THE LOST CITY OF Z Review
Director and writer James Gray has a knack for stationing his films with their classically glossy appearances in the orbit of the deep, yearning humans at the center of his works. From astronauts with daddy issues in AD ASTRA to worn down illusionists in turn of the century New York City in THE IMMIGRANT, Gray finds wealth in the complicated humanity of heroes and villains alike. In his adaptation of author David Grann’s acclaimed historical account of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), the filmmaker once again finds humanistic gold in the hills of one man’s epic quest to craft his own legacy.
Evoking similar themes of elusive masculinity and honor that elude his protagonist in the excellently morose AD ASTRA, the journey of Mr. Fawcett, from his first forays into the Bolivian jungle as a glorified mapper to his later expeditions as a full out treasure hunter back caught in a desperate bid to find the fabled lost city of an ancient indigenous civilization, is the result of a man trying to prove himself not to a single man like Brad Pitt’s Roy McBride, but to an English society that has turned its back on him. A son to a father who once made a name for the Fawcett clan only to relinquish it to squalor through bad debts and addiction, the grand, increasingly obsessive journey of Percy tinges with the specter of approval throughout. As Gray’s story follows each of Percy’s perilous expeditions into the jungle, the audience and Percy along with his various partners (such as Robert Pattinson’s gruff but loyal Henry Costin) and detractors wonder if the man is in search of the fabled city or something much more ethereal.
As this question Fawcett’s true intentions looms, Gray nevertheless delivers on creating a legitimate spectacle of a film. Equal parts biographical portrait and down and dirty river adventure, THE LOST CITY OF Z is never boring as the audience follows the jungle exploits of the British explorer. Impressively shot on location in the sticky and humid jungles of the Amazon, Darius Khondji’s immaculate cinematography captures the natural beauty and surreal dangers of the jungle while Christopher Spelman’s score adds an additional bit of classical grandiosity to a film that feels like both a throwback and modern interpretation of those extravagant jungle movies of yesteryear. Even as the film goes through some of Fawcett’s life in quick bursts, cutting out much of his childhood years and as a result, his father’s stained legacy that presides over our protagonist, Gray’s attempts to try and observe the hounded man at the center of his tale proves equally captivating and frustrating as the audience never gets too close to Fawcett or his peers, specifically his abandoned family composed of his supportive but obviously put upon wife (Sienna Miller) and his three children.
In his depictions of the Fawcett family life, Gray seems to edge towards detailing the consequences of a constantly absent father hell-bent on restoring his legacy that rings close to his later work in AD ASTRA but here the filmmaker lets those moments dissipate as he jumps through time towards Fawcett’s final fateful expedition with his now grown son, Jack (Tom Holland). While he never lets the audience forget that Percy does indeed acknowledge the impact his journeys have had on his family (specifically in a final departure sequence beautifully edited in the third act), the rest of the Fawcett clan never gets enough focus outside of Fawcett’s wife. Despite this minor lapse, THE LOST CITY OF Z has a fine cast to work with, with Hunnam himself creating a very impressive central performance. Outside of his fitting, rugged looks (the man’s hair looks perfect even in the sweaty jungles of the Amazon), Hunnam perfectly captures the rousing determination of his explorer while still creating an intriguing wall between himself and the deeper emotions that drive his quest. While not an (intentionally) stoic performance like Pitt’s flowy astronaut, Hunnam and Gray perfect the portrait of a man led by the temptation and promise of a renowned legacy which make the tragedy of the man’s final moments ring even louder.
When these moments of grand adventure and trembling human follies combine, THE LOST CITY OF Z moves ever so close to being more than a very well made adventure/biography. Just like its protagonist, Gray and co.’s production never finds exactly what they are looking for but the journey of one man’s never-ending quest for validation is just as enthralling as the much sought after destination.
4/5
