Harry Moore
Words by Harry Moore
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Set somewhere between Andy Serkis’ ape revolution and Charlton Heston having a monkey made out of him, Wes Ball’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” delves head first into ape society with opposing tribes and factions sewing division amongst the intellectually advanced beasts. This return to the planet of the apes takes more cues from the storytelling in fantasy epics as opposed to the more apocalyptic tone that guided the previous trilogy’s interpretation. “Kingdom” stays close to “the hero’s journey” story structure that has come to define so many of these high-genre stories. The film follows Noa, a young ape on a journey to save his tribe who have been abducted by the tyrannical ape king Proximus Caesar, who seeks to take control of what remains of human technology. There’s a lot that works in Ball’s film. It is a marvel from a visual standpoint, and when the film is operating on a larger scope it plays like an ape-filled Middle-earth which is a wonderfully ludicrous concept. But at a character level, it is perfunctory and forgettable with none of the cast making much of an impression. It is kind of like watching a version of “A New Hope” without Han Solo — and as there is a lot of evidence to show, “Star Wars” just doesn’t have that x-factor without Harrison Ford. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” falls victim to one of the major flaws of modern event films, as it largely serves as a setup for sequels that may not come for years, if at all, ultimately diminishing the level of satisfaction the film can achieve.
The Bikeriders
The rise and fall of a 1960s Mid-Western motorcycle club unfolds in Jeff Nichols’ drama starring the current holy trinity of voice-shifting actors in Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Austin Butler. Largely told through the eyes of Kathy (Comer), a housewife who finds herself in a lust-fueled romance with Benny (Butler), a local rebel without a cause and member of the local motorcycle club The Vandals, led by the stoic Johnny (Hardy). Though the group starts out as a social club for bike enthusiasts to drink and race each other, it is soon corrupted by drugs, violence and criminal enterprise. At its relatively brisk runtime under two hours, “The Bikeriders” is a perfectly serviceable rendition of the crime-not-paying story archetype, but it doesn’t do much that other films haven’t previously done better with this well-trodden trope. From its opening scene, in which one of our leads is in a moment of dramatic violence before cutting to a scene set years prior with a voice-over describing the allure of biker culture, we can see how indebted to “Goodfellas” Nichols’ film is, which is emphasized further with Kathy operating as a surrogate Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco), with her side of the story as the outsider looking into a lurid underworld. Though it could be argued that “The Bikeriders” wears its influences on its sleeve; Johnny is inspired to start the club after watching the film “The Wild Ones,” even going as far as dressing like Marlon Brando’s character while Butler leans heavily into the James Dean mold of leading man to portray his character. The cast is the film’s strongest asset. And while the three leads don’t exactly stretch themselves to show a side of themselves we haven’t seen before, they manage to create incredibly lived-in characters with ease, as the supporting cast is a who’s who of gruff character actors who can inhibit these roles in their sleep. Nichols’ film hardly reinvents the wheel, but there’s enough fuel in its engine to get where it needs to go without breaking down.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to demolish the streets of Miami once again, this time the wise-cracking cop duo of Mike and Marcus find themselves on the run after being framed for corruption and must clear their names. I’m sure Will Smith wasn’t planning on retreating to the safety of one of his well-worn franchises after winning his Oscar, but we are all the better for it as this is the mode Smith works best in. Smith is in his element cruising around the highways in a sports car and sharing barbs with Martin Lawrence with the chemistry of the pair crackling just as well as it did in the mid-’90s. Directors Adil & Bilal continue to helm the series after taking it over from Michael Bay with the previous entry “Bad Boys: For Life.” The directing duo bring a lot of energy to the film and inventively shoot the action sequences with a lot of style without going to the bombastic heights of peak “Bayhem.” “Bad Boys 4 “never loses sight of its ambitions and cleanly hits its target of being a fun action comedy that utilizes the talent of its stars to their best effect.
Hit Man
Loosely based on a true story, this comedic thriller follows a psychology professor who moonlights as a fake hitman in undercover sting operations for the police, but things spiral out of control after he falls for a potential client. Over the past 30 years, director Richard Linklater has steadily built varied filmography that has delved into a range of genres, while always maintaining an inviting, lackadaisical tone that is distinctly Linklater. Whether it be “School of Rock,” “Dazed and Confused” or “Boyhood,” Linklater’s sensibility always emanates through — and “Hit Man” is no different. The film works as a kind of audition tape for its star, the current it-boy of Hollywood Glen Powell with the role inviting him to show a level of range that had not yet been revealed. On a surface level, his character Gary dons a multitude of disguises, which allows Powell to live out being a sketch comic playing broad, cartoonish characters while the film itself demands that Powell demonstrate his leading man credentials, as he has to play both serious, comedic and romantic over the many twists and turns the plot takes. Powell largely lives up to those demands, convincingly carrying the film’s many tone shifts and exhibiting a charged chemistry opposite Adria Arjona, who is herself something of a minor revelation in the film with a charmingly captivating performance. “Hit Man” is a surprising and eminently watchable addition to Linklater’s stellar career. 
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