Life
The phrase 'when legend becomes fact, print the legend' neatly sums up this latest offering from Anton Corbijn.
Having made a name for himself directing music videos in the mid-80s and proven much in demand since, few can be said to share his instinctive grasp of countercultural iconography. After a studiously bleak Ian Curtis biopic (Control) and pair of austere thrillers (The American, A Most Wanted Man), Life finally sees the master indulge his tendency toward deification on a grand scale.
Like the Joy Division frontman, James Dean left behind a minuscule body of work which remains inextricably bound to the star’s persona. If this account of his ascent is to be believed, he really was the angsty, nonchalant outsider immortalised in Rebel Without a Cause. Dane DeHaan lays on his Dean-isms almost to the point of parody, but the actor's star quality is well served to Corbijn’s bittersweet evocation of studio-driven Hollywood and its relationship with a long faded way of American life.
Released by Entertainment One