Displaying items by tag: James Hawes

THE AMATEUR

US, 2025, 123 minutes, Colour.

Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Caitriona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne.

Directed by James Hawes.

Based on a novel by Newsweek reporter, Robert Littel, The Amateur was first filmed in 1981 with John Savage and Christopher Plummer. It was the era of popular spy novels by Robert Ludlum in one wit suggested that this version of The Amateur is “Bourne Again”! Not exactly, action sequences yes, but the central character here, Charlie Heller, played by Oscar winner Rame Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody as Freddie Mercury) would not necessarily be the first choice for an action hero!

In fact, he plays a highly skilled IT expert, perhaps of the “nerd” variety, at home in his sealed office and IT centre, making contacts, tracking, identifying voices, but also discovering that some of the CIA authorities are conducting illegal black ops.

This is where a film version of CIA action in the 1980s has to give considerable way to a version in the 2020s. The developments of IT, social networking, mobile phones, instant connections, instant surveillance, storage of information.

But, Charlie Heller has a loving relationship with his wife, Sarah, Rachel Brosnahan, her going to a meeting in London and to his shock and horror, grief and obsession, discovering that she has been killed during a robbery, offering herself as a hostage for someone else, being shot.

Acceptance of this reality is not the first response of Charlie Heller. Rather, he becomes obsessed with revenge.

As action films go, Charlie Heller’s determination, going through some rigorous CIA action training, but not very good with the gun, is a driving force in this action. And, as a bonus, the audience is treated to a wide range of location action, London, Paris, Marseille, Istanbul, in Romania, the Baltic coast… And Charlie, not only identifying who the villains are, especially the one who pulled the trigger, but he is able to track them down, them, destroy them.

However, as with so many action films, there is the issue of the plausibility, and then the question of credibility. With the action moving fast, what about realism and practical details of food, rest, toilet breaks, money in the pocket, the functioning or not of IT equipment, travel and air tickets…? Audiences accepting omissions because of the action?

As always, there are some moral questions, complications. The role of the CIA, illegal and secret black ops in the name of patriotism, these agents being held to account, International criminal gangs, ruthless business and murders, and, with Charlie Heller himself, the obsession of revenge, motivations of vengeance, and his setting up killings parallel to the set-ups by the villains. And, with Rami Malek the amateur action hero grieving the death of his wife, rather than an all-conquering beefed-up agent, there is also some emotional challenging.

1. Action level of the 1980s? Updating to the 2020s? The transition to the world of IT and espionage?
2. The international settings, Washington DC, London, Paris, Marseille, Istanbul, Turkish coast, Romania, the Russian coast? And the world of the CIA? The musical score?
3. The realism of the plot? Plausibility? Credibility? Practical details of food, rest, toilet breaks, money, close change, travel and air tickets…? Audiences accepting omissions because of the action?
4. The introduction to Charlie and Sarah, at home, ease with each other, love, his work on the plane, not travelling, her going to London? The contacts, the phone calls? And the various flashbacks during the film?
5. Charlie, going to work, his car, the cards, security, his workplace, computers, programming, espionage, his link with the mysterious corresponded, ears, guessing where he lived? Istanbul? And the later contact, revelation of the truth, the man being dead, his wife continuing the communications, Charlie going to her, her collaboration, his eyes in pursuit of the criminals? That they have covered, the siege, the attack, her death?
6. The robbery in London, the dramatics, on the television news, the details, the Chiefs informing Charlie, his reaction? His being seen as something of a nerd, his help with The bear, summoned by the Chiefs, his hold over them, his information about the illegal ops? There confronting him? The meetings with Chief O’Brien? The later investigations, interrogation of Moore, the lunch with him, their deceiving her?
7. Charlie, obsessed, the motivation, his phone, Internet connections, wanting to be trained, work Henderson, the discussions, shooting practice, Charlie and his limitations? Later Henderson being used, following him in Paris, to Marseille, the confrontations, Istanbul, the fight, his being wounded? And is later reappearing?
8. Charlie and his ability to identify the criminals, the techniques, voices and matches, images? His decision to track them down?
9. Money issues, motivation, the travel to London, information, to Paris, identifying the woman, at the gym, the suffocation, the fight, her escape, it by the van? Charlie and the bus to Marseille?
10. Marseilles, tracking down people, business of Henderson, the bar, getting information?
11. The criminal, the pool, his money, the swimming, Charlie and the confrontation, the dynamics of the pool, the water, the pressure, the interrogation, the threats, the explosion and the deluge?
12. Charlie, in Istanbul, the contacts, the information about Romania, his travel, the setting up of the cargo, the confrontation with the criminal, the threat, the explosives?
13. Information about Russia, the travel to the coast, seeing the criminals, the boat, his being abducted, the interrogation, the criminal giving him the gun, his inability to shoot, the criminal indicating Charlie’s motivations and setting up deaths?
14. The delay, in Finnish waters, the arrests? Charlie vindicated?
15. Washington, Director O’Brien, the arrests of the Chiefs, their illegal ops?
16. Charlie, the car, Henderson reappearing, his going home, flying the plane? Achievement?

ONE LIFE

UK, 2023, 110 minutes, Colour.

Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, Adrian Rawlins, Marthe Keller, Alex Sharp, Ziggy Heath, Samantha Spiro.

Directed by James Hawes.

There is great symbolism in the name of this film, British Nicholas Winton, one life and what he achieved. There is also the symbolism of anyone saving one life and that being an achievement.

In 2000 there was a popular documentary, narrated by Judi Dench, Oscar-winner for Best Documentary, Into The Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport,, documenting a significant rescue of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia in 1938-1939. The children had been stranded, ousted by the Nazis after the occupation of the Sudetenland, many of their parents destined for the camps. A group of British helpers and locals, with the connections of Nicholas Winton, a young banker from London, getting the approval of the rabbi and the authorities, organising British passports for the children, adopting families and a financial deposit, were able to save 669 children on train journeys from prior to London. With the invasion of Poland September 1939, many children ready to move, but the program halted.

There were several other documentaries on Nicholas Winton and the children, especially the trilogy of films All My Loved Ones (1999), Nicholas Winton - The Power of Good (2002), Nicky's Family (2011) by Czechoslovakian (born in Bratislava, Slovakia), Matej Minak.

Here is a drama, rather than a documentary, based on the characters and events. And, as might be expected, the film is a very moving experience.

The framework of the screenplay is the 1980s, the older Nicholas Winton, retired, at home with his wife, expecting a grandchild, clearing the house and destroying some old documents, but finding a significant scrapbook of 1938-1939, photos of the children, newspaper articles, and Winton wanting it to find a significant home. In this he was aided by several authorities but especially by Robert Maxwell’s wife, articles, television programs.

And, of course, the strength of the film is in Anthony Hopkins’ screen presence and performance, Hopkins performing this role in his mid-80s. Veteran Swedish actress, Lena Olin, plays his wife.

Throughout the film there are strong flashbacks to what actually happened in Prague, versatile actor Johnny Flynn plays the younger Nicholas Winton, a concerned Britain, banker, friends in Prague, visiting, wanting to do something, the locals, including Romola Garai as Doreen and Alex Sharp as Trevor, are initially wary but all work together to identify the children, photograph them, list details, arrange with rather severe bureaucrats in London for passports, find adoptive parents, get financial deposits for the trip and the immediate settlement.

Nicholas Winton was helped by his German-born mother, very supportive and determined, especially in confronting authorities, a fine performance by a vigorous Helena Bonham Carter.

Audiences familiar with Nicholas Winton will have seen footage (available on YouTube) of the famous television program, reviewing Nicholas Winton’s life, where the compere asked anyone in the audience who had been helped by Winton to stand up. All those in the studio audience stood. A very moving moment at the time, and now in the film.

One Life is a reminder that there were so many in Europe who shielded and hid Jewish families, many who rescued them, and, as always, lest we forget.

1. The story of Nicholas Winton and the rescue of the children from Czechoslovakia? Audience knowledge of Nicholas Winton, the documentaries about him and the transport children?
2. A true story, the 1930s, the anticipation of World War II, anti-Semitism, Nazi expansion? The arrest of adult Jews, the children, stranded, their rescue by train? Adoption in England?
3. The initial focus on the older Nicholas Winton, as played by Anthony Hopkins, the 1980s, his age, his marriage, children, home, retirement? The insertion of the flashbacks to 1938, Johnny Flynn as the younger Nicholas Winton, his mission and its achievement? The screenplay moving backwards and forwards in time, anchored in Anthony Hopkins’ strong screen presence, and Johnny Flynn’s persuasive performance, determination, hesitation, achievement in the past?

4. 1938, Nicholas Winton, his strong-minded mother, German, coming to the UK with her husband, Jewish background? The changing of the name during World War I? A strong influence on her son? His role as a banker, conventionally British, of the time? Yet his concern, his friends in Czechoslovakia? His decision to go to Prague, the encounter with the group, the meeting with Doreen, her scepticism, Trevor, the local members, their concern, social action? The dangers? The imminent German invasion of the Sudetenland?

5. Nicholas, his determination, his organisational skills, money and finance, raising donations, contacts in England? Working with the group, the visits of the rabbi, the Rabbi and his scepticism? Persuaded? Nicholas and his meeting the people, especially the children, their conditions, squalid, poverty, the parents, the wary father and then his change, fearing that Nicholas was a German authority? The range of photos, the young girls, their age, the little boys? Later sequences of Winton looking at the photos, wistful, remembering, regretful?
6. The return to England, the character’s mother, her understanding, support, going to the officials, the issue of the passports, the hesitation of the bureaucrats? The personal appeal to the bureaucrat, his family, his agreement, supplying the passports?
7. The organising of the children, getting all the details, the lists, the files, coordinating the train trips, the passports, organising the adopting families in England, and the financial deposit? The energy of the film in the sequences in showing the urgency, Nicholas and his mother, and those working in Prague, Doreen and Trevor, the locals?
8. The scenes of the trains, the children, the farewells and grief, the hopes of the parents, arriving in England, the families, the allotments? Separation of families?
9. The news of the invasion of Poland, the stopping of the program, the last train, the guards on the train and their treatment of the children, looking down on the adults accompanying them?
10. The war, 669 children saved, the vast number unable to be transported?
11. The 1980s, Nicholas and his wife, her fussing, wanting the house cleared, his throwing out rubbish, files, but the folder and the scrapbook, memories of Trevor? His going to visit the authorities, decisions for the scrapbook in museums? His wanting something more active? The connection with Robert Maxwell, going to see Lady Maxwell, her interest, the news items, reporting?
12. The television program, Your Life, Nicholas vaguely watching it, his wife not liking the program? His being invited, the tracking down of some of the children and what happened to them in England? The program, his being in the front row, sitting next to one of the children, the reconciliation?
13. The re-creation of the famous television program, Nicholas and his wife present, other two children next to him, the praise of his life, and the invitation to anyone in the audience who had a connection with the rescue children to stand up, everybody in the audience rising? The emotion?
14. Prague, Doreen and Trevor, the information as to their surviving, subsequent work?
15. The title of the film, saving long life, contributing to saving many lives?