The Air I Breathe (2008)

I really didn't expect to like this movie as much as I did, after all several critics had refereed to is as a tame re-packaging of Pulp Fiction. The film is broken up into four parts that are out of order, and the characters all do eventually interact, there is also a mafia angle to the film, but overall besides the way things were laid out, I didn't really draw much of a comparison to Pulp Fiction. The stories all involve these peoples interactions with the mob, but they're all for different reasons and all have different outcomes. Andy Garcia is the boss, of course, always the perfect choice for a gangster or ruthless leader, and you get from him what's expected. What isn't expected is the tremendous performance of Brendan Fraser. I am not a fan and have never really considered him anything but a mediocre comedic actor, but after seeing The Air I Breathe, my opinion of him was definitely swayed. While watching the pieces, I knew they would somehow come together, but the way it was done was completely unpredictable and really something to watch. The film had a huge cast, with a ton of cameos, and just as many twists and turns. What I was expecting was far different from what I saw and I was more than happy with the way the film was done. I think if the film had been done in the traditional model of storytelling, it wouldn't have had as big of an impact.

This is one of those movies which should have been great only to become a disaster. It's based partly on the Chinese proverb that four emotions form the foundation of life, Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, and those emotions are embodied by four very shallow characters. However, the real foundations of this film are Anger, Frustration, and Pretentiousness. Anyway, the four foundations are used to create four stories which interlock, no doubt inspired by Pulp Fiction. The first story features a timid and stressed-out investment banker identified as Happiness (Forest Whittaker) who has worked hard and played by the rules, only to have a lonely and frustrating life to show for it. So when he overhears his supervisors planning to bet on a horse race with an insider's tip, he bets heavily on the horse, only to lose it all and owe huge money to a classy but ruthless gangster named Fingers (Andy Garcia, who has played this kind of role more times than I can remember). One of Whittaker's more successful clients is identified as Pleasure (Brenden Fraser), a gangster's enforcer of Fingers' who has the ability to see pieces of the future. That ability is not entirely a blessing, as the visions are hard to interpret and take the spontaneity and surprise out of life. Well, Fraser's character is hired by Fingers to babysit his obnoxious gangster wannabe nephew Tony (Emile Hirsch), who of course makes trouble and angers powerful people, which results in Fraser's being beaten up severely. Meanwhile, the third story is about a beautiful but ditsy and vain pop singer named Trista (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who is also identified as "Sorrow." Her sorrow comes when her manager embezzles from her and sells her contract to Fingers to pay off an overwhelming gambling debt. Fingers sees this as a chance to go legit, but he clearly plans to work Trista to death while taking most of her earnings until her fifteen minutes of fame is over. In the last story, Love is a doctor (Kevin Bacon) who's in love with his best friend's wife, a beautiful epidemiologist (Julie Delpy) who gets bitten by a lethal snake and needs a blood transfusion from a rare blood type or she'll die. Did you get all that? A big problem is that all of characters behave in ways so stupid, it's impossible to care about them. It gets even more infuriating because they are forced to react to coincidences that are improbable in a way that's science fiction. There are also a number of lines featuring fortune cookie philosophy and existential angst that are meant to be profound but only evoke sneers from intelligent people. Is there anything good about this film? Well, Jieho Lee proves to be a technically competent director. Also, the talented actors do what they can with their cardboard roles. As a result, there are some attractive shots and a few isolated scenes work. But these minor virtues are overwhelmed by the stupidity and pretentiousness of the script.

I really loved this movie. I started to watch it with no expectations at all and it really surprised me. I think it's a very well written script and the performances are outstanding. All of the actors are great. It reminded me of other movies such as Crush and Babel; a set of separated stories that seem to be completely different from each other, but end up having more in common than we might think. The ending is totally unexpected, full of deep emotions. It leaves you thinking about situations which may seem to be random, but are actually not. It makes you wonder about destiny and an already written future for everyone. It could be a little bit slow at the very beginning but give it a chance. It's worth it.

Another story in which the characters in the four vignettes are intertwined in different ways, appear to be a favorite of film makers lately. The film follows the concept of "Short Cuts", "Babel", "Amores perros" and others of this genre in a film that keeps the viewer's attention from the beginning. It also marks a film debut of a director whose roots are a mixture of Asian philosophy with an American point of view.There are four sections, or stories. The first one, Happiness, involves an accountant who is a milquetoast. He works for an investment firm where his fellow workers don't show him any kind of respect. When he hears a few of them talking about a sure way to making some money by betting on a horse running in a race that seems to be rigged, he decides to go to the joint and places his bet. Little does he know the man in charge of the illicit business, Fingers, really wants to know how he learned about his underground operation and decides to make good to his nickname by showing the amateur man never to cross him again. He then decides to take matters into his own hand by robbing a bank in order to replace the money he lost.The second story Fingers right hand man, Pleasure, a soft spoken thug, is entrusted with his boss' visiting nephew, Tony, who has his eye into breaking in crime. Alas, Tony, is more interested in bedding women than anything else. The best thing though is the discovery of a new singer, that catches the henchman's attention. They will be tragically connected to one another in the next episode, titled Sorrow. The singer is a protégé of Fingers. She wants to break away from this creepy man desperately. She finds a refuge in Pleasure's home, only to be discovered by Fingers and his men. She is made a prisoner because she has shown disloyalty to her benefactor.The last vignette is about Love, a doctor that attended Pleasure when he was brought to the emergency room. We get to know he had loved Gina, a beautiful young woman who met and married his best friend. She is a researcher working with snakes. When she is bit by one, she goes into a sort of coma, as the antidote doesn't seem to work. Because of a rare blood type, it is almost impossible to save her unless a donor is found. The doctor happens to see an interview with Sorrow, who also has the same type, so he enlists her to help Gina. When all is said and done, we watch as Sorrow goes through an airport because a new freedom she found with the help of Happiness unexpected gift.The film, directed by Jieho Lee and with a screenplay by Bob DeRosa keeps the viewer involved at all times. The best thing Mr. Lee did was getting an ensemble kind of acting from his large cast. Best of all, in our humble opinion, was Andy Garcia, who gives one of his strongest performances in years as the criminal Fingers. Forest Whitaker also has some good moments playing against type. Brandon Fraser, Kevin Bacon, Emile Hirsh, and Julie Delpy, contribute to our enjoyment.One can only wish Mr. Lee a long career in films.