Birdman (2014) (English Language)

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119min

Cast: Michael Keaton , Edward Norton, Emma Stone …and more

Writers: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone …and more

Michael Keaton ironically stars as an ageing actor, once famous for playing a masked superhero, who stages a Broadway play in order to reclaim past glories while keeping together his dysfunctional relationships.

Writer/Director Alejandro González Iñárritu puts together an incredibly original and complex piece of cinematic work both in terms of style and content with a technical precision that makes ‘Birdman’ one of the most visually original comedy/dramas in recent memory.

The combination of handheld cameras and Steadicam shots with West Wing-style “walk and talks” gives the interaction between the characters an ultra-realistic feel, and when combined with seemingly unending shots from one scene to another ‘Birdman’ looks like one continuous theatre-like performance, try to picture a surreal play about a movie within another play.

Make no mistake though the technical aspects of the film only compliment what it is a wonderfully dramatic and constantly hilarious satire of the entertainment business, Iñárritu pulls no punches in exposing the ridiculousness of the film and theatre industries and the neuroses and pomposity of the actors that work in it, as well as the media circus that lives of it and the fickle modern society that consumes it.

Michael Keaton shines as the “Birdman” himself with a career-high performance that shows all the complexity of a man full of insecurity and apparent psychosis whilst being over-the-top and entertaining throughout.

Equally impressive is the cast assembled around Keaton all of whom deliver outstanding performances likely to be recognized throughout the 2015 awards season, the supporting actor nominations for Edward Norton and Emma Stone at the Golden Globes must surely be a sign of things to come.

For its ambition and visual achievement this movie deserves recognition but when combined with excellent cast performances and satirical hilariousness throughout, ‘Birdman’ is one of the very best films released in a very good year for film in 2014.