A brilliant performance piece
featuring three of the
greatest actors working at
the time.
Based on a highly acclaimed play, Doubt is a film that has interested me for some time. Mainly due to the main cast, featuring three truly legendary actors. This makes the film oddly easy to describe and encapsulate. It is a source of several fantastic performance, features a beautifully written screenplay and is elegantly paced. However it suffers from not feeling cinematic enough at times, whatever that vague term means.
Perhaps the most telling element of the film is the fact that the writer of the original stage-play returns to write and direct the film adaptation. This clear devotion to his original work results in a film that feels totally fresh and original and not simply a failed attempt to steal relevancy from an established concept. The themes of the film are deep, complex and clearly the product of many years of development and familiarity with the material. Although the film does in many ways suffer due to feeling too 'play-like', the direction is still very good and is an excellent example of the level of effortless clarity that comes from both writing and directing the same film.
Primarily the film is a performance piece, and it greatly succeeds in this aspect. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is outstanding as the film's emotionally conflicted and deeply troubled priest. Hoffman's greatest strength was his subtle ability to distinguish his roles whilst keeping his primary skillset the focus of attention. This film is a great example of that and stands as yet another wonderful performance from one of the greatest actors of the last two decades. Amy Adams is strong also showing a frail yet undoubtable will that serves as the film's core. Adams is also an actor able to subtly change her posture within each role to astounding effect, and this film is once again a great example of her wonderfully expressive acting style. However the star of the film for me is Meryl Streep, in perhaps her best performance of the 2000's. She plays perhaps the film's most complex character and embodies each of the complexities so well. She dominates the screen and is one of the few actors to have ever stolen a scene from Hoffman in my eyes. The final gem in the crown that is this film's cast is Viola Davies. She only has one scene however she is truly mesmerising and her character will leave the audience highly emotionally conflicted. It is no surprise that her scene dominates the film's promotional material for it is possibly the best of the film's many intense dramatic exchanges. Overall, if you are looking for a film that simply contains some of the best performances in recent years all in one place, then Doubt will certainly satisfy.
The film's cinematography is of a high standard, however I would by no means consider it revolutionary. The majority of the film consists of intense conversations, hardly material lending itself to incredible visuals. Roger Deakins, known primarily for his fantastic work with the Coen Brothers and Sam Mendez, does a great job giving the film a complete visual identity and offers some really nice shots in a film which didn't exactly beg for them. The effort is appreciated and helps give the film an identity of it's own compared with the source material.
In conclusion, this film is excellent for what it is. A collection of mesmerising acting with a truly exceptional screenplay. The film revels in it's own complexities and begs for analysis and discussion, which it certainly deserves.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
Perhaps the most telling element of the film is the fact that the writer of the original stage-play returns to write and direct the film adaptation. This clear devotion to his original work results in a film that feels totally fresh and original and not simply a failed attempt to steal relevancy from an established concept. The themes of the film are deep, complex and clearly the product of many years of development and familiarity with the material. Although the film does in many ways suffer due to feeling too 'play-like', the direction is still very good and is an excellent example of the level of effortless clarity that comes from both writing and directing the same film.
Primarily the film is a performance piece, and it greatly succeeds in this aspect. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is outstanding as the film's emotionally conflicted and deeply troubled priest. Hoffman's greatest strength was his subtle ability to distinguish his roles whilst keeping his primary skillset the focus of attention. This film is a great example of that and stands as yet another wonderful performance from one of the greatest actors of the last two decades. Amy Adams is strong also showing a frail yet undoubtable will that serves as the film's core. Adams is also an actor able to subtly change her posture within each role to astounding effect, and this film is once again a great example of her wonderfully expressive acting style. However the star of the film for me is Meryl Streep, in perhaps her best performance of the 2000's. She plays perhaps the film's most complex character and embodies each of the complexities so well. She dominates the screen and is one of the few actors to have ever stolen a scene from Hoffman in my eyes. The final gem in the crown that is this film's cast is Viola Davies. She only has one scene however she is truly mesmerising and her character will leave the audience highly emotionally conflicted. It is no surprise that her scene dominates the film's promotional material for it is possibly the best of the film's many intense dramatic exchanges. Overall, if you are looking for a film that simply contains some of the best performances in recent years all in one place, then Doubt will certainly satisfy.
The film's cinematography is of a high standard, however I would by no means consider it revolutionary. The majority of the film consists of intense conversations, hardly material lending itself to incredible visuals. Roger Deakins, known primarily for his fantastic work with the Coen Brothers and Sam Mendez, does a great job giving the film a complete visual identity and offers some really nice shots in a film which didn't exactly beg for them. The effort is appreciated and helps give the film an identity of it's own compared with the source material.
In conclusion, this film is excellent for what it is. A collection of mesmerising acting with a truly exceptional screenplay. The film revels in it's own complexities and begs for analysis and discussion, which it certainly deserves.
By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review
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