A big, bright, shining star (Boogie Nights (DVD))

Member Name: TJ-Mackey

Product:	Boogie Nights (DVD)
Date:	06/06/01 (142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great acting, direction, and music

Disadvantages: Drags a bit towards the end

When a film opens with an ambitious, uninterrupted three-minute tracking shot, you just know the director will throw on the style, and hopefully produce a great film too. While not quite the masterpiece some claim it is, Boogie Nights is nevertheless a very impressive movie, especially considering it was only Paul Thomas Anderson's second feature-length film.

Although it could be argued that Anderson is just being flamboyant with this stunning opening shot, the flip side is that he's simply introducing a large cast of characters as quickly as possible. Weaving its way through a vibrant 70's nightclub, the camera introduces us to Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), a pornographic film director, and his troupe of performers, before finally settling on busboy Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg). Having dropped out of high school, Eddie now works two jobs, but still holds dreams of becoming a star.

At first glance, Boogie Nights seems entirely different to Anderson's first feature film, Sydney. While his debut essentially focussed on two principal characters, this movie presents us with seven or eight in just the opening scene. Both films, however, are led by strong individuals, and this is clearly Anderson's strength as a writer/director - the attention he gives to his characters. Additionally, he appears to have a gift for drawing out great performances from a large ensemble cast, as can also be seen in his third movie, Magnolia.

Perhaps this is the reason for Anderson's continued collaboration with many of the actors that appear here, or maybe it's precisely this familiarity that produces the performances. Either way, it works well. Boogie Nights is filled with superior acting, most notably from Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore, although there's also great support from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heather Graham and the ever-reliable William H. Macy.

The story of Boogie Nights is the clichéd 'rise and fall' of t
he central character, Eddie Adams, as he experiences the highs and lows of the pornographic film industry in the late 70's and early 80's. Well endowed in what Horner refers to as the 'torpedo area', it isn't long before Eddie takes the name Dirk Diggler, and embarks on a successful porno career. After hearing Jack's idea of making porn films with a story, we see the filming of a series of movies starring Dirk as action star Brock Landers. As well as showing off his 'talent', these films also give Dirk a chance to emulate the kung fu skills of his hero Bruce Lee to hilarious effect.

As Dirk reaches the peak of his stardom, however, his dependence on cocaine, combined with a swelling ego, soon contributes to his spectacular downfall. All this culminates in a botched drug deal that has more than a hint of Tarantino about it.

One of the criticisms levelled at Boogie Nights in particular is the strong influence of Robert Altman, Quentin Tarantino and, most noticeably, Martin Scorsese on Anderson's directing style. Indeed, the film's final scene is almost identical to the end of Raging Bull, and there are also elements of Goodfellas and Casino in much of the movie. Having said this though, if Anderson is going to borrow from other directors, who better than those mentioned?

On the DVD commentary track, Anderson openly admits to using scenes from some of his favourite movies in Boogie Nights. One in particular is a splendid swimming pool sequence, in which the camera pans past several characters around the edge of the pool, before finally following someone underwater. All of this is impressively achieved in just one shot, and the original can be seen in the film 'I Am Cuba'. Anderson also describes his admiration for director Jonathan Demme, and confesses to including many of his scenes in Boogie Nights.

Technically, the film is excellent. The Steadicam sequences, one particularly effectiv
e dolly-in, and a nice spinning camera technique are all impressive. My favourite shot of the whole movie is a steady close-up of Dirk's face that lasts for almost a minute, as we listen to everything going on in the background. Wahlberg's expressions in this scene are simply excellent, as we gradually see the realisation of just how screwed up his life has become.

Wahlberg is effective enough in his role, and is certainly believable in the early parts of the film. Strangely enough though, the best acting from the cast comes when their characters are also performing. It must be a tradition for the acting in porn movies to be incredibly bad, and therefore we see Wahlberg and, best of all, Moore, doing a tremendous job of acting poorly! The dialogue is cheesy all right, but the delivery of these lines is hilarious - almost as funny, in fact, as Dirk's attempt at kung fu.

Another of Boogie Nights' highlights, and something else that Scorsese is renowned for, is the superb use of music throughout. In the early parts of the film, there are the classic 70's disco hits, which, incidentally, are accompanied by some well-choreographed dance routines. As the film progresses, the music changes to suit both the time and the current mood of the story. Oh, and if you thought Marky Mark could sing, your opinion might just change after watching this!

While it's true that the setting of the film won't be to everyone's tastes, I really do recommend watching this movie. For those interested in filmmaking, this is a showcase for what a talented young writer/director can achieve, if given the backing. And for those who are just after an evening's entertainment, you could do a lot worse than watch Boogie Nights. Although it does drag a bit towards the end, there's enough here to make it a very good movie, and I'm sure Anderson has a bright future ahead of him.

Oh yeah, and Heather Graham gets her kit off.
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I bought the Region 1 Platinum Series DVD of Boogie Nights, which is available for £17.99 from www.play247.com

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