Doomsday Gun

The film is based on the true story of the so-called Project Babylon, which had Dr. Gerald Bull build a "supergun" for the Iraqi government.

It also details the involvement of both, the British and US Government, who aided (directly or indirectly) the building of the gun and another, smaller one, referred to as Baby Babylon.

The give it more validity, the voices of (among others) George Bush, Margaret Thatcher and Al Gore are played over the last few moments. Ultimately, the project was more or less financed by the US tax payers while the Brits looked on, profiting from the export of the components of what they officially referred to as "oil pipes".

The telling is very factual and somewhat sterile, not making any of the characters too sympathetic, which keeps them at an emotional distance. The cast is brilliant and the story itself is stirring, though.

Dr. Bull was assassinated in 1990, practically ending the supergun project. However, his technology was later used by the Iraq in SCUD missiles.

5/10

Angst essen Seele auf (Ali: Fear Eats Soul)

This is the story of the relationship between Emmi and Ali.

Everyone around them disapproves of their love and subsequent marriage - her family and friends because Ali is an immigrant. As for Ali's friends, they appear to be pretty ambivalent about it, even though Emmi is considerably older than Ali.

Emmi's children give her hell, her work mates shun her at their lunch breaks and her grocer won't sell to her anymore. Nevertheless, the two try to stick it out.

But of course the two live in different worlds and they never really stood a chance.

Bleak and probably as true as it gets without getting overly violent.

7/10

Bunny and the Bull

Recluse Stephen, who hasn't left his apartment in a year, relives a road trip through Europe he took with his friend Bunny a while back.

And it is just plain weird.

4/10

The Day of the Jackal

The survivors of the French Foreign Legion have been trying to assassinate French president Charles DeGaulle reapeatedly, making the president one of the most closely guarded man in the world. After yet another failed attempt, as a last resort, they hire an English hit man to do the job, going by the code name "The Jackal".

The film details on the one hand the minutiae preparations of the Jackal for what he considers to be his last kill, because his profile as a hired killer would be raised so profoundly that he cannot work again. The hit requires him to change names, passports and appearances several times.

On the other hand, we follow the - at first secret - investigation of the French police into the group of Forein Legion members and eventually the Jackal. They edge their way closer to finding and stopping the assassination. Obviously there are a few setbacks, most importantly leaked information.

After the Jackal finds out that his identity has been compromised and the mission is to be aborted, the pushes on nonetheless, possibly as a matter of pride.

This is one of Fred Zinneman's last films. Very dense and intriguing.

7/10

A Night to Remember

One of many dramatizations of the sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage.

Here, the focus is not so much on a handful of people only (as it was in James Cameron's cheesy version) but on groups representing the different classes as well as showing the entire palette of reactions to the tragedy. While some panic, some are rather incredulous, almost joking about what they never believe that the unsinkable ship will really go down.

All this it does very gracefully without all the sensationalism that was to come in later versions (again, see James Cameron). Of course, it also gives the classical visual of the often told tale of the band that continued to play until the very end.

Really good.

8/10

Exam

Eight people are in the run for a job as assistant for an elusive CEO of a company trying to engineer medication to eradicate a pandemic. The applicants are sat down in a room - each one with one piece of paper in front of them. They are told that on the sheet there is a question and they are to answer it. For this the have 80 minutes time.

When they turn their paper around it is empty. Or is it? The spend the time given them by trying to find out if words can be seen with help of liquid, lights etc. As it is also pretty clear that only one person can get the coveted job, they soon start turning on each other to try and eliminate the competition.

The candidates puzzle over the question and dissect every word they have been told. It is all very gimmicky but nonetheless entertaining and thrilling. Sometimes all you need to make a decent film is one room and a handful of actors.

6/10

King Rat

British soldiers, together with a handful of US Americans and Australians, are incarcerated in Chengi prison, Singapore. They move about relatively free but are kept in check by the ocean and jungle.

The POWs are gaunt and wearing tethered clothes, except for the US Corporal King who has established quite the florishing black market business. The soldiers he shares his hut with cater to his every whim, as they do profit off of his sense of business and survival. King pays off a number of other soldiers and gives them cuts of his earnings.

When he spots a British soldier, Marlowe, who is quite adapt in communicating with the enemy soldiers, he offers to employ him as a translator. Marlowe is not interested at first but eventually succumbs to the charms and the slightly better life offered to friends of King. The one trying to keep everyone in check and make sure that each soldier gets his fair share of rations is British Lt. Grey, who is almost too straight for his own good.

One way that Marlow profits from his friendship with King is that when he gets severely injured and is in danger of losing his arm to gangrene, it is King that pays for the medication needed to prevent the amputation.

But the end of the war also puts an end to King's reign. He - like the rest of them - has to go back to his real life, where his position is surely not as special as in the camp.

Not too spectacular but very well acted, I thought. King is played by George Segal, Grey by Tom Courtenay and Marlowe by James Fox (who I have been seeing quite a lot of lately....).

8/10