The classic studio era of Hollywood was really a glamorous time--full of movie magic and larger-than-life stars. But the man who was very much responsible for that image we've acquired over time was Hollywood fixer, Eddie Mannix. He kept the public from seeing the slime and dirt that went on behind the scenes.
As history goes, Mannix really existed, but for the sake of this film, the people and events around him are very much fictitious.
Taking place in the early 1950s, big time movie star, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), is kidnapped amidst starring in the studio film Hail, Caesar! But that's just the main conflict. The overlying focus is on Mannix (Josh Brolin) and his responsibility in making sure he does his job right. From an illegitimately pregnant movie star to a homosexual rumor to a Communist threat, Mannix must keep the gossip columns away and put up a facade for the rest of society.
The film really is a great inside look at the backside of the film industry in those days. But it may only be appreciated if you know the context of the events taking place. The feel is authentic as it mimics classic cinema in its own right.
The sets may be impressive, but the film tries to cover too much ground in one sitting. Just like a typical Coen Brothers film, Hail, Caesar! will leave audiences sitting there debating the point. They tend to dance around what they want to say and get there very indirectly. It's filled with small comedic bits and a lot of extra stuff to help establish the universe.
Perhaps the most impressive sequence is during one of the several films-in-a-film where Channing Tatum's character stars in a Gene Kelly-type picture, and there's a 5 minute tap-dance musical number. You'd almost wish you could watch an entire movie of just these types of moments. However, in this day and age, we'll have to settle for Hail, Caesar!
Twizard Rating: 90
After watching Sin City, you itch for more. The only thing is, you want something to build upon from the last movie. In fact, there's not a whole lot that we're left hanging with after the first film, so we trusted Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez to come up with some new way to connect the two films. The only satisfying link to the first movie is the story of Nancy defeating Senator Roark, which doesn't come until the last 10 minutes. The rest of it, although individually engaging, would have served better as a series of shorts as they added nothing to the last movie. They all keep you entertained, but you could have done without them--save the gambling storyline with Johnny (Joseph Gordon Levitt), which is pretty fun and equals the type of things we love from the first film.
The timeline is a little fuzzy, as we're unsure why certain events are happening before and certain events are happening after. I know it's a sequel/prequel, but now the deceivingly simultaneous events of the first film is thrown off with our revelation that the stories in this film overlap. It becomes even more confusing when several characters from the first film, unbeknownst to me, get recast with new actors. Also, I would have liked to see the Salesman get included and developed in this movie as he wasn't explored enough in the first installment.
The stories didn't interlink as well as they did in the 2005 film, and the ending wasn't as satisfying. At the end of the first, you're left wanting more. Here, you don't really feel like it calls for a second viewing.
You have to love the underlying tone of these films. Here, you enjoy seeing Marv get explored more because he's such a great character. He represents a time where people went out of their way for strangers and even risked their live for them.
In Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, the acting is just as good, and so are the aesthetics. I'm not saying that this movie wouldn't have been a fun stand-alone film, but as a fan of the first movie I wanted a little bit more "sequel" in this second installment.
Twizard Rating: 74
