The Film…
The Intro…
What are you doing here? You actually want to read the conclusion of this rambling breakdown considering Rob Cohen’s actioner Stealth? Really? Cool!
This chapter is gonna be about the meat of the matter: the movie itself. Finally.
I promise to keep this part under control. No more woolgathering. We understand that part of the RIORI experience is my waxing philosophical on the social commentary end. However there is a movie to consider, so…
The Breakdown…
Oddly enough and despite being an action flick Stealth was a classic character study. But with missile strikes.
Just to reheat the Frankenstein analogy for a brief moment, Stealth was prescient regarding our current, stirred up fear about AI (at least of this time of writing) and what may be its eventual outcome. Alexa is not too far a cry to the dawn of EDI considering how fast the pages get torn off the calendar. Keep that in mind.
Most folks seem to be scared witless that the dawn of the AI era might cost them jobs, or deep fakes screwing with reality, or why the hell every bloody refrigerator demands a subscription these days. Hell, even your beater Roomba once proud, smart and diligent in keeping the kitchen dust free has become a cat chariot, such as smart tech goes these days: expected to fail in a frustratingly comic manner. Meow.
Okay. I know got all that, but despite Stealth being boasted an action flick as it was, but in truth was indeed a character study. Including the AI fighter. No, really, and all of that invites.
Let’s get to the humans first. With no pretense the acting was spot on. Sure there were stereotypes, but I’ve often found that cast of ciphers only works well in their commitment to their roles.
The Stray Observations…
- “That’s hot.”
- Tin Man = no heart.
- “I just feel that war should not be some video.” K: Cuz you can’t just hit the reset button. She’s oddly wise sometimes.
- Ironic turn of roles for Shepard here. Ever caught The Right Stuff?
- “All of them.”
- K: Can you say intern?
- Weirdest/coolest Freudian innuendo ever.
- Ever notice that when an actor earns or gets a nod from the Academy their next projects are somewhat lowbrow? Foxx was on a roll with Ray and his follow-up Collateral only to slum it with the likes of…well, Stealth? Consider Bill Murray’s twist from Lost In Translation to Garfield: The Movie. Or even Morgan Freeman, before God from Driving Miss Daisy to Robin Hood: Prince Of The Thieves as the ur-“magical negro.”
- *sh’mup: gamer lingo for an aerial fighting “shoot ’em up” vertical scrolling platformer. Yer welcome.
- “There was nothing left to say.”
The Next Time…
Oh brother. Jason Bateman’s become a victim of an Identity Thief. That’s not the worst of it, though.
Melissa McCarthy has his number. Literally.