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Review by Dustin Putman
2½ stars out of 4
Telling a love story amidst a tragic, historical backdrop isn't a new
conceit. In 1998, James Cameron's "Titanic" captured the attention of
audiences everywhere to make it not only the highest-grossing film in
history, but also the Oscar winner for Best Picture. "Titanic" was clearly
the most notable model for director Michael Bay (1998's "Armageddon") and
screenwriter Randall Wallace (1995's "Braveheart") when they set out to make
the $135-million, 3-hour-plus "Pearl Harbor." Unfortunately, all of its
striking similarities only serve to expose "Pearl Harbor" for what it really
is: a pale imitation of a brilliant, modern-day classic.
Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) are top-notch
bomber pilots, circa 1941, who have been best friends since their
Tennessee-based childhood. Their life is changed with an encounter with
beautiful nurse Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale). Rafe is clearly smitten,
and after a glorious four weeks together, they are hopelessly in love. Soon,
Rafe is gone to Great Britain to participate in combat, only to end up
presumed dead after his plane is shot down. Turning to each other for
comfort, Danny and Evelyn, now stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, begin
their own romance, not yet knowing that Rafe is alive, after all. By the time
Rafe walks back into their lives, causing turmoil in each of their respective
relationships, December 7, 1941--"a date that will live in infamy"--is about
to begin.
The thought of Michael "bang-bang-blow-things-up" Bay attempting a
serious-minded, historical motion picture was disconcerting, at first. Bay,
whose strong suit is most definitely not realism and three-dimensional
characters, is acclaimed for making "popcorn" movies with quick edits and
non-stop action, not a historical recreation of one of the most distressing
occurrences in U.S. history. "Pearl Harbor" could have been a filmed disaster
of a real-life disaster. It could have been an embarrassment for all of the
creative forces involved in its production. And, most of all, it could have
stood as a terrible, Hollywoodized disservice to a slice of American history.
It turns out that it is, thankfully, none of these things, although it does
have its own problems.
The movie can easily be divided into three sections, with each offering up
varying degrees of success. The opening 90 minutes lay out the development
and basic groundwork for the three central characters--Rafe, Danny, and
Evelyn--as their unfortunate love triangle falls into place. The disastrous
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor takes up the next 35-40 minutes of screen
time, as we follow each character's heroic role in the battle. And the
remaining 50 minutes bring us back to settle the love story, as the aftermath
of the Pearl Harbor attack is dealt with and General Dolittle (Alec Baldwin)
puts into effect the 1942 raid on Tokyo.
The tragic, powerful love story of "Titanic" was so very effective because it
dealt with characters who were deeply involved in the sinking of the cruise
liner, and whose relationship and lives were changed because of it. Jack and
Rose, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, stood for all of the
passengers aboard the fateful maiden voyage of Titanic, and therefore, they
meant a great deal more to the viewer. In "Pearl Harbor," the love triangle
that arises does not garner the same potency, due to the flawed screenplay,
and the fact that the outcome of the relationship has literally nothing to do
with what happened at Pearl Harbor. The romance simply is not very
convincing, and occasionally clangs with the real-life accounts of the months
leading up to World War II.
In the world that writer Randall Wallace inhabits, human beings say things
like, "Every time I see a sunset, I'll think of you," and "You've captured my
heart." The dialogue is intermittently so cringe-inducing that you feel bad
for the actors who have to utter those howlers, followed by a period of time
in which you question why they didn't laugh at Wallace and tell him to
rewrite it to match what real people might naturally say. Whenever one of the
protagonists says such cheeseball lines, which luckily isn't so often that it
completely destroys the movie's dignity, it sends the whole romance angle
into jarring orbit.
More strong is the friendship between Rafe and Danny, whose bond ultimately
can't be broken by the conflict of a woman in the middle. As portrayed by Ben
Affleck (2000's "Bounce") and Josh Hartnett (2001's "Town & Country"), the
outcome of their relationship is far more poignant and compelling than that
of them and Evelyn, because the platonic love that they share for one another
is so honestly felt.
All three main performers should be commended for taking what could have been
stock roles, and turning them into seemingly real people, even when they are
saying silly lines. Affleck's Rafe is a little too smarmy at the onset, but
the view of him gradually warms up as the film progresses, and Affleck does
well with his cocky charm. Josh Hartnett is even better as good-ol'-boy
Danny, whose quiet, unforced innocence is unmistakably engaging. Rounding out
the trio, Kate Beckinsale (1999's "Brokedown Palace") brings an intelligent
sweetness to Evelyn that could be superior to both of her male counterparts.
It is too bad, then, that her part of the story--that of the love
story--works the least successfully.
In supporting roles, James King (2001's "Blow") and William Lee Scott (2000's
"Gone in Sixty Seconds") are very good as a fellow nurse and fighter who fall
head over heels for one another, with ill-fated results. Jon Voight (1999's
"Varsity Blues") is emphatic as wheelchair-bound President Franklin
Roosevelt, while Alec Baldwin (2000's "State and Main"), Dan Aykroyd (2000's
"Loser"), and Mako (1997's "Seven Years in Tibet") make equally memorable
impressions. On the flip side, Cuba Gooding Jr. (2000's "Men of Honor"),
whose role of a real-life cook on one of the U.S. ships at Pearl Harbor who
shot down two Japanese fighter jets, is superfluous and far too brief to make
a notable impact. Gooding Jr. is a fine actor, but his appearance simply pads
out the running time an extra ten minutes.
The centerpiece of "Pearl Harbor" is, of course, the Japanese invasion, and
it does not disappoint. Suspenseful and frighteningly real, this is the one
section in which director Bay made the correct choice in not hamming the
proceedings up. With stark photography, tight editing, and magnificently
rendered visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic, this middle interlude is
certainly the highlight for sheer entertainment value. Incidentally, though,
it is the only section in need of more palpable emotions. Ships are blown up
and countless lives are lost, but viewer reaction to this is oddly mote,
perhaps because of how fast it moves from one scene to the next.
"Pearl Harbor" is a difficult movie to review. It is in no way a great movie,
but it also is far from bad. There is a lot to recommend, from the
performances, to the two war sequences, to a climactic scene that is simply
heartbreaking, but there are also a fair share of detractors. The film
presses on for just over three hours with no clear destination or purpose,
and the supposed-to-be cathartic final scenes are hampered by a needless,
misguided narration that seems to cheapen the realities of World War II.
Nonetheless, the calamitous events that occurred on December 7, 1941 are
boldly brought to cinematic life, and it demands to be seen. "Titanic," it
surely is not, but "Pearl Harbor" has enough finer points to pass as a good
film that could have been better.
Copyright © 2001 Dustin Putman
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