Film Review: MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988)

Director: Alan Parker
Writer: Chris Gerolmo
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller
UK Release date: 5^th May 1989

Watched on Terrestrial PVR Thursday 25^th July 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a film I have seen a couple of times before but this is the first time I’ve really sat down and watched it. I never realised before just how good it really is! I know it’s not a subject matter that some may feel is relevant today, but it’s still a very powerful piece of cinema and deserves recognition for that, if nothing else. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When three civil rights activists go missing in a small town in Mississippi in 1964, the FBI is called in to investigate. In charge is the younger Agent Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) with the much older and wiser Agent Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) in tow. Having got short shrift from the local sheriff, Ray Stuckley (Gailard Sartain), Ward tries to speak to some of the black residents of the town, this does not go down well and results in those he had spoken to being beaten for their trouble. Eventually the car the missing men had been driving is found and Ward brings in more men, a lot of them. Suspicion falls on Deputy Clinton Pell (Brad Dourif), but he has the whole town covering for him, including his wife (Frances McDormand). Anderson befriends her but she will not budge on her story. It seems the whole town is scared of the KKK, but nobody wants to speak about it. Eventually though they get a break and Ward reluctantly agrees to use Anderson’s somewhat cavalier methods. Does it pay off? Well I guess that would be a spoiler now wouldn’t it.

Although based on real events, the filmmakers go to great lengths to make it clear that this is a work of fiction. As such it works very well; it is a very powerful drama that puts the fight for civil rights to the fore. I must say I found it quite thought provoking, very well made and really well shot. The performances were all excellent with (for me), Gene Hackman standing out; although I thought Willem Dafoe was very good and Brad Dourif was excellent as the loathsome Deputy Pell. I also have to mention a couple of small roles; it was nice to see both Stephen Tobolowsky as Clayton Townley and R. Lee Ermey as Mayor Tilman; I know they didn’t have an awful lot to do, but they were both quality. Over all, an interesting drama that kept me interested all the way through – a definite ‘must’ for any cinephile.

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.7/10.

IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (based on 45,417 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095647/

MetaScore: 65/100: (Based on 11 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 89/100 (based on 18 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 63/100 (based on 38,017 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mississippi_burning/

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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998)

Director: Tony Scott
Writer: David Marconi
Running time: 126 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
UK Release date: 26^th December 1998

Watched on DVD Sunday 26^th August 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

After the untimely death of director Tony Scott this week I thought it would be nice to have a look at a few of his films. I started with this one because I have always found it entertaining and there are some great ideas used to link the action together. I will explain more after this very brief summary.

When labour lawyer Robert Clayton Dean is passed a disc that shows the assassination of a US Congressman his whole life changes. In order to cover up his involvement, one Thomas Brian Reynolds uses the resources of the NSA to track Robert in the hope of recovering the recording. This effects his family and friends, including Rachel Banks, who Dean was using as a liaison between him and a private detective who calls himself Brill. When things go wrong, Dean makes direct contact with Brill, who turns out to be former NSA employee, Edward Lyle. He tells Dean how to avoid detection; but they are closing in and Dean has had enough; it’s time to turn the tables. I will leave it there or the NSA will be bugging me (still).

A very slick production with some great touches; I particularly like the way street cameras and satellite images are used to link certain scenes. A very clever use of the available technology. I know it may have been a little advanced for its day, but its well within the realms of possibility today. As far as performances go, well Will Smith did a decent job as Robert Clayton Dean; the usual wise-cracks, but also some nice acting in-between. Gene Hackman did an excellent job (as ever) as Edward Lyle, as did Jon Voight as the cool calculating bad guy, Thomas Brian Reynolds. Honourable mentions must go to; Lisa Bonet as Rachel Banks, Regina King as Robert’s wife, Carla Dean, Jake Busey and Scott Caan as the heavies Krug and Jones, Gabriel Byrne as Brill and Jack Black as Fiedler.

Quite an enthralling and captivating film. It does take a bit of time to get going but once it does it keeps the pace pretty well until the end. If I have one criticism, it’s that it’s far too long. I enjoy a complex plot as much as the next guy, but this one did take a long time to tie all the various threads together. Over all a film with some very nice touches and some decent performances but I guess it’s one you can’t watch too many times. Even so, worth a look if you either haven’t seen it, or haven’t seen it for a while.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.5/10

IMDb Score: 7.2/10 (based on 109,067 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0120660/

MetaScore: 67/100: (Based on 22 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 71/100 (based on 83 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 76/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 346,391 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/enemy_of_the_state/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Zavitz: Fuck a duck.

Robert Clayton Dean: Actually, I believe the term "shyster" is reserved for attorneys of the Jewish persuasion. I believe the proper term for me is "eggplant".

Robert Clayton Dean: Why are they after me?
Brill: You have something they want.
Robert Clayton Dean: I don't have anything.
Brill: Maybe you do and you don't know it.

Krug: [while ransacking the Dean home] Ooh, nice blender!
[takes Robert's blender]

[the NSA team is watching satellite footage of a conversation between Dean and Brill on a rooftop]
Hicks: Can you get a feature scan and pattern matching on him?
Van: No, he's smart, he never looks up.
Jones: Why does he have to look up?
Fiedler: The satellite is 155 miles above the Earth. It can only look straight down.
Jones: That's a bit limited, isn't it?
Van: [Sarcastically] Well, maybe you should design a better one.
Jones: Maybe I will idiot.

Robert Clayton Dean: What the hell is happening?
Brill: I blew up the building.
Robert Clayton Dean: Why?
Brill: Because you made a phone call.

[last lines]
Larry King: How do we draw the line - draw the line between protection of national security, obviously the government's need to obtain intelligence data, and the protection of civil liberties, particularly the sanctity of my home? You've got no right to come into my home!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: UNFORGIVEN (1992)

Director: Clint Eastwood
Running time: 131 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Western
UK Release date: 18^th September 1992

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 23^rd July 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

As those who have read my stuff before will know, I’m not really big on Westerns; I guess I watched too many of them when I was growing up (they were just about the only films on TV). The Spaghetti Westerns peeked my interest for a while, but there have been very few in recent years that have caught my curiosity. This, however, is a different kettle of fish altogether. This is one of the few that I could watch several times over and still get something out of. Clint Eastwood really knows how to tell a story; I suppose while working with the likes of Sergio Leone, something had to rub off. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When a whore is cut up by a couple of ranch hands and the local law, Little Bill Daggett, does little or nothing a bout it, the other whores pool their resources in order to get retribution. Word is put out that a bounty of One Thousand Dollars has been put up for the lives of the two perpetrators. A young man calling himself The ‘Schofield Kid’ hears about it but decides he might need some help. He calls on Bill Munny, a former gunfighter and asks him to come out of retirement. Bill is a reformed character, having married and raised a family, but with his wife recently deceased, he is tempted. He sends the kid on his way, but can’t help thinking about it. Eventually he decides to follow and leaves his children to fend for themselves while he’s away. He calls on his old partner, Ned Logan, and persuades him to join them. Meanwhile, back in the town, another gunslinger, English Bob, arrives and is given short shrift by Little Bill, who makes an example of him and sends him on his way. The trio finally arrive in town with Munny suffering from a fever. He is badly beaten up by Little Bill but not before the other two make contact with the whores. They manage to find a hideout where Munny can recover. The question is, will they still have the stomach to do what they came for? I’ll leave it there as I’m sure there are many out there that haven’t seen this and I don’t want a show-down with the spoiler police in my local saloon.

As with many Eastwood-directed films, this has quite a slow and deliberate pace, but it is always interesting. I love the way he allows the story to evolve. As usual, an excellent performance from Clint Eastwood himself as Bill Munny. Also great were Gene Hackman as Little Bill Daggett, Morgan Freeman as Ned Logan and Richard Harris as English Bob… but why they picked an Irish actor for the part I’ll never know! Also worthy of note was Jaimz Woolvett as The ‘Schofield Kid’.

As I’ve already said, the storytelling is excellent and the characters are interesting and hold your attention. I get the impression they were looking for realism in the look of this picture and it does look like what I imagine the Wild West really was like. I just wish they had made the interior shots a little brighter, much of the action takes place at night or indoors and you can believe they are shooting by candle-light in some scenes, it’s so dark! This is the thing that let this one down for me, I was struggling to see who was shooting who in some situations. But that aside, it’s a very fine piece of work and fully deserved it’s 4 Oscars (including best picture) and five other Oscar nominations. This one comes highly RECOMMENDED.

My Score: 8.7/10

IMDb Score: 8.3/10 (116,751 votes when this review was written)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96/100 (56 reviews counted when this review was written)

LINKS:

(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0105695/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1041911-unforgiven/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)

Director: William Friedkin
Running Time: 104 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Thriller/Drama/Crime
USA Release Date: 9th October 1971

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 12th April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I saw this film many many years ago, I thought it was good, but I don’t think I really appreciated it as much as I did this time around. It won five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for Gene Hackman and Best Director for William Friedkin. A gritty movie with no punches pulled, it really grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until it’s finished… I loved it! More of my thoughts later, after this brief summary (summary haters, and those that don’t wish to know about the plot, please track down that guy taking pot-shots at Popeye Doyle while I write the next paragraph).

Two hard-boiled cops, Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle and Det. Buddy Russo are on the narcotics trail. The word on the street is that there’s a big shipment coming in soon, but they don’t know where from. Meanwhile, in France, Alain Charnier, is planning a trip to New York. Doyle and Russo get lucky and lock onto Sal Boca, an ambitious low-life who just happens to have made the connection with some French suppliers. He is watched constantly and even the F.B.I. are brought in on the surveillance. Eventually he makes contact and the cops now have more people to follow… Some of which are very dangerous indeed. Will they be able to stop the deal going through? Well, I’m not going to tell you that here… Doyle says he’s gonna slam my head against a wall if I do.

As I said at the beginning, this film is gritty, no fancy sets, it’s all filmed on location. It all looks, and feels, very real which adds to the excitement of the chase scenes, which are all very well done by the way. I can see why it won so many awards, there’s something very compelling about it that’s hard to define. None of the characters are particularly likable, but that doesn’t matter, what matters is getting those bad guys.

Very much an Oscar-worthy performance from Gene Hackman as Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle, ably supported by Roy Scheider as Det. Buddy Russo. Also worthy of note was Fernando Rey as Alain Charnier. Add to this some great stunts, a decent soundtrack and one of the iconic chase sequences (if you’ve seen it you’ll know the one I mean). I really enjoyed this one, not just for it’s gritty realism, but also because it’s a very well made film… Highly recommended.

My Score: 8.7/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0067116/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/french_connection/
Trailer: