Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Director: James Mangold
Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Thomas Kretschmann, Olivier Richters, Karen Allen
Running Time: 154 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

In what should be considered a relief, James Mangold's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is a mostly satisfying send-off for the iconic character, easily surpassing 2008's widely reviled, underwhelming Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Though a far cry from the first three films in the series, it has sections that come close to recapturing that nostalgic sense of adventure, with others curiously feeling more like a modern facsimile of classic Indy. But it's a good time, anchored by a story that's surprisingly focused given the concerns going in.

This is bloated at over two and a half hours, but doesn't drag, and whatever 80-year-old Harrison Ford's physical limitations are, they're covered by a plot that accounts for the challenges of his role. Mangold follows the familiar Spielberg template, at least until a denoument certifiably insane enough to inspire more debate and discussion. But unlike Crystal Skull, you can actually envision viewers remembering and even revisiting this, possibly healing some of the wounds inflicted by that previous film.

It's 1944 and the Nazis have captured Indiana Jones (Ford) and Oxford archeologist Basil Shaw (Toby Jones) while attempting to retrieve the Lance of Longinus from a castle in the French Alps. The Lance is fake, but German astrophysicist Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) has possession of half the Archimedes' Dial, a mechanism built by Syracusan mathematician Archimedes that supposedly enables time travel. Indy and Basil escape with the Dial, but decades later in 1969, a recently retired Indy is visited by goddaughter and archeologist Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who believes he still has the object her late father Basil was obsessed with. 

Upon Indy discovering Helena's motivations for locating the rare piece aren't what he assumed, they're followed by Voller (fronting as NASA engineer "Dr. Schmidt") and the CIA, along with a gang of mercenaries helping him reclaim it to drastically alter history. Joined by Helena and her teen pickpocket sidekick Teddy Kumar (Ethann Isidore), Indy must find directions to the Dial's other half and stop Voller from opening the time fissure before it's too late.

A setting and era this different is something that's never really been explored in the franchise so the character's advanced age does present an opportunity to take advantage of a fresh scenario. And it's downright surreal observing the curmudgeonly professor and archaeologist floundering in 1960's New York City, riding the subway, watching TV and complaining about his neighbors blasting the Beatles. It further reinforces the idea he's stuck out of time, desperately clinging to history as the world passes him by. Never crankier, we eventually discover why, with Ford again expertly slipping into the role while sarcastically poking fun at Indy's seniority.

For all the fuss over the casting a female lead opposite Ford, Waller-Bridge's Helena isn't intended to compensate for the challenges of having Ford carry this on his own. Her backstory and connection to Indy fits the plot, with the actress bringing some screwball comedic timing to the proceedings and handling herself just fine in the action sequences. The least of this film's issues, she proves they made the right casting move in foregoing potentially bigger stars who may not have meshed as well with Ford. And despite some help, he's hardly relegated to the sidelines, nor is the character's attitude or demeanor a drastic departure from what we've embraced for decades. 

Ethann Isadore's kid sidekick is more derivative, clearly meant to invoke Short Round from Temple of Doom, but even his function suitably expands, adding a little extra kick to the narrative's machinations. As villainous Nazi scientist Voller, Mikkelsen creepily makes for one of Indy's more ambitious adversaries, mapping out a grand plan that wouldn't seem out of place in a Bond picture. John Rhys Davies returns in a smaller role as Indy's old pal Sallah while Antonio Banderas has an even tinier one as tactical scuba diver Renaldo. Thankfully, John Williams' legendary score is back as we remember it, with some additional flourishes. 

Mangold's staging and filming of the big action set pieces are highlighted by a horseback chase through NYC during the Apollo 11 parade and another with motorized rickshaws in Tangier. Both are superior to the murky 1944 prologue, which marks the franchise's most elaborate use of digitized technology yet, with a 25 minute sequence depicting a de-aged, deep faked version of Ford's Indy. It's pulled off reasonably well, but is still an odd fit for a property entrenched in retro influences like Saturday morning serials of the 30's and 40's.

You can't help but wonder if the opening is too much of a distraction, almost daring audiences to search for flaws and unintentionally harming what should be a fully immersive experience. And considering how Star Wars fans lose their minds over the briefest use of AI effects, a full half hour is a risky experiment. While trimming the sequence may have helped in covering noticeable shortcomings, it doesn't hurt to admit we might not be ready for this yet, at least to such an extent.

In a franchise with melting faces, extractions of human hearts and aliens the idea of time travel could still be a bridge too far for some fans. The hesitation isn't completely unwarranted since this veers further into the sci-fi realm than we've ever seen in the series, while maintaining the ancient mysticism that's defined other historical artifacts. The only difference here is how far the writers take it, actually following through on what's promised.

Larger questions are addressed regarding what transpired between Crystal Skull and the events of this installment, helping to explain how Indy ends up in this bitter place, latching on to the past like it's his last hope. How it fits into the plot is clever and certain to stir up more debate surrounding the creative choice made in the closing minutes. But it's safe to say common sense prevails, as the alternative would leave a dangling thread when all loose ends need to be tightly tied. An exciting, old fashioned blockbuster, Dial of Destiny goes out on top, upholding the spirit of the franchise while giving us the fitting final chapter we were owed fifteen years earlier.

Haywire

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Michael Angarano
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire is both more and less than it seems. On one hand, it's an action movie. But on the other, it sort of isn't. It's a conventional spy story that's presented in an unconventional manner, exceeding and subverting expectations while strangely at the same time barely managing to meet them. A second viewing is probably in order, but with only one to go on it's safe to say it distinguishes itself from most other mainstream action movies not so much in terms of plot, but style. It feels like a not-so-distant art house cousin of Drive or The American in the sense that it'll turn off viewers expecting a fast-paced, non-stop mindless action extravaganza (its D+ CinemaScore proves it) and reward those looking for something a little different. But the real story coming out of it is the arrival of a legitimate female action star capable of believably kicking ass. Recently, we've had Angelina Jolie in Salt and Zoe Saldana in Columbiana corner the action market in terms of charisma and willingness to get their hands dirty, but in terms of pure physicality and presence, former MMA fighter and first-time actress Gina Carano puts them both to shame. And her casting that proves just how ingenious Soderbergh is in tailoring his movies to the strengths of his stars.

The film opens in a diner in upstate New York, where we meet Mallory Kane (Carano), a contracted covert operations agent with a private firm employed by the government for missions they'd rather wash their hands of. She sits with a man named Aaron (Channing Tatum) who she thrillingly kicks the crap out of over coffee, breaking his arm and escaping with the help of passing customer Scott (Michael Angarano), who has no idea what he's just gotten himself into to. In flashback, we're told the story of how she was sent by her boss and ex-boyfriend Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) to do a job in Dublin where she'd pose as the wife of a British agent named Paul (Michael Fassbender). But it's all a set-up, putting in motion a chain of events that cause her to go on the run, alternating between being the hunter and the hunted, all while trying to uncover who betrayed her and why.

Initially, the narrative framing device is confusing because it takes a bit to differentiate what's happening in the present from the flashback scenes as the title cards indicate shifts in location (Dublin, Barcelona and New York for anyone keeping track) rather than time. It's worth noting how the picture looks since it doesn't quite visually resemble any other recent action movie. The color looks washed out and the image dim and out of focus, no doubt a deliberate choice by Soderbergh who often works as his own cinematographer in his films and wanted to distinguish this from the slick blockbusters we've grown accustomed to. Once we catch up the plot is pretty basic so most of the thrills come from the style and execution. Otherwise deliberately paced, when the action scenes do arrive they're brutally realistic, especially a hotel room confrontation between Carano and Fassbender that has to rank amongst the most exciting intergender onscreen fights in recent memory. Most of the rest of the action is saved for the final half hour, but it's worth the wait.

What Soderbergh does for Carano is almost exactly what he did for adult film star Sasha Grey in The Girlfriend Experience in taking an untrained actress and placing them in a carefully structured project that plays up their strengths while covering their weaknesses. On a lesser scale it's comparable with what Darren Aronofsky did for Natalie Portman in Black Swan by not only hiding her weaknesses as actress, but actually incorporating them into her character and transforming them into strengths. Soderbergh's careful not to give Carano long monologues and dialogue-heavy scenes that would expose her inexperience, instead playing up her intensity and presence. There's no need for tons of emotion in a movie like this and he's wise to not let Carano attempt to supply any. She's a bad-ass. Plain and simple. But in instances she's called upon to do more in "acting" scenes opposite her seasoned co-stars, she still holds her own, proving she can only improve as a performer moving forward. Pretty and powerful, it's not out of the question she could emerge as a the female equivalent of Jason Statham if she attaches herself to projects that make the best use of her talents. And unlike other action heroines, the ex-American Gladiator doesn't at all look like she can be snapped like a twig.

Soderbergh cleverly plugs in his star-heavy cast in utility supporting roles with Ewan McGregor relishing the rare opportunity to play a sleaze and Michael Douglas slipping into familiar authority figure mode as a powerful government agent. Even Channing Tatum fares really well as Mallory's ex-lover and potential adversary. But the real standout is Fassbender, who in his brief, but extremely memorable turn as a suave, dangerous British agent gives just cause to terminate Daniel Craig's 007 contract after his next outing. As perfect a fit as Carano would seem to be for Wonder Woman, Fassbender is for James Bond. And since the films cover much of the same territory it also wouldn't be off base to claim that the stuck-in-a-rut Bond franchise could stand to look and feel more like this.      

If there's anything holding the film back from greatness it's Lem Dobbs' script, which taken altogether seems very conventional and ordinary despite its sometimes convoluted presentation. It's a simple story told in a complicated way that succeeds in making you fell like you're watching something of considerable substance. Without Soderbergh's stylistic choices and such a believable, intimidating lead it wouldn't work at the level it does. But those elements are there and it does work because of them, making me think that once you have the story all sorted out on the first viewing, everything else will likely improve on subsequent ones. Besides marking the arrival of an exciting new action actress, it also provides a reason to re-examine just how talented a filmmaker Soderbergh is. Unlike any of his peers, he's been able to successfully alternate between low budget indie projects and mainstream blockbusters. Now with Haywire, he's proven himself capable of combining both.