Over the ledge

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 2014)

I thought I'll never say this about a Tom Cruise movie, but I liked what I saw. Although the concept is not new (watch Groundhog Day) and is steeped in Buddhism/Karma, this film version of the manga All You Need Is Kill is an intelligently paced and fast action movie. The high concept drama and the labyrinthine sci-fi plot was excellently presented without making me lose my interest. The characters, reminiscent of Starship Troopers (the original) are life-like, everyday grunts fighting a war that is, in many ways, reminiscent of the Second World War, especially, D-Day.
I got hoodwinked thrice in the film. First, in the beginning, Tom Cruise comes across as a weaselly military officer who talked more like a civvy than a man of war. And I was getting irritated, but then, that's exactly what he is. He has never seen action, being as it were, a military PR agent.
Second, Emily Blunt. I love her as an actress, and she comes across as a hero more than just eye candy. It is Emily Blunt, who as the tough-as- nails no-nonsense soldier, Rita Vrataski, is the driving force behind Cruise' Cage. Known as the Angel of Verdun because of her killing of hundreds of alien invaders at Verdun, she is, in no way a damsel in distress, or just a second fiddle love interest being present to boost the male ego. She is a soldier - focused and strong and that is what is important. They should have more characters like her in films.
In a sci-fi movie like this, its tough to represent the actors' expressions without a strange reason to have the characters remove their helmets. You wonder that a well-placed headshot would finish these two off - and again, that's exactly what it is. (hoodwink three) All the others wear helmets, but these two don't because they don't care. It's all about Live/Die/Repeat. Interesting film.