Beyond The Gates (aka Shooting Dogs/2005/R-rated)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B
Michael
Caton-Jones is an underappreciated journeyman director and when he is good, he
is really good, as he proves once again with Beyond The Gates (aka Shooting
Dogs/2005), an impressive drama about genocide in 1994 Rwanda that may have
been sadly overshadowed by the successes of Last King Of Scotland and Hotel
Rwanda, but when it comes to genocide, you cannot have enough smart, strong
films on the subject.
Hugh
Dancy plays a teacher trying to make a difference and hoping his efforts will
spread good will amongst his students and beyond. John Hurt is a Catholic priest who befriends
him just before a new round of genocide is set off circa 1994. The film is far more critical of the United
Nations and their peacekeeping forces than the others and the film takes a hard
look at the perils of how formula placement of such forces only encourages more
genocide.
But there
is much more to this film, including character study of the leads, the nation
they are in and the people who are born and live there, not getting the chance
they deserve at a real future while corruption and backroom deals make them
disgustingly “disposable” to those in power who could do much more with the
right care and planning.
Perhaps
it is the most controversial of the films as a result, but far from some
shallow, preachy diatribe you might expect.
Caton-Jones (This Boy’s Life)
is better than that and this film deserves a far wider audience than it is
getting. Hopefully, this DVD will
correct that.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is shot in Super 35mm by Director of
Photography Ivan Strasburg, B.S.C, looking good if a bit soft and grainy more
often than expected. This is not being
done in some forced, stylized way, but is the look of the film and it often
works for it. A comparison to Blu-ray
will be interesting. The Dolby Digital
5.1 mix is not spectacular, but dialogue is good for the most part and this is
driven by its script, while the score by Dario Marianelli (V For Vendetta, The Brave
One) shows that he is a composer/conductor on the rise to take serious note
of.
Extras include a making of featurette, two very good audio
commentaries with Caton-Jones & Writer David Wollenstein/Producer David
Belton respectively, original theatrical trailer for this film & The TV Set and information on how to
become active in helping out in this ugly situation (via the IRC) that sadly
remains more unchanged than it should all these years later.
- Nicholas Sheffo
