I thought the film was pretty good, it had had its moments, particularly in its exploration of various aspects of Christian faith. That was always at the forefront of the story; the conversations between Josh O'Connor and Daniel Craig were some of the best parts of the film for sure. And it seemed like each follower of Monsignor Wicks was a different sort of cliched follower of the faith.
I thought it was too long by half though, and it took too long to get where it was going. And there was plenty of too on the nose comic bits and some scene chewing that really had me going.
However:
C'mon. The final moment of the film, before it fades out. Johnson uses Tom Waits in a way that was pretty special. I mean, anyone who loves Waits knows Come On Up To The House, and after watching the movie I couldn't help but think that perhaps Johnson designed the entire film around the final shot of the film, and the moment of the song in which Waits sings:
Come down off the cross,
We could use the wood
It was a real spine tingling moment for a fan of late 20th Century Rock and Roll. Few artists have left me as spellbound as Waits has. I've found much of his writing and performing to be some of the most powerful work in my lifetime. And here was a moment in which a fellow artist seemed to treat a song he knew in an exalted way.
The song in question is a call to your faith when you've found yourself at your lowest point. It's a song that's always just pulverized me (there happen to be more than one of those on the album containing this song), and the song really seems to shine a light on what you just watched within this film's story. I'd love to talk to Johnson about his use of the song in the film, what it means to him, and what role if any did the song play in the writing of the story. Was this just finding a solid song that supported the themes and tone of the story afterward, or did the song mean more than that to Johnson?
When I came home tonight I did put the film and the song in a google search, and found an interview in which Johnson implies that the song DID have a significant amount of meaning to him, in relation to his writing of the film. But it sure is one of those things where i wish i could sit around, hang with Johnson, and shoot the breeze about that song, how it works in the film, and what it means to the guy.
Special kudos to a good friend, who provided a theater experience this late in the game for a Netrix movie that's long past it's theater expiration date. I must say, this movie was way, WAY better than the 2nd movie in the franchise. A decent but long sit.
