Some of you will remember my first wave of
-
Spikeopath — 10 years ago(August 26, 2015 03:11 PM)
Point of No Return (1993)
New Dawn - New Day - New Life.
Point of No Return
(AKA:
The Assassin
) is directed by
John Badham
and written by
Robert Getchell
and
Alexander Seros
. It stars
Bridget Fonda
,
Gabriel Byrne
,
Dermot Mulroney
,
Anne Bancroft
and
Harvey Keitel
. Music is by
Hans Zimmer
and cinematography (
Panavision/Technicolor
) by
Michael Ferris
and
Michael Watkins
.
When drug addict
Maggie Hayward
(
Fonda
) kills a policeman in cold blood, she is promptly sentenced to death by lethal injection. But maybe there is an out? A chance to work for the government?
Why so serious?
A remake of
Luc Besson's
Nikita (1990)
, this was always going to suffer the usual remake taunts of why bother? Was it necessary etc?
Point of No Return
is a good honest action movie, it has style to burn, nifty photography and likable leading actors. The action is well staged and thrilling - and
Hong Kongish
in style, and bubbling away in the writing are themes of identity, absent parents and a delicately off-kilter oedipal angle. The
Nina Simone
soundtrack is terrific, while
Zimmer
works around
Nina's
songs with an aural assuredness that grabs the attention.
It doesn't push any boundaries, and although it has been noted in some
neo-noir
circles, it is only a borderline entry in that style of film making. But if kinetic is a good word for you, and ultra violence gives you a shot in the arm, then
Bridget
and her guns are definitely worth a first date at least. 6/10
The
SpikeopathHospital Number
217 -
mgtbltp — 10 years ago(August 28, 2015 07:05 PM)
A couple of weeks ago I watched
Criss Cross
(1949) today I watched
The Underneath
(1995) it's a good way to compare Noir with bad Neo Noir. It's almost a shot by shot remake with the chronology shuffled about a bit but boy does the story suffer for the tweaks.. The Steve & Anna characters called Mike & Allison in The Underneath are given more of a backstory. In the post feminist world Anna/Allison is more sympathetic its Mike who has done her wrong in the past piling up gamboling debts and skipping in the night when his luck turns.
Steve/Mike's policeman friend is now also his brother. His mother is recently re-married to the armored car company employee who gets Mike the job. It really lacks from these changes and the uninteresting color cinematography. The only bright spot was the Dundee character who had a remarkable resemblance to Classic Noir actor Dane Clark. For me its a Crime film that's a
NIPO
,
N
oir
I
n
P
lot
O
nly. 6/10 -
mgtbltp — 10 years ago(August 30, 2015 02:59 PM)
"NIPO, Noir In Plot Only."
On an unrelated note to the film I like that phrase which of course describes Neo-Noir best.
Well Jess, I'm very visually oriented the so called Neo Noir would have to be extremely twisted to off set it's lack of Noir stylistics. That said these below are either nicely visually styled and twisted, or extremely twisted in a good enough way to make my list.
.
The
True
NEO-NOIR LIST (a chronological film list (a work in progress) I just added
Blink
(1994))
Blast Of Silence (1961)
Underworld USA (1961)
Something Wild (1961)
Cape Fear (1962)
Experiment In Terror (1962)
Satan in High Heels (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Shock Corridor (1962)
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
The Naked Kiss (1964)
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Brainstorm (1965)
Once A Thief (1965)
Harper (1966)
Mr. Buddwing (1966)
In Cold Blood (1967)
In The Heat Of The Night (1967)
Marlowe (1969)
The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
Shaft (1971)
Across 110th Street (1971)
The Getaway (1971)
Get Carter (1971)
Hickey & Boggs (1972)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
The Nickel Ride (1974)
The Drowning Pool (1975)
Farewell My Lovely (1975)
Night Moves (1975)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Dressed to Kill (1980)
Union City (1980)
Body Heat (1981)
Thief (1981)
Blade Runner (1982)
Hammett (1982)
Blood Simple (1984)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Angel Heart (1987)
Frantic (1988)
Kill Me Again (1989)
The Grifters (1990)
The Kill-Off (1990)
The Hot Spot (1990)
Wild At Heart (1990)
Impulse (1990)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Delicatessen (1991)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)
True Romance (1993)
The Wrong Man (1993)
The Last Seduction (1994)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Blink (1994)
Se7en (1995)
Fargo (1996)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
Hit Me (1996)
Jackie Brown (1997)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Lost Highway (1997)
This World, Then the Fireworks (1997)
Dark City (1998)
A Simple Plan (1998)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Payback (1999)
Night Train (1999)
The Man Who Wasnt There (2001)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Sin City (2005)
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Dark Country (2009)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For (2014) -
Jessica_Rabbit69 — 10 years ago(August 31, 2015 09:05 AM)
"the so called Neo Noir would have to be extremely twisted to off set it's lack of Noir stylistics."
I agree with that.
This is a great list, most of the 60's, 70's and 80's ones you mention I have seen and liked. Interesting to put
In the Heat of the Night
as Neo-Noir, but I can see it.
I have been trying to track down
Hickey & Boggs
for a long time. No luck as of yet. It is on youtube, but there seems to be something wrong with the print.
Blink
I saw when it came out and liked it a lot.
Se7en
is a movie I cannot stomach. That was a bit too much.
Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -
mgtbltp — 10 years ago(August 31, 2015 11:02 AM)
RE:
In The Heat Of The Night
the menu on the 40th anniversary edition has a B&W Noir homage. You get, in your face Noir, just from the opening credits, then the rest of the sets are what I like to call Edward Hopper-esque Noir. It's gets so hyped as a landmark/breakthrough film that its not noticed how Noir it is the same goes for
Shaft
, it practically started the Blaxploitation craze but its a solid Neo Noir PI flick and not at all like the cheap flood of over the top quasi imitations that followed, check it out too.
I get a lot of hard to find DVD films through Ebay (
Hickey & Boggs
,
Romeo Is Bleeding
) they may be from Hong Kong, Thailand, etc. but if they are R0 and have English listed as one of the languages I've had no problem. The DVDs are just default set to whatever the native language of country of origin is, you just go to the menu click English, and then click no subtitles.
Oldies.com has a good DVD copy of
The Kill-Off
which is one of the best adaptations of a Jim Thompson book.
My next option (lucky for me I still have a VHS player) is VHS tapes which have a lot of titles that still haven't made it to DVD, and may never. I got
Delusion
, and
This World Then The Fireworks
that way. -
Jessica_Rabbit69 — 10 years ago(August 31, 2015 01:07 PM)
"It's gets so hyped as a landmark/breakthrough film that its not noticed how Noir it is the same goes for Shaft,"
Very true. I also looked at those movies simply as landmark movies, with the Blaxploitation films being the more fun version of serious ones. My fault.
I don't have the 40th anniversary DVD of
In the Heat of the Night
, but the B&W Noir homage sounds great.
Shaft
is a fun movie and I even like the new version.
There still seem to be quite a lot of people who have their old VHS players. Mine went out a long time ago, but maybe I should have held on to it.
Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -
mgtbltp — 10 years ago(September 01, 2015 05:04 AM)
Here you go J_R69 I posted the menu of the 40th anniversary edition a while ago on Youtube to illustrate it's homage to Noir:
And here are the very Noir opening credits chiarocuro lighting, high and low angle cinematography, shadows: -
jgcole — 10 years ago(August 31, 2015 12:49 PM)
Good list, a few I haven't seen including
Shaft
which I've been meaning to watch. It's got to be worth it for the soundtrack alone. Watching
Alfredo Garcia
this week.
Here's a few you might want to check out that I didn't see on your list or spike's:
Devil in a Blue Dress, The Long Goodbye, The Two Jakes
and
After Dark, My Sweet
.
NIPO is about the best to be hoped for from today's cinema. Nobody's going to make a black and white and nobody is going to lean too much towards style over substance. The movie going demographic is simply not interested and directors do want their films to be seen. -
Jessica_Rabbit69 — 9 years ago(November 21, 2016 06:57 AM)
Great review. I'm a fan, but it's one of those films where I have to steel myself before watching. I've seen it twice, and read the book, and it's nothing you can just sit down, watch and forget. I also wouldn't watch it by myself when I'm home alone. Too horrific and chilling.
I see you got a little lecture on the CFB when you posted this.
It's so unfortunate that the CFB has become such an annoying board.
Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -
mgtbltp — 9 years ago(November 21, 2016 07:29 AM)
I don't ever look for hidden agendas in films, but there are folks out there who see everything in black and white, good and bad, who think they are the watchdogs of the culture. I just ignore it.
The main point of my reviews is the Visual thread that runs through these films that's sort of why they are heavy on screenshots. The exceptional ones are are works of art. -
XhcnoirX — 9 years ago(November 25, 2016 03:42 AM)
One Shoe Makes It Murder
(1982): Robert Mitchum is a private eye who has given up on life. He's hired by casino owner Mell Ferrer, someone has been cooking his books and he thinks his wife might be in danger because of it. Mitchum finds her quickly enough, but minutes after he leaves her apartment he witnesses her fall from her balcony to a sudden death. Inspector Jose Perez thinks it's murder due to one of her slippers being nowhere near the balcony while she was wearing the other one, and isn't crazy about Mitchum acting like a clam. Ferrer re-hires Mitchum however, this time to find out what happened to his wife. He eventually discovers that ex-hooker and barfly Angie Dickinson, who's been throwing herself at him ever since he stepped into the casino, might be the key to unlock the mystery.
This is a decent but unremarkable made-for-TV movie, which stands out due to the presence of Mitchum ('Out Of The Past') and Dickinson ('The Killers'). Mitchum plays the type of role he was made for, as a broken man who's so jaded by his past (which includes a failed suicide attempt) that he cannot even get it up for the sexy and affectionate Dickinson. Dickinson is good and gives her character a genuinely warm side, but because of it, the impact of her character on the dead wife's past is never really felt. The 'kindred spirit' chemistry between Mitchum and Dickinson works really well however, it is there, but neither character really knows how to act on it, and fall back in their old ways. Their scenes together, as well as Mitchum's world-weary lines and voice-over narration which is used extensively throughout this movie, are what make this movie stand out.
The movie itself plays out at a very leisurely pace, and doesn't really 'thrill', even tho it's competently made. It's just not an edge-of-your-seat mystery/thriller. Pretty routine work from director William Hale and DoP Terry K. Meade, with only an occasional creative shot such as when Mitchum witness the fall. The plot, based on a novel, is also pretty straight-forward and not too surprising. Watch this one for Mitchum and Dickinson's scenes. 6/10
This TV movie can be found on youtube in decent quality in its original 4:3 aspect ratio (the version I watched), but it has also been released as a widescreen DVD. -
mgtbltp — 9 years ago(November 30, 2016 05:21 AM)
"The world is full o' complainers. An' the fact is, nothin' comes with a guarantee. Now I don't care if you're the Pope of Rome, President of the United States or Man of the Year; somethin' can all go wrong. Now go on ahead, y'know, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for help, 'n watch him fly. Now, in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas, an' down here you're on your own."
All I can say is Wow! What a debut film of the Coen Brother's. This film has got STYLE. Directed by Joel Coen, (& Ethan Coen (uncredited)) (
Miller's Crossing
(1990),
Barton Fink
(1991),
Fargo
(1996),
The Big Lebowski
(1998),
The Man Who Wasn't There
(2001),
No Country for Old Men
(2007)), and written by both Joel Coen & Ethan Coen. The films cinematography was by Barry Sonnenfeld (
Raising Arizona
(1987),
Miller's Crossing
(1990)) and the music was by Carter Burwell (
Fargo
(1996),
The Big Lebowski
(1998),
No Country for Old Men
(2007),
Mildred Pierce
(TV Mini-Series)).
The film stars John Getz (
The Fly
(1986)) as Ray, Frances McDormand (
Fargo
(1996), Lone Star (1996),
The Man Who Wasn't There
(2001)) as femme fatale Abby Marty, Dan Hedaya (
True Confessions
(1981),
Tightrope
(1984),
Mulholland Dr.
(1999)) as Julian Marty, M. Emmet Walsh (
Midnight Cowboy
(1969),
Serpico
(1973),
Straight Time
(1978),
Blade Runner
(1982),
Narrow Margin
(1990)) as private investigator Loren Visser, Samm-Art Williams (
Dressed to Kill
(1980),
A Rage in Harlem
(1991)) as Meurice, and Deborah Neumann as Debra.
P.I.'s are arguably, along with the femme fatale, probably the two top icons of Noir, but in the totality of the Noir/Neo Noir canon there are surprisingly, contrary to popular perception, not very many films that actually do feature your classic hardboiled private detective. Oh don't get me wrong there is sleuthing going on in quite a bit of Film Noir, but it's done by a plethora of characters, newspaper reporters, the falsely accused, the amnesiacs, the framed, cabbies, tabloid photographers, secretaries, taxi dancers, average joe's, even kids. Out of those films that do actually have P.I.'s, I can only think of four with private detectives that have gone bad, Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) in,
Out Of the Past
, J.B. MacDonald (Raymond Burr) in
Pitfall
, Kerric (Raymond Burr) in
Abandoned
, and hayseed sheetkicker Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh) in this film
Blood Simple
, which takes "The Bad Detective" to a whole new level.
Blood Simple starts off with sleazy bedroom dick Visser's voice over about there being no guarantees in life. Visser was hired by Julian Marty who owns Neon Boots a honkey-tonk/strip bar. Marty wants Visser, to keep tabs on his "funny: acting wife, Abby. Julian suspects some hanky panky is going on between Abby and one of his barkeepers, either "Motown" Meurice or "Cowboy" Ray.
On a rainy night Ray offers to drive Abby to Houston on his day off. Abby spills the beans to Ray about her screwed up marriage. Ray replies that he's always liked her.
Abby:
He gave me a little pearl-handled .38 for our first anniversary.
Ray:
Uh-huh.
Abby:
Figured I'd better leave before I used it on him. I don't know how you can stand him.
Ray:
Well, I'm only an employee, I ain't married to him.
One thing leads to another and Abby ends up repeatedly batter-dipping Ray's corn dog in a variety of positions in a cheap roadside hot sheet motel. Visser who has been tailing them all along in his VW bug is able to indulge in one of his perverted kinks, peeping and photographing their dirty deeds. Visser takes particular pleasure rubbing Julian]s nose in his armature porn shots of Ray and Abby.
Private Detective Visser:
[about a photo of Ray and Abby] I know a place you can get that framed.
Marty:
What did you take these for?
Private Detective Visser:
What do you mean? Just doin' my job.
Marty:
You called me, I knew they were there, so what do I need these for?
Private Detective Visser:
Well, I don't know Call it a fringe benefit.
Marty:
How long did you watch her?
Private Detective Visser:
Most of the night They'd just rest a few minutes and then get started again. Quite something.
Julian stews over the revelations, confronts Ray and Abby to little effect, then decides to make Visser an offer.
Marty:
I got a job for you.
Private Detective Visser:
Uh, well, if the pay's right, and it's legal, I'll do it.
Marty:
It's not strictly legal.
Private Detective Visser:
[Thinks for a second] Well, if the pay's right, I'll do it.
Julian offers Visser 10 Gs to kill Ray and Abby and get rid of the bodies.
Of course this being a Neo Noir nothing goes down quite as expected, and when it does go down, it's with great style. The film is full of twists, double crosses and a healthy helping of bizarre black humor.
Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh are both in top form as the films unforgettable two sleazeballs around which this picaresque universe revolves. The soundtrack and