TWO FOR THE SHOW
Blackwood on Movies
“Tomb Raider” and “Death Wish” Both films have been done before ~ By Dr. Bob Blackwood better or worse?
I
don’t remember much about 2001’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” with Angelina Jolie except that Angelina sure looked good in her well-chosen outfits. The film was based on the successful video game, which gave it an audience even before the film was released. Character
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development? No, not in this film. Well, how about its successor—Director Roar Uthaug’s “Tomb Raider” with Alicia Vikander? I think it is about the same sort of picture—a sexy lady, lots of action, etc. Does that make “Tomb Raider” a bad film? No, if what you want is an action film, you have it with this film. I grew up watching old Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers films on television as my father controlled the set. The girls in those films were quite proper and well-dressed. “Tomb Raider” shows a modern woman, dressed not to impress but for success in the jungle. Some critics liked it more than the earlier film. I doubt, however, that it will make the money of the earlier film. Vikander is certainly a competent actress, but this film was probably not the best one to display her talents. I enjoy reading other critical evaluations of films. Sometimes I learn something; other times, I regret I wasted my time. I make up my mind about a film the moment I walk out of the theater and into my car. Eli Roth’s “Death Wish” with Bruce Willis struck me as an interesting film, more so even than the original “Death Wish” starring Charles Bronson. I liked both films for different reasons.
Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft displays her talent and her skill with a bow in “Tomb Raider.” Warner Bros.
efforts. Yet, the skills of the surgeon require that the doctor be able to spill blood as necessary. There is less animosity in Willis’ character, just a determination to kill the killers. We also see the humanity in Willis’ character as he helps his daughter recover from the injuries done by the muggers. I think this film has provided some motion picture critics with the opportunity to blast this Hollywood production as an argument for illegal use of firearms. I certainly don’t advocate carrying a firearm for everyone in the U.S. On the other hand, I will point out that revenge as a motivation has been used in many plays for the last 2500 years and certainly in many motion pictures. Should critics urge the public to boycott this film? I say, let the people make up their own minds. •••
Bruce Willis plays a doctor who revenges himself upon the killers of his wife and the muggers of his daughter in “Death Wish.” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Dr. Bob Blackwood, professor emeritus of the City Colleges of Chicago, co-authored with Dr. John Flynn the book, Everything I Know about Life I Learned from James Bond. Mr. Blackwood lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Michael Winner’s 1974 film with Charles Bronson had the advantage of being the earlier film, the tale of an architect who killed the sort of men who killed his wife and injured his child. He became a vigilante. In Roth’s film, the vigilante is a surgeon (Bruce Willis), who is seeking the killers of his wife and finds them. Frankly, I found Willis’ character more interesting; as a surgeon, he had to make life-saving
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