Netflix And Chill: Flashdance (1983)

I'm always a bit wary when finally getting to movies that had their big moment in the sun many decades ago. Flashdance may not be a film that many rush to watch or rewatch nowadays, but it certainly made enough impact on pop culture to feel very familiar to everyone. The soundtrack is full of great tunes, the plotting is as predictable as expected, and there's a couple of dance sequences that remain more well-known today than anything from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

It's the age-old tale of a young woman who welds by day and dances by night, working shifts at a bar while dreaming about joining a prestigious ballet school. The young woman is Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals), and she soon catches the eye of her boss, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri). Other people around Alex have different dreams. Jeanie (Sunny Johnson) wants to be celebrated for her ice-skating skills, Richie (Kyle T. Heffner) is a cook who longs to be a stand-up comedian, and Johnny C. (Lee Ving) wants to poach both Alex and Jeanie for his club, where the girls dance with less clothing on.

Written by Thomas Hedley Jr. (billed here as Tom Hedley) and Joe Eszterhas,  and directed with the usual style and polish expected from Adrian Lyne, despite this being only his second feature, Flashdance holds up as a surprisingly interesting film for a couple of reasons. It's still essentially only one step away from being a teen-friendly fairytale romance, but the screenplay works hard to present one or two refreshingly interesting elements, not least of which is the agency and confidence of the main character.

Alex may be young, she may be striving to follow a dream that she's still also slightly afraid of, but she is very aware of the world that is already working to grind down her and her friends. She's also comfortable in her own skin in a way that disarms the older Nick. I liked watching her battle her way through each day, even if not all of those battles seemed completely necessary. Because that's another great thing about Alex. She's far from perfect, and some moments make her feel more like the antagonist than the protagonist in her own story.

The writers also deliver a surprise in the ways they juxtapose the potential silliness of the main plot points with moments that feel a bit more grounded and gritty. I'm not saying this is the Hollywood equivalent of a Ken Loach movie, far from it, but it tries to show why some people will keep taking a number of risks to drag themselves toward one lovely moment in the sunshine after years spent being rained on. It also avoids having most of the main characters judging the dancing women for making some money that way, although there's definitely a tiresome dividing line laid down between those who dance provocatively and those who dance topless. 

Beals is an appealing leading lady, and convinces in both the emotional moments and the dance sequences (helped enormously by the work of Marine Jahan and others). Nouri isn't too bad either, although has to spend most of his times in scenes being outshone by Beals' wardrobe. Johnson is easy to like, Heffner is easy to be irritated by (his character feels more like someone destined to be the second or third victim in some slasher movie sequel), and Ving is an odd mix of menace and empty bravado. It's also worth mentioning Cynthia Rhodes, who made her way into three dance-based films in the 1980s that could all be considered iconic, even if one feels much more forgotten than the other two nowadays.

I'm glad to have finally watched this. It's not a true great, although many who saw it when it was first released may feel differently about it, but it's better than some of the other films from this era that are held within a safe bubble of nostalgia. I guess . . . all's well that ends weld. 

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Noir-vember: Devil In A Blue Dress (1995)

Written and directed by Carl Franklin, adapting a novel by Walter Mosley, Devil In A Blue Dress is a confident and traditional neo-noir that gains extra cool points, and kudos, by providing a great lead role for Denzel Washington. 

Washington is "Easy" Rawlins, a man who has just lost his job and needs some money coming in so that he can keep up the mortgage payments on his home. He ends up taking on a job from Dewitt Albright (Tom Sizemore) which involves locating a young woman named Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals). It's not long until people start dying, Rawlins finds himself as a prime suspect, and the people trying to locate Monet may not have been honest about their reason for wanting to do so.

Despite being a film from the mid-90s, Franklin isn't interested in delivering anything other than a bloody solid noir. The script, plotting, and pacing are all unfussy and unrushed, taking time to set up the pieces that will all be turned around slightly to fall into place in time for the finale. There’s nice attention to period detail throughout, crafting enough of the late ‘40s Los Angeles world to make it a very real environment in which the action unfolds, and Franklin keeps track of every plot strand and ties everything together nicely by the very end.

The biggest problem that the film has, and that will put some people off, is just how happily traditional it is. You get some flashes of violence, you get one or two sexy moments, and you get plot points that will give even the most casual noir viewer a sense of deja vu. Thankfully, the execution is strong enough to compensate for the lack of any new ground being broken. And any film working within the noir framework is rarely looking to break new ground.

Washington is a great choice to star here, bringing his not inconsiderate amount of charm and cool to the role. He’s so good that you end up immediately hoping there are other noirs that have made use of him (suggestions welcome, I have currently drawn a blank). Sizemore is excellent as the employer who may not be as nice as he initially seems. Beals isn’t the best choice for her role, considering how vital she is at the heart of the events, but she does okay. Mel Winkler does great work in a supporting role, and you have fun little roles for Don Cheadle (sorely underused), Maury Chaykin, and Terry Kinney. There’s rarely a mis-step in the whole cast, and it’s a shame that Franklin actually doesn’t indulge himself with some more scenes just showcasing some of the smaller roles.

It’s not going to change your world, and is unlikely to become an absolute favourite, but Devil In A Blue Dress is quality entertainment that benefits from all involved taking care with the material and delivering low-key excellence across the board.

7/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing, and ALL of the links you need are here - https://linktr.ee/raidersofthepodcast
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share