Reviews

Strangely, quite a few top-class directors ended up making very few films in their lifetime. Ritwik Ghatak comes to mind immediately. After having watched the colour trilogy and, now, Decalogue, I would think Krzystof Kieslowski falls into that bracket. Having watched this at the Collective Chaos in Bangalore, India, I am left to wonder if productivity is inversely proportional to quality, even in films. Even if Decalogue has 10 parts to it based on the commandments, it is essentially one film. But a few episodes are better than the others. Like the 5th part, "Thou shalt not kill". Kieslowski takes a look at capital punishment in this brilliant part. People who have read Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment will immediately identify with this stunning tale of murder, repentance and justice. The 6th part too makes a big impact. A story of a young man's obsession for an older woman on whom he snoops on. Indian viewers would recognise more than a hint of Shashilal Nair's Ek Chotisi Love Story in this. Of course the latter pinched it. Anyway, Kieslowski's films are very approachable, yet intellectual. Decalogue confirms this belief. Buy it or rent it but do watch it.

A highly entertaining, yet intelligent, film about the demarcations between need, desire, greed and envy. Magic and miracles happen when the lady who inherits the big whale sleeps with someone in that fully furnished and lighted, dead animal, the guy gets a wish of his fulfilled. One by one, everyone falls for Maria Shrader's charms and their own greed, as the whale becomes a brothel.

The one line summary I have given is misleading. It isn't just a detective film, and perhaps, that is why it is the best. Miscreants kidnap a shoe merchant's car driver's son, mistaking him for the shoe merchant's. From then on, its Kurosawa. The problem with a detective film is that the we, generally, would have seen it all. But here, Kurosawa weaves a gripping story from quite mundane situations. Toshiro Mifune, without his sword, and as Gondo, the shoe businessman, is superb. Technically, the film is accomplished. But the tour-de-force is the reason for the crime. Brilliant!

Mani Ratnam rose to fame with this superb, Godfather-inspired, crime story. Kamal Hassan, in a National Award-winning role, is the highlight of this film. WAtch out for the scene where he says "Naa adichcha nee sethuruve (You will die if I hit you)" to a police officer. Based on a real-life don, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Nayagan was praised by critics and audience alike, a rarity in India. Illayaraja's music is haunting. "Tenpaandi Cheemayile", sung by Kamal Hassan, is a classic. Photography is brilliant. Mani Ratnam is top-of-the-pops. Sign of things to come? Janakaraj as the gangster's friend is an inspired selection. This is as good as it gets for bridge cinema.