![]() Most of this film is rather unmemorable except for its iconic theme song and title sequence, which boasts the men running on a beach in an oft-parodied opener. Because of this, there is virtually no excitement when the final showdown comes to fruition. The movie makes it feel as if Liddell and Abrahams are favorites to win, and it fails to build up the strength of their American competition, which is only briefly mentioned. The two men face so little in terms of obstacles in pursuit of their Olympic dreams that it feels like there are almost no stakes. While we respect the hell out of the fact that they stuck to their guns, even in the face of potentially not being allowed to compete in the Olympics, the story doesn't feel fully realized and squanders its potential. This is what gives him his drive to compete. Abrahams is Jewish and feels like he always has to prove himself to all of the Protestants that surround him. It is his need to spread the word of God that drives his athletic ability and gives him his desire to run. Liddell is a devout Christian and refuses to run on the Sabbath. Both Liddell and Abrahams are almost entirely defined by their faith and heritage. They all literally look the same! Maybe if we cared more about the 1924 Olympic track and field events or the religious conflict these men faced, we'd be more compelled, but alas, we do not. Some of the characters are so poorly developed that we lost track of who people actually were. For us, it fails in creating interesting characters and a compelling narrative. This is the second time we have watched it, and we basically feel the same way about it that we did after our first viewing. Some era-specific films like "Barry Lyndon" and more recently "The Favourite" escape this problem. Whenever we sit down to watch period piece films, we always fear they will be stuffy, dry, and frankly, dull. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |