Dying of the light

Evan Lake is one of those highly respected CIA agents that are often given accolades for their services. They are made figureheads of the agency and influence operations. Lake has had a successful career and has been seen as a mentor after he was an operative. We have exposition, which deals with his rescue from a torture chamber. We then have current time and his pursuit of his torturer, who everyone is convinced is dead but he knows isn't. We also have a terrorist plot to smuggle medical supplies and a chase, all leading to the man who held him in captivity.

The film has a checkered history and one that has followed it across forums. If you check Wiki you will see that it was disowned by its director, its producer, Lead actor and the cinematographer. If you do not know who Paul Schrader is, then you will at least know Taxi Driver (he wrote it). He is one of the most interesting film critics and film writers at work today. Nicholas Winding Refn is well known and as interesting a film maker as Schrader. These two have disowned the film due to the re editing and cutting of the original submitted film. It was considered to slow and had too much talk. As such not a bankable product for the studio to have a chance of selling in the market, so they took the film and reshaped it into this film. They not only re edited the film but also changed the filters used on scenes. This is not unusual for a studio to do but too these two film makers it is a slightly strange event.

So why do i need to mention this when i review this film? Well the film as a whole is going to be seen as worth a watch in the way many cult films are. It is a mess and one that has many flaws within its frames. Things happen and then are washed off, never to be discussed or walked over again. The film lacks a smooth flow but this is not as irritating as I have seen other reviewers state. It does actually make the film a little too fast paced, with much of this caused by the use of exposition scenes that pull you out and in again. These should have allowed more time to build the relationship between hunter and hunted. Then you have the rather strange action scenes that feel almost too irrational in places. The market chase for instance, though fun too watch for action fans, feel silly at the climax. I also can see why the cinematographer has run away from the film. It looks like a overly crisp digital picture and this makes the film either too bright or too dark. The use of filters as a scene setting or mise en scene aid can really convince a viewer of events, this does not do this.

It does have some good points however, Cage is excellent and deserves praise. He can act and act well, with a lot of detractors looking at him as the raised eyes, psycho. In truth he is more the smoldering, tense actor that will continue the promise of his past. He shouldn't have disowned the film performance as it would work in getting him more work. Well deserved in my eyes. The dual story of men who are sick, fighting a war we cant see is interesting and builds blocks that might have proved a valuable story. One that may have resonated with the likes of Godfather 2. The other positive is that the film is ambitious in settings, covering the world often given little coverage. Romania looks a lot nicer than previously pictured. In my opinion I think we should see Dying of the Light the Paul Schrader cut and then make up our minds if this is a mess because of the re edit or because of the source....