The Mechanic (1972), Review

The Mechanic, 1972
Reviewed by: Dan S.
Directed by: Michael Winner
Written by: Lewis John Carlino
Starring: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincet.
Language: English

The Mechanic excels when it's at its most thoughtful and methodical. The long wordless sequences of a cerebral Bronson tediously plotting and staging smooth complex hits are fascinating and rewarding for the patient viewer. Set to Fielding's quiet spooky piano score and natural sounds, Winner uses mature camera work, beautiful moody lighting, and some creative flash editing to draw you into the unspoken existential crisis of this stoic aging assassin as he spends his lonely free time between jobs enjoying the finest wines, staring at morbid paintings, and in one of the film's more painful depressing scenes....paying prostitutes to read detached love letters to him.

Unfortunately the tense movie seems to draw towards its inevitable climax far too soon while the more elaborate gunplay and bomb throwing action attempts that dominate the final act are blandly shot, cheap looking, and ultimately dated despite beautiful Italian locations. Set mostly in fashionable but dreary 70s mansions, the rugged street wise Bronson looks out of place at points, but maybe that's the point, he's ultimately a caveman confused and lost in the solitary gentleman charade of his own creation. This might be his finest acting, his weary pained expressions conveying a terrible dread and internal conflict he simply can't bring himself to face. He's compellingly ambiguous, never letting us know what's really on his mind. As Bronson's sociopathic understudy and only other major character, the youthful Jan Michael Vincent is painfully wooden and unconvincing, but given his character, it oddly works.

Rating:

Harry Brown Review

Harry Brown, 2009
Reviewed by: Dan S.
Directed by: Daniel Barber
Written by: Gary Young
Starring: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, and Doug Bradley.
Language: English

Bleeding its average running time for all its worth, Harry Brown is a moody slow burner that builds and builds with sickening dread before ambushing the viewer with jubilant righteous violence and gritty tough guy action. Impressive debut director Daniel Barber establishes a paranoid detailed atmosphere of gloomy urban decay where threatening graffiti covers every wall, heavy shadows conceal unthinkable menace, and savage gang beatings leave random victims bloody messes on the pavement. The few uncompromising glimpses of harsh street life the film offers are more than enough as they are incredibly uncomfortable to watch. The mostly piano based ambient score is, not surprisingly, the unnerving atonal sound of a horror film. The action sequences that dominate the fast-paced second act are limited to brief bursts of realistic gun play that may lack flash, but are uncommonly intelligent and suspenseful.

Sparing us not even a single wrinkle, thinning white hair, or dry cough, Caine looks his years and then some. The helplessness he expresses during the initial stages of the movie is absolutely heart wrenching, but despite his frailties, he gives the impression of someone holding back a terrible darkness within himself. Even after he gradually regains the intimidating posture and icy stare of his classic gangster roles, great pains are taken to make him a credible threat, while still constantly reminding the viewer of his physical limitations and vulnerabilities. The supporting cast is top catch, a memorable rogues gallery of villains that range from pathetic junkie hustlers to cocky punks, and a terrifying drug dealer that looks like the bastard child of Charles Manson and Scott Wieland. The great David Bradley provides some powerful moments in a small, sympathetic part while the compassionate Emily Mortimer offers welcomed breaks from the harsh masculine brutality that dominates the film.

Rating:

Kiss Me Deadly Review

Kiss Me Deadly, 1955
Reviewed By: Dan S.
Directed By: Robert Aldrich
Written By: A.I. Bezzerides
Starring: Ralph Meeker, Maxine Cooper, Cloris Leachman, Albert Dekker
Language: English

With cheesy music cues, stationary camerawork, and conservative editing, Kiss Me Deadly  is very much a budget movie of its time. With the exception of a few on location scenes in downtown Los Angeles, the mostly nocturnal action is usually confined to cramped interior apartment sets. The nightmarish opening stands out as the most elaborate and stylized sequence, setting the strange and seedy tone of the movie nicely. But while there is nothing atypical or overly impressive about the look of the rest of the movie the fun performances, unusually violent protagonist, and bizarre plot twists elevate this otherwise modest production. The script is dialogue heavy and the stylized banter is certainly a product of its times but it is also amusing and witty. There are a few betrayals, kidnappings, and other noir clichés that spice up the plot, but ultimately its the weird apocalyptic elements introduced in the climatic final act that leave the biggest impression, especially the original shocking ending. Unfortunately, the newly restored ending found on the DVD release lacks the same punch.

The action is spacious by modern standards but still in great abundance and fairly frequent as leading man Ralph Meeker abuses would be assassins and informants with cringe inducing smacks and punches; the sadistic glee on his face when engaging in said violence being an interesting and particularly unsettling detail to his performance. Considering his complete lack of empathy for anyone around him, Mike Hammer would be thoroughly unlikable if he wasn't so naturally cool and badass. The rest of the movie is populated by rather horny dames and a huge memorable cast of weirdoes that are as strange looking as they are written. The mystery that drives the movie really isn't that important, it's all just an excuse for Hammer to cruise around the city in his hip sports car and terrorize/manipulate anyone he thinks can help him crack the case. Lynch and Tarantino took more than a few notes here.

Rating:

Year of the Dragon Review

Year of the Dragon, 1985
Reviewed by: Daniel S.
Directed by: Michael Cimino
Written By: Oliver Stone, Michael Cimino
Starring: Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane Koizumi, Dennis Dun.

Language: English

Scripted by Oliver Stone, Year of the Dragon is a dark, edgy, and complex action film rich in weighty character study and politically incorrect social issues. Working with a huge budget, award winning director Michael Cimino suavely glides his camera through gorgeous detailed sets that range from elaborate urban settings to drab suburban trappings and even exotic global locations. Despite the early 80s setting and a few dated hair cuts, the film is strangely timeless, drawing heavily from the gritty look of classic gangster films. The shoot outs and chase sequences are small scale and spacious but bloody and shocking when they erupt at unexpected moments, escalating in brutality and emotional impact as the film progresses. There's also some impressive real car wreckage you just don't see in modern films.

Already world weary and battle scarred, Mickey Rourke dominates the movie as its morally ambiguous protagonist, delivering a charismatic but layered performance that demands the audience understand him even if they don’t completely like everything about him. He comes across as racist, sexist, and selfish but also genuinely tragic and heroic. The physicality he brings to the role is also impressive; his crude realistic punches putting the decade’s bigger action stars to shame. The soft spoken John Lone is as classy and unusual as villains get, ruthless but cool and oddly likable. Tall husky voiced, Ariane Koizumi gives a strong supporting performance as Rourke’s reluctant lover, their anti-cliche romance seeming geniune despite an emotional distance on the surface. Dennis Dun also shines in a brief but sympathetic role.

Rating:

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Review

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, 2009

Reviewed by Dan S.

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Written by: William Finklestein

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Brad Dourif, and Xzibit.

Bearing only superficial similarities to the brutal 1992 neo noir Bad Lieutenant, ...Port of Call New Orleans is not so much a character study but the neutral observation of a police detective’s cocaine fueled descent into self destructive behavior. As the film unfolds it becomes clear that this is not a cautionary tale of redemption but a hilarious and suspenseful farce about how much this madman can get away with before it all catches up with him. Legendary German New Wave director Werner Herzog successfully executes his unique style to perfection as he explores the mad and surreal with exciting documentary grit and authenticity. The atmosphere is muggy and suffocating as the hot Louisiana sun constantly blares through shuttered windows in a natural but slightly stylized way. Without the use of any CGI or artificial staging, the camera often hypnotically dwells on natural cloud formations, interesting locals, and live exotic animals, while sporadic drug induced hallucinations are so casually presented they are as real to the viewer as the tripping Lieutenant himself. Conducting a diverse standout score, Mark Isham’s moody jazz evokes classic film noir with a strange acid twist while the frequent use of classic blues recordings add to the New Orleans vibe.

In the film’s most prominent supporting role, a rough looking Eva Mendes shines with a shockingly solid dramatic performance as a sympathetic prostitute. Dourif and Kilmer add interesting color in small character parts, but this is really the Nic Cage show, and everyone else is just props for him to project his misguided affection and profane rage upon. Herzog lets Hollywood’s craziest leading man run wild and the gamble pays off. Much like the veteran director, Cage really doesn’t add any new dimension to his game, but his jittery bug-eyed histrionics have never been better timed and more appropriately staged. His exaggerated mannerisms and outbursts are not distracting over acting - they are the foundation the movie is built around.

Rating: