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Comments
It's a great film. Connery and Caine are at the top of their game. The ending gets me every time.
This is undeniably the most powerful and best scene in the film.
Also I think it's well worth watching this small review of the film which really nails what Hitchcock is on about. It also shows a lot of clips for people unfamiliar with the film:
Lookie here :D
Many great film roles have already been mentioned here, such as his roles in Marnie, The Molly Maguires, The Hill, and The Offence, all of which were real powerhouse performances. His to major War Epics, The Longest Day (wear he plays an Irish Soldier!) and A Bridge to Far (As the weary Major General Roy Urquhart) were almost cameo but very memorable, but without doubt his crowning glory was playing William of Baskerville in the Name of the Rose, proving once and for all that he need be type cast no more.
Other favourites for me however, are the Presidio where he plays the base commander along side Mark Harmon (Agent Gibbs in NCIS) and also his role as Marshall O'Neil in Outland, the outer space type western - gritty and more than 1 dimensional.
Finally, for entertainment value the character of Juan Sanchez Villa-Lopez Ramirez takes alot of beating in the cult classic Highlander. It is just a shame they decided to ruin that great film with a series of terrible sequals.
But let us be really honest here. How many other actors could have played so many different nationalities with a scottish accent and one with a SHH to go with it!
An Irishman, An half Indian, A Norwegian, An American, A Spanish Egyptian, A Morrocan, Another Arab (different state), An Italian American, and finally A Dragon! I am sure there are more but these were the ones that sprung to mind.
The Man Who would be King is my fav non-Bond.
But what about the movies he turned down.
Just found out he turned down The Silence of the Lambs as Hannibal (!!!!!that i could not imagine).
The Matrix (yep he would have nailed it and made the films his) I wish he took the role of Morpheus - why Sean, why turn it down?
And of course we had a great actor who eventually took the role in The Lord of the Rings films but I reckon Sean would have just made it extra special as Gandalf.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade:
It's a really fun and entertaining film even if it's a little more familiar and episodic than the previous two films in the series. Connery and Harrison Ford's great chemistry keeps the film ticking over and it's undeniable that Connery's performance steals the show. I was actually very surprised when watching the film how great a comic actor Sean is. He really sinks well into the skin of Henry Jones Snr and plays the stodgy academic well but never blunts the alpha-male dominance and sexual charisma that are inherent to any Sean Connery performance.
Murder on the Orient Express:
I really wouldn't recommend this film, it's overly kitsch and really rather boring. Every actor in the film is really just playing the stereotype of their own persona. for instance Anthony Perkins plays the slightly psychotic murder suspect with big Mummy issues. As a result Connery is essentially reduced to playing a bland military type who thinks with his fists. Nothing too interesting to see here, this is most definitely one of Sean's and Sidney Lumet's lesser collaborations.
The Avengers:
This film is beyond awful, it's an incoherent and badly cast mess of a movie. There are occasional surrealist pieces of imagery that are interesting in their own odd way but none of it ever comes together and film is totally nonsensical. Connery looks to be having some kind of fun amidst all the chaos but not even Sean's presence can elevate this tripe. Though he does get the occasional excellent line reading: "Now is the winter of your discontent" and "John Steed, what a horse's ass of a name". Beyond that, avoid at all costs.
b-(
Seconded. ;)
With a title like that it sounds like a real masterpiece :p
Even better is the ultimate quote of the film:
I think it is actually a very interesting film for all the reasons you have stated. Just because the characters are not likeable or the film is not traditionally entertaining does not mean that it's a bad film. 'Marnie' is an uncomfortable watch but part of it's appeal are the layers to it.
Mark is the villian of the piece but Hitchcock appears almost sympathetic to him and throughout paints the character as the protagonist despite some of his horrible actions. Marnie should be the hero, we as the audience should support her especially after what Rutland puts her through, but we don't. Marnie is fractured and unstable and instead of supporting her we question her.
I really liked the film and I think the more you unpackage the ideas and themes you can see that the film is very good indeed.
One of my favourite Connery performances. Basically a science fiction remake of High Noon, Connery plays the no-nonsense Marshall who becomes a target when he shakes things up on an off-world mining facility.
Connery is excellent in it and gets some really hard boiled and humorous dialogue.
The film is similar in style to Alien and has a great Jerry Goldsmith score.
ROBIN and MARIAN, much better! Directed by Richard Lester, Connery plays an aging Robin Hood and Audrey Hepburn as Marian! Lovely film, really well made!
And Connery gets to have another scrap with Robert Shaw as the Sherrif,ala Bond vs Grant Part II haha..
He is a bad guy with some moral standards when it comes to his job, less so with the girls. He is providing 'insurance' to local businesses in London.
Quite enjoyable, though I'd have liked some more location shooting around early 60s London.
DARBY O GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE
THE ANDERSON TAPES
ROBIN AND MARION
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
CUBA
THE UNTOUCHABLES
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
RISING SUN
THE ROCK
I do miss his presence on the big screen and being able to look forward to a new Connery film each year.
I watched Entrapment last night for the first time. I have to say, this was a surprisingly entertaining movie. Sure, it's a knockabout '90's thriller (even with an obligatory appearance from Ving Rhames to cement its credentials in this respect). Yes, it's hokey and the plot is ridiculous. I didn't believe a second of it, and I didn't care that I didn't. This is a seriously sexy, mischievous and charismatic film.
Sean Connery is effortlessly charismatic. He's the tough, assertive man (who, dare I say it is a little cantankerous) who makes it all look easy. He easily slips into the role with charm to spare. I think that had they dyed his hair and beard he could have passed for mid-fifties and played up the romance angle.
Catherine Zeta Jones is the star here. That isn't to say her performance is any good...In fact, she's pretty wooden. Nevertheless, she looks staggering and is never short of breathtaking (Why oh why, didn't Barbara Broccoli snatch her up for a role in a Brosnan film?!). Her character has a flinty, mercurial nature (not to dissimilar to Rebecca Ferguson's character in Rogue Nation).
Eventually the chemistry between her and Connery really sparks and by the end of the picture you are genuinely rooting for them. They make for a very watchable partnership. The film shifts gears when it gets to Kuala Lumpur and their relationship becomes more intriguing. In many respects, making him older was a smart idea. It plays up the different angles in their relationship; namely, (1) the mentor/student, (2) paternal dynamic, and (3) the romantic side - which is made more intriguing as CZJ is married to an older man in real life.
The match between these two may sound unlikely, but it works because it isn't forced, and because both actors are so mischievously game.
There are also a lot of great twists that I never saw coming. If you like sleek thrillers with a dash of Hitchcock then don't sleep on Entrapment. The third act is also thrilling. I think it's pretty underrated!
Also...
I agree of course on the brilliant chemistry between Zeta-Jones and Connery. Entrapment is very slick and stylish entertainment.
I love the sound of the windscreen wipers. Clever touch.
And the beginning of the film is really good. A most American thing --a Western-- but with Asian actors. A nice summation of the subject matter of the film. And I like how it's a movie within the movie.
Another part I really like is when things get hairy, Connery takes off his jacket, after having worn it for more than half the film, and underneath is a revolver in a shoulder holster. "Time to be among them." That moment can't be improved upon.
What else... Connery's first scene. Striking camera movement. "No! Be on time." Very commanding. Wesley Snipes holds his own against him, though.
I overall like the camera work very much. Lively, but not to the point of being meaninglessly flashy. It just makes the world of the film seem more dangerous and uncertain.
"You should know... I'm a black belt."
"But of courshe you are, dear."
God, I wish I was that red string right above her. And that she would "trigger the alarm."
I hated Rising Sun because it's a travesty of Michael Crighton's excellent novel. As well as being a not very good film overall.
The John Conner character was obviously written with Sean Connery in mind. It's the only thing the film adaptation gets right.
Agree with you again mate.
Bored the life out of me that film!