Movie #1951 "Hunting Elephants" (DVD) I was "hunting" for a good heist film, and also I was trying to whittle down the large quantity of films that aren't filed in my DVD cabinet because I haven't watched them yet, and voila! This one popped up. And I'm glad it did. I really liked this one ---- not quite a 5, but it was on its way toward it. It's quirky heist full of capable character actors, a slam-dunk opening, a sense of humor with some pathos, and a bullied kid. The Negatives? (and I guess there are a few because after I watched the film, I looked at rotten tomatoes and it scored 36% critics, 61% audience). The critics, as usual, thought the story trite, with "old people" jokes" (the demographic is NOT the critics) and an overblown Patrick Stewart acting job that he should be ashamed of. Hmm. I liked it because it was different, and this was a Patrick Stewart character I hadn't seen before (and he many times seems overblown to me, playing too big in film because he is really a stage actor.) In this case, he fits right in with this motley crew --- the other two lead older men are a stitch, one being from "The Band's Visit" which is a movie I LOVED! The other reminded me of "Sneakers" because he is the older guy who is blind and of course driving the getaway car! My negatives were that it is a foreign film, for you must read most of the lines --- which takes time particularly with this one because the Hebrew language sounds really harsh in every line -- kind of like German. So even delicate moments come across as cold sometimes. But they give us a break in this one because P. Stewart is playing a UK uncle of the kid and thus forces them to speak English to him through some of the film. The other negative is that I had questions afterwards. The heist is usually rehearsed so much or talked about so much or whatever, they the fun is watching it in action. Because we are dealing with silliness and gents a bit past their prime, an actor who wants HIS monologues! and a mastermind who is a bullied 12 year old kid, the plan becomes improvised, leaving the audience to wonder what is going on next and why is it being done that way? So the heist isn't the pay off, which it usually is in this genre. And there are big holes in the script -- it could have been better. But I liked it(and better than Dave) so I recommend it if any of the above sounds amusing to you. I give it a 4. But I do like heist films, and with older people, too. And 12 year old kids suffering from grief who re-connect with their curmudgeon grandfathers and still have room in their hearts to re-connect with an uncle who is an overblown British actor!
"Hunting Elephants" 2013 not rated, but there's some viagra stuff in there! 1 hour 47 minutes
In Jerusalem, a bullied teen befriends his grandfather and long lost uncle and soon they decide to solve their financial problems by robbing a bank.
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