Director Terrence Malick never sets out to make movies that are clearly structured or straightforward, but Knight of Cups is a step too far for this reviewer.
Woozily shot, often with hand-held cameras, and narratively mystifying, it has a dreamy, stream of consciousness feel, but ultimately fails to inspire any real interest in, or feeling for, Christian Bale's beautiful, tortured protagonist.
Rick is a wildly successful Hollywood screenwriter, residing in a slick-but-impersonal bachelor pad in LA. He indulges in a vacuous, hedonistic lifestyle that would make your eyes water.
Although he's kept company by an endless stream of girlfriends (who have more than a hint of the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl' about them) and impossibly perfect model types with whom he shares no-strings-attached one night stands, Rick wallows in self-pity and a fierce sense of disenchantment.
Bale's character has turbulent relationships with his brother and father, but shares more than a few happier times with the women in his life
He's haunted by the death of his brother Billy, and has recently struck up a turbulent relationship with his other sibling Barry (Wes Bentley), who appears to have fallen on hard times, living a life in stark contrast to Rick's own entitled existence. Their father Joseph (Brian Dennehy) is cold and stand-offish, and does little to lighten his burden.
Freida Pinto is one of the many women he becomes embroiled with
We learn that Rick's marriage to Cate Blanchett (excellent, as always) has fallen apart, and he now drifts aimlessly from one Hollywood party to the next, all the while admonishing the vacuity of his life through moodily whispered voiceovers. At the same time he strikes up pleasurable but ultimately unfulfilled relationships with, in turn, an otherwordly model (Frieda Pinto), a vivacious stripper (Teresa Palmer), a sensitive married woman (Natalie Portman) and a individualistic, spirited starlet (Imogen Poots).
Imogen Poots, too
To the outside looking in, it's hard to have much sympathy for poor ol' Rick.
And apart from his dashing good looks and expensively cut Armani suits, it's ever harder for us to see what all these amazing, beautiful women see in him, as he displays exactly zero personality throughout the interminable two-hour running time.
Oh and there's Natalie Portman! None of these women can provide the sense of fulfillment he's after
Rick's extended existential crisis is captured beautifully by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant, Birdman, Gravity), who brings the vibrant urban landscapes to beautiful life. However, the visual pleasures don't outweigh the fact that this film is a bit of a slog to sit through.
As Rick muses mournfully to himself, "Where did I go wrong?" it's hard for the viewer not to ask the same question of Malick.
Sarah McIntyre
