STEALTH
US, 2005, 118 minutes, Colour.
Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Sam Sheppard, Joe Morton, Richard Roxburgh.
Directed by Rob Cohen.
The high-tech action adventure is not the first place that audiences go to for a moral perspective on society and controversial political issues. The 'war against terrorism' has meant that we look at fillms about these questions much more carefully since they touch us personally. Since the London underground bombings and attempted bombings, British audiences have a great deal more to think about, especially about counter-terrorism.
While Stealth is an action show for the holidays, it has enough current themes to make it more than just entertainment. Whatever the feelings about ter¬ror, aggression and pre-emptive strikes, we cannot avoid the issue of the exercise of power by authority and the abuse of power by politicians and the armed services. The screenplay of Stealth focuses on military ambitions, issuing and following of orders.
The film is allegedly set in the near future, a period when unpiloted stealth planes will use digital means to wage war. Sophisticated cameras and programming will be able to determine exactly where a target is, even people. With the arrest of one of the would-be bombers in Rome at the end of July, tracked by his use of his mobile phone and pinpointed in exactly the right apartment where be was hiding and then arrested, maybe this is not so fanciful.
While the film displays its firepower in state of the art special effect explosions, it soon raises the issues of collateral damage and its relation to the destruction of the target is to be so accurate as to make a building implode without destroying adjacent ( buildings (which brings back memories of recent wars and wrong targets being hit with subsequent deaths and injuries). But Stealth wants to takes its audiences further. The commanding officer (Sam Shepard) has so committed himself to his project's success, that he is prepared to risk lives and destruction and involve himself in giving authorities false information. At first, he seems a genial American hero and leader, but allows himself to be corrupted by his obsession.
As with the Dr Frankenstein myths, the deadly creation takes on a life of its own and becomes a monster. The point is made that while humans can work on artificial intelligence, they underestimate (as in The Matrix trilogy) how intelligence can develop itself beyond human control. The stealth plane here is given a nickname, EDI (from Extreme Deep Invader) and referred to as him rather than it. He has a central red light, reminiscent of the rogue computer HAL in 2001: a Space Odyssey, as well as a smoothly sinister voice.Of course, it is up to the decent humans to take moral control of the situation and assess the ethical implications of orders and whether they should be obeyed or not.
Coming from the United Slates, the film dramatises both hawkish action (the enemies at the moment are Myanmar, Turkmenistan and North Korea) and dovish reason (with a criticism of indiscriminate US jingoism). But, in the last 20 minutes or so, it becomes a ra-ra actioner where heroic individuals accomplish almost impossible teats of daring and save the day.
The heroes are played by Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and JamieFoxx?. The former live up to their status but Foxx is not particularly good or convincing - if he had used this performance as an audition for his Oscar-winning performance as Ray and his fine nominated performance in Collateral, he would never have got the parts. The Thai scenes were filmed in Thailand but the rest of the film was made in Sydney with the New Zealand ranges standing in for Alaska. .We can enjoy the whizz-bang effects on the screen - but Stealth is offering us a caution about the dangers of digital warfare in reality.
1. The popularity of this kind of action film? Military action? The near future?
2. The technical achievement of the film, simulation of flight, flight action, manoeuvres, explosions and crashes? The controls of the plane, the pilots, the unpiloted plane? The ejection sequence, the parachuting, the debris falling? The actors working in front of the blue screen?
3. The political aspects of the film, the United States after the September 11 tragedy, the war on terrorism, might, right? Military prowess? Developing technology? The big budgets, the lobbying of the politicians? Artificial intelligence, robots – robotic machines and the independence from a controlling mind, a moral mind? The unforeseen consequences?
4. The echoes of Top Gun and its flight action? The echoes of 2001 with the rogue computer? The echoes of the Frankenstein stories, the hubris of the scientist, the creation of the monster? Audiences responding to these film traditions?
5. The information at the beginning, the plausibility of the explanations of artificial intelligence, digital robotics? America and terrorism? The balance of power? The enemies singled out, Myanmar, North Korea, Turjikistan(?)?
6. The fliers, seeing them in action, the training, the missions? The mysticism of the group of three? Wariness of adding the fourth to the group? Seeing them relaxing in the clubs, dancing, sex? The rest and recreation in Thailand, enjoying it, Henry and the girls, the discussions between Ben and Kara, the discussion with Henry about love and its having to be independent of their work? The bonds between the three, working together, coordination? Ben as an assured character, tough, genial, bending the rules? Kara, the women’s achievement, the lone woman amongst all the men? Skill in action? Henry, his being part of the team?
7. The UCAM (the unmanned combat aerial vehicle)? The possibilities, serving on the wing with the humans and their planes? Keith Orbit, his name, his talent, devising the UCAM, his having to control it later, finding it impossible? Tim as the technician whiz, information to Ben, his whispering to Ben – and being seen by EDI? His being transferred? The lobbyist in Washington, seen in the shadows, the phone calls from Cummings? Dick, his being the admiral, his relationship with Cummings, wariness of the UCAM, of Cummings? His continued presence, criticism, wanting accountability? The final arrest of Cummings – and leaving him, as he requested, for a final minute? EDI taking on its own life, people referring to “him”? The initial mission and the destruction of the building in Myanmar? The further mission, the attack, EDI going independent, the confrontation with Ben? His knowing more, the information, eluding pursuit, killing Henry, refuelling and attacking the satellite, the confrontation with Ben, the attack on Siberia? Henry earlier trying to talk him down? Ben appealing to his need for survival? EDI giving in, helping Ben?
8. The opening, the training, the more than one hundred percent success? The effect on morale? The Myanmar mission, calculating the collateral damage, the implosion? The return, the lightning strike?
9. The personality of Cummings, his role in the Navy, his growing obsession about EDI? A decent man, lobbying Washington? The information? The missions going wrong, his determination, confrontations with Ben? His ringing Keith Orbit, giving the information for the Russians, the orders to let Kara die, for the murder of Ben, the deaths, the lies? The final confrontation with Dick, his leaving the message on the answering machine in Washington as the lobbyist walked out, his death?
10. The admiral, the person with the conscience, articulating the critique of militarism, jingoism and government? Ben and his discussions about power, the abuse of power?
11. Kara, the plane being disabled, her ejection, the debris, landing in North Korea, the confrontation, the washerwomen, the child, the pursuit, the shootings? At the border, trying to evade capture? Ben’s arrival, their escape? EDI helping them with the rockets?
12. Henry, being part of the team, trying to talk EDI down, his death? The final memorial on the ship for him?
13. Ben, his decisions, taking charge of decisions, his ethical stances? Refuelling in air? His pursuit of EDI, the bargaining with him, going to Korea, Alaska? The collaboration? Ben in Alaska, landing, the doctor and the attempt to kill him? The secret location, the confrontation, the rockets and EDI helping Ben to escape?
14. The rescue mission in Korea, Ben going under the radar, landing, the final fight – and the American-style action adventure heroics? The individual saving the day?
15. The overall impact of the film, as a glimpse of the future, in the context of world terrorism, in the dominance of the United States in technology? American myths about superheroes?
