Finally released, Bel Ami is a curiously uneven film in many respects. Robert Pattinson stars as the talentless down-at-heel ex-soldier who claws his way up Parisian society at the end of the nineteenth century through a succession of women, and he does very good work in a number of scenes, but at times he clearly falls short in actually conveying the emotion required on-screen. The three female leads are superbly cast, with Uma Thurman (saucy fun), Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas all giving exquisitely precise performances, although the latter two are criminally underused overall. The narrative goes astray in the final act, but it is just about saved by a very wry and nicely-played final scene. Whilst there is a lot to admire, it is a shame that the film feels somewhat pale when there is such a strong cast and real potential to explore the moral and sexual outrages hinted at.
No comments:
Post a Comment