Review: Birdman

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★★

“Birdman” is a true original. It’s a rambunctious dark comedy that plays more like the lucid dream of a schizophrenic rather than a straightforward story. And I loved everything about it.

Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thompson, a washed up Hollywood movie star whose most famous days are behind him. He’s most famous for playing a superhero named Birdman in a highly successful franchise. He’s trying to reinvent his career by adapting, directing and starring in his own play on Broadway. As the story begins, Riggan is having difficulties with one of his supporting actors. An accident gives Riggan the chance to replace him. Thanks to help from his costar Lesley (Naomi Watts) and his agent/best friend Jake (Zach Galifianakis) Riggan is able to get Broadway superstar Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) in his play.

Shiner’s presence initially invigorates Riggan, but subsequently starts driving him insane. Shiner is here to steal the show away because he’s the top Broadway star and despises actors from Hollywood. Shiner also complicates matters when he shows an interest in Riggan’s daughter Sam (Emma Stone), who is trying to restart her own life following a bit of a rough patch. 

Talk about a film that just bursting with originality. "Birdman" is an exhilarating film to watch thanks to the wonderful and very original vision of filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. Originality is nothing new for Iñárritu. He’s directed some films that were very innovative at the time of their release, such as the fantastic “Amores Perros” and the shuffled up narrative “21 Grams.” This is yet another masterpiece to be added to his very successful career. His script is brilliantly crafted alongside his recent writing partners Nicolás Giacobone and Armando Bo, and new writer Alexander Dinelaris. There isn’t one second of uninteresting dialogue or unnecessary filler.

The film is frantically paced and refuses to let up. It’s nearly two hours in length, but it never feels like it. The frantic pace is punctuated by a spastic jazz score from Antonio Sanchez, a Mexican jazz drummer who has never composed for film before. The music sets the tone for the film better than anything else I’ve seen this year. It’s as unyielding as the script.

One of the most original ideas about “Birdman” is the decision to make the film appear as though it’s been captured in one seamless take. Emmanuel Lubezki is the cinematographer tasked to make this happen, and he’s pulled it off beautifully. Lubezki is the cinematographer who captured all the breathtaking shots from last year’s “Gravity,” and I believe he has outdone himself here. Both are certainly challenging films to make, but “Birdman” doesn’t have the same reliance on CGI as “Gravity.” With the exception of a couple cuts right at the beginning and the end, the entire bulk of the narrative shows no visible cuts. The camera is in a constant state of motion.

The seamlessness of the film’s camera movements can also be attributed to film editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, both who have worked with Iñárritu before, most notably on “Babel.” These editors have hidden all the cuts to make the film come across as one free flowing image. Sure, there are films that have been made where everything was captured in just one take, but this type of narrative wouldn’t have worked like that. “Birdman” is eye candy for anyone who loves a well-photographed film.

Keaton has never been better. He’s had some memorable roles throughout his career, but “Birdman” will go down as his greatest performance. He’s a tormented man who just wants to be remembered for something great. We can all relate to that, right? But I’m not sure from where Keaton was able to pull such a tortured performance. Maybe he really feels this way after playing such characters as Batman and Beetlejuice? It’s probably difficult for casting directors to look at him and think audiences won’t be able take him seriously. It’s not like Keaton is in multiple movies each year. It might be very difficult for him. If that’s where this darkness is coming from, then this is the perfect role for him to tackle. He’s mesmerizing to watch.

The rest of the cast turn in equally fantastic performances that help make this one of the best ensembles assembled this year. Stone turns in a career-best performance as Keaton’s equally tormented daughter. She’ll have a lot to live up to moving forward in her career. Norton is turns in a memorable performance for the first time in a long time. It’s hard to identify a primary antagonist in the story, but Norton makes a good case and he excels at it. The scenes with him and Keaton are among the film’s most memorable. Even Galifianakis leaves behind his usual comedic shtick and actually plays the role. While his appearance isn’t altered in any way, he’s unrecognizable in his role thanks to such a solid performance.

“Birdman” is such an exhilarating ride and one of the year’s best films. This film could have easily been made just as straightforward as any other film, but it's Iñárritu’s artistic vision that makes this film so much more enjoyable. There’s a distinct amount of electricity running through this movie that’s missing in so many others. Cinema is supposed to be an emotionally moving visual art form, and so many filmmakers have forgotten this. But not Iñárritu. He continues to outdo himself time and time again. “Birdman” is his best work. And it's Keaton's best work. And it's one of the best films of 2014.