The AFI list shows more serious failures of understanding, alas: Travis Bickle isn't the villain of Taxi Driver, for God's sake, he's the protagonist of an ironic romance, as are Bonnie and Clyde. As for Michael Corleone, he's a tragic protagonist, one who borders on an ironic protagonist, as do Richard III and Macbeth--the melodramatic concept of villainy is utterly foreign to something as complex as The Godfather, Part II (1974). Even Tom Powers in Public Enemy (1931) is closer to being a tragic protagonist than he is to being a villain.
These aren't failures of taste, as is the AFI List of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time, it's a matter of ignorance in the field the AFI claims as its special domain. I have a plastic, non-motorized, non-battery-operated coin sorter at home that's capable of finer distinctions than the AFI in their list--it recognizes four categories. This group is the custodian of our national film culture?
You can find this review and a lot besides at The Kitchen Cabinet.
Alan Dale is author of Comedy Is a Man in Trouble: Slapstick in American Movies.
Article comments
1 - peter
Great review, thanks a bunch. It's not everyday that I find a review of a movie that I agree with so much. I'm glad you pointed out the moral issues which heist movies have in abundance and also the predictability of the movie. I waited until the end of the movie only because I thought there would be a clever plot twist in the end...I thought maybe they would pull off the final heist just like the "italian job" and possibly have all the mini's as a distraction from where the gold really is. Or I thought that the 'damsel' would run away with the black knight and take the money with her. I was really looking for an interesting twist or plot change to make the rest of the film worth it, but I was horribly disappointed. Also, the line dialogue, especially between Norton, Wahlburg and Therone was especially terrible. The entire "date" scene was absolutely pathetic. In my mind, the *only* redeeming parts of the movie were the scene you mentioned with Statham and Green or the running "Napster" joke with the cameo from Shawn Fanning. Also, the second time I watched it (not by choice exactly..) I noticed that Spiderman makes an appearance in the movie. I took some screenshots and posted them on my webpage if you're interested: peterswift.org.
Anyhow, great review, I enjoyed it.
2 - jadester
this is exactly why i don't wish to see it. The original was cool - and no, it didn't really portray the criminals as being characters the viewer should be sympathetic to.