Meet the Makers: Kathryn Bigelow

[A very talented painter, Kathryn spent two years at the San Francisco Art Institute. At 20, she won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program. She was given a studio in a former Offtrack Betting building, literally in a vault, where she made art and waited to be criticized by people like Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg and Susan Sontag. She later graduated from Columbia’s Film School. She was also a member of the British avant-garde cultural group, Art and Language. Kathryn is the only child of the manager of a paint factory and a librarian.] — IMDB.com

You may be wondering why I’m highlighting this film-maker. Look to your left and you’ll see the first, and perhaps most significant reason. Bigelow directed Near Dark (1987), which I personally consider to be one of the best vampire movies ever made. Sure, some of you out there may disagree, perhaps even shun my name, but when it comes to vampire films that are both original and lots of fun to watch, few are as successful as this. The cast is great, featuring Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Adrian Pasdar, not to mention Jenette Goldstein (aka Private Vasquez from Aliens) and legendary b-movie icon Tim Thomerson (Trancers). The story follows a “family” of vampires roaming the American midwest, when a young man is bitten by one of the family and reluctantly joins the nomadic vampires on their RV trek. The movie isn’t perfect, but it offers a lot of fun for fans of the genre. Paxton is Paxton, but is his sarcastic self that makes his character enjoyable. The entire film maintains a great end-of-the-80’s appeal, from the wardrobe’s to the hairstyling and even some of the slang and language used. If you haven’t seen it, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Blue Steel (1990) and Point Break (1991) — I’m not going to dwell on these two films as they really aren’t shining moments in Bigelow’s career. Blue Steel starred Jamie Lee Curtis as a rookie cop chasing down a psychopath that’s obsessed with her. Blue Steel really isn’t a bad movie, but it’s also nothing great. Point Break on the other hand starred Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves who play two undercover FBI agents posing as surfers to attempt catching a band of bank robbers. Oddly enough, this movie either truly sucks or is one of the great cult cop movies of all time, depending on who you’re talking to. One thing’s for sure … its a terribly acted film and is Bigelow’s lowest moment as a film-maker.

We return to the kind of film that makes Bigelow a film-maker I admire. Strange Days (1995) stars Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott, Vincent D’Onofrio, William Fichtner and a VERY BUFF Angela Bassett. [I was in high school when I first saw this movie … I have to admit, I had a major crush on Bassett after that.] I could stop here. How could you not love a film with this cast? Strange Days is a near-futuristic sci-fi film that is slightly influenced by Blade Runner, but takes place in 1999. The movie tells the story of Lenny, former cop who now deals in illegal black-market sales on data-discs contains other peoples recorded memories and emotions. Lenny, played by Fiennes, accidentally discovers a murder on one of the discs and uncovers a police conspiracy that turns his life inside-out as he becomes more deeply involved. All of this tension and suspense boils up and adds to an already turbulent social situation as the millenium closes and the film climaxes with an emotionally charged and violent ending. On top of a cool story and a great cast. Strange Days also has an awesome soundtrack, containing a eclectic mix of musical styles and influences that gives the film a truly unique musical signature.

After Strange Days, Bigelow directed a small Canadian film called The Weight of Water (2000), about a photo-journalist researching a double axe-murder from the 1870’s. K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) is a different kind of movie for Bigelow, while at the same time not very different. Its a military thriller based on actual events, but still falls into a category of film-making that is usually associated with male film-makers. People generally don’t think of female directors as masters of the action genre, but who’s to say that can’t be. Bigelow proves this is a flawed way of thinking. K-19 stars Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson and takes place during the 1960’s Cold War. In this tale of Russia’s first nuclear submarine on its maiden voyage, the submarine malfunctions and the crew must race to prevent a massive disaster. Bigelow’s next film is called The Hurt Locker. This film reunites Bigelow with actor Ralph Fiennes and also stars David Morse and Guy Pearce. The story follows an elite bomb squad in Iraq as they’re forced to play a deadly game amidst the war. Bigelow again returns to the same type of film that has defined her atypical career as a female director, but continues to prove the stereotype wrong.