Some of you will remember my first wave of
-
Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 17, 2015 07:54 AM)
Hammett (1982)
She's a disaster.
Hammett
is a fictional story about the great writer
Dashiell Hammett
(played by
Frederic Forrest
). The story finds the writer retired from the
Pinkerton Detectice Agency
and nursing bad lungs and a taste for the liquor. When old colleague
Jimmy Ryan
(
Peter Boyle
) comes a calling,
Hammett
finds himself down in
Frisco's Chinatown
district in it up to his neck in muck and grime.
The back story to the production of
Hammett
is long and disappointing, all of which makes for fascinating reading and available at the click of a mouse. The film we have to view now may not be the one originally envisaged by director
Wim Wenders
, but on repeat viewings it shows itself to be a very loving homage to the halcyon days of
film noir
, a film of great technical craft and guile. Though not without issues either
Production value is high, the set design that brings late
1920s Frisco
to life is a joy, as is
Joseph Biroc's
luscious colour photography.
John Barry
provides a musical score that smoothly floats around the Gin Joints and Alleyways, while costuming is on the money. Cast are led superbly by the under valued
Forrest
, with
Marilu Henner
(
Biroc
lights her so well),
Boyle
and
Lydia Lei
striking the requisite
film noir
chords, while a host of cameos and short order roles will have the keen of eye putting names to the faces from similar films of yesteryear.
The story is complex, which is purposely complimented by narration, canted angles, slatted shadows, billowing smoke, and of course a number of venues that all anti-heroic detectives must traverse to unravel the mystery bubbling away under the seamy surface. The problems are evident of course, it's a very uneven picture, the re-writes etc leaving a disappointing mark. It's also like watching a performance at the theatre, akin to watching a play, the predominantly stage bound shoot - and the almost forced delivery of lines - makes it synthetic.
But ultimately there's a lot of
noir
love here, enough to ensure that repeat viewings for those of that persuasion should find themselves rewarded for their time. 7/10
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jgcole — 10 years ago(August 23, 2015 06:10 AM)
I watched
Hammett
last year after it was mentioned (probably by you) on these boards. I did have a bit of a problem with the overly hardboiled dialogue and the delivery of the lines which was way oversold resulting in something that bordered on parody. The milieu was too carefully orchestrated to maximize its noirness and the whole thing became tedious. But it actually was a good story, as you noted, sufficiently complicated with interesting characters.
Point Blank
is the film that brought noir into the modern world. That great noir city, Los Angeles, is all reflective glass and steel and the gangsters are businessmen in grey suits who hang out with accountants. The film looks great, filmed in beautifully muted colors. The flashbacks and jumps confuse reality and Marvin plays a classic noir character - the lone wolf. You make a good comment on this film not being for everyone - it's not even for every noir fan. It really is a one of a kind movie.
I'm looking forward to your comments on
Memento
. -
Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 23, 2015 06:46 AM)
No,
Hammett
didn't come from me, this was the first time I had seen it. As for the milieu, it would have been so much different if
Coppola
had left
Wenders
version to float, something like 80% of the film was being filmed outside at real locations, instead of the 99% stage bound film we actually have to view now.
Yep, no doubt about it,
Point Blank
stands on its own, even the haters have a grudging respect for its uniqueness.
My
Memento
review is up mate, just click on the link in the opening post.
Nice to chat again
jg
The
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MsELLERYqueen2 — 10 years ago(August 19, 2015 12:12 PM)
I can't think of much neo-noir which I've seen. There is
Chinatown
, which I enjoyed but which I can't recall now. There is
L.A. Confidential
, which was poor.
Not sure about some Korean thrillers, such as
Jakarta
and
Mother
. Do they qualify as neo-noir?Jim Hutton (1934-79) and Ellery Queen = -
Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 20, 2015 05:38 AM)
I'll be reviewing
L.A. Confidential
this time around, I love it, 10/10.
Jakarta (2000)Madeo (2009)
You tell me, do they have noir traits such as fatalism, fatales, interesting photography and camera work?
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MsELLERYqueen2 — 10 years ago(August 20, 2015 10:02 AM)
Jakarta
- starts out with the same bank being held up at the same time by several different groups of people. After about half of the movie is over, the story begins again and this time the viewers see what is REALLY going on. I never did finish Memento, but I heard that
Memento
follows a similar theme.
Mother - excellent whodunit. Those who study film will likely be more interested in the mother-son relationship. I was watching it as a whodunit only.
Both have good camera work and photography.
Jim Hutton (1934-79) and Ellery Queen = - starts out with the same bank being held up at the same time by several different groups of people. After about half of the movie is over, the story begins again and this time the viewers see what is REALLY going on. I never did finish Memento, but I heard that
-
Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 20, 2015 06:27 AM)
Marlowe (1969)
I'm a trained detective!
Marlowe
is directed by
Paul Bogart
and adapted to screenplay by
Stirling Silliphant
from the novel
The Little Sister
written by
Raymond Chandler
. It stars
James Garner
,
Gayle Hunnicut
,
Carroll O'Connor
and
Rita Moreno
. Music is by
Peter Matz
and cinematography by
William H. Daniels
.
Los Angeles
private detective
Philip Marlow
(
Garner
) is working on what he thinks is a simple missing persons case, how wrong he is!
Q as in Quintessential - U as in Uninhibited - E as in Extrasensory - S as in Subliminal - T as in Toots!
Another of the interpretations for the great
Chandler
creation of
Philip Marlowe
, unsurprisingly met with mixed notices - just as all the others have done. You do wonder what
Chandler
would have made of the role portrayals that came out post his death? I like to think he very much would have enjoyed
Garner's
take, because this
Marlowe
is a quip happy wise guy, unflappable and cool, he portrays so much with just a glance, and the girls love him.
The story is juicy in its little complexities, spinning
Marlowe
into muddy waters the further he investigates things. His life is always under threat, be it by serial ice-pick users or
Asian
martial artists (
Bruce Lee
no less in a nutty couple of scenes) wishing to inflict death, or of arrest by an increasingly frustrated police force.
Bogart
and
Daniels
keep the whole thing stylish looking, with
film noir
camera tricks and colour photography infusing the period details. While the supporting cast, notably the ladies, give
Garner
some splendid support.
It's a different
Marlowe
for sure, but a thoroughly engaging and entertaining one. 7/10
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Jessica_Rabbit69 — 10 years ago(August 20, 2015 09:45 AM)
Spike, I haven't really watched too much Neo-Noir yet. I'd like to check them out though. But somehow I seem to be unable to let go of the 40's and 50's.
When did you post part one of your list? Do you still have a link to them? Or are they all in different posts in which case posting them again would be asking too much.
Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -
Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 21, 2015 08:24 AM)
All films have been coined as neo-noir or one of the off-shoots of such in official publications or put forward by noir lovers on the best regarded web sites.
Drive (2011)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10780504/reviews-745
Malice (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10107497/reviews-92
Body Heat (1981)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10082089/reviews-152
Out of Time (2003)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10313443/reviews-159
Sharky's Machine (1981)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10083064/reviews-57
Hustle (1975)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10073133/reviews-26
Best Seller (1987)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10092641/reviews-29
Cop (1988)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10092783/reviews-37
Bad Influence (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10099091/reviews-52
Blood Simple (1984)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10086979/reviews-245
Insomnia (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10278504/reviews-653
One False Move (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10102592/reviews-62
At Close Range (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10090670/reviews-79
A History of Violence (2005)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10399146/reviews-1112
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10114660/reviews-145
The Big Easy (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10092654/reviews-60
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10292963/reviews-277
Manhunter (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10091474/reviews-449
Heat (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10113277/reviews-885
Narc (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10272207/reviews-221
Madigan (1968)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10063256/reviews-42
Miami Vice (2006)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10430357/reviews-997
The Salton Sea (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10235737/reviews-192
City by the Sea (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10269095/reviews-174
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10090180/reviews-215
The Killers (1964)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10058262/reviews-66
Basic Instinct (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10103772/reviews-307
Black Rain (1989)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10096933/reviews-113
Gattaca (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10119177/reviews-622
New Jack City (1991)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10102526/reviews-79
True Romance (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10108399/reviews-471
Red Rock West (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10105226/reviews-75
Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10107983/reviews-92
Trance (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/board/11924429/reviews-24
Eastern Promises (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10765443/reviews-405
The Limey (1999)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10165854/reviews-245
Heist (2001)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10252503/reviews-275
D.O.A. (1988)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10094933/reviews-45
No Way Out (1987)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10093640/reviews-87
Kiss of Death (1995)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10113552/reviews-60
The Zodiac (2005)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10371739/reviews-52
Miami Blues (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10100143/reviews-51
Night Moves (1975)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10073453/reviews-49
Dark City (1998)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10118929/reviews-653
The Bedroom Window (1987)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10092627/reviews-36
Liar (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10119527/reviews-70
The Number 23 (2007)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10481369/reviews-404
House of Games (1987)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10093223/reviews-110
Night and the City (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10105001/reviews-31
Mulholland Falls (1996)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10117107/reviews-97
Fear City (1984)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10087247/reviews-28
A Simple Plan (1998)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10120324/reviews-438
Klute (1971)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10067309/reviews-103
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10373469/reviews-348
Hard Eight (1996)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10119256/reviews-143
The Driver (1978)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10077474/reviews-75
The Long Goodbye (1973)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10070334/reviews-148
State of Grace (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10100685/reviews-119
Collateral (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10369339/reviews-877
Hana-Bi (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10119250/reviews-125
Internal Affairs (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10099850/reviews-70
The Grifters (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10099703/reviews-94
52 Pick-Up (1986)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10090567/reviews-45
Jennifer Eight (1992)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10104549/reviews-58
Deadfall (2012)
http://www.imdb.com/board/11667310/reviews-79
Johnny Handsome (1989)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10097626/reviews-49
Hickey & Boggs (1972)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10068698/reviews-23
Man on Fire (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10328107/reviews-648
Get Carter (1971)
http://www.imdb.com/board/10067128/reviews-187
So much fun and dark enjoyment, I will partake in a quest part 2
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Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 22, 2015 02:41 AM)
You're welcome mate. I still have a box load of the oldies still to watch as well, that's always on going as much as the neo years are. It's interesting to compare the original wave with the modern era approach to noir, the influence of those 40s and 50s should never be under estimated, the impact is still being felt today, even in big budget superhero movies!
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Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 22, 2015 08:31 AM)
Point Blank (1967)
You're a very bad man, Walker, a very destructive man!
Point Blank
is directed by
John Boorman
and collectively adapted to screenplay by
Alexander Jacobs
,
David Newhouse
and
Rafe Newhouse
from the novel
The Hunter
written by
Richard Stark
. It stars
Lee Marvin
,
Angie Dickinson
,
Keenan Wynn
,
Carroll O'Connor
,
Lloyd Bochner
and
Michael Strong
. Music is by
Johnny Mandel
and the
Panavision
cinematography (in
Metrocolor
) is by
Philip H. Lathrop
.
Betrayed by wife and friend during a robbery,
Walker
(
Marvin
) is left dying on a stone cold cell floor at closed down
Alcatraz
Pure
neo-noir
, a film that could be argued was ahead of its time, given that it wouldn't find a fan base until many years later. Yet it deserves to be bracketed as a benchmark for the second phase of
noir
, a shining light of the
neo
world, experimenting with techniques whilst beating a true
film noir
heart.
The story is deliciously biting, pumped full of betrayals and double crosses, fatales and revenge, death and destruction. It even has a trick in the tale, ambiguity. It all plays out in a boldly coloured
Los Angeles
, the photography sparkles as
Mandel
lays an elegiacal and haunting musical score over the various stages of the drama. The talented
Boorman
has a field day with the elements of time, shunting various strands of the story around with sequences that at first glance seem out of place, but actually are perfect in context to what is narratively happening, the director gleefully toying with audience expectations. While suffice to say angles are tilted and close ups broadened to further style the pic.
Then there is
Walker
, a single minded phantom type character, played with grace and menace by
Marvin- who better to trawl the
Los Angeles
underworld with than
Marv
? This guy only wants what he is owed from the robbery, nothing more, nothing less, but if the meagre reward is not forthcoming, people are going to pay with something more precious than cash. His mission is both heroic and tragic, with
Boorman
asking the viewers to improvise their thought process about what it all inevitably means. Funding the fuel around
Marvin
are good players providing slink, sleaze and suspicion.
Deliberate pacing isn't for everyone, neither is stylised violence and stylish directorial trickery, but for those who dine at said tables,
Point Blank
, and
Walker
the man, is for you. 9/10
The
Spikeopath
Hospital Number
217 - who better to trawl the