Sucker Punch Causes Confusion but Not A Knockout

Sucker Punch

I recently read an article that mentioned that action films with female driven protagonist do not do well at the box-office. According to the article, unless the film stars Angelina Jolie, interest from both men and women is low. The piece seems to allude that, in general, audiences to not care to see women kicking butt so to speak. I think the problem has more to do with the poor scripts and the blatant sexualization of the leads than it does with the public’s lack of interest. Zack Snyder’s latest film Sucker Punch is a perfect example of this.

Sucker Punch revolves around Baby Doll (Emily Browning), who after the death of her mother and sister, is unjustly sent to the Lennox House mental institution for women by her lecherous stepfather. Striking a deal with a crooked worker, Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac), at the institution, Baby Doll’s father arranges for his stepdaughter to be lobotomized in five days. This will ensure that Baby Doll cannot tell of his misdoings to the police or anyone else. To cope with the horror of being locked away at Lennox House, Baby Doll learns from therapist Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino) to channel her fears into creating an imaginary world where she is a fierce warrior. Drifting between the real world and the imaginary world, and with the clock ticking, Baby Doll designs a plan to escape the institution. In order for the plan to work she must enlist the help of Rocket (Jena Malone), Rocket’s sister Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Amber (Jamie Chung), and Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens). Guided by the instructions of a mysterious Wise Man (Scott Glenn), the women embark on an adventure that will be far more challenging than they ever imagined.

To say Sucker Punch does not make a lick of sense is a major understatement. The audience spends the majority of the film trying to decipher what is going on and how is everything is connected? Part of the problem is that the audience is shown very little of “real life” is like in the institution. Everything they are shown is from Baby Doll’s imaginative view. Which brings up one of the questionable aspects to the film, why would Baby Doll’s envision the institution as a 1950’s style brothel? While there is one scene in the last fifteen minutes of the film where the guards allude to abusing the girls in some way, nothing else in the film offers any further explanation. Why is the “brothel world” even in the film at all? One would assume that Baby Doll should be able to go from the “real world” to the “warrior world” without even needing to go through the “brothel world” first.

On their own, each of the three worlds that inhabit Sucker Punch could have served as an interesting movie in its own right. The “real world” could have been a stylized female version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As a film onto itself, the “brothel world” could have been a decent tale with rich and fully realized characters. Lastly the centrepiece of the film, the “warrior world” could have been a fun, and over-the-top, fantasy film that really let the female heroes let loose and have fun. Honestly it is perplexing why Snyder did not set the film in this world entirely. Judging by the level of action in the film, not to mention the overall marketing and animated short films teasers, it is clear that Snyder wanted this section to be the focal point.

While the visuals in the “warrior world” are nice at times, for the most part they are just glossy and hollow. This is due to the fact that the audience does not have any connection to either the characters, or the world. Besides Baby Doll being abused, and Rocket and Sweet Pea running away from home, there is nothing really unique or interesting about the characters. So watching attractive women, who the audience cares nothing about, fighting hoards of nameless creatures who have no ties to the main plot does not generate the excitement Snyder is hoping for. It also does not help that there is rarely any level of consequence in this world. The women can get punched through walls and still comeback looking like they just stepped out of the salon. As a result, the ”warrior world” is nothing more than big screen Manga comic that features buxom women and is poorly written.

Sucker Punch wants to be an action film that wants to make a smart commentary on how women are sexualized in action films and in the world in general. Unfortunately, the message gets lost since Snyder’s film is designed to appeal to teenage boys. It is “girl power” as seen through a man’s eyes. For all its talk about females finding the strength within them, being the controllers of their own fate, men being evil, etc. this film still manages to cater to a male demographic instead of a female one. This is most evident when Sucker Punch makes a point early on to clearly state that Baby Doll is twenty years-old. Besides Sweet Pea, and possibly Rocket, all the other women in the film look like teenage girls in lingerie. The fact that Baby Doll can only get to the “warrior world” via a raw sexually-charged dance, which the audience never sees, is not something that would get most females running to the theatre on opening day.

Zach Snyder is a director who usually knows how to balance glossy visuals, interesting characters, and entertaining plots. Yet Sucker Punch is a major misstep in an otherwise strong body of work. It is a film that should have been both a thrilling tale and a major step forward for solidifying females as viable action leads. Unfortunately, the film fails on both parts, it ends up being a film that is both insulting to popcorn movie fans and women in general. Those hoping to find strong female characters on par with Ripley in Aliens or Sarah Connor in the Terminator series will be sadly disappointed. To put it bluntly, Sucker Punch is one of the worst movies to hit theatres in recent years.

Don't Shoot The Messenger... He is Already Hurt

The Messenger

If The Hurt Locker had been released in 2008, shortly after its screening at The Toronto International Film Festival, would The Messenger have received more love from the Academy Awards this year? I could not help wonder about this after watching the film. Two nominations, for supporting actor and screenplay, seem far too slight for a film that runs circles around Best Picture contenders like The Blind Side. While The Messenger may not be as suspenseful, or as popular, as The Hurt Locker is; it packs a strong emotional punch that cannot be ignored.

After being injured in Iraq, Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is ordered to spend the remaining months of his military service in the Casualty Notification team. This particular division of the army is responsible for notifying next of kin when their loved ones, in the U.S. Army are killed while on duty. Montgomery would rather be back in Iraq with his squadron, instead of working with the rigid Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson). Stone is a veteran in the division and is responsible for showing Will the ropes. Despite their differences, Montgomery and Stone soon realize that they share an emotional pain which is directly linked to the war. Besides adjusting to a new role, Montgomery must also confront unexpected feelings that arise when he meets Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), the wife a recently deceased officer.

Director Oren Moverman, who was the writer behind Jesus' Son and I'm Not There, subtly shows that the Iraq War not only has devastating ramifications for the troops overseas, but also their families and the soldiers still in America. We see the grief in the faces of every family member who is unfortunate enough to receive a visit from the Casualty Notification team. Montgomery and Stone's first visit to the Washington house is so emotionally charged that it is unfathomable how these men go through this five or six times each day. Even when the men are off duty, they still cannot escape the constant reminder of the sorrow due to war. There is a great scene in the film where Montgomery is having a drink at the local bar and observes a welcome home party for a returning soldier. Despite his best efforts to maintain the levity of the evening, the soldier clearly feels like a stranger in his own country. The soldier's awkward speech shows that he is not only struggling to come to terms with what he saw overseas, but also how foreign life outside of Iraq is. It is as if the soldier feels ashamed for being home while others are still fighting.


There is a level of guilt that sweeps through every single character like a virus in The Messenger. It is one of the most compelling, and heartbreaking, aspects of the film. Stone is riddle with guilt for things he was not able to do, and relationships that were ruined as a result. Some of the families Stone and Montgomery visit express guilt over how things ended with their loved ones before the war, and the fact that they will never have a chance to fix it. The interesting thing is that the guilt is not only associated with loss, but new beginnings as well. This is most evident in the Will/Olivia story arc. Not only must Montgomery cope with being alive; but he also feels guilt for both pushing his old flame (Jena Malone) into the arms of another man, and for falling for woman whose husband is a fallen soldier. Montgomery's guilt confines him like a prisoner in an increasingly shrinking cell. Olivia’s guilt, on the other hand, is more connected to society’s expectations of a recent widow. In Olivia’s eyes, the soldier she loved died, figuratively speaking, years ago after his personality changed upon returning from his second tour of duty. Although Olivia clearly has feelings for Will, she is constantly aware of what the neighbours and her son will think. There is a level of guilt that is associated with moving on too soon which makes Olivia as much of a prisoner as Will is.


Oren Moverman's script is excellently layered, yet never feels like it is preaching at the audience despite its subject matter. Moverman merely wants to show a side of war that often does not get featured on film. The performances in the film are outstanding. While Woody Harrelson's work received an Academy Award nomination, and rightfully so, it is astonishing that neither Ben Foster or Samantha Morton were recognized for their respective roles. Granted they probably would not have won against some of the big names this year, but at least their work would garner notice on a larger scale. Foster keeps getting better with each role, it is only a matter of time before people start to give him serious leading man status. Ben perfectly captures a man who is trying to maintain order on the outside, while being a complete wreck on the inside. Morton is one of those actresses who can make reading Dr. Seuss aloud worthy of an award. Her performance in this film is so subtle and honest, that it is easy for some to miss all of the brilliant nuances that she brings to the role. I have no doubt that if the role was "flashier", she would have been nominated. Regardless, do not let the lack of award buzz keep you away from The Messenger. The film may be small but it is filled with large, and poignant, moments.