Men With Guns (1998)
Director: John Sayles Cast: Federico Luppi, Damian Delgado, Dan Rivera Gonzalez, Tania Cruz, Damian Alcazar, Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn Grody Screenplay: John Sayles Producers: R. Paul Miller, Maggie Renzi Runtime: 127 min. US Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics Rated R: language, violence
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
John Sayles' Men With Guns is a film that has received immense critical acclaim, and, having finally seen it, I think I understand why. Sayles is a unique film maker: he writes, directs, and edits all of his films outside of any studio system, beyond distribution rights and the usual Hollywood bureaucracy. When I watch his films (the most recent being Lone Star, which I loved), I get the feeling that I'm seeing his exact vision, the way he wants it presented. I imagine him as an independent James Cameron (although the glaring difference in budget needs between the two men is striking).
Sayles tackles "issues" in his films. He doesn't just tell stories--he has far-reaching themes and agendas. Men With Guns centers around Dr. Fuentes (Federico Luppi), an older gentleman unhappy with his life. He decides to take a vacation to see former students who are helping the sick in impoverished villages in the countryside. Not long into his journey, he runs into one of his students. This young man was a very promising doctor when Fuentes knew him, but now he's selling illegal drugs and merchandise to get by.
Fuentes is alarmed by this encounter, and he expedites his quest to find the rest of his students. He journeys further into the country, and meets travelling companions in a few places. He finds a young boy (Dan Rivera Gonzalez) whose parents have apparently been killed by guerillas. It's about this time that the big picture of the situation becomes clearer: the men with guns described in the title are two distinct groups of people--the military and the guerillas.
With each village that Fuentes visits, he finds that his students have been executed in torturous ways. Some of them were executed by the military for helping the guerillas; some were killed for the opposite. The point is that these men with guns roam the countryside and brandish their power on the unarmed masses, who are all so frightened that they don't speak to strangers, regardless of how non-threatening the strangers appear. Also during his journey, Fuentes encounters a couple of American tourists (Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody) who are oblivious to the truly awful things going on around them.
Sayles does an incredible job of developing the several characters that he introduces in his film. Fuentes, played with conviction and grace by Luppi, is a fascinating person--he's a man who has recently lost his wife, and is now seeking absolution in finding his students, to see how they are making their lives important. Fuentes also meets a former army soldier (Damian Delgado), who is now a frail, paranoid man without pride. One of the most poignant subplots involves a former priest (Damian Alcazar) who has lost his faith.
The framework of the story is direct, very well-organized, and simple to follow. Much of the scenery is lush with a rich emerald green overtone, and the film is always appeasing to the eye. Sayles' dialogue (in Spanish with English subtitles) is sharp, and often subtly funny. I'd also like to point out that this is an American film--recent American films about foreign cultures (Kundun, for example) have the characters speaking English, which greatly takes away from the authenticity of the film. It's nice to see that Sayles was willing to sacrifice a lot of box office attention to make his film as realistic as possible.
Sayles is not a director who bogs down his audience in sentimentality. Although the themes and issues in Men With Guns are heavy, and often very sad, Sayles completely avoids the usual treatment of sappy music and elaborate camera work to heighten the emotions. The result is not dryness, but material that is more thought-provoking than emotional. The issues here, centering a great deal around oppression and mindless war-mentality, seem, at first glance, only relevant to the country in which the film takes place (which is an unnamed Central American country).
But this is a film, I imagine, that gathers strength the more times you see it. It takes multiple viewings to understand the full significance of the story in relation to the setting. As I watched Men With Guns, I was always interested, but I never found myself wrapped up in the story. I was only marginally moved by the conclusion, and only one or two scenes throughout truly grabbed me. I wanted to be more exhilarated when the film was over, but I almost felt indifferent.
The reason for this is simple: there is so much going on in Men With Guns. There are many round characters, a developed story, and themes so powerful they almost outshine the rest of the film. I think I was too caught up in my thoughts to be moved by the story, which is why I believe that a second and third viewing of the film is necessary to truly understand everything that Sayles is doing. I admire this film, and appreciate it for its intelligence and completeness in its exploration of its themes. John Sayles is a poetic film maker, and, like most poems, this film needs to be experienced more than once.
*** out of **** (7/10, B)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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