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New Escapist Column! On How “The Suicide Squad” Deconstructs Amanda Waller…

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of The Suicide Squad, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at one small-but-clever aspect of James Gunn’s superhero sequel.

The character of Amanda Waller is a pop culture archetype. She is an example of the ruthless intelligence operative who will cross whatever line it takes in pursuit of what she believes to be the greater good. Outside of comic books, one need only look at the character of Jack Bauer. Within the modern superhero landscape, the archetype is embodied by Nick Fury. These characters might be edgy or ambiguous, but they are also undeniably cool. Gunn’s approach to Waller in The Suicide Squad is interesting in large part because it rejects that idea of effortless cool in favour of something a lot blunter and more horrific.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: 9/11, Amanda Waller, in the frame, jack bauer, James Gunn, nick fury, suicide squad, the escapist, the suicide squad, the war on terror, viola davis, war on terror | Leave a comment »

Torchwood: Miracle Day – Rendition (Review)

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Darren

Rendition serves as a demonstration of the flaws with Torchwood: Miracle Day. While some of those flaws – the flaws inherent to the production between the BBC and Starz, the difficulty with scale – were built into The New World, Rendition hits upon quite a few more. Most obviously, it’s an entire episode dedicated to filler. Pretty much the only plot line that advances in a meaningful way is that involving Oswald Danes. Otherwise, Rendition feels like a bit of a holding pattern, a time-wasting exercise designed to pad out the season to ten episodes.

Dead on arrival?

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: bbc, Gwen, Gwen Cooper, Hindu, Hutu, Immortal Sins, india, jack, jack bauer, Miracle Day, Miracle Day Torchwood, New World, Oswald Danes, Pakistan, Prime Minister of India, Rendition, Rwanda, torchwood, Torchwood: Miracle Day, United States | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Prisoners

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Darren

Prisoners is very much a game of two halves. Feeling like two separate films grafted together, Prisoners feels at once like a psychological exploration of American masculinity and also a far more conventional serial killer film. Indeed, had director Denis Villeneuve and writer Aaron Guzikowski decided to cut suddenly to black two-thirds of the way through Prisoners, we’d have a frustrating but much more cohesive atmospheric drama.

Instead, it seems like the duo conspired to surgically attach the last act from a far more conventional thriller on to their robust framework. The result is intriguing, but disappointing – the conventional paint-by-numbers final third diminishing a lot of the richness to be found in the first section of the film.

Somebody is about to get Jack(man)ed…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aaron, Alex Jones, Denis Villeneuve, Detective Loki, hugh jackman, jack bauer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Keller, Paul Dano, Roger Deakins, serial killer, The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, United States, viola davis | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Jack Reacher

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Darren

Much like its eponymous leading man, Jack Reacher is efficient. That’s probably the best thing that can be said about this adaptation of Lee Child’s One Shot. Coming in at two hours, the movie manages to keep everything relatively under control. Any fuzzy logic is masked by the smart decision to keep things moving at a quick enough pace, distracting from the fact we’ve seen it all before, or that the characters seem especially paper-thin. At times, Jack Reacher suffers from being a little too shallow, a little too safe, a little too predictable. While Christopher McQuarrie can be an excellent writer, he seems to be only developing as a director. He handles movement reasonably well, but the direction amps up the melodrama to almost unbearable levels at certain points in the film.

It’s not terrible, and it’s certainly not an out-and-out failure, but I’d struggle to argue that it’s a successful franchise launch. For most of its runtime, Jack Reacher succeeds at merely being inoffensive and trying not to weigh too heavily on our patience. It’s not the most convincing of victories, but it could have been a lot worse.

Gearing up for a franchise…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: christopher mcquarrie, film, Fuzzy logic, jack bauer, Jack Reacher, kiefer sutherland, Lee Child, London, Movie, non-review review, One Shot, Reacher, review, robert duvall, Rosamund Pike, tom cruise, United States, Werner Herzog | 4 Comments »

Holding Out For an Anti-Hero: The Rise of the Morally Ambiguous Protagonist…

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Darren

Sure, comedies have a long history of featuring genuinely unlikable characters as leads, but I think the last number of years have seen an explosion in the number of morally ambiguous (and sometimes downright villainous) protagonists, both on the big and small screens. Of course, the entire film noir movement was based upon the idea of a compromised hero, in recent times we’ve found ourselves increasingly cheering for the bad guy.

A serial charmer...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: arts, Boardwalk Empire, Charles Bronson, Deadwood, hbo, jack bauer, Magnum P.I, miami vice, Movies, Shield, Showtime, the sopranos, villain | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Salt

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Darren

This post is part of James Bond January, being organised by the wonderful Paragraph Films. It’s the final post I’m doing as part of it, looking at last year’s pretender to the “super spy” crown.

I pride myself on my suspension of disbelief. Richard Donner convinced me that a man could fly. My favourite film of 2008 was about a man who dressed as a flying rodent who took on a psychotic clown in downtown Chicago. I recently enjoyed a movie where the inner workings of a computer were represented as neon motorbikes. The film of the year features a crack team of specialists who break into people’s dreams and steal their ideas (or plant new ones). And yet Salt taxes my suspension of disbelief.

Are they arresting her for a Salt?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: angelina jolie, chiwetel ejiofor, Chuck Norris, film, jack bauer, liev schreiber, Movie, non-review review, review, richard donner, salt, Sleeper agent | 4 Comments »

24 for 24: The Best Cliffhangers

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Darren

24 will bow out on UK and Irish television screens next week. I figured I’ll review the final season of the hit show, but I also thought I should do something a bit more special for the occasion. So, I decided I’d count down the top 24 cliffhangers. As those familiar with the show will know, each episode ends with a massive cliffhanger designed to reel the audience back in the following week. A major character is killed, someone is a mole, Jack does something almost unforgivable. Anyway, the best ones leave us hungry for more. So, over the eight years of the show, what are my personal best 24 moments?

The only reason you’re still conscious is because Jack Bauer doesn’t want to carry you…

Note: By its very nature, this article contains spoilers for all eight seasons. Don’t read it if you haven’t watched them yet, but still plan to. Even if you’re a casual fan of the show, some of these may shock you and ruin a good twist or two.

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: 24, 24 cliffhangers, best best of 24, cliffhangers, day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, jack bauer, Television | Leave a comment »

Jack and Tony: Brothers in Arms?

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Darren

I had the pleasure of rewatching bits and pieces of the seventh season of 24 with my parents (as they are equally avid fans of the show). We recently completed the final double episode and I have to admit that it only really occurred to me how well the writers had constructed Tony as a shadowy counterpart to their lead. I’ve already expressed my thoughts on the season as a whole, but I just thought I’d make a quick note of some of the more interesting parallels and ponder whether Jack is really so much better than Tony.

Clothes colour coded for your convenience... white=good, black=bad....

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: 24, counterpart, echo, jack bauer, kiefer sutherland, mirror, reflection, shadow archetype, Television, tony almeida | Leave a comment »

The Palmers: A Reflection of the Kennedys?

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Darren

Senator Ted Kennedy passed away last week amid a media frenzy. What interested me most about the Senator’s passing was the revelation of how he spent his final days: watching Bond movies and the entire run of 24. There are worse entertainments to be found, to be sure. I wonder if he watched that hallmark American television show enthralled by the actions of Jack Bauer, or if he saw something more hidden away? He wouldn’t be the first to find parallels between the show’s African-American Presidential family and the illustrious Kennedy dynasty. Did he see a reflection of what might have been, in another life?

I like the flag. Patriotic touch.

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: 24, bobby kennedy, charles logan, david palmer, edward kennedy, jack bauer, jack kennedy, jfk, john f kennedy, john fitzgerald kennedy, kennedy dynasty, kennedy family, politics, president, richard nixon, senator ted kennedy, ted kennedy, Television, the kennedys, wayne palmer | Leave a comment »

What Kind of Day Has it Been? 24: Day 7 In Review

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Darren

So, after a technical malfunction last night left us all watching The Mist, we caught a repeat of the 24 season finale last night. I have to say, I quite enjoyed it, as I quite enjoyed the whole day. It’s the first full season my brother has sat through, and my aunt and uncle seemed quite impressed with it too. I’m not sure how the whole season will rank up there in the pantheon of 24 seasons, but it was at least very watchable.