This film has a *lot* bad things about it. They are pretty obvious when you see the picture. That's why I only gave it a '6'.
However, instead of focusing on the many bad points, let me point out some very nice things about it: It looks realistic. The streets of New York are alive. The alleys and the interiors are authentic and give you a sense of actually being there. The story (written by Kubrick) is believable.
The last 15 minutes of the film is a real nail-biter. While the final action scenes are certainly choreographed, I never felt as though I was watching Kubrick's second film. Even then, he knew what he was doing, he just made a lot of mistakes (needless to say, he got better).
I was going to avoid negativity but I am compelled to say the sound department for this feature did a horrible, sloppy job; that alone takes 3 stars away from my rating.
But worth watching for the last couple of scenes, which are amongst the best (or at the least, most memorable) film-noir scenes in history, in my book.
However, instead of focusing on the many bad points, let me point out some very nice things about it: It looks realistic. The streets of New York are alive. The alleys and the interiors are authentic and give you a sense of actually being there. The story (written by Kubrick) is believable.
The last 15 minutes of the film is a real nail-biter. While the final action scenes are certainly choreographed, I never felt as though I was watching Kubrick's second film. Even then, he knew what he was doing, he just made a lot of mistakes (needless to say, he got better).
I was going to avoid negativity but I am compelled to say the sound department for this feature did a horrible, sloppy job; that alone takes 3 stars away from my rating.
But worth watching for the last couple of scenes, which are amongst the best (or at the least, most memorable) film-noir scenes in history, in my book.