I like going to see films I haven't a clue about. It's a risk because sometimes they turn out to be godawful, but sometimes, just sometimes they turn out to be excellent. The kind of film you'd know straight away will be in your top 10 of the year. The Lost City Of Z is one such film.
A young British army officer called Percy Fawcett who was based in Cork in 1905 is offered the chance to redeem his family name by leading an expedition into uncharted Bolivia to help map out the border between Bolivia and Brazil and to help get Britain into the very profitable rubber business. He does so knowing his is risking his life and also that he will be leaving his wife and young son for at least 3 years. The trip sets into motion a lifetime obsession.
Percy is played by Charlie Hunnam. Hunnam has been around for a while and I'll be honest, I've never rated him as an actor but he is superb here. Hits all his notes perfectly. One scene of speech making is just immense. Leaves all his swaggery hard man bullshit from Sons Of Anarchy in the dust. Sienna Miller plays his his much abandoned wife Nina Fawcett. She's brilliantly fiery and strong willed, always rebelling against the social mores of the day. It's the second period piece in a row I've seen her in ( the other being Live By Night ) and she's been the best thing in both of them. She's just great. A totally unrecognisable Robert Pattinson plays Percy's travelling partner Henry with a lovely quiet dignity and a less or more style and erases all memories of his dull as milk acting in the Twilight films.
It's a beautiful looking film, full of lush jungle landscapes and winding rivers. Even the scenes in Britain are lovely, full of dark wood and shadows. I just felt transported away when i was watching it and felt a little tiny bit of the awe these explorers must have felt. It gripped me straight away from the opening scenes. One downside. Ya, there's always a downside. It's a long film and needs that time to tell the story but the middle section lost a bit of wind, just a bit but enough to be noticeable.
That one gripe aside i really really liked this film. It's one i need to see again soon. It just felt epic. And i mean epic in it's proper sense. Not the way dopes say "ah man that breakfast roll was epic". I mean it was a big glorious looking film. Shot in proper locations, it felt like a return to old school film making. Reminded me in places of 70's classic like The Man Who Would Be King ( or am i thinking of The Wind And The Lion, i always get those mixed up ), not in story but just in style and scale. It's probably full of CGI but i can honestly say i didn't notice any. I was too wrapped up in it. It has nods to Herzog films ( Fitzcarraldo especially), old Italian cannibal films and more and i was happy as a pig in shit being all geeky and smiling at the screen.
Go see it, don't mind Disney's cynical $$$$$$$ Beauty and The Beast remake. Give this a go. It would just be great to see a return to this style of film making again.
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