Ace in the Hole - MatthewHunt
Ace in the Hole - MatthewHunt
Ace in the Hole - MatthewHunt
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A political thriller that caused a sensation <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> heady days of 1968. Set <strong>in</strong> an unnamed<br />
country, it's a th<strong>in</strong>ly veiled attack on Greece under <strong>the</strong> generals, and echoes a real-life case <strong>in</strong><br />
which <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>in</strong>to an em<strong>in</strong>ent liberal's murder uncovered endemic state corruption.<br />
Costa-Gavras portrays a world of awesome cynicism, and yet reta<strong>in</strong>s a sense of hope.<br />
Zatoichi<br />
(Takeshi Kitano, 2003)<br />
Kitano cast himself as <strong>the</strong> legendary bl<strong>in</strong>d swordsmen <strong>in</strong> this brilliantly deft collision of<br />
samurai nobility, earthy humour and expertly choreographed action. The plot's a familiar<br />
enough rework<strong>in</strong>g of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, as loner Zatoichi (also an expert masseur and<br />
gambler) comes to <strong>the</strong> aid of a village terrorized by two rival gangs. Kitano's confident<br />
direction and understand<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> genre, as well as his comic tim<strong>in</strong>g, cuts through cliché with<br />
a blade-sharp freshness.<br />
Zazie Dans le Metro<br />
(Louis Malle, 1960)<br />
The French new wave at its most mischievous, <strong>in</strong> an absurd, anarchic cartoon of a comedy,<br />
full of childish adults and grown-up children - not least eight-year-old Zazie, whose ret<strong>in</strong>ue of<br />
<strong>in</strong>sults and <strong>in</strong>sights turns Paris on its head when she escapes from her transvestite uncle.<br />
Zero de Conduite<br />
(Jean Vigo, 1933)<br />
A film of just over half an hour that shows school as a k<strong>in</strong>d of prison from which <strong>the</strong> kids will<br />
escape. The director, Jean Vigo, was an anarchist. The film<strong>in</strong>g is poetic and idealistic, and<br />
this small gem has helped enrich nearly every school picture made ever s<strong>in</strong>ce, from Les 400<br />
Coups to If...<br />
Zoolander<br />
(Ben Stiller, 2001)<br />
Male model<strong>in</strong>g takes it on <strong>the</strong> ch<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> Stiller's absurd but hilarious farce, <strong>in</strong> which <strong>the</strong> vacuous<br />
but well-mean<strong>in</strong>g Derek Zoolander (Stiller himself) is unwitt<strong>in</strong>gly recruited by a s<strong>in</strong>ister fashion<br />
cartel to assass<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>the</strong> president of Malaysia. Stiller keeps <strong>the</strong> story - a Rocky-style fall from<br />
grace - straight, and <strong>the</strong> comedy gloriously stupid, add<strong>in</strong>g a superb sidekick <strong>in</strong> Owen Wilson<br />
as gormless hippy renaissance man Hansel.<br />
Zulu<br />
(Cy Endfield, 1964)<br />
Best remembered for its stunn<strong>in</strong>g 19-century Rorke's Drift battle scenes, <strong>in</strong> which 139 British<br />
soldiers face off an attack from 4,000 angry locals, this milestone British film is as memorable<br />
for its dignity and restra<strong>in</strong>t as it is for its bravura stag<strong>in</strong>g. Periods of quiet before <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>evitable<br />
onslaught add an eerie expectancy, but it's <strong>the</strong> terrific stiff-upper-lip cast - Michael Ca<strong>in</strong>e,<br />
Stanley Baker, Jack Hawk<strong>in</strong>s - that captures <strong>the</strong> endangered-species mettle of <strong>the</strong> British<br />
Empire.