“Revolver” (2005) A film review
In a crime/mystery film “Revolver” (directed by Guy Ritchie) Jake Green, a gambler and a con-man has just been released from 7 years of solitary confinement. Having got out, he steps on the toes of his former employer Dorothy Macha, and thus finds himself between death and two shady characters, Avi and Zack, who offer him protection in exchange for every cent he has.
In this film Guy Ritchie explores the meaning of being in a position of power and how illusory that power can be. By exploring and exposing the motives and driving forces of the characters in the film, Guy Ritchie pushes the audience to question their own.
Critical Analysis:
“Revolver” is a film with a psychological and philosophical message wrapped in a clever guise of a gangster story, designed to disrupt the audience’s view of themselves and of the world around them. Guy Ritchie went on to break down all of the conventions associated with a gangster thriller. He removed linearity from its narrative and introduced aspects that makes the audience wonder if what they’re watching is in fact a thriller-action movie.
The main purpose of this particular motion picture was not to entertain (albeit it does so very well), but to have you leave the experience feeling ever so slightly distraught. It doesn't disturb you in an unpleasant way, but rather has you reeling for reasons you cannot identify. It makes no attempt to subscribe you to a new perspective , as much as to leave a crack in the one you currently hold.
The movie indirectly makes an audacious claim about society, yet without the usual elements of pessimism and designation of blame that so many films and documentaries express. It is not even clear what society, place and time the movie is set in. Its an arrangement of scenes, objects, people, intentions; a prison, a casino, a motel, a pool house, an elevator. The audience can reasonably assume that it is the 20th century somewhere in the US, but that’s about it.
The movie is divided by the four quotes presented in the beginning. They serve as a skeleton around which the film is built, denoting a theme within each part of the narrative. The four quotes are the scarce context given to the protagonist’s realizations. The audience must pay attention to find the hidden meaning within internal monologues and conversations between characters.
The film pinches you into moments of clarity if you care for the details. Even in the most dramatic elevator scene, you come out of it unsure exactly what had just happened. The overall message is not designed to hit you while you watch the film; it is designed to hit you afterwards, in the real world. And it will do so when you least expect it.
After seeing Revolver a few times you begin to realise that no element of the set, object, costume, name or number is an accident. Everything is meant to be taken apart. When you approach it that way things that go unnoticed suddenly become things that make all the difference in the world. Everything, from the absent license plates on cars, to 12 dollar bills, to the Egyptian symbology in Macha’s casino; all of these elements contain meaning and its an exciting experience to go scene by scene and de-construct the imagery. It is not something many films provide. It is a deliciously layered experience.
The narrative itself is what truly goes against the grain of film in general. Its made up of breaks in continuity, scenes that are designed to show two events happening simultaneously, animation that adds a certain flavour to an event, as wells as protagonists’ realisations that are cleverly shown as reverse flashbacks. The audience must participate fill in the gaps and draw their own conclusions.
The remarkable feature of this motion picture is that once you have a clear picture of Jake’s journey and the overall message of the film, you begin to view the film from the point of view of the antagonist. That perspective is the like the flip side of a coin. Just as rich and satisfying. It is from the antagonist’s point of view that the true magnitude magnitude of Jake’s peril reveals itself.
Recommendation:
Revolver is not a film you watch to entertain yourself after a long work week. It won’t let you shut your brain off and sit back in numbness. It will challenge your perception of yourself; it will follow you around and poke you with a stick. It will have you ask questions and make you watch it again to look for answers. It is absolutely worth it.
It has been the most influential motion pictures I have ever seen. Its relevance to the real world is incredibly strong, if a bit frightening.