Armageddon Time

 

Director James Gray

Gray with cinematographer Darius Khondji

ARMAGEDDON TIME        B                                                                                                     USA  Brazil  (114 mi)  2022  ‘Scope  d: James Gray

The thing that most white people imagine that they can salvage from the storm of life is really, in sum, their innocence.  It was this commodity precisely which I had to get rid of at once, literally, on pain of death.  I am afraid that most of the white people I have ever known impressed me as being in the grip of a weird nostalgia, dreaming of a vanished state of security and order.      —James Baldwin, The Black Boy Looks at the White Boy, from Esquire magazine, May 1, 1961, The Black Boy Looks at the White Boy - ALLISON BOLAH

James Gray is one of those filmmakers who is better received in Europe than he is in America, as his early films like LITTLE ODESSA (1994), The Yards (1999), and WE OWN THE NIGHT (2007) express a shocking violence where death is a prominent theme, known for also creating memorable nightclub sequences, yet despite rave reviews at Cannes, these deeply personal films were often overlooked and received sharply divided reviews.  But for all their dramatic expansiveness, these early crime pictures were of a kind not seen since the New Hollywood classics of the 1970’s, where Gray is a cinephile clearly impacted by the films of that era, citing Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (Il Conformista) (1970), William Friedkin’s THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1973), Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER (1972), and THE GODFATHER Part II (1974), and the films of Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, and Stanley Kubrick, yet claims the film that has had the most enduring influence on him was Coppola’s APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), noting that the “swell of the architecture of a movie is part of what makes it the most beautiful visual art form.”  While he has passionate supporters, he has just as many detractors, where he’s never been able to find a mass audience, yet French critics love him, which is why he’s become a Cannes regular for over twenty years, with this film receiving a 7-minute standing ovation.  A native of Flushing, Queens, Gray’s first films tell personal, if loosely autobiographical, stories set in Brooklyn, venturing to Ellis Island for his historical drama The Immigrant (2013), making his way to the Amazon jungle and even outer space for his next projects, before finding his way back home to Queens, making his most autobiographical film, a portrait of his upbringing in the 1980’s, with the Gray family name shortened from Greyzerstein at Ellis Island, a time when a post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America returned to conservatism, placing a halt on any socially progressive agenda.  The youngest son in an upwardly mobile Jewish-American family, 11-year old Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) is an alter-ego of the director, with an antagonizing older brother Ted (Ryan Sell), and second-generation parents Esther (Anne Hathaway) and Irving (Jeremy Strong), while Anthony Hopkins plays the kindly grandfather Aaron Rabinowitz, whose family fled first from the murderous acts of the Cossacks, and then the Nazi’s.  While Jewish history is a predominate theme, this film slyly overlays a similar theme taking place in America with the routine persecution of blacks, who are subject to a heavy-handed authoritative approach from government, schools, and police, quickly labeled troublemakers or criminals, never receiving the breaks or second chances that whites often receive.  A family drama that reflects on a small scale where the whole country is headed, the film is a sober reflection, a coming to terms with one’s own past, which clearly haunts the filmmaker to this day, exploring a generational failure, characterized by the 1980 Presidential election of Ronald Reagan, who was swept into office on a tide of racism and a legacy of dog-whistle bigotry, featuring his slogan, “Let’s make America great again (sound familiar?),”  Pandering to racists through Nixon’s Southern Strategy, which continues to harm communities even today, Reagan released southern states from school desegregation and voting rights mandates while demonizing black women as welfare queens who want free hand-outs and are unwilling to work for a living, making the rest of the country despise who they are and everything they stand for, planting the seeds for the white supremacy of Trump, whose family makes its eerie presence, almost like a horror film.  By the time Donald Trump becomes President in 2016, Republicans hold almost every governor’s office and control most legislatures across the South.

The film’s title comes from a 1979 reggae song by The Clash, The Clash - Armagideon Time [Single] - YouTube (3:51), the B-side of London Calling, while also referencing Ronald Reagan’s 1979 quote on Jim Bakker’s evangelical PTL television network, openly campaigning as an evangelical Christian, expressing his growing interest in the anti-gay theology of Armageddon, “Do you ever get the feeling sometimes that if we don’t do it now, if we let this be another Sodom and Gomorrah, that maybe we might be the generation that sees Armageddon?”  This coming-of-age story reveals the different trajectory of the lives of two young boys, one white and one black, Paul and Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb), quickly becoming best friends in a 6th grade class at P.S. 173, as both are singled out for being disruptive in class by the overzealous teacher Mr. Turkeltaub (Andrew Polk), who bears a resemblance to Ben Stein, the cartoonish teacher in FERRIS BUEHLER’S DAY OFF (1986).  While the point of view follows Paul and his family, we learn that Johnny has none, living with a grandmother suffering from dementia, basically leaving him homeless where he’s fending for himself, held back the previous year, the only black kid in class, with the teacher reminding him of his failures at every turn.  There are subtle differences in the punishment of each student, as Johnny is the one automatically blamed, even when Paul is the instigator, where he’s able to hide behind his race, learning very early about how racial dynamics play out in the real world, which only grew more exacerbated with the election of Reagan.  Despite such different backgrounds, they take solace in being outsiders, with Paul having little interest in school, spending his time drawing instead, with a talent for illustrations, creating a science-fiction superhero character named Captain United, dreaming of one day becoming an important artist.  Both share a passion for outer space, with Johnny dreaming of being an astronaut with NASA, while Paul wants to illustrate comic books about space travel, but their friendship is defined by the rebellious things they do together, like skip out on school, smoke weed in the bathroom, and hang out in the clubhouse built in Paul’s backyard, which Johnny secretly uses as his makeshift home.  While his mother Esther is the head of the PTA, Paul thinks she runs the school, protecting him from any adverse punitive acts, viewing himself as near invincible.  Overall, however, despite telling a personal story, the film feels distantly impersonal and heavy-handed, never becoming dramatically engaging, as outside of Johnny, there are really no likable characters in the film, with Paul in nearly every frame, and he’s kind of a bratty kid, misbehaving at home and at school, where he gives his parents plenty of grief, acting up in inappropriate situations.  When they try to express the gravity of their family history, Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants who escaped anti-Semitism in Europe, it’s beyond his comprehension, showing little interest as he routinely backtalks while tuning them out.  It’s rare to see a coming-of-age film with such a snotnose kid as the lead protagonist, yet he has a special relationship with his grandfather, who looks after him like a guardian angel, buying him gifts, showering him with affection, never letting him forget his past, as they may otherwise end up haunting you, which is exactly what happened in America, where embracing the sins of Ronald Reagan was a breeding ground leading us into the disaster of the Trump era.  Following in the footsteps of demagogue radio priest Father Coughlin, who commanded a massive audience in the 1930’s, viewed as the father of hate speech, spouting anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi tirades on the airwaves during the lead-up to World War II, (The Deplatforming of Father Coughlin - Slate Magazine), these are quasi-celebrities who blend populist appeal and right-wing politics, where today a narcissistic self-interest is the new moral dilemma plaguing the nation, as politicians openly seek face time on the networks, hoping to bathe in the social media spotlight of “Me-ism,” while everything else is purely secondary, like running the government or serving the interests of the nation.   

While America is supposedly a land of equal opportunities, one thing this film makes perfectly clear is how opportunities don’t happen equally, as the privileged take advantage by overlooking the many doors that were opened for them, typically at the cost of excluding the more disadvantaged.  Jews escaped persecution in Europe, as Aaron’s family discovered freedom in the welcoming doors of America, yet blacks have never experienced that same welcoming experience, as the doors have continually been closed for them throughout hundreds of years of history, which is astonishing when you think about it, as it goes back to the era of Columbus.  Even though this autobiographical film is not openly political, the experience of “white privilege” resonates strongly, as the education system fails students from marginalized groups in a disproportional way, while the paths of justice operate only for one of these kids, while the other feels the wrath of racial hatred.  Paul’s parents react with horror when they discover his partner in crime is a black kid, transferring all the blame to that kid, suggesting he’s a “bad influence,” overlooking their own child’s explicit responsibilities, while pulling him from the school and transferring him to Forest Manor, in real-life The Kew-Forest School, an all-white private school located in the affluent neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, the same school attended by his brother, along with Donald Trump and his family, where Donald’s father Fred is on the board of trustees.  Paul is extremely unhappy, as this means he will no longer see Johnny, but he quickly experiences a culture shock at the new school, where he’s required to wear a uniform, catering to upper middle class and wealthy families, with readily available computers in the classrooms.  When Johnny visits on the school playground, Paul pretends to barely know him, painfully aware of how his presence is perceived by the other students, who use the n-word to describe him, mocking his lowly status, while making him the butt of racial jokes.  When Paul attempts to talk about this with his grandfather, a bit ashamed that he didn’t stand up for his friend, his grandfather reveals how “the game is rigged” against marginalized groups in America, who experience a collapse of faith when the nation’s promise of freedom and equality doesn’t apply to them, which may explain his own family’s eager assimilation in pursuit of the American Dream.  While Paul and his family also face discrimination, he has the ability to escape much of it, as they have the resources to help him be successful.  Johnny is not so fortunate, with no support whatsoever in helping him achieve his dreams.  A powerful exposé of privilege and inequality, and how it is systematically perpetuated over time, the film is conscientious but difficult, as it’s a rather blunt depiction, providing little insight or background into Johnny’s character, who comes across as a token black figure, and doesn’t compare well to Barry Levinson’s Proustian sagas of Jewish life in post-war Baltimore in films like AVALON (1990) or LIBERTY HEIGHTS (1999).  In addition, the film has a very muted color palette, making it feel colder as it articulates heavier themes, with Gray using digital for the first time, shot by Darius Khondji, where the camerawork is dark and oppressive.  The Trump family are major donors to this new school, with Paul encountering Fred Trump (John Diehl), a powerful real estate magnate in Queens, in the hallway on his first day.  This period in his life is when Paul begins to understand how race, religion, and social class are used as reasons for bigots to inflict their damaging prejudice on others, often veiled and disguised in patriotic and life-affirming rhetoric which is meant only for a privileged few, perfectly encapsulated in a cameo appearance by Jessica Chastain as Maryanne Trump (Donald’s older sister, a federal appellate judge appointed by Ronald Reagan), who gives a rousing speech to the students about the importance of hard work to achieve success, declaring “you are the elite,” conveniently leaving out the part about inheriting a fortune from her father.  While many may not want to hear this message, just as they tuned out on Jimmy Carter’s prescient “crisis of confidence” message in favor of Reagan’s sunny optimism, but it is crucial nonetheless.  

One False Move

 

Director Carl Franklin

Bill Paxton

Cynda Williams and Billy Bob Thornton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONE FALSE MOVE       A                                                                                                           USA (105 mi)  1992  d: Carl Franklin

Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel gave me a career.  I get a little choked up.  What happened was that IRS Media was primarily a straight-to-video company and weren’t really equipped to market films theatrically.  They didn’t really have a lot of faith in “One False Move.”  What happened is that my wife, Jessie Beaton, who produced the film, got it booked and Anne Thompson saw it at the Palm Springs Film Festival and John Hartl saw it in Seattle.  Then Sheila Benson saw it and took it to the Floating Film Festival.  That is where Roger Ebert saw it and he and Gene Siskel just became champions for it and talked about it on whatever show. They single-handedly became our marketing.                                                                           —Carl Franklin, Carl Franklin, Director of ONE FALSE MOVE – rogerebert.com             

Released just days after the Los Angeles uprising following the Rodney King beating by police, when all four police officers were acquitted on charges of using excessive force, in direct conflict with the publicly viewed videotape that proved otherwise, this film offers a new twist on Robert Siodmak’s Oscar nominated film noir THE KILLERS (1946), coming on the heels of the Coen brother’s Blood Simple (1984), suggesting film noir is back with a vengeance in this strikingly original neo-noir work transporting the setting to the American South, which allows novice black director Carl Franklin to provide a commentary on unresolved American race relations.  Made on a shoestring budget, part of the indie movement of the 90’s, the film deals with the question of violence and race in some really powerful, problematic, and disturbing ways, listed as the #1 film of the year by Gene Siskel, Gene Siskel: 1969-1998, and #2 on Ebert’s list, Roger Ebert: 1967-2006, both fervently advocating for a socially relevant film that was initially targeted for a very limited release before heading straight to video.  Opening in an urban setting, the sight of some shockingly gruesome murders, the escape takes us through a meandering odyssey of desolate country roads, cheap motels, and diners, yet every move calls attention to that horrific atrocity opening the film, where the brutal savagery of the crime is simply staggering, and by extension, the violent history of the nation itself.  Co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, while exquisitely shot on 35mm by James L. Carter, much of it in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, a mostly black small-town with a population of just over 500, and home of gospel singer extraordinaire Sister Rosetta Tharpe, about two hours from Hot Springs, where Thornton grew up, at times with no plumbing or electricity, bringing authenticity to the screen, yet what’s perhaps most effective is the stripped-down simplicity of its style, with a director in full command of character and mood, where the quiet moments render the most emotional weight, offering a surprising turn, as the film is chock full of Southern charm and intricate small-town detail that might surprise viewers, as they don’t expect to be taken into this vastly unexplored landscape in film noirs, which made their name in the 40’s and 50’s through gritty urban environments.  Eddie Muller, founder of the Film Noir Foundation and programmer of the Noir Film Festival, impressibly describes the film as “one of the best crime movies made in this country in the last 50 years.”  Something of an extension of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989), with more of an emphasis on a contaminated white immorality, at the time of release few knew the director was black, as most simply assumed he was white, yet what’s so subtle are the slowly developing racial inferences, largely revealed through white characters, yet this film traverses where few others are willing to go, exploring how white privilege perpetuates generations of hidden racism, from taking advantage of special perks that only whites can experience, to refusing to accept responsibility for their mixed-race children, typically denying paternity and moving on from them, leading completely separate lives, pretending as if they simply don’t exist.  Playwright Sam Shepard explored the idea of separate families in Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas (1984) and Robert Altman’s Fool for Love (1985), yet neither explored any racial connotations, setting this into a unique realm, adding a racial dimension, where the full force of the subject creeps up on you, with viewers having no idea where this is heading, as the crime spree captures all the attention, getting all the headlines, while this little aspect of the story only really comes into play at the end, punctuated by a devastating emotional finale that is simply chilling.  While the opening is easily one of the more disturbing moments anyone could possibly experience in a theater, bordering on a snuff film, where a pleasant party atmosphere of casual drinking and dancing is interrupted by a ferociously violent home invasion, leading to a monstrous serial killing carried out by two guys with no moral compass whatsoever, the profanity screaming Ray Malcolm (Billy Bob Thornton in a ponytail), his knife-wielding, silent assassin partner in crime, Pluto (Michael Beach), while Ray’s girlfriend Fantasia (Cynda Williams, who got married to Thornton after filming was completed, but divorced before the film was released two years later) passively watches the murders of her friends while an eerie video of the party revelers filmed just moments earlier plays in the background in what turns out to be a spectacularly heinous drug theft, stealing a hidden stash of cocaine and money, immediately getting high and hitting the road. 

With terrific performances and a brilliantly written screenplay that explores the humanity in everyone, Los Angeles homicide detectives Dud Cole (Jim Metzler) and John McFeely (Earl Billings) are the salt and pepper cops assigned to the case, quickly identifying the perpetrators from the party video left behind, hearing Fantasia say she was heading for Star City, Arkansas, as she has family and a small child there.  Calling the local sheriff there, we’re immediately transported into an alternate universe, as Dale “Hurricane” Dixon (Bill Paxton) has that eager, enthusiastic charm of the good ol’ boy network, seemingly having all the time in the world as the LA cops can’t get a word in edgewise on the phone, but they do discover Dixon knows Fantasia from her past days in Star City, trying to warn him that these diabolical killers may be on their way there, and that they would be joining him shortly.  Most of the film actually takes place in a sleepy, small-town hamlet where little ever happens, with Dixon introducing the jaded city cops to an entirely different lifestyle, skipping out on his breakfast bill, stealing candy bars from behind the counter, while acting like the entire town is at his own personal disposal.  The two LA cops are literally dumbfounded at how blithely routine police procedures are ignored, as Dixon barnstorms his way wherever he goes, announcing himself and his companions long before they get there, removing any element of surprise, showing little comprehension for just how dangerous these abominable criminals have revealed themselves to be, fully admitting that he’s never once had to pull his gun in his entire career.  Nevertheless he invites the detectives to his home, sharing a home cooked meal, meeting his wife Cheryl Ann (Natalie Canerday), who announces she’s never seen her husband more excited, where they are treated like local celebrities, with the proud sheriff showing them off wherever he goes.  Where they would advance with extreme caution, Dixon simply barges his way in, impulsively jumping into family gatherings, asking an old, near-deaf uncle if he’s heard from Ray, or whether the mother has gotten word from Fantasia, exposing their entire reason for being there.  Dixon easily diffuses a domestic dispute, where an out-of-control, axe-wielding husband is drunkenly threatening to kill his wife, with the LAPD guys pulling their guns, but Dixon restrains him simply by talking like a friend, showing no aggressive demeanor, and the man quickly gives up without resorting to any violence.  It’s quite a contrast to the urban style of police encounter, guns drawn in anticipation of a far messier outcome.  Despite his natural spunk, the LA guys make fun of him behind his back, overheard one day, as they’re ridiculing his naïveté, colloquial speech, and lack of professional training.  In spite of his innate ineptitude, Dixon can’t wait to work on the case, where his recklessness and unbridled enthusiasm brings an endearing Southern charm, where his brash humor and infectious delight have a positive effect on viewers, yet as McFeely points out, “Hurricane is waiting on the bad guys the way a kid waits for Christmas.”  Paxton plays the role with a great deal of charisma, given a certain misguided nobility, viewed as the luckiest guy in the world, as he has a good job, a wife, a family, a home, where his heart is in the right place, even as he blunders into a situation and makes it worse, often interjecting terms like “colored boys” and “niggers,” completely unreflective and oblivious to the crude offensiveness of the language, especially in front of black officer McFeely, who is consistently slighted in favor of his white partner Cole.  Moving from an uncompromising crime genre to a more intimate character study, many may relate to this down-home aspect of his character, believing these are minor indiscretions, but by the end of the film they help create a fuller picture of just what kind of impact he actually has.

Coinciding with the portrait of small-town life, the camera also followers the killers on the run, going through a psychological meltdown after they quickly run through the cocaine, with Pluto cutting off the supply, wanting to have enough to make some money when they get to Houston.  After stopping in a convenience store where a state trooper is chatting with the cashier, that same trooper stops them on the highway while viewing their out-of-town plates, but as he pulls the two men out of the car, Fantasia walks up from behind and shoots him dead, where the store surveillance footage puts a face on them, confirming their identity.  What happens in Houston is equally problematic, yet another drug transaction gone wrong, as they are leaving dead bodies behind wherever they go, running out of options, splitting up however, allowing Fantasia to head home to meet her family (stealing their money before she leaves), while they will meet up with her there.  Fantasia turns out to be Lila Walker, having grown up in Star City, with the cops visiting her mother and brother Ronnie (Kevin Hunter), who have been taking care of her 5-year old son Byron (Robert Anthony Bell).  One thing Franklin emphasizes is a Christian aspect to Southern life, suggesting this is part of the white privilege imposing itself on blacks, often distorting their lives, repeating the negative stigma of blacks easily falling into a life of crime, yet excusing their own role, with the film openly challenging the role whites play in undermining black lives by refusing to support economic needs within that community, like providing jobs or medical care, or devoting adequate tax dollars for structural repair commensurate with white communities, something that simply doesn’t happen even when the majority population is black.  After generations of neglect, a moral rot may set in, where the everyday mindset is that blacks are simply viewed as inferior, opening the doors to white supremacy.  This film provides an alternative moral vision that suggests racist beliefs can negate black growth and cause severe harm which may be at the root of black crime, as there are so few viable options.  When Lila slips into town and meets her brother, she tells him, “I already look guilty.  Looking guilty is being guilty for black people; you now that,” suggesting criminality is not so much a choice but an unavoidable fate for many black Americans.  The grotesque brutality of the opening suggests this moral vision is not only deeply ingrained in the American South, but modern urban centers like Los Angeles, where blacks continue to live under a presumption of guilt, as only whites can be presumed innocent.  Dixon has been eyeing Lila from afar, finding her staying in an abandoned home outside of town, with her brother bringing her son for a visit, but once they leave, Dixon moves in, apparently having a history with her, as it soon becomes clear he’s the father of her child, something he refuses to acknowledge, taking advantage of her as a teenager caught for shoplifting, where “helping her” turned into having a sexual affair with her, underaged and a virgin at the time, so there is no question who the father is.  Still, he ignores the child, living an alternate “white” reality where blacks aren’t welcome, yet this single incident may have led her to flee the vicinity.  As they wait, she sensually appeals to his manhood for special favors, while he also discovers a handgun in Lila’s purse, setting her up as a typical femme fatale, a damaged soul down on her luck, trying to use her wit and guile.  Her compelling backstory is revealed slowly and calculatingly, offering a completely different view of Dixon, who is hardly the choir boy he appeared to be, yet the more time they spend together the more viewers come to realize Dixon’s role in why the killers are heading for Star City.  In the course of the evening, Lila reveals that she, her brother, and her son are all the progeny of absent white fathers, staining their lives in indescribable ways, inflicting psychological damage, producing shame, a subject discussed in Toni Morrison’s first novel The Bluest Eye, which may explain her poor choice in boyfriends, eventually hooking up with Ray, a perverted “white trash” criminal lowlife who routinely abuses her, a reflection of her own low self-esteem, yet part of a tradition that was passed on from mother to daughter.  In fact, Lila’s experience mirrors that of America, as black women have been historically terrorized by white men since the days of slavery, having no recourse or legal protection, yet the “white” twist on what amounts to rape is to call it “helping,” part of a long history of patriarchal white privilege that allows them to abdicate their responsibilities.  The extent of Dixon’s own contribution to Lila’s downfall comes as a shocking surprise, a devastating revelation that powerfully elevates the dramatic weight of the story.  Knowing the other two killers are coming to meet her, he agrees to let her free if she lures them into his trap where he’ll be waiting, alone, with no back up, an underdog sheriff finally having the opportunity to mix it up with the big leagues.  The bold finale has a slow, cinematic lead-in that amps up the tension, juxtaposing the arriving car carrying the killers, the police vehicle searching for Dixon’s whereabouts, and a black man playing a blues harmonica, with an accompanying blues-tinged theme played on electric guitar by child prodigy Eric Gale, one of the great session musicians who unfortunately died not long afterwards.  This masterful sequence leads to a stunning climax, which may leave some breathless in the elegance and graceful simplicity of the captured moment.