Midway (2019) – Film Review – “All-In”
I don’t know what it is about them, but I’ve always loved war movies.
That said, I’ve never seen some of the more “classic” installments—Band of Brothers, Flags of Our Fathers, Saving Private Ryan (in full). In recent memory, though, films like Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and this one, remind me why it can be—why it is—such a revered genre.
Starting off strong: Sound mixing really stood out to me. As far as design goes, a lot of the FX in this film could probably be gotten for cheap off some stock website, somewhere—or recorded in the field with little-to-no finesse—but the levels and how everything gelled together to feel real, in the moment, is the true art. In an IMAX performance, we’d feel like we were right in the middle of the action, but even in a standard setting (I won’t talk specs—I leave that up to my more tech-minded friends), the sound mixing had me feeling like I was in the cockpit with these fighter pilots, experiencing all this first-hand.
All this kind of bleeds into the point I wanted to make about the visual effects, as well, so…
Again, top-notch. Some more intimate shots of these aircraft carriers just narrowly-missing dive-bombs, or some of the fire/flame effects, early-on, when we witness the Pearl Harbor massacre, are a bit telling. The sets, actually, became my biggest gripe—feeling circled-around, re-used…like a budget stage production. Outside the cramped quarters of the naval ships, though, are where this film shines: In its action. Every shot of the planes (and some of them are real, on-loan planes, which is neat), engaging in aerial dogfights, looks phenomenal. I have great appreciation for CGI…when it’s done well.
It’s all historically-accurate, too. I went with my buddy, fresh out of his seven-year service with the Marines, as a Veterans’ Day treat. Having known next-to-nothing about the Battle of Midway—I vaguely remember learning about it in school, but (of course) it was eclipsed by the larger, bloodier-for-us assault on Pearl Harbor—Alex was my go-to for cinema credibility, with this one. Post-viewing, I asked if he had any gripes, and they were minimal—aesthetic, at worst. Everything—down to the dates, times, and modes of attack used by the American and Japanese forces—were accurate to teachings. Which is…incredible. This could have easily been another propaganda piece (like Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor), but director Roland Emmerich sought to make a period-accurate, true-to-events war story, an underdog story, and he did.
Part of that success, I’d like to believe, goes to his writing credit on the piece.
Wes Tooke (previously: Ten episodes of USA’s Colony, starring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies) penned this film, taking the reins from Emmerich’s usual partner-in-crime, Dean Devlin. After the recent streak of financial upsets—chief among them, the anticipated Independence Day sequel, and Devlin’s own Geostorm—Emmerich was right in looking to other talent to assist with his newest piece of work. The man is a visionary, no question; mixing up writing talent between projects, too, may be just what he needs to reinvigorate himself in today’s ever-narrowing market of directorial stand-outs. As I’ve said, countless times, in the weeks leading up to seeing this film, I’m always willing to give my favorite directors a chance—Emmerich, the shot-caller behind White House Down, The Patriot, and Independence Day, included—and he seems like a man who can make moves…and whom has the clout to do so…in ensuring his films are hits. Unlike others—Shyamalan, for instance, comes to mind—who are stagnating, Emmerich is one, I believe, who can make a solid comeback. I hope this can be the start of one; hire Tooke on for a second project, see how it goes, but keep the talent on an influx.
I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without talking about the cast…
Everyone is great—the big names are part of what made me salivate over the thought of seeing this film. It took me a bit to buy Ed Skrein’s Brooklyn accent, but he became a fast-favorite among our many protagonists. A hot-head pilot who does a lot of growing-up and ends up leading the rag-tag forces of our airmen against the stronger, better-armed Japanese forces—the poster boy for a wartime underdog tale. Patrick Wilson continues to have a healthy career in which to show off his chops, here as the sympathetic intelligence officer who preached an imminent attack on American soil to deaf ears—all throughout the rest of the film’s events, following Pearl, pushing himself to his limits to redeem himself, see that it doesn’t happen again. Woody Harrelson, Mandy Moore, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Aaron Eckhart (in a shockingly-small role, for his caliber), Brennan Brown, and Dennis Quaid round out the higher-profile supporting cast, and—in some instances—surprise in their level of commitment to nailing their based-on-true-persons roles. That these real-life people’s private accounts were consulted to get the highest level of authenticity is commendable on the filmmakers’ part.
We also get the battle from both sides of it is cool—again, something that could have easily been exploited as a piece of propaganda. Stand-outs include Peter Shinkoda (Netflix’s Daredevil, TNT’s Falling Skies) and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill, Vol. 1, The Wailing)—character actors even the cinema layman could recognize on face, alone. Japan, we see, is going through its own problems, and the instigating attack on Pearl is not wanted by a majority of the underlying dissidents of the current regime. A poignant, retrospectively-tragic commentary on power and those who wield it sloppily.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. I couldn’t understand some of the “military speak”, but this was made for the guys and gals who know what all that front-line mumbo-jumbo means. Through context clues, I was able to follow what was happening, effortlessly.
The score was barely noticeable, but hit when was called upon—like during some of the more intense moments of battle. The piece’s theme—“All Or Nothing At All”, performed by Annie Trousseau, encapsulates the wider stance of the film: These people, going off to fight, have to ensure a total victory, lest the homeland become its own warzone, while also having to pry themselves away from family for the greater good. A two-front war, as it were—one personal, one very much public.
It’s consistent, tonally, and I enjoyed the muted, almost-sepia color palette, giving the whole thing the look of older film stock. The two hours move at a good clip, and I was never bored.
Final ‘Risk Assessment: ****/*
