The Vault #5- The Truman Show (1998)

Directed by: Peter Weir
Starring: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney

I'm going to be honest, I honestly do like Jim Carrey as an actor. He's a pretty funny guy, but honestly I much prefer him when he's actually acting. My two favourite films that he's in are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and this film, The Truman Show. This movie has a very odd concept, and one that I think could easily have become a gimmick, but the film's superb writing honestly makes it quite a poignant and though provoking watch. The Truman Show is about, a man who's entire life is a TV show, with everything that's ever happened in his life controlled by Christof, the series' showrunner. The film follows Truman as he begins to realize his reality, and tries to escape it. I really like this idea, and I especially love where it goes as the film progresses. As I said before, it could have been a gimmick, but it's used in such a way where the film goes deeper than you'd honestly expect. It's not a pure comedy film, though it does have it's lighter moments. Truman slowly coming to realize what his existence means is fascinating to watch, and though the film starts great, it really comes together as it goes on. It starts to focus more and more on the emotional and moral implications that come with this idea, and it's so satisfying. A lot of people have talked about the philosophy of this film, and I might too one day, but for now, what makes The Truman Show work with such a strange concept?

As I said above, I love Jim Carrey in this film. He really is great as Truman Burbank. He's able to really convey the emotions that come with this scenario, There are moments in this film where just by his face, you can tell exactly what he's thinking and going through. And as he starts to question his existence more and more, Carrey continues to sell what Truman's feeling perfectly, and often subtly. The emotion in this film isn't shoved in your face most of the time, which better allows you to feel what Truman is feeling. I won't give away the ending, but there's this incredibly tragic moment where everything goes wrong, and everything that Truman, and by extension the audience have been feeling throughout the film finally comes full circle, resulting in such a powerful and sad moment, which leads into an ending which is probably one of the best endings I've seen any movie have. It's truly spectacular.

Another thing that this film does really well is the satire. I love any movie that parodies the entertainment industry, and The Truman Show is a great spoof of TV, particularly reality TV. I love how it parodies so many tropes used in television, such as one character's 22 year absence being explained with amnesia, or wonderfully unsubtle product placement. The satire is funny and sharp, but it strengthens the story and concept of the film. The Truman Show acknowledges the dodgy moral implications in having one person's whole life be a TV show, but it also points out the positives. The film even opens with it's creator explaining why a show starring a real person is a good thing, and what it does for the audience. Throughout the film, we constantly cut to the audience watching Truman's life, completely invested in what happens to him. It's strange that not long after this movie came out, there was this huge surge of reality series that were obviously fake. The show itself has such a devoted fanbase, who watch the series just to watch Truman's life, as a way to escape their own. And just like with the concept, the film addresses why this is strange and unhealthy, but it also acknowledges that people can take comfort in knowing that who they're watching is a real, thinking person, someone who they know isn't reading a script. It never really states whether the idea of The Truman Show itself is a good or bad thing. Even the ending of the film feels less like commentary, and more like a true conclusion to the character of Truman.

Is it perfect? No. There isn't anything wrong with it per se, but it really isn't for everyone. I could see the concept, tone and writing rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, but honestly I love this film. It's clever, it's thought provoking, it's touching, it's everything I wanted from a film with this plot. It does it's concept justice and is just a great, and thoroughly satisfying watch. It's not for everyone, but The Truman Show is one of my favourite films of it's decade. So, good morning, and if I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night!

The Vault #4- The Warriors (1979)

Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Michael Beck, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, James Remar

Can. You. DIG IT? It's hard to really put my finger on why this film is as great as it is, because honestly, it's so simple. All of New York's gangs meet up one night to discuss forming an alliance, but when the leader of the gang proposing the truce is shot dead, a Coney Island gang called The Warriors are framed, and every gang in New York hunts them down. As I said, the plot is incredibly simple. You basically follow the Warriors as they attempt to get back to Coney Island alive. I think what makes this film work so well is the near impossible odds that our heroes are up against. Everybody wants them dead, and spends the whole film trying to kill them. There's something so intense about that, that literally every gang in the city is after this one group, and The Warriors never feel safe. Every time it looks like they might be alright, they get attacked by a rival gang, or chased by the police. And it's this feeling of constant threat that makes The Warriors such a thrilling watch. You know that anything could go wrong at any moment, and it does. The threat in the movie feels real. It feels like the Warriors are way out of their depth, like at any moment they could be killed or arrested. So many things go wrong for them in this film, and as the night goes on, their situation gets worse and worse. As the situation builds and builds, and things get worse for the Warriors, you start to wonder if they'll even get out at all. I think it would have been easy for the writers to just end the movie with a deus ex machina. But instead, and I'll try my best not to spoil anything here, they turn the situation around and end it the only way that they really could have.

The movie is made in such a way that you just know when something's going to go wrong. You can see when a problem is going to start, like with the scene with Ajax in the park. You know it's going to go wrong somewhere, and you're just waiting for things to go south. The whole film is like this. Anything that can go wrong, does go wrong, and makes the Warriors feel completely unprotected. The action is also really well done, albeit pretty over the top. But it definitely adds to the incredibly stylized tone that Walter Hill was going for.

Speaking of the movie's stylized tone, The Warriors has a distinct feel to it, and when I say that, I mean it's absolutely insane. The sheer madness of this film is perfectly reflected in it's visual style. I love the way that this movie looks. It really feels like New York is this huge battlefield for all these gangs, and the way that each area has it's own unique feel to it makes this movie a pretty visually interesting one. I really love the way each gang has their own style, and the opening credits where we see each gang en route to the meeting is one of the best opening scenes I've ever scene. It establishes who each gang is, as well as pretty much set up the entire plot of the movie in about seven minutes. It's just a fantastic opening scene that sets up the movie perfectly.

So, does this film have any flaws? Not really, actually. Yeah the story is a little bit simple, but apart from that, this film really works. It makes up for it's simplicity with a pretty distinct visual style, incredible action sequences and palpable tension, making for a chaotically fun and thrilling watch. It's a film that's always on the move, always going somewhere new, always throwing it's characters into new situations and always throwing new twists and turns at you (more from an action standpoint than from a story standpoint). Overall, The Warriors is a pretty fantastic dystopian crime action film. And like most dystopian films, it mixes it's world with some social commentary. Here, it's the perception of gangs. I love the scene on the train where Mercy's looking over at two civilians, almost envious at the life she has compared to them. That's actually pretty fascinating as commentary. Not everyone in these gangs are bad people, and everyone has a reason that they fight. It humanizes people that  would usually be portrayed as one dimensional villains anywhere else. It also says that these people can do heroic actions, and have honour. Yeah, the story is still pretty simple, but the commentary provides depth to the movie.

Overall, The Warriors is just an awesome movie. Fast paced, stylish action, mesmerizing visual style, and surprisingly deep social commentary make this movie one of the standouts of it's decade in my opinion. It's certainly one that I feel not enough people talk about, both as an action film and as social commentary. If you haven't seen The Warriors, please do. It's great movie, and one that's undoubtedly worth seeing, whether you just want great action or you want some surprisingly intelligent commentary on how we perceive criminals.