Every year, more and more movies get released, to the point that it’s impossible for any publication short of Variety and THR that can catch all of them and review all of them weekly. There are a lot of reasons for this, including the advancement of digital filmmaking, which is a lot less expensive and has opened the door for more adaptable directors to get big ideas made for less money. The bad news is that, with approximately 50-75 genuinely good or great movies being released every year (by my count), this makes it harder to hunt down very good movies if they aren’t available digitally.
I’m blaming this whole mishigas on how I’m just now learning thatLarry Charles, the director behindBoratandThe Dictator, directed a movie aboutGary Faulkner, the man who went to Pakistan with a sword to hunt downOsama bin Laden. The movie is calledArmy of Oneand will arrive on home video on November 4th. Then there’s the other shoe that must drop:Nicolas Cageis playing Faulkner in the film, who receives his mission while having a vision of God (Russell Brand). It’s a great story for both Cage and Charles, who both have talent that could be used to great effect here, but one has to wonder if, as withThe Dictator, Charles' political outrage and cynicism will weaken the overall power of the movie. There are signs of that already inArmy of One’s trailer, which you can take a look at below, but I’m holding out hope that both director and star actually wanted to make something as funny and furious as it is memorable and moving. We’ll know better when November 4th arrives, only a few days before another political spectacle hits America.
Here’s the trailer forArmy of One:
Here’s the official synopsis forArmy of One:
Gary Faulkner (Cage) is an ex-con, unemployed handyman, and modern day Don Quixote who receives a vision from God (Brand) telling him to capture Osama Bin Laden. Armed with only a single sword purchased from a home-shopping network, Gary travels to Pakistan to complete his mission. While on his quest, Gary encounters old friends back home in Colorado, the new friends he makes in Pakistan, the enemies he makes at the CIA - and even God and Osama themselves.Wendi McLendon-Covey,Rainn Wilson,andPaul Scheeralso star in this hilarious tale of patriotism and one man’s quest for justice.
