The last film you’d expect to find on Clint Eastwood’s acting resume. Added to that is his partnership with Don Siegel, a genre master. Together they created the much more known Dirty Harry. Just before that came this overheated confederate war battle of the sexes. It’s Guy Ritchie’s Black Swan with Jason Statham in the Natalie Portman role. While I’m sure that sounds intriguing, it might not sound very good. It is, in fact, quite excellent. A film that breaks a few rules, but the overall effect is powerful.
The most obvious break from formula isn’t seeing Eastwood as a lothario, but the way the script will inject small moments of voice over from major and minor characters as well as brief flashbacks that give the viewer some truth or explanation behind the dialogue. It works far more than it should, just as the girls all fit particular types – you can spot the jezebel from across the plantation – but these types pay off big in all the right uncomfortable places. It’s difficult to talk about a film I know few of you have seen, especially when (like Black Swan) it all builds to a pretty insane final half-hour. And the experimentation isn’t perfect, but I really like watching how far outside the mainstream things get. The final 10 minutes are absolutely perfect.
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