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Arts &E nte rtai nme nt
Fraser flies through uncharacteristic Journey
By Larry Peel
News Editor
TR2oodMedic@aol.com
Journey to the End
of the Night is a pulsating,
darkly original thriller that
could easily draw director
Eric Eason the attention of
the Hollywood Big Seven
and start the young director
down the path to commercial
success. Brendan Fraser steps
out of his traditional roles
and provides a staunchly
believable performance as
a drug addicted pimp with
a gambling obsession that
has driven him to the edge
of desperation. Scott Glenn,
Catalina Sandino Moreno
and Mos Def complete the
captivating cast with equally
strong performances.
The film follows a
rarely used, and even more
rarely successful formula of
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IN THEATRES MARCH 2
setting itself in a foreign land,
in a single night, and with
a highly character driven
plot. Journey follows a long
tradition of movies set and'
or filmed in South America;
from the classic The Creature
From the Black Lagoon to
the more recent Ap;irtment
Zero. Eason’s daring is
apparent in the setting and
pace of the hint as well.
Similar to Michael Mann’s
Collateral, the story takes
place in one night; with
characters whose ultimate
motives and motivations are
disclosed only as the plot
unfolds. Despite the beauty
of the locale. Eason focuses
on the darker , seedier side of
his host city, Sao Paulo. This
tcx) is a not t<x> uncommon
directorial decision of late,
with Eason following the
leads of City of God. Central
Station aid Mango Yellow.
Eason is obviously seeking
to tit the Tarantino style
of character development,
but fails to remember that
Tarantino films generally
have a fa - longer run time.
Eason does manage to keep
the pace going aid bring each
of the plotlines full circle The
arcs are short,but very evident
aid often unexpected.
From its dark aid
hauntingly gritty opening
scenes, Eason stretches the
boundaries of the standard
narrative, weaving plots and
subplots intricately into a
web of deceit that leaves the
audience wondering who
to cheer for. Eason brings
if MB W
Photo courtesy equit\pictures com
In Journey to the End of the Night. Brendon Fraser portrays a drug addicted pimp with a gambling
obsession that has driven him to the edge of desperation. He's come a long way since Encino Man.
shock value into the mix w ith
choices that nearly earned the
film an NC-17 rating. The
sex scenes in the film arc ha
less than would normally be
expected in context, there
is little nudity , and even that
is no more than late night
television The gore factor;
however, is adequate to justify
the rating, as are the sexual
connotations -a shemale sex
scene, main setting a brothel.
Eason does well to not cater
to the pervert foundation.
Sao Paulo is a city
in motion. The streets are
tilled with people mnning
from somewhere or seeking
something. Rosso (Glenn)
and his son Paul (Eraser)
are both. Rosso came to the
country from New York and
can never return. Together
they share ownership of a
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brothel and the love of a
single woman (Moreno)
who is tom between the two.
When a Russian customer is
gunned down in the brothel,
leaving a suitcase full of
drugs, the three devise a plan
to take one last payday. Rosso
longs to take his wife and
youngest son away from the
city and retire in peace. Paul
needs to keep his gambling
debts from becoming his
death sentence. Together they
tind buyers for the drugs, but
as the deal is set to t;ike effect.
*
Paul decides to take all the
money for himself. Things
get complicated when the
pair has to locate anew mule
to carry the cargo and pick
up the funds. Wemba (Def)
is recruited from the brothels
kitchen mid set to the task of
making the transfer. Wemba
is a Nigerian immigrant who
arrived in Sao Paulo seeking
work mid a better life. As
the plot unfolds we find
that Wemba is the only one
whose soul is untainted, yet
he Ux> must run for his life.
Gritty cinematography
and brilliant use of lighting
techniques enable Eason
to establish the realism of
the story despite the rather
obvious plot holes that have
haunted the film since its
film festival circuit. Eason’s
choice of cast ranging from
American and Brazilian
greats, to excellently
cast “street actors”. The
uncommonly gliximy and
wet weather of Sao Paulo
during the filming made the
cast and crew uncomfortable,
but ultimately added to the
surrealist atmosphere. The
added grit to the supernatural
aspects aid in the immersion
effect, as does the alternating
English/Portuguese
See Journey page 5