Bat*21 (1988)
Vietnam drama
'Bat*21' was one of my favourite movies when I was in my teens but it's rarely been on TV (or streaming) since and only got a limited Region-A blu-ray release 2-years ago (on the Kino Lorber label). I finally managed to order a copy for a reasonable price and excitedly watched it as soon as I had it in my hands. It's based on the real story of
Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton (
Gene Hackman), a 53 year old intelligence officer/navigator who found himself alone, deep behind Vietnamese enemy lines, when the reconnaissance aircraft (Bat*21) he was in was shot down.
Danny Glover plays "Birddog" a spotter pilot assigned to keep in contact with Hambleton, while a rescue is planned. The aerial photography is exhilarating, normally the stunt footage would be peppered with phony back projection shots of the actors. Here the stars are placed right in the front seats of the stunt aircraft as they fly fast and low. Director
Peter Markle shoots over their shoulders down on to the action in the jungle below, plus mounts cameras on the aircraft. The technique makes everything feel thrillingly real, dangerous and immersive. I think the more recent
'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' was done in a similar way. The drama centers on Hambleton being confronted up close with a chaotic, bloody and costly war he'd previously observed from a safe distance. Hackman and Glover's relationship always reminded me a little of John McClane and Sgt. Al Powell in
'Die Hard', a trapped man going through hell, with only the friendly voice of a guy he's never met on the radio to keep him sane.
David Marshall Grant perhaps over plays his dare-devil rescue chopper pilot role but it does make him very memorable and likeable with only a few crucial scenes. 'Bat*21' is almost up there with the best 80s Vietnam films.
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
This strange quasi David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust biopic didn't totally work for me when it came out and re-watching it two decades later, it still doesn't. However, there is still much to enjoy, especially if you've got a bit of knowledge about the mid 70s Glam-Rock scene. The three main characters are
Jonathan Rhys Meyers' "Brian Slade" (based on Bowie, Jobriath and a little pinch of Marc Bolan),
Ewan McGregor's "Curt Wild" (inspired mostly by Iggy Pop and Lou Reed also) and
Christian Bale as a Journalist in the present day researching what happened to Slade (in a homage to
'Citizen Kane'). From the grim grey 80s (with Aids and a new puritanism in the air) he looks back at the colourful, flamboyant, bi-sexual musicians who inspired him and helped him come out. Bowie wanted nothing to do with the film, threatened to sue and refused the use of his music on the soundtrack. To be fair to him, the "Brian Slade" character is the worst possible interpretation of Bowie, vain, vacuous and leeching off braver, lesser known and more creative people, in his hell bent quest for stardom. Where as the "Curt Wild" and "Jack Fairy" (a loose amalgam of Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry and Little Richard) characters are treated much more sympathetically, as true maverick artists who never sold out. Top 90s musicians from bands like Radiohead, Pulp, Placebo and Suede were brought in to create new music in the Bowie style and they're pretty good songs but pale next to the genuine classics on the soundtrack by T. Rex, The Stooges, the New York Dolls and Cockney Rebel.
'Velvet Goldmine' is such a mad, glorious cocktail of ideas and exotic visuals that it's well worth the watch, despite some flaws.
(Oh and yes, like all 90s Ewan McGregor films (except TPM) he does get his d**k out
)
Gary Oldman is a fan: