This Revolution (2005)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Stephen Marshall

Writer:

Stephen Marshall (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

In this politically charged homage to Medium Cool, a photographer covers the urban guerrilla war on New York streets during the RNC.

Plot Keywords:

Conspiracy | Medium Cool | Anarchist | Verite | Father Killed

Cast

Rosario Dawson	...	Tina Santiago
Nathan Crooker	...	Jake Cassavetes
Amy Redford	...	Chloe Harden
Brett DelBuono	...	Richie Santiago
Brendan Sexton III	...	Daniel Symptom
Immortal Technique	...	Himself
Robert Bella	...	Bob Kramer
Cynthia Garrett	...	BCN News Anchor
Ned Silverman	...	Dexter
Brett Berg	...	Cody
Jermaine Chambers	...	Max
Gavin Bellour	...	Dante
Vija Zvers	...	Mousy (as Vija Brigita Grosgalvis)
Jim Titus	...	Music Producer (as James T. Williams II)
Juan Carlos Hernández	...	Cruz Santiago (as Juan Hernandez)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language.

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Revolution Theory

Trivia:

During the filming of a protest scene, the cast was mistaken for an actual subversive group, leading to the arrest of several cast members, including Rosario Dawson. The entire third act of the film was rewritten on the fly to explain her absence. Footage of Dawson's actual arrest made the final cut of the film.

Movie Connections:

References The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

Soundtrack:

Me Tarzan You Jane

Promising First Fictional Effort

Director Stephen Marshall is best known for his documentaries, including some that are Sundance winners. This is his first foray into fictional mainstream films, and it is a promising effort. I am mystified by some of the negativity I read here; granted, Marshall is no Costa-Gravas (yet), but I doubt even Costa-Gravas was Costa-Gravas in his first movie. Working under extreme deadline pressures with a cast of mostly unknowns and a limited budget, he has exemplified making lemonade out of lemons. Since many of his principals are non-actors, the fact that he gets good performances from them speaks well of his directing skills. He also has a painter's eye: there is one scene with Rosario Dawson and her fictional son, shot at sunset as they pretend to fly like the pigeons soaring around them, that is starkly beautiful. The street scenes pulse with life, no doubt because they are real. There are some amusing vignettes on the street that add piquancy to the mix. The modestly named rapper "Immortal Technique" has some interesting scenes, but for some puzzling reason appears to be identifying himself as black, when he is clearly hispanic. "Technique" also rips off the Brahms third symphony (third movement, trust me on this) for his rap, but no shoutouts to Johannes can be found in the credits to enhance his street-cred. I would like to see more character development, but given Marshall's background in documentaries this is not surprising. The motivation of some of the characters was hazy also, and anyone who has been to Times Square knows the big TV screens there are mute. But so what? These are minor issues, and he will learn. I saw the final cut at Sundance in January, and there was a large and enthusiastic crowd. Marshall spoke to us afterward, and came across very well. I look forward to more from this most interesting young director.