pmjarriq Reviews

L'ex (1996 TV Movie)

Wrong film

[25 February 2005]

I just wanted to tell you, IMDb people, that you mixed two very different films : first "L'Ex" a french made for TV movie, directed by Patrick Jamain, produced by Hamster productions and starring Bernard Giraudeau, Christine Boisson, Alicia Alonso and Elisabeth Vitali in the title role. It's a bitter-sweet comedy set in Paris, about a middle-aged television writer struggling with alcohol and divorce from his cold wife-producer. The other film is "The Ex", a Canadian thriller-suspense. These two productions were made around the same time with similar titles, but have nothing else in common. If the actors credits are from the french film, the crew is the Canadian-U.S. one, as is the poster. It's a bit confusing...

Mongo's Back in Town (1971 TV Movie)

Unforgettable

[8/10 · 25 January 2005]

I saw this TV movie a while ago, but never forgot it. Why ? Probably because it was a hard boiled, mean, violent and dark "film noir", in the "Charley Varrick" mood, and because the hero (Mongo) was a brutal hit man seeking revenge on his brother, beating his girl friend (sweet young Sally Field) and died alone, standing in the pouring rain. Joe DOn Baker is absolutely great in this part, really tough, not even with a golden heart. His encounter with a blind man when he arrives in town is quite shocking. Telly Savalas played a Kojak-like cop, his sidekick was a very young Martin Sheen (in his James Dean days) and Anne Francis was perfect as always as the girl who left one brother for the other. I wonder why this marvelous film never showed up on video, especially on DVD. It deserves a cult status.

Chato's Land (1972)

Director's cut

[11 December 2004]

It's a good euro western that has aged quite well. The U.S. edition is different from the European one : the rape scene was reshot with no nudity, the burning of Bronson's brother is far more violent and gory, some bloody close ups have been removed. The french DVD issued last year contains the "director's cut" and really is a better one. Same thing for another Michael Winner western from this period : "Lawman" in which the euro version shows more of Sheree North's breasts and much more blood. These are not really "director's cuts" per se, but alternative versions of the same film for different countries. Tarantino recently did that with "Kill Bill".

The Valachi Papers (1972)

Wires

[7 December 2004]

"The Valachi papers" is so badly done, so cheap that not only you can spot modern cars among old ones, but you can see the wires during the shootouts ! It's really too bad, because it was an interesting subject (the first mafioso breaking the omerta) and a Bronson film is always a treat. But Bronson is definitely not Italian and everything is wrong with him in this part : his voice, his mannerisms, his looks. The wigs are terrible too, especially when Valachi is supposed to be in his twenties. Bronson was 52 at the time ! Joseph Wiseman and Lino Ventura are very good as godfathers of the old school, but with different methods. Terence Young as always, can't make a decent film. "The Valachi papers" is available in France, in a good copy, but only in french language, this being a french-Italian co-production.

Cold Sweat (1970)

The first one

[5 July 2004]

Yeah, it's a terrible euro-pudding bomb, and Terence Young never was much of a director, but it's also a film I saw when I was 12, where I discovered Bronson. As bad as the film (really !) is, CB is physically at his absolute best in it : thick moustache, black T-shirt, pumped-up muscles, he walks through "Cold sweat" with an incredible presence. Of course, his couple with Liv Ullmann is laughable, James Mason looks bored to death (he should be), Jill Ireland is pathetic as a hippie drug dealer (she did it again in "Assassination" years later). But as far as Bronson's mythology is concerned (in Europe, at least), "Cold sweat" meant something at the time. The first time he was publicized as a superstar. For fans only...