Tuesday, June 24, 2008
EVERYDAY DRAMA
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
This tight little New Zealand thriller is hard to watch but well worth the effort.
A race car driver who makes a living from an auto graveyard operation (its name is The Smash Palace), is driven to take the law into his own hands. He and his wife split, there is a restraining order, he takes his kid and runs.
It sounds melodramatic and, in its way, it is. The twist here is that the action is so realistic that we are drawn into it and we can see how, in the same situation, we might do the same things these people are doing.
The opening sequence is enough to rock your socks. If you don't watch closely, you might actually miss it.
It is a great metaphor for the story. Foreshadowing.
I liked this film although I wouldn't want to see it again.
That makes it a 3 out of Netflix5.
I didn't like it as much as Ebert did.
Labels: best films
