REVIEW: LIFE

3/5

The Secret 'Life' Of Rebel Jimmy.

111 Minutes. Starring: Robert Pattinson, Dane DeHaan, Joel Edgerton & Ben Kingsley. Director: Anton Corbijn.

Rebel without a pause, James Dean lived fast and died all too young behind the wheel at the tender age of 24. Now today 'East Of Eden' and his definitive classic 'Rebel Without A Cause', we have no idea just how big a movie star this icon could have been. That being outside the legendary legacy left after his death as a status symbol of teenage angst and painful discovery in a confusing time for the youth of America that refused for that, or them to be a subject of ignorance. Even if their perceived emotion of that was their cigarette and scowl stand against it all. From 'Rebel' and all he left for the cause, it's clear that if this man was still around today he would have amassed the filmography of a Kirk Douglas, or Paul Newman...or even a Brando. But we'll never really know! But even in just one film this kid changed the world. Now here's looking at the career Chronicles of dynamic, dramatic actor Dane DeHaan who will give us more of a personal glimpse of Jimmy and his 'Life' behind the 'Twilight' lens of picture lead subject Robert Pattinson in the new film from international director of 'The American' Anton Corbijn. Who brings the best out of 'A Most Wanted Man', just like he did with another late, great taken too soon before his time, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. This is 'Life' no not the prison comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence but another arresting double act.

And from the filaments of a red room opening that's establishing light even evokes the look of something belonging to a higher power when it all comes into focus, its clear this is Pattinson's developing picture and from the shutter start the flashbulbs are on him. Following the 'Life' processes of Ben Stiller's imaginary image in the vivid look of 'The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty', Pattinson photographs for the 'Time'-less magazine of legend with the iconography of a real American dream icon. Capturing the camera work of a man whose photo essay on a 'Moody New Star' helped make the career of the Dean of young acting and also quite poignantly glimpsed some images into the deeply personal life of the troubled but soulfully talented star and young man. Now, coming of age and no longer in the foundation of the pale-skin, eternal youth that made him the franchise face of the 'Twilight' walking undead saga, Pattinson is breaking new dawn in his career with this imagery interview by a vampire. The young great Brit tries his vocal hand at honing another American accent with inflection shades of Affleck. Yet his whole performance is punctuated with the strained and starved subtly of a raw-ly repressed journalist who's hungry not only for work, but the journal of that which will make a difference. Lucky for him, he has the no nonsense, experience is a teacher, 'prove yourself to me first' hand of Joel Edgerton as an engaging actor who speaks in fewer words than he writes, but is ink instrumental and influential in putting it all down on paper. It's a beat-down inspired performance from the versatile, character actor of our coming of time. The antithesis to Jimmy's biggest boss and potential match-striking career extinguisher in the cigar chomping Ben Kingsley. The opposite to his character in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's American dream to perform 'The Walk', but strolling the line of being on just as fine a form.

Yet we all know who this is about. Dean...or should we say Dane. DeHaan is perfect as James Dean. Giving us the Jimmy thing about the real man Hollywood knew as James Dean. At Times Square times buried in the rain and smokes of a winter coat this great Dane looks like classic Dean in photographic memory moments. The times his baby faced looks don't however, it doesn't matter this acting assassin still kills it in subtle nuances, grimaces and gestures. He has the attitude down from the voice to the studied mannerisms. It's more than just an amazing act, making for a perfect portrayal from the actor whose played everything from Ryan Gosling's son in 'The Place Beyond The Pines' to Norman Osborne's one as the ghastly Green Goblin in the newest 'Spider-Man' series...and has been 'Amazing' in them all. The latter we almost wish wasn't rebooted, even with the thanks to the rights of Marvel due to DeHaan's depth of performance which was so good at being villain bad it almost spun a new web into a 'Sinister Six', no superhero movie even before D.C's 'Suicide Squad' decided to hang it up. Here the mild-mannered Dane as James is still a measure of youthful revolt in angst and anxiety with a capturing of the crawl-space confides only confliction of what was the matter of the subject. A flat at times story may be up for debate but there's nothing to confuse here with how classic DeHaan is. Anytime a plot curveball is pitched up from New York City to Hollywood, Los Angeles, via the barn farms of Indiana it's only as a device that develops further the struggle of the illumination of the star of Dean and the photographer that tried to capture it in the right light. From the negatives to the reel we see projected on screens gives us the full story of a chapter of the mans life, even if sombrely and poem poignantly its never going to have a happy ending when this story is unfinished, leaving us chasing the end of this tale. Still what actor and actor subject give us is a poetic meditation of the calm amongst the chaos of a young life scripted to an ill-fated twist all too tragically taken too soon. Dane DeHaan gives us a brave and bold biopic in the Oscar time of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's 'The Walk', Johnny Depp's 'Black Mass', Lance Armstrong's 'The Program' and of course Michael Fassbender's 'Steve Jobs'. Maybe it's time to swipe away and look up from the phone of a man whose images is still iconic in this digital age of trend to trend, hash-tag forgetting. That's Jimmy. That's James Dean. And this is his 'Life'. TIM DAVID HARVEY.