Starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, this latest film from La La Land director Damien Chazelle is an ode to the early hedonistic days of Hollywood.
Set in 1920’s Los Angeles, the film is an epic three hour ensemble which charts the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity.
Robbie puts her heart and soul into the role of Nellie LaRoy, an ambitious young actress desperate for her first break, while Diego Calva delivers a star making turn as Manny Torres, a young dreamer who falls for Nellie’s irresistible charm and believes film making is the ultimate profession.
The pairs ascent is countered by Pitt, in his best role since his 2019 oscar, as Jack Conrad a seasoned actor who, struggling to make the transition to talking pictures, finds his star on the wain.
Jovan Adepo also features as talented Jazz musician Sidney Palmer, coping with the inherent racism of the time, but he isn’t given quite as much to do as the other three. The quartet dip in and out of each other’s lives as their stories intertwine
It’s not every day a studio gives a filmmaker free rein over a completely original feature, but following the success of his previous films, Paramount did just that, reportedly granting Chazelle 100 million to write and direct Babylon.
The result is bold, brash and at times hilariously purile. Five minutes into my viewing of the film, after witnessing an elephant defecate all over an unfortunate individual and a prostitute urinate over a naked fat man, an elderly lady walked out of the screening, never to return. It’s safe to say Babylon pulls no punches and the easily offended should definitely give this a wide berth. Yet seeing a filmmaker let loose in this way is so refreshing. Despite its mammoth runtime the film never drags, its kinetic pace, propelled by Justin Hurwitz’s bombastic score, leaps from one captivating set piece to the next, making for a riveting viewing experience.
The twisted excess is taken to a new level in the final third and features a demented cameo from Tobey Maguire, before a much talked about time hopping montage comes completely out of the blue, ending the film on a rather peculiar note.
This, like the film itself has already divided people, and while it’s true Babylon won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, amongst the unhinged, cocaine taking extravagance of it all, Chazzelle’s unbridled ambition is there for all to see.
Babylon may be flawed, but it’s hard not to admire the sheer audacity of filmmaking like this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@grittster
26/01/23