| Review:
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From the opening scenes of FIERCE PEOPLE (an interplay
of tribal customs as photographed by the anthropologist
father of the young narrator Finn Earl, demonstrating why
this South American tribe of Ishkanani is so fierce) the
direction of the film is nebulous: are we watching a dark
comedy about comparing life in the New York streets to uncivilized
peoples, or is this a message film of a more serious intent?
But as the story develops this fine line between entertainment
and philosophical impact becomes increasingly clear. Griffin
Dunne's direction of Dirk Wittenborn's adaptation of his
novel may be a bit careless at times as it strays from rational
plot development, but in the end there is a strong enough
final impact to patch up the holes he created.***
Our narrator Finn Earl (Anton Yelchin) lives with his
coke-addicted masseuse/sexually obsessed mother Liz (Diane
Lane) in New York, waiting for the summer when he is to
join his anthropologist father on a field trip to South
America (a father he knows only from letters and videos),
when a drug bust abruptly changes their lives: one of Liz's
wealthy clients Ogden Osborne (Donald Sutherland) rescues
the down and out family and moves them to his ten acre estate,
the epitome of wealth and power. In exchange for being Osborne's
private masseuse, Liz and Finn can live in the mansion with
the 'filthy rich' Osbornes - daughter Mrs. Langley (Elizabeth
Perkins) and grandchildren Bryce (Chris Evans) and Maya
(Kristen Stewart). Osborne and his physician lead Liz on
the drying out path and Finn bonds with Osborne and his
grandchildren, and despite the disparity in poor versus
wealthy, the living situation works - for a while. Incidents
occur to alter feelings and Finn is attacked and raped by
a masked assailant, a turning point for the film and Finn's
view of the Osborne family. Osborne reveals his past to
Finn and together they manage to discover the truth about
Finn's troubling incident - and also about the fierce disease
of the wealthy class.***
The film uses many clips of tribal activity during
the film, drawing some disturbing parallels for some of
the more challenging scenes. For this viewer that works
well, but when the director elects to place tribal individuals
in full regalia within the context of the Osborne estate,
the concept feel contrived, as though the audience has to
be forced to 'get it'. The various subplots between maid
Jilly (Paz de la Huerta) and Finn and the introduction of
an obese retarded chalk artist Whitney (Branden Williams)
push the credibility edge of emphasizing the line between
the wealthy and the 'lower class', but the performances
by Sutherland, Lane, and Yelchin are strong enough to make
us forgive the film's lapses.
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