I wasn't in any rush to see this film when it originally came out, and then when it came out on DVD I just threw it on my rental list and waited. Now after watching it, I can understand the appeal that it had on the audience that saw it. It is an enjoyable story that has its roots going back to the ancient Greek civilization and Homer's Odyssey. The modernization of the story is very compelling and deserves all of the praise and accolades that it received. I'm not a big George Clooney fan, but what he does here with his character is perfect, the Southern accent fits and is completely believable. Three convicts escape from a chain gang in search of freedom and fortune in a buried treasure that must be retrieved in a matter of days or it will be lost forever. Set in the late twenties/early thirties, this film has the feel of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road movies, the comedy is light hearted and not overpowering. With the underlying tones from The Odyssey, we everything from the blind Oracle to the singing Sirens, and they're all well placed and complete believable in the context. The film has a washed out look to it, which helps with the setting for the Depression era. The music is perfect for the time period, and has a nice lilting sound that works and helps you identify with the characters feelings throughout the film.
A lot of the situations that are in the movie are a little far fetched, but there are others that hit close to the mark and are very truthful. The idea that a family would have to eat their horse for food because they couldn't afford anything else is probably more truthful than any of us would want to know. If you've never seen this film before it's worth the time, I'm sorry I waited so long to see it, I'd have no problem seeing this again and again.
No comments:
Post a Comment