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Glad you enjoyed revisiting the film on Bluray, there were some great moments and the film pulled no punches. Not got round to the commentary yet though should be a great listen
GREAT film noir with Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Charles McGraw, Edmond Obrien.
Got a copy last week and have watched it twice. Note to self: find more Lancaster noir films.
Good enough looking to double dip if you have the old dvd?
Yes, it was harder hitting than I had remembered. Great watch.
For it's age it looks pretty damn good - not Dr No BD good, but then there wasn't the same amount of money thrown at it. I'd imagine it's one whole lot better than the DVD.
Saw it at my local (small) cinema to an almost packed house…but I, at 56, felt positively young, most of the rest of the audience were really old! And the couple next to me kept whispering to each other throughout the film, very b*st*rd annoying!
Vince Vaughn (him of light comedies) is so intense in this he almost burns a hole in the screen. It's an intimidating performance and even early on you feel his character has enormous violence inside waiting to erupt.
This starts off as a serious drama as Vince Vaughn's 'Bradley NOT Brad' has to take a job as a drug courier to make ends meet and when a pick up goes wrong, a selfless act ends him up in the slammer for 7 years. The prison scenes are quite surreal and the absurdity levels rise turning the film into an exploitation/grindhouse flick. This is not a criticism by the way as this is gloriously violent and hugely enjoyable.
Vaughn is just blistering in this. His quiet intensity, dry humour and realistic fight scenes means he owns this film. He has good support though, especially Don Johnson as the sadistic cigar chomping warden.
Recommended.
Is the final product good?
If the outcome is the same as the 1974 classic,then I don't see the need to go to the cinema to watch it.
I will wait until it comes on SKY I think.
I have seen the 1974 film so much,that I cant see this having too many surprises.
I'm sure this one won't be as good, but it seems different enough from the trailers to warrant a viewing. The cast alone is worth a trip to the theatre, and the cinematography looks really good too. As long as expectations are kept in check I'm sure it will be alright.
This goes straight into my top 3 sports biopic alongside Rush and Eddie The Eagle (or top 4 if I count the Senna documentary). This film focuses on the 1980 Wimbledon final between Borg and McEnroe, featuring highly entertaining and intense tennis playing while also going inside the characters psyche thanks to more personal individual scenes and flashbacks to the childhood/early career of both players. At just over 1 hour and 45 minutes, this allows the film to have a very quick pace and not feel rushed at the same time, since the main focus is only on 1 major event between 2 players. Sverrir Gudnason as Borg was fantastic , so did Stellan Skarsgård, but the one who stole the show for me was Shia Labeouf as McEnroe, who hands down delivers the best performance of his career, and really impressed me in his intensity (where/why has he been hiding such acting talent all these years?). I grew up watching the tail-end of André Agassi's and Pete Sampras' careers (and the rise of Roger Federer), so seeing a historical tennis rivalry that pre-dates my own lifetime by over a decade was a very interesting and entertaining experience.
I grew up watching McEnroe,Borg,Conners and Lendl.
Some of the matches were truly unbelievable !!
Yes, the story, and there for the reveal is the same, there are bits added and bits done differently. But if you're expecting something totally different then forget it. It's just nice to see a film that doesn't have 30-odd cuts per minute or impossibly loud and annoying music/effects. And Branagh's moustache is a delight to behold! Also some gorgeous visuals.
Yeah, @Creasy47 I hadn't known about Cell Block until I saw a review in Empire magazine. Vince Vaughn really surprised me how good he was in it. Dragged Across Concrete sounds like it could be really good as well. Mel Gibson AND Vince Vaughn?!!!
Seems to be a lot of the cast from Cell Block 99 in it as well. Can't wait!
I think the thing with knowing the 1974 version well, you'll be second-guessing and thinking 'oh, this isn't how it was before…' etc. I just went along for the ride and had a nice night at the cinema with my 11-year-old daughter who wanted to see it too.
Aaah thought so.
Thanks for the heads-up matey !
Robert Aldrichs WW2 movie with a great cast of Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson, Denholm Elliot and Ian Bannen. About a group of misfits sent on a suicide mission to destroy a Japanese radio installation. Its less well known than Aldrichs earlier The Dirty Dozen, but i prefer it. Great cast, good story and a thrilling finale, plus Gerald Frieds memorable rousing score! Recommended.
Sequel to CHINATOWN made 16 years later, but set 11 years later. Jack Nicholson himself directs as he reprises his role of detective Jakes Gittes investigating an adultery/murder case involving money and oil. With Madeline Stowe as a very 1940's film noir femme fatale, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly and Eli Wallach.
Although CHINATOWN is a quintessential neo-noir, I really liked this sequel almost as much. There's some great late '40's atmosphere, cinematography and performances. I think this one was quite underrated and a pity since the third Jake Gittes film never materialized.
Great film,i remember the men running across the field while being shot at,every day.
Agreed,i find it hard to separate the 2 films,i find the 2 Jakes an easier watch.
I was in the mood for a vintage Sly joint. This hit the spot. Stallone plays Ray Quick, a former CIA explosives expert. He now works as a high priced assassin of sorts, but only if the cause is right. He attracts the attention of May Munro (Sharon Stone), a sort of 'Camille type' who has spent her adult life obsessing over revenge for the brutal murder of her parents at the hands of local crime boss Joe Leon (Rod Steiger) and his macho son Tomas (Eric Roberts). Munro convinces the introspective & lonely Quick to take the assignment, & this puts him in the cross hairs of his old ex-CIA colleague and current Leon security man Ned Trent (James Woods). Trent nurses a grudge, as Quick got him sacked from the CIA on account of his trigger happy ways.
The film has an atmospheric and noirish flavour, accentuated by a sublimely sensual and yet suspenseful score by none other than John Barry. Stallone is a bit more dour than normal here as the moody Quick, and doesn't make too much of an impression. James Woods on the other hand steals nearly every scene he's in, hamming it up to the max. So does Rod Steiger, who played more than his share of mob boss roles during his later years. Eric Roberts does his usual thing as an egotistical baddie, and in many ways his character here is an identical replica of one he played in the earlier Final Analysis , right down to a "was that a look" showdown with the hero. Sharon Stone is at the peak of her seductive powers here, and the film capitalizes on this with a suggestive sexual interlude between her character and Quick. It's not quite up to the standards of the legendary encounter in Basic Instinct, but I'm not complaining. I quite enjoyed this film, and it's whetted my appetite for a few more of Sly's 90's thrillers, which I plan to view over the next couple of days/weeks.
Yeah, I've always had a soft spot for this interesting little film....
Two super fit people posing and flexing for the camera while pretending to have sex in the shower :))
Yes, that was very nice... ;)
Indeed, the score is fantastic. Did You Call Me is my second favorite Barry composition, after the James Bond Theme. It conveys an incredible feeling of sensuality, combined with sorrow and regret. And those chord changes bouncing between Bbm and Fm... exquisite. My favorite rendition is the one heard in Ray Covers May - Did You Call Me (I think you can hear it in the film in the first phone call scene). Just strings all the way. Barry said in an interview his score was inspired by the thought of two people getting to know each other through the phone before eventually meeting each other in person, and you can hear that in the mysterious, seductive quality of this composition, not so straightforwardly romantic, but a bit more teasing instead. Another great rendition is the end credits one (unused), in which Barry finally goes with another key and adds French horns. The rest of the score is equally up to par. Other great cues include May and Ray at the Cemetery, Explosive Trent, Ray Meets May at Her Funeral and Get the Hell Out of Here.
I remember a great little touch of overacting by him when he wets his fingertip and uses it to clean May's bloodied face. Also, "¡bastarda!"
Allow me to recommend Demolition Man, Assassins and Cop Land.