Babel (2007, HD DVD)

Bobby and Jane are in love, but Jane gets hit by a car and dies. Rick has a very fulfillling life. Mandy has a very unfulfilling life. Rick's life stops being fulfilling when he hits Jane with the car. Mandy's life becomes fulfilling when she prevents Rick from committing suicide after he kills Jane. Aw, man, dawg. WE ARE ALL CONNECTED!

That more or less summarizes the plot of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel. It also more or less summarizes the plot of Magnolia, 21 Grams, and most recently, Crash. And that is Babel's biggest issue: it's been done before. It's okay to use the interwoven-multi-plot technique if you feel that it is necessary, but why greenlight a film that has already been made? Babel is simply Crash on an international level.

Yet the film's superior production value, as well as the inclusion of several original concepts, makes it worth at least one viewing. One of the story's great ideas is the life of a Japanese deaf-mute teenager. This sort of plight is not something we Americans see much of, and the insight which Inarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga provide is highly poignant. Inarritu illustrates the character's perspective by switching the soundtrack on-and-off during scenes-----one visually stimulating sequence in a nightclub is particularly impressive.

The other plot-lines are fairly standard fare, can even be overly obvious. One involves an American, Richard, whose wife is accidentally shot on a tour bus in Morocco. The bullet came from an unknown outside source, and all of the other passengers begin freaking out about "the terrorists!" This would be forgivable if it had been handled novelly, but instead the actors just superficially repeat the previous quotation. It ruins what could be an effective moment.

Brad Pitt, who plays Richard, does not disappear into his character. Pitt is a fine performer and has succeeded at camouflaging in films such as Fight Club and Se7en. What's the problem here? It can't be Pitt, because his delivery is pitch-perfect-----if this is the case, the blames lies on the script. Pitt was a poor choice for the role because he's never given a chance to become Richard-----he's always just Brad Pitt. Then again, that might have gone for any actor. There's very little development.

Regardless of the major faults, the film's stronger moments are provocative and intricate enough to make it worthwhile. Babel is a decent flick and will probably win Best Picture because of its pertinence, yet we must remember that it has been done before, and better.

Rating: B-