After being disappointed by Dead Poets Society I had doubts whether or not I was right about Peter Weir as a director, all of which quickly vaporized after last night's viewing of the fantastic The Mosquito Coast, based on the novel of the same name. The film goes back to everything I like so much about the director, be it the extraordinary sense of setting or the intricate characterizations, there is much to like about this adaptation. Of course, not having read the novel I can't make any comparisons and state whether it is truthful to it, but it also gives me the opportunity to judge it solely as a film. Weir's keen eye for the world around the characters…

A decent film, anchored by a towering performance from Harrison Ford.

The last film I saw was Killing Them Softly, and this film picks up right where that film left off, with America criticism (even if this film is more of a character study). Ford plays Allie, one of those intense patriarch inventors that tends to put his family at too much risk. The second half of this film is really uncomfortable to watch, reminding of Aguirre, Wrath of God. River Phoenix is really good in this, and Ford is perfectly cast, it's the sort of character he was born to play.

Peter Weir as ever captures some stunning wildlife imagery. This film has that uplifting 80s feel to it,…

A decent film, anchored by a towering performance from Harrison Ford.

The last film I saw was Killing Them Softly, and this film picks up right where that film left off, with America criticism (even if this film is more of a character study). Ford plays Allie, one of those intense patriarch inventors that tends to put his family at too much risk. The second half of this film is really uncomfortable to watch, reminding of Aguirre, Wrath of God. River Phoenix is really good in this, and Ford is perfectly cast, it's the sort of character he was born to play.

Peter Weir as ever captures some stunning wildlife imagery. This film has that uplifting 80s feel to it,…

After being disappointed by Dead Poets Society I had doubts whether or not I was right about Peter Weir as a director, all of which quickly vaporized after last night's viewing of the fantastic The Mosquito Coast, based on the novel of the same name. The film goes back to everything I like so much about the director, be it the extraordinary sense of setting or the intricate characterizations, there is much to like about this adaptation. Of course, not having read the novel I can't make any comparisons and state whether it is truthful to it, but it also gives me the opportunity to judge it solely as a film. Weir's keen eye for the world around the characters…

Quizá por justicia poética he acabado revisando una película basada en una novela de Theroux (...padre). No sé muy bien que me ha llevado a volver a este título, que tiene exactamente mis mismos años, siendo que tengo apilado un montón de material pendiente, pero puede que sea su aspecto más admirable lo que me haya empujado a ello: Harrison Ford jamás ha hecho una decisión tan audaz y admirable como la de escoger este papel, al que se entrega cual Daniel Day-Lewis; Nuestro concepto de qué es envejecer ha cambiado en las últimas decadas, y aunque ver a tus héroes echar canas le deja a uno el ánimo bastante pocho nunca deja de sorprender ver a un Harrison Ford…

A good film in most respects, The Mosquito Coast tells the story of the Fox family. At the leadership of their patriarch, Allie (Harrison Ford), they leave America behind to build a new utopian civilization in the jungle of central america. Allie is a bright man, but has become disillusioned with the materialism and moral decay he sees across America. He leads his family with a singular idealism for a purer and more natural society that eventually turns into a cruel obsession as the family encounters christian missionaries, guerrilla warriors and the harsh elements of the jungle.

The Mosquito Coast owes a thematic debt to Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, another film about a obsessive attempting to do the impossible in the…

THE MOSQUITO COAST is probably the movie that has been on my proverbial watch list longer than any other movie. At the time of its release Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies were in heavy rotation and Harrison Ford my favorite actor. I was too young to see this movie when it was released, but I watched all the interviews Ford did plugging this, as interviews with Ford were rare; he didn't do a lot of press. Then once I was old enough to see it, there were other Ford performances to see. Then apparently I just never got around to making time for it. I am glad I finally did.

I really liked Harrison Ford's performance here. You've never…

Ford's chews at the scenery like a pack of hyenas to a freshly killed zebra, but, try as he may, try as he might (armed with a script by Paul Schrader being directed by Peter Weir and shot by John Seale), he can't get the celluloid to spark. The biggest problem is how quickly we're ushered into his madness and how little Schrader and Weir seem interested in fleshing out his family. The problem then, is, that his actions, all of them of a morally ambiguous nature (particularly the murder of three white toughs in the jungle), never really resonate with the proper weight. Consequences feel less and less important; instead, the importance seems to be solely on Ford, who,…