Strong biopic

Rating: 8/10 (9 November 2018)

An interesting lesson in history. That's what it actually really is. Somehow like those history movies you saw at school. Oh dont get me wrong.. some of them were good. This is definitely a good film but it is not an outstanding film. I've waited many years for a Neil Armstrong biopic and always wondered why there was never one. Now I know, I guess his life was not too spectacular. But there were conflicts. Lots of them. Damien Chazzelle understood to portray many of those great but ignored some others or at least underestimated them.
The acting was fantastic tho. Ryan Gosling gives one of his absolutely finest performances. He understood his character perfectly. The magic of his performance lies in the fact that also in his silent moments he was perfectly able to express the inner conflict of his character. You always had the impression you feel what Armstrong was feeling. Kudos to this very subtle performance by Gosling. Also Claire Foy was fantastic. She had many moments that just asked for overacting but she was in perfect control of those. A very touching performance and not just another grieving wife performance. Glad she managed the turn from a fantastic TV actress to a phenomenal cinema presence. The supporting guys were also good. Most notable Cory Stoll and Jason Clarke.
The cinematography was spectacularily unspectacular. The score was beautiful however and I liked that it wasnt just one tune through the whole thing but many different ones, always fitting the situations. A very versatile composition. Sound and Editing were top notch. The screenplay was fine enough , I guess just a little bit dry at times. All in all a good biopic of a true icon. Worth to see for sure.