Netflix And Chill: The Untouchables (1987)

Perhaps enough time has passed now, perhaps I was just being a bit too harsh and/or swayed by the opinions of others years ago, but I have finally reached a certain level of acceptance when it comes to The Untouchables. I always enjoyed the movie itself, and it's another great example of just how great director Brian De Palma can be when able to put considerable resources alongside his not-inconsiderable talent, but it's time to finally admit that I think, yes, Sean Connery actually deserved his Oscar for his performance here. Is that admitting that he's great in it? Is he giving the best performance of his career? No. There are a number of other roles to look at in that regard. But he's the absolute highlight in a film that is stuffed full of treats, and he's the one you remember for a long time after the film is over and done. It also helps that he gets most of the best lines of dialogue from writer David Mamet.

Kevin Costner is the legendary Eliot Ness, a Treasury agent looking to battle against those breaking the prohibition laws, and someone unafraid to go up against the ruthless Al Capone (Robert De Niro). Not knowing who he can trust, especially after being burnt during what should have been his first major operation, Ness assembles a small and capable squad that includes beat cop Jim Malone (Connery), an agent who also does accountancy (Oscar, played by Charles Martin Smith), and a hot shot youngster from the Police Academy (George, played by Andy Garcia). They intend to disrupt Capone's operations until they can bust him, but that gets them a lot of unwanted attention. As well as a number of anonymous threatening individuals, a dangerous man named Nitti (Billy Drago) aims to get rid of Ness and his colleagues, and aims to show that they're most certainly not "untouchable".

It's hard to think of where to start when praising The Untouchables, almost every individual element is as good as you'd expect. Mamet's script is snappy and entertaining, the camerawork and visuals are as wonderfully lush and stylish as they always are in any De Palma movie, and the score from Ennio Morricone feels like some kind of collage of the wonderful work he did over the years with director Sergio Leone. Production design is gorgeous throughout, and there are a couple of fantastic set-pieces that I am sure people have thought about way before getting to this part of my review.

The casting is spot on, for the most part, although I have never been completely convinced by De Niro in the role of Capone. He's fine, but it feels too close to a number of other roles he's already closely identified with. If he'd managed to nail the accent, Hoskins (the second one signed on when De Niro initially couldn't play the part) could have perhaps given us a more interesting portrayal. Hey, at least Hoskins got to enjoy a large paycheck for not doing anything. Costner is a good solid figure at the heart of everything, the kind of thing he has excelled at in a number of features, and he's somehow able to get the focus back on himself after spending time sidelined by more interesting supporting characters. Connery is brilliant, as I've already said, and both Smith and Garcia liven up scenes by bringing very different energies into their performances. Drago is entertainingly villainous, and I'll also mention how much I enjoyed seeing Patricia Clarkson, despite the fact that she's given little more than a token role of "worried wife of the hero".

(Re)watching a great Brian De Palma film always reminds me that I should make the time to watch his entire filmography. They're not all absolute greats, and not all as good as this one, but his best work is enough for me to never begrudge giving some time to the films that didn't work half as well. And I can always come back to something like this if I end up disappointed by too many others.

9/10

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Noir-vember: The Hot Spot (1990)

I've watched many a hot and steamy neo-noir in my time, as those who know me will already know, but very few of them felt as hot and steamy as The Hot Spot, a Dennis Hopper film that leans so heavily into the tropes of noir that it borders on parody and outright silliness. The fact that it works as well as it does is mainly down to the brilliant cast, but they're helped by Hopper and the writers (Nona Tyson and Charles Williams, working from the source novel, "Hell Hath No Fury", by Williams) having absolute faith in the material. That could have backfired spectacularly, and one character almost shatters the "illusion" every time they're onscreen, but it doesn't. It works, and everyone benefits from the feeling of unabashed gleefulness inherent in the material.

Harry Madox (Don Johnson) is a stranger in town. He's not there long before he gets a job as a car salesman by, well, selling a car and then speaking to the owner of the lot (George Harshaw, played by Jerry Hardin). It's clear that he's a fast-talker and can ladle on the charm. It doesn't take Harry long to notice the beautiful Gloria Harper (Jennifer Connelly), a woman who is getting grief from Frank Sutton (William Sadler). It also doesn't take him long to notice how vulnerable the local bank is when any local emergency requires the staff, all volunteer firemen, to leave the premises. Things could get interesting, especially when Harry is viewed as a potential conquest by the wife of his boss (Dolly Harshaw, played by Virginia Madsen). 

Before I get carried away with my praise for the cast of The Hot Spot I think I should start with some of my minor criticisms of the film. Hopper directs the thing well enough, but he could have worked harder to tighten up the runtime. He could also have livened up the soundtrack, and maybe even the score from Jack Nitzsche. The film is elevated by the performances, and the fact that most of the main players deliver their hard-boiled dialogue with a straight face, but it should have had more reasons to make it worth your time. The production design does well at times when scenes are dark and/or steamy, but there are times when it's a bit nondescript. The town never feels like a potential spring-loaded bear-trap, but we noir fans know that every small town in the middle of nowhere is exactly that for our main characters.

I could try to say that Johnson has never been better than he is here, but that wouldn't quite be true. He's a perfect fit for the role, and he delivers his performance with gusto, but it doesn't feel like a stretch for him. He has given better performances in other movies, but this may well be his best lead turn. The same goes for Madsen, who tears through the entire film ready to chew up both the scenery and any man she thinks could taste good enough. Hardin is very good, Sadler delivers another in a long line of his excellent supporting turns, Barry Corbin always feels very right when he's playing a Sheriff, and Charles Martin Smith does well to remain relatively normal while everyone starts manipulating one another around him. And Jack Nance is welcome in a small role. The weak link is Connelly. She sure looks the part, but she is the only one who doesn't seem able to commit to the tone of the piece, perhaps unhelped by the fact that her character isn't written to be as interesting or complex as the others. It's a shame, especially when the third act falters slightly due to her inability to convince viewers that she may be worth whatever price Johnson's character may have to pay for his interest in her.

I've had The Hot Spot recommended to me many times over the years, and I'm surprised it took me this long to finally get around to it. It's very enjoyable stuff. It's easy to see why so many people would mention it when asked to recommend some noir fare from the more modern era. It's just a shame that a couple of things don't work as well as they could. The success of many moments is thanks to the cast. The minor failures would seem to be thanks to Hopper (for his choices while overseeing the casting, visuals, and music departments). Nothing drags it down too much. It's just hampered enough to stop it from being considered a full-blooded classic.

8/10

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Noirvember: Deep Cover (1992)

Starting with a couple of scenes in a row that should startle any viewer, Deep Cover is a crime thriller/neo-noir directed by Bill Duke (a badass actor arguably best-known for his roles in a couple of prime Schwarzenegger action movies) that provides two brilliant roles for the lead actors. And when those lead actors are Lawrence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum, both proving to be perfect fits in their roles, then it doesn’t take long to realise that you’re in for a fantastic time.

Fishburne plays Russell Stevens Jr, a cop who is deemed a perfect candidate for undercover work. If he hadn’t become a cop then he could have easily become a criminal. Quickly repaying the faith put in him, Russell soon works his way up the ranks of the drug-dealing organisation that he has been ordered to infiltrate. He ends up forming a strong bond with David Jason (Jeff Goldblum), a slick lawyer who has started to take on more and more work from his superior, Barbosa (Gregory Sierra). Unfortunately, Barbosa also seems to resent their success. 

Deep Cover isn’t interested in plausibility or reality. The central character is an undercover officer who commits various crimes, including murder, without regard for any attempts to remain within some recognisable moral framework that would show him to still ultimately be on the side of good. And yet, despite the slick movie moments and the brilliant thrills, there’s a strong core message about the ramifications of the drug trade, and how people are left with n a bad position by officials who can change their priorities, and allegiances, at the drop of a hat. As the misdeeds pile up, to put it mildly, it clarifies how far a good man is willing to go in order to effect some real change.

Duke directs well, helped by the fact that both leads are effortlessly cool and photogenic, and Michael Tolkin and Henry Bean give him a great script to work with. This may well be the best movie written by either man, despite a great variety of projects in their respective filmographies.

Fishburne and Goldblum are both on top form, and the film is energised by a middle section that allows some time for viewers to see a strong friendship between them. Sierra is easy to hate, a menacing figure overshadowing both the lead characters, but also an obstacle in the way of Fishburne’s character moving one more place up the ladder, and his network of cronies allows for some great little turns from Roger Guenveur Smith and Sydney Lassick. Clarence Williams III is excellent, playing a detective who keeps trying to help someone he just thinks is a regular drug-dealer who might still be able to get his life in order, and there are a couple of great moments feature James T. Morris and Alisa Christensen, a duo working in tandem to claim ownership of drug-dealing territory. Victoria Dillard is Betty, a young woman who is able to launder money, and she does good work, despite feeling as if her character is just there for Russell to take a shine to. And I cannot believe that I almost forgot to mention Charles Martin Smith, the man who almost steals the entire movie, brilliant as the cop in charge of the undercover operation, and the man responsible for giving the job to our “hero”.

Deep Cover has everything you could want from an early ‘90s crime thriller. The cast is a great mix of ascending talent and established faces, the pacing and dialogue are pretty perfect, the soundtrack is banging (as I believe the kids might say . . . joking here, but the soundtrack is genuinely excellent, complemented well by Michel Colombier’s score), and it never loses sight of what it’s really about, even if viewers temporarily forget it while being thrilled and entertained. The good is always there. It’s just obscured under deep cover.

10/10

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