|
by ROBERT ZIMMER, JR.
|
. |
Brought to you by bombast masters Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay (Armageddon, The Rock), Pearl Harbor succeeds in conveying the sheer visceral shock of what it must have felt like to be one of the attacked, whether on board the ships, or on the ground as ambushed pilots and nurses. The visuals and sounds are nothing short of stunning, certainly paralleling the intensity of Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, the film fails on many other levels, due mostly to some of the most dreadful, cliché-ridden writing of all time -- dialogue that was so cornball and wooden that it had many audience members laugh in derision. Sadly, not the remotest attempt is made to dimensionalize the main characters, fighter pilots/best friends Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) and Rafe McAwley (Ben Affleck), or the woman they both love, Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale). The epic power of the carnage itself could have been so much deeper, had we been given characters to care about, people who amounted to more than cardboard cutouts spewing dumbed-down dialogue written seemingly for ten-year olds. The work of screenwriter Randall Wallace, Academy Award nominee for Braveheart in 1995, has apparently sunk in quality faster than the poor U.S.S. Arizona. In an inexplicable scene at film's opening, a drunken, abusive World War I veteran slaps his son, young Danny, for accidentally taking a joyride in the family's cropduster. The kid's best friend, Rafe grabs a sizable piece of wood and whacks Daddy-o in the back -- amazingly hard for a boy of about eight. Does this incite the man to further rage? No, miraculously it seems to transform him into a reflective oracle of veteran's wisdom. He delivers a few canned lines about flying and war, and walks off. The abused Danny, apparently having instantly forgiven all, tags along after delivering a cursory "You're my best friend." to his young compatriot. Sigh. It's clear the staggering film budget didn't get much use here. Later, during the interminably slow buildup (never have I wanted a war to start so badly before) Kate Beckinsale attends to suitor Ben Affleck's bashed-up nose. He winces at her efforts, saying, "That hurts!" She replies, "It's your nose that hurts," and then the clunker "No -- I think it's my heart that hurts." Cue orchestral swell and starry-eyed gazes. It was enough to induce vomiting. The love triangle that builds between Rafe, Danny, and Evelyn could have been saved from soap opera shallowness by an honest, heartfelt exploration of how it makes perfect, tragic sense that the best friend and fiancée of a presumed dead man would seek solace in one another. Instead, we get weepy nonsense about people moving on with their lives, and a (oh, what a surprise) pregnancy thrown in for fun. Credit to Bay and Bruckheimer, though, for at least giving some little-known historical context to the Japanese attack. As dishonorable and vicious as their attack on Pearl Harbor was, we are shown how the Japanese felt they had no choice but to make war, since the United States had cut off their oil supply and they had but 18 months of reserve left. Leave it to the film, however, to perpetuate ridiculous stereotypes: Repeatedly, as we are shown the Japanese planning for the attack, we are expected believe that the Japanese held all their military strategy sessions in outdoor Shinto temples in full dress uniform, speaking in quaint koan-style patterns. Also nicely done is a scene where President Roosevelt inspires his Cabinet to make the impossible happen, i.e. plan a risky bombing raid on Tokyo. The film ends, in fact, with Colonel Jimmy Doolittle's spring 1942 coup. Alec Baldwin does a nice turn as the legendary Doolittle, managing to shine despite his crappily written role. Cuba Gooding, Jr. also turns up in what amounts to a cameo, playing Dorie Miller, a decorated black sailor who distinguished himself in battle that fateful morning. And even the most jaded of viewers will be saddened by the aftermath of the Doolittle raid, where the heroism of the participants seems to be in vain. There is much to appreciate about the film. But what's so disappointing about Pearl Harbor is not so much what it was, but what it wasn't. With the resources and ability that $135 million and a stellar cast can bring to bear, it's a great shame that the film amounts to nothing more substantial than a highlight reel of vicious battle scenes. Where are the historical lessons? Where is the emotion beyond that of shell shock? If the audience is to learn from the lessons of war, and of Pearl Harbor specifically, the film owes us more than reminding us that bombs and airplanes are wow, really loud. ROBERT ZIMMER, Jr., IS A FILM AND TELEVISION WRITER/PRODUCER LIVING IN LOS ANGELES. |
Send your comments to Coffee Shop Times pop culture critic Robert Zimmer, Jr.
|
Copyright © 2001 The Coffee Shop Times
Aloha, Hollywood: Pearl Harbor Gets the Glitz
