HAVANA
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1990 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: CUBABLANCA. A victory of detailed
setting over a much weaker political thriller plot and a love
story of little interest. Rating: 0 (-4 to +4).
Gambler Jack Weil (played by Robert Redford) has a piece of advice for revolutionary Bobby Duran (played by Lena Olin) about how to play roulette. You should not put all your money on one number. You go for a more modest bet, like betting on black. "You still lose you money, but you lose it more slowly." Or another example: Hollywood should bet on a bankable combination like Sidney Pollack directing Robert Redford in films like THE WAY WE WERE, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, ELECTRIC HORSEMAN, and OUT OF AFRICA. Eventually you will come up double-zero on a $45 million spectacle, but it will take longer. Double-zero is essentially what Universal has with HAVANA. One of the zeroes is a political thriller that pits the pre-revolutionary scummy government of Batista against the idealistic supporters of Fidel Castro, most of whom we know are destined to have a rude awakening in the years to come. The other zero is a love story in which the lovers have all the chemistry of champagne and Miracle Whip*.
Redford plays Jack Weil, a wise-cracking gambler who sticks to business, but might have more going on below the surface, much like Rick Blaine in CASABLANCA. He becomes the third side of a triangle in which the other two sides are a married couple of revolutionaries (Lena Olin and Raul Julia) living a dangerous life, much like Ilsa Lund and Victor Laszlo in CASABLANCA. Weil must decide if he will do nothing and let events take their course, try to steal the woman, or become committed to the cause, much as Rick does in CASABLANCA. Now it seems to me that some film other than HAVANA has used this plot before. It's on the tip of my mind, but ... oh, well. Seriously, one reason that this film does not engage the audience like CASABLANCA did is that Bogart was an actor who could show pain. Redford can wince a little.
Of the love story, the political thriller, and the setting, the setting wins by default. Much of that humungous budget went into creating the look and feel of Havana of 1958. Others have vouched for its accuracy; I can vouch only for its believability. Not that pre-revolutionary Havana was that interesting a city but, filming in the Dominican Republic, Pollack has captured at least a believable look. And at nearly two and a half hours in length, the film lets you get a long look. And you might as well look at the background; you are not missing much in the foreground. I give this film a 0 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
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leeper@mtgzy.att.com
* Miracle Whip is a trademark of Kraft Foods Co.
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