Monday, August 4, 2008

Gangster 101

Author(s): Brian
Location: Arizona

“Gangster 101”

Written and Directed by Wes Anderson
Produced by Martin Scorsese and Graham King
Music by David Julyan

Principal Cast:

Steve Buscemi (Luther King)
Julianne Moore (Julie Adams)
Bebe Neuwirth (Jamie Worth)
Alan Arkin (Anthony King)
Anthony Hopkins (Principal Rodney Slater)
Justin Berfield (Scott Worth)

Tagline: "Gunplay. Drug Dealing. 7th Period"

Synopsis: Luther King is the worst person in the world. He cheats, he lies and he resorts to violence as the answer to everything. What’s even worse is that, for the countless number of times he’s been on trial, he is always found not guilty. That is probably because his lawyer, Julie Adams, is at the top of her game. She has developed a strong relationship with Luther, mainly because about 90% of her cases involve him in some way. Luther is head of The Blood-Shredders, one of Chicago’s most prominent street gangs. All seems to go well, until a massive gang, led by the notorious Jamie Worth, who uses her body as a way to get out of everything, murders generally everyone in The Blood-Shredders, except for Luther and his best friend Sam Richards. Luther moves in with his father, Anthony, who is completely oblivious to his son’s criminal record, and is left with no idea where to go. He has lost his job and nearly all his friends. So, he resorts to the last straw: teaching. He earned a teaching degree in college, as a cover-up for his life as a criminal. He finds a job as an English teacher at Cornerstone High School, an uptight, high-class public school with the neurotic and compulsive principal Rodney Slater. After a few months at that job, Luther discovers that he can teach his students the methods he has learned from the street and take them to the classroom to re-form his failed gang and eventually get back at Jamie. He has to do this extremely subtly, not only because it is painfully illegal, but also because Jamie’s son, problem-child Scott Worth, is in his class. Meanwhile, Jamie is unfolding a plan to finally get Luther, and starts an affair with his father and Sam. And, to top all off, Julie finds herself falling for Luther. We watch as this it all comes together in this crime farce.

What the press would say:

When I first heard that Martin Scorsese would be co-producing a comedy, I, like most, was apprehensive. But, after seeing this, I can truly say that he made the right choice. “Gangster 101” is not only the funniest films this year, but is also the cleverest. Steve Buscemi is absolutely phenomenal as Luther King, a retired gangster. He uses the exact same methods he does when he plays the creepy-criminal-guy in dramas, only with a comedic script. Bebe Neuwirth is also fabulous as Jamie, Luther’s long-time rival. It is hilarious to watch this glamorous star as an all-out gangster in one scene, and a total whore in another (the chemistry between Buscemi and Neuwirth is also amazing, as displayed in the riotous parent-teacher conference scene). Julianne Moore also turns in phenomenal work, as one of the only characters in the film with no dirty laundry. But, let’s be honest, the real show-stealer here is Alan Arkin. He gives without question the best performance of the year as Luther’s light-headed father, taking everything with a positive attitude. I laughed myself breathless when Neuwirth’s character asks him “Do you like naughty girls?” as she begins to seduce him, and he responds “Dictionary naughty or slang naughty?” To compliment these wonderful performances, Wes Anderson makes his best film yet, with his compelling and extremely smart screenplay and edgy style of direction. All I can say is that this could be a dark horse Oscar contender, with a strong campaign in the following categories…

Best Picture (Martin Scorsese and Graham King)
Best Directior (Wes Anderson)
Best Actor (Steve Buscemi)
Best Actress (Bebe Neuwirth)
Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore)
Best Screenplay (Wes Anderson)
Best Film Editing
Best Cinematography

No comments: