaacs) to anchor a cast and crew otherwise studded with Chinese names. The disaster being showcased is nothing less than an island volcano, around which a state-of-the-art hotel/thrill ride has been built for sensation seekers. What would, in the real world, be recognized as the worst idea anyone has ever had is here turned into a justification for a time-tested amount of mayhem, special effects, action sequences and dramatic sacrifices, as the volcano wakes up at the most inopportune time and starts spewing more lava than an apoplectic film critic. Skyfire is not too bad by the standards of the form—West is hampered by the typical histrionics and corner-cutting of Chinese blockbuster filmmaking (as in: the special effects are good enough to get the point across, but not good enough to be fully believable, while the melodrama is cranked up to an almost-laughable extent) but it has been a while since we’ve seen a big-budget volcano disaster film and this one can be ambitious at times. The stock characters are still likable, and the preposterousness of the plotting has its genre-specific charm. There are quite a few lulls as Skyfire sets up its next thrill ride, but it does deliver on the basics of a disaster film, and that’s not too bad. Further demonstrating how well they have learned lessons from the Americans, the filmmakers have promised that this is the first of a trilogy—but we’ll see if that holds true.

  • The Death of Stalin (2017)

    The Death of Stalin (2017)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, July 2019) Calling The Death of Stalin a comedy only works if you include the darkest, most uncomfortable sort of comedy, describing life under a tyrannical regime in absurdist life-or-death fashion. Nominally a historical work (albeit one taking many, many liberties), the film follows the last moments of Joseph Stalin and the weeks following his death, commenting on the inherent instability of an authoritarian regime suddenly stripped of its leader. Following absurd orders and pretending everything is normal is the least of the characters’ worries when even a hint of disloyalty can get you shot. The political shenanigans to succeed Stalin grows complex even before the funeral is underway, and if the actors all have a talent in common, it’s to play this deadly eeriness with a deadpan expression. The terrific cast includes names such as Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin and Jeffrey Tambor among many others—considering writer-director Armando Iannucci’s pedigree, the dialogue-heavy, almost theatrical script is an actor’s dream to play. The film would act as a powerful warning to anyone tempted by the lure of authoritarianism that such regimes are actively dangerous to everyone including the person at the top—but one suspects that anyone tempted by dictatorial regimes today are nowhere near Iannucci’s target audience. Alas, the effectiveness of the premise is not completely met by its execution: Considering that The Death of Stalin had been on my radar for more than a year before seeing it, I found myself underwhelmed by the actual film—while interesting, it’s not as gripping or amusing as I’d hoped. It didn’t help that I had a self-censor tripping up whatever amusing moments I found myself enjoying: This is a film that places a lot more emphasis on the dark of dark comedy.

  • A Cure for Wellness (2016)

    A Cure for Wellness (2016)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, November 2017) There are at least two movies in A Cure for Wellness: The first is terrific, and it shows an impressive blending of modern concerns and gothic horror, as a young corporate executive goes to a secluded health retreat in Switzerland where old secrets accumulate in a deliciously over-the-top fashion. It’s the set-up half of the film and it gets increasingly engaging, what with writer/director Gore Verbinski delivering top-notch atmosphere. It’s a frequently beautiful film to gawk at, and there is a precision to the images that confirms his intent to crank up the tension. Seasoned viewers are liable to love it all, especially as known horror signifiers are used to good extent. Sadly, jaded viewers also suspect what comes next: a far less interesting second half in which some mysteries are explained, many are ignored (or dismissed as good-old hallucinations) and the film keeps going well past the two-hour mark. While A Cure for Wellness is narratively conventional, the third act is stuck trying to make sense of the entire film, and doesn’t quite rise up to the challenge. The coda is particularly disappointing, leaving far too many things up in the air. Other inconsistencies annoy. Dane DeHaan is perfectly suited for the unlikable anti-hero of the first half of the film, but he can’t quite make himself or his character sympathetic enough in the second half. Jason Isaacs is fine as the antagonist, but Mia Goth is generally dull as the heroine. Bojan Bazelli’s cinematography remains exceptional throughout, but Justin Haythe’s screenplay is simply a framework. It’s a shame that the film isn’t edited more tightly—there are not reasons why it should be as long as it is, especially given the straightforward script. Still, there’s a lot to like in the film’s best moments, whether it’s an announced nightmarish visit to the dentist, a claustrophobic visit in a water tank, or various bits of body horror and hallucinations. I was reminded of Crimson Peak in that this is a simple gothic horror story told lavishly—except that Guillermo del Toro knows how to layer depths and ensure that the details are consistent, neither of which are particularly solid in this case. A Cure for Wellness does get a marginal recommendation, but mostly for its first half and mostly for horror fans—it doesn’t quite manage to go farther than that for other audiences.