Tag: action drama

H IS FOR HAWK – Review

I would say that it’s unusual for a somber set-in-the-UK drama based on a memoir (yes, it’s all true) to be released three weeks into the new year, well past awards noms deadline, but further research has revealed that this did get a one-week run in a US theater last month to be considered for the accolades. And so far, bupkis (we’ll see early Thursday morning). Of course, that’s no reflection on this film’s quality or merits. Still, its title suggests a whimsical “nature-bonding” story ala THE PENGUIN LESSONS or countless canine sagas. Now, that species connection factors in, but the heart of the story is a woman’s emotional journey in H IS FOR HAWK.


The woman at this story’s center is a research (mostly science history) fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge named Helen Macdonald (Claire Foy). On a blustery day in 2007, she’s birdwatching in the nearby countryside. As she heads home, she phones her photojournalist father Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson) with news that she spotted a pair of goshawks (a rare sighting). Dad cuts the call short as he must head to a London assignment. That evening, at her on-campus housing home, Helen meets another academic, Christina (Denise Gough) for dinner. On the way out, Helen gets a phone call that changes everything: her adored papa succumbed to a fatal heart attack in the city. Helen’s life goes into a tailspin, indecisive about pursuing a three-year position in Germany, which squelches her new romance. She then has an epiphany and knocks on the door of an old friend named Stu (Sam Spruell). Years before, both had been ardent members of a falconry society. He’s still involved (his bird is perched in his kitchen), so Helen asks him for intel on getting back in. But she doesn’t want a falcon. Instead, Helen wants to train the more difficult, spirited goshawk. Stu hooks her up with a seller, and soon the bird she names Mabel is taking up her every spare moment. Quickly the bond between the two becomes so intense that Helen is neglecting her classes and ignoring calls and visits from friends. And then the school administrators tell her that this type of “pet” isn’t allowed in college quarters. Can Helen continue to train and hunt with Mabel? And could this be a way for Helen to escape her grief rather than facing it and moving forward with her life?

This exploration into the art and skill of falconry becomes a compelling showcase for the gifted Foy. We’ve seen her excellent supporting work in films like FIRST MAN and WOMEN TALKING, but we’ve really not seen her carry the emotional weight of a film’s lead performance (though I’m told she was excellent as Queen Elizabeth II in the streaming series, “The Crown”). Foy shows us the vibrant, engaged Helen in the early scenes of her birdwatching and lecturing her class, but with her loss we see the light in her eyes suddenly dim. Not even a romantic online fling brings that spark back, until Mabel literally swoops in. Then Foy shows us another side of Helen, with an overriding obsession that almost seals her off from the world. It’s a tricky balancing act as Helen elicits our sympathy while often frustrating us, and Foy is more than up to the complex challenges. Happily we’re treated to several flashbacks of her opposite the always engaging Gleeson as her lovably gruff, but warm and encouraging papa, perhaps a near perfect “girl dad”. It’s quite a contrast to Helen’s maternal connections with her mum, played with subtle restraint and grace by Lindsay Duncan. We see that the loss of her soulmate has drained her, though she also yearns to share the grief with her increasingly distant daughter. Spruell is strong as Helen’s her birding buddy Stu as he tries to help train Mabel while attempting to calm the always anxious Helen. Speaking of pals, Gough (so wonderful on another streaming show, “Andor”) is also very effective as co-worker confidant Christina, who wants to be a “lifeline” to her floundering chum as she tries to understand her increasing withdrawl into mania.

The impressive ensemble is guided by director Phillipa Lowthrope, working from Emma Donoghue’s screenplay adaptation of Helen Macdonald’s acclaimed memoir. Lowthrope keeps us engaged, as the backdrops suddenly switch from ancient academia to the glories of the countryside. And those scenes of Helen working (she insists that they’re partners in the hunts) with the gorgeous, intense (her glare) Mabel truly soar. A sequence in the deep woods of Mabel swooping in on a very unlucky rabbit is haunting (there’s a drone crew in the credits that were really “on their toes”). While these scenes are worthy of any lauded nature docuseries, it’s the very human drama at the center of the story that’s truly compelling. This is such a well-crafted exploration of the impact of mourning on someone grieving, though it offers no easy fixes. In less works, the introduction of an “animal partner” would be the needed “remedy”, but here we see how the distracting fixation can cut a person out of the human (rat) race. Some viewers may be a bit put off by the rather open-ended finale, but life can’t always be “wrapped up in a bow” to facilitate a desired “happy ending”. That idea and the winning performance of Foy really enables H IS FOR HAWK to spread its wings and take flight.

3 Out of 4

H IS FOR HAWK opens in select theatres on Friday, January 23, 2026

THE BIKERIDERS – Review

This weekend sees the release of a brand new film from an acclaimed director with an all-star cast that’s a cinematic “call-back” to a genre that’s gone AWOL from the multiplexes and even the drive-ins (still enjoying a pandemic “bump) for the last few decades. And no, I’m not talking about the Western, which gallops back with Kevin Costner in the saddle next week. Well, there are a few comparisons, though these flicks began in the fifties and were an exploitation staple (a fave of the “passion pit”) into the swingin’ 70s. Going for more speed than the “oaters” were the “motorcycle gang” action epics, which have played a big role in the futuristic world of Mad Max and Furioisa. Now, this flick has those elements, but it’s more of a historical overview following some guys, and a few gals, who really thought of themselves as a “club” rather than a “gang” which accounts for their more genteel designation as THE BIKERIDERS.

It all begins quietly in mid-70s suburbia as photojournalist Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) catches up with a past “subject”. Kathy (Jodie Comer) tells him of a fateful night at a Chicago bar in the late 50s where she encountered the Vandals Motorcycle Club and became smitten with one of its senior members, the silent smoldering Benny (Austin Butler). When he offers her a lift on his cycle, he remains outside her apartment driving away her current beau. Of course, she had to marry him a couple of weeks later. Kathy then also becomes a part of CVMC and meets its leader/founder Johnny (Tom Hardy) who was inspired by watching THE WILD ONE on TV. His group is more of a family with several of his “surrogate sons”. There’s the lumbering, spacey Zipco (Michael Shannon), and their devious mechanic Cal (Boyd Holbrook) whose past membership with a West Coast club catches up to him when Funny Sonny (Norman Reedus) tracks him down, who then also “changes colors” Through the years the club clashes with rival crews and the local police while slowly expanding. But their growth isn’t fast enough for a much younger “upstart” called “the Kid” (Toby Wallace). Over the miles traveled and wild antics, Danny is recording it all on reel-to-reel tapes and snapping lots of pics. But the good times are threatened by the influx of drug-dealing (and using) returning vets, violent crime, and the Kid’s less “civil’ cohorts which may put an end to Johnny’s dream of leading his pals on an endless cruise down the highways and byways in pursuit of “new kicks”.

As two of the main leads a pair of lauded Brits do a splendid job of delivering accents from the upper Midwest. Comer mixes the Windy City vocal styling with a good chunk of Minnesota (thinking of Marge from the film FARGO) as the no-nonsense devoted biker spouse Kathy. She’s tender and fiercely protective of her Benny while not taking any “guff’ from him as he makes several questionable choices. Hardy’s Johnny is an affable everyman who often opts for the “hard way” in guiding the group and keeping his “alpha dog” rep, though Benny brings out his warm patriarchal instincts. Though he’s often staring intently and saying little, Butler as Benny is a compelling “hair trigger” nearly always settling “beefs” with his fists rather than his words. Shannon only has a few scenes to shine, but he makes the most of this character role giving Zipco a dense clueless sweetness. Ditto for Holbrook when Cal boasts and brags about his garage “magic” to rescue the banged-up bikes from the scrap heap. Faist is the fascinated outsider, drawn to danger even as his “models” are perplexed by his probing and constant documentation. Reedus seems to be having a blast as the “Cali-transplant” as he whips his tangled mane and flashes a set of truly gnarly “chopper” (teeth, not bikes). And hovering at the edge, Wallace simmers with anger and just oozes dread and doom.


Writer/director Jeff Nichols concocts a sprawling multi-decade saga from the real-life Danny Lyon’s same-titled book of photo-essays (many of those great silver images are seen in the end credits). He recreates the eras quite well, but we never really get into the heads of the principals to explore their need for this “fellowship” and their urge to act on any impulse. The near-constant parties (many are almost orgies) harken back to the Roger Corman (miss you, sir) seminal speed thriller WILD ANGELS more than the Brando classic. But Nichols really heightens the tension before the first punch, and doesn’t shy away from the resulting agony (Benny really pays a big price for his stubbornness). As the story progresses Nichols’ vision steers the story into the gangster genre (he’s said that GOODFELLAS was a big influence) with the anti-drug stance of the GODFATHER trilogy. But there’s a bit of a nod to ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.. with the darkness of the late 60s souring the “good vibes” of the early part of the decade. Soon the film bounces back and forth through the timeline making it merely a cool nostalgic stitching of various setpieces with this great cast “cosplaying” as the brawlers and “gear-heads”. It all finishes abruptly in the 1970s leaving us wondering just how some of the principals “settled down” and why they chose ths path. THE BIKERIDERS looks and sounds great, but the last stop isn’t worthy of the meandering trek, sputtering when it should soar through the years.

2 out of 4

THE BIKERIDERS is now playing in select theatres

SNIPER: THE WHITE RAVEN – Review

A scene from the Ukrainian action drama SNIPER: THE WHITE RAVEN, set during the 2014 Russian invasion. Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

SNIPER: THE WHITE RAVEN is a subtitled Ukrainian action drama set during the 2014 Russian invasion. Mykola (Aldoshyn Pavlo) is a pacifist physics professor, living off the grid with his wife in a hippie-style, zero carbon footprint, isolated hut. They are deliriously happy until a brutal Russian patrol runs across them, mercilessly killing the wife and leaving him for dead. Big mistake. They turned a non-threatening, non-violent fellow into a grief-stricken determined resistance fighter, creating a hard-core killer from the least likely raw material. After his understandably hapless start in boot camp, he found his niche as the eponymous sniper. Most of the film’s running time is devoted to what he does as a sharpshooter.

Snipers must have a certain set of physical and emotional skills that have inspired scores of action films from many countries – especially the USA. Many have been glamorized or hyperbole-ized, starring the likes of a Wesley Snipes, Mark Wahlberg or Tom Berenger. Some have been fact-based, like Bradley Cooper’s excellent AMERICAN SNIPER (2014). Ryan Phillipe headlined a TV series, SHOOTER, that ran for a couple of seasons.

SNIPER: THE WHITE RAVEN was shot on a relatively low budget, which actually works as an asset. The film has a gray, grainy look that replicates the crushingly oppressive reality of a country under long siege from a more powerful foe. There’s less background music than usual, keeping the focus on the intense concentration and incredible patience required for this specialized form of duty.

For an action film, there’s relatively little action, as snipers must lie in wait, often for very long stretches without making any movements that could telegraph their position. The Russians had their own snipers, too, creating some cat-and-mouse situations with the stakes as high as they come. Director Marian Bushan masterfully puts us alongside our protagonists in the harsh landscape that comprises their arena.

Since the film is a Ukrainian production, Russians are presented as brutal foes with vastly superior resources, and complete lack of human decency. They are thugs with bigger guns. This film will never run in a Moscow theater, unless it’s the one in Idaho. Mykola’s comrades-in-arms are not glorified but their mettle is shown to be quite admirable for underdogs in a lengthy struggle to defend their homeland. There’s even recognition of the quislings among his fellow citizens, adding to the burdens of their resistance.

Since the renewed invasion of February 2022, the film has become tragically more timely than its creators may have expected. It was probably meant as an homage and inspiration for those who did, and may have to, take up arms within their borders. But it now packs a worldwide punch. It’s worth seeing not only as a gesture of support for Ukraine’s ongoing struggles, but as a compelling personal and cultural drama on its own cinematic merits. And, for the subtitle-averse, don’t be deterred. Dialog is minimal, so speed-reading will not be required.

SNIPER: THE WHITE RAVEN, in Ukrainian with subtitles, opens Friday, July 1, in selected theaters and on demand on multiple digital platforms.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars