Change Your Image
myriamlenys
Reviews
L'énigme blanche (1985)
Well-plotted and atmospheric thriller
A group of long-time friends retire to a distant chalet, supposedly for a relaxing ski vacation. Things go south after one of the participants announces that he has had his wife followed by a private detective. Consequently he has become the owner of a well-furnished file on his wife's adulterous affair. The party becomes less than convivial...
It's not easy to make a surprising and suspenseful thriller about a limited group of persons evolving in and around the same isolated spot. "L'énigme blanche" rises to the challenge, with considerable success. The characters are intriguing and the plot is quite ingenious, coming complete with a murder method of diabolical simplicity. Upon watching the movie, Dame Agatha Christie might have kicked herself for not coming up with the idea. "L'énigme blanche" also generates a pervasive air of menace. It is pretty clear from the beginning that someone or something will desecrate the immaculate beauty of the surroundings - but how ? And when ?
The movie showcases the talents of some very fine actors, who give beautifully nuanced and ambiguous performances.
I've never read the novel the work was based on, but now it's on my "to do" list.
Resurrection (1980)
Boasts a stellar performance by Ellen Burstyn
Having lost her much-beloved husband in a car crash, a crippled woman tries to rebuild her life. Her near-death experience as a result of the accident seems to have left her with unusual powers. An encounter with a little girl suffering a nosebleed - or worse - indicates a gift for healing the sick...
"Resurrection" is a striking mix of drama and fantasy/horror. Although a bit too sentimental in parts, it is kept on the straight and narrow by terrific acting. Ellen Burstyn in particular shines as the protagonist, a very human individual embarking on a long and strange voyage of discovery. The "near-death" sequence during the first half of the movie is well-done and quite evocative, what with a variety of friends and family members showing up in order to point the patient towards the light.
The movie provides a great deal of food for thought, and not just with regard to mortality and the after-life. Which would be the more unsettling - miracles that fit in neatly with an established religious narrative or miracles that don't fit in neatly with an established religious narrative ?
Would make a most intriguing double-bill with "Black rainbow". (Wrote a short review there too.)
Docteur Justice (1975)
Do take some more lobster, captain
"Docteur Justice" is based on the adventures of a 1970's comic book hero called Benjamin Justice, a good-looking medical doctor and humanitarian who also happens to be an expert in Japanese martial arts. (I've got to say that this strikes me as an admirably efficient protagonist : what's more humane than patching up an opponent after you've dislocated his shoulder ?) Sadly this is as far as my knowledge of the 1970's comic book series goes, meaning that other reviewers will be able to tell you more sensible things about the movie's origin.
The movie, which belongs to the action/adventure genre, seems to be targeted at adolescents - to be precise, adolescent males - rather than adults, which may or may not be linked to the nature of the source work. It tells a not entirely credible story about ruthless gangsters stealing whole cargos of petroleum. This dastardly plot ties in with an even more dastardly mad-scientist plot to combat overpopulation. You'll notice that our protagonist, the good doctor, is not especially daunted by the spectre of an ever-expanding human population depleting Earth's resources. According to him, it'll all come out in the wash. Possibly he's one of those people who can't grasp the idea of exponential curves.
Part of the action is set in my native country of Belgium. This results in a magnificently surreal scene where you see the protagonist fighting off his attackers against the backdrop of a jewel-like Medieval city. ("Oh-oh-oh-oh ! Everybody was kung-fu fighting, until it became time to visit St. Salvator's Cathedral.")
On the whole the movie is serviceable enough, as long as one doesn't expect anything in the way of societal insight or psychological depth. Admirers of Gert Fröbe can see him serving king-sized portions of ham in his role as the gang boss. Actually he's serving quite a lot of food, since the gang boss doubles as a highly competent ship's cook. (What IS this movie's obsession with multi-tasking efficiency ? Was the screenplay written by Henry Ford ?) One of the dishes whipped up by Fröbe is called "lobster stricken by love's madness", which find, in my humble, justifies a commemorative mention in the world's cookbooks.
The Final Curtain (2002)
intriguing but flawed
An aged entertainer has become a household name by hosting family-friendly game shows. A much younger rival, also a personal enemy, presents a more edgy and controversial show. In private both men turn out to be equally mean, grasping and manipulative. The budding author hired in order to write the old entertainer's biography gets sucked into a maelstrom of nastiness...
"The final curtain" stands at the crossroads of various genres, such as crime/thriller, drama, satire and even Greek tragedy. In order to function fully, such a work would need an exceptional surety and uniformity of tone. Regrettably this is not the case, as the tone flickers and wavers. Moreover, some loose plot ends are left dangling - especially, I think, with regard to the biographer character.
Still, the movie has its assets, most notably in the shape of fine performances by Peter O'Toole (who plays the old game show host) and Aidan Gillen (who plays his young rival). O'Toole in particular is outstanding, creating an old grotesque who has become monstrous both through an outsize hunger for popularity and through a refusal to accept his own mortality. The sets, props and costumes are all admirable, creating a convincing social environment.
As satires go, this one is mordant and bleak. The plot deals with two unpleasant men who hide their true nature behind a carefully erected façade. Both rely not only on their own ingenuity, but also on assistants (read fixers, troubleshooters and PR specialists) whose job it is to help maintain the façade. This involves squashing unsavory truths about their boss, while digging up dirt and inventing rumors about the opposition. Meanwhile the great television viewing public is being manipulated left, right and center.
Be aware that the movie contains some shocking violence, such as a scene of an innocent man being beaten round the head.
Appointment with a Shadow (1957)
a member of the noir/crime family
An alcoholic newspaperman has been trying the patience of his nearest and dearest. Now he is given the opportunity to cover a sensational story sure to relaunch his faltering career. However, this would mean him staying sober for a whole day...
"Appointment with a shadow" is doubtlessly a member of the vast and sprawling noir/crime family, coming complete with evil or morally ambiguous characters, ethically dubious situations and touches of dark, absurd wit. The plot takes an unforeseen turn and there's a clever riff on the trope of the treacherous gun moll. The whole is professionally made and the various actors do their best.
Sadly enough the beginning of "Appointment with a shadow" is both slow and static, meaning that it takes time for the ball to get rolling. The movie as a whole could easily lose a quarter of an hour.
One of the storylines concerns an alcoholic who obtains a new lease on life thanks to the love and trust of a devoted fiancée. At this point I'd like to draw your attention to a noir/fantasy movie called "Repeat performance", the plot of which deals with a woman trying to keep her alcoholic husband on the straight and narrow. Months of helping, comforting, cajoling and cuddling do not - to put it mildly - lead to success. I rather fear that "Repeat performance" may be closer to the truth, statistically speaking.
Blindpassasjer (1978)
Deserves wider attention and popularity than it's currently getting
Refreshed and merry, the crew members of spaceship Marco Polo awaken from their artificial sleep. However, all is not well with their spaceship. After a study of the surveillance data the five people involved - three women and two men - discover that someone or something has slipped aboard, with unknown intent. The hunt for the mysterious stowaway is on...
To divulge more about the plot would be a crime against suspense, so I'll just say that "Blindpassasjer" is based on an original and striking premise. This Norwegian mini-series is a fine example of ideas-driven science fiction. The viewer is invited to ponder a whole new type of conundrum ; at the same time, the viewer is invited to think about the infinite dangers and opportunities involved in a further exploration of the cosmos.
The ending of the mini-series is bitter. One is left wondering at the ultimate fate of the survivors, who have found out unpalatable truths about themselves and about each other. The survivors have also discovered that their bosses think they're dispensable, which will probably shut down any future cooperation. Now that the mirror has cracked, there's no going back.
"Blindpassasjer" is quite a good mini-series : well-directed, well-written and well-acted. The five main characters emerge as recognizable individuals, each with their own personality and skill set. Thankfully the female characters too are depicted as fully adult experts capable of analyzing complex problems. (Note their practical, sensible clothes.) It's a pleasant change from the many science fiction movies or series where the women exist only in order to scream, to faint and to provide eye candy.
I thought that the interior of the spaceship looked convincing enough, but that the scenes showing the spaceship in motion left something to be desired. Still, one can't have everything...
Norwegians may be interested to know that in my mother tongue, Dutch, stowaway translates as "blinde passagier". The similarity is obvious.
Age of Treason (1993)
Odd doesn't begin to describe it
Working as a private investigator in imperial Rome, Marcus Didius Falco is even shorter of money than usual. His attempt to jog a customer into paying his bill leads to an unforeseen result : he becomes the owner of a giant gladiator. It's yet another headache to add to a growing list of worries...
"Age of treason" is based on the work of Lindsey Davis, the author of numerous comedic detective novels set in ancient Rome. As an adaptation it's pretty bad. The intrigue feels like a slapdash mix of plot elements, characters and incidents developed over several books.
Time for me to go into one of my favorite rants, to wit : why would anyone want to acquire the rights to source work, only to twist it beyond recognition ? There is no law that says you have to like the oeuvre of author X, Y or Z, but the least you can do is to leave it alone. And if you feel you can devise better detective or thriller plots on your own : please go ahead and write your own books, the world is anxious to welcome new talent.
But I digress. "Age of treason" functions - I use the word loosely - as a buddy cop mystery set in the first century A. D. Two mismatched men gradually learn to understand and respect each other. Meanwhile they have to navigate a series of criminal puzzles which, taken in conjunction, point to a high-level political conspiracy. Both actors involved are pretty likeable and there are some funny wisecracks to savor, but it is difficult to take the whole enterprise seriously. The effects, for instance, are crummy, screaming "Fake ! Fake !" at every turn. Consequently the viewer's suspension of disbelief takes a battering worthy of a hard-fought boxing match. The movie's canvas also feels too small, as does the budget. This is history reduced and condensed to some surreal bouillon cube format.
The viewer will notice that the Rome depicted in "Age of treason" is a hellscape that would give pause to a Hieronymus Bosch. This Rome is a seething cauldron of violence, injustice and inequality, where orphaned children can be turned into killing machines and where starving war veterans can be hanged for stealing a loaf of bread. Behind every street corner lurks a scavenger. The violence goes hand in hand with vice, to the point where even religion has become an excuse for adultery and debauchery. About the only thing the average citizen can hope for is that the current emperor will prove to be reasonably sane, given that a non-sane emperor might want to kill people for existing on the same planet as him. (The giant baleful head of Nero that pursues Falco through the streets is one of the movie's best finds, both visually and narratively.)
Classics teachers of a more adventurous nature could try and show "Age of treason" to their class, as part of a discussion as to its realism - or lack of it. However, this could be a double-edged sword, since the teacher might end up facing twenty teenagers who speak Latin with an Aussie accent. Horresco referens, mate !
Assignment K (1968)
Drowns in vast amounts of couleur locale
A toy manufacturer leads a double life, running an independent network of spies. The network has already scored admirable results while working for British intelligence. During the smuggling of an important piece of microfilm it becomes clear that adversaries are watching...
"Assignment K" is a spy movie, although a spy movie disastrously overgrown with couleur locale. The first part is basically a travelogue about expensive wintersports. There's many a scene of beautiful people indulging in skiing, in après-ski badinage, in travels across Kitzbühel, in romantic outings to snug little inns and picturesque guesthouses, and so on. As a viewer you sit there thinking : "That's all very well, but I was hoping for more espionage stuff - you know, some tale about spycraft, calculation and betrayal, preferably told with a bit of flair. But perhaps that's about to improve". Alas, it's back for another round of sightseeing, complete with ravishing locations and picturesque attractions. And once again the espionage intrigue takes a back seat.
After the movie's ended viewers may feel as though they've been buried under a stack of travel leaflets.
It's a pity because one senses that, half-hidden in the movie, there's a better movie trying to claw its way to the surface. It's also a pity because Stephen Boyd does quite well playing the lead role. Moreover there are some funny lines, hinting at a sense of humor.
"Assignment K" is another one of those movies that invite the question : how many hours are there in a day ? The protagonist is a person who manufactures toys AND who runs a network of spies. He's also a fine sportsman and skier. In between these activities he hangs out with glitterati and pitches woo at society lovelies. Let's say that he begins each day at 5 a.m., taking a healthful cold shower followed by a quick but well-balanced breakfast. That would still leave a lot of stuff to cram into his waking hours. And remember, there might be yet other facets to his personality than the ones highlighted in the movie, meaning that, on top of all that, he might be a prison chaplain, a Morris dancer and an expert on Turkish health care. It's probably we, the viewers, who sabotage our own lives...
The Sorcerers (1967)
Sure to stick in the memory
In "The sorcerers" a bored young man participates in a test of cutting-edge technology. This turns out to be an excruciatingly bad idea, as he now finds himself under the mental control of two old people. One of the old people is a well-meaning but deluded idealist, while the other one is a vicious beldame who combines a liking for vicarious living with a craving for strong sensations. Bloodshed follows.
As a horror movie, "The sorcerers" is a knowing, intelligent update of all those age-old beliefs about people obtaining unearned power through occult means. Notable for its fine direction, casting and acting, the movie generates a highly sinister atmosphere. There is a sense of a dark and messy evil rearing its head in a modern city full of expensive shops, fast cars and bright young things in fashionable clothes. About the only serious criticism I've got, is that the violence starts and escalates too quickly. It might have been more effective to start with a few silly incidents - the young man sticking out his tongue at bobbies, for instance, or drawing a beard on a portrait of prince Philip - before moving on to full-blown crime.
In a way, "The sorcerers" can also be read as a warning against idleness, aimlessness and ennui. Here we've got a clever, healthy and handsome young man who doesn't seem to have much purpose in life beyond making love to girlfriends, hanging out with mates and visiting popular nightclubs. (Note the female singer singing a tune that might have pleased Amy Winehouse.) In spite of, or perhaps because of, all these attractions he has grown bored, bored, bored to the point where he is desperate for something new. Consequently he accepts a most peculiar offer from a stranger, whereas the normal response would have consisted of running away screaming. Thus - arguably - he becomes complicit in his downfall.
In short, an intriguing and striking horror movie. Might make an interesting double bill with "The Ipcress file" (1965).
Fortune Is a Woman (1957)
Well-made thriller, very British in style and feel
An insurance investigator is asked to visit the site of a small accidental fire. Much to his surprise, he discovers that the lady of the house is the woman with whom he had a passionate love affair five years earlier. Still a most attractive woman, his old flame has married into a once-prominent family fallen upon hard times...
"Fortune is a woman" is a well-made and enjoyable thriller with a twisty plot. Called upon to examine a routine case, our insurance investigator gradually finds himself facing ever more puzzles, both of an intellectual and a moral nature. At one point his clandestine incursion into a mansion will have him confronting not one but two unforeseen problems at the same time. (A very suspenseful scene, this one.)
As befits a British thriller movie, "Fortune is a woman" uses wit and humor as a counterbalance. There's even a successful running joke, in the shape of a posh sexpot who is convinced she's made yet another conquest. The character is but seconds away from pulling the protagonist's earlobe while growling "You're a naughty, naughty boy - but I like it".
Behind the thriller intrigue there arises a wider societal environment, made up of members of the aristocracy and landed gentry confronted with crumbling mansions and rising taxes. So how does one repair all those leaking gutters ? By cutting down on the breakfast kedgeree, by marrying an American heiress or by selling that old Dutch master that papa liked so much ?
Flight to Mars (1951)
A bland, tepid piece of space opera
In which astronauts from Earth make it to the planet Mars, only in order to discover that Martians can be two-faced and treacherous too. (Mind you, female Martians really rock those micro-skirt and ankle boots combinations.)
Apart from some interesting uses of color, "Flight to Mars" is a remarkably bland and tepid piece of space opera. The plot is pedestrian and most attempts at generating awe, excitement or suspense fall flat. Little effort was made at giving Martian civilization an alien look or feel.
Still, "Flight to Mars" does offer moments of involuntary humor. The movie pretty much starts with a group of stalwart heroes declaring that they really, truly, deeply want to travel to Mars, even if that were to mean death or permanent exile from Earth. Nothing is going to stop Mankind from exploring the solar system ! Our common destiny calls ! As soon as the spacecraft takes off, the stalwart heroes begin to moan and mope about the dangerous nature of their mission. Meanwhile their intellectual and emotional unpreparedness is such, that someone has to explain where the term "shooting stars" came from. Possibly their training consisted of frequent outings to the beach.
The Tower (1993)
Work, the key to health and happiness
Modern business culture has unleashed at least three types of godawful workplace on the world. First comes the kind of workplace led by a self-proclaimed visionary who cultivates his eccentricities like orchids and who expects his employees to tremble before his slightest whim. Secondly there's the workplace that pummels everyone into conformity with regard to every possible aspect of office life, including the length of shoe laces and the content of lunch boxes. Last but not least there's the workplace situated in a fortress maze where badge-toting people need to navigate a multitude of checks, codes and passwords. If, as an employee, you are particularly unlucky, you may find yourself working for a business that combines all three of these characteristics. In this case it won't take long before you start praying for a black hole to swallow Earth.
Enter the protagonist of "The tower", who, on his very first day at work, discovers he's strayed into one of these hell-holes. His unwitting transgression of house rules causes him to catch the eye of the genius loci, a computer system tasked with supervising and protecting the towering office building. Having decided that the new employee is both a threat and an intruder, the computer system sets out to remove him. With extreme prejudice.
"The tower" unites at least two genres, to wit science fiction and dark social satire. The tale being told is a cautionary one about the ever-continuing dehumanization of employees. Here, the flesh-and-blood creatures working in the building have become mere cogs in a machine. As a result they can be replaced or discarded without compunction.
So is it a good movie ? I've got to say that my own impression was mixed. On the plus side, the movie does offer an enjoyable blend of action, suspense and tongue-in-cheek wit. It also offers some memorable portrayals of unpleasant people, such as the boss who sees himself as a peerless leader and visionary. The character - aptly named Mr. Littlehill - bears an uncanny resemblance to some of the current celebrity oligarchs who bend our ears about their desire to colonize Mars / to sire superior offspring / to bring back flogging / to build a luxury yacht capable of catching whales.
On the other hand the visual and special effects do not always convince. Moreover, the movie rather insults the viewer's intelligence by having the protagonist walk away from accidents that should have killed or maimed him. (Just watch him fall through that succession of screens.) That's some sloppy writing right here.
The Mad Magician (1954)
Prepare for some industrial-strength creepiness...
"The mad magician" may be drenched in liberal amounts of melodrama and coincidence, but this does not keep it from being relentlessly entertaining. The movie is also magnificently creepy. The great Vincent Price, who plays the protagonist, shines as a talented artist and inventor whose work gets stolen by more rapacious men. Pushed into a corner, he embarks on a journey of retaliation and revenge. (The "mad" in the title is relative, since the protagonist has good reason to feel hard done-by. Still, what to think of a person who invents magical tricks based on a crematorium-type oven ?)
The tale is mainly set in a world of professional magicians. Good prop work creates chaotic interiors strewn with accessories and masks, suggesting an environment where normal boundaries and constraints have been catastrophically erased. Such an environment might generate everything and anything, from a deceased man stepping out into the streets to a faceless mannequin who used to be alive.
Sadly enough, the ending feels like a concession to the "crime is always punished" convention. Well, there's always something...
Le roi carotte (2015)
Welcome resurrection of a much-neglected work
"Le roi carotte" resulted from a collaboration between Jacques Offenbach (music) and Victorien Sardou (libretto). It is one of the lesser-known works by Offenbach. It has been neglected by history not because it is bad - it is actually quite good - but because it demands huge efforts in terms of costs, costumes and stagecraft. There's also a question of length : a performance of the full, unabridged version is said to take half a day. Consequently it takes an enormous amount of pluck in order to tackle this sprawling, gargantuan creation.
What we've got here is a modern adaptation plus abbreviation, which wisely reduces the running time of this opéra-bouffe-féerie to more normal lengths. The main plot deals with a weak and incompetent prince who is ousted by... an XXL carrot. While the usurper carrot rules, the prince desperately seeks to redress the situation. The whole is doused in liberal amounts of magic, sleight-of-hand and fantasy, complete with witches and enchanted princesses. At one point the action consists of a voyage back into time to a soon-to-be-destroyed Pompeii. (Why Pompeii ? Because !)
It's an outstanding production where everything shines : the singing, the acting, the costumes, the sets, the stagecraft. (The costumes and make-up of the carrot king and his followers are particularly impressive.) Offenbach's music still ravishes and Sardou's wit still sparkles, for instance when satirizing the kind of all-round education for girls provided by a city like Paris. "Le roi carotte" also satirizes political opportunism, pointing out that many successful courtiers and many successful politicians owe their careers to an ability to turn like wind vanes.
Much recommended.
The Hot Potato (2012)
It fell off the back of a lorry, guv
Two shady chancers liberate a lead-lined box from the ruins of a destroyed building. Upon discovering that the box contains a lump of uranium, they realize they may be holding on to a fortune. Still, finding a reliable fence (or a consortium of reliable fences) isn't all that easy. Accompanied by a female accomplice, the thieves embark on a magical mystery tour of Europe...
"The hot potato" is said to have been inspired by a real-life story, which, if true, would indicate that humanity is even more completely scr*w*d than thought. "The hot potato" is a breezy mix of drama and comedy, notable mainly for its loving recreation of a certain time period, to wit the late 1960's. The movie is also notable for the quality of its acting. As a Belgian I'd like to point out that part of the action is set in Belgium, in cities like Ostend, Bruges and Brussels. (Go Belgium go !) The overall impression isn't bad, although the fun arrives mainly in discrete bursts.
In my humble the nature of the movie - a lighthearted, lightweight comedy - is not well suited to the gravity, indeed the horror of the premise. Here you've got a duo, later on a trio, of chancers who happen upon an object of great mystery, power and danger. So what do they do ? Well, their first thought is to sell it for a great deal of money, no questions asked ; they don't care whether the uranium is used in order to power a lighthouse, to heal the sick or to rain destruction upon millions of fellow human beings. As the movie progresses, our antiheroes meet ever more like-minded people with dollar signs in their eyes. It's not the stuff of comedy, unless we're talking about some bitterly twisted political satire/black comedy à la Dr. Strangelove.
Looker (1981)
a blend of thriller, science fiction and satire
Just now a politician campaigning for the presidency of the USA has seen fit to claim he's endorsed by an unsuspecting pop star. Some kind of visual trickery based on artificial intelligence seems to be involved. What a time to be alive !
It may also be time for a watch (or rewatch) of Crichton's "Looker", a prescient movie about the use and abuse of computer-generated images. The plot deals with a celebrated plastic surgeon who discovers that his patients are dying. The victims in question all share a common oddity : they were all gorgeous women who came in with very specific demands for minor alterations to face and body. When the plastic surgeon goes looking for answers, he uncovers a daunting conspiracy.
"Looker" succeeds best as a mix of satire and science fiction. In the movie, cutting-edge science and technology are being used in order to influence a passive and mesmerized television audience. Anything can be packaged and sold : perfumes, meals, detergents, policies, politicians. Meanwhile the models whose images are used over and over and over again have become surplus to requirements. And since capitalism is all in favor of removing the dead wood...
As a thriller, however, "Looker" falls into the "painfully obvious" category. There is never a doubt as to the identity and nature of the villains, who seem to be very very very bad at covering their tracks or defending themselves against intruders. (The mustachioed henchman in particular might have been more happy working as a pastry cook.) The main chills - sometimes also the main laughs - come from a series of inventive fights and pursuits involving a new type of weapon.
It needs to be said that "Looker" sends out some mixed messages. For a movie that deals with themes like the commodification of female beauty, it feels surprisingly comfortable showcasing a lot of female flesh. Moreover, the character of the male protagonist - our plastic surgeon - is problematic. Here we've got a doctor who is perfectly willing to cut into healthy bodies in order to make trivial pseudo-improvements. The man is not curing the sick and helping the disfigured : he shortens noses that do not need shortening and lengthens earlobes that do not need lengthening. It is hard to see such a man as something else than an insult to medicine and a drain on society. Heaven help us, if "healers" like these are all that stands between us and a torrent of malignant illusions.
Ligne de mire (2014)
a mix of thriller and drama
A teenage girl isn't particularly fond of her mother's boyfriend, who is unemployed. Every now and then she sneaks away without her heavily pregnant mother's permission in order to visit her biological father, a painter. This isn't a barrel of fun either, because the father wallows in self-pity. The whole group is engulfed by a sense of social and financial failure. Surprisingly, things are about to get worse...
There exists a Pierre Richard comedy in which a random citizen gets mistaken for a cold-blooded hitman, as a result of a trifling coincidence. Here the same premise is used as the starting point for a non-comedic mix of thriller and drama. An unemployed man steps into a taxi on his way to a job interview - and enters a whole new universe of temptation, violence and crime. The plot moves in unexpected directions, building up to quite a far-fetched climax. Swallowing, say, the last fourth of the movie requires an impressive suspension of belief on the viewer's part.
"Ligne de mire" also overflows with characters capable of predicting, analyzing or reconstructing almost any concatenation of events. It is likely that real-life individuals (whether policemen, criminals or ordinary citizens) would lose much more time pursuing false leads and distracting hypotheses.
Still, the acting is nice and the character of the relentless hitman is an intriguing one.
If you like this one, feel free to have a go at the Belgian movie "De premier" (The prime minister).
Sledge Hammer! (1986)
Hilarious spoof series
"Sledge Hammer" deals with the adventures of a police inspector immune to the siren blandishments of modern thought. Pretty much stuck in the nineteenth century, the man behaves like a sheriff in a Wild West town used to administer swift bullet-borne justice. Indeed, his sentimental attachment to his outsize non-regulation gun is such that he talks to it. Two other people, to wit his boss and his female colleague, try to rein in his worst "Shoot first and ask questions later" instincts. But what's an all-American red-blooded male supposed to do in a world beset by Elvis impersonators, devil worshippers and fashionable unisex hairdressers ?
"Sledge Hammer" spoofs a wide variety of movies and shows, most notably the "Dirty Harry" franchise. It spoofs them in an intelligent way, by identifying and mocking the underlying tropes and conventions. Each episode tells a different story but the three protagonists remain the same. (David Rasche, Harrison Page and Anne-Marie Martin all do very well, and their mutual chemistry is a joy to behold.) Overflowing with gags, visual finds and hilarious one-liners, the series also pokes fun at cultural phenomena such as America's continuing fascination with firearms. In one of the episodes, inspector Hammer's much-beloved gun gets stolen ; this misdeed so unmans him that he turns into a shadow of his former self. But after a reunion with his metal soul mate he immediately recovers his usual can-do, aggressive personality.
The thundering theme music - Danger ! Action ! Excitement ! -constitutes a superb pastiche on its own.
I especially recommend "Witless", "All shook up" and "Brother can you spare a crime".
Joe MacBeth (1955)
interesting crime / noir
A professional criminal, Joe MacBeth is the trusted henchman of a gang boss. On his wedding day, a raddled fortune teller tells him he's about to become "King of the city". MacBeth's ambitious wife is all in favor of the idea...
"Joe MacBeth" strips down the intrigue of Shakespeare's Scottish play and transposes it to an environment of professional gangsters. It also maintains its key themes, such as the awful crimes that people commit in order to gain and keep power. While doing so it ditches Shakespeare's language, at which point it becomes clear that it was Shakespeare's language which provided the tragedy with much of its depth, eeriness and resonance.
If one is willing to overlook the problem, one can find things to enjoy in "Joe MacBeth", such as sharply drawn characters and good acting. (Watch Sid James for a fine, decidedly non-comical performance as a faithful collaborator who becomes surplus to requirements.) The movie also makes excellent use of the black-and-white medium, especially during the finale. Probably the most striking scene is the banquet scene, during which an increasingly desperate MacBeth sees a murdered man sitting on one of the chairs.
If you like the movie, you can take a look at yet another daring adaptation of the Scottish play, to wit "Veeram" (2017).
Mystery Men (1999)
a knowing and ambitious spoof
"Mystery men" spoofs the superhero genre, for instance by depicting a fictional world in which the chief superhero safeguarding a city is a cocksure egotist obsessed with matters of PR, image and branding. Meanwhile the superhero's antagonist surrounds himself with minions like superannuated disco lovers and rabidly obnoxious frat boys. The movie also pokes fun at the ever-expanding nature of the genre, which is characterized by an explosive growth of the number of superheroes, villains and sidekicks. (Where's the UN when you need a non-proliferation agreement ?)
All of this sounds nice and indeed, much of it IS nice. The banter between the various characters is pretty enjoyable. The movie also contains striking, original finds, such as "The bowler", a second-tier superheroine whose crystal bowling ball contains the skull of her murdered father. However, there are dead stretches that should have been weeded out before release. Furthermore, one gets the impression that some scenes and characters were re-worked and re-imagined multiple times. This results in tonal and narrative uncertainties.
Probably "Mystery men" is best appreciated for its visual cleverness. Aesthetically, it is a relentless, almost frighteningly accurate pastiche of earlier superhero movies, most notably the "Batman" movies by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. Everything is here : the ultra-vivid colors, the over-embellished mansions dripping with ornaments, the urban backgrounds pulsing with neon, the titanic sculptures. Also present are the monstrous weapons, traps and doomsday machines. The delirious scene set in an old people's home, at the very beginning, is worth the price of admission by itself.
La cible (1997)
Romeo seeks Juliet, gets into a lot of trouble
Shortly after meeting a delightful Russian girl, a sailor is called away on mission. Upon his return he is desperate to contact the girl again in order to confess his love. Making a nation-wide televised appeal might help...
"La cible" is one of the weirder comedies around. Part of it reads like a light comedy à la Francis Veber, minus the clockwork precision of the plot. The other part deals with gangsters and terrorists killing people left and right. Unsurprisingly the violence drags the levity down, down, down. It's like watching a team of synchronized swimmers trying to perform while chained to metal balls. It feels like a pity because there was true potential here, for instance with regard to mocking the vanity and venality of a certain type of television programme.
The beginning is promising but after a while the movie deteriorates. The last third, which is both boring and confusing, basically consists of various groups of people shouting, shooting and running. I defy any viewer to keep track of the situation.
Still, "La cible" deserves at least some stars, for some funny lines and inventive twists. The character of the little girl entrusted to the nurse-by-correspondence-course is pretty amusing too. Perhaps a comprehensive remake might salvage some of the elements...
Les insaisissables (2000)
Down with bailiffs !
A neighborhood is plagued by the ever more frequent appearance of bailiffs, who go around seizing the property of debtors. One bailiff in particular shines through his callousness. Shocked by the human cost of these interventions, a group of long-time friends decide to fight back. Before long they're impersonating foreign sheikhs and inventing medical emergencies...
A French comedy with its heart in the right place, "Les insaisissables" functions as a critique of an unequal society where simple folk get hounded if they make the slightest mistake, but where the rich lead charmed lives, safely insulated behind walls of lawyers, bankers and politicians. (When is the last time you've seen someone seize the possessions of a millionaire ?) The movie also functions as a critique of the profession of bailiff, pointing out that there's little nobility to be found in punishing the poor and unfortunate for being poor and unfortunate. Mind you, the chief villain of the piece isn't just a bailiff but a very very bad bailiff, pilfering small objects and disregarding those parts of the legislation that don't suit his agenda. (Daniel Prévost is pretty funny here.)
Unfortunately the movie isn't a masterpiece. It's got a lot of breezy, lighthearted French charm, mainly thanks to some very likeable actors, but the story and screenplay could have been better. The plot creaks like an old windmill and the happy ending depends not just on one deus ex machina solution, but on multiple deus ex machina solutions in succession. I believe the technical term, cinematically speaking, is "lack of inspiration".
Besides, all this talk about outwitting the specialists by quoting from the law isn't too convincing. People who perform a highly specialized job for years on end tend to know the ins and outs, dirty tricks included : brandish an exception in front of their face, and they'll reply with an exception to the exception. To quote good old Jean Racine : "Nourri dans le sérail, j'en connais les détours"...
Snatched (1973)
Worth a watch
"Snatched" is a suspenseful thriller/crime movie made for television. The intrigue deals with three friendly couples from a rich background. When all three wives get kidnapped at the same time, their spouses receive a daunting ransom demand. After a while dark resentments and callous ambitions appear, proving once again that an ability to look good in country club apparel says nothing about one's moral decency as an individual.
"Snatched" is well worth a watch, although it might have benefitted from a slightly longer running time. As the movie now stands, there is little time and opportunity in which to explore the psychological similarities and differences between the main characters. The movie makes good use of intriguing locations, such as the lighthouse where the abductees are held. (Still, it's likely that professional criminals would have chosen to imprison and immobilize their various victims very carefully indeed, meaning that the ladies' attempts at fighting and escaping would have been curtailed from day one.)
Unfortunately the villain characters, or at least some of the villain characters, overdo the sneering and mocking and taunting. At times it feels as though one's watching a cheap Western complete with grinning desperadoes. Less definitely would have been more, here.
La grande nouba (1974)
silly, exuberant farce from France
"La grande nouba" is carried by the duo Sim / Jacques Dufilho. The plot (I'm being generous here) deals with an upper-crust couple about to celebrate the engagement of their twenty-something daughter. When the father of the fiancée steps out of the house, he gets embroiled in a growing chaos that will bring him into contact with gangsters, taxi drivers, policemen and a weird set of twins consisting of a humble fishmonger and a celebrated pianist. Dufilho plays the fiancée's father, while Sim takes on the double role of fishmonger and pianist.
"La grande nouba" doesn't take itself too seriously : it's a jolly, silly farce that sets out to entertain, nothing more. There are visual jokes and gags galore ; some of them work, others don't. Viewers who like vintage cars may melt with delight, since much of the action involves car pursuits and traffic-related twists. (One of the vehicles involved is a picturesque fishmonger's van.) To the modern eye, or at least to my modern eye, these vintage cars look very much like big toys.
By now you won't be surprised, dear reader, if I tell you that this is not the place to go to if you're looking for convincing and plausible characterizations. The fiancée's father, for instance, seems weak, biddable and incompetent, while one would expect a man of his background to be strong and gallant. One would also expect such a person to have had at least some combat training, including hand-to-hand combat.
A rating of six stars may be too optimistic, but I owe the movie a debt of gratitude : I watched it as a child and it made me laugh a lot. Two comedy highlights : a) the police introducing its technological advances and b) the televised performance of a piano concert going wrong.
A Yank in Ermine (1955)
Unlikely to stick in the memory
An American military man learns, much to his surprise, that he's inherited both an earldom and a fortune. Thanks to the generosity of his superior officer he is allowed to cross the ocean in order to take a tentative look at his inheritance. His two best buddies accompany him to Great-Britain...
"A Yank in ermine" plays around with a classic wish fullfilment fantasy : you're just sitting on your behind and suddenly titles and riches fall out of the sky, courtesy of some distant relative you won't miss too much. And from now on you're lord X or lady Y, living in an ancestral pile and being waited on hand and foot by an army of devoted servants. Sweet ! In the movie, the recipient of riches such as these is an all-American guy from New York. His discovery of the British upper class allows for some mildly entertaining observations about cultural and social differences. The difference between American English and British English with regard to vocabulary and speech patterns is supposed to do a lot of the heavy lifting here.
While "A Yank in ermine" isn't particularly bad it isn't particularly good either. The plot is slight and bland. There's ample room for improvement in the shape of more gags, more twists or more psychological depth. Moreover, the movie studiously avoids any hint of criticism of the British class system. We, the viewers, are not invited to question why some random person would be given a whole village while another random person would be given a house, a shack or a reasonably dry spot under a bridge. Neither are we invited to question why the person who owns the village would be the one making laws and advising the monarch.
Mind you, "A Yank in ermine" does boast fine sets and locations. It all looks very pleasant in a "Visit the stately homes" way.