The adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s brilliant novel stars Robert Pattinson as Georges Duroy, the eponymous lead and lothario extraordinaire in Bel Ami. It charts a penniless ex-soldier’s devastating ascent in nineteenth century French aristocratic society. As Duroy climbs his way over buxom beauties and up the social ladder, we get to see his desperation as he continuously strives for a better way of life. Working for a political newspaper despite being a talentless journalist (it’s never that easy to get a job in journalism), Duroy uses his obvious charisma and sleeps with well connected women to achieve his dream of prosperity. Bed-hopping from one conquest to another, Duroy is intoxicated with power and a stultifying greed for an elevated social standing. A harsh opportunist, he marries the wife of his dead boss, becomes editor of the political newspaper du jour and has various affairs along the way.
The film is Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod’s directorial debut and has many draws. All round solid performances, a brilliant score and a largely faithful script ultimately renders the film an enjoyable romp (no pun intended). Pattinson delivers a watchable performance in his second film outside the Twilight saga. However, the character of Duroy is complicated, damaged and edgy, which I felt was lacking in Pattinson’s performance. I couldn’t help but feel for Duroy in the book, where I felt myself rooting for him every step of the way, despite his dastardly actions. Yet watching Pattinson on-screen failed to ignite my inner empathy.
Pattinson certainly looks the part. There’s no denying that he’s easy on the eye, yet I only wish his on-screen avatar was closer to the book. By building on his serious acting repertoire, I get the distinct feeling that Pattinson is trying to escape this Twilight roots. And he does achieve this (sort of) in an understated way. There will always be comparisons to his character in the wildly successful Twilight saga. In fact, there was the odd moment when I thought he was playing Edward Cullen, the sparkly, brooding vampire as he smouldered his way across the screen as Duroy. Which leads me to wonder, if Pattinson will ever escape Edward Cullen? I’m not sure he will, but his choice of grittier roles is definitely a step in the right direction.
The stellar cast that boasts Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas was in short, wonderful. The super strong performances from the ice-cool Uma Thurman to the poignantly desperate Kristin Scott Thomas as the lovelorn pseudo-mistress made the film all the more believable. It’s a sumptuous costume drama and a special mention is owed to the costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux. Her award-winning creations (One Day, The Constant Gardener, An Education) gave the film a dreamily gorgeous sheen.
Bel Ami will appeal to classical fiction lovers and Twihards, whilst the prospect of seeing teen idol Pattinson in the buff will undoubtedly be enough to ensure repeat viewings of this enjoyable film. All in all, a solid effort.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: http://www.zimbio.com/Robert+Pattinson/articles/TbPUdZq3Esa/Film+Review+Bel+Ami
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