I'm sorry to say I've never seen Metropolis, only know it by reputation. It's definitely on my TBW list.Originally Posted by Hard-Boiled-Rick
I'm sorry to say I've never seen Metropolis, only know it by reputation. It's definitely on my TBW list.
2012 Neo-Noir Quest Continues: At Close Range (1986)
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/reviews-62
At Close Range (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090670/
A chip off the old block?
At Close Range is directed by James Foley and written by Elliott Lewitt and Nicholas Kazan. It stars Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Millie Perkins and Eileen Ryan. Music is by Patrick Leonard and Madonna and cinematography is by Juan Ruiz Anchia. Film is an adapted account of the Pennsylvania Johnston gang headed by Bruce Alfred Johnston Sr, who operated during the 60s and 70s.
Boy aint got the life expectancy of a house fly.
The real life source of At Close Range is bleak and the makers don’t shy from that marker. James Foley’s movie is consistently downbeat, even when a snippet of hope rears its head, you sense that it is a waste of time latching onto it. Story is that of harsh family relations, it’s often told with bleak passages and is violent, though never in a way that it feels vicarious, these passages are significant and they do not diminish the film’s worth. It’s an unpleasant movie in a lot of ways, but dovetailing deftly with the criminalisation of one Bradford Whitewood Junior (Sean Penn), a youngster reaching out for some father love from his estranged criminal pappy, Brad Senior (Walken), we get a love story trying to bloom, where the arrogance and naivety of youth hangs heavy in the atmospheric air. There’s even a sense of youthful adventure lurking around the edges of the frame.
However, this isn’t going to end well, it just can’t, surely? Brad Junior is an outcast, a misfit, his life is in a rut, but he is instantly enthralled by what his father can give him, he can’t see through his rose tinted spectacles what the audience can and the makers hold us in a vice like grip from the beginning to ensure we are there at the end. An instrumental version of Madonna’s haunting pop single “Live to Tell” marries up darkly with the mood crafted, as does Anchia’s photography, which looks like it has been shot through some MTV Gothic prism. The acting is powerhouse from S. Penn (intense and full of wrought emotion), Walken (utterly dominant as he shifts unerringly between the charm and nasty gears) and Masterson (naively endearing and makes us care for her Terry character).
It will be a bit too maudlin for some, while some of the Pennsylvania imagery comes close to negating the pervading sense of sadness. But to my mind this is an excellent slice of neo-noir and worthy of seeking out as long as you aren’t looking to be cheered up! 8.5/10
Last edited by JohnChard; 05-01-2012 at 09:15 AM.
The Bridesmaid (Claude Chabrol - 2004) aka La Demoiselle d'honneur
Another fine character study from Chabrol. Chabrol's distinctive style requires patience. He takes his time introducing and developing his characters, but the wait is well worth it. Based on a novel by Ruth Rendell, Chabrol focuses on the psychology of a young, middle class man who falls for a perplexing femme fatale.
Pickpocket (Robert Bresson - 1959)
stoic characters - metonymic style - mesmerizing photography - fluid montage
Last edited by Hard-Boiled-Rick; 01-19-2013 at 10:27 PM.
The Trial (Orson Welles -1962)
Adapted from Franz Kafka's story. With Orson at the helm, it's industrial strength expressionism
Merci pour le chocolat (Claude Chabrol - 2000)
Isabelle Huppert as the icy chocolate baroness whose chocolate is not so sweet
2012 Neo-Noir Quest Continues: Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995)
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/reviews-62
At Close Range (1986) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090670/reviews-79
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/
Miserable band of misfits. Buckwheats.
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead is directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg. It stars Andy Garcia, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Bill Nunn, Treat Williams, Steve Buscemi and Christopher Walken. Music is by Michael Convertino and cinematography by Elliot Davis.
Jimmy the Saint (Garcia) is a ex-gangster who finds one of his debts has been bought up by his ex boss, The Man With the Plan (Walken). The Man wants Jimmy to assemble a crew to put the frighteners on a guy who stole the girlfriend of his son, Bernard (Michael Nicolosi), who has been so traumatised by the break up he has taken to “bothering” young girls. Calling on four of his old comrades in crime, Jimmy feels it’s a simple job that will finally clear him of his gangster debt whilst earning his hard up pals some cash. However, in fighting threatens to destabilise the group and when the “job” invariably goes wrong they all have to deal with the vengeful aftermath of The Man With the Plan.
You wanna throw those pathetic yuks some scratch, I applaud your sensitivity.
One of a number of films that surfed in on the wave created by Pulp Fiction, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead is a nifty and potent picture at times, with sharp dialogue, moments of brutalising and a fire-cracker of a neo-noir finale. Yet it’s hurt considerably by the ridiculousness of the set up. Film hinges on a “shake down” arrangement that just comes off as a weak excuse for a film, in fact it’s bad writing. There are a myriad of ways to set up a heist gone wrong and then have the crims be on the run for their lives, this set up is just pathetic. Buscemi’s hit man is poorly conceived, with some glaring confliction in the characterisation, while the Anwar (beautiful and leaving a good impression) love interest angle could have had much more made of it if the makers had had the courage of their convictions.
Give it a name.
Still, if you can allow the annoyance of the crappy set up to subside, then there’s strong noir themes to indulge in here. A one time bad boy struggling to escape his past and characters stuck in a bleak destiny influenced rut they can’t get out of. There’s a pervading sense of depression hanging over the film, which in a twisted way makes for good film, while the character dynamics are strong because the characters are very memorable. Helps, too, that they have awesome names like Jimmy the Saint, Critical Bill, Franchise and Mister Shhh! Acting is very good, with Garcia earning his quality pathos stripes, Williams doing psycho with ease, Forsythe a mighty machismo presence, Lloyd resigned and pitiless and Walken turning in another in his long line of bitter scary bastards.
Worthy of interest to neo-noir fans for sure, but frustration sits in the narrative to stop it being an essential viewing. 6.5/10
2012 Neo-Noir Quest Continues: The Big Easy (1986)
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/reviews-62
At Close Range (1986) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090670/reviews-79
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/reviews-145
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Big Easy (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092654/
You're a cop for God's sake, you're supposed to uphold the law, but instead you bend it and twist it and sell it.
The Big Easy is directed by Jim McBride and written by Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman and Ned Beatty. Music is scored by Brad Fiedel and cinematography by Affonso Beato.
Remy McSwain (Quaid) is a slightly corrupt New Orleans cop, who whilst investigating the murder of a mob man, finds himself under scrutiny by assistant district attorney Anne Osborne (Barkin). The waters start to become muddied when the pair begin to have a passionate affair, just as the can opens and worms spill out everywhere.
It’s an odd film at times, a bit too jovial to be considered proper neo-noir, and Quaid’s Southern accent takes some getting used too. It’s also nearly derailed in quality as conventionality dominates the last quarter of film.Yet judged on its own thriller terms it entertains well enough whilst also having some neat technical touches to help it along. Petrie’s script contains spiky dialogue and a number of bravura sequences light up the otherwise standard crooked cop story.
McBride dose good work on this, he opens his film up with a cracker of a camera tracker, and he makes good use of the New Orleans locations. He also has a good sense of prop choices to help the mood, none more so than with a scene involving Mardi Gras costumes, whilst he gets strength for the film by garnering tense and sexy performances out of Quaid and Barkin. Support actors also leave good marks, with Goodman as a cop colleague dominating the screen and Charles Ludlam almost stealing the film as McSwain’s dry and near sleazy lawyer. Soundtrack, too, is well thought out, with the Cajun flavours spicing up the sweaty Orleans stew. 7/10
Summer arrived in the Northeast this weekend, hot and humid. So I went to the swimming pools to see what I could see.
The Swimming Pool ( Jacques Deray -1969) aka La piscine
Wow...bikini clad Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin hanging around poolside! Alain Delon gets into some trouble in the deep end.
After that I wandered over to another pool...
Swimming Pool ( François Ozon - 2003 )
Yes, it's very hot. Sensuous Ludivine Sagnier hangs around the pool, sometimes wearing a bikini sometimes not. Charlotte Rampling transforms from a frigid, emotionless, antisocial crime-fiction author into a normal person as she fantasizes about Ludivine Sagnier. Also includes trouble in the deep end - sort of.
Mix yourself some Sangría and hang around the pools on Netflix and try to stay cool.
I recently saw Drive for the first time. I wish I had seen it earlier. It far exceeded my expectations and Gosling is a babe. I have loved him since he was Young Hercules.
2012 Neo-Noir Quest Continues: Collateral (2004)
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/reviews-62
At Close Range (1986) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090670/reviews-79
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/reviews-145
The Big Easy (1987) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092654/reviews-60
Collateral (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369339/
Why? What are you going to do about it?
Collateral is directed by Michael Mann and stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It's written by Stuart Beattie, scored by James Newton Howard and the cinematographer is Dion Beebe. It's set in Los Angeles, California and takes place on the night of January 24 to 25, 2004 from 6:30 PM to 5:40 AM.
Max (Foxx) is in a job rut as a taxi driver, he constantly dreams of a better life. Tonight his life will change when he picks up the smartly attired Vincent (Cruise), who is in town for one night, an assassin with five stops to make…….
By the time of Collateral's release, Michael Mann had firmly established himself as a purveyor of slow burn intensity with the likes of Heat & The Insider. Collateral is no different. In what is essentially a two hander featuring two polar opposite characters sharing the same space, the film is like a tightly coiled spring just waiting to explode. Though the original casting for Vincent and Max was to be Russell Crowe and Adam Sandler respectively, the final casting turns out to be a master stroke. Pitting one of the biggest stars in the world against a young comedian turned actor makes the story ooze credibility. While simultaneously it provides the buddy buddy genre with one of its oddest, yet most rewarding, couplings. But as good as both actors are (Cruise trademarks as he lets Foxx thrive), this really is about its talented director.
Shooting it on digital video (using the Viper FilmStream High-Definition Camera to be exact), Mann instills a colourful noir essence to his shady story. Be it the LA skyline or shots of road crossing coyotes, the low light colouring effects cloak the story with a bleakly atmospheric sheen. Particularly in relation to Vincent, where he may be smart and well spoken, the utter professional in fact, but he is icy cold, and Mann & Beattie frame him just right. The writing, too, is smart. There is no need to enter into psychological realms of the Vincent make up, it's purposely left alone, why he does what he does is not known. He throws a curve ball statement or two, but do you believe him? Does Max? It's all as grey as Cruise's hair is for the film (looking like a chilly Richard Gere actually) and it makes for better rewards when the finale arrives.
There's also the other things that have become Mann trademarks, that of his astute musical cues and action set piece constructions. Here he again does not disappoint with a night club gun battle sequence that's as consummate as it gets. He's also aware that the film has to get out of the cab, in spite of it metronomically working so well, at some point to drive the narrative forward. This is where the minor players play big parts! Mark Ruffalo and Peter Berg's coppers, Bruce McGill's FBIer and Javier Bardem's gangster type, all serve to flesh the story and further the characterisation of assassin and chauffeur. There's a slight misstep in the finale with a coincidence that is not befitting such a meticulous director. But if we have learned one thing from Michael Mann, it's that he is not lazy, so an error of judgement is on this occasion easily forgiven.
One of the best film's of 2004 from one of the modern eras finest auteur directors. 9/10
Romeo Is Bleeding 9/10 great flick
Watched the Coen-Brothers like Thin Ice (2011) last night. Probably a bit too light to be noir but there's certainly some elements of Blood Simple, Fargo and A Simple Plan in there...
From co-director Jill Sprecher's letter to Roger Ebert (02/12)
"The producer's & distributor completely re-edited it without me ... almost 20 minutes cut
structure re-arranged, out-takes used, voice-over & characters dropped. key plot-points
omitted, new score added ... though our names contracturally attached, my sister and I
do not consider Thin Ice to be our work. "
Yeah... but I will say the movie isn't a mess like the quote would have you believe. Ebert even says that things come to light at the end that made him want to see the film again... but I thought the story and ending was all too obvious. However, didn't stop me from enjoying it. Above average movie.
2012 Neo-Noir Quest Continues: Manhunter and Lumet's Last Masterpiece.
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
Malice (1993) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107497/reviews-92
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/reviews-62
At Close Range (1986) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090670/reviews-79
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114660/reviews-145
The Big Easy (1987) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092654/reviews-60
Derailed (2005) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398017/reviews-400
Collateral (2004) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369339/reviews-877
Manhunter (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091474/
Recover the mindset.
Manhunter is directed by Michael Mann who also adapts the screenplay from the Thomas Harris novel, Red Dragon. It stars William Petersen, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Joan Allen, Kim Greist, Brian Cox and Stephen Lang. Music is by Michel Rubini and The Reds, and cinematography is by Dante Spinotti.
Retired FBI specialist Will Graham is lured back into action to track a serial killer who is killing families, seemingly linked into the lunar cycle. In the process it opens up some old mental wounds that were born out during his last action out in the field……..
Before the gargantuan success of Silence of the Lambs, where the name Hannibal the Cannibal moved into pop culture, and before director Michael Mann became a name auteur, often referenced with relish by hungry film students; there was Manhunter, Michael Mann’s brilliant adaptation of Thomas Harris’ equally brilliant psychological thriller, Red Dragon. It feels a bit redundant now, years later, writing about Mann’s use of styles to bear out mood and psychological states, his framing devices, his commitment to his craft, but after revisiting the film on Blu-ray, I find myself once again simultaneously invigorated and unnerved by the magnificence of Manhunter. Visually, thematically and narratively it remains a clinical piece of cinema, a probing study of madness that dares to put a serial killer and the man hunting him in the same psychological body, asking us, as well as William Petersen’s FBI agent Will Graham, to empathise with Tom Noonan’s troubled Tooth Fairy killer. Here’s a thing, too, Francis Dolarhyde (The Tooth Fairy) is a functioning member of society, he is quite frankly a man who could be working in a shop near you! This is no reclusive psychopath such as, well, Buffalo Bill, Dolarhyde is presented to us in such a way as we are given insight into this damaged mind, he is fleshed out as a person, we get to know him and his motivational problems.
Dream much, Will?
Mann and his team are not about over the top or camp performances, gore is kept to a premium, the real horror is shown in aftermath sequences, conversations and harmless photographs, but still it’s a nightmarish world. Suspense is wrung out slowly by way of the characterisations. Will has to become the killer, and it’s dangerous, he knows so because he has done it before, when capturing Dr. Hannibal Lecktor. Needing to pick up the scent again, to recover the mindset, Will has to go see the good doctor who has a penchant for fine wines and human offal. These scenes showcase Mann at his deadliest, a bright white cell filmed off kilter, each frame switch showing either Lecktor or Graham behind bars, they are one. When Lecktor taunts Will about them being alike, Mann understands this and visually brings it out. Dolarhyde’s living abode is murky in colour tones and furnished garishly, and with mirrors, paintings and a lunar landscape, yet when Dolarhyde is accompanied by Joan Allen’s blind Reba, where he feels he is finally finding acceptance, this house is seen at ease because of the characterisations. Switch to the finale and it’s a walled monstrosity matching that of a killer tipped back over the edge. Brilliant stuff.
If one does what God does enough times, one will become as God is.
Lecktor, soon to be back as the source material Lecter in the film versions that follow, is actually not in the film that much. Brian Cox (chilling, calculating, frightening and intelligent) as Lecktor gets under ten minutes of screen time, but that’s enough, the character’s presence is felt throughout the picture in a number of ways. The Lecktor angle is very relative to film’s success, but very much it’s one strand of a compelling whole, I realise now that Mann has deliberately kept us wanting more of him visually. Noonan is truly scary, he lived away from the rest of the cast during filming, with Mann’s joyous encouragement, the end result is one of the best and most complex serial killer characterisations ever. Lang scores high as weasel paparazzi, Allen is heart achingly effective without patronising blind people and Farina is a huge presence as Jack Crawford, Will’s friend and boss who coaxes Will back into the fray knowing full well that Will’s mind might not make it back with him. But it’s Petersen’s movie all the way. His subsequent non film career has given ammunition to his knockers that he is no great actor. Rubbish, with this and To Live and Die in L.A. he gave two of the best crime film portrayals of the 80s. He immerses himself in Will Graham, so much so he wasn’t able to shake the character off long after filming had wrapped. There’s a scene in a supermarket where Will is explaining to his son about his dark place, where “the ugliest thoughts in the world” live, a stunning sequence of acting and a showcase for Petersen’s undoubted talents.
Newcomers to the film and Mann’s work in general, could do no worse than spend the ten minutes it takes to watch the Dante Spinotti feature on the disc. Apart from saving me the time to write about Mann’s visual flourishes, it gives one an idea of just how key a director and cinematographer partnership is in a film such as this. The audio is crisp, which keeps alive the perfect in tone soundtrack and eerie scoring strains of Rubini and The Reds. Some say that the music of Manhunter is dated? I say that if it sits at one with the tonal shifts and thematics of a story then that surely can never be viewed as dated. And that’s the case here in Manhunter. The director’s cut is included as part of the package but the transfer is appalling, and for the sake of one cut scene that happens post the Dolarhyde/Graham face off, there’s really not much to the DC version anyway. The theatrical cut is perfect, brilliantly realised on Blu-ray to birth a true visual neo noir masterpiece. 10/10
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292963/
The world is an evil place Charlie. Some of us make money off that and others get destroyed.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Kelly Masterson. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris and Amy Ryan. Music is scored by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Ron Fortunato.
Two brothers with differing financial problems plan to rob their parents' jewellery store. But when all does not go to plan and tragedy strikes, it sends them, and those close to them, into a world of fear, shame and violence.....
It opens with a raunchy sex scene, man and wife in the throes of committed passion, for these brief moments there is pleasure. Once over, though, it proves to be a false dawn, the last time anyone on screen will taste pleasure in Lumet's biting morality tale. From here on in the film unfolds in a dizzying array of multi-perspectives and over lapping of narrative structure, a three pronged assault on the senses as a family implodes in a haze of greed, lies and inadequacies. A botched robbery underpins the plotting, the aftermath of which is what is most cutting, we zip around learning the wherewithal and whys of the key players, learning exactly what we need to know to fully immerse in this bleak world. This is a world populated by love cheats, drug abuse, embezzling, bad parenting and blackmail, a world where the brothers Hanson (Hoffman & Hawke) now dwell, either ill equipped (Hawke's Hank) or stuck between idiocy and smug evil (Hoffman's Andy). Their folly, their greed, impacting with a juddering severity on the family circle.
My life, it doesn't add up. Nothing connects to anything else. I'm not the sum of my parts. All my parts don't add up to one...me.
It would be Lumet's last film (he passed away in 2011), thankfully it is a fitting final offering from the talented Philadelphian. He's aided considerably, mind, by a razor sharp script from debut screenplay writer Masterton. It's full of nastiness and tension, but still observational as a family tragedy, with major bonus' being that it never resorts to stereotypes or copping out come the crushing denouement. Where Lumet excels is in drawing near faultless performances from his cast. Youthful and downtrodden haplessness portrayed by Hawke, Hoffman's powerhouse manipulator with emotional issues, Tomei proving that over 40 is still sexy while dialling into a very touching performance. Finney, a cracker-jack of grief from the wily old fox, Ryan's hard edged ex-wife and Michael Shannon strolling into the picture late in the day exuding notable menace. All splendidly guided by the great director who asks them to portray characters convincing in going deeper for motivations and means.
Bleak, brutal and near brilliant across the board. 9/10
Last edited by JohnChard; 06-18-2012 at 02:46 AM.
I was wondering if Marisa Tomei's fee was based on screen time of her breasts-because we sure see an awful lot of them in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. A really good film, my only quibble (minor) is that I disagree with what Finney did at the end. Well, not what he did, but how he did it. I can't say any more because I don't know how to make that little spoiler tag.
I imagine it has been an issue for others as well, Harry. Not me, though, had a bit of a Cuckoo's Nest vibe to it that I really liked.
Is there a spoiler tag thingy here? I didn't know. There must be a post somewhere here explaining how to use it. I'll have a mooch around.
Cheers
Awesome, I figured out the spoiler tag thingy. Type [spoiler] then type what you want to say after that. Then close it with the open bracket key/spoiler]. Click reply w/quote on my post to see the coding.
Ok, so click on "spoiler" to see my comment.
Spoiler:
Regardless it was a fine movie. Very bleak indeed. I was actually a little depressed for a couple hours after I saw this.
Hit Me (1996), starring Elias Koteas, based on Jim Thompson's novel A Swell-Looking Babe.
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