Beaten To The Punch (15)
Beaten To The Punch starts out like any Woody Allen influenced comedy about relationships. We follow art school graduate Josh (Toby Maguire) and his on-off relationship with Sarah (Jessica Alba) who works in a feminist bookstore while studying to be an accountant. The first half of the movie consists of a series of encounters in bars, cafes, art galleries and parties involving the two leads and several of their friends. It's mildly amusing, filled with witty dialogue and wry insights into life, but nothing we haven't seen may times before.
Then halfway through something momentous happens. Something that alters the course of Josh's life, and sends the storyline in a completely unexpected direction. What happens is this: while walking home through the park one night, Josh is attacked by a ninja. An actual ninja. Not just a guy in a ninja costume who's had a few too many gins, but a genuine ninja warrior, fully trained in the art of combat.
Josh, unsurprisingly, gets the shit kicked out of him, and it is while recovering in hospital that he decides to get his revenge. After geting out of hospital he spends seven years training in various combat techniques, while still trying to hold on to his relationship with Sarah. Eventually he tracks down the ninja for a final confrontation, the outcome of which will come as a complete surprise to everyone who sees it.
On paper the whole idea sounds ridiculous, but on the screen it works brilliantly. While the first half of the film is merely very good, the second half is a masterpiece of cinema
. So convincing is the script and the acting that it actually makes the story seem plausible, while creating an uplifting testament to the human spirit that manages to avoid being maudlin or sentimental. The fight scenes themselves are breathtaking, with the performers managing some spectacular stunts without relying on wires or computer effects. If Woody Allen, Bruce Lee and Frank Miller collaborated on a film, the end result would probably be something like this.
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Tarquin Dick |
