A crime thriller with E. Hopkins and A. Pacino as antagonists directed by Shintaro Simosawa, almost immediately after the premiere, earned the status of the most disastrous movie project of 2016. Deservedly or not, a moot point. But the reviews for the film “Worse Than A Lie” (2016) are mostly skeptical, and the rating is IMDb: 5.30.
Flurry of criticism
Filmmakers criticized with genuine zeal - called it a guide to how to not make a movie. Puzzled, they asked if the producers had read the draft script before starting the production process. They were embarrassed by the pretentiousness of the work of operator Michael Fimognari. They were amazed at the participation in the cinema of one of the most outstanding actors of our time Pacino and Hopkins. According to the verdict published in the reviews, “Worse than a lie” is a complete fiasco in their creative biography, which until now has not happened.
The rolling fate of Simosawa's work eloquently demonstrates the state of the neo-noir genre today. In America, they did not try to show the tape in cinemas, after the end of the filming they “poured” it onto VOD services. Over the course of the year, in most cases, the picture did not leave the category “straight to the video”. Only in the Russian Federation was the film admitted to cinema rental.
main idea
For director Shintaro Shimosawa, cinema is a debut; before, it performed the production function of creating short films and television series. Perhaps that is why the reviews about the movie “Worse Than Lies” published by the audience are more lenient, because it’s excusable for a beginner to step on a rake. Moreover, the director took up the shooting with excitement and zeal, and not without aesthetics.
The story revolves around the personality of the young and ambitious lawyer Ben Keil, whose image on the screen embodied by Josh Duhamel. The actor is known for his work in Quiet Harbor and Once Upon a Time in Rome. The lawyer is very successful, he wins every process that he undertakes, while not disdaining bribery, intrigue and services of hackers. But the next thing, promising wealth and glory, presents him with more than one surprise. Ben is trying to figure out the circumstances of the scandal surrounding the personality of the head of a large pharmaceutical company (Hopkins character). In the beginning, everything is working out perfectly, the ex-lover gives Keil the necessary materials, the master of law (the hero of Pacino) provides him with support. But everything collapses in an instant, and the lawyer comes under the scrutiny of law enforcement agencies.
The main claims
The script of the film “Worse Than Falsehood” (2016), reviews of the reviewers ranked the shortcomings of the picture. Beginners Simon Boyes and Adam Mason famously twisted the story, saturating it to the eyeballs with a lot of small details that should have worked at the right time. However, they do not work, as a result, the mass of branches remain unsolved. A skeptical evaluation was bothered by the thriller operator Michael Fimognari. Under his strict guidance, the camera writes karkalomnye pirouettes on the interiors of the premises and streets of New Orleans. The master works expressively, subtly, but, unfortunately, all his delights are catastrophically inappropriate. The operator removes this and that, regularly changing the movement of the camera. But for some reason uses the most impressive means and expressiveness techniques in completely inappropriate episodes. Therefore, the reviews on “Worse Than Falsehood” assure that the majority of operator decisions are not justified by dramaturgy. The director is aware that the individual components of the tape are limping, trying to bet on the organics and expressiveness of acting.
Acting Ensemble
Two masters of the film industry E. Hopkins and A. Pacino are filming together for the first time. For both performers, the positions in the script are greatly reduced. But the actors showed such a masterful game that their characters - Charles Abrams (Al Pacino) and Arthur Denning (Anthony Hopkins) overshadowed the personality of the protagonist. Trying to smooth out the apparent difference in the demonstrated skill, the director only got disapproving reviews on "Worse Than A Lie." Critics unanimously stated that Shimosawa did not fully reveal the potential of the greatest artists of our time. However, even that fraction shown on the screen is quite enough for the watcher to enjoy high-quality images and dramatic ideas of the film “Worse Than A Lie”. The reviews say that the minimalism of the acting technique used by the visionary worked against the whole atmosphere of the film.
Well, what's wrong with the criminal ...
In the failure of the director-debutant as such, there is nothing criminal. The attraction to the strongest means of expressiveness and beauty is an excellent quality for a creative person. Experienced playwrights can not avoid plot sagging. Like filmmakers deal with stellar actors. However, all the shortcomings, flaws and miscalculations are extremely rare in one project. But as critics say in reviews, “Worse than a lie” is the same case.
Moreover, failure can be perceived differently. On frank blunders of the picture, one can hone wit, recall Pacino and Hopkins in case of failure.
Live and learn
In the domestic box office, the film is a collection of errors that are inherent in both foreign and Russian cinema: blind faith in the magic of static plans, enchanting driveways around the site, in the omnipotent actors and the self-sufficiency of their talents, in the omnipotence of a “famously twisted plot”. In the end, the fact that every movie debut is a carrier of amazing energy that has value. “Worse than a lie” you need to look to make sure that this is not always the case. Watch and learn, because experience is never meaningless.