Movies & TV : thriller

Old is New – The Getaway (1972)

MattM — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:01:00 GMT

The Film

When he earned his Master's Degree in Drama from the University of Southern California in 1950, Sam Peckinpah ended his involvement in theater and started work in television, which he saw as his way into the movies. Growing up in California in the 30s, he spent much of his formative years riding horses, branding cattle and shooting firearms. His college years were preceded by service in the US Marines. His combative spirit got him into trouble, but he wrote for and directed several TV shows, actually writing the original screenplay that became the series The Rifleman. He worked with Don Siegel on four occasions before finally directing his first feature. But it was his second film, Ride the High Country, that put him on the map as a major filmmaker. The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs are classics which helped earn him the nickname, "Bloody Sam." In 1972, Mr. Peckinpah would team up with Steve McQueen for an adaptation of Jim Thompson's The Getaway.

The movie's opening titles are interwoven with Doc McCoy's (Steve McQueen) life inside a prison, and set to the rhythmic workings of the machinery in the prison shop. He finally makes parole after instructing his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) to do whatever is necessary to get him out. She picks him up outside the prison, and then he tries to figure out what's next.

The next step turns out to be repaying a corrupt business man for using his influence to free him from prison. A robbery has been planned, and Doc is to help make it happen. Along with Carol he will be working with Rudy (Al Lettieri) and Frank. The bank robbery goes bad. Rudy kills Frank and attempts to kill Doc, but he gets the best of him and Doc and Carol take off with the money. Rudy is left for dead, but was wearing a bulletproof vest and isn't too happy to be out that much cash. Another attempted double-cross with the man behind the job leads the couple to make a run for the border, but as you can imagine, that will be anything but simple. On top of that, when Doc finds out what Carol had to do to get him out of prison, he's not so sure he wants her around anyway.

This film was one of the most financially lucrative of Mr. Peckinpah's career. The story is less than extraordinary, but the presence of McQueen and the direction from Peckinpah make it a very good thriller, which was their goal at the time since they both needed a hit. Ali MacGraw is an example of a model turned actress who can't really act. This doesn't detract much since McQueen and the bit characters (Lettieri, Sally Struthers and Slim Pickens) do a wonderful job. The editing of the opening credits is a great example of visual storytelling. Overall the look is fantastic, especially the explosive shootouts. Seeing this film gives you mere flashes of the talent of Mr. Peckinpah, but you get a full dose of Steve McQueen cool.

The Disc

The movie got a standard DVD release in 1997. A deluxe edition was released in 2005. The picture is widescreen and the audio is Dolby Digital 1.0. Extras include some commentary and a featurette as well as the trailer. A Blu-ray disc was released in 2007.

Film Connections

The Way of the Gun has a certain resemblence to The Getaway and other films by Mr. Peckinpah. It deserves a second look. In Deathproof, two characters get out of a car and squat down to have a discussion just as they do in this movie. And we aren't going to mention the 1994 remake.

Old is New – Deliverance (1972)

MattM — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:57:00 GMT

The Film

Journalism paved the way for John Boorman to make documentaries for the BBC, which in turn paved the way for him to make feature films. His first was a vehicle for the band Dave Clark Five called Catch us if You Can, meant to emulate the success of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night. It was only mildly successful, but it got his foot in the door and allowed him to move on to Hollywood. His first feature in America was the startlingly visual Point Blank in 1967 with Lee Marvin. After two more features he would make Deliverance, adapted by James Dickey from his own novel. Mr. Boorman has made quality films in the decades since (including Hope and Glory and The General) and continues to work, with two projects currently in pre-production.

During the opening we meet four men going on a canoe trip down a river which will cease to be after it is dammed to make a large lake. The talk amongst the men conveys their excitement for the trip and to be away from their daily routines in Atlanta. The experienced outdoorsman of the group is Lewis (Burt Reynolds), who much prefers the natural world over modern city life. Ed (Jon Voight) has been on trips with him before, but Bobby (Ned Beatty) and Drew (Ronny Cox) are new to this sort of outing. Before the trip begins the group finds some locals to drive their cars down river where they will finish their trip. Those they encounter are not especially accepting of them and in turn, the city guys are somewhat condescending. The only connection made with the hillbillies is when Drew and an inbred albino boy play a bluegrass tune together. But as soon as it ends, the boy turns away and won't except his handshake.

After squaring away the arrangements, the four men head down the river in two canoes. The first day of the trip is enjoyable even though the rookies feel out of their element. They camp beside the river for the night. Bobby and Lewis don't exactly hit it off, so the following day they change canoe partners so Bobby rides with Ed. At one point the boats become separated. When Bobby and Ed stop and take a break, they are alone when two mountain men emerge from the woods. Almost immediately, the situation goes very badly and the men from Atlanta must decide on how they will proceed down this river. It will not be a pleasant ride.

The movie is an excellent thriller. The danger and tension continue to mount as it deals with the themes of masculinity, modernity and justice. The characters are forced to act in ways they've never had to before merely to survive. Each of the four main actors does a great job conveying the characters' differing personalities. The cinematography of the river is beautiful. Other than one strange use of banjo later in the film, I think Deliverance translates wonderfully to a contemporary audience.

The DVD

There is a 2004 disc, but a deluxe edition was released in 2007. The visuals are widescreen and the audio is Dolby Digital 5.1. My fellow movie blogger Phil and I watched this film here at Klipsch in our Palladium listening room and it was fantastic. The extras include a 4-part retrospective, a vintage featurette and a commentary track by Mr. Boorman.

Film Connections

The most disturbing scene in Pulp Fiction pays homage to the most disturbing scene in Deliverance and is how I first heard of the movie. The 2004 film Mean Creek references it and has some similar plot points. The use of "Dueling Banjos" in Zombieland, now in theaters, is a clear reference as well. Nods to this movie have permeated popular culture, so these are just a few examples.

Old is New – The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)

MattM — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:33:00 GMT

The Film

This summer Tony Scott’s remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was released to theaters. I haven’t seen it, but since we are currently passing through 1974 it seems only fitting to take a look back at the original directed by Joseph Sargent. Mr. Sargent is less well known because he's mainly worked in television (Lassie, Gunsmoke, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Something the Lord Made). Two recognizable features of his are MacArthur with Gregory Peck and Jaws: The Revenge (or Jaws IV). But his most famous film is what we’ll revisit today.

Sometimes you'll notice (and we'll find more as we keep moving back) that an older movie can be great overall but have one distracting element. It could be the camera movement or the acting style, or many times it is the use of music. In The Taking of Pelham 123 we have the opposite. From the opening we are treated to one of the greatest scores of the 70s (by David Shire who also worked on The Conversation). It is a funky, jazzy piece of music that fits the movie from start to finish.

A veteran employee of the NY subway discusses the job’s responsibilities with a new worker. Little do they know that one by one, three mustached men with glasses and overcoats have boarded the train carrying packages or briefcases. When the train stops a fourth approaches the driver and pulls out a pistol. The men hijack the train and take a group of hostages into one of the cars. Their plan is to walk away with one million dollars. But they have to deal with Lieutenant Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau), a veteran police officer with the NYC Transit Authority. He and the rest of the men at the command facility work with the spineless mayor to figure out how to keep the passengers alive. The back-and-forth between the lead hijacker (Robert Shaw) and Garber for the safety of the passengers keeps the pace lively.

The film is gritty but not overly so. It was shot on location in New York. The filmmakers achieve a nice balance between style and realism.The acting is great. I am young enough that my first impressions of Walter Matthau are from Grumpy Old Men. Although that sarcasm is always there, it is great to see him in his earlier days (Charley Varrick also recommended). The supporting cast really shines in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Doris Roberts and Jerry Stiller add texture to this well done suspenseful thriller. The new version definitely has a high standard to live up to.

The DVD

Released in 2000, the visuals are in widescreen while the sound is Dolby Digital 2.0. The film is mainly dialog driven so I don't think it suffers too much by not being in 5.1. The score still sounds incredible.

Film Connections

Besides the obvious, there are other movie connections. The crew in Reservoir Dogs identify themselves by colors to protect their identity, as they did in this film. A more recent movie that involves hostages and New York City is Spike Lee's Inside Man.

Old is New – The Conversation (1974)

MattM — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:00:00 GMT

The Film

Graduating from UCLA film school in the mid 1960s, Francis Coppola would be the first of the "film school generation" to infiltrate Hollywood. Although Finian's Rainbow (Fred Astaire's final movie) was a flop, he had minor success with The Rain People before achieving major recognition with an Academy Award for his work co-writing Patton. Mr. Coppola was at once the oldest of the new wave and the youngest of the old guard, both an advocate of fresh techniques yet an admirer of the once glorious studio system. Running his own studio out of San Francisco for 40 years, American Zoetrope, he has overseen some astounding artistic and commercial achievements as well as some unbelievable failures (actually leading to bankruptcy in the 1980s). Never lacking for big ideas, Mr. Coppola has added vintner, publisher and hotelier to his resume over the years. But his legacy will be as the director of some of the greatest American movies. One small masterpiece he made in-between two better-known classics (The Godfather and The Godfather Part II) is the The Conversation.

The movie opens with one of my favorite title sequences - a slow decent into a bustling public square with a clean, white typeface overlaying the lower right of the image. New Orleans Jazz mixes with natural sounds. We eventually focus in on our protagonist, Harry Caul (Gene Hackman).

Harry is in surveillance; in fact he’s the best in the business. His men are on buildings, like snipers with high-powered microphones, trying to capture a conversation amongst the swirling activity in the square. Stan (John Cazale), Harry’s partner, wonders what it is they are talking about. Not Harry. Harry never cares. He is a professional. Extremely private, yet makes a living by peering into the lives of others. His only interest is in the end result - a nice fat recording. But as the circumstances surrounding this recording become more unusual, Harry has to become less objective. There could be a life hanging in the balance.

Mr. Coppola’s story of perception versus reality is superb and his direction masterful. The relationship between the form and the content of The Conversation is about as good as I have seen. Every aspect– the cinematography, editing, the locations, musical score, and sound design– all serve his remarkable script. It is an incredible balance. The amazing turn by Hackman as the intensely repressed Caul is maybe the best of his career. Most of the time the pace is less than brisk, but it is easy to enjoy the amount of expressive detail that is packed into every moment.

The DVD

The disc was issued in 2000, and the film is presented in widescreen with 5.1 Dolby Digital. Extras on the disc include commentary by Mr. Coppola and film editor Walter Murch, as well as a featurette on the film and the theatrical trailer.

Film Connections

The first and most obvious film connection is Enemy of the State, which has Gene Hackman reprising his character 24 years later. The style that Tony Scott employs is quite different from The Conversation, but it is fun to peak back in at Caul's life. As I did with John Cassavettes, I will list a couple movies made by the filmmaker's children - the most famous being Lost in Translation by daughter Sophia Coppola. The other would be CQ , an homage to sexy 60s sci-fi, by son Roman Coppola.

And as a bonus, Mr. Coppola's Tetro is open in limited release and marks the first time he's worked from an orginal screenplay since his 1974 classic.

Old is New - Marathon Man (1976)

MattM — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:09:00 GMT

The Film

John Schlesinger began directing television and feature films in Britain during the late 1950s and early 1960s. His early work is part of a movement in that country called Kitchen Sink Realism. Mr. Schlesinger would go on to work in the United States with as much success, and considered himself a "mid-atlantic." His best known films include Billy Liar, Midnight Cowboy (Best Picture Winner), Sunday Bloody Sunday and Marathon Man.

As the film opens, we see archive footage of marathon runner Abebe Bikila. As he finishes a race we cut to a man running in New York City. His name is Thomas 'Babe' Levy (Dustin Hoffman), a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia in history. He is studying the same areas as his father before he committed suicide after a 1950s McCarthy-era investigation. Babe has a brother Henry, known as 'Doc" (Roy Scheider) who is often traveling. As far as Babe knows, he works for an oil company. While at the library studying Babe meets a beautiful young woman from Switzerland. When Doc comes into town the three of them go out for dinner.

Parallel to the story of Babe, we see an older German man at a bank looking at a safe deposit box. He takes something out, puts it in his pocket and leaves. As he drives away he has car trouble. An impatient Jewish man explodes in anger and the two begin racing down the street, smashing into each other on their way to crashing into a fuel truck. Fire and death ensue.

How do these two story lines connect? It isn't apparent at first. In fact, the movie is a little confuzing early on. But things pick up as we are given more pieces. Let's just say there is murder and torture involved, as well as double agents and Nazis. The brother of the German man is Dr. Christian Szell (Sir Lawrence Olivier), a Nazi criminal. After his brother's death, he attempts to visit their safe deposit box to retrieve the valuable contents. And Babe finds himself in the middle of it all, with even less understanding of what is going on than we have. The film is a great thriller filled with twists, turns and plenty of paranoia.

One last bit of info. Blogger pal Phil and I watched this movie during lunch at Klipsch in one of our listening rooms with the HD Theater 500. Sound was fantastic. Couldn't believe it was coming from such a small system.

The DVD

The DVD features a widescreen presentation and the option of Dolby 5.1 or Dolby 2.0 audio. Extras include a look back at the making of the film, as well as a featurette from the time and some original rehearsal footage.

Film Connections

Dustin Hoffman's most recent film, Last Chance Harvey, was also directed by a Brit. There is a reference to Marathon Man in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow when, after seeing a holographic image of Lawrence Olivier, a character repeats the infamous question, "Is it safe?" And for a more recent movie that involves international spying, murder and espionage (yet based on actual events) look into Steven Spielberg's Munich.