Mubi Monday: Lonely Are The Brave (1962)

I am sure that it has happened before, but I am very much aware of the fact that when I stumble across a great film like this one, and it IS great, film fans reading my review may well end up rolling their eyes and muttering "well . . . duh." But here I go anyway.

Kirk Douglas is John W. "Jack" Burns, a cowboy in a world in which very few cowboys are left. We first see him sorting out his horse as an airplane flies overhead, a jarring juxtaposition of two very different worlds. Jack is a tough, independent guy, and when he hears that an old friend has been placed in prison he gets himself put in there alongside him, ready to plan an escape. The friend, however, doesn't want to spend his life on the run. Jack doesn't mind though. He'll keep moving anyway.

Directed by David Miller, Lonely Are The Brave is an adaptation of an Edward Abbey novel brought to the screen by Dalton Trumbo. While I am not familiar with Miller, his work behind the camera here is pretty spot on, and he's able to make the most of the superb script and winning performance from Douglas. This isn't necessarily saying that the world still needs men like Douglas in it, but it does question why so many feel threatened by him, and what he represents, and it shows how much more there is to the man than just a figure on a horse.

As the man hanging on to a "lost" way of life, Douglas is at his very best here. He's tough, charming, frustratingly obstinate, and believable. These qualities frustrate Jerry Bondi (Gena Rowlands), aggravate Deputy Sheriff Gutierrez (George Kennedy) when Jack is residing in his prison, intrigues Sheriff Morey Johnson (Walter Matthau) when Jack is attempting to evade capture, and makes him a very memorable character to spend time with. And all of those other people I have just mentioned give equally great performances, in different ways. Rowlands has an air of worry and slight exasperation about her, Kennedy is a sonofabitch, and Matthau gives yet another one of his weary and pragmatic turns.

One of many films to show a fading American dream, Lonely Are The Brave stands out because of how it makes use of the archetypal cowboy figure. That's interesting enough, yet it's even more interesting to view this nowadays and see how much it feels like a template for a certain other movie about someone strong and self-sufficient returning to a small town and butting heads with authority figures. Yes, I'd happily suggest that First Blood owes more than a small debt to this, and maybe it was in the back of David Morrell's mind as he worked on the novel that would be released a decade after this movie.

There are just one or two minor omissions here that hold it back from being perfect, a step from the middle section to the third act that leaves it feeling a bit less strongly structured as it could be, but I could easily see myself bumping this score up in the future. Part of me wants to rewatch it already, and I just finished it less than an hour ago.

9/10

I'm not even going to link to a poor disc copy here. This NEEDS better treatment.

The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Welcome to another pointless review of a classic film that you already know is a classic, even if you haven't yet watched it, and don't need to be reminded of by someone who can't hope to add anything new to the reams of critical appraisals that it has already received.

The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three is all about a group of robbers (Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman) who take over a subway car. They then demand a large ransom, to be delivered within a tight timeframe, or they will start killing passengers. A lot of the police struggle to find any other solution to the situation, leaving the bulk of the communication and consideration of the options to Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau), a Police Lieutenant with the New York Transit Authority.

From the colour codenames of the crooks to the canny elements of the heist, right up to the classic final scene, this is an influential and entertaining crime thriller that holds up just as well for newcomers today (over four decades after it was originally released). Hey, I enjoyed the Tony Scott-helmed remake, despite being sad that I saw it before the original, but this easily remains the best version of the story.

Director Joseph Sargent keeps everything moving along at a great pace, working from a great script from Peter Stone (an adaptation of a novel by John Godey) that uses dialogue to build and maintain tension, as well as reveal more of each main character. There are also infrequent moments of violence punctuating the long stand-off. The violence isn't too graphic but it always serves as a sobering reminder that these criminals aren't bluffing.

Matthau gives another performance that makes great use of that hangdog expression he is so good at. Whether he's wondering just how the criminals hope to make their getaway or he's talking to the head of the group (Shaw) as he buys time and tries to glean more information, he's consistently wonderful. Shaw is a fantastic baddie, a man with a plan and a moral code. He will follow through on anything he says but he hopes to avoid unnecessary risks. Balsam is solid support for him, working through the plan while dealing with an unexpected cold, Elizondo is a bit of a hothead, and Hindman is there to make up the numbers, really, although he doesn't do bad. You also get Jerry Stiller as a colleague of Matthau, Lee Wallace as the mayor, Nathan George and Julius Harris as two determined members of the police force, and Tony Roberts as the man advising the mayor on the best way to navigate these tricky waters.

Go and see it immediately, if you have somehow avoided it until now (as I did). It's a near-perfect blend of crime and wit. You also get a wonderful score from David Shire AND one of the best final lines/shots in the history of cinema.

9/10

You can buy the film on shiny disc here.
Americans can pick it up here.