Dear Watchers,It’s another Genre Movie Wednesday, and this week, you can decide if you want your action politically charged or you want to just watch things (possibly) blow up. For his first selection, our action movie expert, Robert Daniels, picks a film bursting with dirty cops, a city on fire and plenty of spectacle. His other choice is a little more confined, with a premise that can be easily distilled to: bomb on a train. Read more of what Robert has to say about each movie below, then head here for three more of his picks. Happy Watching. ‘State of Fear’
Where to watch: Steam “State of Fear” on Netflix. “State of Fear,” from the director Pedro Morelli, relies on a knotty web of rebellion and chaos happening across São Paulo, Brazil, for suspense. It begins with Elisa (Camilla Damião), a teenager whose father, now dead, was a noted member of the underworld group the Brotherhood. When crooked cops kidnap her for ransom, her aunt Cristina (Naruna Costa), a counselor for the Brotherhood, goes on a quest to rescue her. Unfortunately for Cristina, the Brotherhood has ordered an attack on the police, causing the streets to erupt in fire and destruction. While Cristina’s journey through the brutal melees adds obvious anxiety, Morelli is equally interested in the citywide repercussions of the revolt. The opening sequence involves a violent raid that recalls Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma.” A later exploration of Elisa’s kidnapper, Borges (David Santos), gives us a window into the city’s systemic rot. An elegant single take of Borges hunting Cristina and Elisa shows how depraved even a justified rebellion can become. ‘96 Minutes’
Where to watch: Stream “96 Minutes” on Netflix. It’s incredible how often a simple ticking clock can give an action movie a kick. In Hung Tzu-Hsuan’s “96 Minutes,” which is hilariously 117 minutes in length, the bomb squad officers Song Kang Ren (Lin Po-hung) and Jie Li (Lee Lee-zen) work to defuse an explosive device on their high-speed train and another on a train traveling parallel with theirs. If that weren’t bad enough, their train is also carrying the surviving family members of the victims of an explosion Song and Jie failed to prevent three years before. Like other takes on “Speed,” Hung’s film relies on taut editing, particularly the use of smash cuts, to inspire tension. In one scene, as a passenger and Song attempt the complex calculations needed to disarm one bomb, the camera cuts between their eyes, the ticking clock and the speeding locomotive. The effect is not only electric, it also demonstrates how well this director loves and understands the fundamentals of the subgenre.
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