Essential Noir Films: Daren Wagar on STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
A lone cynic goes on his own quest to unravel a mystery which leads to a bigger, more sinister plot. A quest that is also complete with seedy underworld places and hardened characters.
A moral and ultimately doomed protagonist is trapped in an unwanted situation, fighting against cold fate and surrounded by less than moral characters in an immoral world.
ATTACK OF THE CLONES is the second chapter in George Lucas’ STAR WARS prequel trilogy, and while it certainly isn’t a straight film noir, it does exhibit many traits of the genre. It’s also a movie that’s tragically misjudged.
At the crux of the story, assassination attempts against Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) force the Jedi to send Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on a solo mission to investigate, while Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is charged with protecting her. Meanwhile, the galaxy is crumbling around them.
It’s classic noir. The atmosphere of the movie has an underlying sense of doom throughout. Corruption is abound, a separatist movement has formed and the galaxy is on the verge of war. And thanks to the original trilogy, we already know the peril to come.
Past the CG and spectacle, it is a pessimistic film. There’s corruption, greed and forbidden romance.
There is also a nighttime chase through a sprawling maze-like city, a rain soaked fight, seedy underworld nightclubs, dimly lit corridors, and a climactic, visceral duel in an industrial setting. Even Venetian blinds appear, casting the same moody light and shadow you might find in a Howard Hawkes film.
And there’s the dialogue.
George Lucas is famously accused of writing bad dialogue. It’s not bad. It’s melodramatic, sure. It’s also stylistic, just like the classic films. That goes with the delivery too. Deadpan snark, monologues and a lack of sentimentality from characters; styles modern audiences can’t seem to take. Let’s be honest, even the banter of SUNSET BOULEVARD wouldn’t fly by today’s standards.
Then there’s the parallel with the noir classic THE THIRD MAN. In it, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) is investigating the death/vanishing of friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), while everyone informs Martins that Lime was awful. In ATTACK OF THE CLONES, Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) is our Harry Lime. His name is mentioned unfavorably and like Lime, he’s not seen or heard from.
It’s not until the climax of both films that Holly Martins and Obi-Wan Kenobi finally meet these elusive characters; Harry Lime and Count Dooku. Both men are indeed revealed to be villains. Both even try to recruit our heroes. They’re great scenes made better by their grim dialogue and fascinating set pieces. They’re even filmed alike, with the villain in each circling the hero like prey.
I know ATTACK OF THE CLONES is by no means a perfect film. But it is a perfect STAR WARS film. It’s imaginative. It tread new ground. It wasn’t just a rehash of what we’d already seen, relying on nostalgia or fan service. It was bold. And it’s that boldness that allowed George Lucas to experiment, adding a film noir flair to an otherwise space fantasy film.
Maybe one day the prequels will be reexamined by a more open audience. Or maybe I’ve convinced you to reexamine them yourself. In the end it’s all subjective anyway.
