Only God Forgives

A brilliant, macabre and ultraviolent anti-revenge film by Refn. The film has deep character development, little dialogue, extreme violence mixed with soft music.  Julian (Ryan Gosling)  is an American living in Bangkok , Thailand  who runs a boxing club , which is actually  a front for a massive drug smuggling operation.  Respected in the underworld  ,deep inside, he feels empty.    Lieutenant Chang , known as the "Angel of Vengeance"  kills Julian's brother for raping a woman.   Julian's mother Crystal  (Kristin Scott Thomas)  arrives in Bangkok and demands Julian to find the killer and  kill him.    Chang is shown as God's representative on earth.   Julian seems to be mesmerized by the near -mythical "Angel of Vengeance" .  It is Chang who glides through the film with mysterious precision and ambiguity .  Pansringarm doesn't have dialogues but is terrific as a violent cop who respects the sanctity of justice  but defies the law and even ethics to maintain justice.  Also the film is about oedipal issues of Gosling's character ,whose mother is played to excellence by Kristin Scott Thomas.  She even calls Gosling's beautiful girlfriend a "cum dumpster".  Refn's direction , Larry Smith's cinematography and Beth Mickle's production design are all superb.  Refn approaches violence like sexuality and considers a film as a build up to a climax.  Considering the impressive balance of violence ,sex and ideology in his films ,he is a very good director.

City Of Industry

Lee Egan , played with restraint by Timothy Hutton , wants to pull off a big jewel robbery in Palm Springs. He has been casing a jewelry store where once a year they have two to three million dollars  in stones from Russia.  To pull it off, he asks his brother and old pro-criminal Roy (Harvey Keitel)  to come to town to join his gang for the big heist.  Jorge Montana  and Skip Kovic (Stephen Dorff)  make up the rest of Lee's team. Calm and resolute Jorge needs the money for his wife Rachel (Famke Janssen)  and their kids since Jorge has just been sentenced to prison.  After the heist , at the trailer park, as Lee and Jorge are counting and dividing the money,  Skip guns both of them down.   Most of the show , which happens after  the jewel theft, consists of an elaborate cat-and-mouse game with Roy and Skip chasing each other. As Roy , Keitel carries the film with the kind of credible performance we've come to expect from him.  Keitel always brings an emotional and physical intensity to his roles that is unequaled.  Here  he is outstanding as Roy Egan-an experienced, complicated thief who never says much . Timothy Hutton  turns in a stellar  performance, as does the always watchable Famke Janssen as a woman recently widowed by the fall-out from Dorff's  betrayal of friends.  Thomas Burstyn's dark cinematography does a good job here to capture the city's underbelly.  This John Irvin film is a small, hard-edged little gem , full of crisp action and tough minded codes of  honor.

Seven Men From Now

Boetticher's Seven Men From Now has long been considered  a mere B-western , especially due to the presence of its laconic star , Randolph Scott .   This film was written by Burt Kennedy  and produced by John Wayne's productions. Ben Stride (Scott) plays a former sheriff  whose wife has been killed  and  he's going to get out and seek revenge.   Along the way, he helps a married couple  who are stuck in the mud ; who persuade Stride to ride west with them in case of further problems.  Along the trail  they meet up with Bill Masters (Lee Marvin) and  his pal Clete ( Donald Barry) . Stride only talks when its complete necessary or very important.  This film gave Scott a chance to show just what a fine actor he was.  His Ben Stride could so easily have been played  as corny and grumpy , but Scott  gives it the emotional depth that the script demanded.  The outstanding  performance, without qualification is Lee Marvin's.  He makes for an engaging villain  , who makes his sinister and untrustworthy character as likable as possible.  For a western, the economical script is impressively intelligent , witty and psychologically involving.

The Roaring Twenties

Walsh shoots the rise to the top and equally quick descent gangster film in a fast-paced semi-documentary style ( using newsreel clips , popular music from the period and a reporter's voice-over)  ,keeping it true only to a certain point and fictionalizing it to keep it exciting as an entertaining film.  Three soldiers meet on the ww1 battlefield in 1918.  One is the all good lawyer Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn) , one the thoroughly bad George Hally (Humphrey Bogart) ,  and the third , an everyman named Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) .  Eddie is smitten with a girl , Jean Sherman (Priscilla Lane) who has been corresponding with him  from home.  When the war ends Eddie returns to New York and hooks up with buddy  Danny who is a Gabie.  Unable to find work, Eddie is forced to share the driving of Danny's cab.  In the meantime, prohibition takes effect and Eddie discovers that bootlegging is the way to get rich.  At the onset he meets Panama ( Gladys  George)  who turns out to be his only friend.  Cagney as usual dominates  the picture.  He is his usual cocky Irish tough guy but with character flaws.  Although Cagney dominates every scene he is in , the more ominous gangster in the film is played by Humphrey Bogart in one of his best performances prior to assuming character roles in the late 40s.  However the best turn of  The  Roaring Twenties is by alternate female lead Gladys George , billed lower but with comparable screen time and oodles more screen presence.  A well-crafted screenplay with memorable scenes, newsreels , well-crafted gun-play, authentic costumes and hairstyles reflecting the Roaring Twenties are an added plus here.

Ride Lonesome

Randolph Scott plays bounty hunter Ben Brigade , who captures outlaw Billy John (James Beast) and proceeds to transport him to Santa Cruz.  On the way, Brigade rescues the wife of a station manager , and two outlaws help him defend against an Indian attack.  This was director  Budd  Boetticher's first use of  'Scope' , and  it's a masterpiece of economic action and performance ,as if he had no problem making the adjustment.  This film beautifully captures the desolation of the old west and the lonesome characters who try to survive its hard way of life.  All the performances are nice , and it does a masterful job showing the shifting loyalities and grand ambitions among the characters as they trek across the desert.

Sling Blade

  As writer, director and star of the film, Thornton became as close to an     "overnight sensation" as it gets, quickly earning the sincere respect of his peers in all three categories . Though he's always been something of an outsider to the Hollywood machine,  he's still managed to fit in quite nicely.   Karl  Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) is a mentally disabled man who has been in the custody of the mental hospital since the age of 12 for having killed his mother and her lover.  He soon finds a job fixing lawn mowers and farm implements and makes friends with Frank (Lucas Black) ,a lonely boy whose mother  (Natalie Canerday)  lets Karl move into the garage.  Her boyfriend Doyle is an abusive man who torments Frank and Karl  when she is working at the dollar store.   As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Karl has got himself into a fix similar to the one that led to his earlier crimes. This story unfolds in many layers ,with friendship and love woven between bigotry and cruelty.   Billy Bob Thornton was excellent in his portrayal .  With his stooped shoulders, tight-lipped smile, jutting jaw, vacant expression and guttural throat-clearing, Karl became the butt of so many jokes back when the movie first came out that it's easy to forget what a truly amazing character - and job of acting - Thornton has pulled off here.   As a director, he proves himself a master of rhythm and pacing, setting the mood and allowing the scenes to play themselves out without recourse to overstatement . This is the kind of movie that could have become very preachy, but it hasn't and that's something that I really appreciate.

True Grit (1969)

The picture is the first adaptation of  Charles Portis 1968 novel True Grit.  John Wayne stars as U.S . Marshal Rooster Cogburn and won his only Academy award for his performance in this film.   In True Grit, Wayne plays grumpy, pot-bellied U.S. marshal "Rooster" Cogburn, hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to find Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), who killed her father .  She could have selected any other lawman but she chose the aging Cogburn because she believes that he has "true grit".  Texas ranger Glen Campbell is also in search for Tom Chaney for a different murder.  He teams up with the marshal and Mattie .  But oddly enough, True Grit isn't really about plot.  It's about the creation of the character.  Tough old Rooster , isn't above a little larceny ,but has one stern moral code about real bad guys.   And he's got quite the colorful past as he relates tales of his younger days to Campbell and Darby on the trail.  Wayne's portrait of that fat, mean, greedy,  eye-patched ,  whisky drinking and yet in some strange way lovable lawman will remain as one of the best performances in westerns.  Kim Darby is also a surprise.  She's more than capable of handling Wayne in each and every scene.  They made a very good team.  Glen Campbell is not as good as these two, but then he really isn't an actor .  The photography is superb, with the hills, mountains, valleys and forests being the real stars in this film.

Rushmore

Wes Anderson's lively  original comedy stars newcomer Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer, who may be one of the worst students at Rushmore Academy, but who has amazing self-confidence and ambitious plans to win the heart of a teacher (Olivia Williams). He spends  his time mostly on extensive extracurricular activities ,caring litlle how it affects his grades. Murray plays a depressive tycoon Blume and Rushmore benefactor who makes friendship with Max. Max gets attracted towards Rushmore's new teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams). He makes many attempts to impress her. While she initially tolerates Max, she becomes increasingly worried at his obsession with her. His friend Blume falls in love with Rosemary . They begin dating without Max's knowledge. When Max gets to know abt Blume's affair ,he ends relationship with him.  Both of them try to harm each other. Max is the quintessential oddball kid. He lacks social skills yet is bold enough to say what's on his mind. Blume is a successful man who feels worthless. Miss Cross is a brilliant woman who feels only sorrow because of the loss of her husband. The flaws of their characters make them so wonderful.

 Bill Murray gives a great performance here by blending his sly humour with subtle feeling and surprising gravity. Olivia Williams isn't given that much to do in this role ; she mostly has to react to Max and Herman which she does reasonably well. Jason Schwartzman more than holds his own with Murray or Olivia Williams.   Rushmore was directed by Wes Anderson and written by Anderson and his college friend Owen Wilson. Anderson's Rushmore is full of everything that many films lack ; dry humour, unique writing, music that makes a scene unforgettable and real heart. The music is good, especially for the heartbreaking scene at the end when Miss Cross and Max are dancing to the faces "Ooh la la."

Bernie

Richard Linklater blends semi-documentary style with dark comedy and tragic real-life events in an exceptional way. Based on the murder of a wealthy widow in Carthage Texas in 1996 ,this film gives viewers an interesting insight  into small town life and how the people there dealt with this situation.

   Local assistant mortician Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) ,a beloved member of the community ,becomes the only friend of the wealthy,widowed Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine),who is widely hated by the other townsfalk. Bernie and Mrs Nugent start going everywhere and doing everything together. It isn't long before he grows weary of Mrs Nugent's insulting comments and shoots her four times in the back.  He continues to manage her affairs while lying to the townsfalk and deceiving into thinking she is still alive.  Finally he gets caught by the police.  The local district attorney , Danny Buck (Matthew McConaughey) charges Bernie with premeditated murder. The strange thing is when he's found out ,no one is outraged and wanting to see him stand trial.  Bernie is portrayed as a nice man in this film.  Even though he kills an old woman,it's hard to have a harsh feelings for this guy.

Jack Black is a revelation in the lead role of a chubby, likable man whose noble spirit and inner goodness are capable enough to make his community forgive his sins.  Matthew McConaughey is terrific as the ruthless district attorney who prosecutes Bernie despite the overwhelming public sentiment to leave the poor guy alone.  Maclaine delivers a great performance as Marjorie, an irritating old woman whome everybody hates in town.  Linklater here uses real townsfolk to help narrate the story through their own recollections of the events. It is one of the most  enthusiastically quirky pictures of the last year. 

Heaven Knows Mr Allison

 Director John Huston once made an interesting comment about this film - "Allison is seldom referred to. But I think it was one of the best things I ever made". This film has faded into obscurity as the years have passed. It is a story of love and war on a South Pacific island crowded with Japanese troops in the second world war. 

Marine captain Allison (Robert Mitchum) is  washed ashore on a Pacific Island during second world war. Nobody lives there except for a nun (Deborah Kerr) who has been on the island for only four days. With only each other as company, the two became close. Sister hasn't taken her final vows yet and Allison is wondering if he should admit his true feelings for her. Beside fighting their growing love for each other , both of them must defend themselves against the Japanese ,who may find their secret hiding place at anytime.

  One day he confesses that he loves her and that he considers her devotion to her vows to be pointless since they might have to stuck on the island forever.The story is simple but absorbing. Robert Mitchum does a good job as a crude ,simple man and Deborah Kerr did fine as a nun who is committed to her vows more than anything. The two characters are extremely endearing and when the film is over, it seems we have always known both of them. The cinematography is splendid, with a superb use of cinemascope . Overall, this is  a film shouldn't be missed.

Safety Not Guaranteed

The first film by director Colin Trevorrow is a whimsical product of both the Sundance's brand of independent cinema and the low-budget film genre known as mumblecore. One of the leading roles in Safety Not Guaranteed is played by the writer-director Mark Duplass ,who with his brother pioneered mumblecore.

Darius Britt (Aubrey Plaza) is a college graduate who lives at home with her widower father and interns at a Seattle magazine. One of the magazine's writer Jeff suggests to investigate a newspaper classified ad where a man is asking for a companion to time travel with him. Darius, who at first seems disinterested in the whole situation , ends up being the one who has to pretend like she wants to time travel. They travel to the seaside community of the Ocean View to find the person behind the ad. Darius discovers that the person behind the ad is Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass), a stock clerk at a local grocery store. She expects him to be a total nutjob , but instead she finds that the man is insightful, sweet and softhearted person.   Jeff reveals that he mainly took this assignment to find his ex-girlfriend Liz . 

The film has a clear and poignant focus that drives an oddly moving story. It is a great blend of comedy and drama as it tells a very nice story on a very human level. It's well-acted , funny in a troubling, low-key way and offers insights into the world of people who can't cope with modern society.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 drama-film noir based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain. "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) displays all the characteristics of the noir film, including the femme fatale, a deadly female who draws the hero into a web of mystery and intrigue. The fans weren't pleased with the changes the filmmaker  made to the author's famous book. The film features the tough guy John Garfield as a drifter who picks up a job at a lunch room and gas station located on a side road outside the town. Frank and Cora (Lana Turner) start to have an affair soon after they meet.

She is tired of her situation, married to a man she does not love, and working at a cafe that she wishes to own. Frank becomes her catalyst to change her situation. The film works well mainly because of the great chemistry between the leads John Garfield and Lana Turner . Star of the film is Lana turner who gives a fine performance here. Turner shows us the different shades of her character Cora Smith who is sometimes weak and vulnerable and other times persistent and stubborn , and yet oozing with unrealised sexuality. Garfield's character, Frank Chambers, is a decent sort of guy, but he's not above the occasional con game. He at first rejects the idea of murdering her husband but later  he changes his mindset.

  Garfield does good job but he gets overshadowed by Turner's presence.  A fine example of 1940's film-noir with every series of scenes leaving us guessing as to what will happen next. However, the film suffers slightly because of the stringent ethics codes that started to be imposed on films of that time.

Bad Day at Black Rock

 Bad Day at Black Rock is a 1955 drama film directed by John Sturges that combines elements of Westerns and film noir. 

John Macreedy (Spencer Tracy) arrives by train to the small town of Black Rock. After four years,the train has stopped in that station.  Macreedy is in search  of a Japanese man named Komoko who lived nearby in Adobe flat.   The town has a dark secret and leader Reno Smith (Robert Ryan) tries to prevent  Macreedy from discovering the information about Komoko.  Macreedy meets the town sheriff but the alcoholic sheriff is afraid of Smith.   Doc Velie (Walter Brennan), advises Macreedy to leave town soon. 

Macreedy is an interesting character , superbly portrayed by Spencer Tracy.  Injured in the war, he keeps one hand in his pocket always , giving him a harmless appearance.  At the same time, he is a confident man. Robert Ryan is cool but a bit inhuman for my tastes.  

One great aspect of the film is it's cinematography. Director John Sturges uses plenty of wide shots here. The camera is almost devoid of close-ups. The widescreen views make the town more isolated from the rest of world.

The film has plenty of suspense , but at times almost drags out too long. The background music score fails to add intensity in this film. Still, Bad Day at Black Rock is a tense  drama with sincere character studies and an exemplary lead protagonist.
                           

The Getaway (1972)

The Getaway is a 1972 American action-crime film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen in lead role.  Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) and his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw),  plan and operate an ambitious bank robbery with a team of criminals.  A gang-member Rudy (Al Lettieri) betrays Doc .  Rudy wants to kill Doc but he is shot by him.    Nonetheless, his injuries are not serious as he has worn the bulletproof  vest.  Doc and his wife go to Mexico with the money.

 Steve McQueen does good job as thief "Doc McCoy".  His screen presence is immensely strong.   The anti-hero Doc is not a nice guy.  He hits his wife at-times and yet somehow he makes his character likable.  Ali MacGraw also gives a good performance here.  While she loves Doc ,he doesn't always return her affections.   Al Lettieri is amazing in the negative role.  He is the kind of actor who exhibits menace solely by breathing.  Ben Johnson makes an impression in a short role.

Like in most Peckinpah films, it is the style and the violence that stands out.  Here  Peckinpah uses displaced cuts to jump ahead in time before allowing the events within the film to catch up to the present.  Though this is not among the best works of Peckinpah ,  still it is a very well-made heist flick.  The Getaway is a solid action-thriller which shouldn't be missed by film-lovers.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 western drama film directed by Andrew Dominick ,with Brad Pitt depicting Jesse James and Casey Affleck portraying Robert Ford. 

Outlaws Frank and Jesse James were celebrities in 1881-despised by the law ,but heroes to many people who had read about them in novels and dreamt of riding with the James gang. Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) is one such guy who have idiolised Jesse James.  He wants to join the gang of James brothers with the help of his brother Charley Ford ( Sam Rockwell). Jesse is kind of amused by young Bob's hero-worship and he keeps the kid around him. Ford wants to be among close persons of Jesse and eventually he gets so close that Jesse ends up asking "Do you want to be like me? Or do you want to be me?".  Robert Ford starts hating Jesse as he comes to know more about him. 

 The stark and amazing visuals make this film more beautiful.    The work of the fine cinematographer Roger Deakins are cold,dark and bleak.  It is shot in muted tones which evoke sepia-tinted photos of the old west. Dominick seems to be inspired from Terrence Mallick.  He aims for epic grandeur with fields of waving wheat and moving clouds. 

 During that period, media was busy in creating strange celebrities like outlaw Jesse James and Pitt was perfect for that role considering his public persona. Jesse James is unpredictable.  He is paranoid and dangerous but he is also a family man and faithful husband.  But this film belongs to Casey Affleck . He gives a great performance as the sycophantic sidekick whose disloyal affection turns sour later. Casey Affleck's character is complex , repulsive and tragic at the same time. 

The film is long and it's pace is intentionally slow . The slow pacing makes the film more interesting to watch. It creates the tension between the characters by giving the uncomfortable silences time to grow. This film is one modern masterpiece.

Fort Apache

 Fort Apache is a 1948 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda. This film was the first of the director's " Cavalry Triology" . This film was one of the first to present a sympathetic view of the Native Americans involved in the battle.

 Captain Kirby York (John Wayne) is expected to be the new commander at Fort Apache but the command of the regiment is given to Colonel Owen ( Henry Fonda) . Colonel Owen is an arrogant  and egocentric officer. He also lacks the experience with the Indians he is expected to watch.  When there is disturbance among the Indians, Owen ignores York's advice and orders his regiment to participate in a battle with Indians. It's actually the story of a clash between two men.  Fonda is very arrogant and hates Indians where as Wayne is very professional soldier. Wayne is also sympathetic towards Indians.  There is a lot of complexity to Fonda's character -he's at times capable of being fair as well. 

Fonda gives a neatly controlled performance. John Wayne shines here in a supporting role . I always felt that Wayne as an actor excels more when he plays supporting character. Ford finds the most beautiful way to frame a scene, and the black and white photography is stunning. The best thing about this film is that it didn't show Apaches as villains . A great film by Ford.

Detour (1945)

This film was considered  to be a "B"  film at that time but it got great critical acclaim.   It was shot in a very low-budget in less than one month.  It is considered to be one of the fine works of film-noir genre.

New York nightclub pianist Al Roberts (Tom Neal) is in love with a second-rate singer named Sue (Claudia  Drake).  They both work in a third-rate club in New York City , until Sue decides to try her luck in Hollywood.  She leaves Roberts behind.  With little money, he has  to hitchhike his way across the country.  In Arizona, bookie Charles Haskell Jr (Edmund MacDonald) gives him a ride in his car. Haskell dies accidentally . Al fears that police might think him as  a killer.  So he dumps the body of Haskell at the side of the road.  He then takes Haskell's identification, money,clothes and drives away.  He picks up another hitchhiker Vera (Ann Savage) and comes to know that she knew Haskell and scratched him deeply in his arm.

Tom Neal's character is doomed from the beginning. He tells everything on flashbacks as a narrator. His character is unlikable and it was supposed to be in that way only.  Ann Savage played an excellent femme fatale and her role was the show-stealer in this film.  She is not the prettiest femme fatale but she is most devious. 
Benjamin H. Kline contributes some great camera work that helps the flashback routine come off well.  Leo Erdody's score, revolving around some Chopin themes, aids in backing up the film's grim mood. 

Force of Evil

Force of Evil, Abraham  Polonsky's  1948 debut, is as brave and uncompromising as Polonsky himself.  After making this film,  Polonsky directed another film after 20 more years.

Force of Evil tells the story of Joe Morse (John Garfield), a lawyer whose main client is Joe Tucker (Roy Roberts), the boss of a numbers racket.  Tucker wants to control the number rackets in New york.  This means taking control of many smaller rackets ,one of which is run by Morse's older brother  Leo Morse (Thomas Gomez).  Joe wants to save Leo's small business ,to pay him back for putting him through college.  Leo doesn't take it lightly.  He calls Joe  a gangster.  Joe feels bad but still he attempts to save his brother.  Eventually Joe forces Leo in on the scheme .

John Garfield did brilliant job in lead role. According to Martin Scorsese nobody portrayed guilt on the American screen better than John Garfield in Abraham Polonsky's hard-hitting Force of Evil (1948).  Marie Windsor even with her limited screen-presence, delivered a powerful performance.

 Force of Evil is one of those rare film masterpieces in which the story, script, casting, acting, direction, photography,  and sound design work in perfect unison to create a tense and deeply enjoyable story. Above all, it is a beautiful film ,expertly directed with tremendous black and white imagery.   It may be the noir that most perfectly captures the societal anxieties of America in the late 40's.