Published: Friday, 7th November, 2008 12:30
Film of the Week: W
By Narin Bahar
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Oliver Stone seems to be a filmmaker obsessed with the highest office in America - with this week's film of the week forming a slightly odd trilogy with previous offerings on JFK and Nixon.
W is a biopic of the soon-to-be ex-President George W Bush, focusing primarily on the period between getting into university to being elected as president for his first term.
As the man himself Josh Brolin provides an amazing Bush - making him much more than the jokey punchline that the real man himself seems to be and actually in places a sympathetic character, a man trying to escape his father's shadow. Brolin is supported by a stellar cast, including James Cromwell as George Bush Sr, Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney and Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice.
The film is as quirky as you'd expect from the consistently inconsistent Stone, with a cracking soundtrack. But you can't help but wonder whether if the world wasn't preparing to wave Dubya off into the sunset Stone would have been a little harsher on the subject of his film. While he isn't portrayed in the best light, the usually forthright Stone seems to be pulling his punches.
That said, it's still a stunning film with arguably the best cast of the year. Bear this in mind when Oscar time rolls round.
Four stars.
Also opening this week:
Easy Virtue (PG)
British comedy based on a play by Noel Coward, starring Jessica Biel as a 1920s racing driver who ruffles some feathers when she moves into her new husband's family home.
Pride and Glory (15)
Star-packed thriller starring Edward Norton as a police detective who discovers that his brother-in-law (Colin Farrell) may be involved in a police corruption.
Scar 3D (18)
Angela Bettis is the traumatised victim of a serial killer who finally returns home to find a copycat killer slaughtering local teenagers. In 3D.
The Warlords (15)
A Chinese action epic starring Jet Li as a warlord who agrees to fight for the government during the Taiping Rebellion.
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