LEE (2024)

Genre: Biography/Drama/History
Director: Ellen Kuras
Cast: Kate Winslet, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Noémie Merlant 
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 January 2025

Synopsis: Oscar winner Kate Winslet stars in this fascinating portrait of the great American war correspondent Lee Miller, whose singular talent and ferocious tenacity gave us some of the 20th century’s most indelible images.

Movie Review:

Lee Miller was a celebrated American war photographer and before that, she also worked as a fashion model in New York. In short, Miller was a remarkable woman who led a gusty, fascinating life.

Working from a biography by Miller’s son, Antony Penrose, we first see Miller (Kate Winslet in passable make-up effects) as an older woman in the 1970s, being interviewed by a young journalist (Josh O’Connor from Challengers). From there, we learnt how Lee met her future husband, surrealist artist and art dealer Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgard) in late 1930s, France and how she became a war correspondent for British Vogue.

As Europe slowly turned into a war zone, Miller formed a working partnership with Life magazine photographer Davey Scherman (Andy Samberg) as she starts venturing into battlefields documenting destruction, killings and the aftermath of the horrific wars especially the Nazi concentration camps.

Lee is a conventional if not a rather flat biography of an unconventional figure. Even with the involvement of screenwriters Liz Hannah (The Post), John Collee (Master and Commander), the narrative flows like a boring showcase of Miller’s key moments in her career. The approach is serviceable at best and arguably, the drama only picked up with Miller and Scherman visiting a corpse filled concentration camp and the playful reconstruct shot of Miller sitting in Hitler’s Munich bathtub.

Given the scope of the character on hand, the production values are of concern as well. Cinematographer turned director Ellen Kuras lensed the entire affair much akin to a television effort perhaps again due to budgetary concerns. The extended flashbacks and interviews with the journalist only adds to the banality. Winslet also in a producer role genuinely is the sole highlight with her class act. There’s no doubt Winslet can carry a movie and Lee is definitely one that benefited from her participation.

Samberg, a huge departure from his goofy onscreen persona is surprising capable with his dramatic acting chops. Other notable faces, Marion Cotillard and Andrea Riseborough suffers from weak characterisation and mostly fleeting portrayal of their real-life characters. We are pretty sure Miller had an extraordinary life in a male-dominated world. Unfortunately, this particular big-screen effort fails to capture the essence of her reducing it to a middling forgettable bio-pic.

Movie Rating:

(Too slow and too rush at times, Lee is a poorly made biography despite Winslet’s powerhouse performance)

Review by Linus Tee