Foreign Affairs

Author(s): Josh P.
Location: Chicago, IL

“Foreign Affairs"

Directed by Paul Greengrass
Written by Paul Greengrass and Paul Haggis
Cinematogrpahy by Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by Hughes Winborne
Music by Alexandre Desplat

Principal Cast:

Christian Bale (Mark Power)
Thandie Newton (Millie Riely)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Billy Hibbins)
Cillian Murphy (John Rather)
Hugh Laurie (Det. Arnold Ramsey)
Colin Farrell (Will Hartford)
Pierce Brosnan (Ryan Hartford)
Tom Wilkinson (Mickey)
Peter Sarsgaard (Rob O’ Backins)
Peter O’ Toole (Jack Millens- Passenger)
Julie Walters (Maurene Millens- Passenger)
Stephen Rea (Jacob Harolds- Passenger)

Tagline: “What have you done to affect these lives?"

Synopsis: July 17. 5:23 p.m. A subway train has just left its underground station carrying many people back home from work. Some are there for that reason, others because they need a ride. What most of them don’t know is that a few kilometers ahead is a deadly surprise. Once they pass that point, all are in shock as a bomb is detonated from beneath and sends tons of rock and debris on the train, trapping it beneath the rubble. As the people are trapped, we see an insight into their lives and what has brought them here:

Mark Power is a workaholic businessman who is a manager for Materials, Inc., an industrial plant for manufacturing carburetors. He has been forced to take a paycut because of a recent deal with the Matsumoto Plants company that will outsource more jobs in exchange for providing cheap metals to make the parts. Mark has worked with the company nearly fifteen years and now lives alone in a single bedroom apartment.

Billy Hibbins is a graduate student who has an internship at an up and coming law firm. His job mostly consists of filing papers for the many lawyers that come about. He recently was handed a document which involved a case of a man who was suing a Japanese company because the carborater in his mother’s car had fallen apart and caused the car to stop on train tracks as one was approaching.

Millie Riely is Billy Hibbin’s fianceé. She works at an art gallery where she helps out with the auctions. A few months ago, she saw an irregular painting: a watercolor portrait of a fire exploding London’s Big Ben. Her boss told her that this was obscene and that she should not sell it. She, however, found it interesting and decided to keep it.

Will Hartford is the son of Ryan Hartford, the vice president of Materials, Inc. Will is a homosexual, and his father knows this. However, his father is not biggoted but does want his son’s identity to be kept underwraps in fear of negative publicity. Because of this, Will has to venture in the dark streets to express himself, as he tours the gay clubs, using illegal narcotics and has sex with strangers in public bathrooms and dark alleys. One stranger he meets is John Rathner. After hours of titillating fun, Rathner says he has to go home by subway and wants Will to come back with him. Will isn’t sure at first but then decides yes because he’s never been on a subway train before.

Rob O’Backins is an accountant for a rich man who likes to collect a lot of art. He is married and has two children but recently had to devote his attention to something else. He bought his mother a new car even though she detested on having one. He insisted and she drove it for two months until she had an accident in which a train hit her car. Further investigation revealed the carborater had fallen apart due to the material. Brought on by anger and guilt, Rob is suing the company to pay for the death of his mother.

Arnold Ramsey actually was a chief of police in Great Britain. However, he became distraught after a terrorist tried to blow up the House of Parliament. He didn’t succeed, but the man managed to break through the gates before being stopped. Ramsey sees this as a failure on his part and secluded himself for two years, painting pictures of what he though could have happened that day. He resurfaces in Ireland to assist the police officers there in case there should be another IRA attack. He finds out this is going to be true.

John Rathner is the man who has brought all of these people together. He is thirty-two years old and has an unusual job. His employment comes from a man simply known as Mickey and Mickey always tells John to blow things up. Rathner is one of the chief bomb maker for the IRA and he was the one who created the bomb which traps the train now. He was sent along for two reasons: to make sure the bomb blew up and to lure Will Hartford onto that train so that the son of the VP of a company that is stealing jobs from Irish citizens will make a formidable body to be viewed on the evening news.

The lives of these people affect us all. What will happen now as they face eachother?

What the press would say:

An overwhelming effort. Every frame of this movie has captured and affected critics and audiences alike. Director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) delivers on every level. Once again using his trademark hand held camera look, Greengrass creates an intense and gritty portrait of the lives of these people. During the scenes on the train, he makes us feel nervous and anxious as to what will happen, then he can turn the tone to more quiet moments where we can feel for the characters. Either way, Greengrass provides a great effort and, much like his United 93, creates a real emotional connection to the story and characters that causes the viewer to empathize with the piece. Equally emotionally driven is the screenplay, jointly written by Greengrass and Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby). While Haggis has ventured into similar territory, it only serves to the point that he is a great writer that knows how to draw us in with smart dialogue. However, probably the most enthusiastic part of the movie is its magnificent cast. It features great actors, like Christian Bale who makes us feel sorry for a life that has been destroyed, Thandie Newton who creates a character that is sympathetic to those less fortunate and Peter Sarsgaard as a man trying to battle a seemingly corrupt system in order to get justice. Still, there are two moving performances that should be taken note of even more so. The first if Hugh Laurie. He really brings out the guilt and anguish his character has felt and when the time comes to battle a similar event, he convincingly pulls off showing us a man who all his life has felt powerless battling violence and now it is happening again. The other is Colin Farrell. While Farrell’s track record has featured big box office failures (Alexander, Miami Vice), it has almost all been forgiven with this tender performance. His character is not a gay man being hurt by society and trying to battle prejudice. He is a man that must keep parts of his identity a secret as not to jeopardize his father’s company. That subtle persona will become a feeling of downright betrayal when he discovers the man he’s with is not who he seems to be. Both Laurie and Farrell give great, standout performances and should be the ones recognized for their achievements. Due to the immense talent from the director, writers and cast, many are saying it’s a triumph and should not pass blindly through this award season. The campaign consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director: Paul Greengrass
Best Supporting Actor: Colin Farrell
Best Supporting Actor: Hugh Laurie
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Greengrass and Paul Haggis
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score