The Next Three Days
Dir: Paul Haggis
2010
***
I hadn't realised that Paul Haggis's 2010 The Next Three Days was a remake of the French film Pour elle until now, which is slightly annoying as I try to make a point of seeing the originals before the subsequent remakes. I hope the original is better, as although I liked the story, ridiculous as it is, I couldn't help but think it could have been better. At times it felt like it was trying to be something it wasn't and now I understand why. Wasted opportunity, or maybe not, maybe it's just a crap remake for people who don't like reading, I don't know. It's not a horrible film though, there are echos of other thrillers that deal with the same issue, it's very average, but I did like the ending which I thought wasn't in the least bit predictable. I'll just have to see the original I suppose.
In the Valley of Elah
Dir: Paul Haggis
2007
*****
A brutally honest depiction of the War and the effect it can have on young soldiers. I hated Paul Haggis's Crash, I thought it was overrated and contrived but In the Valley of Elah is astonishingly good. I was going to say it took guts to make, I was going to go as far as saying it's pretty unpatriotic too but Haggis is Canadian, so it's not, but the fact it did so well in America can only conclude that people are starting to look at the war in a different way. Either that or everyone has missed the point. Making and releasing a film in the same country that you hang the flag upside-down in could be seen as the highest of insults. Haggis's is saying, America is sick and in crisis. The last 15 minutes of the film are so powerful, I'm not sure why it hasn't been praised more highly, I can only imagine it's due to the delicate subject matter but again, it's a subject that needed to be addressed. An unexpected example of brilliant film-making - if it had been made during the Vietnam war it would be now regarded as a classic and Haggis would have been shot. I think the people who have stated that it is a slow story with not enough action have missed the point somewhat.
