🎬 #139 Heroes, Forged In The Fire.
Two from my childhood this week, honest to god heroism on display. Selfless, simple and steadfast. Calm under pressure, decisive and captivating. These films are a reassuringly nostalgic look at cinema in the 90’s.
Happy choosing, happy viewing
Bry
FILM ONE: THE BODYGUARD
1992 Dir Mick Jackson
2 hrs 9 mins
I have very fond memories of watching this VHS when I was a kid. The idea of someone willing to sacrifice their own life to save someone else’s was about as heroic an ideal as I’d ever heard as an impressionable young lad.
I still want a samurai sword because of this film, and the tension and chemistry between the two leads is palpable - it’s a very sensual feeling film and yet there’s not really any on screen affection. It’s restrained and all the better for it, until the amazing moment where the camera swoops around them continuously. The release of all that pent up desire.
This was Kevin at the height of his powers and his unusual blend still makes him Hollywood’s most interesting leading man.
TL;DR: The Bodyguard’s restrained action romance still packs a punch today.
*Available for a small rental fee on Amazon and Apple in the US and the UK.
Fact: Costner recently revealed that the woman he’s carrying in the iconic poster isn’t Whitney Houston but her double.
FILM TWO: BACKDRAFT
1991 Dir Ron Howard
2 hrs 17 mins
For some reason my main memory of this film is being told to look away at the scary parts. But it remained with me as it did a lot of people - not because of ‘the scary bits’ but because Ron Howard is a master of creating memorable - emotionally powerful cinema. You’re there with the characters surrounded by the licking flames, you’re with them every step of the way, because you care.
Just as impressive as his orchestration of making an audience feel something, are the practical fire effects. Some moments, like Sorcerer, feel like it’s all too dangerous, too on the edge. The image above, is indicative of the feeling. Howard knew that the more realistic the fire fighting scenes, the more we’re going to feel for the characters. The more real the peril, the more real the emotional payoff.
TL;DR: One of Ron Howard’s early films is still one of his best.
*Available for a small rental fee on Amazon and Apple in the US and the UK.
Fact: Most of the lead cast did their own stunts, to such an extent that the stunt coordinator listed them as stunt performers in the credits.