REEL CRITICS

‘Count on’ great independent film

“You Can Count on Me” is, quite simply, a masterpiece. It is

impossible to say which is better: the writing, the directing or the

acting.

I was so impressed by the film when I first saw it that I went back

again a week later fully expecting to start seeing at least a few flaws.

Instead, I found more moments of sheer perfection. No wonder this debut

film for writer/director Kenneth Lonergan won two of the top prizes at

the Sundance Film Festival.

An opening scene establishes the fact that two young children --

Sammy, a girl of about 5 or 6, and her younger brother, Terry -- lose

their parents in an automobile accident. The story then jumps ahead about

23 years.

Sammy (Laura Linney) is still living in the family home in a small

town in upstate New York, working as a loan officer in a bank and raising

a young son of her own. Sammy has worked hard to establish a secure,

structured life for her son.

But within one 24-hour period, two events occur that turn Sammy’s

world upside down. She arrives at her job only to learn that she has a

new boss who has no tolerance whatsoever for the flextime schedule she

needs to transport her son, Rudy, to and from school and to his sitter.

And that evening, Sammy receives a note from Terry saying he is coming

home for a visit after years of drifting.

Terry is played by newcomer Mark Ruffalo in a performance of such

assured complexity that he will remind you of a young Marlon Brando.

Sammy’s excitement over Terry’s arrival soon turns to frustration and

disappointment. In her eyes, Terry is wandering aimlessly, even

dangerously, through life.

Terry, whose heart is definitely in the right place, sees himself in

Rudy, perhaps remembering being similarly sheltered by his older sister.

Terry tries to help Rudy develop a little independence and confidence.

Unfortunately, his well-meaning efforts don’t ever seem to quite work out

the way he intended.

“You Can Count on Me” has a quality that I value highly: There are no

bad guys -- just good guys who don’t always know the right thing to do.

The story is filled with sharp dialogue, genuine humor and real

situations.

In short, it’s a masterpiece.

“You Can Count on Me” is rated R for language, some drug use and a

scene with sexuality.

* JUNE FENNER, a Costa Mesa resident in her late 50s, is vice

president of a work force training company.

‘Proof’ of good story, action

“Proof of Life,” which opens Friday, deals with a problem that has

become big industry and is certainly relevant in today’s multinational

business world. Predators kidnap and hold employees of large corporations

hostage, demanding huge ransoms because their perception is that the

corporation will pay rather than risk undermining the confidence and

morale of other employees.

The film, set in a fictional Latin American country, is apropos of the

times. It opens, in the latest flamboyant style, with action shots of

Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe) and his team rescuing a hostage from

kidnappers in Chechnya. While delivering the ransom, they manage to save

the money along with the hostage.

Meanwhile in Latin America, Peter Bowman (David Morse) is an engineer

for a large corporation that is building a dam in Tecala. He is kidnapped

by partisans demanding $3 million for his safe release.

The insurance company, who contracts with experts to deal with

terrorists, dispatches their negotiator -- Terry Thorne -- to deal with

the kidnappers.Terry meets with Peter’s spouse, Alice (Meg Ryan), and

Peter’s sister, Janis (Pamela Reed), but is unable to continue because

their hostage insurance was not only not renewed, but Peter’s company has

dissolved.

Terry does, however, agree to help Alice and Janis get Peter back on

his own time with no contract. There are good, tense scenes of Terry

bargaining on their two-way radio with the kidnapper’s spokesman. Segued

into these scenes are snippets of Peter’s situation as a prisoner to show

the essence of what it is like to be a hostage.

The director, Taylor Hackford, keeps viewers current with all phases

of the story. He made real people of the captors and gave them each their

own persona.

Through an unrelated incident, Terry discovers the identity of the

kidnapper’s negotiator and confronts him with an audiotape of their

bargaining sessions, proposing that he take what money they have raised

so far and release Peter. He tells Terry that the politics have changed

and not only do they not want the money, they plan to kill Peter.

Enter Dino (David Caruso), Terry’s friend and fellow negotiator, with

a small force of trained experts, and the action begins. This is good

because things were getting a little slow, and I was getting a little

fidgety.

Russell Crowe is certainly proving himself a competent performer who

has managed to keep from being typecast -- the sign of a good actor.

Meg Ryan was either underplaying her part or unable to impart the

complexity of emotion required of such a multilayered role.

It is really a pleasure to view the craftsmanship of Pamela Reed and

David Caruso. And no matter how you shake it, David Morse always adds

quality to any undertaking, whether it’s “The Green Mile” or “The Rock.”

This film is a good action story, well-acted and well-thought-out. A

little work was needed to understand the local politics and the thinking

of the large corporations, but I would certainly see it again and look

forward to the video.

“Proof of Life” is rated R for violence, language and some material

concerning drugs.

* JOAN ANDRE, “over 65,” is a Newport Beach resident who does a lot of

volunteer work.