Tag Archives: Woody Harrelson

“The Hunger Games” borrows heavily from other stories to satisfy sci-fi appetites

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Sometimes new pop culture trends slip right by while I’m busy watching wrestling and stuff. Such is the case with The Hunger Games, the new film based on the first book in a trilogy of novels by Suzanne Collins.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) takes aim in “The Hunger Games.” Photo by Murray Close

Apparently these books appeal to the same tween audience as the Harry Potter and Twilight books, both of which also became pop culture phenomenons before I had even figured out what they were about (I still haven’t had a chance to see any of the Twilight movies). But I’m actually glad I didn’t know that before seeing The Hunger Games because I saw similarities to various other stories playing out on the screen.

Set in a dystopian America segregated into 12 concentration camp-like districts, the titular games are a perverse way for The Capitol (the movie’s Orwellian governing group, which employs elaborate costumes and grooming to further elevate itself from the commoners) to entertain itself while maintaining control over the populous. It’s basically the same concept as 1987’s The Running Man and 1975’s Death Race 2000, only instead of using convicts in this kill-or-be-killed cross between a game show and reality TV, a male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 is chosen from each district to “play.”

Contestants are then placed in a wilderness setting where they have to first obtain their chosen weapons, then fend for themselves when it comes to food and survival. The only way to win this Darwinian game is to be the sole survivor. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), who has been the lynchpin for her family since her father died a few years earlier, volunteers to represent her district after the Mad Hatter-esque Elizabeth Banks announces that Katniss’ younger sister has been chosen. She’s paired with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), which causes a bit of tension from the beginning since Katniss is leaving her sort-of boyfriend (Liam Hemsworth) behind.

Starting with the elaborate opening ceremonies and carrying over into the absurdly posh talk show segments that precede the games, Peeta makes his feelings for Katniss known, but it’s not clear if he is being sincere or if he is just trying to keep the show interesting. Either way, the two must soon fend for themselves against those chosen from the other districts, as well as the Big Brother-like overseers who are able to do things like insert giant pitbull-like creatures into the vaguely Matrix-like setting in order to keep the world watching.

Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) announces Katniss’ admission to the Games. Photo by Murray Close

The Hunger Games does a great job of displaying the brutality that can come when people (especially adolescents) are placed in such cut-throat conditions. Alphas take charge, alliances form and boundaries are created as each teen fights for survival, or for the glory that comes with winning the game. Under the surprisingly astute guidance of Haymitch Abernathy (a drunkenly flamboyant Woody Harrelson) and stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), Katniss refuses to play by the rules, which does not please The Capitol (especially after it has assisted her a couple of times by sending a magical salve that makes people heal as fast a Wolverine).

From what I understand, this is all eerily reminiscent of the 1999 Japanese novel Battle Royale. Like Harry Potter and Twilight, that’s another book/film I have yet to experience. Though I can’t attest to its similarities to these stories, I can say that The Hunger Games does borrow heavily from the aforementioned The Running Man and Death Race 2000, as well as 1984, Brave New World, Mad Max and, to a lesser degree, Romeo and Juliet, both thematically and visually. So regardless of its inspirations, The Hunger Games is more than just a showcase of pretty people (though that is definitely part of its appeal). And it’s sure to appeal to teenagers crushing over the film’s young stars as well as sci-fi fans who like a bit of substance with their futuristic stories.

The Hunger Games. Directed by Gary Ross. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks. Rated PG-13. www.thehungergamesmovie.com.

Woody’s walls crumble in “Rampart”

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Dave Brown is the type of cop that makes people hate cops. He’s spent more than two decades playing fast and loose with the rules and abusing his authority, but is able to rationalize any of his actions as finding true justice. But in the wake of the Rampart scandal of the 1990s, in which dozens of officers were scrutinized for similar misconduct, Brown’s attitude is about to get him into serious trouble.

Stepping away from the comedic role he normally plays (his irreverent and endearing sarcasm is even present when he’s playing a serial killer or other such dramatic role), Woody Harrelson portrays Brown in Rampart in much the same way Denzel Washington played the bad cop in Training Day. Brown is, in many ways, like a cross between Washington’s Training Day persona and Michael Douglas’ Falling Down character. Brown’s ability to do heinous things while convincing himself he is justified in doing so is chillingly convincing thanks to Harrelson’s ability to immerse himself in the role without letting many of his Harrelsonisms shine through as they usually do.

But Brown’s dysfunctions aren’t exclusive to his profession. He has two daughters by two women who happen to be sisters, making the children siblings and cousins. And they all live in the same house, which is yet another example of Brown’s complexity. He’s a chain-smoking womanizer who, when questioned about his racism by another cop played by Ice Cube, contradicts his obvious racism with the fact that he has had sex with black women. Yet he’s charming enough that the mothers of his daughters (Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon), for example, don’t object to living as one big unhappy family under the same roof. It all makes sense in his mind and he can usually make those around him go along with his rationalizations as well.

After another car unexpectedly smashes into Brown’s car while he’s on patrol, he is caught on tape giving the other driver a relentless Rodney King-like beatdown. The ’90s political landscape caused by Rampart isn’t the only blemish on Brown’s reputation as he is also known as “Date Rape” Dave after the death of serial sex offender was attributed to him a few years earlier (though never proven). All of this is used against him after the beating tape surfaces and the structured life Brown has manipulated for himself starts to unravel.

Things only get worse for him when his teenage daughter (Brie Larson) becomes increasingly defiant and his significant others tire of his negligence and kick him out of his own house. In Brown’s mind, everyone is out to get him. But in reality, he has brought all of this on himself and everything just happens to be imploding simultaneously. Though he plots a pretty effective strategy to get himself out of his bigger dilemmas, it seems that everyone has finally wised up to his conniving ways and his plans continuously backfire.

Despite his many shortcomings, it is ultimately his stubbornness that proves to be his biggest flaw. Even as he watches his personal and professional lives crumble before his eyes, Brown refuses to turn his frustrations inward in order to find the true source of his problems. Once a hero in his own eyes, Brown makes himself a victim to help him cope with the reality of what is happening. Sadly, he will never see that he is a victim, but of his own actions, which is what makes him a convincingly flawed character rarely examined as thoroughly as is done in Rampart.

Rampart. Written and directed by Oren Moverman. Starring Woody Harrelson, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster, Anne Heche, Ice Cube, Cynthia Nixon, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright and Steve Buscemi. Rated R. www.rampartmovie.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams