the last Neo-Noir you watched

[Davidmk]

I saw it recently too. It is a strange film, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. The idea for the story and who/what the characters were supposed to be were interesting concepts. The acting was good enough. I don't know if it was Mickey Rourke's character's self-destructive stupidity or the vacuousness of the Megan Fox bird-girl. But I lost interest about half-way through, although I did watch it to the end. Bill Murray's odd portrayal of a sadistic gangster was the best part of the film, but even that was off kilter. Perhaps it was a sideways view of an alternate noir universe.

I certainly did not lose interest , but i too am not sure how i felt about the film ... I liked it , but it still has me thinking about what i watched , so i guess that's what a good film does , I liked that it was very different from most of what we see these days & some of the Dark shots at the Carnival were really cool .... glad i saw it , not sure i'd own it though .......we'll see in 6 months

[Guy Savage]

Just finished the remake of Brighton Rock. Liked its menace very much. Any one else seen it?

[spress]

Saw Blue Blood, the DVD title for If I Didn't Care. No if about it. Empty generic film about an empty guy (Bill Sage) in the generic Hamptons (don't think which Hampton was specified). He's a commercial real estate wannabe who has a beautiful generic wife (Noelle Beck) who makes the $ as a lawyer in NYC. But he's having an affair with a beautiful generic residential real estate agent (Susan Misner). I think the reason for the affair is that the wife doesn't want kids, but the girlfriend does (at least that's original). He can't divorce the wife because she has the money, and as the girlfriend complains, "private schools are expensive." So because this is a neo-noir, they have to kill the wife. And then of course everything goes to sh*t.

Had a TV, almost soap opera feel to the acting, which is not surprising since the 3 leads are mostly TV actors, and Beck & Misner have done some soaps. Roy Scheider had a supporting role as the investigating detective. This was one of his last films.

[JohnChard]

First I was a cop, then a private detective. And then a drunk.

Twilight is directed by Robert Benton who also co-writes the screenplay with Richard Russo. It stars Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, James Garner, Stockard Channing, Reese Witherspoon, Giancarlo Esposito and Liev Schreiber. Music is scored by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Piotr Sobocinski.

Harry Ross (Newman) is working for Jack (Hackman) and Catherine (Sarandon) Ames. When one day he is sent to deliver a package for Jack, it turns out to be the starting point of trouble that opens up a 20 year old missing persons case involving Catherine’s ex-husband.

Twilight, the word in this case signifying persons in the twilight of their lives, is on the surface a standard murder mystery infused with noirish blood. But although the film never gets above a steady beat, where subtlety of performances and tone are key, it’s a better picture than the poor box office it garnered suggests. However, in spite of the quality that comes with said performances and script, the latter sinewy and begging for the mature film fan’s attention, picture is a little too subtle for its own good. When action does come into play it feels like an intrusion, misplaced even, which shouldn’t be the case as there is, after all, a suspected murder and private investigation going on in the plot. The blend isn’t quite right in spite of the intelligence and thought that’s gone in to make the characters engaging.

The whole calm over chaos approach taken by Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer) is however admirable, many like dialogue driven movies, especially ones dripping with noir atmospherics, myself included, but it does put itself out as being only accessible to a select audience. That’s why it failed at the box office; well that and the fact that this A list cast of some distinction meant expectations went through the roof prior to its release! But there’s still much to enjoy as the seasoned performers dally around themes of mortality, loyalty and forbidden fruit, with the rose tinted cloud of nostalgia hovering constantly over head. It’s apt that the film clearly harks back to noirish movies of yesterday, for its main characters are forced to constantly look backwards, to times passed, times never to be had again.

The good far outweighs the bad here, but you need to be in a select band of film lovers to get the best rewards from it. 7/10

[chimeradave]

“Seven” or “Se7en” (1995) directed by David Fincher is a great neo-noir because it is able to explore, in an updated way, the noir theme of the city as a corruptor. For instance, Det. Somerset (Morgan Freeman) seems to be a noir character. I’ve always pictured him being from this lost noir film, but it’s just a fantasy since race relations being what they were in the noir period Freeman never would have had a lead role. But, that’s the fun of neo-noir: we are able to apply our modern values to the themes of the classic genre.

From his first scene, where Det. Somerset (Morgan Freeman) asks about whether a child witnessed his parent’s homicide, we learn that Somerset is different from the other police officers around him. He still has his basic humanity. However, his humanity is also a burden. Somerset is tired of this inner struggle and has decided to quit the police and get away from the city before it can destroy him. When Somerset gets into a taxi, the driver asks him where he’s headed. Somerset stares out of the back seat window at the city streets and replies, “Far away from here.” The metronome Somerset uses to drown out the noise of the city comes to represent his dream of getting away. When Somerset smashes the metronome it is clear that he is no longer leaving.

The rest of the article can be read here:
http://chimeradave.blogspot.com/2012...-on-seven.html

John

[cigar joe]

When a man is mistaken for a millionaire, two thugs break into his home and destroy some of his personal property to coerce him into paying a debt he knows nothing about. He attempts to gain recompense for the property from his wealthy counterpart. The millionaire offers him a one-time job with high pay-off to reward him for his trouble. He makes the mistake of enlisting the help of one of his friends on this job and deception leads to more trouble, and it soon the mans life is spiraling out of control.

Sounds like a classic Noir no? Well in the hands of the Coen Brothers this becomes a hilarious modern bizarre Neo Noir-ish Comedy The Big Lebowski (1998) The man is aging stoner "the Dude" (Jeff Bridges), the millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), the "Dude's" friends include John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. The characters and situations are absurd and downright loony but its non stop and entertaining. 10/10

[JohnChard]

Sharky's Machine (1981)

Sharky: First Name, Sergeant.

Sharky's Machine is directed by Burt Reynolds and written by William Diehl and Gerald Di Pego. It stars Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Rachel Ward, Henry Silva, Carol Locatell, Brian Keith, Bernie Casey, Earl Holliman and Charles Durning. Music is by Snuff Garrett and cinematography by William A. Fraker. Plot finds Reynolds as Atlanta narcotics cop Tom Sharky, who finds himself busted down to vice squad after a drug bust goes badly wrong. If he thought it was going to be dull and routine he is very much mistaken, for soon enough Sharky finds himself in deep with a high class prostitution ring, political corruption and cold blooded murder.

The Sharky's Machine of the title is the group of cops that Tom Sharky gathers for the case he is working on. What starts out as standard surveillance at the home of beautiful hooker Dominoe (Ward), turns into a bloody trip into the workings of the seedy kingpins pulling the strings. But the kicker here is that as Sharky becomes an unwilling voyeur to Dominoe's life, he finds himself falling for her. He's fascinated by her, he feels from a distance her sadness of a life that she knows no better of. Tom Sharky is a tough dude, a manly man, a perfect role for Reynolds in fact, but he also needs to be loved, he likes roses and wood carving, he looks back to a childhood lost, it's this compelling characterisation that lifts Sharky's Machine above many other cop thrillers in a similar vein.

The film is, however, still violent and unflinching in its observations of this seedy part of Atlanta. Scum, violence and abuse is never far away, and Reynolds the director shows a deft hand at balancing the rough with the smooth motions of the narrative. He also shows admirable restraint for sex scenes, choosing mostly to suggest rather than titillate, while his acting performance is top notch as he neatly layers the strands of Sharky's emotional psyche. Around Reynolds is an array of engaging professional performances, notably Casey, Keith, a wonderfully maniacal Silva and Ward, the latter of which blends smouldering sexuality with an innocence that tugs the old heart strings.

Some of the outcome is telegraphed early, and the ending, having been a frantic and bloody last quarter, is crowned too abruptly (a shame since it contains an awesome stunt), but much like Reynolds' 1975 film Hustle, this too is badly undervalued in the neo noir universe. 8/10

Best Seller (1987)

Cop/Killer; two sides of the same coin.

Best Seller is directed by John Flynn and written by Larry Cohen. It stars James Woods, Brian Dennehy and Victoria Tennant. Music is by Jay Ferguson and cinematography by Fred Murphy.

Cop Dennis Meechum (Dennehy) survives being shot during a robbery at the police evidence storage and writes a well received book about the events. Years later he's widowed, raising his daughter on his own and suffering from writers block as he tries to write another novel. Into his life comes Cleve (Woods), a mysterious man who saves Meechum's life and announces that he is a paid assassin and wishes Meechum to write a book about his work for a top name in industry......

Only in America Dennis.

It's a lovely hook is this, a cop and a killer paired together, their relationship explored via an uneasy buddy buddy formula, where the fruits of their partnership will bring very differing rewards. Along with the crackerjack turns from Dennehy (lovable burn-out) and Woods (cold-blooded calm), it's the smart screenplay from Cohen that makes Best Seller worthy of a rental at least. How it is going to pan out always keeps one interested in the tale, while there's clearly some snarky observations on America's lust for capital gain. Violence flits in and out to add some bloody pulp to proceedings, but ultimately it's the dialogue, the suspicious mood crafted by Flynn and characterisations that give the film its vitality.

Released in the same year as Lethal Weapon, it appears that Best Seller got lost in the slip-stream of that higher octane fuelled picture (interestingly Dennehy gets to say the same "too old for this" line that Glover trademarked in Lethal Weapon). It's not on a par with Donner's movie, and it's far from perfect; the ending is a bit tamer than we would perhaps like and Paul Shenar's villain is a standard suit job, but there's good craft here on the page and on both sides of the camera. 7/10

Out of Time (2003)

Would you have given it to me if I slept with you?

Out of Time is directed by Carl Franklin and written by David Collard. It stars Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan, Dean Cain and John Billingsley. Music is by Graeme Revell and cinematography by Theo Van de Sande.

Matthias Whitlock (Washington) is chief of police in little Banyan Key, Florida. Respected for his work and basically honest in the line of duty. Away from work, however, his marriage to Alex (Mendes) has failed, he's having an affair with an abused wife and he likes a little drink on duty. So when his lover Anne Harrison (Lathan) springs on him the shocking news that she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, it naturally shakes his world. But this news is merely the start of something bigger, for pretty soon Matt will be in the unusual situation of having to stay one step of his own kind or face dire consequences.

It's a film proudly wearing a badge of homage to film noir of the 40s. In fact it very much plays out as a contemporary riff on John Farrow's excellent Ray Milland starrer of 1948, The Big Clock. But that's fine, especially when you have some knowing craft in front and behind the camera in the shape of Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress) and Washington (take your pick here really!). Yet as great as Franklin and Washington's work is, they all owe a debt to Collard's screenplay. Inventive in how it plays out as a plot, with it's many tight situations laid down for Washington's duped law enforcer to try and get out of, the screenplay has a knack for deft humour, often sly, which is something that even some of the hardest of noirs from the golden era are tinted with. The secret is being able to blend the humour with quality moments of suspense, and this picture manages to do that with some interest.

Film also benefits greatly from the tight atmosphere created by photographer de Sande. Sweaty Florida in daylight doesn't cry out as being a good starting point for an offshoot of film noir (real Florida locations were thankfully used), but the scenic beauty is never realised during the drama sequences, colours are toned down, even for a stunning red sky, and this perfectly becomes at one with a near frantic Washington as the tricksters of Banyan Key start to close in on him. It's nice too see, also, interracial couples forming the core of the story, while the dominance of sexuality is firmly given a shrewd work over by director and writer. There's good thought gone in to making this, enough to steer it away from charges of just being a faux neo noir production.

Problems? Yes, a few. Inevitability of outcome is hard to shake off whilst viewing it, especially for those well versed in the genre (sub-genre). Clichés and contrivances are stacked up like a pile of cop thriller 101 books, and Franklin goes smug (daft) by dropping in a couple of slow frame sequences that the film clearly didn't need. While the big showdown in the finale lacks a gut punch. But this is a good viewing, sexy at times and always eye catching, it also pleasingly chooses perky dialogue over action to make its dramatic point. The cast around Washington enhance the quality: Lathan in the tricky role shows shows a number of layered gears, Cain is imposing as a bully boy husband (where did this Cain go?) and Billingsley almost sneaks in and steals the movie as the loyal and stoic comedy side-kick. So pesky flaws aside, this is a good recommendation as a night in movie for those with a kink for contemporary neo noir. 7/10

Cop (1988)

Innocence kills. I see it every day.

Cop is directed by James B. Harris, who also adapts the screenplay from the novel Blood on the Moon written by James Ellroy. It stars James Woods, Lesley Ann Warren, Charles Durning, Charles Haid and Raymond J. Barry. Music is by Michel Colombier and cinematography by Steve Dubin.

LAPD detective Lloyd Hopkins (Woods) is investigating the gruesome murder of a woman and comes to believe it is the work of a serial killer whose crimes stretch back for 15 years. But with his superiors troubled by his methods of working and his home life crumbling apart by the day, Hopkins is short of support professionally and emotionally. Working alone as a rogue cop, Hopkins will stop at nothing to prove his theory right and nail the killer in the process.

All of these little girls have one thing in common-disillusionment.

Met with much indifference by critics upon its release, and chided by the Ellroy purists, Cop is a film that may be a flawed take on the source material, but none the less it's one that remains a compelling neo-noir dripping with cynicism, sleaze and violence. From the off we are given a clue to what lies ahead for us as a man is frantically trying to report a murder by phone, he gets the runaround by the voices at the other end of the line, only when he announces that he will have to use his stolen credit cards to make the call does he at last get put through to someone who needs to hear what he has to say. Enter James Woods on twitchy, sardonic and intense form. Who we then quickly find at the murder scene calmly sitting at the victim's desk leafing through her literature as her shredded corpse hangs from the ceiling behind him. It's cold, troubling and poignant, the marker is set and Cop as a film in this respect never loses focus.

Harris and Woods (co-producers as well) paint a decidedly muddy L.A. that harks back to noirs of yesteryear. It's not enough that our rogue cop protagonist, an ultimate anti-hero, is deviant, shallow and perhaps unhinged? But the flow of support characters are seriously kinked in persona's too. Crooked, kinky, out-there, damaged goods, God bothering and simply sick. Take your pick, they are all in here getting a caustic prod from Harris and Woods. There's even humour here as well, some of it black, but often it's a fleeting ray of warmth when between Hopkins and Dutch (Durning great), the only person Hopkins (and the film) can count on as being normalish....

To say Cop is solely a star vehicle for Woods is not unfair, for without him the movie would flounder on the rocks. An excellent actor who can put likability into the most compulsive of characters, Woods gives the film its heart beat. With Hopkins cynical and often led by what resides in his underwear, it's not hard to envisage some viewers losing sight of the fact that he is still a great cop, determined to clear the streets of a scumbag killer. Yes he does indeed skirt the boundaries of good taste as he goes about topping up his libido needs, and he thinks of nothing to breaking into somewhere to nab a clue, but the picture sneakily asks us if this is OK as long as Hopkins gets his man? Woods revels in the role and makes Cop an essential viewing for fans of the actor.

Rage in the Womb.

With Woods' dominance comes the flaws elsewhere. The killer's motives are sketchy enough as it is, but the perp is barely formed as a real being. Those warped support characters, too, are only that because we have had the smallest amounts of character morsels to feed off. That is except for Lesley Ann Warren's troubled feminist poet, Kathleen McCarthy, who gets much to do in the latter stages of the film, but is miscast and done no favours by the makers who reduce her to being an air-head. A bastion of feminism she is not! A victim of Harris choosing to extract the feminist thump from the source material to leave a sour taste tingling the tongue. Yet if you can forgive the flaws that evidently many others can not? Then this is still a biting and potent neo-noir picture. Crowned, for the record, magnificently without a cop out ending. 8/10 from me, but you can knock a point off of that score if you aren't as biased as me with Woods the actor. While Ellroy worshippers will most likely need to snip another point off as well.

[Keith]

L.A. Confidential (1997) - I love this movie and this scene especially...

[JohnChard]

The 2012 neo-noir quest continues:


Drive (2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/reviews-745
Hustle (1975) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073133/reviews-26
Body Heat (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/reviews-152
Twilight (1998) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119594/reviews-88
Out of Time (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313443/reviews-159
Sharky's Machine (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083064/reviews-57
Best Seller (1987) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092641/reviews-29
Cop (1988) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092783/reviews-37




Bad Influence (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099091/

The Locust Doppleganger.

Bad Influence is directed by Curtis Hanson and written by David Koepp. It stars Rob Lowe, James Spader, Lisa Zane and Christian Clemenson. Music is by Trevor Jones and cinematography by Robert Elswit.

Michael Boll (Spader) is the ultimate milquetoast. Alex (Lowe) is something altogether different. When Alex introduces himself into Michael's life, Michael finds from within a boldness he didn't know existed. But Alex's life lessons may just come at a cost.....

Tell me what you want more than anything else in the world.

The 90s began in a neo-norish haze for one time brat-packers Spader and Lowe. For Spader it was another chance to show, after 1989's Sex, Lies and Videotape, that he could do drama very well. For Lowe it was a case of dusting off his off screen misdemeanours to self mockingly portray the bad boy playing the bad boy. With future L.A. Confidential helmer Hanson in the chair overseeing things, Bad Influence rounded out as a sneaky bit of grit. It didn't make any great waves back on release, but it's a film that holds up surprisingly well these days, particularly as an 80s noir snapshot.

Thematically picture asks us if everyone has the devil inside them if prompted or manipulated from outside sources? Alex's motives are intentionally left sketchy, we are in no doubt from the opening credits that he's untrustworthy, yet who he is or what he's really about are questions left hanging in the air. A good looking charmer without doubt, and thanks to Spader's uber wimp beginnings, we find ourselves urging Alex on as he slots a spine into Michael's back. There's a decidedly nasty edge to the Koepp screenplay that lets the actors excel in their respective transformations, and with the mood set at simmer, story unfolds and lets the Doppleganger motif kick in. From here on in it's now a question for the viewers of how it's going to resolve itself?

Call me Mick.

Hanson paints it in sweaty metallic strokes, interiors of Michael's condo portray yuppie claustrophobia, exteriors of nighttime L.A. are classic noir; where the bright lights of the city are eyes observing Michael's transformation and the salty whiff of the pier and the sea hover over the telling periods of dialogue. True enough to say that Bad Influence, and its director, owe a huge debt to past masters, notably something like Strangers on a Train, but the update works very well, particularly in the context of maintaining a continued sense of tension. The humour that lives and breathes in the picture is nicely placed, adding a bit of salt to an already spicy broth, and there's even the delicate hint of an old noir favourite, potential man crush.

The build up isn't matched by the pay off, but even then there's enough of a bite to warrant respect. Far better than some internet ratings suggest it is, and certainly undervalued in the neo-noir pantheon, Bad Influence is well worth reevaluating in this new age of cinema. 7.5/10

[cigar joe]

Director: Les Bernstein, Writers: Les Bernstien, Gary Walkow and staring, John Voldstad, Barry Cutler, Pedro Aldana and Nikoletta Skarlatos, a Neo Noir that is sort of an on the cheap pastiche of Noir, Horror/Slasher, Surreal, Peckinpah and David Lynch, with a great score. Be forewarned its very graphic over the top in its violence (there is a sidebar story line about dancers going missing and "snuff" films) so it will definitely be a turn off and repulsive to some in that respect think the Saw films franchise.



Looser Joe Butcher (reminiscent of Charles Bukowski) just of out of prison is in Tijuana looking for his brother and partner in crime (who got away) Zack. His only clue is a key and he wanders around Tijuana spiraling down into its sleazy underworld. He crosses paths with a midget Mexican gangster who his brother stole money from. He befriends a fellow American who knows more than he tells and a Mexican stripper/prostitute who also knew his brother. No pretty boy/girl actors with tons of candid Tijuana atmospherics that are looped with dialogue, nice touch.

Nice review here: http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2009/08...99-part-1.html

John Voldstad



Pedro Aldana and Nikoletta Skarlatos



Nikoletta Skarlatos



Voldstad & Skarlatos



Graveyard



Tijuana Street




I enjoyed it, I wasn't expecting much at all and pleasantly surprised at how well Bernstein captured Noir Stylistics. 7/10

[JohnChard]

he 2012 neo-noir quest continues:

Drive (2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/reviews-745
Hustle (1975) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073133/reviews-26
Body Heat (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/reviews-152
Twilight (1998) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119594/reviews-88
Out of Time (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313443/reviews-159
Sharky's Machine (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083064/reviews-57
Best Seller (1987) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092641/reviews-29
Cop (1988) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092783/reviews-37
Bad Influence (1990) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099091/reviews-52


Blood Simple (1984)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086979/

You know in Greece they cut off the head of the messenger who brought bad news.

Blood Simple is directed, written and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh and Samm-Art Williams. Music is scored by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld.

Suspecting his wife of having an affair with one of his bartenders, Texas bar owner Julian Marty (Hedaya) hires sleazy Private Investigator Loren Visser (Walsh) to find the proof. When that proof comes, a deal is struck to have the unfaithful couple killed, but this is merely the start of a sequence of events that prove that when blood is shed unlawfully, things are never simple.

The Coen brothers announced themselves to the cinematic world in 1984 with this deadly neo-noir of some narrative substance, that’s in turn resplendent with technical smarts. Taking their cue from the edgy film noirs of yesteryear, the Coen’s wrap their own original bent for off kilter cinema around the vagaries of the human condition. The story always remains interesting throughout, continually keeping the viewer on their toes, managing to remain easy to understand, logical; and this in spite of some required convolution. Humid atmospherics are drip fed into the production, pulsing ceiling fans, seedy motel rooms, barely lighted highways and faces half bathed in shadow, Sonnenfeld’s photography belying the low budget afforded production.

The characters themselves are soon submerged in a world of misunderstandings, double crosses and murder, this as Carter Burwell lays a score over it that blends a slow piano death rattle with low base throbbing, invoking images of some down on his luck gangster from the 30s lamenting on a bar stool in some back street Speakeasy. Cast are uniformly excellent, but Walsh just about steals it with sleaze, greed and cold blood running through Visser’s veins. The brothers Coen show some of what would become their trademark body bag humour, while some scenes have a disgustingly cruel (gleeful) edge to them. Script is as tight as a duck’s bottom, with dialogue often sardonic, and the final 15 minutes of film, practically dialogue free, is a masterpiece of tension building.

Quite a debut indeed. Essential neo-noir and not to be missed by those with a kink for such occasions. 9/10

Insomnia (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278504/

A good cop cant sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle. And a bad cop cant sleep because his conscience wont let him.

Insomnia is directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Erik Skjoldbjærg and Nikolaj Frobenius (1997 screenplay). It stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan and Nicky Katt. Music is scored by David Julyan and cinematography by Wally Pfister. It's a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name.

LAPD detective Will Dormer (Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (Donovan) travel to the remote Alaskan town of Nightmute to aid the local cops investigating the savage murder of a teenage girl. But Dormer leaves behind an Internal Affairs Investigation that gnaws away at him, and when a potential bust of the murder suspect goes tragically wrong, his conscious gets attacked on two fronts. By lack of sleep and by the killer himself.

It's a House of Cards.

Viewing from afar it's easy to be cynical and suggest that Insomnia is just an American remake cash in. Bigger budget, bigger stars and directed by a indie darling of the critics moving into the big league. While on the surface the plot looks to be another in a long line of cops and villains thrillers where procedural unfolds and evil is ultimately brought down at the end. Yet Insomnia is so much more than that, it's a deep movie dealing in complex psychological issues, a blanc-noir of some character substance, a picture clinically put together around one man's descent into a private hell, with the beautiful Alaskan backdrop perversely claustrophobic and Anthony Mann like in being at one with Will Dormer's fragmented state of mind.

Killing changes you. You know that.

From the opening moments as we observe a biplane flying over the Alaskan glaciers, accompanied by David Julyan's nerve tingling score, there's a looming air of disquiet. Nolan knows his noir onions, mood is everything and the dense psychological atmosphere is never once breached for the entire movie. Much of the picture is dialogue heavy, gratifyingly so, with the hushed conversations between Pacino and Williams begging the viewer to hang on every word as cop and killer (no spoiler, it's revealed to us early as a necessity) jostle for control of each others soul. What action there is also comes with a side order of otherworldly delights, a chase across floating logs and a stalk through eerie fog being the two particular highlights.

Sleep comes at a cost.

With three Oscar winners in the cast Nolan had some serious quality to direct, that Pacino, Williams and Swank deliver excellence is high praise for the British director. Pacino actually gives one of his finest late career performances, utterly compelling as Dormer, his haggard face tells of a thousand sorrows, his sleep deprived gait befits a man staring into the abyss. Wally Pfister's photography is on the money, the blend of snow whites and green tinges sparkle from the vistas and the soft brown hues inside the hotel provide the rare moments of tranquillity available to Will Dormer. Across the board Insomnia is a cracker of a movie, a film that goes into the murky depths of the genre to reveal one of the best movies of 2002. 9/10

[JohnChard]

Drive (2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/reviews-745
Hustle (1975) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073133/reviews-26
Body Heat (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/reviews-152
Twilight (1998) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119594/reviews-88
Out of Time (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313443/reviews-159
Sharky's Machine (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083064/reviews-57
Best Seller (1987) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092641/reviews-29
Cop (1988) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092783/reviews-37
Bad Influence (1990) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099091/reviews-52
Blood Simple (1984) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086979/reviews-245
Insomnia (2002) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278504/reviews-653


One False Move (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102592/

One false move from someone could spell disaster for everyone.....

One False Move is directed by Carl Franklin and co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson. It stars Thornton, Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams and Michael Beach. Music is by Peter Haycock, Derek Holt and Terry Plumeri and cinematography by James L. Carter.

Three criminals, Ray (Thornton), Fantasia (Williams) and Pluto (Beach), are on the run from L.A. after a drug heist ends in a bloodbath. Heading for Star City, Arkansas, the three are oblivious to the fact that the law, both local and of L.A., is lying in wait for them.

One time actor Carl Franklin has good standing as a director in neo-noir circles, his Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) and Out of Time (2003) had the benefit of starring Denzel Washington, with the former often thought of as an undervalued treasure. Neither of those films, in my opinion, comes close to the excellence of One False Move. A superbly understated thriller that oozes fatalism while studying the characters at hand. Beginning with brutal attention grabbing violence, picture unfurls as a road movie until it reveals itself fully in the town of Bleakville. Franklin and his writers slowly open up the story to reveal an emotionally complex thriller, bleeding the flaws from the main players with clinical glee. These be a mix of classic losers, psychotics, redemption seekers and a naive dreamer, and there’s a link from the past that’s going to impact devastatingly on the present.

Modelled on a High Noon good guys Vs bad guys like destiny, narrative also has little observations on racism and the class divide between big city America and small town Americana. Sly little reveals in the script such as a policeman’s alcohol problem show good attention to detail by the makers. While Franklin has a wonderful way with his camera, only revealing enough for us to fill in the blanks, and often his camera is used as a character POV device, with close ups and cuts blending seamlessly with mood of the story. The cast are uniformly strong, with the stand outs Williams, Paxton and Thornton reaching down deep to give their respective characters some stunning grittiness, doling out sadness, misguidedness and rage with a believability that’s as impressive as it is riveting to watch.

One of the best crime pictures of the 90s and an essential viewing for anyone interested in pure neo-noir. 9/10

[Harry Fabian]

Saw The Driver (1978) last night. Loved it. Enjoyed it a little more that Drive-which I liked quite a bit too.

[mkhand]

when the Driver was on network tv in the 80's it was shown with additional scenes, character stuff with
Isabel Adjani & Ronnie Blakely. I havn't seen it in a long time, but always thought both Ryan O Neil & Isabel Adjani
came off as too blank, as opposed to the existential cool of Alain Delon or Ryan Gosling.

[Harry Fabian]

when the Driver was on network tv in the 80's it was shown with additional scenes, character stuff with
Isabel Adjani & Ronnie Blakely. I havn't seen it in a long time, but always thought both Ryan O Neil & Isabel Adjani
came off as too blank, as opposed to the existential cool of Alain Delon or Ryan Gosling.

No, I don't suppose O'Neal comes off as cool, but I don't think that matters. Gosling had this really creepy grin that always had me wondering if he was going to go psycho on some innocent third party-so, in spite of his looks, I didn't exactly perceive him as cool either. Certainly what motivates both characters is a bit of a mystery-which is intentional. I do like the choice O'Neal's driver made at the end better than Gosling's driver. Albert Brooks was great but I enjoyed Bruce Dern's psycho cop even more. Two really good movies, I just like the O'Neal version a little bit better.

[Hard-Boiled-Rick]

Just Before Nightfall (Claude Chabrol - 1971) aka Juste avant la nuit
One of Chabrol's best, it's a psychological study of a middle-class, suburban murder.

Zift (Javor Gardev - 2008)
Shot in the expressionist style of classic film noir, this gritty Bulgarian neo-noir mixes Gilda, luminous poison, and Soviet era gangs with cruel, twisting betrayal.


Dark City (Alex Proyas - 1998)
My favorite sci-fi neo-noir, I watch this one at least once a year. Do you believe in alien controlled dystopian societies with classic film noir motifs? If you don't, watch this film.

[JCharles]

Dark City

(Alex Proyas - 1998)
My favorite sci-fi neo-noir, I watch this one at least once a year. Do you believe in alien controlled dystopian societies with classic film noir motifs? If you don't, watch this film.

I agree, this is an excellent film, very creative and unique in its design, I rank it right up there with Blade Runner.

[cigar joe]

Dark City (Alex Proyas - 1998)
My favorite sci-fi neo-noir, I watch this one at least once a year. Do you believe in alien controlled dystopian societies with classic film noir motifs? If you don't, watch this film.

excellent film

[Hard-Boiled-Rick]

Dark City (Alex Proyas - 1998)

I agree, this is an excellent film, very creative and unique in its design, I rank it right up there with Blade Runner.

Agreed, Blade Runner (1982) is another great sci-fi noir. The visual presentations of Blade Runner and Dark City pay homage to Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) and the German Expressionists. Jennifer Connelly in svelte, 1940s style is terrific too.

[Harry Fabian]

Jennifer Connelly in svelte, 1940s style is terrific too

Indeed, I love the dress she wears at the club. I also like Kiefer Sutherland as the sniveling little collaborator.


Saw Charley Varrick recently-I like a criminal with a good plan.