MOVIES - PART 44

RECENTLY RE/WATCHED

MINI TWO SENTENCE REVIEWS

Terrific suspenseful crime movie from 1954. Robbery, border towns, singing in bars, messenger boys, cop killing and more starring the sterling Sterling Hayden & the glorious Gloria Grahame.

George Segal is an incredibly convincing charismatic junkie & Karen Black is his charming girlfriend in 1970 NYC pre Mean Streets (1973). I recommend.

A low key yet devastating 1970 cult film with ageing Gregory Peck as a sheriff & Tuesday Weld as the daughter of a bootlegger somewhere down south. A fed arrives in town ensuring things in this small town will go awry. Highly recommended.

Excellent debut feature for Paul Thomas Anderson about shenanigans in the underbelly of Las Vegas with great performances from Philip Baker Hall, John C Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow & Sammy Jackson. 

A dude with ptsd from WWII gets angry with a dude with ptsd from the Vietnam War at a secluded lake resort plus a rape revenge subplot. Fine entertainment.

A prisoner escapes and is out for revenge in this brilliantly suspenseful late in the cycle film noir. Directed by the legendary Budd Boetticher.

Dude pretends to be another dude. How do you reckon that works out? Very eerie ending. Fantastic 1975 Antonioni film.

Melodramatic colour desert noir somewhat lacking in the good story department starring the wonderful Lizabeth Scott who seems to just drive up and down the street. Also stars the undeniable Burt Lancaster and the ever reliable Wendell Corey. Nobody calls their kid Wendell any more.

Pretty weird 1970 movie where a mother (An ageing but still fabulous Rita Hayworth) believes some strange dude is her long lost son. Peculiar events unfold. Tops.

Phil Karlson doesn't make bad movies. All the right ingredients are here in this 1953 crime flick: Jewel thieves, boxers, murder, framing & escaping the country. 

Too wordy and trying to be too smart for its own good. One of Hitchcock's worst & most dated films despite its two fabulous leads.

Ace opening with the an incredible car chase followed by the great train robbery that becomes a snooze fest, worth a look though if only for the outstanding chase sequence. Robbery is directed by Peter Yates who would direct the far superior Bullitt (1968) the following year.

Casinos, mobsters, robberies, murder and false identities: What more do you need from a 40s crime movie? Joan Bennett you say...well she's here too.

Boring 2008 Aussie horror movie that everybody else seems to like. Gimme The Loved Ones (2009) any day!

Top noir murder mystery where the great Elisha Cook Jr doesn't even get his name on the poster.

Excellent Spaghetti Western with Franco Nero & George Hamilton, directed by Lucio Fulci need I say more?!

Everybody loves this 1946 crime flick that goes on a bit too long. It's alright but overrated in my book. It wouldn't make my top 50 Film Noir list.

Great 70s bleak neo noir starring iconic couple Burt Reynolds as a cop & Cathy Deneuve as a sex worker. 70s films don't get much better than this.

90s thriller masterpiece that verges into horror. A yuppie's wife goes missing after their car breaks down in the desert. 90s movies don't get better than this.

Paranoid 1952 heist flick of the highest order where a criminal crew of strangers are assembled by Mr Big. Sound familiar? You'd have to think Tarantino took plenty of ideas from here for Reservoir Dogs (1992). Directed by the wonderful Phil Karlson.

Don't go to the county fair in Kansas City. Demented 1972 film about a rivalry between two Irish Mobsters, Lee Marvin & Gene Hackman. Sissy Spacek's plays a sex slave in her debut film role. 

In 1949 an ageing boxer must decide between his marriage or boxing. I was thinking "I hate boxing movies. Boxing is a very odd stupid sport. Why did they ever come up with that?" Then halfway through the film you're going "Yeah this is awesome. Plus Raging Bull (1980) & Fat City (1972) are two of my favourite movies!"

Ben Gazzara is at the top of his game in this choice Peter Bogdanovich 1979 character study set in Singapore about an American pimp with a some kind of heart. Don't go in expecting anything too plot driven, it's all about the vibe which is perfectly realised.