Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Burning Plain (2008)
Director: Guillermo Arriaga
Movie review
From Time Out London
Having split from director Alejandro González Iñárritu after ‘Babel’, screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga’s first directorial outing is more of the same – only less so.As a tangled story criss-crosses the US-Mexican border, Arriaga’s jigsaw-puzzle writing reveals links between Oregon restaurant manager Charlize Theron, frustrated New Mexico housewife Kim Basinger’s troubled relationship with her daughter, and the fate of a Mexican girl who’s seen her crop-dusting father crash his plane.
No surprise it all fits together in the end, to tell a tale of the ripple effect of sundry pressure-cooker decisions, though Arriaga gives the game away too early. The performances are hard to fault, but the direction leaves the movie lacking juice and us thinking a clunky chain of events has been jazzed up by the mosaic-style construction. Not negligible, but disappointing.
Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London issue 2012, Mar 12-18 2009
Cast & crew
Director: Guillermo Arriaga
Cast: Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Jennifer Lawrence, Joaquim de Almeida full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 106 mins
UK Release: Mar 13 2009
US Release: Sep 18 2009
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Michael Haneke discusses 'The White Ribbon'
Dave Calhoun met with Michael Haneke in Munich to mull over the details of his Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now