A Few Days in September (2006)

A Masterpiece!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This is another film stultified by self-conscious direction and faddish photography. I have had enough of blurry, shaky, false colour cinematography for the rest of my life. Watch a Clint Eastwood directed film and see story-telling, in-focus, at its best. See also The King's Speech for developing characters. A Few Days in September had a good cast with wonderful actors like Binoche and Tuturro, although Binoche was not capitalised. Unlike other reviewers, I found the young people's discourse right on the mark for generation Y. Tuturro's psycho character might be an accurate parallel for what the American state thought was acceptable at the time of the story. Who knows, American international behaviour has been much more bizarre that Tuturro's character at times. Maybe too, a Venetian contact provided the large case and heavy calibre rifle locally rather than has been suggested that it was taken through customs. Despite its serious flaws, I enjoyed the story, and just seeing Binoche a lot in close up, such a wonderful face to photograph. To the director, don't forget that someone has to watch the film and does not need to get irritated by art for art's sake, especially when it "ain't Picasso". The version I saw did not have sub-titles and this hurt the film for me because my other languages are not European or Arabic. I look forward to more of Binoche and Tuturro but not blurred vision. It was not, as Binboche suggested, another way of looking at things.

In short: This is a very arrogant and unsuccessful attempt to be another Jean-Luc Godard, Ingmar Bergman, or Hector Babenco.This movie was terrible. And, I do not dislike this movie solely because of the rampant anti-Americanism.I also dislike this movie on its movie qualities.Let's start with acting. Tom Riley as "David" was so completely ridiculous in his role. Here is a young man who goes to Paris to meet his father, is confronted by two people he doesn't know, has two guns drawn at him ready to fire, is subsequently told his father had a secret family in France and Sara Forestier ("Orlando") is his half-sister he never knew about. He sees a dead body, dripping of fresh blood, of the concierge while exiting the Paris hotel, and is now in fear for his life. Or he should be. How many 25-30 year olds (I'm guessing that's the character's age bracket) have seen a murdered body, especially in his demographics as a middle class white male? I mean how many of us have seen a murdered body ever? Or have had loaded guns in our faces? Or told about their dear father's second secret family that you never knew about? And this all happened within hours.But how does Riley's "David" react? Like he stepped out of a shampoo-commercial - he's cooking fine cuisines, making jokes about cell phones and wanting to visit the Eiffel Tower? Either Amigorena thinks American characters cannot practice deep retrospection and emotion or Riley is really one of the most horrible movie actor's I've seen in a while.The Direction . . . So self-indulgent. So "look at me". So "I can be so deep". It really was pathetic. The most pathetic, self-indulgent scene was one of the last where Juliette Binoche and John Turturro or "Irene Montan" and "William Pound" have the last gun-fight. In slow-motion with the sound turned off, the camera pans outside where we only see blasts of light every second and a half. Give me a break. That was such a ridiculous scene that the other people in the theater were laughing out loud.The Writing . . . Is this a caper film? Is this a spy film? Or is this - a French romance? The brother and sister (well sort of) begin a romantic interlude because deep films have love scenes -- right? This guy is so deeped out, man. Such a ridiculous attempt to be better than anything ever filmed. Such arrogance in his film-making.There was one part of the film which had humor and kind of worked. After Turturro ("Pound") would kill someone or come close he'd immediately get his psychiatrist on the phone. That was a little funny, and possibly more should have been done with this area.

A Cliché wrapped in an Amateur swallowed by a Poseur. ...The "laughter" of a sophisticated Binoche when a banality is uttered. ...The inexperienced director telling or allowing Reilly to play cute. ...The Reilly character not doing or saying anything in the presence of a person who plans on killing the 'father' he loves. .....Turturro embarrassing himself with the poetry bit (well, he does have a right to earn a living). .....Poor Nolte allowing himself to be photographed without heavy diffusion lenses. ....."Sincere" Nolte playing a beseeching scene with his daughter proving to the viewer that he's a sociopath. .....Clever Turturro being able to smuggle a huge cache of guns, ammo and a ton of sophisticated electronic equipment from France to Italy. .....The young girl, a geese shepherd, with a surprising knowledge of revolver and semi-automatic pistol use. .....Gee. The two kids go from her being hostile to him and then having sex. But millionaires to be, they talk about spending the rest of their lives together! ..... Also: what are we to say about the writer/director whore using 9-11 as a hook? And so on, ad-nauseum. I ask you: how does swill like this get produced?

Quelques jours en septembre (A Few Days in September) is an intelligent, classy little film that boasts not only a unique story as written and directed by Argentinean Santiago Amigorena, but a fine cast of both seasoned and fresh young actors who capture our attention and hearts as they progress through Europe on a mission that has a lot to do (in 2001) with September's indelible imprint on the world. It is a film that contains biting humor, black humor, love interests, and bizarre sidebars that make the final moments of the movie all the more troubling.Irène Montano (Juliette Binoche) is an agent in Paris who is somehow connected to secret intelligence in making a meeting with one CIA agent Elliott (Nick Nolte) who holds top-secret information that could change the world... Irène is instructed by cellphone to look after Elliott's estranged French daughter Orlando (Sara Forestier), who loathes the father that deserted her when her mother died, and Elliot's young son David (Tom Riley) from the US who adores his father and has come to Paris to see him. Various meeting places between Irène (accompanied by Orlando and David) and Elliot are aborted until finally the three are told to travel to Venice for a definite meeting. This all takes place between September 5th and September 10th and it is soon suggested that the elusive Intelligence Service Elliott hold information that will impact the world.As the three characters progress through the streets and cafés of Paris and of Venice they are stalked by a very odd assassin William Pound (John Turturro) who divides his time among reciting poetry, in cellphone consultations with his psychiatrist, killing people and planning the assassination of Elliott. While Orlando and David are at first at odds, separated by language and by disparate feelings about their shared father, the presence of Irène joins the two in friendship and more while acting as a guide and escort through the dangers that lie constantly before them. It is not until the last few minutes of the film that we actually meet Elliott (Nolte) and in these few minutes not only are there changes that occur in the estranged relationship between Orlando and Elliot, but also rapid fire events that breathlessly lead to the moments before the shattering events of 911 in America.Cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne captures all of the allure of Paris and Venice while keeping the focus of the film intense with well-lighted spaces and camera angles. Laurent Martin has found the right mixture of music types to fit the various moods of the film - from amorous to innocent to terror. The film is in both English and French (subtitled in English) and it is refreshing for a groups of actors to move so graciously between the languages. Binoche is in peak form, creating a fascinating woman whose role is so very pivotal to the entire story. John Turturro adds another character role to his repertoire and provides most of the dark humor that peppers the film. Nolte is strong in his small role, but it is the pleasure of watching newcomers Tom Riley and Sara Forestier, so adroit at being natural, that adds to the success of the movie. While the topic of the film (911) is still difficult to assimilate, this version of how Europe was responding and the suggestion of how our own CIA had prior information make for a seamlessly exciting way of filling in some of the holes that remain to be examined. Strongly recommended on all levels. Grady Harp