The Way Ahead (1944) / Femme Fatale (2002) / Backdraft (1991) / Passion (2012) / I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017) / The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (1952) / In Which We Serve (1942)
The Way Ahead (1944) The casual detail of bringing its conscripted protagonists together provides the emotional foundation that is as strong as propaganda as it is dramatically. The terrific cast, generous comedy and exciting central action sequence, combine for a powerful and potent final shot.
Femme Fatale (2002) A feverish dream crammed with Brian DePalma's typical visual flourishes that soon jettisons story to luxuriate in unrepentant, glorious images and elongated thriller set pieces. Continually on the verge of self-parody, a narrative twist ratchets the delirium with a cinematic swoon.
Backdraft (1991) Family and political melodramatics swirl through an uneven narrative, accentuated by visual histrionics. However, its all about the seductive powers of the fire, combining thrilling FX and stunts with a defining Hans Zimmer score that's exciting and finally moving.
Passion (2012) Curiously inert, both stylistically and narratively, with bland characters whose motives and desires the cast can't breathe life into. The political and personal never really jell and not even individual sequences provide dramatic involvement, let alone passion.
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017) Purposefully uneven mix of offbeat comedy, crime drama and social commentary, propelled by Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood's accidental protagonists. Surprisingly violent, the tone doesn't quite jell, though the details persuade.
The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (1952) Expansively produced, sumptuously photographed, Gregory Peck's Hemingway stand-in remembers his loves and adventures on his sickbed. Bernard Herrmann's typically intuitive score, so full of yearning and loss, provides the emotion that the fragmentary narrative never captures.
In Which We Serve (1942) The German sinking of a British ship provides the survivors to reflect on their lives and the war, a patchwork of scenes held together by the strong ensemble and incisive, literate script. Powerful propaganda, full of grit and emotion, and still potent.
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