On the Job

Erik Matti, 2013

IMDB

4/5

On the Job is a very well made Filipino crime thriller. It's a film that forces you follow two perspectives. On one hand you are following a mentor/protege dynamic involving a veteran assassin trying to teach a young guy the ropes. On the other hand you are following a career-focused clean cop that is trying to do what's right, despite the questionable ties to crime that his in-laws have. But fortunately it's not a simplistic good guys / bad guys film. Both sides are nuanced. It's a fruitful film that leaves you with quite a bit to remember. The production skills are evident within the first twenty minutes. One early big treat is an impressive long take. Daniel (Gerald Anderson) returns from his "outside work" to the grimy prison. The camera pans, capturing all of the various characters inside the prison. Recreational activities, laundry-doing in an outside nook. The attention to detail doesn't stop at the decorated jail. Your eyes will be fixed as the camera moves through the shanty villages of the Philippines. When you enter the claustrophobic abode of partner assassin Mario (Joel Torre), there are images of the tiny little home that are sure to be ingrained in your mind for some time. Makes you kind of wish you could spend more time just exploring the dirty, yet intriguing home.

On the Job is really a blend of a crime thriller with a prison drama. The exterior crime elements certainly take away from the sense of confinement and isolation of pure prison dramas. In a sense it's like a blend of Corsican prison film A Prophet and the Vincent Cassel-led Mesrine films. Everything is executed really well. You spend the duration of the film caught up in both sides of a captivating narrative, all set in a system full of corruption.

Starred Up

David Mackenzie, 2014

GoWatchit

4/5

Eric Love (Jack O'Connell) is moved to an adult prison where he realizes his father Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) is also serving time.

Starred Up is the term for when a young criminal is relocated from a juvenile facility to an adult one. Mackenzie's prison drama is less of an epic drama like The Shawshank Redemption and more of a focus on a singular figure behind bars like 2009's A Prophet. It has that same grit, the same candor. At times it's tough to watch, some disturbing imagery and language. But it feels authentic. And if it weren't for movies like this, how would we ever visit what's behind those cold stone walls? Starred is bound to trigger memories of fellow British prisoner Charles Bronson, who Tom Hardy played in Nicholas Winding-Refn's 2008 Bronson film. Like Bronson, Eric Love is an uncontrollable force constantly at odds with the guards or anyone in any kind of position of authority. You are fed bits of his upbringing, which are obviously contributory to his life of crime that landed him in the situation he's in. Child abuse, an absent father, no guidance. He never really had a chance. And if it weren't for counselor/psychologist Oliver Baumer (Rupert Friend), the system would just consume Eric and he would be another causality of the English justice system or would at the very least be a permanent prisoner number for the rest of his long life. The fact that he encounters his own father in the prison reinforces the need to confront his anger if he's going to move forward in any way. Eric's rage has snowballed to the point that it's at a boiling point. Oliver serves as the only relief valve, and if he doesn't at least try to mitigate the rage Deputy Governor Haynes is going to exterminate Eric to eliminate any more headache. It seems like there is always that one ambiguously neutral force like Baumer. They always stand as the critical liaison of the prisoners and the guards. It's likely the guards have become so jaded over the years that their expectations are incredibly low of the prisoners. They seemingly have no confidence that any of the prisoners can truly be rehabilitated. They would rather get through their daily shifts with the least amount of conflict, and they can reduce the conflict by inflicting their own force upon the prisoners. Fighting violence with violence, how much sense that makes.

The dialogue in this film is so quick and at times difficult to understand. You might want to watch it with the subtitles turned on (like me). Mackenzie manages to solicit a moderate amount of sympathy for Eric Love. If he doesn't manage to do this, the movie likely fails because it's difficult to get invested in a deplorable criminal. Eric is obviously a guilty person, rightfully serving his time. But at least there is some glimmer of hope that he will be able to be rehabilitated in some shape or form. You don't need a complete transformation with a story like this. You just need a slight arch, and this movie succeeds in bringing that.

Orange Is the New Black (Season 1)

Jenji Kohan, 2013


4/5

Netflix continues to release original programming, which will ultimately prove to be a solid competitor to premium cable channels like HBO and Showtime. This series is as good as any series that would be appear on those networks. This series is a dramedy based on the memoir of Piper Kerman. It's the story of Piper (Taylor Schilling), who is sentenced to Litchfield women's prison in Upstate New York. Sort of like a comedy version of HBO's Oz. It examines themes of homosexual romance, jealousy, loyalty, betrayal, reflection and ingenuity while incarcerated. The series is directed by Jenji Kohan, who has a long resume of past television credits that include Mad About You, Sex and the City, Weeds and the Girlmore Girls.

Taylor Schilling is perfectly cast as Piper. Piper is about to enter prison to service a 15 month sentence for her involvement with her ex-girlfriend's drug ring. Now engaged to new love Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs), she's pulled back into her past despite the fact she's tried to move on from the period of her life when she was involved in a lesbian romance with Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). Piper has a well defined emotional range. She initially feels like a bad stroke of luck put her where she is. She brings her outside self in, seeking acceptance and trying to make friends quickly - perhaps too quickly. It certainly takes time to become jaded like the others. With a prison filled with rough & tough women, her vulnerability sticks out like a sore thumb.

Fans of The Wire will be delighted to see Pablo Schreiber (who played Nicky Sobotka in Season 2), who plays a prison guard in Orange. He's one of the few guards, most of which are drunk with their power. They verbally abuse the inmates on a regular basis, causing you to wonder when they are going to get their comeuppance. It's also refreshing to see Jason Biggs and Natasha Lyonne far away from the god awful American Pie series. One of the most positively distinctive features of the series is the larger than life personalities that the cast provides. They all have a story, and the creator cleverly peppers in back-story to paint the picture.

There are plenty of laughs and most, if not all of them hit. There's clearly a talented writing staff behind the series, and the casting director deserves some serious praise because there really doesn't appear to be one miscast character in the entire series. Netflix already renewed it for Season 2, which is good news. With House of Cards and Arrested Development in their belt, they are clearly going to become a big player in the television world.