SCI FI PI

Starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Joel Gretsch,Camilla Bell, Djimon Honsou
Director Paul McGuigan
Rated M
Released Jan 4

If you're looking for a movie that blends Hong Kong grunge with X-Men style powers, this is your holy grail.





An edgy, gritty style of filmmaking gives a real 'in your face' texture to a story more similar, perhaps, to fans of Firestarter, than to fans of X-Men, although in this case, the execution of the action takes a leaf form its setting and gives it a Hong Kong style of fight choreography and action-plus action.

Push is directed by Paul McGuigan, who first rose to prominence with his darkly humourous Acid House, set in the slums of Scotland, and based on tales by Irvine (Trainspotting) Welsh. He has since gone on to a fascinating range of films, from Gangster No 1, toe Wicker Park and the criminally misunderstood Lucky Number Slevin. If you want something with a spot of action, a dollop of black humour and a sprinkling of grit, McGuigan's your man. Push is no exception, although in this film, the characters are endowed with ability to move objects with their minds, control others, and see into the future.





Of course, and a secret organisation called Division wants to control them, and of course, a rogue group seek to escape and possibly defeat the bad guys. It's a hopeless task when the baddies have their own array of 'specials' with superior powers. How hard is it to plot revenge when someone can literally see the future that you are plotting? Makes for a tough day at 'Bring Down The Baddies' Inc. However, there is a very clever little flip to this stalemate, which gives the film a nice third act.





Of course, having seen all the X-Men movies, you're wondering what it is about Push that could be vaguely interesting. Firstly, the setting of Hong Kong really flips the traditional superheroes in tights theme. There aren't any. There's no space for capes in the crowded forest of Wan Chai's skyscrapers. There's no time for big speeches (well only here and there) - it's kill or be killed - when someone can control your mind to the point where you'll kill yourself, you really want to put a bullet in their brain before they notice you're there.

The grungy street corners, tiny mould-riddled apartments and skuzzy cafes really take this adventure into a fresh new place. Fans of Wong Kar Wai will be thrilled.





The film has an intricate story, and a complex resolution, due to the 'they can see what we can see' nature of the plot. What we end up with is a classic over the top boon doggle, reminiscent (and certainly paying homage to) the classic Hong Kong demon ninja movies of the late 80s and early 90s. If you don't know this genre well, you'll see it when it comes. The finale's action is majestically over the top in a literal riot of action and colour.

Before that though, it's very much a race through the maze of Hong Kong, with duelling psychics hunting each other down with their baddies/goodies either on the run or the counter offensive.

The story begins in 1945, with the Nazis (who else?) and their mind control experiments used to create super soldiers. Taken over by the US Government, the experiments lead to a range of enhanced humans, each with their own class and designation. A formula for injecting humans has eventually been refined, where latent powers blossom. Humans with abilities are tracked down and experimented on, and then later, used as soldiers in a war of control.





Chris Evans plays Nick Gant, on the run from 'sniffers', hiding out in Hong Kong. Having seen what happened to his father so many years ago, he is not a fan of Division. The only thing that will keep him anywhere near them is the prediction given to him years ago. He teams up with a young teen (Dakota Fanning) who can see the future, and unfortunately, they must rescue another girl (Camilla Belle) or the world's in for a heap big pile of trouble. Even more unfortunately, our young psychic keeps seeing that they will both die. Bummer.

So of course, the movie is set up. Save the girl, save the world, save themselves.





If you enjoy a film where the atmosphere and world are carefully constructed, you'll enjoy this. There's such a small margin of error between pushing the boundaries, and over the top, but with a director of McGuigan's sensibilities and experience, it's clear that he means what he does. If he puts you on a roller coaster ride, its intentional. If he gives you a nasty shock with a show of raw brutality and the speed with which a mind-controlling psychic can ruin your life, he means it. If he takes you over the top, it's for fun.

Rather than an X-Men lite, this is it's own monster, a hybrid child of Hong Kong cinema and Stephen King's Firestarter (the book, not the movie). It has cult appeal all over it, and with Dakota Fanning performing her first role as a teenager, Chris Evans proving he's not a lump of wood and Djimon Honsou creating oodles of menace, there's a great deal to like.

Extras

Sadly for the Blu-ray, there's not too much in the extras department, apart from some deleted scenes with commentary by director Paul McGuigan, and a featurette tracing the film's links to the real life events that inspired the film. It seems too kooky to be true, but for pretty much every 'power' in the film, the Russians or the Americans were at one time either attempting to experiment or exploit superhuman activities in service of the cold war.

Having gnarled up ex-CIA operatives actually talk about project Bluebook, however, will be a hoot for conspiracy fans.

With stylish Wong-Kar Wai style photography, the film does, however, look great at Blu-ray definition.