Reviews
Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985)
Worth Searching For
Gentle and loving send-up of the Singing Cowboy westerns of the 30's and 40's with Tom Berenger playing it absolutely straight as a "good guy," complete with more matching ensembles than Oscar de la Renta. Berenger is very good; Andy Griffith and Fernando Rey are suitably sinister as the "Colonels"; both Sela Ward and Marilu Henner are gorgeous and funny. G.W. Bailey steals the show as the town drunk/sidekick/narrator.
It's clear the filmmakers loved the genre they were spoofing. An especially poignant touch is the closing theme music "The Last of the Silver Screen Cowboys," sung by Rex Allen Jr., the son of Rex Allen, who starred in many of the films which are lampooned in this picture.
Your kids will enjoy it, but not as much as you will -- especially if you grew up watching all those wonderful old Westerns on tv.
From Hell (2001)
Done Better in "Murder By Decree"
While well done in its way, this film pales by comparison to the excellent Murder By Decree (1979), a movie which has been relegated to memory and infrequent cable appearances until recently. Good news -- a DVD version of Murder By Decree is slated for release in early 2003. Compare the two and you'll see what From Hell could have been.
The Professionals (1966)
Living and Dying by "The Code" (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
Richard Brooks, Lee Marvin, and Burt Lancaster are at the top of their game in this turn-of-the-century Western classic.
As the Old West dies, on the eve of World War I, a rich businessman assembles a team of ex-revolutionary mercenaries to rescue his kidnapped wife. The task is complicated by this twist -- the kidnapper is an old compadre of half the rescue team. Brooks makes the most of his material, exploring the rigid code by which such men live, and how contact with the cynical Twentieth Century can use that code as a weapon against its adherents.
Marvin was rarely better than his role here as Henry "Rico" Fardan, a tough soldier, torn between his own memories and his professional sense of honor. His performance is matched by Lancaster, in the role he was, perhaps, born to play. Bill Dolworth is a cynical scoundrel who rediscovers his own sense of decency during the mission. Lancaster is a letter-perfect smartass, and his stunt work is impressive, particularly considering his age at the time this film was made. Robert Ryan and Woody Strode have less to do, but are still interesting. Claudia Cardinale is gorgeous, Ralph Bellamy, suitably slimy, and Jack Palance even manages to invest a little dignity into the only strained sequence of the film -- his monologue about love and the revolution.
The dialogue is rich and memorable -- you may find yourself quoting whole passages. Maurice Jarre's stirring score is apt without being obtrusive. The splendidly photographed desert becomes a virtual character in the story.
A word about weaponry. Hollywood goofed more often than not when showcasing Western armaments. It could easily have happened in this film, set at a time when the Colt .45 and the Lewis gun both coexisted on the frontier. But Marvin's sequence with the Model 1897 Winchester Trench Gun is one of the best photographed gunfights in history, and shows clearly why this pump shotgun was the most fearsome close-quarters weapon ever made.
This film is rarely shown on television or cable. Fortunately, it is available once again on VHS tape, and may be available on DVD as well. While the picture is not well known, it deserves to be mentioned with "The Wild Bunch," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and "The Searchers."
Hombre (1967)
"I got one question. How you gonna get down that hill?"
Superbly written and acted, Hombre is one of the two or three best end-of-the-West Westerns ever made.
Based on the Elmore Leonard novel and starring Paul Newman, Hombre is the story of John Russell, a white man raised by Apaches forced by circumstances to be responsible for the lives of a group of people who despise him.
Dr. Faver: You've learned something about white people. They stick together. John Russell: They better.
Newman is sterling as Russell, whose sense of honor puts him into a no-win situation, and whose tenacity will not allow him to back off. Richard Boone was rarely better than as Cicero Grimes, who matches Russell, steely-eyed glare for steely-eyed glare. His performance here is on par with his portrayal of gang-leader John Fain in Big Jake, just a few years later.
Grimes: Well, now. Now what do you suppose hell is gonna look like? Russell: We all die. It's just a question of when.
Also outstanding are Diane Cilento, Barbara Rush, and Martin Balsam. A strong performance by character actor Frank Silvera as an unnamed Mexican bandit is one of the film's many gems.
Russell: (after wounding the Bandit)I would have done better, but I think you moved. Bandit: You can be sure I moved!
The magnificently desolate northern Arizona desert becomes an additional character in the film.
If you are looking for the ultimate tough-guy film, you need look no further than Hombre.
Gettysburg (1993)
This is how We Became who We Are
Based on "The Killer Angels" by the late Michael Shaara, "Gettysburg" gets so many things right that it can be pardoned for its faults.
The novel and the movie stand virtually alone in crediting Gen. John Buford in choosing and preserving the ground on which the Union army would fight this critical battle -- a strategic choice which may have dictated the battle's outcome. The film also effectively makes the point that Longstreet and Hood BEGGED Lee to allow them to sideslip right and attack the Union flank, bypassing the Round Tops. Having accurately dealt with these two critical themes, the film accomplishes more than military historians can expect of most historical movies.
But "Gettysburg" succeeds as a movie because of the people who populate this story, and the actors who play them.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is one of the authentic heroes of the Civil War. His action in holding Little Round Top can be classed with Thermopolae, Cannae, Waterloo, and the Normandy invasion for historical significance. Jeff Daniels is perfectly cast as a college professor-turned-soldier, who recognizes the importance of the role into which he has been thrust, and inspires his men to help change the world.
Tom Berenger is terrific as an anguished Gen. Longstreet, who knows the revered Robert E. Lee is making a monumental blunder, but is powerless to affect the resulting slaughter he foresees so clearly. Sam Elliot may have been born to play the role of the tragic Gen. Buford, robbed by history of the credit he deserves, and dying of pneumonia within months of this battle. And Richard Jordan embodies the brother-against-brother nature of this conflict with his sterling portrayal of Gen. Lewis Armistead, who was killed while attacking troops commanded by his best friend. Seldom has the waste, frustration, and personal anguish of war been as well-portrayed as it is in this film.
This film can be justly criticized for its length, for the wooden portrayals by Sheen and others, and for taking some dramatic license with people and events. But it is simply the best depiction ever filmed of a significant event in American history. For all its flaws, it is must-see material for anyone who wants to understand why Americans are what we are.
McLintock! (1963)
Comedy Time Capsule
Under the right conditions, films can last for decades. In the case of a film like "Citizen Kane," that durability serves to preserve a masterpiece for succeeding generations. The passing years don't dim the brilliance of the work, and the film hardly seems dated at all.
Such is not the case with "McLintock!"
When made in the mid-60's, "McLintock" seemed a genuinely funny film. It still has great slapstick moments -- particularly the famous mud-slide fight scene. Both John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara were at the top of their game, and Wayne's BatJac Productions was a finely-tuned movie-making machine. This rare foray into comedy proves the Duke a competent comedic actor, with a real gift for timing.
While the film has not changed in the intervening years, the audience has. What once seemed like an amusing update of the classic "Taming of the Shrew" tale now seems perilously close to abuse -- particularly the spanking scenes where first Patrick Wayne, then John Wayne, pound on their womenfolk with an iron implement. Making matters worse, this wifely "discipline" is adminstered in public, to the approval of a roaring crowd.
Even if you have fond memories of this film, as I did, you may find parts of it terribly uncomfortable to watch now. I'd think carefully about introducing my children to the Duke with this film if I were you.
Murder by Decree (1979)
Bad History; Great Holmes!
It is true that the plot of this movie is based on a largely-discredited theory of the Ripper murders. It is also true that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never wrote of this clash between his fictional detective and the all-too-real serial killer.
None of that matters, however.
"Murder By Decree" may be the best Holmes OR the best Ripper movie ever made. ***SPOILERS*** While Ripper scholars have rejected the Prince Eddy theory, writer John Hopkins makes it plausible enough to sustain this film.
In this task, Hopkins and Director Bob Clark are amply aided by the best cast ever to grace a Ripper or Holmes film. Christopher Plummer and James Mason are the most likeable Holmes and Watson in cinema. No one has ever equalled Jeremy Brett's cold and clinical portrayal of Holmes; for viewers of a certain age (myself included)all Holmes/Watson combos are evaluated against a perspective of Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce. But here, for the first time, are a Holmes and Watson who seem genuinely to like each other. These men, we realize, COULD, in fact, be lifelong friends. Plummer's Holmes is suitably erudite, but also has a core of humanity which Brett since,and Rathbone before, sometimes overlooked.
The supporting cast is equally excellent. Deserving of special mention are Anthony Quayle and John Gielgud as splendidly pragmatic politicians who would rather see murder go unpunished than upset the precarious Victorian social order. Frank Finlay is the definitive Inspector Lestrade. Donald Sutherland is eerily excellent as the psychic Robert Lees. Even Susan Clark does well in her turn as the real Ripper's real last victim, Mary Kelly.
I pause briefly here to state categorically that I am NOT a Genevieve Bujold fan. With the exception of "Anne of the Thousand Days," I consider Ms. Bujold's enormous talents to have been largely wasted. This movie, however, may be her finest performance. I defy anyone with a shred of human feeling to remain unmoved by her scene in a Victorian insane asylum, when Holmes and Watson finally track down an Annie Crook driven to madness by her secret. As she whimpers plaintively of "Eddie" and "my baby," one can see why it became necessary for Holmes to show real human feelings in this film.
Sadly, this film does not appear to be available on tape from the major distributors. If you can find it in a library or on pay-tv, I urge you to schedule the time to see this underappreciated classic.
My Favorite Year (1982)
A Movie of Moments
The best movies have moments -- scenes so powerful, or simply so note-perfect, that they live on in your memory after the plot is forgotten.
"My Favorite Year" has more than its share of these.
Other reviewers on this page have singled out the dinner at Belle Mae Steinberg Carioca's (Lainie Kazan's) Brooklyn apartment. They might also have mentioned the scene in which a titanically intoxicated Alan Swann (O'Toole)essays to "shimmy down" the side of a building, using a fire hose as rapelling gear, or the farcically climactic fight scene on live 50's TV.
But two other moments resonate even more strongly; they explain completely why Peter O'Toole was cast in this otherwise comedic role.
In the first, O'Toole's character interrupts his own plans for an evening of debauchery to fulfill a fantasy by dancing with an aging, but still glorious Gloria Stuart. Both onscreen and off, the audience is spellbound in the midst of the slapstick as these two senior-citizen actors seize the screen for the duration of their waltz.
Even more compelling is an important scene later in the movie in which Swann makes a quick trip to visit a young daughter whom he hasn't seen in years. He watches her from the car, but can't bring himself to get out and speak to her. The scene is played completely without dialogue. With the camera focused tightly on the warring emotions which play across O'Toole's face, no dialogue is necessary. It's a powerful, lump-in-the-throat moment every divorced dad will recognize.
I join others on this page in urging you to rent this movie for the laughs. As you laugh, however, stay alert for two of the truest moments ever placed on film. Enjoy.
The Court Jester (1955)
Maybe the All-Time Funniest Film
If you can watch this movie without laughing, please seek immediate medical attention -- you may not have a pulse!
Much is made of Danny Kaye's outstanding performance in this film; it is clearly his best. Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, and Mildred Natwick also do some of their finest work.
A word about the writing: this is not an adlib fest, a la Robin Williams. It is not a cornucopia of bodily functions, as in "Something about Mary." What it is, is a finely crafted example of comic writing that meshes like a fine Swiss watch. But you'll hardly notice as the cast and script click, because you'll be laughing too hard.
Note: "Princess Bride" aside, this movie also contains the finest swordplay ever captured on film.
Hudson Hawk (1991)
It's a COMEDY, Stupid!
Attention, all those who found this movie unrealistic. The Clue Bus has left, and you weren't on it.
Hudson Hawk is one of the funniest caper movies ever made, precisely because neither its cast nor its director take ANYTHING seriously. Sure, some of the jokes don't work. As in a Robin Williams standup routine, however, the viewer is never required to wait for very long for the next joke.
The film has many memorable comic moments. Other reviewers on this page have singled out the over-the-top performances by Willis and Aiello... and both were wonderfully funny. But let's not forget the crotch-crazed pet ("Bunny...ball, ball!), the "Flint" references (check out the phone sound), Coburn's "bare-handed strangulation" speech, the face full of syringes in the gurney chase scene, Andie MacDowell's dolphin impression, and the death of Ig and Ook.
Let go of your disbelief and rent this movie. Prepare to laugh yourself moderately sick in the process. It ain't "The Court Jester"...but it's close!
Zulu (1964)
A wonderful film!
Despite the historical inaccuracies chronicled elsewhere on this page, this film is a near-complete success by the most important yardstick--it has been on many people's "favorite film" list for almost 40 years.
Stanley Baker obsession with making this film pays off in a dramatic account of a truly dramatic historical event. Like "Full Metal Jacket", which is based on Michael Herr's accounts of real events; like "The Longest Day" and "A Bridge Too Far, which are based on Cornelius Ryan's accounts of actual campaigns during World War II; and like "Gettysburg" which is based on Michael Shaara's account of the Civil War battle, one can overlook the liberties John Prebble takes with the historical record if one focuses on this movies virtues.
The film is full of fine performances by a cast which was virtually unknown to American audiences of 1964. Baker and Michael Caine are letter-perfect as an irascible engineer and a pompous young lieutenant forced to cooperate against overwhelming odds. James Booth gives a fine, if historically inaccurate, performance as the scoundrel Private Henry Hook. Patrick Magee is properly outraged as Surgeon Reynolds, whose job it is to patch up the men whose bodies are ravaged by the battle. And as is pointed out in several other reviews, the best performance of the film is by Nigel Green as Colour Sergeant Bourne. If Green wasn't a noncommissioned officer in another life, his portrayal is even better than it seems. From his erect carriage to his stern-but-sympathetic demeanor, to his flawless action sequences with a bayonet, Green IS the archetypal Sergeant Major.
Although the Zulu characters have virtually no dialogue, Baker somehow manages to invest them with tremendous dignity, courage, and dedication. The Zulus were, in fact, the finest infantry on the continent of Africa during their heyday. Although the film can be criticized for some flaws, it cannot be faulted for its portrayal of this terrific warrior tribe.
The cinematography is wonderful; the stirring music will stay with you long after the film is over; the battle sequences themselves (especially the film's final 15 minutes) may be the finest ever committed to film.
This is one of those rare films EVERYONE should see once. Most of us will enjoy watching it again and again.
T.H.E. Cat (1966)
The Coolest Hero of the 60's
In his role as Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat, Robert Loggia was undoubtedly the coolest hero of the television 60's. A retired second-story man, Cat undertook missions in which he used his acrobatic skills to their best advantage. NBC advertised the program as a "high tension adventure series you can really sink your claws into," and it was just that.
Probably drawing on his earlier portrayal of the cat-like Elfego Baca, an acrobatic western Disney character, the athletic Loggia apparently did a lot of his own stunts in the series. He was everything an adolescent boy of the time could aspire to: he wore a cool black outfit while on the prowl; he drove a cool black 'Vette; he carried a dagger-like knife referred to in one episode as "The Cat's Claw," which he could throw with unerring accuracy; he was, of course, irresistable to women; and he hung out between missions at the Casa del Gato (House of the Cat), a cafe owned by his gypsy friend Pepe, played to the suave hilt by Robert Carricart. The only other recurring character was the one-handed police Captain McAllister, played by the marvelous R.G. Armstrong.
The original jazz score by Lalo Schifrin (sort of a flute- accoustic bass-drum trio number) set just the right mood for this dark series -- and Shifrin went on to compose for Mission Impossible!
Television later picked up on the theme of using a reformed crook as a hero, notably with Robert Wagner in "It Takes a Thief" and "Switch." But Loggia was the original in this short-lived but lamented series.
Disneyland: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh: Part 1 (1963)
A Scary (but kid-friendly) Hero
Patrick McGoohan has rarely been better than in this role as the Scarecrow/Dr. Syn. Set in pre-Revolution England, the film contains a perfect mix of tension and action without ever becoming violent or too intense for youngsters.
McGoohan plays a Robin Hood-like character who cheats the tax collector by smuggling, thereby supporting the common folk who form his gang. McGoohan is ably supported by Michael Hordern as the local landlord, George Cole as the sexton, and Geoffrey Keene as the stuffy British general. The plot twists are plentiful without seeming contrived; the music is wonderful; and the makeup (especially McGoohan's mask!) has stuck with me for 37 years.
Originally telecast in the U.S. as a three-part series--which caused me to spend three anxious weeks as a ten-year old who could hardly wait for the next installment.
Sneakers (1992)
Smart, funny, & engaging--SPOILER WARNING--
This caper film turns the buddy-movie ethos on its head.
The movie begins with a flashback to college comrades who, as proto-hackers, have learned how to use early computers to perpetrate radical tricks on the establishment. There is a betrayal, and one of the buddies vanishes, apparently to die in prison.
Flash forward thirty years to Martin Bishop (Robert Redford), the surviving buddy, who now hacks company systems as a computer security consultant. Bishop has surrounded himself with a motley crew ranging from an ex-CIA agent (Sidney Poitier), and an overweight conspiracy nut (Dan Aykroyd), to a blind phone hacker (David Straithairn) based on the real-life proto-hacker Joe Engressia. Since Bishop has been in hiding from the feds for thirty years, it's now possible for the government to force him and his team into its toughest caper...or "sneak."
This ensemble cast fits together perfectly, complimented by a letter-perfect performance by Mary McDonald as a control freak who is nonetheless drawn to the out-of-control Bishop. Ben Kingsley also surprises as the outwardly placid villain who is still carrying a seed of rage against his old buddy Bishop. The plot is well-constructed; the dialogue is outstanding. James Horner's musical score becomes a virtual character.
Watch for a well done cameo by James Earl Jones.
Who Dares Wins (1982)
Hammy, but Fun
Can a movie succeed with a leading man who seems to be unable to play ANY emotion?
Yes, but only if it has great action sequences like "The Final Option."
The wooden Lewis Collins comes to life in this film only when he has a gun in his hands. Fortunately, he spends enough screen time in this film blasting away to make it a rousing good time. In his scenes with the formidable Judy Davis, Collins seems totally overmatched. He is much more able to make an emotional connection with his MP-5 than with either of the female leads in this film.
Screenwriter Reginald Rose takes revenge on the left-wing seventies protesters he so clearly dislikes by making them all appear to be silly, overmotivated morons. At least the bad guys in his earlier "The Wild Geese" had an understandable motive -- they just wanted the money!
Edward Woodward is grittily believable as usual; Rosalind Lloyd is pretty and supportive -- clearly she doesn't know how far hubby is going to maintain his cover with Judy Davis. Most of the rest of the players -- including Richard Widmark and Robert Webber -- are forgettable.
It is the firepower (mostly in the film's last twenty minutes) that is the star here...and director Ian Sharp wisely gives us just enough of it, in small doses, to get us through the movie to the climax.
As Winston Churchill is said to have growled after enjoying Laurel and Hardy's "Saps at Sea", "A gay but inconsequent entertainment."
The Wild Geese (1978)
Probably Absurd; Definitely Enjoyable
If you're looking for a documentary on mercenaries--this ain't it!
If you're expecting another 12 Angry Men from screenwriter Reginald Rose--think again.
That being said, I've seen The Wild Geese over and over, and I find it impossible not to enjoy this movie. Richard Burton is over the top as an over the hill mercenary loosely based on the character of British mercenary Col. "Mad Mike" Hoare, who also acted as a technical advisor for this film. Along with co-leads Richard Harris and Roger Moore, Burton fills the screen with the kind of jaunty testosterone the current crop of leading men would kill to possess.
The improbability of the plot is detailed elsewhere. But if you're gonna let a little thing like inability to suspend disbelief stop you, why are you watching movies anyway? Check out the History Channel if you insist on reality.
The supporting cast of this film is a superb mix of familiar British faces. Jack Watson, Frank Finlay, and Stewart Granger are particularly fine. Watch for John Kani, who disappears after this film only to reemerge 30 years older and a hundred pounds heavier as the narrator of "The Ghost and the Darkness." I personally found the music well done, and the closing title theme by Joan Armatrading to be an inspired choice for this film.
If you want to know what mercenaries are really like, Ed Harris gives a better and far more chilling portrayal in his small role in "Under Fire." If you want a diverting Saturday afternoon guy movie, "The Wild Geese" is your ticket.
The Thing (1982)
Portrait of Paranoia
Some of the best filmmakers have used the horror genre as a vehicle to talk about cultural issues. With the possible exception of Don Seigel in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", no film has ever done this more successfully than John Carpenter's remake of "The Thing."
This film is the best cinematic examination ever of alienation and paranoia. Based on John W. Campbell's classic novella "Who Goes There?", Carpenter maroons a group of scientists at a polar outpost, and then plunks a murderous shape-shifting alien down among them. Since the alien can look like anyone, the rapidly dwindling group comes to realize that no one can trust anyone else.
Kurt Russell gives a strong performance as the station's helicopter pilot. He is ably supported by Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, and Donald Moffatt, who stand out among the supporting cast. Carpenter returns to the kind of ambiguity at the end of the film which made the last scene of "Halloween" so powerful.
This movie was made in a different era than the Howard Hawks version; it's not surprising that it carries different baggage, and aims to transmit a completely different message. While both versions are worth watching, this one is far scarier, both on the "gross-out" and the psychological level.
Halloween (1978)
Maybe the Scariest Movie of All Time
In a three week shooting schedule, and with a miniscule budget (even by 1978 standards), John Carpenter made what is certainly one of the two or three most frightening movies ever made.
This film is the archetype which many of the horror films of the 80's and 90's unsuccessfully tried to duplicate. It pulled together many elements which have since become horror standards: the silently relentless (and perhaps immortal) killer; the sexy teens who get bumped off and the pure teen who does not; the musical theme which signals the audience of the killer's arrival. All but eighteen minutes of the film take place in the dark. The skillfully underplayed and self-contained performance of Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis may even foreshadow Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter.
One word of warning: don't expect gallons of grue in this movie. As Hitchcock shot "Psycho" without gore, so Carpenter proves that a film can scare the bejesus out of its audience without buckets of blood. Leave Jason in his woods; let Freddie stay on Elm Street; you can even skip the Michael Meyers sequels. But if you want to see how truly frightening a movie can be, nuke the popcorn, turn off the lights, and pop "Halloween" into your VCR.
Police Story (1973)
They don't make 'em like this anymore!
A fine example of both the strengths and the pitfalls of the anthology series, Police Story was among the highest-rated series of its time. At its worst, the series was as formulaic as most of commercial TV. At its best, it blew a breath of fresh air through mid-70's TV.
Created as a vehicle for writer-turned-producer (and former L.A. cop) Joseph Wambaugh, the best episodes grittily portrayed the life of the street cop--good and bad. Each episode opened and closed with crackling radio calls (Female dispatcher: "John Frank William, 8-9-9). Guest stars ranged from Don Meredith (at the height of his Monday Night Football popularity) to David Birney (as amputee cop "Captain Hook") to a surprising turn by ultra-liberal Ed Asner (as an grinning old cop threatening to blow away one last perp before retiring in "Three Days to Thirty"). The series spawned the silly spin-off "Police Woman"; but it also dealt with cops who thought of their badge as a license to bully ("The Wyatt Earp Syndrome"--so titled because the Standards and Practices department refused to allow Wambaugh to call this episode by its original title--"The John Wayne Syndrome") and undercover cops who were difficult to distinguish from the criminals they pursued ("The Player" with James Farentino).
Wambaugh reportedly tired of the regular infighting such a weekly series required, and semi-retired to a "consultant" status mid-way through the series run; the early episodes are clearly the best. But all are worth watching if only as the precursor which made later shows like St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, and Homicide possible.
The Green Mile (1999)
A Searing Success
The team which produced "Shawshank Redemption" has achieved the difficult task of topping its earlier effort. "The Green Mile" joins those rare films--"Shawshank" and "Silence of the Lambs" among them--which deal with evil unflinchingly and without exploitation.
Tom Hanks and Michael Duncan seem to be drawing the attention of most critics of this film. They are excellent in their pivotal roles. But it is the supporting cast that makes this movie work. James Cromwell is believable and pitiable as a grieving husband. Kudos should also go to David Morse("Brutal" Howell)and Michael Jeter (Eduard Delacroix). Gary Sinise and Harry Dean Stanton both give jewel-like performances in tiny parts. Thomas Newman (score) and David Tattersall (cinematography) should both contend for awards for their work.
This movie has been criticized as overly sentimental and obvious. It is neither. It IS emotional--as life and death subjects should be. But what some viewers have labeled as obvious is the film's faithful portrayal of the grinding inevitability of the death machine--even when its target is an innocent man.
Like "Dead Man Walking", this film will cause death penalty supporters(like me) genuine discomfort. If you are looking for quick mind-candy, this is not your film. If you want a film that examines life versus death, duty versus compassion, and healing versus killing in a timeless allegory, you can't do better than this one.
Go Tell the Spartans (1978)
Dead-on Perfect!!
There aren't many movies about the beginning of America's involvement in Vietnam. It is fortunate that this is one of those film. Burt Lancaster is perfect as a career Army officer who recognizes early on that this war will be different from any other...and that American power may not be enough to win it. "Beastmaster" Marc Singer is wonderful as a shallow young officer so wrapped up in the boost Vietnam is going to give his career that he is immune to the madness around him. The scene in which Lancaster explains to Singer why, after three wars and a bucket full of medals, he (Lancaster) is still only a major, is priceless. Craig Wasson's portrayal of an idealistic draftee who progresses from caring about the Vietnamese, to accepting the brutality they perpetrate on each other is a chillingly accurate metaphor for the shift in American attitudes to come. Perhaps the film's best performance is by Jonathan Goldsmith, as a career NCO for whom the insanity finally becomes too much. The haunting score by Dick (Blood, Sweat & Tears) Halligan is a perfect accompaniment.
Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977)
Entertaining & Thought-Provoking
While this movie has been criticized as a product of Lancaster's political ideology, it is too entertaining to dismiss as a simple political polemic. Gen-Xers may not remember a time when we were always just a few minutes away from a nuclear launch. This film captures some of that tension (and explains why the Strategic Air Command insisted in psychatric screening of all personnel who had access to nuclear weapons!) A plot device about the secret origins of the Vietnam war has been roundly criticized by some. But anyone who has read the early works of Henry Kissinger or the Pentagon Papers will not find it far-fetched at all. Great end title score!
A Civil Action (1998)
This one doesn't take the easy way out!
If you're tired of lawyer movies where the good guy always wins and all the other conventions are adhered to, this may be the lawyer movie for you.
Filled with the false starts and wrong turns that can make even a well-prepared legal action go bad in real life, A CIVIL ACTION may be unique in showing viewers how the search for truth gets subverted by the process. Travolta is convincingly converted from an ambitious schemer to a lawyer willing to sacrifice everything for a case he comes to believe in. Robert Duvall was seldom better in the difficult task of playing a likeable character who is nevertheless content to procure an escape from punishment for his scummy client. And don't overlook character actor Dan Hedaya's wonderful performance as a lying land-raper whose toxic dumping kills children.
A well-written and beautifully acted legal drama--should be required viewing for all law students who plan to be plaintiff's lawyers...or anyone else who might ever need one of them.
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Every Father Should Watch This Movie
It's one of the toughest jobs a father faces--how hard should you push to "make a man" out of your young son.
"Searching for Bobby Fischer" offers a gentle and unexpected answer: You should listen for your son to tell you how "manly" he wants to be. Young Max Pomeranc is letter-perfect as the chess prodigy who refuses to become ruthless despite the prodding of his father and his surrogate-father. Joe Mantegna and Ben Kingsley give moving performances as men who can be convincingly converted to the truer, sweeter morality of a young child who doesn't need to be "tough" in order to be good. Watch for an understated, underrated performance by Joan Allen as the mom. A beautifully photographed, beautifully paced drama that should reduce anyone with more empathy than a statue to heartfelt tears.