Two Movie Reviews

A couple weekends ago, I found time to see The Sheep Detectives, a film whose title tells you exactly what it's about. Yes, a flock of sheep solves the murder of their shepherd, helping the inept local constable spot clues he otherwise would have missed. Despite not being the brightest of species (in fact, they have a way of forgetting things they find too painful to think about), they are aided in the case by one ewe's particularly keen mind, a certain ram's wisdom (he's the exception to the rule about being able to forget), the courage of the black sheep of the flock and the outcast, winter lamb's observant mind.

Playing human characters in the movie are Hugh Jackman as the murder victim, Nicholas Braun (Succession) as the town cop, Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White and Royal Blue) as a reporter who offers to help solve the case, Molly Gordon (Theater Camp) as the shepherd's daughter who becomes a suspect, Tosin Cole (Doctor Who) as a rival shepherd, Hong Chau (an Oscar nominee for The Whale) as an abrasive inkeeper, and Emma Thompson as an estate lawyer. Meanwhile, on the voice cast side (as various sheep) you'll hear the voices of Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, The X-Men), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep), Chris O'Dowd (The IT Crowd), Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, The Worst Witch), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) and Laraine Newman (an original cast member of Saturday Night Live).

The sheep characters are beautifully portrayed by I know not what movie magic; I'd rather not dig too deeply and find out they were all CGI. There are some belly laughs, a lot of wit, a wonderful variety of characters and heartfelt relationships, some very sad and touching moments, and of course the adventure the sheep have, with their whole interesting way of viewing the world. As for the mystery, which is the main thrust of the storyline, I had kind of guessed whodunit at an early stage and wasn't terribly surprised to be proven right. But you decide for yourself if it's a stimulating mystery.

Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) Sebastian, the solitary ram who low-key keeps the other sheep safe, tells the story of how he became part of the flock. It's a very moving moment. He has another, but I won't spoil that for you. (2) The town cop finally figures out what the sheep have been trying to tell him, and solves the case. (3) When Lily, the hero ewe, finally realizes the error of the sheep's little way of forgetting painful subjects, but can't stop the flock from pulling the wool over their own eyes. Pun intended.

My next trip to the movies, some week ago or so, was to see In the Grey featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill and Cavill's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare costar, Eiza González as the leaders of a group that operates in a legally gray area, for example, to collect a $1 billion debt owed by a vicious crime lord. Rachel (González) flexes legal muscle to pressure Salazar to cough up, while Sid (Cavill) and Bronco (Gyllenhaal) lead a six-man team to infiltrate and sabotage Salazar's operation on an island where he basically owns the police force, to say nothing of a small private army. Then they just have to protect Rachel and, not if but when things go pear-shaped, facilitate her escape. Much of the movie is devoted to their preparation to do this, but as the saying goes (I know, I've quoted it often), no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Gyllenhaal and Cavill have an interesting chemistry. As Sid, a.k.a. "Capt. Sensible," Cavill is cool, stoic, unflappable and methodical. As Bronco, Gyllenhaal is flamboyant and mouthy, given to improvisation and emotional outbursts. In one scene the pair pretends to be a married couple and when, later, Bronco sends Sid off (to get himself arrested so he can case the local jail) with an "I love you," you're suddenly not sure it was a ruse. But machismo is all over this movie. Even the women are tough (Rosamund Pike plays a hard-bitten executive with their client). Carlos Bardem, Javier's brother, is here as Salazar. Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) plays Salazar's security chief, and his lawyer is Fisher Stevens of hilarious Short Circuit memory (and also an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker).

The movie is written and directed by Guy Ritchie, on whose uneven output I've commented before (probably in my review of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare). Based on how much fun I had watching this, he should keep making things with Cavill and González, preferably also with Gyllenhaal, ideally playing the same characters, if he can manage to extend the franchise without, well, sucking. Because as I've mentioned in previous reviews, when he's on his game, he makes brilliant pieces of entertainment ... and when he's off, it's [choose your favorite expletive] disaster. He's definitely on in this movie.

Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) Preparing to extract Rachel from the bar where she stops for a cold one after bearding Salazar in his den. They know the heavies are going to make a move, and the build-up to the inevitable action-fest is exquisitely suspenseful. (2) Just when you think they've gotten away from Salazar, the bad guys catch up with Rachel. Uh-oh!! (3) The whole rear-guard action as the team escapes from Salazar's island for the last time, including once again an action scene that doubles as a suspense extravaganza. Will they get the traps they set in the "Banana Pie" sector to work on time? Will the last good guy make it out of the villa alive? Will Bronco, Sid and Rachel make it to the boat when there's a helicopter chasing their buggy? It doesn't just deliver explosions. It makes you scoot forward on your seat, chewing on your knuckles.