To casual moviegoers, the name John Milius is probably not one that is instantly recognizable. Although he worked steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the director never achieved the marquee name status of his contemporaries like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese. However, to huge film buffs, Milius has long been seen as an underrated and, in some genres, iconic auteur responsible for having a hand, either as a screenwriter or director, in creating some of the greatest films action ever made. MILIUS, the new documentary by Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson, aims to give Milius his due and shine a light on the filmmaker's life and contributions to cinema.
Perhaps the most immediately striking aspect of MILIUS is just how many of Milius' famous fellow filmmakers Figuerora and Knutson were able to get together for interviews. The list of famous directors who serve as talking heads here is simply staggering: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Oliver Stone are only a few of the names that appear to pay tribute to their old friend. In a lesser documentary, these men would simply show up, say a few brief general sound bites about the nature of the film industry, and the result would be a minute or two of screen time for the sake of having household names in the film. This is not the case with MILIUS as everyone interviewed seems to genuinely care and have great interest in both the documentary's subject as both a filmmaker and as a man. Nobody appears bored or uninvolved at any point. And in an industry where some directors wants to take credit for everything, it's refreshing to see these filmmakers share stories of how valuable Milius was on films that they directed that could therefore be seen as "their films." In particular, Coppola comes across as greatly appreciative for having Milius as a co-writer on APOLCALYPSE NOW, and Spielberg smiles with glee as he retells the story of how Milius wrote a famous monologue from JAWS. It is in these scenes that Figueroa and Knutson do a fantastic job of highlighting Milius' great, although often uncredited or ignored, work as a screenwriter. As screen writing in general is a subject that is often either overshadowed or minimized by the subject of directing in documentaries, this is by far one of the most engaging and interesting sections of the film.
Because Figueroa and Knutson do such an incredible job covering Milius' screen writing career, it's disappointing that some of the movies he directed are discussed less than they should be. In terms of box office and cultural impact, Milius' 1982 adaptation of Conan the Barbarian is his best commercially successful movie, so it's a bit strange that the segment on that movie only lasts about five minutes. It's almost like the segment is in there for obligatory reasons from the way it seems glossed over in some respects. Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up to discuss how the character of Conan impacted his career and it's hinted at why Milius didn't return to the franchise, but there is much more that could have been said about the film that is considered by many to be a classic. Still, what is featured in the segment in regards to behind-the-scenes footage and production stills is informative and entertaining.
As MILIUS reaches its conclusion, the last twenty-five years or so of Milius' career are somewhat skimmed over, partly due to the fact that Milius hasn't been given as many career opportunities as he once had, but mainly because the filmmakers have a much more important topic to discuss: the stroke that left Milius suffered a few years ago. The details regarding the aftermath of his stroke are filled in by Milius' children and his close friends, and it's at this point that the documentary becomes something deeper. Alternating between incredibly sad and incredibly inspiring, the last act of MILIUS is the most powerful part of any documentary I've seen in quite some time. Milius refuses to let the last few years of setbacks stop him from continuing to work as he continues to write his long-in-development Ghenghis Khan biopic, which sounds like it has the potential to be the best project Milius has ever done. When the end credits of MILIUS roll, there is a complete picture of an extremely talented, tough, and larger than life man, one who still has plenty left to say and several more stories to tell, either on paper or on screen. Watching MILIUS makes one eagerly await the big screen return of a fascinating filmmaker, hopefully sooner rather than later. Highly recommended. 9/10
Perhaps the most immediately striking aspect of MILIUS is just how many of Milius' famous fellow filmmakers Figuerora and Knutson were able to get together for interviews. The list of famous directors who serve as talking heads here is simply staggering: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Oliver Stone are only a few of the names that appear to pay tribute to their old friend. In a lesser documentary, these men would simply show up, say a few brief general sound bites about the nature of the film industry, and the result would be a minute or two of screen time for the sake of having household names in the film. This is not the case with MILIUS as everyone interviewed seems to genuinely care and have great interest in both the documentary's subject as both a filmmaker and as a man. Nobody appears bored or uninvolved at any point. And in an industry where some directors wants to take credit for everything, it's refreshing to see these filmmakers share stories of how valuable Milius was on films that they directed that could therefore be seen as "their films." In particular, Coppola comes across as greatly appreciative for having Milius as a co-writer on APOLCALYPSE NOW, and Spielberg smiles with glee as he retells the story of how Milius wrote a famous monologue from JAWS. It is in these scenes that Figueroa and Knutson do a fantastic job of highlighting Milius' great, although often uncredited or ignored, work as a screenwriter. As screen writing in general is a subject that is often either overshadowed or minimized by the subject of directing in documentaries, this is by far one of the most engaging and interesting sections of the film.
Because Figueroa and Knutson do such an incredible job covering Milius' screen writing career, it's disappointing that some of the movies he directed are discussed less than they should be. In terms of box office and cultural impact, Milius' 1982 adaptation of Conan the Barbarian is his best commercially successful movie, so it's a bit strange that the segment on that movie only lasts about five minutes. It's almost like the segment is in there for obligatory reasons from the way it seems glossed over in some respects. Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up to discuss how the character of Conan impacted his career and it's hinted at why Milius didn't return to the franchise, but there is much more that could have been said about the film that is considered by many to be a classic. Still, what is featured in the segment in regards to behind-the-scenes footage and production stills is informative and entertaining.
As MILIUS reaches its conclusion, the last twenty-five years or so of Milius' career are somewhat skimmed over, partly due to the fact that Milius hasn't been given as many career opportunities as he once had, but mainly because the filmmakers have a much more important topic to discuss: the stroke that left Milius suffered a few years ago. The details regarding the aftermath of his stroke are filled in by Milius' children and his close friends, and it's at this point that the documentary becomes something deeper. Alternating between incredibly sad and incredibly inspiring, the last act of MILIUS is the most powerful part of any documentary I've seen in quite some time. Milius refuses to let the last few years of setbacks stop him from continuing to work as he continues to write his long-in-development Ghenghis Khan biopic, which sounds like it has the potential to be the best project Milius has ever done. When the end credits of MILIUS roll, there is a complete picture of an extremely talented, tough, and larger than life man, one who still has plenty left to say and several more stories to tell, either on paper or on screen. Watching MILIUS makes one eagerly await the big screen return of a fascinating filmmaker, hopefully sooner rather than later. Highly recommended. 9/10