mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Dec 3, 2021 23:54:22 GMT
BreakoutEh, this one's cute. I sorta see it as Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland's Hepburn and Tracy picture. Y'know, if Spencer Tracy threw a guy into a plane engine. And if Katherine Hepburn got violently fondled by Mexican prison guards. And if Jimmy Stewart got savagely beaten while dressed in drag. Dear god, did I just equate Randy Quaid with Jimmy Stewart?! Maybe Bogart and Bacall would've been a better comparison... At any rate, Bronson seems to be having a lot of fun with this somewhat more lighthearted role than he usually plays. He and Jill Ireland are a lot of fun to watch playing off of each other. (Odd how they have such excellent chemistry here, where they're not supposed to like each other; but come off like a couple of dead fish in Death Wish II even though they're supposed to be in love in that one. Eh, maybe it was just crappier writing...) Robert Duvall is excellent as always as Ireland's wrongfully imprisoned husband, but it feels like we never really get to know the guy. I mean, he's getting arrested in his very first scene, so we get no impression of what he was like beforehand, and all we ever see of his prison time is him being tortured over and over again. Sure, Duvall plays it well, but the whole movie hinges on the fate of a character we spend almost no time with. John Huston is also wasted spending the entirety of his screentime on the sidelines as Duvall's wealthy, nefarious grandfather. Still, he hams it up and chomps on cigars with the brief time he's offered, and really what else do you hire John Huston for in the first place? Randy Quaid has a more substantial role as Bronson's hayseed sidekick, and he's pretty fun. Another thing that does bug me is just how stupid some of their plans to bust Duvall out are. Never mind that Jill Ireland doesn't even tell Charles Bronson that that's what they're doing at first, but her best idea was to just land a plane out in the open and snatch him up? And then when Bronson takes over, his plan A is dress Randy Quaid in drag (!) so he can sneak into the prison as a prostitute and switch clothes with Duvall. Predictably, it doesn't go well. Still, the movie largely goes for a fun, comedic tone; and it achieves that through Bronson's perpetual smartassery and his and Ireland's delightful, Howard Hawks-ish back-and-forth.
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mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Dec 4, 2021 21:37:28 GMT
The Night of the Following DayPeculiar little kidnapping thriller set in France and starring a bleached-blond Marlon Brando as the main kidnapper. It's at times creatively shot, but outside of the novelty of seeing Brando in a more overtly villainous role, it doesn't have much of interest to offer. The rest of the cast is alright- Richard Boone is quietly terrifying and Rita Moreno is especially excellent as a herion-addicted member of the kidnapping crew, but somehow the whole thing never really feels as intense as it seems to be going for. Also, without giving any spoilers, it ends on a complete, pretentious copout that managed to actually piss me off a little. I've read a few different sources online that claim this has sometimes been considered the absolute low point of Brando's career. Obviously, whoever wrote that hasn't seen The Island of Dr. Moreau...
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Post by Captain Spencer on Dec 8, 2021 3:23:36 GMT
Surviving The Game (1994) A homeless man is conned into thinking he has been hired as an assistant for a hunting party, only to find out he is actually the prey for the hunters. When I first saw this back in the day I thought it was highly original, then I learned the basic premise has been done many times before, starting with a 1930s film called A Most Dangerous Game, so it turns out it wasn't so original after all. Regardless, this is still engrossing action fare that never lets up for a minute once the hunt is on. Not always credible or believable, but still delivers the goods in high style. Talk about a top notch cast! We have Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham. Once again Hauer displays an eccentric acting style, and Busey is again more than a bit unhinged and he plays this type of character so well. But the best piece of acting probably goes to John C. McGinley; here he plays a very disturbed man that's about to go over the edge. He definitely gives Busey a run for his money. The story was remade yet again as Apex, starring Bruce Willis. This one was just released last month.
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mgmarshall
Junior Member
@mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Dec 8, 2021 5:04:26 GMT
Surviving The Game (1994) A homeless man is conned into thinking he has been hired as an assistant for a hunting party, only to find out he is actually the prey for the hunters. When I first saw this back in the day I thought it was highly original, then I learned the basic premise has been done many times before, starting with a 1930s film called A Most Dangerous Game, so it turns out it wasn't so original after all. Regardless, this is still engrossing action fare that never lets up for a minute once the hunt is on. Not always credible or believable, but still delivers the goods in high style. Talk about a top notch cast! We have Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham. Once again Hauer displays an eccentric acting style, and Busey is again more than a bit unhinged and he plays this type of character so well. But the best piece of acting probably goes to John C. McGinley; here he plays a very disturbed man that's about to go over the edge. He definitely gives Busey a run for his money. The story was remade yet again as Apex, starring Bruce Willis. This one was just released last month. Massively underrated flick. Between this and Demon Knight, I really wonder what ever happened to Ernest Dickerson. He was on a roll there in the 90's... I would agree about McGinley, but I do have to say it- I think this movie has the single best piece of acting Garey Busey ever did:
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Dec 8, 2021 8:18:22 GMT
Malone (1987) by Harley Cokeliss An former tired and burnt out CIA agent, Richard Malone (Burt Reynolds), decides to try his "luck" in more "relaxing" enviroments for a change, but also in order to shake of his shady past. However, fate has other things in store, either he likes it or not. As within a small town village, a ruthless yuppie-business man, has some big plans going for the future, and those few who dares stand in his way, will be either bought or wiped out for good. But then all of sudden, Malone arrives, and it does not take long until he once more, must make great use, of his special talent of wasting human garbage, but also try to protect the ones who are innocent in the increasing power struggle and conflict, which is soon gonna boil over and turn very nasty.Finally I got the chance of watching this pleasantly tough and solid action-thriller, in which Burt Reynolds has to be delivering one of his better and more likeable roles during the late 80s, and where those expecting yet another chatty and wisecracking Reynolds, kind of like from the Smokey and the Bandit or the Cannonball Run franchises, might be a bit disappointed. I guess the same could be said, of those going in, looking for yet another fast paced action film, as this was surely a more slow moving ride, but one which provides Burt as far more laidback and gentleman like, but when the film gets going, it really turns into a hard hitting and explosive adventure. One of those scenes, is where a big town bully, tries his ways with Malone, and sure, in classic 80s action style, we all know how these scenes turn out, but I really got a kick out of how brutal and vicious the beat down turn out to be. No fancy-smancy well coreographed martial arts, just some mean asskicking, no holding back and where you later on get the news of how it all went down, for the bully. You "almost" kind of feel a bit for the guy, where most likely permanent hearing damage or ending up as deaf, also not able to have children, along with some big head trauma as well, and most likely need for several facial surgeries also. Of course, the style and plot is not exactly "groundbreaking", where you get the mystic and not too chatty stranger from out of town, arriving a small and corrupt as hell, village, that is pretty much owned, more or less, completely by a big fish, who sends his smaller ones, to shake down the citizens, every now and then, but yeah, one day, someone arrives, who is not scared or intimidated, and can back up his bark with a very fearsome bite. In other parts, you get the lovely Cynthia Gibb, as well as several well known and very well used villainous names as well. All in all, I really enjoyed this action film, or maybe more action-thriller, and for me, it stands as the one I have liked the most, out of Burt and his 80s releases. 7/10
Uncommon Valor (1983) by Ted Kotcheff "Most human problems can be solved by an appropriate charge of high explosives." A decade has gone, since the Vietnam war ended, and where a small group of veterans, lead by a grieving and loving father (Gene Hackman), who decides to go against the "advice" of going back to old familiar places, in hope of finding those poor souls, having been left behind, and whom are still listed as missing in action. Another great 80s action surprise, and one which surely for me, were the real highlight this weekend. And comes with what has to be, among the most bad ass casts of the 80s, starring Fred Ward, Tim Thomerson, Harold Sylvester, Reb Brown, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Patrick Swayze and Gene Hackman. First half of the film, takes on the planning and how Gene tries to search up and tie the old crew together, and that is easily said than done, as we get to meet up with some great but not exactly the most "stable" kind of guys. Sure, the second and far more explosive and cliche full part, things really gets turned up all the way, and still there is room for many really good and well written and acted scenes, some surprising ones as well, and yeah, this film I think might be among the best of the POW action-war titles coming out of the 80s, and where it was really fun to behold guys like Reb Brown and Randall Cobb, delivering very solid performances, and one has to wonder, how things might turn out, if Brown had more of this kind of movies to work from, instead of the usualy b-movie "trash" he would be leading later, as he and Cobb were a big reason to why I liked the film so much. The friendship and charming gang, was such a joy to watch, and some great quotes as well, where I think Randall got some of the best ones: " Man, I'm so far beyond that shit now. I get energy from the air. I talk to polar bears. I converse with paramecium. Man, I fuck nuclear waste."
All in all, nice to once in a while, get to see a few unseen action keepers, that I am very sure, will do even better, due to their re-watchability factor, and yeah, I ended up with a very deserved rating of: 8/10
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Dec 8, 2021 8:29:07 GMT
When I first saw this back in the day I thought it was highly original, then I learned the basic premise has been done many times before, starting with a 1930s film called A Most Dangerous Game, so it turns out it wasn't so original after all. Regardless, this is still engrossing action fare that never lets up for a minute once the hunt is on. Not always credible or believable, but still delivers the goods in high style. Talk about a top notch cast! We have Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham. Once again Hauer displays an eccentric acting style, and Busey is again more than a bit unhinged and he plays this type of character so well. But the best piece of acting probably goes to John C. McGinley; here he plays a very disturbed man that's about to go over the edge. He definitely gives Busey a run for his money. The story was remade yet again as Apex, starring Bruce Willis. This one was just released last month. Yeah, I sure remember watching it in a classmates birthday party (or something like that), when I was 9 or 10 years old, and damn, this was some groundbreaking stuff, at least considering of how little similar themed movies one had watched at that time. Some really creepy and scary stuff as well, but yeah, the surivival of the fittest plot, really hooked me in, and over time, I started to notice more often, how well used this theme really was, and where films like The Running Man (1987) and Hard Target (1993) became huge favorites, I kind of had forgotten the title of Surviving the Game, but remembered certain scenes and such, but was very glad when I finally found out which one, I was looking for. Re-watched it in the mid 00s, and still enjoyed it, very much, after all those years. As you put it, a solid as hell cast, and back then, Ice-T was on quite a roll, I mean New Jack City, Trespass and this one, is in my book, all solid and in a way, kind of overlooked action-thrillers. Anyway, thanks for your review of this little gem, and well, I guess I will most likely, not be wasting time nor money, on yet another Willis turd, which I guess Apex is probably closer to (than Surviving the Game). But would be nice, if I could be wrong, once in a while when it comes to Bruce and his recent "classics".
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Dec 8, 2021 8:34:05 GMT
Massively underrated flick. Between this and Demon Knight, I really wonder what ever happened to Ernest Dickerson. He was on a roll there in the 90's... I would agree about McGinley, but I do have to say it- I think this movie has the single best piece of acting Garey Busey ever did: I am not sure of how well this did on the box office charts or if it got put out on straight to video when it got released. But it seemed to be a really popular video/rental release back in the day. If only they would make "DTV" films, half as good as this, and with such a lively cast of greats as well.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Dec 8, 2021 17:49:29 GMT
Massively underrated flick. Between this and Demon Knight, I really wonder what ever happened to Ernest Dickerson. He was on a roll there in the 90's... I would agree about McGinley, but I do have to say it- I think this movie has the single best piece of acting Garey Busey ever did: I am not sure of how well this did on the box office charts or if it got put out on straight to video when it got released. But it seemed to be a really popular video/rental release back in the day. If only they would make "DTV" films, half as good as this, and with such a lively cast of greats as well. Unfortunately, Surviving The Game was a flop at the box office. But at least it got more attention on video.
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Post by theravenking on Dec 8, 2021 22:45:40 GMT
Surviving The Game (1994) A homeless man is conned into thinking he has been hired as an assistant for a hunting party, only to find out he is actually the prey for the hunters. When I first saw this back in the day I thought it was highly original, then I learned the basic premise has been done many times before, starting with a 1930s film called A Most Dangerous Game, so it turns out it wasn't so original after all. Regardless, this is still engrossing action fare that never lets up for a minute once the hunt is on. Not always credible or believable, but still delivers the goods in high style. Talk about a top notch cast! We have Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham. Once again Hauer displays an eccentric acting style, and Busey is again more than a bit unhinged and he plays this type of character so well. But the best piece of acting probably goes to John C. McGinley; here he plays a very disturbed man that's about to go over the edge. He definitely gives Busey a run for his money. The story was remade yet again as Apex, starring Bruce Willis. This one was just released last month. This used to be quite a popular flick for us as teenagers in the mid-90s. I must've watched this about half a dozen times with various friends.
I haven't seen it since then and one part of me is afraid of rewatching it, fearing it may not hold up too well, but who knows, I may revisit it one day.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Dec 9, 2021 12:50:30 GMT
I am not sure of how well this did on the box office charts or if it got put out on straight to video when it got released. But it seemed to be a really popular video/rental release back in the day. If only they would make "DTV" films, half as good as this, and with such a lively cast of greats as well. Unfortunately, Surviving The Game was a flop at the box office. But at least it got more attention on video. In some ways, I kind of wished it would have gotten a sequel or follow up, maybe with a whole new cast, more or less. Where you would follow pretty much the same scenario/plot of the original, but maybe change the wilderness tone with a more inner city setting, yet also add in some new stuff and surprises along the way.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Dec 10, 2021 1:42:27 GMT
Surviving The Game (1994) A homeless man is conned into thinking he has been hired as an assistant for a hunting party, only to find out he is actually the prey for the hunters. When I first saw this back in the day I thought it was highly original, then I learned the basic premise has been done many times before, starting with a 1930s film called A Most Dangerous Game, so it turns out it wasn't so original after all. Regardless, this is still engrossing action fare that never lets up for a minute once the hunt is on. Not always credible or believable, but still delivers the goods in high style. Talk about a top notch cast! We have Ice-T, Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham. Once again Hauer displays an eccentric acting style, and Busey is again more than a bit unhinged and he plays this type of character so well. But the best piece of acting probably goes to John C. McGinley; here he plays a very disturbed man that's about to go over the edge. He definitely gives Busey a run for his money. The story was remade yet again as Apex, starring Bruce Willis. This one was just released last month. Massively underrated flick. Between this and Demon Knight, I really wonder what ever happened to Ernest Dickerson. He was on a roll there in the 90's... I would agree about McGinley, but I do have to say it- I think this movie has the single best piece of acting Garey Busey ever did: “According to Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey wrote his entire dinner monologue about the origin of his scar himself. The script had several scenes of Hauer's character Burns establishing his natural leadership by reminding the other hunters to abide by his rules. Originally, the dinner scene would be the moment where he puts Busey's character Doc back in his place. However, on the day of rehearsals, Busey came up with a two-page monologue about his dog that he wanted to try out. Hauer felt that Busey was obviously trying to steal his scene away by not giving him a chance to intervene in his monologue. So during the actual filming, Hauer improvised a quick response to the story by calling it "bullshit", which greatly confused Busey. However, Busey's delivery so impressed the director and the other actors that his monologue was kept in the final film, and Hauer's retort wasn't used.” IMDb trivia.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Dec 10, 2021 2:17:44 GMT
Director Don Siegel’s ‘Charley Varrick’ is an excellent follow up to Dirty Harry. Well-shot, smoothly plotted and exemplary acted crime-thriller.
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mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Dec 11, 2021 9:04:37 GMT
Hard TimesAn unjustly forgotten movie. Not only is it Walter Hill's directorial debut, but it's simply one of the best movies Charles Bronson was ever in. In fact, I'd say it's maybe the second best movie I've watched during this Bronson kick I've been doing since last month. Oh sure, he was in better movies than this one- The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven both come to mind- but if we're talking Bronson movies- movies that are first and foremost about his character, it goes Once Upon a Time in the West and then this one. For me, they are the absolute cream of the crop. Granted, Bronson's character here is quite opaque (perhaps even more so than in The Mechanic), but you know what you need to know about the guy. He's a tough fighter and he won't be mistreated. And his stone-faced stoicism is balanced out to perfection by a couple of great character performances from James Coburn and Strother Martin. Coburn (here reunited with Bronson from The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven, and showing a remarkable amount of chemistry with Bronson that was never once exploited by the two previous movies) really is the light at the center of this movie. His fast-talking, con-artist manager is at once both immensely unlikable and effortlessly charming. Maybe it's just a testament to Coburn's innate charisma as an actor, but I came away loving the character, despite him essentially being a worthless bastard throughout. Likewise, Martin brings an enormous amount of sincerity to his sad-eyed, Poe-quoting, opium-addicted cut man. Jill Ireland is also back, and helps to bring a more human side to Bronson through a romantic subplot that is initially awkward, eventually charming, and ultimately tragic. I think the thing I love most about the movie is that it's a fighting movie from before that entire genre became infused with that post- Rocky optimism. It's a movie that's pretty damned bleak at times. Bronson's not some scrappy underdog, he's an over-the-hill tough guy who boxes to eke out a living in the midst of the Depression. He's not triumphant, and the fights aren't glamorous- they're ugly, brutal, and clumsy. Bronson doesn't get the girl, he's ultimately screwed over by his manager on multiple occasions, and his only reward for doing the right thing in the end is that he's able to walk away as his own man. And goddamn it, that's a good story. It's a compelling story, and a heartfelt one despite its harshness and ambiguity. It's the kind of movie that was in no short supply in the 70's, but that we seem almost afraid to make these days. It's earnest.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Dec 11, 2021 14:41:18 GMT
Hard TimesAn unjustly forgotten movie. Not only is it Walter Hill's directorial debut, but it's simply one of the best movies Charles Bronson was ever in. In fact, I'd say it's maybe the second best movie I've watched during this Bronson kick I've been doing since last month. Oh sure, he was in better movies than this one- The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven both come to mind- but if we're talking Bronson movies- movies that are first and foremost about his character, it goes Once Upon a Time in the West and then this one. For me, they are the absolute cream of the crop. Granted, Bronson's character here is quite opaque (perhaps even more so than in The Mechanic), but you know what you need to know about the guy. He's a tough fighter and he won't be mistreated. And his stone-faced stoicism is balanced out to perfection by a couple of great character performances from James Coburn and Strother Martin. Coburn (here reunited with Bronson from The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven, and showing a remarkable amount of chemistry with Bronson that was never once exploited by the two previous movies) really is the light at the center of this movie. His fast-talking, con-artist manager is at once both immensely unlikable and effortlessly charming. Maybe it's just a testament to Coburn's innate charisma as an actor, but I came away loving the character, despite him essentially being a worthless bastard throughout. Likewise, Martin brings an enormous amount of sincerity to his sad-eyed, Poe-quoting, opium-addicted cut man. Jill Ireland is also back, and helps to bring a more human side to Bronson through a romantic subplot that is initially awkward, eventually charming, and ultimately tragic. I think the thing I love most about the movie is that it's a fighting movie from before that entire genre became infused with that post- Rocky optimism. It's a movie that's pretty damned bleak at times. Bronson's not some scrappy underdog, he's an over-the-hill tough guy who boxes to eke out a living in the midst of the Depression. He's not triumphant, and the fights aren't glamorous- they're ugly, brutal, and clumsy. Bronson doesn't get the girl, he's ultimately screwed over by his manager on multiple occasions, and his only reward for doing the right thing in the end is that he's able to walk away as his own man. And goddamn it, that's a good story. It's a compelling story, and a heartfelt one despite its harshness and ambiguity. It's the kind of movie that was in no short supply in the 70's, but that we seem almost afraid to make these days. It's earnest. Nobody could stage a fistfight quite like Walter Hill.
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Post by moviebuffbrad on Dec 11, 2021 20:50:34 GMT
Long Kiss Goodnight, which was a lot like Bourne but with a lady and a cute sense of humor. Also a very un-SLJ performance from SLJ. I enjoyed it.
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Dec 11, 2021 21:11:11 GMT
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Post by James on Dec 12, 2021 0:37:13 GMT
Mercury Rising (1998) - 7/10
Wasn't sure what to expect with it, but it was surprisingly pretty good.
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mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Dec 15, 2021 19:05:13 GMT
MacheteRobert Rodriguez was right when he said Danny Trejo deserves to be an action star- he has the charisma, and he's a genuinely tough-looking guy. Sadly, this movie didn't exactly kick off any real kind of latter-day stardom for him (and these days he seems to have been relegated to the same direct-to-video hell that Eric Roberts, Bruce Willis, and Steven Seagal ended up in...), but this movie's better than nothing. And I guess he always has those ridiculous Badass movies under his belt, as well... At any rate, this is a wildly entertaining grindhouse action pastiche. True, it never quite reaches the deranged heights of Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy, but it more than delivers on the promises of its original fake trailer (and re-uses quite a lot of footage from it; gotta save money where you can, I guess...). In addition to Trejo and all the usual Rodriguez cronies- Cheech Marin, Tom Savini, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey- you've got Robert De Niro hamming it up and reviving his Max Cady voice (I love how it turns out to be a fake accent within the movie), Jessica Alba being spunky and likeable if not exactly believably tough, a strung-out Lindsay Lohan dressed in a nun habit and wielding a machine gun, Don Johnson playing it pretty straight as a hardassed, bigoted border vigilante, and Steven Seagal turning in what is probably the last credible performance of his career. Honestly, Seagal's pretty good as a villain here. Sure, he's still out of shape and his sword fighting stances are pretty silly looking; but he seems to be connected to the material and enjoying himself here vastly more than anything he's done since the early 2000's. Shame about how the decade since this movie has worked out for him... Anywho, I really like this one, and it still holds up pretty well. Machete Kills kinda blew, though. I wonder if they still plan on actually making that third one.
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mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Dec 15, 2021 19:30:08 GMT
Hobo with a ShotgunThis movie is just glorious chaos. It's as if a Troma movie were given a budget to work with. True, at times it tries way too hard to be transgressive and scatological and ends up coming off as kinda juvenile, but it has Rutger Hauer right in its center, lending it credibility and sincerity. He single-handedly carries this movie, and makes it far more worth watching than it would be without him. However, rewatching this one only serves to remind that this is to date the last of those Grindhouse trailers to get a movie. It's been more than ten years, whatever happened to Don't or Thanksgiving or Werewolf Women of the SS? I want a whole movie of Nicolas Cage as Fu Manchu, goddamn it!
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Post by CrepedCrusader on Dec 15, 2021 19:48:29 GMT
Hard TimesAn unjustly forgotten movie. Not only is it Walter Hill's directorial debut, but it's simply one of the best movies Charles Bronson was ever in. In fact, I'd say it's maybe the second best movie I've watched during this Bronson kick I've been doing since last month. Oh sure, he was in better movies than this one- The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven both come to mind- but if we're talking Bronson movies- movies that are first and foremost about his character, it goes Once Upon a Time in the West and then this one. For me, they are the absolute cream of the crop. Granted, Bronson's character here is quite opaque (perhaps even more so than in The Mechanic), but you know what you need to know about the guy. He's a tough fighter and he won't be mistreated. And his stone-faced stoicism is balanced out to perfection by a couple of great character performances from James Coburn and Strother Martin. Coburn (here reunited with Bronson from The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven, and showing a remarkable amount of chemistry with Bronson that was never once exploited by the two previous movies) really is the light at the center of this movie. His fast-talking, con-artist manager is at once both immensely unlikable and effortlessly charming. Maybe it's just a testament to Coburn's innate charisma as an actor, but I came away loving the character, despite him essentially being a worthless bastard throughout. Likewise, Martin brings an enormous amount of sincerity to his sad-eyed, Poe-quoting, opium-addicted cut man. Jill Ireland is also back, and helps to bring a more human side to Bronson through a romantic subplot that is initially awkward, eventually charming, and ultimately tragic. I think the thing I love most about the movie is that it's a fighting movie from before that entire genre became infused with that post- Rocky optimism. It's a movie that's pretty damned bleak at times. Bronson's not some scrappy underdog, he's an over-the-hill tough guy who boxes to eke out a living in the midst of the Depression. He's not triumphant, and the fights aren't glamorous- they're ugly, brutal, and clumsy. Bronson doesn't get the girl, he's ultimately screwed over by his manager on multiple occasions, and his only reward for doing the right thing in the end is that he's able to walk away as his own man. And goddamn it, that's a good story. It's a compelling story, and a heartfelt one despite its harshness and ambiguity. It's the kind of movie that was in no short supply in the 70's, but that we seem almost afraid to make these days. It's earnest. Nobody could stage a fistfight quite like Walter Hill. Damn good movie. One of my dad's favorites.
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