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Epigram 17.10.2016
Deputy Editor: Josh Spencer
ekemp@epigram.org.uk
josh.spencer@epigram.org.uk
pgraham@epigram.org.uk
@ella_kemp
@_joshjs
@phoebe_elise19
any other path available to him. Meanwhile, the supporting cast hold their own in driving the plot forward, with policewoman Mercedes ‘Misty’ Knight (Simone Missick) also out for Cottonmouth and prone to crime scene flashbacks similar to Hannibal’s Will Graham. Returning character Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson, has more to do this time around and serves to knit the separate strands of Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage together in preparation for the much anticipated Defenders crossover (think TV Avengers). Turning to Cage himself, Mike Colter shines in the role. He boasts a commanding presence, but also a refreshingly down-to-earth superhero. Cage frequently expresses mere annoyance at the bullets glancing off him for ruining his clothes; in a moment of pure fan service where he finds himself dressed in the original comic book costume of his character, he can only shake his head and mutter ‘I look like a damn fool’.
Epiflix and Chill: Episode 2 - Luke Cage
Netflix
Film & TV Writer Liam Holmes tells us why Marvel’s new series Luke Cage is the show to watch on Netflix. Marvel narrowly continues its winning streak with the latest entry to its Netflix universe. Mike Colter features as the titular Luke Cage: an indestructible man who sets out to clean up Harlem city. The character of Cage was first introduced in Jessica Jones, the show’s occasionally brilliant predecessor. When we first meet Cage this time around, he’s resolved to lay low working at a local barber shop run by Frankie Faison’s ‘Pop’, the neighbourhood’s local father figure. Before long, Cage finds himself on a collision course with local gangster Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes, played superbly by everyone’s House of Cards favourite Mahershala Ali. Ali has his work cut out for him, as he stands in the shadows of the giants of Vincent D’onforio’s Kingpin and David Tennant’s Purple Man, both of whom shone as villains in previous Marvel series.
Marvel’s handling of villains in its TV universe must have been a large part in its success, with more fully realised relationships between hero and villain having been unheard of since Heath Ledger’s turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It’s good, then, that Ali more than rises to the task. Cottonmouth is a tragic character - he is untrusted by his suppliers and disrespected by his local partners. The impression is given early on that his position as ‘King’ of Harlem is all too precarious and a takeover of his operations seems imminent. Even at his worst it’s hard not to empathise with Cottonmouth; he appears trapped in an escalating situation which he seems ill-suited to handle. Glimpses of his childhood reinforce this; we see a kind boy more inclined to music than violence, who was simply born into the wrong family, leaving us to wonder if there was ever really
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The timing of the introduction of a bulletproof black man to the world can be neither ignored nor overstated
Luke Cage continues the trend of Marvel’s televised creations being significantly grittier than their film counterparts; it features fairly graphic violence and must surely be the first Marvel property to drop the N-word (a word which Luke abhors). TV is a medium that is increasingly taking more risks than its cinematic counterpart and Luke Cage capitalises on this to great success. The timing of the introduction of a bulletproof black man to the world can be neither ignored nor overstated, a sensitive fact that the show runners don’t shy away from. Powerful imagery is employed throughout to evoke memories of all too recent history. In one particularly striking scene, bullets from a nervous cop bounce off of a hoodie-wearing Cage who has been stopped after wandering into an upscale neighbourhood. Elsewhere, a late
season plot line features deteriorating relations between Harlem’s citizens and police; in response to the murder of an officer, the police launch a full stop-and-search offensive to find the culprit.
Luke Cage is well worth your time, with the first seven episodes being as good as anything Marvel has produced
To address the show’s late season, the story can be essentially split into two arcs after a mid season change of direction, but the second arc doesn’t really reach the heights of the first. The more prominent villain here, Diamondback, played by Erik LaRay Harvey, is puzzlingly off the mark; his backstory and motivations seem contrived. This is an issue which Marvel has had with all four of its Netflix shows so far, starting strong but losing momentum mid-season before regaining pace towards the finale. But here, the needed burst of energy is absent completely and the show never returns to its original standard. Despite this, seeds are well sown for future seasons. In particular, watching Cottonmouth’s cousin Mariah Dillard embrace the family heritage as well as her darker side is an absolute pleasure and simultaneously sets her up as a potential ‘big bad’ in episodes to come. Luke Cage is a show that is well worth your time, with the first seven episodes being as good as anything Marvel has produced, topped off with a unique tone for the franchise. Now with four consecutive, successful Netflix shows to accompany their box-office devouring film franchise, it really seems that Marvel, like Luke Cage, is unstoppable.
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Film & TV
Editor: Ella Kemp
@epigramfilm Online Editor: Phoebe Graham
Got an idea for the next installment of Epiflix and Chill? Get in touch @EpigramFilm
Cranston compensates for an otherwise forgettable thriller in The Infiltrator Film
&
TV
Writer
Max
If you’re at all enthusiastic about film and/or television, you can’t help but notice the present obsession with Latin American drug cartels - the infamous Medellín cartel of Pablo Escobar in particular. Whether it’s Netflix’s series Narcos depicting the life of Escobar himself, or the superb thriller Sicario channelling the ruthlessness of the cartel through the chilling Benicio Del Toro, you don’t need to search for very long find to find something on the screen involving torpidly generic Latin American accents, 80’s pastel suits and cocaine up the nostrils.
Now we have The Infiltrator to place on the already substantial pile. Based on true events, the film sees Bryan Cranston in the role of Robert Mazur, an experienced undercover agent working for the United States Customs Service who attempts the most dangerous sting operation of his career in a ‘this is the last job, I promise’ hunt for the lieutenants and money launderers in Pablo Escobar’s operation. Mazur poses as a dodgy financier, alias Bob Musella, who alongside his fictitious fiancée Kathy Ertz - a rookie agent played by Diane Kruger befriends several figures in Escobar’s fold, most
discusses
the
strikingly
crucially one of his central right-hand men, Roberto Alcaino – ably portrayed by Benjamin Bratt. It is the evolution of Mazur’s relationship with Alcaino to one of genuine yet fundamentally compromised warmth which forms the only considerable emotional thread during the film; a dynamic which invites comparison to the similar relationship between Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner in American Hustle. Cranston’s performance is frankly the film’s only raison d’être: he makes an appearance in virtually every scene of the two hour duration, but with such quantity comes astounding quality as well. Embracing the rolewithin-a-role performance, he convincingly renders a picture of a man struggling to retain both the trust and affection of his family as well as his own moral integrity, surrounded by individuals with neither. In one of the most shocking scenes in the film, which forms part of the main thread of suspense, Mazur, while at an anniversary dinner with his real wife Evelyn - played by Juliet Aubrey
familiar
new
Escobar
- bumps coincidentally into one of the cartel members he has been ‘collaborating’ with. So that his cover is not blown, Mazur pretends that his wife is his secretary and when the waiter comes with the anniversary cake, adopts a quite appalling toughguy persona with faux-outrage that the wrong cake was brought. Evelyn is understandably disgusted and Mazur rightfully ashamed. Such a moment brings to the fore one of the enduring questions raised by undercover lawenforcement: where do the boundaries of conduct lie? And yet,a fleeting and rare moment of profundity this remains within the film, one which points quite neatly to one of its main impediments: a lack of originality. Just as we see much of American Hustle in Mazur’s fatally flawed bond with Alcaino, the worsening marriage with Evelyn mirrors the severe breakdown of Walter’s relationship with Skyler in Breaking Bad, only no way near as profound – ignoring the fact that the latter is a television series. Coming out of the cinema, I found it very Broad Green Pictures/Liam Daniel
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All the audience was granted were temporary moments of tension, which in themselves were spoiled by predictability
Lewthwaite
crime
feature
The
Infiltrator
difficult to resist thinking that I really had it seen it all before and quite often better in every department.
You will be dissapointed with how much in The Infiltrator you’ve already seen before
To my mind, the problem was a directorial one: Brad Furman, for whatever reason, seemed so reluctant to allow a scene to go on for more than a few minutes, which meant that intensity and suspense could never mature in any meaningful sense. All the audience was granted were temporary moments of tension, which in themselves were spoiled by predictability - any experienced filmwatcher could see the bullets coming from a long way off. This is really quite a shame, not just of this film, but of so many films in general and indeed Hollywood itself. Speaking of which, what an anticlimactic non-event the ending was – I shan’t reveal what ‘goes down’, not that there is anything to spoil anyway. Though occasionally gripping and worthwhile for Cranston fans, you will be disappointed with how much in The Infiltrator you’ve already seen before.
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