- Actors: Antonio Banderas, Christian Bale, Brian Dennehy
- Director: Terrence Malik
- Format: Widescreen
- Language: English
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Broad Green
- Release Date: June 21, 2016
- Run Time: 118 minutes
Knight of Cups is less ambitious than
Terrence Malick’s notoriously enigmatic Tree
of Life, but somehow contains even less narrative and presents it even more
ambiguously. The legendary director’s films have always been distinguished with
dreamlike visual qualities, though his narratives are drifting further from
structure as the years go by. While some remain dedicated fans of this
experimental and improvisational style of filmmaking, others often remark that
his freestyle methods have almost become a parody of what was once praised
about the director. I find myself somewhere in-between, able to appreciate the
braveness of his style while wishing that it were paired with a less
noncommittal narrative.
Knight of Cup offers little in terms of
story and less for character development as we witness the vapid lifestyle of Hollywood screenwriter Rick (Christian Bale), along with
some derivative familial melodrama for good measure. It is unclear if Rick is a
womanizer or the narrative merely takes place over an extended period, as there
is no reference to make the timeline clear. This does not help us to understand
our protagonist’s motivations, and is among many efforts within the film to
keep Rick at a distance. Little of the dialogue belongs to him, and this is
within a film that is primarily told through the signature breathy voiceover
Malick uses in excess. When characters do happen to speak within the scene
itself, very little is consequential to understanding the story being told.
As Rick makes
various amorous connections throughout the superficially beautiful landscapes
of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, providing brief acting exercise
opportunities for a handful of actresses, some of the individual scenarios take
specific form. Cate Blanchett appears as an ex-wife musing over the failures of
their marriage, Natalie Portman is a married woman who engages in an affair
with Rick, and Teresa Palmer is a stripper met on a trip to Sin City.
Even as these individual situations can be vaguely relatable, they tell us
little about the characters. Perhaps the hope was that in leaving much
ambiguous within the narrative, the film’s end result would be even more
broadly relatable, but this also means that the success of Knight of Cups is dependant upon how much each audience member is
willing to bring to the experience. As an art piece, this has the potential to
work, but it is an utter failure as a piece of entertainment.
The dangers of
working without a clear and concise screenplay are prevalently on display in Knight of Cups, but so are the benefits.
Every so often is a moment of cinematic brilliance within the film, though they
are often surrounded by convoluted scenes of aimlessness. There are only so
many sequences that can be watched of a moody and silent Bale wandering around
with perplexed expression or attractive actresses putting on a forced act of
spontaneity. At a certain point it just becomes tiresome, just like the
transparently familiar father issues that Malick has carried over from Tree of Life. Once again, Rick is more
observer than participant as his brother (Wes Bentley) has volatile
interactions with their father (Brian Dennehy) for unknown reasons. The message
that many men have father issues may be clear, but some actual scripted detail
would have been necessary for this to actually resonate rather than coming off
as another cinematic platitude.
The Blu-ray
release does give audiences the opportunity to see Emmanuel Lubezki’s showy
cinematography in high definition, though it offers few other advantages. The
solitary extra is a featurette with many of the cast members praising Malick’s
style of filmmaking, even though a majority of the actors are glorified extras
hired to play contrived and superficial versions of themselves during many of
the soulless sequences of Hollywood
exorbitance. Blink and you will miss many of these appearances, though they
will tell you in the featurette that the experience was among their favorite in
filmmaking. This is yet another indication that the process of making Knight of Cups was far more enjoyable
than viewing it.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 6.5/10
Special Features: 3/10
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