Havoc details
| Format: | 18 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Shiri Appleby, Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Biehn |
| Director: | Barbara Kopple |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Studio: | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK VIDEO RENTAL |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Havoc |
18 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 23 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 05 Feb 2007 |
| Main languages: | English |
| Hearing impaired subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
Quality film has an awful start
By Ivan Mckeon from Fleetwood, England , 05 Mar 2007[Highly rated reviewer]
Although the film has simplistic plot-line about rich kids getting into trouble on the “wrong side of the tracks”, this is just the backbone upon which director Barbara Koppel hangs an astute study of false impressions. In some cases these false impressions are created deliberately as in rich soft white kids pretending to be hardened gangsta rappers. At other times they are born of prejudice and misunderstandings.
There is a wonderful scene early in the film when Allison (Anne Hathaway) walks around the kitchen of her home reading the post-its that her parents have left for each other. In those few brief moments we get a wonderful impression of her totally dysfunctional family while later on, when they bail her out of jail, they appear to be the perfect concerned parents.
Allison's sterile family background is in stark contrast to the rich, vibrant family lifethat we later glimpse of the Latino 'bad-boy' who she falls for and who's life she ultimately puts in jeopardy.
The film is very much a vehicle for Hathaway and she carries out her responsibilities with aplomb. Her performance is well worthy of the DVD “Best Actress” award that she received for it.
The much talked about nudity is neither excessive nor exploitative. What we do see is totally in keeping with the story and, if anything, the motel room scene involving Emily (Bijou Phillips) is rather tame by European standards.
The only major fault with the film is the director's brave (foolhardy?) decision to begin with a scene containing appallingly bad dialogue and wooden acting. This gives (ironically) the false impression that we are about to see a particularly bad hip-hop movie. This is a deliberate part of the story rather than a reflection of the script and the actors. The fact that the scene includes a student capturing these antics on video should be enough to alert the viewer to this fact but, judging from many comments and reviews, this seems to have passed many people by (including some so-called professional critics). Perhaps this is one case where non-linear storytelling would have helped the film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(67)Let slip the dawgs of war
By blackpolekev (197 reviews) from blackpole , 17 Mar 2013After saccharine sweet films like The Princess Diaries 1 & 2, Ella Enchanted, Hoodwinked! and The Cat Returns (the best of the bunch), Anne Hathaway obviously wanted to show she was a serious actress and that there was more to her than kids' films and animations. Hence this rather 'daring' effort in which she plays rich kid rebel Allison, who swears, fights, gets topless and tries to get in with a gangsta crowd.
There is also Joseph Gordon-Levitt in an early role as an unintentionally hilarious wannabe gangsta and a young Channing Tatum in a small part before he became famous. JG-L does his best in a silly wig but his character is quite absurd. Allison is smart (we know this from a classroom scene) yet somewhat irritating and I cannot decide whether this is because Anne Hathaway's acting is bad, thus making Allison unbelievable, or because her acting is very good. I am inclined to think the latter and that she has got Allison's personality just right. As for the famous semi-nude scenes, well, they're nothing special.
Much of the dialogue by the drug dealing gang is hard to understand, with their talk of 'dawgs' and so on and subtitles would have helped.
This had a limited cinema release and I'm glad I manage to catch it. It's not great but is strangely interesting.
Format: Cinema - 35mm film; Dolby Digital sound- Was this review helpful to you?
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Hathaway Heaven
By 5ft7offootballheaven (300 reviews) from London , 11 Feb 2013It doesnt have the most promising of openings - you would I hope feel a general sense of loathing at the utter idiocy on display. However then the film and the characters emerge like complicated butterflies and dazzle for the next hour or so, in an entirely unpredictable way. Its a genuinely engrossing film and for a fan of AH its absolute nirvana or a number of levels. Just wallow in the deep dark pools of her eyes.............- Was this review helpful to you?
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not bad, not a great start but watchable........just!!
By haylesbaylespigstales (128 reviews) from Fleetwood , 05 Jan 2013what not to do if you're a dumb teen who thinks they can get away with just about anything!!
got quite annoying after a while - you find yourself thinking - god are they really that stupid, i guess they are- Was this review helpful to you?
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why god why!
By beansmike (1 review) , 16 Jan 2012absolutely awful! cheap titilation, bad plot, bad storyline, why would anybody bother making a film this bad! only plus side is the comical wanna be gangsta's- Was this review helpful to you?
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Actually quite good.
By themarkson (10 reviews) from Bristol , 17 Nov 2011[Highly rated reviewer]
I actually really liked this film. There are comments about Anne Hathaway being miscast but I think it's the point of the film. It's some girl who is in a situation which completely isn't her. She plays it amazingly. Joseph Gordon Levitt is the one who i feel is miscast here. I also liked the start. Might be in the minority on this but showing the pure escapism needed by these kids is emotional and challenging. I might be on my own but this film is awesome!- Was this review helpful to you?
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