Richard Roeper reveals his latest movie reviews, including one he called “one of the most enthralling movies I’ve ever seen.”
Here’s a look at what to watch this week:
“The Odyssey” (in theaters)
Magnificent.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is one of the most enthralling movies I’ve ever seen—a glorious and bruising and beautiful epic that lives up to all the hype and then some. Nearly 20 years ago in Chicago, Nolan used IMAX cameras to film the iconic opening bank robbery scene, which to this day remains one of the most influential sequences of its kind. Now, for the first time ever, an entire feature film was shot with IMAX cameras, but over the course of its 2-hour, 52-minute run time, that never feels like a gimmick or an indulgence. Not to go all Nicole Kidman on you, but this is a prime example of why so many of us still believe in seeing certain movies on the biggest screen possible.
In translating Homer’s epic poem, Nolan draws heavily on Emily Wilson’s translation and wisely refrains from wandering into the weeds and getting lost in the detail about accents or so-called “historical accuracy” in casting and battle helmets and accents. (After all, we’re talking about a work filled with monsters and giants and gods.) Nolan the writer has leaned into the universal themes in the story. Matt Damon’s Odysseus is a ferocious warrior, a legendary leader and a clever strategist, but he’s also a middle-aged man of compromised ethics who is trying to finally do the right thing and find his way home. Anne Hathaway’s Penelope is a queen who is fiercely protective of the throne and of her noble but untested son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), who embarks on a quest to find the father he’s never known. These characters live in a mythical, magical, supernatural, terrifying world, and yet we can relate to their dreams, their struggles, their tragedies.
Star power reigns throughout the cast, from the leads to supporting standouts including Charlize Theron as the ultimate immortal temptress Calypso; Robert Pattinson as the scheming Antinous; Lupita Nyong’o in a dual role as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra; and arguably most memorable of all, Samantha Morton as the powerful and chillingly mad sorceress Circe. Amidst all the firepower and spectacle, “The Odyssey” is an actor’s film.
With visuals on a par with classics such as “Lawrence of Arabia” and the 1965 version of “War and Peace,” this is a spectacular-looking film, with Nolan making great use of location sequences shot in Greece, Morocco, Italy, Iceland, Scotland and the Western Sahara (as well as the Universal Studios lot). There’s not a single frame here that doesn’t grab your attention, not a single sequence that should have been left on the cutting room floor. Nolan even figured out an ingenious way to make the clichéd and oft-lampooned story of the Trojan Horse not only plausible in the context of war, but visceral in its impact.
At times, “The Odyssey” plays like a breathtaking horror movie; scenes involving Cyclops and the aforementioned Circe are so stunningly rendered they might haunt your sleep. More often, we’re immersed in an action epic with blood-spattered battle sequences reminiscent of “Gladiator.” This is a film that earns its R rating.
Expect “The Odyssey” to earn at least 10 Oscar nominations, from the writing, directing, cinematography and editing to the performances to makeup/hairstyling and costuming. This is one of Christopher Nolan’s best films, and it’s one of the most memorable movies I’ve ever seen.
“The Hawk” (Netflix series)
Will Ferrell returns to the sports-comedy arena with Netflix’s “The Hawk,” playing washed-up golf pro Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, a former star whose career imploded after a notorious collapse two decades earlier. Now grinding away on the Korn Ferry Tour while watching his son Lance (Jimmy Tatro) rise through the PGA ranks, Lonnie decides to make one last run at glory—and finally capture the U.S. Open title that has eluded him.
Alas, “The Hawk” pales in comparison to mid-2000s Will Ferrell sports-comedy gold such as “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Blades of Glory.” Heck, it’s not even in the same league as “Kicking and Screaming.” The premise feels familiar from the start, especially coming on the heels of Apple TV’s superior golf dramedy “Stick,” starring Owen Wilson as another disgraced golfer seeking redemption. More problematic is the show’s uneven tone. Over 10 episodes, “The Hawk” lurches between broad slapstick, crude jokes and half-hearted emotional beats, often feeling like a watered-down version of “Eastbound & Down.”
Ferrell delivers a performance that largely revisits his greatest sports-comedy hits: loud, selfish, clueless and occasionally endearing. There are flashes of genuine heart beneath the bravado, but not enough to sustain a series.
The supporting cast has its moments. Molly Shannon reunites with her “Saturday Night Live” running mate Ferrell as Lonnie’s estranged wife, but she’s saddled with playing a thinly drawn and cartoonishly unlikable character. Fortune Feimster brings warmth and humor as his unlikely caddie, while Chris Parnell pops up as a golf official who despises Lonnie. What should have been an easy comeback vehicle for Ferrell and comfort viewing for us instead feels like a collection of recycled gags and familiar character types. Nearly every aspect of “The Hawk” is a double bogey.
“The Westies” (MGM+ series)
This is a gritty, unvarnished, and kinetic crime series that doesn’t spend much time on existential crises. Sure, there’s brooding, but it’s usually accompanied by copious amounts of whiskey, a melancholic anthem, and the sense that more violence is around the corner. “The Westies” is one big punch in the nose of a series. It’s filled with bad guys and even worse guys—which leaves us with just enough room to have a rooting interest in some of the anti-heroes.
Set on the streets of 1980s Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan (though filmed in Toronto, yikes), “The Westies” is a fictionalized telling of the story of the real-life Irish-American gang that carved out a massive piece of extortion rights surrounding the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the traditional Italian Mafia families, they ruled through absolute, unpredictable ferocity.
J.K. Simmons is magnetic and chilling as Eamon Sweeney, an old-guard neighborhood kingpin who presents himself as a nattily attired civic leader while executing dissidents without a second thought. Tom Brittney brings a brooding, star-level gravitas to Jimmy Roarke, the young protégé caught between old-school neighborhood loyalty and the realities of a changing underworld. Meanwhile, Sarah Bolger provides a sharp jolt of energy as Bridget, an IRA operative navigating her own dangerous political crossfire across the Atlantic.
One of the show’s greatest strengths is how well it balances its ensemble. Titus Welliver is masterfully cast as a deeply compromised NYPD detective drowning his sins in a bottle, while the great Richard Schiff makes a stellar appearance as a savvy money launderer.
Granted, the sheer volume of kidnappings and backroom beatdowns can become a bit repetitive by the middle chapters. But thanks to a top-tier cast and a keen sense of pacing, “The Westies” executes its familiar turf-war tropes with dark, stylish confidence.
Richard Roeper has reviewed films and TV series for more than 25 years, most notably with the Chicago Sun-Times and on the nationally syndicated “Ebert & Roeper.” Roeper is an entertainment and culture contributor to NBC 5 Chicago. He is the host of the globally popular “The Movie of Your Life” podcast, and he writes reviews for RogerEbert.com.
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