masonsaul

Last Breath is a very sturdy thriller that tunes its 93 minute run time beautifully. It takes the right amount of time to set everything up so the tense second act arrives when it needs to and it doesn't draw out the following rescue attempts, allowing it to escalate in a believable fashion. It's an engaging look at one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, enhanced by how it loves to show all the smaller details of the job and how good the people are at doing it.

Finn Cole brings a palpable sense of fear when things go wrong without losing his resourcefulness. The always reliable Woody Harrelson eases into one of his trademark easygoing roles in a way he can make look effortless and ensures he's instantly likeable. Simu Liu is really good as someone who completely separates their work and personal lives, resulting in a stern performance that eventually shows signs of empathy.

Alex Parkinson's workmanlike direction fits for a filmmaker adapting the documentary he co-directed, based on an unbelievable true story. The lack of exaggerated flair allows the most extraordinary moments to be even more investing and also helps the impressive underwater cinematography by Ian Seabrook to feel as tangible as possible. Paul Loenard-Morgan's bombastic score is at odds with everything else but it still works.

For the first half, God's Creatures is a meandering drama that takes just over half the film to properly get going but once it does it gets a lot stronger as a dark slow burning thriller about the perils of putting family above all else. Once that plot actually does kick in, it's all about guilt and consequences as one act born from maternal love has devastating repercussions and atonement arrives in a dark yet satisfying finale.

This is Emily Watson's film and she is fantastic. So much of the turmoil here is communicated through her looks of horror as she realises the one thing she doesn't want to be true is looking more likely with every new piece of information. In a fairly small role, Paul Mescal expands his range by playing someone who is more unsavoury than a lot of his other characters. His initial likeability slowly gives way to a character who has a real darkness underneath.

The direction by Anna Rose Holmer and Saela Davis certainly nails the look and feel of the film from the beginning with Chayse Irvin's lingering cinematography fitting the bleak tone naturally whilst giving the film some impactful final moments. The score by Saunder Jurriaans & Danny Bensi is phenomenal so its constantly haunting nature becomes a huge help for sustaining the film through its first half as well as enhancing the more engaging second half.

Mickey 17 is a very messy sci-fi satire that is ultimately a heartwarming adventure about someone who keeps being told they are literally expendable realising their own self-worth and that they deserve happiness. It gets more muddled as it goes along bringing in lots of ideas which don't always go somewhere, exacerbated by an indulgent run time, mainly held together by its extremely talented leading man doing double duty.

Robert Pattinson is incredible thanks to his ability to make both of the main Mickeys feel like totally different people since 17 has a sad puppy dog energy contrasted by the confident anger of 18. It's nice to see Mark Ruffalo continuing what he started in Poor Things with another incredibly over the top performance even if it isn't as successful here. Naomi Ackie is just as vital to the heart of the film as Pattinson, supporting him through everything with an unwavering strength and moral core.

Bong Joon Ho's writing and direction struggles to maintain a firm grip on all the ideas and weird creative choices crammed into this, which feels out of character but there's enough individual scenes that are great at what they're doing. The $118 million budget may seem bold for a film destined not to turn a profit however, it's always clearly seen on screen, especially in the highly detailed and tactile production design by Fiona Crombie.