Do We Say Hail To An Impersonator Chief?

While the endless election campaign unfolds south of the border, I thought the occasional review of a movie featuring a fictional (and inevitably better than most of the current crop of candidates) president would do nicely. I'm starting with this one.

“Hail to the chief, he’s the one we all say hail to. We all say hail ‘cause he keeps himself so clean! He’s got the power, that’s why he’s in the shower...” ~ Dave Kovic

“Why couldn’t you die from a stroke like everyone else?” ~ Ellen Mitchell

“I’m going to kill him.” ~ Bob Alexander 

“You can’t kill a President.” ~ Alan Reed 

“He’s not a president. He’s an ordinary person. I can kill an ordinary person.” ~ Bob Alexander

“What do you do for a living?” ~ Ellen Mitchell 

“You mean when I’m not running the country?” ~ Dave Kovic

In 1993, director Ivan Reitman brought a political comedy, Dave, to theatres, a film with an exceptional cast and a light but smart tone. The director, known for his deft touch with comedy, took the script by Gary Ross, later known for other screenplays and directing gigs of his own, and ran with it. The film is a fun, optimistic movie that pokes fun at politics, while giving the audience a tremendously likeable protagonist who comes into his own in an unlikely position.

The film opens with Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline), who runs a temp agency helping people find work, while occasionally impersonating President Bill Mitchell (Kline in a dual role) at various events as a gag. He is approached by Duane Stevenson (Ving Rhames) to pose as the President for real- after an official function in Washington. Dave assumes it’s a security issue, while in fact it’s so that the President can have a tryst with one of his White House staffers.

While Dave enjoys himself making a presidential exit, assuming that’s all there is to it, the President suffers a stroke during his interlude with his mistress, ending up in a coma. White House staffers, Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) and White House communication director Alan Reed (Kevin Dunn), convince Dave to carry on with the impersonation, and Dave finds himself in the position of the most powerful man on the planet- complete with a First Lady (Sigourney Weaver) who despises her husband and a Vice President (Ben Kingsley) who he’s been warned is unbalanced.

Ross had the idea for several years before the film was made; he wrote the script while working on the Michael Dukakis campaign in 1988. His association with the producer, Lauren Shuler-Donner, got the connections to make the film, though there were delays until Reitman was available to direct. Ross would later end up writing and directing projects like Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, and The Hunger Games, and had previously written the script for Big, so he already had the required experience with comedy and characterization, which shows itself in the script for the film. The story has a breezy pace, with smart dialogue, a lot of in-jokes and nods to the political process. There’s also a fundamentally optimistic sensibility to the film; while one sees the cynicism of political operators, that is strongly contrasted by people of principles and integrity (in politics? Really?).

Reitman was a perfect choice for directing this film, with a streak of comedy films to his credit, including Ghostbusters, Twins, Animal House, and Kindergarten Cop. While the film is a comedy, and Reitman plays it that way, there are serious issues to it as well- the responsibility of power, the concept of social justice, and the notion of integrity- and Reitman doesn’t shy away from that either. He moves the film along briskly throughout- there never seems to be a slow, dull moment. Reitman’s directing style matches the warm tone of the script, strongly centered on an inherently decent person who proves to be quick on his feet. Reitman brought in a wealth of cameos along the way- from political insiders to media to actors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger- and shot the film on sets that feel like the real thing, giving the whole production a sense of authenticity.

The cast are all brilliantly chosen for their roles. Charles Grodin appears as Dave’s friend Murray, an accountant who’s no doubt used to years of helping his friend ensure that his clients get some work. Grodin plays the character as somewhat exasperated, and then stunned at what his friend has actually signed onto. Ben Kingsley is perfect as Vice President Gary Nancy; the VP is not the lunatic he’s made out to be, but instead a man of integrity and character. Ving Rhames is well cast as Duane. The actor brings the right tone of seriousness and no nonsense authority as a Secret Service presidential detail chief, all business and very little warmth, at least at first. He’s dedicated to his job, not that talkative, but as Dave gets to know him, the audience gets to like him.

The two chief staffers in on the conspiracy are played by wonderful character actors, both of whom play their roles in different ways. Kevin Dunn plays Alan Reed as sympathetic, more or less pulled into the idea despite his own reservations. He’s smart and savvy, and still has a conscience regardless of the hare brained scheme he’s become involved in. By contrast, Frank Langella’s Bob Alexander is a marvellous Machiavellian antagonist, a scheming and ruthless political operator with plans of his own, no conscience at all, and no scruples. The character is an opportunistic, ambitious weasel. Langella has spent many years of his career playing villains, and throughout the film seems to be having fun chewing the scenery.

Sigourney Weaver worked with Reitman on Ghostbusters, and she gets to play the First Lady in different ways. When we first see her, she seems cold and aloof, but when it’s clear that the President is a cheat, we can understand why. Dave is shocked when he discovers that she hates him- to great comic effect. And yet there are strongly held principles beneath the ice queen exterior, as well as a sharp mind. As the film goes along, it is a pleasure to watch her character get to know the impersonator in the Oval Office, and Weaver has great chemistry with Kline.

And speaking of the leading man, Kevin Kline is perfect as the idealistic, decent, and lovable Dave Kovic. He might seem completely out of his element taking on the impersonation gig, but he really comes into his own playing the part of the President. In fact, it’s more than one performance, as the actor plays Dave, the sleazy president Mitchell, and Dave posing as the president. Kline is charming and gives the role a spirited performance; he’s as good a dramatic actor as he is with comedic material, and the script gives him plenty to work with.

While we deal with a seemingly endless presidential campaign filled with negativity and toxic personalities, it’s refreshing to see a presidential comedy peopled with characters who understand decency, integrity, and principle. Dave has all of that, playing around with the idea of a political impersonator who’s better at the job than the man he replaces, and the film brings a rich sense of humour along the way. It’s a delight to watch.

Once Upon Twelfth Night, Or What You Will

Some links before I get started today. Norma wrote about medical issues and a new idea.  Yesterday having had been a Friday, Parsnip had a Square Dog Friday post. Krisztina had Thanksgiving ideas. Shelly related some family history. The Whisk posted about meatloaf.

Today I have a movie review....

“Make no compare between that love a woman can bear me and that I owe Olivia.” ~ Orsino

“The more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brother’s soul being in heaven.” ~ Feste

“I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you.” ~ Malvolio

“Why this is very midsummer’s madness.” ~ Olivia

“I left no ring with her! What means this lady? Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her.” ~ Viola

Aside from a place of prominence on stage for centuries, the works of the Bard have often been adapted for the big screen by a wealth of creative talent. Laurence Olivier was a master in the genre in the classic era, and Kenneth Branagh has returned to Shakespeare’s works many times in our era. One of his best comedies, Twelfth Night, has often been staged around the world, but not so often brought into the cinema. The story that plays around with gender bending humour and upstairs-downstairs dynamics in a wealthy household appeals to audiences after all this time, and the roles are particularly sought after by actors. British stage director Trevor Nunn adapted the story for the silver screen in 1996, setting it in the 19^th Century with a mixture of Victorian and Central European influences.

We first meet a pair of twins, Viola (Imogen Stubbs) and Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh) aboard a ship bound for home in Messaline. A storm wrecks their ship, and the twins are separated, each believing the other is dead. Viola washes up on the shore of Illyria with most of the survivors. Devastated by her grief, uncertain of where to go, and in a country in a state of perpetual tension with her own, she asks the captain to help her disguise herself as a man.

Viola takes on the name Cesario, coming into the employment of the Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens). He’s infatuated with the Countess Olivia (Helena Bonham Carter), who will see no suitors after the recent death of her brother. He sends Cesario with messages of his love for Olivia in the hopes that a new face might be admitted, and off she goes. Things get considerably complicated when Olivia finds Cesario much more interesting than the pleadings of the Duke. While all of this is going on, Sebastian is still out there, in the company of a sailor, Antonio (Nicholas Farrell). And there’s household politics going on in the home of Olivia. Her pompous steward Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorne) is at odds with her drunken uncle Sir Toby Belch (Mel Smith) and his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Richard E. Grant). Maria (Imelda Staunton), Fabian (Peter Gunn), and the fool Feste (Ben Kingsley) are all caught up in Sir Toby’s plot to bring about the downfall of the prudish steward.

Nunn as a director has done a tremendous mixture of work, mostly on stage, but also on television and film, and he goes back and forth between Shakespeare and contemporary work. He adapted Shakespeare’s play for the big screen, condensing where needed for a movie running time, and wisely chose to set it in a mid-19^th Century setting. The clothing varies between a mixture of Victorian styles, particularly for the women, and north Central European, in terms of uniforms for Orsino and his men. The props, things like muskets, for instance, or horse drawn wagons, feel very much of that era. This is a good decision, since Shakespeare seems to work particularly well in that era (Elizabethan era fashions, sufficed to say, look abysmal). He shot the film on location in the Cornwall area of England, particularly at two country houses, Padstow and Lanhydrock House, and the locations are beautiful, both a contrast from each other, both feeling very much like the domains of their residents. Nunn’s style of telling the story moves things along nicely, and respects the dialogue, which is an essential requirement in Shakespeare.

The crew makes full use of the locations to their advantage, and it leaves the audience wishing to walk through those halls, stroll through those gardens, and spend time in a place that feels familiar all while passing itself off as a fictional country. I enjoyed the way Nunn filmed the work as a whole- it doesn’t feel like theatrical staging, and yet respects its origins and its humour. He opens up with the shipwreck, for instance, an event alluded to in the play, but not seen, and he does well with it. Compare this opening sequence, for instance, with the closing sequence two years later in Shakespeare In Love, where Gwyneth Paltrow’s Viola, the inspiration for the character in that particular film, survives a shipwreck. A long interlude in a garden maze, for instance, where Malvolio is being lured into a trap by his antagonist through a letter, is filmed in a way that allows the audience to keep track of where everyone is. And a duel between Cesario and Sir Andrew has a brisk, chaotic, and very funny manner in the way Nunn films it.

When we first meet Olivia, she’s in mourning clothes, all black, including a veil, and the costuming department wisely change that as the story goes along. She’s charmed by Cesario, and that reflects itself in the lighter, more colourful clothing she wears. The costuming department also came up with just the right look for the uniforms of Orsino and his court. The soldiers all look very much like military officers, and rather like the sort of people you don’t want to start a fight with, all while still looking like they’re out of the 19^th Century. One other aspect from the crew’s side of things that I enjoyed is the work of composer Shaun Davey. He’s an Irish composer who works mostly in classical composition, but has occasionally turned to film scores, in projects like Waking Ned Devine and The Tailor Of Panama. Davey weaves together romantic and comedic themes, and uses a mixture of symphonic orchestra and solo instruments in this score. He also adapts Shakespeare’s lyrics for the occasional song by Feste (Ben Kingsley really does have a good singing voice).

The cast are all marvelous in their roles, drawn from British acting circles, mostly from stage backgrounds. Nicholas Farrell has that background, has been on the big screen in Othello, Branagh’s film adaptation of Hamlet, as well as Amazing Grace. His Antonio is something of a fugitive, a man with reason to avoid the court of Orsino, having had once been in conflict with them. Nonetheless, he is a loyal friend to Sebastian after saving his life, putting himself in peril by staying with him. And at a critical moment late in the play, he shares in the confusion many other characters have about the twins- and has an angry reaction that works perfectly, hinting at the gravity of the actor. 

Steven Mackintosh gets the part of Sebastian, which can be something of a thankless role. The audience is much more invested in his twin sister, so he gets the short end of things. Mackintosh bears enough of a resemblance to Stubbs that the audience can buy the twins angle of it all, even while we must suspend disbelief that no one is really noticing slight differences in their appearances. He gets more to do as things move towards the end of the film, particularly in getting confused by the lady Olivia and getting caught up in a fight with people he’s never met, and yet who think he’s someone else.

The late Nigel Hawthorne (Yes Minister, Richard III, Demolition Man, Amistad) gets a great role as Malvolio- as much of a pompous ass as the character is, actors love to play him. He’s full of himself as the story begins, a man who sees himself as the model of good behaviour, and who frowns on misbehaviour such as that coming from Toby and Andrew. He’s a sanctimonious man, sneering at anyone who he dislikes, and feeling very much in charge of the household. He’s devoted to Olivia, even harbouring feelings for her. And while he certainly deserves his comeuppance- and it gives the actor some wonderful comedic opportunities- we can’t help but feel for the man by the time it’s all done. It’s a performance that brings out laughter and yet works in a poignant way as well.

Imelda Staunton would, years later, go on to play the seemingly polite but really malicious Dolores Umbridge in a couple of the Harry Potter films. This was the first time I ever saw her in a film, and I like her as Maria, Olivia’s closest servant, the senior maid in the house. She scolds Feste, who has a habit of wandering off whenever he pleases, and scolds Sir Toby for his drunkenness, but at the same time, there’s a fondness in the character for both, and Staunton particularly has good chemistry with both Smith and Kingsley.

The late Mel Smith, who was so delightful as the Albino in The Princess Bride, has a comic touch in most of his previous work in Britain. He plays the debauched, drunken foolish uncle Toby in just the right way. He’s a man who likes his drink, who’s rather crude and can be occasionally even unpleasant. He dislikes with intensity the tut-tut attitude of Malvolio- there’s a moment or two that we can imagine Toby hitting Malvolio just on principle. There’s also something of a devious, opportunistic side to the character, perfectly willing to benefit from his friend’s untimely death if it comes to that, or finding himself entertained by manipulating his friend into a duel. If we knew this guy in real life, we’d avoid him, and yet as a character he’s amusing.

Richard E. Grant gets another good role as Sir Andrew, a man who loves to drink, thinks of himself as a bright and eligible fellow, and yet is really, really stupid. He has designs of his own on Olivia, and yet is oblivious to her dislike of him. He fails to pick up on social cues from other characters, things that most people would grasp immediately. He doesn’t seem to understand that his friend is playing him for a fool. And when it comes down to it, Sir Andrew is something of a coward. Grant gets to play all of these qualities, and does so in a way that tickles the funnybone.

Ben Kingsley might be playing the fool in all of this, but his Feste is the wisest character in the whole story. He moves back and forth between the two households, playing whatever musical instrument he might have at hand, offering up wisecracking commentary on all that’s going on. Beneath his foolery and irreverence, however, there is a wise man, and one of empathy. There’s a great fondness between he and Olivia, who is unhappy at his absence when things start out, and yet completely lets her guard down with him and lets herself grieve in a way she won’t with anyone else. He sees Viola for who she is, even under the guise of a page, and banters with her from time to time in a way that clearly shows how smart he is. And yet even he is confused at one point. It’s a great performance from one of the best actors around, and Kingsley’s Feste is such an enjoyable character.

Toby Stephens comes from good English acting stock; his father was Sir Robert Stephens, a highly regarded Shakespearean actor, and his mother is the incomparable Maggie Smith. Stephens has done much of his work on stage, but has also appeared in movies like Die Another Day and Possession. His Orsino is a love-sick nobleman, very much in charge of his land. Stephens gives him the gravity the role requires- we can certainly believe him as a man respected by those who serve him. He gives the role the quality of a natural leader. At the same time, he plays the man as possessed by a love he cannot have, a brooding sort you might expect to meet in a Jane Austen novel (one wonders what he could do as Mr. Darcy), and totally oblivious to the affections of the young woman who’s passing herself off as a man in his employ. Viola as Cesario might allude to things in conversation, but she can’t say it, and part of the charm of the film is in how Orsino and Viola deal with each other. The dynamic between them plays off the way men and women look at the same aspects of life, particularly love.

Helena Bonham Carter is one of my favourite actresses, and rarely does she falter in a role (when it does happen, it’s generally the fault of someone else, such as in The Lone Ranger). She has to run the gauntlet of emotions as Olivia, starting out in a state of deep grief, withdrawing from the world, devastated by death in her family. Out of that though, and because of the influence of an impertinent page sent by Orsino, she comes back to life, and Carter plays that aspect in just the right way. She’s charmed by Cesario, finds herself drawn to ‘his’ irreverence, and is pretty much seduced in their first meeting without even realizing it. It draws her out of her grief, cheering her up, and she finds herself hopelessly attracted to Cesario, having no idea that Cesario is a fiction and the object of her affections is a woman. She sparkles in the role.

Imogen Stubbs also comes from a largely theatrical background in Britain, though she’s done some international work on film as well. She was the romantic rival of Emma Thompson in Sense & Sensibility, for instance. She was married to Nunn at the time this film was made, and it’s a great part for her to play. Viola is a comedic role, both poignant and funny, and as an audience, we root for her. She gains our sympathy early on in her mistaken belief that her brother is dead, and shifts into a more comic side of things as she learns how to walk, talk, and act like a man. She’s caught up in romantic misunderstanding, and yet the way she reacts amuses us, and shows us a woman who improvises and adapts as the situation requires it. Stubbs makes us empathize with Viola, charms us with her personality, and delights us with her response to the state of affairs she finds herself caught up in. And she has great chemistry with both Carter and Stephens in a rather unlikely love triangle that only gets more complicated as things go along.

Shakespeare gained immortality through his work, still performed today, and in fact best seen in performance, where the words come to life. It’s impossible for anyone to agree on what they might think of as his best work, but among his comedies, Twelfth Night is my personal favourite. I’ve seen it staged several times, as well as a couple of television versions. This cinematic adaptation is a favourite for me; it modernizes the setting, but holds onto the meaning of the play and respects Shakespeare's dialogue. It has a wonderful cast with extensive stage experience in Shakespeare, all well suited for their roles. And it maintains the great sense of humour and the romantic misadventures of Shakespeare’s play, all while giving the story the poignancy and tenderness it deserves.

Tony, You Could Do With Some Sleep

"Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher." ~ The Mandarin, Iron Man 3

Robert Downey Jr. is back as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in the third solo film for the Marvel comics character, and the fourth after last year's Avengers. The film starts out in the past, on New Year's Eve 1999 in Switzerland, where Tony is in the midst of seducing a botanist, Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and crosses paths with a bookish and socially inept businessman-scientist named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has a business proposal for him. Both characters will figure prominently what follows.

Flash forward to the present, where Tony is dealing with anxiety attacks and nightmares in the wake of the alien invasion of New York during Avengers. This is added onto his usual obsessive compulsive disorder, and he spends much of his time in his workshop, building new armors, experimenting with ideas that include remote controlled armor. His girlfriend Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) is running his company, his friend Colonel Rhodes( Don Cheadle) is using the War Machine armor for the military, newly renamed the Iron Patriot, and his other friend and former bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) has moved up to head up security for the company. Tony is pouring his energy into work, avoiding issues. Pepper, on the other hand, is navigating the corporate side of things, including a meeting with Killian, much less bookish and socially inept now. His company is working on a new project called Extremis, that might well regenerate damaged bodies by recoding DNA; it's a concept that Pepper can't sign off on, due to ethical considerations. As it is, Extremis is unstable in some people... leading to very bad consequences.

Meanwhile, America is coming under threat from a mysterious terrorist calling himself the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). He's capable of hijacking the airwaves, broadcasting apocalyptic videos and threats, carrying out attacks through his henchmen, challenging even the American President (William Sadler). These attacks include explosions with no trace of bomb debris, carried out by gunmen who are living weapons powered by Extremis, capable of regenerating from wounds, of transferring lethal heat to bystanders and turning them in effect into a walking bomb. One of the attacks wounds Hogan, and sets Tony on a collision course with the Mandarin, a course that threatens the people he loves and forces him to deal with the issues that he's been trying to avoid.

The director's chair has been taken over by Shane Black, a screenwriter from the Lethal Weapon series who has moved into directing, most recently working with Downey in the caper comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He mostly handles the film well, taking the reins from Favreau, who's one of the producers this time out. There's a bit off in a climactic scene with numerous Iron Man armors set at a dockworks; I found the camerawork a bit too close into the action at times, and thought it could have benefitted somewhat from having a more distant perspective. Essentially this is an editing issue that I would have preferred being done in a different fashion. These moments in that sequence were more than compensated for, however.

The action set pieces for the most part work very well, particularly one set at Tony's cliffside mansion and another involving a mid-air rescue. Black has assembled a good crew throughout, particularly in the designs of the armors. The Iron Patriot armor, a red white and blue design based on a comic book plotline (long story, don't ask, and it was written by a complete hack of a writer who I call He Who Loves The Sound Of His Own Voice... hi, Darth Bendis!) at least has the right guy in the armor this time out, and I do like the design. The CGI works well, particularly the Extremis-fuelled henchmen and the effects of the procedure on the body. Black and his crew keep the story moving along, taking Tony out of the armor for good portions of the film, putting him in a situation where he has to keep a low profile. The story is true to character, though the casual viewer might find the motivation of the villain needs a bit of fleshing out. I caught it, but it might pass by someone else.

I did appreciate the little details of the screenplay and the nods towards the comics. Killian's company as Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM, is one such example. AIM is an organization with a nefarious and long history in the comics and a tendency to have annoyed most every super-hero out there, and it's good to see the concept used here. And an executive being held hostage by the Mandarin at one point is identified as working for the Roxxon Corporation. Roxxon is a company with a shady reputation in the comics, one that makes Bernie Madoff look respectable. Even the Extremis procedure- adapted from a comics plotline- reminded me of other Iron Man villains, the Melter or Firebrand.

The film is cast very well indeed. Favreau has been something of the comic relief in his cameos in these films, and that's true here, though he's also a guy who takes his job seriously... and can be overzealous about it. Paul Bettany returns as the voice of the computer system JARVIS, and as ever has that dry British wit in his voiceovers. William Sadler as the President is an interesting turn for the actor. I'm more used to him playing the heavy or the villain (his ruthless Colonel Stuart in Die Hard 2 comes to mind) that it's unusual seeing him as a principled political leader. Rebecca Hall is one of those wonderfully expressive actors with great range. I first noticed her in The Prestige, and enjoy her work. As Maya, she's linked to Killian, and her work leads to the Extremis process. Hall plays her in a way that's quite enigmatic, but it makes the character work so well.

Guy Pearce has a history of playing flawed characters or villains, and he's so very compelling at it. He first got noticed for playing the ambitious cop in L.A. Confidential, and he's played many roles since, including my favourite role for him, the vindictive Fernand Mondeo in The Count Of Monte Cristo. He starts out here as something of a geek in the past, a charming and suave man in the present, and gradually we start to see the dark and malicious layers beneath. He makes for a formidable presence in the film.

Sir Ben Kingsley steps in as the Mandarin, and the character is a significant departure from the comics. There he was a Chinese man empowered by alien rings. Here he is something of an Osama bin Laden-like man, a dark threat from the shadows. His ethnicity is uncertain; he speaks in an American accent, though he wears ten rings and the robes of the Far East. His ominous threats via video mark him as a serious threat, and yet there is more to him. Of which I will say no more. I will say that Kingsley, one of those actors who's usually the most interesting part of a film, plays the various facets of this man very well indeed. Of his previous work, I've always had a fondness for his turn as Feste the Fool in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, a version from the nineties (if you haven't seen it, look it up). There's a moment or two here where Feste doesn't seem that far off... 

The returning cast, of course, is exceptional. Don Cheadle is back for the second time as Rhodes, after being cast in the role in the second film to replace the underwhelming Terrence Howard from the first one. Cheadle carries himself like a soldier and an officer, a good touch for the character. He has something of a sense of humor, the occasional impatience with his friend Tony, and he gets plenty to do this time out, as himself and in the Iron Patriot armor. Even though he's not fond of the moniker.

Gwyneth Paltrow has been playing this role in four films now. Her take on Pepper suits the character's history: spirited and feisty, but smart and capable. She worries about Tony, conveying the long history the two have, and she's believable as someone running a company. And the way she and Downey work together comes across as very natural.

The film belongs to Robert Downey Jr. He has given the character such a signature interpretation that it's hard to visualize anyone else playing Tony Stark. He brings across the character's sleepless obsessive streak, and rightly conveys the symptoms of an anxiety attack, something that's understandable given what the character has been through. When he realizes a way to deal with the anxiety (with help, mind you), it's simple and direct... and at the right time. He spends much of this picture out of the armor, and it's a good thing. It reminds us that Tony's greatest weapon isn't that armor, it's his mind and his ingenuity. Downey conveys all of these qualities, gives Tony his motormouth sarcasm... and even empathy, which shows itself from time to time.

I had a lot of fun watching the film. There's a lot of action, but the characterization was true to itself, the pacing of the film kept things moving along nicely, and even the small details were very welcome. In closing, keep your eyes open for a couple of cameos. Stan Lee does one of his signature appearances here, but it's a blink and you will miss it sort of thing. And in the sequence set in the past, a character killed off in the first film turns up briefly. That was a surprise to me.

And don't leave until the credits are finished. The post-credit scene features another cameo, and is probably the best of these post-credit scenes in these films. You'll get a kick out of it.