Micheal Keaton's Back!

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2015)

Alejandro Inarritu's Birdman "or the unexpected virtue of ignorance" The Film is an enjoyable farce whose cast turn in some memorable performances. Michael Keaton is an inspired choice as the lead, but perhaps the director always had the former batman in mind. His character (Riggan) career shares so many similarities with his own. A washed up actor whose career fell away shortly after achieving stardom as comic book hero, the "Birdman". He now attempts to rejuvenate his career. Delivering an adaption of Raymond Carver's "What we talk about when we talk about love" to the Broadway stage. Yet his attempts to reinvigorate his floundering career are ridiculed at every turn, the most destructive being the jibes of his most famous role, the Birdman, who exists as a destructive voice inside Riggan's head. Edward Norton's Broadway veteran (Mike) appears, with a performance somewhat reminiscent of Ralph Fiennes in the "Grand Budapest Hotel". Leaving his inhibitions at the door, steps in as a late replacement to lend some much needed star power to the play's less than glittering cast. Yet Mike rapidly moves from Keaton's saviour to his curse, overly aware of his own ability and in the process falling for Keaton's recovering addict daughter (Sam), nicely played by Emma Stone. Having recently dried out, Sam now suffers a far worse torture, as her father's PA. Amy Ryan's darkly acid theatre critic, hell bent on dismantling Keaton's efforts is worth a mention as is Zach Galifianakis delivering a refreshingly assured performance. The star of the "Hangover" series is dealt with what seems the impossible task, as Keaton's producer, There has been some criticism concerning the more unusual aspects of the film: Firstly the use of "one take" shots, the camera following characters as the storm, creep and flounce around the bowels of the theatre and out on to the streets of Manhattan. Secondly is the skittering jazz drumming, ever present within the features sounds cape. Personally neither feels out of place in the film, the magical skills of the cameraman (Emmanuel Lubezki) help to draw the viewer deeper into the storyline while the drumming reflects both the inner turmoil of Riggan, as the stress of the play and the angst of his life in general threaten to permanently unhinge him. The redemption of Keaton's character occurs by discarding his self loathing and embracing the past he finds so distasteful. The powers of the birdman act as the catalyst to achieve the credibility (in a very 21st century sense!) that he craves so badly.