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Film: Indie Flicks
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 24, 2003
The Good Thief (R) (108 min.) -- All you need to erase Nick Nolte's notorious DUI police mugshot from your mind is a peek at his performance in The Good Thief, a remake of the 1955 French caper Bob le Flambeur. Nolte plays Bob Montagnet, a down-and-almost-out American expatriate (and criminal) in France. He's a shabby-chic throwback to days when crooks didn't talk in Tarantino pop-speak or use technology requiring a physics degree to understand.
Bob takes risks, on the job and the gaming tables at Parisian casinos. Like a Bogart anti-hero, he has solid principles under an exterior battered by bad decisions that include a heroin habit. Yet he rejects the sexual advances of teenage Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze) after rescuing her from a pimp, and appears to be admired even by the detective (Tcheky Karyo), who is waiting for Bob to slip up. Bob's protege accomplice Paulo (Said Taghmaoui) mimics his mentor's moves and, except for the needles, we can't blame him.
Director Neil Jordan makes a vibrant return to moody, character-study filmmaking after the pulp terror of In Dreams and a stodgy End of the Affair. There is no mistaking The Good Thief's European origins, in style or locales, but the movie clicks like America's clockwork cinema. Translating French comedies to English has become a farce of the wrong kind over the years. Jordan turns one of the grittiest Gallic dramas into a model for others to follow.
The caper is slick, a heist of casino art masterpieces that wouldn't be reported since copies are on public display. The originals are in a vault in another location for safekeeping, and customers wouldn't spend money to hang around fakes. Jordan's adapted screenplay keeps everything close to the vest long enough to create surprises, and the relationship between Bob and Anne is intriguingly platonic. Bob's friends and foes alike are interesting foils for his gruff professionalism, nostalgic pride and cold-turkey redemption.
It's only April, but I hope critics and award voters remember Nolte's marvelous performance at the end of the year. I've never seen him this much in control of a role in need of such care, filmed even as his personal life was spinning out of control. Occasionally Jordan inserts a brilliantly morose Leonard Cohen song into the soundtrack and we realize it's the same voice as Bob's, a husky growl of resignation and regret. Nolte nails every facet of this aging lion on a losing streak, making this the first great performance of 2003. A
-- STEVE PERSALL, Times film critic
Top Speed (Not rated, probably G) (45 min.) -- The newest addition to the rotating schedule of IMAX films is all about velocity. Yet it arrived too late at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry for Weekend review. Top Speed, from the vaunted MacGillvray-Freeman IMAX studio, was still going through finishing touches last weekend, causing the print delivery to be delayed.
The topic sounds interesting: director Greg MacGillvray mounted cameras alongside -- sometimes on -- a few of the world's fastest athletes to describe the scientific principles of speed, and the emotional high of improving upon it.
Viewers take a virtual ride in the cockpit of Lucas Luhr's Grand Prix Porsche, keep up with Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones as she sprints 100 meters, then go mountain biking with Marla Streb with a camera attached to the handlebars. All this motion in the huge IMAX format should be exhilarating.
The film is hosted by comedian Tim Allen, who knows a bit about velocity since his career went downhill fast after his Home Improvement sitcom stopped production. Allen doesn't simply narrate like other IMAX celebrities; he gets involved in several speedy experiments, including an F-18 jet flight with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Meanwhile, computer animation explains the factors contributing to speed; the physiology, psychology and sheer will to break such barriers.
Top Speed opens Friday at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. Call (813) 987-6100 for show times and ticket information.
TamBay Film and Video Festival -- The third annual showcase of shoestring-budgets returns to Channelside Cinemas in Tampa today through Monday. Struggling filmmakers seeking an outlet for feature films, documentaries, student works and animation -- in both long and short formats -- are welcomed at TamBay.
Feature films include All the World, a Shakespearean comedy by local filmmakers Mandy Wildman and Laura Sherman (Friday, 7:30 p.m.); the Canadian drama Two Summers (Saturday, 6:30 p.m.) and the serial-killer thriller Raging Bells (Monday, 8 p.m.).
Weekend festival guests include stunt actor Kim Kahana, a 30-year screen veteran and martial arts instructor, and actor Jack Knight, a supporting player in films such as Catch Me If You Can and Rosemary's Baby, who will introduce his latest film, Lisa Stoll's If, at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Stoll will also participate in Saturday's 6 p.m. seminar titled: "How to Make a Feature Film on $10 an Hour," geared to assist artists without investors.
Tickets are available at the box office or online at the festival's Web site (www.tambayfilmfest.com). Admission is $7.50 per program, with $2 discounts for seniors and students with valid IDs. Day-long passes for Saturday or Sunday are $15.
For a complete lineup of films, events and show times, visit the Web site.