DISSECTING THE DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

“KATHRYN BIGELOW”

By now, I’m sure that you know her name. Last year, Kathryn Bigelow became the first female to win the Director’s Guild of America Award, a BAFTA and an Oscar for directing (with The Hurt Locker). Kathryn has been directing films since the 80’s, was briefly married to James Cameron, and she gave the world Point Break. There’s a lot to admire about her, especially being a woman in a male-dominated director’s world, and how much she’s achieved in this world. Bigelow has tackled many genres throughout her career, and she’s certainly made her films stand out, with some being highly regarded. So what is it that makes her such a fascinating director? Let’s enter the dissection room to find out.

BEST WORK

Get the Near Dark DVD here
Get the Near Dark Blu-ray here

I can imagine everyone would have a different opinion on what they would consider to be Bigelow’s best. You have The Hurt Locker, which won the Oscar for Best Film, you have the action-packed adrenaline-pumping Point Break, and then for me is Near Dark, which is without a doubt her best. I actually didn’t see this film until around ten years ago, where I happened to stumble across a review while browsing this very website. That review sold me on having to see this film, and I haven’t regretted that decision at all. In fact, Near Dark is one of my all time favourite films, and my pick for the best vampire film, as well. Near Dark tells a simple story: a young man falls in love with a young woman, with the only problem being that she is a vampire and he’s gotten the bite. Her vampire family takes him away to try and teach him their ways, but of course there are consequences for everyone involved.

The thing that really makes this film stand out so much is just how unique it actually is. Sure, vampire love stories aren’t new, but this one chooses to not solely concentrate on that, and we have a whole cast of characters in the mix. Our main leads Adrian Pasdar as Caleb and Jenny Wright as Mae are both outstanding. They make for the perfect couple, and are something the audience could get behind. Both characters are likable, and together have the perfect chemistry. It made sense that these two would be drawn to each other. Bigelow really hit the nail on the head with their casting, and that trend would continue with the rest of Mae’s vampire family. Fresh off of Aliens we have Lance Henriksen as Jesse, Bill Paxton as Severen and Jenette Goldstein as Diamondback. Rounding out the family is Joshua John Miller (from River’s Edge) as Homer. Thanks to the fantastic script by Bigelow and Eric Red, these are quite easily some of the most memorable film characters. Severen can easily go down as one of the most badass and craziest vampires that cinema has to offer.

Near Dark is a modern-ish horror film with some western elements to it, but everything in the film blends together perfectly: from the characters to the fantastic cinematography to the practical affects. There isn’t any complicated mythos in the film. Really, it’s drink blood and stay out of the sun. Memorable scenes as well as quotable dialogue are all over this. You really can’t go wrong at all. Near Dark should be the how-to guide on making a credible vampire/horror/love story film. If you have yet to experience this film, you need to stop what you’re doing and go check it out right now.

WORST WORK

Get The Weight Of Water on DVD here

The task of deciding what a director’s weakest effort is never easy, however in this case, it was clear: The Weight Of Water. Released in 2001, I had seen a copy of this film at the local Blockbuster, but it looked bland and boring. It wasn’t until I read the back of the case that I noticed who the director was and my interest picked up. After sitting down to watch this, I could not believe this was a film by Bigelow. It was one of the most boring and dull films that I’ve ever seen. A Bigelow film is not boring. In fact, they’re usually all very exciting in some shape or form. But I just couldn’t get into this one at all. To me, it felt like a rejected made-for-television midday film. The Weight Of Water is about a newspaper photographer who ventures out with her husband and friends to an island to investigate a double murder that took place in 1873. All the while, it seems that her life mirrors the life of one of the women from the investigation. It doesn’t sound too bad on paper, but the execution of it all goes nowhere and amounts to nothing. There are some solid actors in this film, yet they seem to be bored with everything with the exception of Sarah Polley. The rest were as bland as they could possibly be. I’m not sure what went wrong here. Perhaps this genre just doesn’t suit Bigelow. The film seemed very tired, with no real passion behind it. A big disappointment, and something I would recommend avoiding.

TRADEMARKS

Get The Hurt Locker on DVD here
Get the Hurt Locker Blu-ray here

As strange as it might seem, I think her biggest trademark is making films that don’t necessarily feel like a woman made them. When I was younger, I never took notice as to who the director of Point Break was, and when I finally did and I saw that it was a woman, my mind was blown. Her films tend to have a very raw feeling to them, without holding anything back. Violence, sex, nudity, it all has a home within her films and it never seems like it’s unnecessary. She definitely likes to have some meaning behind the actions in her films, and for me this sets her apart. Her films always have strong characters, whether they’re male or female, and the audience is always drawn to them. While she doesn’t often use the same actors, Tom Sizemore has shown up a few times, and there are often little cameo appearances in her films. Bigelow likes to use first person perspectives, which you can see used throughout her films (with the most notable one being Strange Days). The visuals in her films are also something quite memorable. I’m not sure what it is exactly, but she can manage to find just the right amount of lighting, color, and back drop to create shots that are just too beautiful for words. Her films are a visual delight. The woman knows her stuff!

HIDDEN GEM

Get Strange Days on DVD here

A film that I finally got a chance to sit down and watch recently was Strange Days, and up until a few years ago I didn’t even know of its existence. For me, this film fits into the hidden gem category perfectly, and I am sure that some of you readers haven’t seen this one, either. The film was co-written by Bigelow’s former husband James Cameron, who also came up with the story and did editing work on the film. It takes place in 1999 (it was made in 1995) near the end of the millennium where the world is a different place. Our main character Lenny (Ralph Fiennes) is a former cop who now deals a new form of addiction. They are called ‘squid’ recordings, which are recordings made from a person’s cerebral cortex that allows the viewer to experience those memories. This leads him to a disc that contains the memories of a murder, and Lenny falls head-first into the mystery along with his friend Mace (Angela Bassett) and his ex Faith (Juliette Lewis). Strange Days is a strange film, and has some great ideas and concepts that made for compelling viewing. The mystery, once it kicks in, is well done and interesting. When it took twists and turns, they actually caught me off guard. Again, this film has some amazing visuals, especially all of the first person perspective stuff as mentioned previously. A lot of work and effort went into this film, and I almost felt that this was a little ahead of its time. The acting was also really good, with everyone fitting their roles perfectly, especially Juliette Lewis. In my opinion, I think this was one of her best roles. Bigelow and Cameron made for a great team here, and I honestly would love to see them work together again.

NEXT PROJECT

The next film up for Kathryn Bigelow is Triple Frontier, a political/action/thriller that’s set to begin filming this year. The triple frontier in question is the borders of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, where it’s said to be a source for gangland and terrorist funding. At this stage, Tom Hanks is attached to star, but not much else is known at this time. The film has been in development for some time and one would imagine with the subject matter that it hasn’t been easy to get off the ground.

OVERALL

Get Point Break on DVD here
Get Point Break on Blu-ray here

I think I can safely say that Kathryn Bigelow is one of my favourite directors. She makes different and interesting films that cater to a variety of tastes, including mine. For me, most of her films feel like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale room. At least for me when I press play on one of her films, I’m almost guaranteed to be entertained and see a decent film. She has broken new ground for women in the industry, and she is a true Hollywood icon. Bigelow is one of the best directors working today, and has been extremely influential. I can’t wait to see more from her, and I encourage everyone to jump into her filmography and check her films out.