Moody, impressionistic Malick at his best.
Knight of Cups
Grade: A-
Director: Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)
Screenplay: Malick
Cast: Christian Bale (The Big Short), Cate Blanchett (Carol)
Rating: R
Runtime:
by John DeSando
“To suffer binds you to something higher than yourself, higher than your own will. Takes you from the world to find what lies beyond it.” Fr. Zeitlinger (Armin Mueller-Stahl)
Rick (Christian Bale) suffers with memories and love just as Fellini’s director, Guido (Marcello Mastroianni), did in 8 ½. It’s mostly about the existential anguish of not knowing yourself well enough to make winning decisions especially where beautiful women are concerned, including wives. Although it’s probable that some of Knight of Cups is about director Terrence Malick’s life, the rambling narrative is just as much about any human being’s questions concerning the meaningful life, love being the dominant motif.
I am a Malick fan, his Tree of Life one of the premiere films of 2011. I like Emmanuel Lubezki’s lyrical cinematography and Malick’s poetic point of view where visual and intellectual marry for a child of intense introspection about the meaning of life. Where, after all, can you find visuals of Los Angeles and Las Vegas that are heavenly even in the face of rampant materialism?
Rick (Christian Bale) is a Hollywood writer and entrepreneur who is more obsessed about his female relationships than his opportunities as an artist. The suffering of the above opening quote is his concern about the meaninglessness of his life. His hedonistic lifestyle could be exacting its payment due: “Let’s live like nobody has done before . . . wicked,” says Della (Imogen Poots).
At any rate, he mopes through various exotic LA locales with their Malick-typical sharp-edged iciness, the young women ephemeral more than meaningful. Knight of Cups is a lyrical, painterly work of art, whose strength is its revelations about humanity that lie behind beautiful, lingering images.
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.rr.com
