THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN (2013)

Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Fredrik Bond  
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint, James Buckley, Vincent D'Onofrio, Melissa Leo, John Hurt
RunTime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films & InnoForm Media
Official Website: http://www.charliecountryman-movie.com

Opening Day: 6 March 2014

Synopsis: While traveling abroad, Charlie Countryman falls for Gabi, a Romanian beauty whose unreachable heart has its origins in Nigel, her violent, charismatic ex. As the darkness of Gabi’s past increasingly envelops him, Charlie resolves to win her heart, or die trying.

Movie Review:

We couldn’t help it. The moment we saw Shia LaBeouf on screen, the only thing we could think of was a paper bag. If you don’t already know what we are talking about, the actor who was almost Hollywood Golden Boy (thanks to his leading roles in Michael Bay’s Transformers movies) donned a paper bag with the words “I  Am Not Famous Anymore” on his head to walk the red carpet at the premiere of his new film Nymphomaniac. This is just one of his erratic behaviours of late, following his plagiarism scandal and an attempt at putting up an art show.

Sorry but during the preview of this Fredrik Bond directed romantic comedy action film, we couldn’t help but think how hard LaBeouf is trying to make a statement in his career, Which is a little unfair, as we came to realise, because the story written by Matt Drake is arguably innovative. The film, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival is an odd piece of work, and LaBeouf’s involvement as its leading man may be both a good or bad thing.

The star of 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 2010’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps plays a normal dude who falls in love with a Romanian girl. Little does he know that she is married to a violent and mentally unstable crime boss. As the title would tell you, our protagonist realises he has to die to save the girl of his dreams, not before he endures one bruising beatdown after another.

As some people would tell you, art is a painful thing, and it truly shows in this 108 minute film. The titular character gets beaten up so many times, we don’t know whether to feel sorry for him or not. You see, Charlie Countryman isn’t the most likeable person, given his trying naivety and unlovable persistence. Maybe it’s because of LaBeouf? We don’t know.

The 27 year old actor’s leading lady is Evan Rachel Wood, who has impressed us quite a bit with her performances in Across the Universe (2007) and The Ides of March (2011). Here, we feel that she is mismatched with LaBeouf, and we don’t feel sparks flying. Again, it might be due to LaBeouf. We don’t know.

To be fair, you can feel the actor giving his all to be fully immersed in this role. This is the kind of role actors want to break out of their caricatured moulds (think Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Paattinson), but maybe it’s because of LaBeouf’s unflattering media presence that we can’t help but think little of his capabilities.

However, we did enjoy the company of other cast members, particularly the creepily evil looking Mads Mikkelsen. The Danish actor from 2006’s Quantum of Solace and 2012’s The Hunt is the best thing about this movie – you have to see his performance to know what good acting is. Elsewhere, you get Rupert Grint (Ron from the Harry Potter series) trying his best to be rugged, Til Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds, Rabbit Without Ears 2) and John Hurt narrating the story. This are perfect elements for an indie film, but like LaBeouf, there are occasions when we felt it was trying a little too hard (like ahem, LaBeouf himself), resulting in a movie that prefers style over substance. 

Movie Rating:

(Shia LaBeouf gives it his all, but the showy movie offers nothing particularly exciting)

Review by John Li