The Beach (2000) 2 stars out of 4. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, Tilda Swinton and Robert Carlyle. Directed by Danny Boyle.
"The Beach" is an appealing movie. It features lush scenery, plus attractive young people in skimpy costumes - one of whom is Leonardo DiCaprio, who just seems drawn to movies that feature water.
And while "The Beach" may be a treat to the eye, the storyline is pedestrian.
Basically it is because the protagonists are self-absorbed, self-centered and selfish. DiCaprio plays Richard, a young man at loose ends, who drifts into Bangkok, Thailand, just looking for kicks. Richard is searching for something, he's unsure of what it is, but he will know it when he finds it.
"The Beach," directed by Danny Boyle, best known for helming "Trainspotting," yearns to be profound. However, it comes off as merely pretentious, especially involving sequences in which DiCaprio's Richard is doing a voice-over narration.
"The Beach," with a screenplay by John Hodge, based on a novel by Alex Garland, deals with a group of young expatriates who - dissatisfied with the world - gather at a secret island and establish a community of their own
But of course the same human frailties these people carried in the outside world are brought into this self-made Eden.
It is DiCaprio's performance that saves "The Beach" from being overcome by its own pomposity. His Richard is a cocky young man who hides his insecurities behind a facade of coolness and braggadocio.
DiCaprio always has been a fine actor. He can overcome the limitations of the most mundane dialogue, i.e. "Titanic," and has a charismatic screen presence. DiCaprio is one of those actors whom the camera loves.
Yet he is sometimes undercut by Boyle's affinity for fancy camera angles and unnecessary long, aerial shots which, I suppose, are there to remind us of the isolation of the island as well as it's natural beauty.
Once is enough, but Boyle and cinematographer Darius Khondji use these types of shots as exclamation points, as if the audience wouldn't get the message unless they shout it photographically.
The rest of the cast includes Virginie Ledoyen as Francoise, the young woman with whom Richard becomes involved; Guillaume Canet as Etienne, Francoise's companion, who turns out to be the moral center of the story; Tilda Swinton as Sal, the leader of the unusual community; and, in basically what amounts to a powerful cameo, Robert Carlyle as Daffy, the drug-crazed individual who sets the plot in motion by giving Richard a secret map to the beach.
In a compelling way, "The Beach" offers some interesting insights. For example, the Thai farmers who grow marijuana on the other side of the island, leave the expatriates alone as long as they keep their locale a secret.
When because of Richard's thoughtlessness, a quartet of tourists meet tragedy, paradise is lost.
Where "The Beach" goes awry is near the final reels where Richard is exiled from the community for his transgressions. Here the movie becomes a overwrought cross between "Lord of the Flies" and "Apocalypse Now."
"The Beach" is a flawed movie, but it is entertaining. DiCaprio's solid performance and the beautiful landscapes will be the main draw. Those seeking more will have to look elsewhere.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net
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