Queen And Country (2014) (Spoiler Alert)
Last night (2/20), I attended a screening of John Boorman’s latest film “Queen And Country” at the Film Forum on Houston Street. Normally, I don’t see films in the movie theater, unless they’re getting Oscar buzz, or nominated, but the reason was that the director himself gave a Q&A following the film. I was saddened to hear from the director’s own mouth that “Queen And Country” would be his final film ever, but at the ripe age of 82, I’d cut the guy some slack. He manages to end his 50+ year career with an outstanding picture, leaving us wanting more.
As the sequel to his 1987 autobiographical magnum opus “Hope And Glory”, Boorman continues the story of young Bill Rohan played here by Callum Turner. Having witnessed the signs of war first hand, Bill now plays a part in the process when he is called in for basic training for the Korean War. He befriends rapscallion Percy Hapgood (Caleb Landry Jones) and they begin their insubordinate rampage at their army base. They come face to face with three antagonistic Army superiors; Major Bradley (David Thewlis), Major Cross (Richard E. Grant) and RSM Digby (Brian F. O'Byrne). Bill and Percy also chase after young women during their R&R breaks, in particular the secretive Ophelia (Tamsin Egerton) and nursing students Sophie (Aimee Fflion Edwards) and Peggy (Miriam Rizea). Bill’s domestic life is also documented when his ill moral sister Dawn (Vanessa Kirby) is having second thoughts about going home to Canada and he learns more about his mother Grace’s (Sinead Cusack) affair with his Uncle Mac.
Boorman does not disappoint his audience in any way. He leaves nothing out of his young adult life when dealing with his (Bill’s) escapades. I wondered if any of the things that Bill and Percy did, like stealing an antique clock or peep at a room of nursing students did happen. Nothing would surprise me at this point. Boorman mentioned how malicious the three superiors were in real life, in particular David Thewlis’ Bradley, whom he said half-jokingly that he hoped he was either dead or too sick or senile to render legal action against him for defamation of character. He captured their snide and callous behavior very effectively. Major Cross’ as the authoritative by the book Army offical, and RSM Digby with a constant sneer on his face.
The acting was just as good as in “Hope And Glory”. It was nice to see David Hayman reprise his role as Clive Rohan and John Standing step into the late Ian Bannen’s shoes as Grandpa George. David Thewlis, Richard E. Grant and Brian F. O'Byrne were each convincing in the respected antagonizing roles. What made this film excellent was the chemistry between Callum Turner and Caleb Landry Jones as Bill and Percy. Their back and forth banter was spot on, as were the scenes where they play drill sergeant to a class of typists. I was most impressed with Jones’s performance, seeing that he is from Texas and he mastered his British accent and mannerisms effectively.
I managed to get a few words out to John Boorman as he was standing next to the theater’s exit, but one of the theater employees said his car was waiting for him. I did say that “Hope And Glory” was one of the best films ever made. He took it to heart. I did want to tell Boorman the story of when my grandma saw “Deliverance” and the first words she said when she went home was “I need a drink”. I think he would have gotten a kick out of it. But importantly, I should have said what a great director he truly is and that his films will stand the test of time, especially “Hope And Glory” and “Queen And Country”.
9.5/10
