The Big Steal

Monday, September 22, 2008

Up now for Noir Month, we have what was probably my most eagerly anticipated selection, and when I tell you the "notable talent" you'll see why:

Notable Talent: First and foremost, this movie is a reteaming of the excellent Out of the Past's lead actors Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. So right there, that's something to be excited about. In recent years, I've really come to bow down at the altar of Mitchum, who seems to be one of the most effortlessly captivating actors ever. Whatever that elusive "it" quality is, he has "it" in spades. Then, to top things off, the director is Don Siegal, tough-guy movie director extraordinaire, famous for such films as Dirty Harry (and a few other Clint Eastwood films), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Charley Varrick (okay maybe that last one isn't so famous, but I'm fond of it.) Mitchum + Siegal = something I will watch.

Detective Story: Kinda, yeah, definitely more so than most the other movies I've watched so far. (Why oh why did I think so many of these were going to be detective movies?) There's a sorta detective guy chasing after Mitchum through most of the movie, so that's kind of detective like. I guess.

Twisty, Turny Plot: Complicated, but more in an upbeat, caper-y sort of way. This is probably the most overtly fun of all the noir I've watched this month so far. In fact, I'd say it's practically a comedy, which seems un-noir-like. This is more of a high-spirited, comic thriller, not as dark as the other movies on the list. I guess you could argue that it doesn't really fit in the noir genre, but it's close enough that I'm counting it. Anyways, everyone has complicated motivations, and there's a pretty big twist near the end, and it's all part of the fun.

Moral Ambiguity: Well, this is not some dark, brooding examination of mankind's capacity for evil. Still, there is some fun to be had with the motivations of the characters... it's not not clear right away who's on the level and who isn't. We're clear on who the protagonists are, but for a while we aren't sure if their motives are pure. Which is part of the fun, although it it plays things safe by having all the protagonists turn out to be good and the antagonists turn out to be bad.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: One of my big regrets with noir month is that not enough of the movies have been in the expressionist tradition in terms of the lighting. This movie looks fine and is well made, with particularly strong action given the era, but damn it I want more elongated shadows stretching across the walls and shit. There's probably a little of that here, but since it's an upbeat movie there's none of that dark, nightmarish quality that I dig in noir.

Overall Quality: Fast paced and good fun. Sure, maybe I would have prefered something more hardboiled, but I can't deny good entertainment when I see it. This one kept a smile on my face throughout. And if nothing else, it provided me with the almost Herzog-ian image of Robert Mitchum, in a rumpled suit, running through a herd of goats, trying deperately to lead them out of their pen and into the street.

Probably the most fun I've had so far for Noir Month:

1) Act of Violence
2) Crime Wave
3) Night and the City
4) The Big Steal
5) Illegal
6) Shoot the Piano Player
7) Gun Crazy
8) Mystery Street
9) Decoy

Illegal

Monday, September 22, 2008

Okay, after an unintended break of a week and a half, I'm back to that film noir set I bought. If nothing else, I plan on watching all 10 from the set by the end of Noir Month.

Notable Talent: Oh, only, Edward G. fucking Robinson, that's all. I can't profess a great knowledge of his acting career, but I can say that he's rocked in every single movie I've seen him in. You youngsters might recognize him as the inspiration for the voice of Chief Clancy Wiggum. Also, apparently DeForest Kelly from Star Trek was somewhere in here but I couldn't tell you who he was.

Detective Story: Not really, although it's heavily focused on the law. I'm not really sure what to classify this one as. It's about a successful prosecutor who sends an innocent man to the electric chair. He feels so guilty that he quits his job, and becomes a defense attorney. I've read some blurbs or reviews about this one that says it's not really a noir... I'm not sure I agree. It's not noir in the strictest sense, but it's a sort of cockeyed, darkly humorous half-crime film with some noir-ish themes.

Twisty, Turny Plot: It's not a straight mystery, but it definitely twists and turns as it goes, with some big reveals. A lot of the story is driven by Robinson's character, and we're never quite sure what he's planning, what he's up to next...

Moral Ambiguity: ...which brings me to this. For a long while, it's not really clear if Robinson is a good guy or not. Once he becomes a defense attorney, he states defending some unsavory people, and begins to manipulate everyone in order to secure as much money as he can for himself. He seems like a pretty shady asshole, but then we realize that all the people he's screwing over are bad, and in a weird way he seems to be dishing out justice to the bad guys. It's less like he's gone bad, and more like he's executing or enacting his own new found sense of morality. Word.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: Even though we meet some gangster types, this one takes place more in office and courtrooms, not so much on the mean streets. I didn't feel like this one popped out visually.

Overall Quality: Pretty solid. This is not a great movie by any means, but it's entertaining, and Edward G. Robinson is a lot of fun. The description made this movie sound more gruff, so I was surprised to see how much of this movie was played for laughs. Like I mentioned before, I saw it argued that this movie isn't really noir, and I'm betting it's the occasionally playful tone that throws people off. Still, it's got a moral ambiguity about it, deals with crime, has a little bit of action, and what's turning out to be the prototypical noir ending: the only way the hero can redeem himself is to sacrifice himself.

No great shakes, but this was more entertaining and satisfying that several other films so far:

1) Act of Violence
2) Crime Wave
3) Night and the City
4) Illegal
5) Shoot the Piano Player
6) Gun Crazy
7) Mystery Street
8) Decoy

Gun Crazy

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Let's get to it.

Notable Talent: I knew the main character looked familiar, and it turns out that he was one of the killers in Hitchcock's Rope. He's a good looking guy, and pretty good in these two movies, but it doesn't look like his career amounted to too much, and he died fairly young. Other than that, I am unfamiliar with the filmmakers.

Detective Story: No sir, this here would be a crime story. In fact, it's of the beloved "young lovers on the lam" subgenre of crime films, so it's sort of like an earlier version of Bonnie and Clyde. Or it's like Wild at Heart without the head crushing, voodoo murdering and Wizard of Oz references.

Twisty, Turny Plot: No, I would say this one more relies on headlong energy. Everything proceeds about how you'd expect.

Moral Ambiguity: Well, we have a boyfriend and girlfriend bankrobbing team as our heroes. The guy just loves guns and wants to impress the girl, and doesn't really want to do any wrong. The girl is more of a hard case, prone to losing her shit and killing people who get in her way. He loves her, but it's unclear at times how much she feels for him... is she in love, or is she just manipulating him? Definitely some femme fatale elements here, in fact another name for this one is apparently Deadly is the Female. That's an okay noir title, but Gun Crazy I think is a better fit for this story.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: Not as overt or expressionistic as I like, but definitely shot with a lot of style. There's a pretty good looking opening in the pouring rain, on a dark street, which always looks great in b&w. There's also a notably cool bank heist sequence, done in one long shot, from the inside of the car. You never see what happens in the bank, but you see their arrival and getaway. Kind of a neat, show-offy way of doing a low bugdet crime flick.

Overall Quality: Feels a bit like the one that got away, to use a saying that I tend to overuse. It's got a great opening, setting up a short of heightened reality about this kid who just loooooooooves guns, wants nothing more than to shoot them all day, and can make all sorts of ridiculous trick shots. One day he meets a woman of equal skill, and they run off together to start a life of crime. I was expecting it to be a little more over the top, maybe they do all sorts of crazy trick shooting while robbing banks like shooting open the registers, or shooting the guns out of cops' hands or something. Instead, after the first 20 or 30 minutes it settles into a well made but run of the mill Bonnie and Clyde story. I mean, I dunno, maybe this would have felt more fresh at the time, but now it feels like something that's been done, and been done better.

So this is a reasonably entertaining movie that could have been something a lot more. Good, but had potential for greatness:

1) Act of Violence

2) Crime Wave

3) Night and the City

4) Shoot the Piano Player

5) Gun Crazy

6) Mystery Street

7) Decoy

Angel Heart

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I'm not counting this for noir month, but it is weirdly fitting. Sort of at the intersection of film noir and horror. Not a great movie, but fun enough, with a strong performance by Mickey Rourke (back when he was still good looking).

I'm not exactly a big Alan Parker fan, he's kind of the poor man's Oliver Stone. Extremely over-the-top, but not always in a compelling way, and his movies I've seen that deal with more serious issue are actually kind of offensive. I like him a lot more when he sticks to weird, silly shit like this, where his full frontal assault style can be fun.

The Dead Pool

Monday, September 15, 2008

Finally getting around to the last of the Dirty Harry movies, and I must give congratulations: there wasn't a bad movie in the series. That said, this one isn't nearly as good as Magnum Force.

It's fun, but a little corny in places, and maybe the most flawed in it's message out of the whole series. It seems to want to make some sort of statement about violence in the media, and so one of the major characters is a director of violent horror movies... strikes me as a little hypocritical or at least weak willed of this movie. I mean, if you're going to address violence in the media, and you yourself are an unreasonably violent action film, then shouldn't you make the character an action movie director? Just a thought.

There is an action scene, a car chase, where Harry is being chased by a tiny toy car rigged with explosives. The bad guy controls the toy car while driving around in his real car, which seems to me to be an impossible feat. Seeing Harry jump a curb in his car, only to be followed closely by a tiny car doing the same thing is a site to behold, both incredibly stupid looking and a perfect satire of action scenes. It's either the worst idea ever for a car chase, or the funniest.

Shoot the Piano Player

Monday, September 15, 2008

Clever boy I am, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. I've got noir month going on, and I've been meaning to watch some Truffaut for my K2K, so here we go: Truffaut's oddball, French new wave tribute to the American crime films of the 40's and 50's.

Notable Talent: Well, like I said, Francois Truffaut, darling of the French new wave, director of such arthouse klassiks as The 400 Blows, Jules and Jim, Day For Night. I was not familiar with anyone in the cast.

Detective Story: No, but there is a bit of mystery to the plot. Ultimately, I would call this one a crime story, but with a distinctly Truffaut-ian spin on the material. Yeah, there's a classic noir/crime plot going on, but set in that kind of laid back French-movie world where people will also take time to sit back and have animated discussions on why women are magic to them.

Twisty, Turny Plot: Yeah, I'd say so. Beyond the sort of mystery in the plot, there is an extended flashback in the middle that complicated the structure of the film.

Moral Ambiguity: I don't recall it being too pronounced, but the hero is both kind of a dick and kind of likable, and maybe straddles the line between good guy and criminal.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: Sort of the off the cuff, French new wave version of it, I guess.

Overall Quality: I'm not going into much detail here, and I'm sorry. I watched this one a week ago and haven't had a chance to blog because I've been out of town. My memory of it isn't too fresh. And the reason is... it was just an okay movie. Not bad, even kinda good, but probably my least favorite Truffaut film I've ever seen. It's a fairly interesting, sort of relaxed take on the crime drama that I actually think is hurt by some weird stylistic touches and broad comedy. It's a hodge podge of ideas, I'm sure it was exciting to make, but the result is a mixed bag.

Maybe not the most fun movie on the list, but still noticeably the work of a talented artist:

1) Act of Violence

2) Crime Wave

3) Night and the City

4) Shoot the Piano Player

5) Mystery Street

6) Decoy

Burn After Reading

Sunday, September 14, 2008

For maybe the first 40 minutes or so, I thought this was going to be another Intolerable Cruelty or Ladykillers, where it's funny and entertaining, but in a who gives a shit kind of way that seems beneath the talent of the Coen Bros. But as it goes along, the movie really builds a comic momentum and a weird kind of intensity. It's not one of their best films, but it's a worthwhile one.

Although critics of the Coens are going to have a field day. I would say that this one is guilty of all the things the Coens are usually accused of: condescention and cruelty towards characters, smugness, nihilism, all that. I tend to disagree with those criticisms, and I'm not even sure they are always a bad thing, but there's no doubt that it's all on display here.

The thing that will really throw some people is, after No Country for Old Men, how frivilous this movie feels. It's frivilous to the point of nihilism. Few movies seem so willing to point out their own pointlessness. There's not even really a "plot," just a lot of confused characters who believe something bigger is going on, when there isn't. The movie graphically, shockingly kills off one of the only remotely likable characters in the movie, then dismisses their death with a couple of offhand jokes. At the end, a couple of mid-level intellegence agents, themselves barely peripheral to the story, discuss the plot and determine that they don't understand what happened or why, that it meant nothing, and it should never happen again.

Hell, the very title of this suggests that it's not something you should dwell on.

Still, even if this is just an exercise in dark humor and ironic style, the Coen's are really fucking good at it, and I can give it a enthusiastic recommendation. It's not a great movie, but it will tide me over until they next time they do make a great one.

Night and the City

Saturday, September 13, 2008

I'm a little worried that Noir Month is turning out to be a bit of a wash. I haven't really watched as many so far as I've meant to, in part because I feel like it alienates my girlfriend. And I'm going to be out of town for a few days now and won't have a chance to watch any. Doesn't seem like I'm gonna end up seeing many. Oh well, here's out next selection, and the first one that's not part of the box set I purchased.

Notable Talent: Well, the reason I checked this one out is because of the director, Jules Dassin. He did the pretty incredible crime film Riffifi, and I had heard this one might even be better. Also, the star is Richard Widmark, who I very much enjoyed in Pickup on South Street, and is pretty good here too. And Gene Tierney is famous, though I don't think I ever saw her in anything before.

Detective Story: No, not at all, and I once again regret making this one of my categories. This is a crime story, at least in part. It's about a small time hustler (not in the prostitute sense) who tries to con and bluff his way into a major business venture. However, one of the people he's crossed has it in for him, and sets the wheels in motion for his downfall.

Twisty, Turny Plot: Somewhat dense, for sure. It's one of those crime movie plots that I'm fond of, where it's complicated but also very character driven. Everybody has a different motive, and their actions set the plot in motion, rather than an arbitrary plot dictating their behavior.

Moral Ambiguity: The main character lies, cheats, steals, and even becomes violent towards women, all to achieve his dreams of success. He's a proper bastard, and yet strangely comes across as a complex, conflicted, and maybe at times sympathetic character. The ending is a doozy, powerful, bleak, and classic noir, where he performs a possibly redemptive act of self sacrifice... but it doesn't make him any less dead.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: It came as no surprise to me, but this is a great looking movie. It's got all the dark, seedy back alleys and dingy apartments and smoky clubs you could hope for in this kind of thing. Makes you wish they'd still occasionally shoot crime movies in black and white.

Overall Quality: I'm conflicted here. I think I went in with my hopes a little too high, or maybe I was expecting something different, but this took a while to get going for me, wasn't as heavy on the action as I was expecting, and only really slowly built it's way into becoming a crime movie. Still, it had a lot of interesting character work, great cinematography, and the more I think about it, the more I appreciate it. It sticks with you, especially the cold-blooded ending.

Hard to say where this ranks. I suspect that it may objectively be the best noir I've watched so far, but I also must admit that it was touch and go for the first half while I was watching.  It's stuck with me more than the other movies, and that's saying something, but didn't entertain me as much as some of the others. I'm sticking it in the 3rd spot, although I suspect my appreciation of it will grow if I ever see it again.

1) Act of Violence

2) Crime Wave

3) Night and the City

4) Mystery Street

5) Decoy

Quick Change

Saturday, September 13, 2008

This is a somewhat forgotten Bill Murray comedy with a sterling reputation, and I can see why. It's a pretty funny, pretty solid, somewhat goofy crime comedy that's elevated a bit by the strength of Murray's performance, as well as Jason Robards'.

It starts out with a bank heist, and I wonder if the guy who wrote Inside Man had seen this one, because the theives in Quick Change pull a somewhat similar, if much less complicated ruse.

Decoy

Thursday, September 11, 2008

4th movie watched for noir month, and I'm still working on my set. Some Netflixes should show up this weekend, so there should be more variety soon:

Detective Story: I should probably have labeled this category more broadly, because I just meant to describe the subgenre, and I guess I was expecting more of these to be detective movies for some reason. Oh well, too late now, I'm George Bushing this one, stay the course. This is not a detective story, although there is a detective character in a small role. This is a crime story, albiet a pretty ridiculous one.

Twisty, Turny Plot: A little bit, although mostly it's just absurd. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. It's about a femme fatale who steals the corpse of her recently executed (via gas chamber) boyfriend, and revives him with some weird, rare chemical that is apparently the antidote to the gas they use in the gas chamber. Not to save his life, but to find out where he stashed some loot. Sounds pretty silly, but they kind of treat the material with a straight face. Kind of.

Moral Ambiguity: Well, this is one of those crime movies where pretty much everybody is completely rotten. And since you're reveling in their bad behavior, you actively want them to do the wrong thing because it's more fun. You're rooting for all these people to screw each other over and kill each other off to get the money.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: Yes, this is not the best looking or best made noir I've watched for Noir Month, but it might have been the most overtly stylized. I was particularly fond of the POV shot from a guy dying in the gas chamber, and the weird, misty swamp that the characters end up in near the end. It's not the work of a master, but I do appreciate all the effort.

Overall Quality: Decent, I liked it, but it was probably my least favorite noir so far. ("Noir so far"?! That rhymes!). It had the weakest script and spotty acting in places. It's all told in a dying person's flashback for no discernable reason, except maybe to be like Double Indemnity or something. The twist ending isn't much of a shock. Still though, the plot is so silly, and the movie keeps throwing in weird details that I couldn't help but like it. It's desire to entertain is genuine, and I appreciated it's weirdness.

Like I said though, enjoyable but my least favorite so far:

1. Act of Violence
2. Crime Wave (had I thought of it, I would have watched this in a double feature with Sam Raimi's early, Coen Brothers penned comedy Crimewave. Oh well.)
3. Mystery Street
4. Decoy

Crime Wave

Wednesday, September 10, 2008


3rd one in the set. I hope to soon watch one from Netflix.

Notable Talent: The great Sterling Hayden plays one of the lead roles, and although it took me half the movie to figure it out, a young Charles Bronson plays one of the bad guys. Also, the director apparently did the Vincent Price House of Wax, which I was thinking I had seen but then I realized I was thinking of The Pit and the Pendulum, which was directed by Roger Corman. And in case I'm being confusing here: Crime Wave was not directed by Roger Corman, it was directed by the guy who did House of Wax which I haven't seen.


Detective Story: Sterling Hayden is a homicide detective in this one, but it's not a mystery, it's a hardboiled crime story. And although Hayden gets top billing, I'd say he shares equal screen time with one or two of the other characters. So, sorta.


Twisty, Turny Plot: Not labyrinthine, and not a mystery, but you're not always sure where it's going. There's also a fake-out at the end that's a little predictable, but also incredibly satisfying.


Moral Ambiguity: I would say so, yes. The story is about a former criminal, now going straight, who is visited by some old associates after a robbery goes bad. He doesn't want anything to do with helping them, but they insinuate themselves into his life and threaten to kill his wife unless he helps. Meanwhile, Sterling Hayden, who had busted the guy years ago, suspects the guy of helping the thugs out and begins harassing him, unconvinced that the guy has gone straight. So we have a former criminal who's sympathetic but has to help the bad guys, and a cop who's kind of an asshole but is also doing what he thinks is right. So, good stuff, although I was also surprised that this one had a happy ending, with both characters redeeming themselves.


Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: If I had to guess, I would guess that this was a low budget movie. Still, it looks pretty good, and the camera work was pretty stylish. It's not as overtly artsy in the lighting and whatnot, but finds the right gritty feel for the material.


Overall Quality: I wasn't surprised to see that James Ellroy recorded an audio commentary for the DVD, because this seems like it would be a big influence. It has the same gritty, tough guy sorta vibe to it, with several significant characters circling around each other in different subplots until they all collide at the end. This is a taut, entertaining crime movie with pretty good dialogue and some memorable tough guy performances. I enjoyed it a lot.


This one was a lot like the kind of crime novels I like to read, and had the kind of story that I'm predisposed to like. Still, I thought Act of Violence was a little more nuanced, with more fleshed out characters and some sweet cinematography, so that one stays in the stop spot.


1. Act of Violence
2. Crime Wave
3. Mystery Sreet

42 Up

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Okay, my last couple posts on this series basically work for this one.

One original comment: this entry has what might be considered a major plot twist. It turns out in this one that two of the subject end up making friends because of their involvement in the series. One, who has been homeless for many years and seems to be mentally ill, is helped out by another, and given a place to live while he gets back on his feet. I've considered this film series a noble use of the medium, and I suppose that is debatable. But at the very least, it has had a very literal positive impact on the life of at least one subject, where he maybe would not have been able to find this kind of help otherwise. That's pretty awesome.

The Godfather Part 3

Monday, September 8, 2008

Back with the final Godfather Monday, and I'm proud to announce that I have now seen the entire trilogy, which I believe officially makes me the last person on Earth to do so. Hurrah.

And I gotta say, it seemed to me that this one has a bad reputation, but I thought it was actually pretty okay. If nothing else, it's a solid crime movie. Yes, it was the worst of the three, but still contains some strong performances and some quality filmmaking. In fact, I would say that Michael's character comes off as more nuanced than in the previous films. Sure, Pacino has a few "hu-ah!" kinda moments, but he also is allowed to show more emotion, actually expressing guilt over his past actions, and yearning for redemption. Michael seemed a little one-note sometimes in the first two movies, here I think his misguided but genuine attempt at self-improvement makes his character more interesting.


The other thing I appreciated is that the story was more along the lines of the original film, with constant forward motion, suspense, action. There are a lot of memorable set-pieces, and the movie seems to keep building and building. Like I said in my last post, part 2 is the best all-around, but I thought it would have been an even better movie if it was done in this style.


I think the reason for this one's reputation isn't that it's a bad movie, but that it's flaws are way more evident than in the other films. Obviously, there's Sofia Coppola's much maligned performance, we don't even need to go there. Worse is the borderline incomprehensible plot that ties into some weird Catholic church conspiracy theory that would probably have seemed pretty ludicrous if I had managed to follow it at all. Maybe I didn't pay close enough attention, but it struck me that you would need to take notes if you wanted to decipher this plot.

I would also guess that people don't dig the ending of this one. Not the big climactic shootout, which was a little melodramatic, but the final scene. Coppola shows a montage of the women Michael has loved and lost in his life, and then, rather audaciously, cuts to years ahead, where Michael is an old man. After sitting a few moments, he slumps over in his chair and dies. The end. No fireworks, he's just an old man, all alone, who keels over in his chair. I have to say, I loved this ending, and in it's own weird way it was the perfect way to warp up the trilogy. You're anticipating the whole time that Michael might die in this one, but you're expecting something a lot more dramatic than this. Instead, after this complex and over-the-top story, we are shown a very honest moment.




On a whole, I think this worked better as a trilogy than it did as individual films. Parts 1 and 3 offered a more satisfying, entertaining crime fiction type of film, while part 2 provided a more nuanced story and history. The cumulative effect here is pretty good, you get your ice cream and you get your vegetables, but no one movie was a homerun for me. Which is why, ultimately (and here's where I'm going to sound like an insufferable contrarian) if we're talking all-time great mob movies, I would argue that Goodfellas and Once Upon a Time in America are the superior films. Both tell powerful, nuanced stories while also knowing how to deliver the entertainment that you're looking for in this genre. And what I mean is, they know how to do these things at the same time, instead of being more compartmentalized like they are here.


In fact, the superficial similarities between The Godfather Part 2 and Once Upon a Time in America are pretty numerous. They are both epic-lengthed mob flicks starring Robert De Niro, that jump back in forth through time, in part telling the story of how a mob boss comes into power in early 1900's New York. This probably warrants closer examination, but I'm not the guy to do it.


Anyways, I liked these movies.

Mystery Street

Monday, September 9, 2008

Okay, here we are with our 2nd entry in my Noir Month series, which also happens to be the 2nd movie in the noir box set I recently purchased. I'm sure that's just a coicidence.

Notable Talent (i.e. people I'm familiar with): The director is John Sturges, who is most famous for The Great Escape, but also did some other notable tough guy films. Ricardo Montalban is the star, though I've never seen him in anything except the Spy Kids pictures. He has a likable screen presence and it's cool seeing a minority in the lead role of an older film, so he gets my approval.

Detective Story: Yes indeed, though not of the private persuasion. This is a police procedural, about a homicide detective investigating the murder of a pregnant prostitute.

Twisty, Turny Plot: Well, they hide the killer's face at first, but then unmistakenly suggest his identity early in the film. It's more so about how the police get on his trail, and as I said before this is very much a procedural, not too dense of a msytery. The one amusing twist is that the detective works with some forensic specialist-types from Harvard, of whom he is initially skeptical but soon proves his mettle. These days, with all the millions of detective shows and never ending CSI spinoffs, we take all this crap for granted, so it's kind of charming to see a movie that thinks this forensic science stuff is all new and strange.

Moral Ambiguity: Well, the good guys are clearly good and the bad guy clearly bad, and we aren't meant to sympathize with any criminals or anything. In fact, overall I'd say this one wasn't notably noir-y, more just a straight forward cop movie. One interesting touch in this department is that for a while, the main character aggressively investigates a man that he believes may be guilty, but we the audience know is not. He's a bit tactless or at least a little inconsiderate during the investigation, and ends up causing the innocent man and his wife a lot of undue stress, and even maybe harasses them a little. The detective is otherwise a likable character, so it's a neat detail, perhaps implying that his asshole-ish behavior is just part of the job.

Sweet-ass Shadowy Black and White Cinematography: This is a well made, well shot movie, but again, it's not overtly noir in it's style. The streets aren't shadowy enough, the clubs aren't smokey enough, too much happens in the daytime or in well lit spaces.

Overall Quality: This is an all-around solid cop movie, nothing great, but consistantly entertaining, with a likable lead performance and one or two memorable supporting turns. It's well paced and the action is well staged. I have no real complaints except that it's not really film noir, or at least not much of one.

Okay, ranking what I've watched so far this month:

1. Act of Violence
2. Mystery Street

Mystery Street was a reasonably entertaining cop film, but I found Act of Violence to be a far more compelling and complex experience.

Okay, not much of a list yet, but we'll get there. I hope.

High Fidelity

Sunday, September 7, 2008

John Cusack is fucking great. I just wanted to put that out there.