For It Is Man's Number: November 2023

Thursday 30 November 2023

Kiss Of Death (1995)

Although it doesn't slavishly follow the plot of the original movie, this neo-noir from director Barbet Schroeder does a good job of hitting a number of familiar key points while ensuring that everything feels in line with a slightly grittier and more modern approach to the story. Writer Richard Price did this more than once throughout the 1990s, with varying degrees of success, and his complete body of work illustrates just how good he is at crafting tales of tension, threats, and troubling dilemmas.

David Caruso plays Jimmy Kilmartin, an ex-convict trying to go straight. Unfortunately, he is roped into a job by his wayward cousin (Michael Rapaport), and it isn’t long until things go sour. A cop (Samuel L. Jackson) is nearly killed, Jimmy is caught, and this leads to a spiral and unfortunate fate for his wife (Helen Hunt). Knowing that others are benefiting from him taking the rap, Jimmy is eventually convinced to become an informant, looking to help police get enough evidence to arrest Little Junior Brown (Nicolas Cage).

Kiss Of Death is both helped and hindered by its cast. Cage is a definite highlight, whether he’s bench-pressing a young woman to show off to others around him or getting ready to have some beaten up while listening to House Of Pain. He heads up a brilliant assortment of supporting turns, including the aforementioned Hunt, Rapaport, and Jackson, as well as Stanley Tucci, Ving Rhames, Kathryn Erbe, Anthony Heald, and Philip Baker Hall. Unfortunately, this is another film that should have put anyone aside from Caruso in the lead role. He’s rarely been a good leading man in movies, with his turn in Session 9 being a notable exception, and this film would benefit from almost anyone else being cast in the central role. Sorry, I cannot quite put my finger on the problem, but Caruso just doesn’t emanate any decent amount of charisma or watchability.

Clocking in at almost the same runtime as the original, Price does a good job of moving pieces into place for the finale while also allowing room for a few scenes that just flesh out the characters. Things never feel rushed, yet it never feels too slow or indulgent either. The end result may be far from a perfect film, but all of the ingredients are mixed in perfect amounts. Having Schroeder at the helm seems guaranteed to keep things from excelling, he is a competent pair of hands, but no more than that, so it’s a real bonus that we got this script married up with this cast. There are so many ways this could have gone horribly wrong, and I imagine some big fans of the original will still disapprove, but I am pleasantly surprised that it ended up so enjoyable and effective.

You might be put off by Caruso. You might be put off by Cage (some people still don’t appreciate his brilliance). You might even be put off just by the fact that this is a remake. I would advise you to get over those prejudices and give it a go. You should end up having a good time in the company of some bad people.

7/10

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Wednesday 29 November 2023

Prime Time: The 39 Steps (1935)

While I am no major expert on the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock, I have seen most of the well-known titles that make up the latter half of his extensive filmography. I haven’t seen much of his earlier work though, despite owning a fair few of them in a dvd boxset I picked up from a charity shop years ago at a bargain price. The 39 Steps is a film I always forgot about, however, and I am pretty sure that I didn’t even think of it as a Hitchcock film. But it certainly is, and here we are.

Robert Donat plays Richard Hannay, a man who finds himself on the run after being suspiciously present at the scene of a murder. The murder victim was a spy, and she manages to tell Hannay about “the 39 steps” before breathing her last breath. Armed with this phrase, as well as a map featuring some extra information about a possible location of interest, Hannay sets out to solve a mystery that he hopes will save the lives of others and prove his own innocence.

Full of familiar Hitchcockian moments, The 39 Steps is a rip-roaring thriller that races through some great locations and set-pieces en route to a tense and hugely satisfying finale. The script, by Charles Bennett and Ian Hay (adapted from the John Buchan novel), is fun and nicely plotted, maintaining a great sense of momentum while allowing the lead character to interact with a delightful assortment of supporting players.

Donat is a smooth and charming lead, his charisma very necessary for his various encounters with others as he tries to maintain his freedom. He carries the film on his shoulders, and makes it all seem quite effortless. There is, of course, an innocent woman (Pamela) who gets dragged into the whole debacle, believing Hannay to be a guilty man, and she is played by Madeleine Carroll. While viewers know that Pamela isn’t right in her opinion of our hero, her strength and determination are admirable as she attempts to ensure his arrest, and Carroll plays the part with great grace and a little sly humour. Godfrey Tearle plays a key role, and there are enjoyable moments for the likes of Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Helen Haye, and Wylie Watson, as well as one or two others.

Although I wouldn’t put this at the top of any list, whether you’re ranking spy movies, man on the run movies, or just Hitchcock movies, it certainly deserves to be jostling around in the upper levels. There’s a slight coziness to many scenes that undercut the tension, which is an unexpected surprise when you think of the usual Hitchcock style, but that somehow just adds to the appeal here. This isn’t a bleak and cynical cavalcade of peril. It’s a dangerous and thrilling adventure yarn that wants to keep you entertained without making you feel too distressed. I loved it.

9/10

Tuesday 28 November 2023

Whirlpool (1950)

If you ever find yourself in the world of film noir then you should be wary of doctors/therapists who take an interest in you while you are not an official patient on their books. You should also be wary of José Ferrer. I knew that Whirlpool would be a film in which Gene Tierney found herself in trouble when she ended up in conversation with a therapist played by José Ferrer.

Tierney plays Ann Sutton, a woman who is married to one Dr. William Sutton (Richard Conte). Although all appears well on the surface, Ann has at least one big problem. She’s a kleptomaniac, which viewers are shown in the very first scenes of the movie. While in trouble with store detectives and management, Ann ends up spared further embarrassment by David Korvo (Ferrer). Korvo recognises the ailment, and offers to help Ann with his hypnotherapy. Before you know it there’s a dead body, Ann as a main suspect, and Korvo evading suspicion with what seems to be a cast-iron alibi.

Based on an original work by Guy Endore, Whirlpool is your typical bit of hokum that uses hypnosis as a central plot point for some twists and tension. The script, written by Ben Hecht (prolific and brilliant) and Andrew Solt (less prolific, but with a couple of greats in his catalogue of work), is easier to digest thanks to the perfectly-judged tone and the performances of the leads.

Director Otto Preminger may have a number of superior films to his credit (including at least one featuring one of the cast members featured here), but that doesn’t make this unworthy of your time. It’s wonderfully entertaining throughout, and some of the conversations are both beautifully written and impeccably delivered.

If I ever see Tierney give a performance that I don’t love them I advise people to check that I am still alive. She is one of my favourite stars of yesteryear, and this is another winning turn from her, moving between moments of confidence and moments of paralyzing neuroses and fear. Ferrer is an absolute charmer for most of the runtime, nice enough to make you think he is a villain while also nice enough to make you think he might just be nice. His line delivery, especially during his first extended conversation with Tierney, is like music to my ears, and I periodically chastise myself when I remember that I haven’t seen enough of his movie performances from this period. Conte plays his part as expected, Charles Bickford is perfectly fine as the sympathetic, slightly bemused, individual investigating the murder, and Barbara O’Neil does well enough as a woman who may be pivotal to revealing the murderous face being hidden behind a mask of civility.

It’s a bit silly, and maybe a bit too lightweight for those wanting their noir more gritty and dark, but Whirlpool is also just great entertainment. It’s a star vehicle, and anyone who appreciates the talents of the leads will find plenty to enjoy here. I know I did.

7/10

Monday 27 November 2023

Mubi Monday: Streetwalker AKA Trotacalles (1951)

A tale of two women, both separated further apart from one another by their circumstances, Streetwalker is a film I would call a classic morality play, but for the fact that the fate of one character feels unnecessary and thrown in for extra melodrama in a finale that didn’t need it.

Miroslava plays Elena, a woman who has made her way from a hard life to a much easier one, married to the rich Don Faustino Irigoyan (Miguel Ángel Ferriz). That doesn’t stop her from being attracted to, and excited by, the charming and conniving Rodolfo (Ernesto Alonso). Rodolfo also looms large in the life of Maria (Elda Peralta), a woman who is currently working as a prostitute, and someone who knows that Elena was once working right alongside her.

There you have it, a tale of two women who are connected by one dubious man, as well as a shared history that one of them wants to forget. This is labelled as a drama/crime movie in various places, but it felt very much like a classic noir to me. Which made me schedule my viewing of it in Noirvember.

Written by José Aguila and director Matilde Landeta, developing an idea from Luis Spota, Streetwalker is a brilliant blend of dark content and naive optimism, with the latter helping to guide viewers through the third act like a sputtering candle flame that eventually dies out altogether, leaving everyone in a dark and lonely place.

Landeta is celebrated as one of the first female directors from Mexico, and this film shows me that I need to explore more of her filmography. She has an excellent way of handling the material, allowing characters to show a fluid morality that depends on their circumstances and who they have to placate at any one time. There’s some judgement here, but it isn’t the view that you might expect. Indeed, the one character who arguably matches the title of the film most is the one character who seems to be the best of the lot.

Miroslava is very good in her role, a woman ready to plot and scheme her way to another new phase in her life, having tired of the place she has been resting for a while now. Peralta is equally good, and does well in a role that showcases how her character isn’t at all defined by her current employment situation. Alonso is enjoyably slippery and selfish, easy to spot as bad news from his earliest scenes, and Ferriz has a good time portraying someone who seems blissfully ignorant of the plan being set in motion around him. Enedina Díaz de León is also worth mentioning, her character showing the perils of the life that both of our leading ladies want to leave far behind them.

I admit that I was in two minds when I saw this title while debating my next streaming movie choice, but I am glad I went for it. Streetwalker is well worth your time, and I hope to see more movies from everyone involved at some point. Whether I remember the names or not is a different matter, but the good intention is there. And that good intention was created by this film, which I highly recommend to others who have yet to check it out.

8/10

Sunday 26 November 2023

Netflix And Chill: Cold Pursuit (2019)

It's no surprise to see a film in which Liam Neeson plays someone carving a path of vengeance through the criminal underworld, which is an easy way to summarise the plot of Cold Pursuit, but it's a bit more surprising to see the whole thing played out as a very dark comedy, with Neeson not an unflappable hero looking to showcase a particular set of skills. Remaking his own film, In Order Of Disappearance (written by Kim Fupz Aakeson), director Hans Petter Moland makes good use of his leading man, and seems to enjoy working with a cast of familiar faces who are all ready to be killed off and moved offscreen at any moment.

Neeson plays Nels Coxman, a dependable and quiet family man who has served his local community well for many years in his role as a snowplough driver. His life is upended, however, when his son is found dead, and the cause of death is marked as a heroin overdose. Nels knows that his son was no drug addict, but he doesn't know exactly what circumstances led to his death. Contemplating his own death, things change for Nels when he receives a vital piece of information that leads him from one criminal figure to another, creating a chain of connections that may take him all the way to a confrontation with Trevor 'Viking' Calcote (Tom Bateman).

Although this is another film that comes in at just under two hours (the days of a brisk 90-minute runtime for action movies and/or thrillers seem to be far behind us), Cold Pursuit does a good job of plotting things in a way that remains just about believable, up until the very end, and with time and space to give every character just enough flesh on their bones to make them more than just one of many disposable henchmen, which they could easily have been. Writer Frank Baldwin seems to do a decent job of transposing the action from snowy Norway to a snowy area of Colorado (although I should note that I haven't seen the original movie, which stars Stellan Skarsgård in the main role), and there are plenty of little moments that highlight the vein of comedy running throughout the violence and darkness.

Neeson is very good in the lead role, effectively reworking his typical performance with a hint of uncertainty and a need for good luck being on his side, and he embodies an unstoppable force, even if he's a blundering one, on the way to an unmovable object. Bateman is a lot of fun as the big baddie, ultimately undone by his inability to control the situation without escalating things, which puts his young son (Ryan, played by Nicholas Holmes) in danger, leads to a good number of "staff reductions", and puts him in an unnecessary war with a gang of Native American criminals headed up by White Bull (Tom Jackson, also very good, but much more subdued than everyone around him). Domenick Lombardozzi, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Gus Halper, David O'Hara, and a number of others have fun portraying dangerous men with a variety of amusing nicknames, and there's also room for welcome supporting turns from Laura Dern (Grace Coxman, a woman who ends up grieving without her husband to help her through the process), Julia Jones, William Forsythe, Emmy Rossum, and a few other familiar faces.

I had heard bad things about this when it was first released, which may have been a majority opinion from people already familiar with the original film (and it doesn't feel like a film that NEEDED a remake, other than to cater to the "I don't read movies" crowd), but I had a good time with it. The humour worked, the cast were all generally great (Bateman feels slightly miscast, but his character is so much fun that he still works well enough), and things knit together in a way that feels both satisfying and slightly messy.

7/10

Saturday 25 November 2023

Shudder Saturday: Nightmare (2023)

Although it remains wise to never judge a book by its cover, Nightmare has such a generic title, and familiar imagery used for promotion, that I suspected it wasn't going to win me over with originality. I was correct. Sadly, it didn't win me over with anything else either. This is a dull slog of a movie, and one that I cannot really recommend to anyone else, despite having some decent production value throughout and one hell of a final scene.

The film revolves around Mona (Eili Harboe), a young woman who seems to be having a lot of trouble sleeping. That coincides with her recent thoughts about having a baby with her boyfriend, Robby (Herman Tømmeraas), and her nightmares tend to feature an evil version of Robby out to terrorise her. Maybe a man named Aksel (Dennis Storhøi) can help her, or maybe he has some agenda of his own that will make Mona a valuable asset to him.

Written and directed by Kjersti Helen Rasmussen, making her feature debut (which explains the feeling viewers may have of watching something with a half-decent idea at the heart of it unable to fulfil any potential), Nightmare is just sadly disappointing throughout. There are a few good individual moments, particularly in the first third of the film, it's all much better before Aksel becomes a main part of the proceedings, but nothing ever feels as if it is properly flowing together or building momentum.

As for the cast, they do what is asked of them. I can't say any more than that, considering how Harboe, Tømmeraas, and Storhøi all work with the weak script. Nobody is able to improve things, but they don't embarrass themselves either. A few other people appear to fill out supporting roles, but the focus generally stays on our central threesome, with all of them struggling to deal with the sleep issues that Mona is having.

Part of me wants to dismiss this completely, especially when I remember other films that have made better use of similar ideas and imagery, but a small part of me wants to give Rasmussen the benefit of the doubt. There's plenty here to admire, especially in a feature debut, and there's always a feeling of definite authorship, particularly as you sit there stunned while the end credits roll. That's not enough to make up for so many of the flaws though, from the weak dialogue to the dull visual style, from the frustrating actions of the characters to the misguided attempt to complicate what could have been an enjoyably simple little chiller.

Others may find more to like in this one, and I would love to hear from anyone who did, but this is a big miss for me. I'll give Rasmussen another chance, but I hope to never have to sit through this again.

3/10

Friday 24 November 2023

Kiss Of Death (1947)

This classic film noir stars Victor Mature as Nick Bianco, a criminal viewers first see being caught red-handed for a robbery that will land him in prison for a fairly lengthy sentence. Tough and ready to take the punishment handed to him, Nick sneers when offered the chance of leniency in exchange for information. That eventually changes, however, when he wants a chance to see his young children. Passing along such valuable information will make him less of a friend to the dangerous Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark), which will put him in great peril if the word ever gets out.

Based on a novel by Eleazar Lipsky, Kiss Of Death is directed well by Henry Hathaway, who is fortunate enough to marry a solid script, written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, to a pretty perfect cast. It also helps that, despite the 99-minute runtime, this thing seems to move with the speed and momentum of a racecar. It is, like many of the best noirs, a journey towards an inevitable final destination, but it's brilliantly paced, moving between some very different relationships between some of the main characters and a number of dark and deadly criminal acts.

Hathaway is also fortunate enough to get a brilliant feature debut performance from Widmark, who steals the show as the grinning and unhinged Udo, a character who emanates real menace while smiling at everyone around him. Easily up there alongside any of his future performances, and that is really saying something, Widmark portrays someone I would seriously consider as one of the most memorable villains in the history of film noir. Thankfully, the rest of the cast do well enough in their roles to avoid being completely overshadowed, with Mature excelling in his stoic turn, all too ready to spit in the eye of the authorities until he realises just how much he has to lose. There’s also Brian Donlevy being great as the Assistant D.A. who can offer some glimmer of hope to our lead, and Coleen Gray offers hope of a different kind, even if she seems a bit too sweet and naive in her very first scene (although it soon becomes clear that she knows exactly what situation she might be getting herself into, and her positivity might help to improve the situation for everyone she cares about).

There’s not a lot else for me to say about this film. I loved it, and I was thoroughly impressed by the presence of Widmark, yet equally impressed by those around him not being any less watchable (albeit in very different ways). There are a few different moments here that feel like classic noir key texts, with a major incident at about the halfway mark that is both darkly comedic and also genuinely distressing, and the cast are giving it their all in every scene.

Remade a couple of times, most notably with Nic Cage in a prominent role in the 1990s (more on that very soon), Kiss Of Death is a superbly entertaining character study of a man looking to change his fortunes at the risk of crossing a man even more entrenched in his life of criminality. I was tense, I was captivated, and I was kicking myself for not having seen this before today.

9/10

Thursday 23 November 2023

Dark Passage (1947)

This is much more like it. As much as I enjoyed them, I had inadvertently spent the past couple of days watching some film noirs that felt decidedly lighter than other films in that style. Dark Passage feels like it has everything you could want from a classic noir. A majorly flawed, perhaps truly dangerous, lead. At least one potential femme fatale. Supporting characters looking to profit from a bad situation. And Bogart and Bacall guaranteeing at least one or two moments that show a marked rise in temperature.

Based on a novel by David Goodis, this is written and directed by Delmer Daves, a solid director with a number of treats tucked away in his filmography (including this very title). It starts with a man escaping from prison, seeming to be undone by bad luck before a beautiful woman (Irene Jansen, played by Lauren Bacall) helps him reach somewhere he might be able to safely shelter for a while. The man, although unseen for most of the first half of the movie, is Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart), and he was in prison for the crime of murdering his wife. He claims that he's innocent though, but to stay out of prison he's going to have to go to some extreme lengths, including having his face changed (which explains the decision made to show the first half of the movie from his POV). But a different face is only worth a damn if nobody else is keeping a close eye on Vincent's movements.

This is excellent stuff throughout, thanks to a lovely script, excellent cast, and the fact that viewers are pretty sure from the earliest scenes that they are really watching an innocent man growing increasingly desperate as he starts to look more guilty. The first half of the film may irritate some people, it’s a bit gimmicky, although it makes sense when we get to the midway point, but it is probably the best way to let things unfold without using any other tactic that could take you out of the movie completely. It helps that Bogart is our guide, that iconic line delivery helping us know where this will all be leading eventually.

While this isn’t the best work delivered by either star, both Bogart and Bacall are as good as expected in the lead roles. They always have brilliant onscreen chemistry, even when one of them isn’t visible onscreen, and both feel capable of handling their turbulent journey towards what they hope could be a happy ending. Agnes Moorehead is enjoyable in a supporting role, perhaps with a key to our lead’s proof of innocence, and Clifton Young plays someone who is set to really throw a big spanner in the works when he figures out how he could earn himself an easy payday. Bruce Bennett also has a small role, although he doesn’t get to do much, and Tom D’Andrea and Houseley Stevenson get to steal a couple of scenes as, respectively, a cabbie and a doctor who could turn out to be life-changing allies.

Although not a title I had heard mentioned in too many conversations about the classic film noirs, Dark Passage certainly already has enough fans that will be rolling their eyes and wondering what took me so long. There are one or two scenes that already felt familiar to me, due to them influencing other works (I would assume Spielberg is a fan, considering a certain sci-if title he made that feels indebted to this at times . . . or maybe that is just me), and I will happily rewatch this any time. In fact, I suspect I may enjoy my second watch a bit more as I settle into it while knowing what to look out for as the plot starts to unfold. Superb stuff.

9/10

Wednesday 22 November 2023

Prime Time: Nightmare (1956)

I didn’t mean to watch two film noirs in a row that star Kevin McCarthy, but here we are. It isn’t a problem though, largely because of how much I love Kevin McCarthy, and it helps that he gets to share the lead duties with Edward G. Robinson in this twisty tale.

McCarthy plays Stan Grayson, a musician who has just experienced a very vivid nightmare in which he killed a man. The problem that Stan has is that he isn’t sure it was just a dream. Although he hasn’t experienced any overwhelming urge to kill someone, Stan starts to realise that certain details are pointing towards him having actually committed murder. Fortunately, his brother-in-law (Rene, played by Robinson) is also a police officer, and the two start trying to figure out if any crime has occurred, and how it happened.

Directed by Maxwell Shane, who also adapted the Cornell Woolrich novel into screenplay form (for a second time, having turned it into Fear In The Night about ten years before this), Nightmare is a fun little thriller that feels like some great feature-length TV show episode. There’s no big spectacle, and viewers are welcomed in at the very start with the lure of a mystery due to be solved, but the script is fun, and the cast do well to ensure that it’s never a slog.

McCarthy is constantly nervous and tense, a man struggling to believe the unbelievable as evidence around him starts to mount up. Robinson is a good contrast, confident and curious about where the journey will take them, but always having faith that there is a strange truth to be discovered . . . even if that truth is the guilt of his brother-in-law. Virginia Christine and Connie Russell are the two main women alongside the male leads, although they’re not given too much to do, and Gage Clark comes along just in time to kickstart the chain of events leading to a revelatory finale.

I enjoyed Nightmare, but it doesn’t do enough to save it from feeling just a bit too slight. It’s fun, and thrilling, but far from the best of film noir from this era. McCarthy and Robinson ensure it is always watchable though, and any fans of those actors should give 90 minutes of their time to checking this out. You’ll probably never rewatch it, but viewing it once is recommended. Just.

6/10

Tuesday 21 November 2023

Drive A Crooked Road (1954)

Although a fairly lightweight film noir (which viewers may already suspect is the case when they see Mickey Rooney in a lead role), Drive A Crooked Road is an enjoyable, if predictable, bit of entertainment that benefits from a couple of the main performances being much better than I expected.

Rooney plays Eddie Shannon, a car mechanic/occasional racer who spends a lot of his workday being ribbed by his workmates about his lack of experience with women. That looks set to change when he meets Barbara (Dianne Foster), who seems to take a real liking to him. Barbara then introduces Eddie to one or two others (including Steve, played by Kevin McCarthy) and it isn’t long until Eddie is being invited to assist with a criminal plan that will rely on his outstanding driving skills.

While it isn’t a big surprise to see that this was directed by Richard Quine (a dependable helmer with a few gems in his filmography), it is slightly more unexpected to see that Quine worked on the screenplay with Blake Edwards, adapting a story by James Benson Nablo. It is also unexpected to realise that the screenplay isn’t very good. This is a film that works because of the main characters, not because of any great plotting or snappy dialogue. I enjoyed it, but it isn’t a classic noir I would rush to recommend to others.

Rooney is fun in his role, a sweet sap you just know is going to be manipulated by those around him. He still feels more like Rooney than a fully-developed character though (a style that suited him well throughout most of his career). Foster does well in the lone central female role, believable as a potential femme fatale or as someone just as manipulated as Eddie, depending on how you view the journey of her character. But it’s McCarthy who lifts the movie, entering the action like a breath of fresh air, believably persuasive and charming before showing himself as equally believable when threatening or mistreating those who try to go against him.

While the runtime is a shade over 80 minutes, I expected this to be even shorter. It’s barely a film, often feeling more like a 4-page comic book storyline, but there’s enough to enjoy for those who aren’t looking for any kind of gold-plated classic. I had fun with it, largely due to the performance of McCarthy, and I suspect other film fans will get some enjoyment from it, even if it’s more disposable and forgettable than many other crime films from the period.

6/10

Monday 20 November 2023

Mubi Monday: The History Of The Pink Trunk (2005)

Although there’s a mystery at the heart of this, and it isn’t just the mystery of how it actually got made, The History Of The Pink Trunk ends up not being about that central mystery. Not really. I mean . . . it IS, but it equally isn’t. I don’t want to namecheck anyone that would lead to unfair comparisons, but this will start to feel familiar to those who have enjoyed other murder mysteries in which the focus has often wandered to peripheral characters and their developing relationships while caught in the spiderweb of mystery.

Edgardo Román plays Detective Corzo, a man tasked with figuring out what happened when the body of a young girl is found in a pink trunk. He finds his work hampered by a busy journalist, Hipólita Mosquera (Diego Vélez), but also starts to enjoy the company of the lovely Martina (Dolores Heredia).

I am not familiar with the filmography of director Libia Stella Gómez, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Federico Durán, and I am not entirely sure if I want to see more from them after checking this out. Hampered by a low budget and an inconsistent cast, Gómez still tries hard to fill the movie with neo-noir style and tropes, playing around with the latter on the way to the final scenes, but cannot quite deliver what the material really needs.

Román is okay in his role, but he is the least interesting of the central trio. While Vélez plays someone a lot less likeable, he is eminently watchable, cocky and brazen enough to assume he can write articles that will at least keep the police on their toes. Heredia is the highlight though, a female character who does what she can to keep those around her thinking of their responsibility and the power afforded to them. Heredia gets to be sweet and strong, and the film works best when you get to see her character have a positive effect on the men in her orbit.

I struggled to get into this, with the first third of the movie feeling like a real chore, but then I started to settle into it. I started to realise how the main characters were being positioned and where more friction was starting to develop, and I stopped being so bothered about whether or not the central mystery would be solved. I don’t think I will ever revisit it, and I wouldn’t rush to recommend it to others, but I did enjoy the second half a lot more than the opening.

World cinema fans will appreciate this more than most, but it’s not a film that should ever be prioritised against the many others that are probably always jostling around the top half of any “to watch” list.

4/10

Sunday 19 November 2023

Netflix And Chill: No Panic, With A Hint Of Hysteria (2016)

A bizarre comedy noir that feels like something that could have worked in better hands, No Panic, With A Hint Of Hysteria is one of the many titles in the filmography of Polish writer-director Tomasz Szafranski. Having started his career in his early twenties, Szafranski has been working in film and TV now for just over two full decades. I don't know if his other work tends to be better than this, but I'm certainly not enthused to be exploring more of his work after getting through this one.

Alexander Chance plays Toby, an accountant who is trying to move into the more lucrative role of hitman. He is being mentored by Fakir (Toasz Karolak), but isn't really showing himself as a natural fit for the job. A disastrous convergence of unfortunate events lead to Toby and his wife (Melanie, played by Charlotte Kirk) trying to dispose of a corpse, dealing with someone Toby quite rightly assumed was already dead, and placating various dangerous characters while avoiding too much attention from the police.

Set up as a classic farce, and low-key enough for most of the runtime to feel as if it's been adapted from a stage play, No Panic, With A Hint Of Hysteria feels overdone, mishandled, decades too late, and (ironically enough) just poorly executed in almost every way. Szafranski clearly knew what he wanted to deliver, but he ties one hand behind his back from the very start by assembling such a weak cast.

Chance is arguably the biggest weakness, considering his character is the focus of pretty much every scene. It's a role that requires someone who can perform with the required comedy skills, appeal, and physical prowess, and Chance appears to have none of those things. Having him acting alongside Charlotte Kirk doesn't help, her being a performer yet to show any talent worthy of some of the roles she has managed to bag, and watching her and Chance interact is the cinematic equivalent of a fish trying to ride a bicycle. It's unnatural, and it just doesn't work. Karolak only has a few scenes, Stephen Baldwin has a central role (and tries hard, but is hampered by the material . . . and by being more affordable and available than Alec for a reason), and other people have to spend time looking mean or dopey while Szafranski continues to move the pieces into place for the finale. Magdalena Lamparska is a highlight as Kamila, we'll call her The Woman In Red, but she's sidelined almost immediately after making a strong impression in her very first scenes.

The convoluted plotting doesn't give you anything to care about, the comedy doesn't work, and the cast give nothing. The visual style throughout is admittedly decent (shout out to cinematographer Michael Grabowski and the others who helped maintain the specific palette), with muted colours and framing emphasising the noir over the comedy, but that's a very minor saving grace in a film far too overstuffed with mis-steps and major failings, including a poor score from Luke Corradine. No need to panic though, this is one easily avoided. I just happened to find it buried on Netflix, and I should have left it buried. Considering one of the main plot points, the irony is not lost on me.

2/10

Saturday 18 November 2023

Shudder Saturday: The Tank (2023)

Written and directed by Scott Walker, The Tank is a film that many may already be wary of, considering the fact that Walker's previous movie, his first feature, was The Frozen Ground (a serial killer movie starring John Cusack and Nic Cage, and a film I have often heard maligned, although I have yet to see it for myself). If you ARE already wary of it then you might just want to avoud it, which would save you from becoming as exasperated and angry as I did.

Matthew Whelan and Luciane Buchanan are Ben and Jules, a couple who have inherited an abandoned coastal property from Ben's side of the family. So they head along there, daughter Reia (Zara Nausbaum) in tow, and start trying to turn the house into a home. Unfortunately, there's a large underground water tank on the property that has housed a large and dangerous creature for some time. When the creature gets out, people start to die . . . and it takes Ben and Jules far too long to figure out what is really going on.

There may be some people who like this, and one or two people who even love it, but I cannot wrap my brain around that concept. The Tank is boring, it's illogical and unbelievable, and it feels lazy and full of moments that were done better in other horror movies. Walker may disagree with that, and we can assume that he tried his best to craft what he thought would be a fun and thrilling creature feature, but that is how the end product plays out.

It doesn't help that the central cast aren't that engaging either. I liked Buchanan the most, and she has more of a watchability factor than anyone else onscreen, but Whelan is just too bland, and Nausbaum isn't given that much to do, with the exception of times when she is placed in immediate danger. There are some other people who appear onscreen, but they are only there to become potential victims of the creature, we don't get to know too much about them, meaning we subsequently don't care enough when they find themselves looking at a strange set of very sharp incisors.

It's worth mentioning again, however, that the entirety of a film can be overshadowed by a negative opinion formed in the earlier scenes. Others who give this a go may be more forgiving, or may still be able to find elements that they like as they criticise other aspectes of it. I found almost nothing to enjoy here. I didn't care for the main characters, I hated the developing backstory (it just felt too stupid, especially when it is revealed by that well-wron troped of everything being conveniently written down for others to find), I thought the creature design was as derivative and lazy as any other part of the movie, and a number of scenes seemed extra dark and disorientating in an attempt to avoid showcasing the main beastie.

On the plus side, I saw the imagery for this and thought it might be another horrible attempt to cash in on that horrible story of what happened to Elisa Lam and the Cecil Hotel, so I will be kind to it for it not being anything to do with that. Please just bear in mind that my rating here is a kind one, and anyone else who watches this and ends up agreeing with me cannot say that they weren't warned.

3/10

Friday 17 November 2023

Narrow Margin (1990)

An enjoyable remake of the 1952 film, Narrow Margin is a well-made neo-noir that benefits from having Gene Hackman being his usual brilliant self in the lead role that makes good use of his formidable talent. He is L.A. District Attorney Robert Caulfield, a man who ends up escorting a woman named Hunnicut (Anne Archer) on a dangerous cross-country train ride to get her to stand as a witness against the powerful Leo Watts (Harris Yulin).

Directed by the dependable Peter Hyams, who also wrote the script adapting the earlier movie into this updated take, this is a film full of shifting surroundings and constant momentum, not just due to most of it taking place on a train. Caulfield only knows one or two people he can fully trust, while Hunnicut isn’t always entirely sure about why she should place her faith in him. Anyone around our two leads could be a killer, and Watts may not be onscreen for much of the runtime, but there’s a large shadow cast over everything as we see how seemingly infinite his reach and resources are.

Although this follows the template of the original film fairly closely, there are some tweaks that help to make it a slightly more enjoyable experience. The various identity reveals are well-placed, whether they are proving someone is bad or ultimately good, and there are a few decent action moments that allow Hackman to back up his promise of doing whatever it takes to get the woman in his care safely to a more secure environment.

Hackman is the reason this works as well as it does, and Hyams was surely thankful to bag him for the lead role. He may not be the typical choice for this kind of role, but he’s undeniably trustworthy, determined, and charismatic. I wish I could say the same for Archer, who feels sadly all-too-replaceable in her key role. Susan Hogan does much better though, playing a train passenger who takes more than a passing interest in Hackman’s character. Yulin does well with his minutes of screentime, there are small roles for both M. Emmet Walsh and J. T. Walsh, and James Sikking, Nigel Bennett, B. A. “Smitty” Smith, and J. A. Preston help to round out a supporting cast of surprisingly compelling characters.

Although it has a layer of polish that lessens the feeling of real danger and darkness, Narrow Margin still manages to ratchet up the tension on the way to a final act that proves to be enormously satisfying. If you like even some of the names I have listed here, and especially if you like Hackman, then this is a fun film to give your time to on an evening when you want something comfortingly assured.

8/10

Thursday 16 November 2023

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Although it can be daunting to have an ever-growing “to watch” list, with every main movie title reminding me of at least three or four other movies I have still to get around to, I love any time when the film conversation flows around certain genres or topics in a way that leads to me being encouraged to check out something considered a classic by many. And that is how I came to belatedly watching The Asphalt Jungle recently.

It’s a simple tale. A group of people are put together to commit a robbery, but the job is endangered by the potential for misfortune and treachery. People start to suffer, but the moral core of the film means that viewers will be expecting a downbeat finale from the very opening scenes.

Based on a novel by W. R. Burnett, this is a screenplay co-written by Ben Maddow and director John Huston that nicely blends the prep and execution of the crime with moments showing us some more background of some of the key players. Huston keeps things paced perfectly, and benefits from an excellent cast.

Sterling Hayden is the nominal lead, Dix Handley, and he tries hard to keep a cool head, even as others start to panic. Sam Jaffe is the man with the expertise required to pull off the robbery, allowing himself to trust in the men who make up the brawn surrounding his brain. James Whitmore and Anthony Caruso play Gus and Ciavelli, respectively, the other two men making up the core team. Everyone does good work, but Hayden and Jaffe stand out, helped by the fact that we get to spend a bit more time with their characters. There’s also a great selection of supporting players, allowing us to enjoy great performances from Louis Calhern and Jean Hagen, the former as slippery and untrustworthy as the latter is sweet and dependable. I could reel off many other names, each deserving a mention for their part in making this a consistently gripping tale, but you should just see them all for yourself. Oh, and Marilyn Monroe shines in one main scene (the merest hint of what was to come with her star ascending).

It goes without saying that Huston is a great director for this material, and those familiar with any of his films will know what to expect here. The Asphalt Jungle shows a number of people who end up stuck between a rock and a hard place, some holding on to their own moral code while others are willing to make bigger sacrifices if it gets them an escape route, and it may well have you rooting for one or two people that you wouldn’t normally root for.

A classic, but most people know that already.

9/10

Wednesday 15 November 2023

Prime Time: Gangster Squad (2013)

When one or two good cops are fed up of gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) basically turning Los Angeles into his own personal playground it soon becomes clear that the best way to beat him is to act outside the law. And the Gangster Squad is created, a group of tough cops who operate without a badge while setting about systematically destroying the operations that keep Cohen in wealth and power.

Based on a non-fiction book by Paul Lieberman (which isn’t to say this is an accurate retelling of anything that comes close to the truth), Gangster Squad is very much style over substance, with the script from Will Beall happy to fit in as many tropes and recycled classic noir movie moments as possible. That doesn’t mean it’s unenjoyable. It’s just an inferior copy of numerous outright classics (including one or two modern classics, with The Untouchables casting as big a shadow over this as the classic WB gangster movies of the ‘30s and ‘40s.

Director Ruben Fleischer can do fun films. I like one of his films more than the rest of his filmography (the one that involves zombies and a man on the hunt for Twinkies), but I have enjoyed most of his directorial efforts so far, to varying degrees. Even the mis-cast Uncharted. I didn’t enjoy this film though, and it feels as if Fleischer couldn’t get a handle on the material, but was hoping a few cool moments stitched together would help distract people from it being such a messy dollop of weak sauce. He has done well with casting, and managed to do equally well with the team of people working behind the camera to bring the Los Angeles of this time period to life, but there’s no feeling of a steady hand at the wheel.

Josh Brolin ends up as the head of the titular squad, and he gives another strong and gruff performance that matches a lot of his other work. If you need someone in authority to roll up their sleeves and do some dirty work then Brolin is your man, and he also looks damn sharp in the 1940s style. Alongside him are characters played by Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ryan Gosling. All of them do pretty decent work, with the exception of Gosling, who has decided to give his character a slightly higher-pitched way of speaking that doesn’t work. I can guess why he decided to give it a try, but someone should have stopped him. Emma Stone is dazzling as a woman caught up in Cohen’s world, Nick Nolte has a couple of great scenes as he assembles, and checks in on, the squad (off the record), and Penn gets to play his bad guy like he’s just walked off the pages of a Dick Tracy comic strip. Holt McCallany adds another henchman role to his long list of henchman roles, something he excels at, and the rest of the cast is stacked with familiar faces you will recognise, although may not be able to name.

If Fleischer wanted to make something violent and gripping then he failed. If he wanted to make something that felt like an important portrayal of a true story then he failed there too (none of this rings true, sadly, even if it is based on some real events). There are times when it almost gets the right balance, an attempted jailbreak being a highlight until the lights go out, but it’s mostly some pretty, but unengaging, visuals accompanied by a very nice score from Steve Jablonksy. There’s just about enough here to keep me moderately happy for the runtime, but I am VERY easily pleased.

4/10

Tuesday 14 November 2023

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)

While it may come along at the very end of the classic film noir cycle, Odds Against Tomorrow is highly recommended to fans of those movies. It’s about one great big score, of course, it’s about tension between the robbers, and it’s a heavy-handed, but well-intentioned, condemnation of racism.

Ed Begley plays an ex-cop, Burke, who thinks he has a foolproof robbery plan. He cannot do it alone though, so he enlists the assistance of Slater (Robert Ryan). He also needs a black man in the team, as the plan relies on a guard opening the door to the African American gentleman delivering some food, so he brings in Ingram (Harry Belafonte). Both Slater and Ingram have debts to pay off, which means both are highly motivated to get the job done right, but Slater continues to be perturbed while he has to work alongside a black man.

Based on a novel by William P. McGivern, Odds Against Tomorrow was adapted into film form by Nelson Gidding and Abraham Polonsky (blacklisted at the time, therefore credited as John O. Killens). While the robbery itself makes up the third act of the movie, as you would expect, the majority of the runtime is a look at two damaged characters who don’t see themselves as having any other choices on their path through life. Luck hasn’t been with them, which hasn’t stopped them gambling, so this big score is needed to set them free from misery of their own making.

Both Ryan and Belafonte are excellent in their lead roles, both carrying different weights on their shoulders as they resolve to do whatever it takes to improve their lot in life. Ryan allows the prejudice to emanate from his character in waves, no edges softened or ugliness hidden, and that makes him even more unsavory than your typical noir lead, but he’s counter-balanced by the pragmatism of the very charismatic, but hot-headed, character played by Belafonte. Begley is also very good, spending a lot of his time as a buffer between the two men that he needs to stay focused on the job in hand. Will Kuluva and Richard Bright provide extra “motivation”, and there’s time for some solid work from Shelley Winters, Gloria Grahame, and Kim Hamilton, among others.

It is far from the best of film noir, in many ways, but it also has a hell of a lot to enjoy. The direction from Robert Wise is as solid and straightforward as usual (Wise is a name I always feel is far-too-rarely mentioned when discussing the absolute greats of cinema, he has at least three masterpieces to his name in three different genres), the pacing allows viewers to enjoy the fleshing out of the characters as they also see the robbery plan being hatched, and the friction between Ryan and Belafonte keeps simmering away until the point when it inevitably rises up to worsen a bad situation.

The very end may be a bit eye-rollingly clumsy, like a moral punchline underlining a central message of the movie, but it doesn’t undo everything that came along before it. All in all, wonderful stuff.

8/10

Monday 13 November 2023

Mubi Monday: The Innocent (2022)

Co-written and directed by Louis Garrel, who also gives himself a plum lead role once again, The Innocent is an entertaining thriller that, on the one hand, plays out exactly as you might expect, yet also wrongfoots you slightly by the time the end credits roll, thanks in part to the title itself, and who it might be referring to.

Garrel plays Abel, the concerned son of Sylvia (Anouk Grinberg). He may be right to be concerned, as his mother has a habit of falling in love with, and marrying, people that she meets at her work. And she works in a prison. Her latest husband is Michel (Roschdy Zem), and Abel doesn’t trust him to stay on the straight and narrow. He wants to find out more about his plans, and enlists the help of Clémence (Noémie Merlant). It isn’t long until everyone starts to tangle themselves up in lies and deceit. Well . . . almost everyone.

Having only seen one other Garrel movie before this (the underwhelming Two Friends), and seeing the plot summary of this, I have to admit that I wasn’t really expecting too much from The Innocent. I assumed it would be a tired retread of very familiar ground, and wondered if Garrel might spoil his own direction by focusing too much on his own acting. Well, assumption makes an ass out of you and me, or something like that, and I am very happy to say that I was proven wrong here.

Paced perfectly (the runtime clocks in at just under 100 minutes), and with characters that it’s easy to warm to, despite them perhaps initially appearing too sharp and antagonistic, or too untrustworthy, the script allows for a nice and even mix of plot development and great character moments. Writers Tanguy Viel and Naïla Guiguet both work well with Garrel, with Guiguet having previously collaborated with the writer-director on his previous movie, The Crusade, and there’s a playfulness underpinning the interactions of the main characters that helps to avoid a cynicism and bleakness that would have left the whole thing feeling much more in line with so many other movies in this sub-genre.

When it comes to the performances, everyone is perfectly cast. Garrel continues his run of portraying characters named Abel (it must be some strange in-joke or personal preference, he has given himself that name in all of his features so far), Zem manages to feel both charming and potentially dangerous, Merlant helps to brighten up the film as she treats things quite lightly until they take a turn for the serious, and Grinberg is a sweetly optimistic romantic who just wants everyone to get along and be happy that she is happy.

Although it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, The Innocent manages to feel enjoyably unique without overdoing the quirkiness (even if the opening scenes may make you think it is heading in that direction). It’s consistently great, and the finale feels as inevitable as it is satisfying. I recommend it to anyone after some crime movie thrills without the need for a large sprinkling of misanthropy.

8/10

Sunday 12 November 2023

Netflix And Chill: The Killer (2023)

If you go into The Killer expecting a standard hitman/revenge movie then I don't think you're going to enjoy it. You cannot go into this with certain expectations, and I would quickly warn people who may assume that they're going to have a perfect blend of cool and controlled David Fincher style and cool and controlled lead character. While things may seem to match up on the surface, the whole thing is actually an amusing dark comedy that shows us someone holding on to their superb natural instincts while everything else starts to slip through their fingers.

Michael Fassbender stars as The Killer. He lives by a number of rules that we hear repeated, mantra-like, in voiceover narration. "Stick to your plan. Anticipate, don't improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you're paid to fight." He also believes that you should forbid empathy, because empathy is a weakness. "Empathy is vulnerability". When a job goes wrong, however, The Killer ends up seeking revenge, and this shows us how often he breaks his own rules. He's not actually that good at living by his own code, but repeating it to himself seems to show how often he spends time convincing himself that he belongs in the life he has chosen.

Adapted from a graphic novel series by Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon, this is a long-overdue opportunity for writer Andrew Kevin Walker and director Fincher to fully collaborate again. The two last worked together on the superb Seven, but it's interesting to view The Killer as something that works as very much a companion piece to Fight Club. The script isn't as packed with quotable dialogue, but everything here, whether spoken word or silent expression/movement, works exactly as intended. You get repeated mantras that are used for self-delusion (and are lies), you get the use of corporations assisting the hasty demise of characters, and you have an apparent code of ethics that ends up warped and broken as a main character strives towards what ends up being their ultimate goal. It's also a film that may well be taken by many viewers as something it very much isn't. Maybe.

Fassbender feels like he was born for this role, a captivating presence able to keep his face completely blank as he interacts with people he doesn't view worthy of full engagement. He looks capable enough when it comes to the physical side of things, and the juxtaposition of how things play out onscreen and how the character comments on his own approach becomes funnier and funnier as the divide between perception and reality gets bigger. Charles Parnell and Kerry O'Malley shine in a couple of key scenes, Sala Baker casts an impressively large shadow as a potential target named "The Brute", and both Arliss Howard and Tilda Swinton have fantastic moments in the third act, the latter coming seriously close to stealing the movie with her blend of calm defiance and slight regret.

Hilariously soundtracked by a selection of tunes from The Smiths, there's also extra laughs mined from Fincher upending some action movie standards. Whether or not people enjoy the joke is a different matter, but I liked watching a chase sequence that wasn't really a chase, miscalculations made by someone who needs to rely on precision, and a messy fight that was as dark and disorientating as it might feel when right in the middle of it.

I've already seen many people dismiss this as a fairly empty and pointless work, a lesser entry from a master director, but I would respectfully disagree. It's not a full return to form, considering how high the Fincher highs are, but I think it's his best film in over a decade (note, I have STILL to see Mank, just too many movies and never enough hours in every day). It will be interesting to see if others start to agree with me as more time passes.

8/10

Saturday 11 November 2023

Shudder Saturday: Mastemah (2022)

A tame horror film with no surprises, other than the fact that it took three people to craft the storyline, Mastemah is a huge disappointment that I have to warn others away from. Although put together with a certain amount of care and polish, it's a messy work that ultimately feels underwhelming and pointless by the time the end credits roll.

Camille Razat plays Louise, a young psychiatrist who is also trained to use hypnotherapy on her patients. Unfortunately, one of her hypnosis sessions ends in a tragedy that leaves her shaken and needing a change of environment. Moving to a small village, she soon starts to ease into helping the locals, but there's one potential patient (Théo, played by Olivier Barthélémy) who seems more troubled than the rest. He claims that he needs hypnotherapy to ease his mind and allow him to feel rested, and Louise soon starts to wonder if she's dealing with someone, or something, that could endanger her own wellbeing. She certainly starts to feel an effect on her mental health as she starts to see more of Théo.

Directed by Didier D. Daarwin, who also wrote the movie with the help of Johanne Rogoulot and Thierry Aflalou (the latter being credited with the central idea for the premise), Mastemah has the kernel of a good idea at the heart of it. In fact, the opening scene sets up an intriguing and disturbing film that is then never allowed to fully manifest into anything close to its full potential. What you get, innstead, is a flat and dreary film that shows us a lead character determined to remain annoyingly passive in situations where she should be setting boundaries and making the most of her time to rest and recover at her own pace. This isn't the first film to do this, of course, but it's more notable here because there's nothing else to distract you from the dullness and frustration of it.

Razat is okay, but seriously hampered by the script. I think I like her as a leading lady, but I would need to see her in a few better roles before I was able to make a more informed decision. Barthélémy has to spend most of his screentime simply looking brooding, which he manages to do well enough. His is the far less interesting of the two main roles, but he seems to do what is asked of him. Elsewhere, you have small supporting roles for Tibo Vandenborre, Féodor Atkine, Anaël Snoek, and one or two others, but they're never onscreen long enough to give us relief from the main focus of the film; the relationship between Louise and Théo.

This was one of the hardest reviews I have written in a while, there's really nothing that feels worth commenting on. It's not memorably awful, but it's certainly not good. I am sure there will be one or two people who end up liking this, but I'm equally sure that they will find themselves very much in the minority. Mastemah has nothing to say, nothing to impress horror fans (or even those after a dark thriller), and nothing to justify anyone wasting 100 minutes of their life on it. It's just a big pile of nothing, sadly.

3/10

Friday 10 November 2023

Pickup On South Street (1953)

Every time I see a Samuel Fuller movie I am reminded of the fact that I want to see ALL the Samuel Fuller movies. Having started my journey through his work with two titles that are arguably his most well-known, I keep forgetting how many more I have to experience. I’ve yet to find a bad one, and I encourage everyone to explore his brilliant filmography.

Pickup On South Street is the tale of a pickpocket (Skip McCoy, played by Richard Widmark) who inadvertently dips the wrong purse. Little does he realise that he has ended up with some film that was being handed over to communist villains by a blissfully ignorant young woman (Candy, played by Jean Peters). The police want to get their hands on the film before it can be passed on, and they enlist the help of a wise informant named Moe Williams (Thelma Ritter). While Skip is used to staying one step ahead of the police, he has rarely been in such demand. Candy wants to negotiate with him, while others start planning a less pleasant way to retrieve the valuable stolen item.

Zipping along for the entire 80-minute runtime, and anchored by two fantastic lead performances, this is arguably one of the very best film noirs from writer-director Fuller. And if you remember all of the praise I JUST wrote at the start of this review (and how could you forget it already, unless you are a goldfish, and if you are a goldfish . . . how the hell are you even reading this review?) then you will know that it must be working hard to reach a very high bar. It’s a fun film, thanks to the characters and the dialogue, but it also builds the tension on the way to a brilliant and satisfying third act.

Widmark is a great actor, and was used especially well in a number of film noirs, so I expected to enjoy his portrayal of Skip. What I didn’t expect was for it to easily rank up there as one of his best ever performances. Mixing in just the right amounts of cheek, charm, selfishness, and a wobbly moral compass needle, Skip is one of the great anti-heroes, with strong emphasis on the “anti” part. Although it is hard to equal him, Peter acquits herself very well in the role of Candy, a woman who shows some real mettle when she discovers that she has been used as a mule for something she wouldn’t willingly want any part of. Very easy to like, and working well with Widmark, Peters does well to keep the film from being stolen away completely by her leading man. Ritter is a lot of fun in her role, and she uses her few scenes to cast a long shadow over the whole film, and there are various “cops and robbers” played by the likes of Murvyn Vye, Milburn Stone, Willis Bouchey, and Richard Kiley, who all do well enough in their roles.

Fuller yet again manages to mix the drama and thrills with little details that lend an authenticity to everything, as was his greatest strength, but the fluctuating relationship between Skip and Candy is the strong heart of the movie. Everyone involved does very good work, whether in front of the camera or behind it, and the end result is guaranteed entertainment for fans of film noir.

9/10

Thursday 9 November 2023

The Suspect (1944)

Charles Laughton stars in this enjoyable film that shows a man having his head turned by a bright young woman who helps motivate him to become more distant from the wife he is stuck in a loveless marriage with. But that is just the first step down a slippery slope, of course.

Based on a novel by James Ronald, this works as well as it does because it features a fantastic, and winning, central performance from Laughton, playing Philip Marshall. He seems to be a decent man, with his marriage to Cora (Rosalind Ivan) being the only part of his life that he cannot view positively, and his life starts to improve when he meets a young woman named Mary (Ella Raines). All seems well, but people start to gossip about the situation. Cora knows things cannot go on as they are, but it seems unlikely that Philip will be able to go back to the life he used to lead. It’s not long until the plot is punctuated by death, blackmail, and the probing questions of one Inspector Huxley (Andrew Ridges).

Adapted into screenplay form by Bertram Millhauser and Arthur T. Horman, two men with a number of gems tucked away in their respective filmographies, The Suspect works as well as it does because of the way it keeps a key moment offscreen. There isn’t really any ambiguity here, but those wanting to root for the main character can convince themselves for the first half of the movie that there’s still a small shadow of doubt over their guilt. Of course, that is all down to the performances as much as it is down to the script, and the cast is pretty perfect throughout.

Laughton is someone I have only seen in one or two main roles so far, but I have liked everything I have seen from him (and it’s still very sad to know that his one credited directorial effort, The Night Of The Hunter, was received so poorly that it put him off from trying more work behind the camera). Every little detail, from his measured and polite way of speaking to his consideration for others, makes Laughton’s character someone that viewers will be rooting for. Raines is also very good, a delightful presence without any plans to manipulate or scheme her way into a better position. Her innocence is another great choice, underlining the sweetness of the relationship that develops between Mary and Philip. Ivan is a bit over the top, but she has fun as the complaining wife, and Ridges is the typical Inspector trying to work hard to find evidence of guilt in someone he already knows is guilty of a crime. There are a few other enjoyable supporting turns, but I will just highlight Henry Daniell, who causes all kinds of problems as the drunken and abusive neighbour living next door to our lead, and often making life miserable for his own wife, played equally well by Molly Lamont.

Director Robert Siodmak is a safe pair of hands for this material, at the very least, and helmed a number of classics (major and minor) during this time. He does well by his cast, does well by the script, and generally doesn’t do anything that interferes with the gentle unfolding of the tale. There are one or two key scenes that could have been made more suspenseful, but I like the choices made. The focus stays on Laughton and his chance at happiness. Even the very last scenes have a bittersweetness, because the darkness has allowed someone to spend time watching a beautiful star twinkle and shine.

8/10