By Susan Granger
Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated “Selma” about the voting-rights struggle of 1965 is not only timely but relevant, given the continuing racial turmoil over the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
The historical drama begins with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) receiving the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, then meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), whom he urges to support passage of a national Voting Rights Act.
To underscore the need for change, King and his Southern Christian Leadership advisors travel in March, 1965, to Selma, Ala., for a peaceful, nonviolent protest -– then boldly march 50 miles from Selma to the state’s capital of Montgomery.
Stressing that raising white America’s consciousness is as crucial as organizing black communities, King outlines his three principles of protest: “Negotiate, demonstrate, resist.”
Hideous brutality erupts. Opposition comes not only from Sheriff Jim Clark (Tim Houston) and his posse on the Edmund Pettus Bridge but also Alabama’s contemptible Gov. George Wallace (Tim Roth).
Determined to discourage King by monitoring his movements and disrupting his marriage to Coretta (Carmen Ejogo), J. Edgar Hoover (Dylan Baker) leaks secret F.B.I. recordings of King’s adulterous liaisons.
Screenwriter Paul Webb and director Ava DuVernay ambitiously condense years of anecdotal history into solemn, yet stirring expository dialogue, introducing supporting characters whose specific purpose is to embody differing points-of-view.
So it’s David Oyelowo’s powerful, provocative portrayal that electrifies. Born in Oxford, England, to Nigerian parents, Oyelowo reflects King’s oratorical cadence and canny political strategy. Had King not been assassinated in 1968, just three years after the Selma march, he would have been 86 on Jan. 16.
As for the controversy over the depiction of President Johnson, it’s not unusual; debates about historical accuracy also plagued Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” and Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Selma” is an inspiring, impassioned 8, delivering Dr. King’s reverberating message of perseverance.
Liam Neeson returns as former CIA operative Bryan Mills in “Taken 3.” Set in pedestrian los Angles, rather than exotic Istanbul or Paris, it begins with a cold-blooded murder, involving Russian mobsters.
At the same time, Mills is visited by his angst-riddled wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), whose marriage to wealthy Stuart St. John (Dougray Scott) is floundering. Shortly afterwards, Lenore’s dead body is found in Mills’ bed – and Mills is the primary suspect.
Determined to protect his now-grown daughter (Maggie Grace) and track down Lenore’s killer, Miller goes “down the rabbit hole,” dodging a persistent LAPD detective (Forest Whitaker).
Illogically conceived, it lacks the essential ingredients that propelled the first two thrillers: namely, a persuasive plot and the compelling need for an anguished, aging, perennially pursued father with a “particular set of skills” to rescue a kidnapped family member.
Instead, it’s a domestic melodrama, punctuated by seemingly pointless car chases. It seems obvious from the getgo who the villain is, so there’s little surprise when his culpability is revealed.
On the Granger Gauge, “Taken 3” is a tediously trifling 3, although Liam Neeson has emerged as the craggy, Celtic John Wayne of his generation.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
