Any controversy that might erupt over Roman Polanski’s decision to implicitly equate himself with one of history’s greatest victims of injustice is dissipated by the resultant film’s tepid listlessness. The filmmaker has scored any number of artistic achievements over the course of his controversial career, but with “An Officer and a Spy” (aka “J’accuse”), he fails to serve as his own Émile Zola.
Zola, of course, helped throw a spotlight on the French government’s cover-up after it unjustly railroaded Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus to Devil’s Island following a trumped-up court-martial that incorrectly branded him a spy. In telling the story of how that cover-up was uncovered and investigated, Polanski fails the main requirement of any historical drama: Keep the audience in suspense even when they already know how it comes out.
Polanski knows a thing or two about suspense, as one of the true heirs of Alfred Hitchcock, but his gift for tension and paranoia fails him here, even though this is a story rife with surveillance (19th century style), lies and suspicious agendas. “An Officer and a Spy” is squarely in the director’s wheelhouse, but it would appear that nobody’s home.
Case in point: After Zola’s famous “J’accuse!” newspaper article, in which he lays out the case for the cover-up and names the army officers involved, there’s a nighttime mob scene in which angry Parisians burn Zola’s books before painting anti-Jewish graffiti on a store window that they then shatter with rocks. In another film, Polanski would have made us feel the terror of the moment, the hatred and anti-Semitism of the mob and the potential for further destruction bubbling just under the surface. Instead, the scene begins and ends so quickly, with so many cuts within it, that all we’re left asking is, “Why paint graffiti on a window you’re about to break?”
Jean Dujardin stars as Georges Picquart, a superior officer of Dreyfus’ (and an unapologetic anti-Semite) who feels no emotion about seeing Dreyfus (Louis Garrel) stripped of his rank and carted off to prison. When Picquart is promoted to run the army intelligence division that caught Dreyfus in the first place, he’s dismayed to learn that information is still leaking to the Germans. And as he finds the source of the leaks, Picquart realizes that Dreyfus is innocent after all.
His superiors, of course, have no interest in reopening the Dreyfus scandal and even less interest in admitting that they got the wrong man, so they stonewall Picquart, sending him to the French hinterlands and eventually Africa to keep him quiet. But then Zola’s editorial prompts a libel trial and eventually a new court-martial for Dreyfus in a lengthy process that would eventually end in justice. And while the best historical dramas keep us engaged and in suspense even when there’s no mystery about the ending — “Apollo 13” remains an iconic example — “An Officer and a Spy” just ticks off each story development in a rote and flatly uninteresting manner.
Much of the film’s monotony can be connected to Dujardin, who can’t quite thread the needle of playing a stiffly upright military man without giving a stiffly upright performance. There’s plenty to admire here from a craft angle, from director of photography Pawel Edelman (a frequent Polanski collaborator) either using natural light or faking it brilliantly to the density of period detail, from the documents to the army uniforms to the pince-nez.
The film does offer the occasional splash of what Polanski does best, whether it’s a scene in a can-can bar that looks like a Toulouse-Lautrec painting come to life or jolting moments of sudden violence (the real spy attacking Picquart in the street, a random shooting) that stir the film from its torpor. But these exceptional moments serve only to underscore how lacking in adrenaline the rest of the film is.
After all the hubbub of “An Officer and a Spy” getting a slot in competition at Venice — in a year when that competition features just two films directed by women — it’s the hubbub that winds up being of most interest.
Paging Oscar Voters: 19 Fact-Based Fall Movies and Biopics, From 'Judy' to 'Bombshell' (Photos)
There aren't a lot of things Hollywood loves more in a film than the retelling of true-to-life events or the onscreen portrayal of real people. For proof, look no further than what the Oscars each year: In the last 10 years, seven Best Actor winners played real people, including Rami Malek for "Bohemian Rhapsody."
"Hustlers" (Sept. 13)
STX Entertainment's glitzy film about the Robin Hood of strippers is inspired by a viral 2016 New York Magazine article. "Hustlers" follows a crew of savvy strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their wealthy and abusive Wall Street clientele by maxing out their credit cards after they’ve passed out. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Cardi B, Lizzo, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Julia Stiles.
"Judy" (Sept. 27)
Renée Zellweger plays Judy Garland circa 1968, when "The Wizard of Oz" star arrived in London to perform in sell-out concerts. The film follows Garland as she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians and reminisces with friends and adoring fans. Finn Wittrock, Jessie Buckley and Michael Gambon also star.
"The Laundromat" (Sept. 27)
Steven Soderbergh's screwball comedy follows Meryl Streep as a citizen journalist who uncovers a massive conspiracy involving money laundering, bribery, extortion. The film, based on Jake Bernstein's book, "Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite," also stars Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas.
"The Current War" (Oct. 25)
The historical drama -- which languished in limbo for nearly two years following The Weinstein Co.'s bankruptcy -- tells the story of the cutthroat competition between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) over whose electrical system would power the new century. Nicholas Hoult also stars as Nikola Tesla.
"Lucy in the Sky" (Oct. 4)
"Fargo" and "Legion" creator Noah Hawley directed Natalie Portman in "Lucy in the Sky," loosely based on the story of astronaut Lisa Nowak and her struggle to adjust after returning from space. Nowak, who was romantically involved with fellow astronaut William Oefelein, flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in July 2006. The following year she was charged with the attempted kidnapping of U.S. Air Force Cpt. Colleen Shipman, who also had a relationship with Oefelein. Nowak ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to a year probation. "Lucy in the Sky" also stars Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz and Dan Stevens.
"Dolemite Is my Name" (Oct. 25)
Eddie Murphy returns to the screen after a three-year hiatus to play a blaxploitation legend whose given name is Rudy Ray Moore. After struggling to break into showbiz, Moore creates the alter-ego Dolemite seeking to star in blaxploitation films. Moore would go on to star in three films as Dolemite, including "Dolemite" from 1975, followed by "The Human Tornado" and "The Return of Dolemite."
"The Irishman" (Nov. 1)
Martin Scorsese reunites Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in what is one of the fall's most-anticipated films: a decade-spanning saga of organized crime in post-WWII America that covers Jimmy Hoffa’s (Pacino) rise as the leader of the Teamsters, and Frank Sheeran’s (De Niro) participation in hits for the Bufalino crime family as well as the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano and Bobby Cannavale also star in the Netflix film.
"Harriet" (Nov. 1)
Cynthia Erivo, who had a breakout 2018 with films "Widows" and "Bad Times at the El Royale," gets a star turn as American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman. The film follows the freedom fighter from her escape from slavery through her subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves in the South during a time of extreme adversity ahead of the Civil War.
"The King" (Nov. 1)
Timothée Chalamet follows in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh, to portray one of Shakespeare's great heroes: Henry V, the 15th-century monarch who navigates the palace politics, chaos and war after his father's premature death. Chalamet is backed by a great cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn.
"Honey Boy" (Nov. 8)
"Honey Boy," written by Shia LaBeouf, is a raw semiautobiographical retelling of the actor's childhood growing up with an abusive and alcoholic father, played by LaBeouf. The actor wrote the screenplay while in rehab and reconciling with his father and confronting his own mental health issues. Noah Jupe plays a proxy for young Shia, here named Otis, while Lucas Hedges plays him as an adult.
"Midway" (Nov. 8)
Roland Emmerich's new action epic retells the clash between the American fleet and the Japanese imperial navy at the Battle of Midway in World War II. The cast includes Ed Skrein, Mandy Moore, Nick Jonas and Patrick Wilson.
"Ford v Ferrari" (Nov. 15)
In a film that might as well be called "We Want an Oscar," Matt Damon stars as visionary car designer Carroll Shelby opposite Christian Bale as the fearless British-born driver Kevin Miles. Back in 1966, the two men were hired by Ford to build a revolutionary race car to take on Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.
"A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" (Nov. 22)
Tom Hanks plays the indelible Fred Rogers. Nothing else need be said.
"The Two Popes" (Nov. 27)
Fernando Meirelles ("City of God") this movie inspired the true story of Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and his encounter with the future Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), one of his harshest critics as a cardinal from Argentina.
"The Aeronauts" (Dec. 6)
"The Theory of Everything" co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones re-team for another true story, about pioneering hot-air balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Jones) and meteorologist James Glaisher (Redmayne) who set out on an epic balloon journey in the 1860s.
"Bombshell" (Dec. 20)
Jay Roach's film tells the story of the sexual harassment scandal from the point of view of the women who challenged the toxic male culture and unseated Fox News founder Roger Ailes. Charlize Theron stars, in a striking resemblance to Megyn Kelly, alongside Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie.
"Just Mercy" (Dec. 25)
Michael B. Jordan stars as real-life author, activist and civil rights defense lawyer Bryan Stevenson as he seeks to free a wrongly convicted death-row inmate, Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx). The film, which also stars Brie Larson, is directed by "Short Term 12" filmmaker Destin Cretton.
"1917" (Dec. 25)
Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes based his WWI drama in part on an account from his paternal grandfather about two British soldiers ordered to sneak behind enemy lines to warn a battalion about an ambush during the third Battle of Ypres.
"Clemency" (Dec. 27)
Chinonye Chukwu's drama, which premiered in Sundance, is based on the true story of a death-row prison warden (Alfre Woodard) whose job takes its toll as she prepares for the execution of an inmate (Aldis Hodge).
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Some of the glitziest, most-anticipated movies of the fall star Hollywood’s biggest stars portraying real people
There aren't a lot of things Hollywood loves more in a film than the retelling of true-to-life events or the onscreen portrayal of real people. For proof, look no further than what the Oscars each year: In the last 10 years, seven Best Actor winners played real people, including Rami Malek for "Bohemian Rhapsody."
