Weekly round-up

>> White supremacists cry
and wacky Brits get high

by MALCOLM FRASER

Steel Toes

Local actor and writer David Gow makes his directorial debut with this drama based on his own play. Co-directed with cinematographer/editor Mark Adam, it’s the story of a Jewish lawyer (David Strathairn) who takes on the case of a white supremacist skinhead (Andrew Walker) on trial for killing an Indian immigrant in an unprovoked fit of racist rage. Much to the dismay of his wife (hard-working Quebec actress Marina Orsini) and his friends, Strathairn dives into the case, putting his emotional well-being on the line to dig below the surface of this unlikeable client to uncover the humanity that will get him a fair trial.

Being a Canadian (therefore low-budget) film, the work of a first-time director, and an adaptation of a play, the film’s shortcomings hardly need to be enumerated. In the early scenes, as Strathairn and Walker square off in a prison interview room, the vibe is somewhere between a student film and an episode of Law & Order, but the two leads save the day. Strathairn has always been a reliably solid character actor, but Walker, previously known mostly for low-end episodic TV work, is a revelation. In a scene where he delivers an insane anti-Semitic rant, then collapses into a crying, puking fit, he not only gets to flex his acting muscles but actually conveys some of the character’s torment and misguided anger.

Although uneven, the film actually improves as it goes along, and the strength of the two leads elevates it above its excessively theatrical dialogue and overall earnestness. (MF)

Death at a Funeral

Frank Oz has had a weird professional life. Not only is he the voice of Grover, Miss Piggy and Yoda, but he boasts a peculiar directorial career that began with The Dark Crystal and went on to films ranging from In & Out to The Score to The Stepford Wives. Now he comes at us with, of all things, a British farce about a funeral.

Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) has to host his father’s funeral at his parents’ country estate, and in doing so, must deal with his family and friends, who each bring their own particular slice of drama to the proceedings. A large cast of characters invades the house, their various issues providing the plot and comic fodder. Unfortunately, Dean Craig’s script tries to throw too many things at the wall, none of which particularly stick. It’s a bad sign when the funniest gag in the movie has to do with people being accidentally dosed with hallucinogens and the ensuing antics.

The whiny, pasty-faced Macfadyen is nobody’s idea of a leading man, and the other actors aren’t given enough time to flesh out their characters (with the exception of Peter Dinklage, who you might remember from The Station Agent or the brilliant dwarf rant from Living in Oblivion). Oz shows none of the deft comic touch he brought to minor comedic masterpieces like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, What About Bob? and Bowfinger. This just strings wacky humour around a dark subject, lacking the truly black heart required to make dark comedy work. (MF)

Both films open this
Friday, Oct. 12

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