3DD!3

Texas' revolt has done Civil War some fine advertising and A24 can celebrate. Alex Garland is keeping his head down with the script and direction. The artistic arrangement is there, but he still focuses on the rawness, underscored by black-and-white photography by up-and-comer Cailee Spaena (the kid from DEVS), and serves up a classic road movie through the disunited states of America. The scariest stop along the way is the one at Jesse Plemons, and it towers over the entire film like the top of the Everest. I understand why Garland doesn't explicitly state the reason for the conflict, though it is implied, but I missed that very conversation whose absence Wagner Moura laments. The excellent Wagner Moura, by the way, easily nudges the brooding Kirsten Dunst. The finale is predictable but formally breathtaking. Great soundtrack.

The good, the bad, the ugly... Fallout mode. It's got pace, it's got cynical humor, it's got bloody action, and it's got a very timely theme. Walton Goggins is impeccable in both timelines and he also has the most interesting role. The others act like morons at times, but you'll forgive them for the perfect atmosphere. Jonathan Nolan is a fan and has looked after every important aspect of the adaptation. The twist is downright delicious, even though it was perhaps foreshadowed well in advance. The finale is taut as a string and Kyle MacLachlan rocks it incredibly. Even though it looks like chaos reigns, that doesn't mean no one is at the helm.

Sly talks about surviving and life, even if it's really bad. That's nothing new, he already did it in Rocky and Rambo, but here it's given context by his friends, family and a few others. The documentary is not lacking in interesting facts that some people know and some don't. I didn't know that the final monologue from the first Rambo – "Where the fuck are my feet?" – was written by Stallone. It's stilted and avoids major controversial topics, but it packs a punch and moves along quickly. A documentary full of doubt, even philosophising. It even has minor plot arcs like forgiving his father and moving out of the house. It was very good to watch.