Rating: 
Summary: Armani=Emptiness
Review: Yet another harshly criticized film from Paul Schrader. Its themes of emotional emptiness trying to be filled with sex, money, and general material wealth, pretty much, summed up the decade that followed its release. It is the quintissential 80's movie.Schrader was unjustly maligned by critics for the films pacing and flat acting from the films leads. The acting is shallow because the film is about empty people- Julien(Gere) turns on the charm in order to satisfy his ego, and not, as he says, to satisfy women. One gets the feeling, in the long takes when Julien is driving around in his Mercedes, that the smile on his face is because he likes being seen (it is a convertible, after all)and not because of some inner well being. The same can also be said for the pimps in the movie. Both of them behave as if Julien is the slickest, greatest guy alive and smother him with compliments, until, that is, he refuses to do them a favor. Once they dont get what they want, they quickly turn on him. One could even say that the ending echos this. Romantics would like to believe that Julien is redeemed by love, however, he, most likely, stays with the Senators wife because she is the only person who hasnt abandoned him. In his world, she is the only source left to fill his ego and provide him with his much needed alibi, and thats the only reason he doesnt reject her. My only complaints- I feel that the time lapse device in the films conclusion doesnt work. It seems sudden and awkward compared to the rest of the films pacing, like the story has to tidy itself up to reach its end at the expense of the narrative. I felt that the film could have benifited from more scenes with Julien interacting with his clients. I guess Shrader and the studio wanted to gloss over the gigilo view and not have Gere in intimate scenes with ancient ladies. Instead we see him merely holding hands with them and getting intimate (two scenes) with only attractive and younger women. It feels like a pulled punch. Even though it would have made Julien less admirable to an audience, seeing him being intimate with withered and wrinkled widows would have felt true to the character and led to a better understanding of him. But, thats not the sort of thing Hollywood wants thier male leads doing. Over time, Schrader is one of those directors whose harsher critics will be laughed at. I dont know of many other directors who get lashed for being "too Foriegn" in thier composition and pace. Without a doubt, he does get much of his style from French and Japanese directors, but only because his eye finds a kinship with them. His is not camerawork that feels in any way forced, like he is borrowing from someone else. Schrader always gets harped on, whereas, Scorsese, Coppola, Allen, and Jarmusch are heralded for borrowing from overseas. So, if you are going to brutally judge Schrader by his influences, then throw out Sam Raimi for looking too much like Leone and Hitchcock, Paul T. Anderson for looking like Scorsese, and you sure as Hell better sting up Spielberg, run him out of town, and bury him in the desert (oh, please do) because two-thirds of his vision is nothing more than a pale Kurosawa impersonation. Hardcore, American Gigilo, Cat People, Comfort of Strangers, and Affliction are really great films that havent gotten the praise that they deserve, and Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is nothing less than a perfect film, an absolute masterpiece. Thank you Mr. Schrader.
| 
