| Very tight and minimalist plot that builds directly to the climax of the movie. It was well thought out. There are five or six scenes in the movie centred around gunfighting, which are interesting for various reasons that usually have nothing to do with the 'sport' being depicted, and which I thought were very well done. As pointed out by another reviewer, one never feels any desire to be standing in a circle, so that was also well done. The film does not glorify the violence, or, leave you with the thought, for instance, that Kwantan's character is going to get out of any <more> particular fight unscathed. As often happens in brutal sport films e.g., Raging Bull, where this is done brilliantly , the violence is often a means for the characters to test, refine, explore, and purify themselves; cutting out all excess. However, in BFT it is presented in such a way that you know there is a basic lethality and lack of control to the sport: it could only appeal, for instance, if one considers spending life in a wheelchair an acceptable outcome of the testing.Ultimately, the movie is a character piece, and not, in its core, an action film. As such I admit I was not too interested in Freida Pinto's character during the first half, but by the ending she had essentially become the most interesting character, and one trapped in a surprising bind. Ryan Kwantan's character becomes more interesting as one discern's his chief features, but after a while, one hopes for some further development, and this simply does not come, at least, not directly in the shot scenes. Ultimately, the fixed nature Kwantan's essential character is a central point of the movie, and the consequences of that, indeed, are very well drawn. <less> |
