Based on the non-fiction novel by Billy Hayes and William Hoffer, Midnight Express is the story of an American student in Turkey who is sent to prison for smuggling hashish as he tries to escape. Directed by Alan Parker and screenplay by Oliver Stone, the film is a prison drama set in Turkey where a young man befriends other prisoners as he would also endure torture as the character of Hayes is played by Brad Davis. Also starring Randy Quaid, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Norbert Weisser, Peter Jeffrey, and John Hurt. Midnight Express is a haunting and gripping film from Alan Parker.
Told in the span of five years from 1970 to 1975, an American student named Billy Hayes is trying to smuggle 2kg of hashish in Turkey where he is sent to prison as he endures its torturous setting. It’s a film that is a prison drama set in one of the most brutal prisons in the world where this young American has to deal with beatings, horrific conditions, and prisoners who are more likely to kill you than be your friends. Oliver Stone’s screenplay opens with Hayes trying to smuggle as much hashish as he could yet Turkish custom officers know something is up. While an American official named Tex (Bo Hopkins) a deal for Hayes to find out who supplied him the hashish and be sent back to America without any trouble. Hayes becomes aware that something isn’t right where he is sent to prison as much of the film’s first act is about Hayes dealing with being in prison and his first trial where the prosecutor wants to give him a harsher punishment but the judge ruled that Hayes would serve a four-year sentence.
The film’s second act moves towards 1974 just as he had befriended an American prisoner in Jimmy (Randy Quaid), a British heroin addict named Max (John Hurt), and a Swede in Erich (Norbert Weisser) where Jimmy is eager to plot an escape from prison as it’s considered an impossible task. With 53 days left of his sentence, Hayes believes he will finally come home but an appeal by the prosecutor to the Turkish High Court changes everything as the sentence is expanded to 30 years. It play into this sense of loss and injustice that Hayes endured yet he is someone who had taken responsibility for his actions and felt that he’s done his time. It would lead to him, Jimmy, and Max to try and escape with its third act set in 1975 as it play into Hayes’ frustration as well as some of the corrupt elements of the prison where a prisoner in Rifki (Paolo Bonacelli) has made deals with guards and such that would help them both financially.
Alan Parker’s direction is astonishing in its approach to suspense and drama from the way he opens the film with Hayes trying to put as much hashish on his body and him at the airport hoping to get past customs. Shot mainly on location in Fort Saint Elmo in Valetta, Malta in Italy as Parker and his crew were unable to shoot on location in Istanbul as they were denied access to the location. The usage of Fort Saint Elmo would create this world that is Istanbul in the early 1970s where it’s a place where a lot of hippies would go there to get high but when one breaks the law there. The usage of wide shots get a look at the many locations as well as the prison itself where it is this unforgiving environment that is detached from the outside world where the prisoners have little clue of what is happening. The usage of close-ups and medium shots play into the space and intimacy in some of the rooms and cells along with the bathrooms and other rooms in the prison. Parker’s usage of tracking shots and careful compositions that include some of the trial scenes help play into the drama as well as Hayes’ struggle where he does what he can to maintain his sanity.
Parker’s direction also play into the brutality of prison where it’s much more different in Turkey where the warden will beat a man’s feet with his club or will do things that will break you physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s also a place where there’s few allies as where you mess with a prisoner, that prisoner will find a way to fight back. The film does feature some narration from Hayes as he’s writing letters to loved ones as endures his sentence while he, Jimmy, and Max would try to find a way out of prison. The film’s third act that takes place in 1975 which is about the attempted escapes but also Hayes’ action upon learning about what Rifki had been doing play into this act of desperation to escape once he and Max are sent to an asylum for the duration of their sentences. Overall, Parker crafts a visceral yet intense film about an American student serving time in a Turkish prison which is one of the most unforgiving places in the world.
Cinematographer Michael Seresin does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the daytime exterior scenes as well as its usage of available lighting for many of the interiors including some scenes set at night. Editor Gerry Hambling does excellent work with the editing as it does have some unique rhythms that help play into the suspense and drama including some slow-motion cuts for a fight scene. Production designer Geoffrey Kirkland and art director Evan Hercules do amazing work with the look of the prison cells, courtrooms, and other places in the prisons and asylum as it adds to its harsh and brutal conditions.
Costume designer Milena Canonero does fantastic work with the costumes with the look of the ragged clothes that the prisoners wear including some of the ragged hippie-like clothing that Hayes, Jimmy, and Erich wear. Sound mixer Clive Winter does terrific work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the prison in the inside as well as the sense of terror and dread that occurs inside. The film’s music by Giorgio Moroder is great as it is largely a synthesizer-driven score that feature some intense pieces as well as somber pieces that play into some of the drama including a romantic moment between Hayes and Erich as it’s one of the film’s highlights.
The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Michael Yannatos as a court translator, Peter Jeffrey as a British insane asylum patient Hayes meets late in the film in Ahmet, Gigi Ballista as a sympathetic Turkish judge, Michael Ensign as an American ambassador in Turkey, Franco Diogene as the Turkish lawyer Yesil, Mike Kellin as Hayes’ father, Yashaw Adem as the airport customs chief, and Kevork Malikyan as the prosecutor who wants Hayes to suffer for his actions. Bo Hopkins is terrific as a mysterious American official known as Tex who offers Hayes a deal only to work with the Turkish government in ensuring that Hayes goes to prison. Irene Miracle is wonderful as Hayes’ girlfriend Susan who was in Turkey when he got busted as she would later visit him late in the film in a weirdly-comical moment in the film.
Norbert Weisser is fantastic as the Swedish smuggler Erich as a man who sympathizes with Hayes as they briefly engage into a homosexual relationship to defy the country’s anti-gay laws. Paul L. Smith is excellent as the brutal prison warden Hamidou as this man that has great joy in beating up his prisoners as well as doing some of the most terrifying things to them. Paolo Bonacelli is brilliant as Rifki as a Turkish prisoner whom Hayes has to share his cell with as he and Max don’t like him much as he’s also someone that seems to have a lot of connection that can make his stay comfortable. Randy Quaid is amazing as Jimmy as an American prisoner who is in prison for stealing candles at a mosque as someone that is eager to get out any way he can despite the beatings he’s taken where he is determined to get out of Turkey and find salvation in Greece.
John Hurt is incredible as the English heroin addict Max as a man who is an offbeat figure as a man who is also willing to get out but knows a lot about law and such yet is driven to the edge over Rifki’s actions. Finally, there’s Brad Davis in an incredible performance as Billy Hayes as a young American student who gets caught smuggling hashish where he is later sent to Turkish prison as Davis displays a young man that is naïve in what he was trying to do and learn from his problems only to deal with the injustice where he becomes angry and determined to get out of Turkey any way he can.
Midnight Express is a sensational film from Alan Parker. Featuring a great cast, Oliver Stone’s riveting screenplay, dazzling visuals, and a hypnotic music score by Giorgio Moroder. It’s a film that explore the dangerous world of Turkish prisons as well as what men have to endure in a world that is far more intense as well as to find some sort of hope where the rules are different than their usual surroundings. In the end, Midnight Express is a phenomenal film from Alan Parker.
Alan Parker Films: (Play for Today-The Evacuees) - (Bugsy Malone) – (Fame (1980 film)) – (Shoot the Moon) – Pink Floyd: The Wall - (Birdy) – (Angel Heart) – (Mississippi Burning) – (Come See the Paradise) – (The Commitments) – (The Road to Wellville) – (Evita) – (Angela’s Ashes) – (The Life of David Gale)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel Monkey in the Middle by Robert Syd Hopkins, The Killer Elite is the story of an American spy who has been betrayed by his best friend as he finds himself wanting revenge unaware of a power struggle that is emerging for the company they work for. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Marc Norman and Stirling Silliphant, the film is a suspense-thriller that plays into a man who tries to cope with betrayal as well as wondering about his loyalty to the people he work for. Starring James Caan, Robert Duvall, Burt Young, Bo Hopkins, Mako, Arthur Hill, and Gig Young. The Killer Elite is a compelling and thrilling film from Sam Peckinpah.
Following an assignment that ends with betrayal and injury, the film is about a spy who works for a private company as he struggles to get back in the game and seek revenge. It’s a film that play into an ever-changing world where a spy who is known for doing his job and having fun is given a rude awakening where his assignment to protect a defector leaves him wounded where his best friend shot him in the elbow and on a kneecap. The film’s script is quite straightforward as it play into the struggle of its protagonist Mike Locken (James Caan) would endure in getting himself back up as well as return to work despite the fact that his superiors believe he’s done. Yet, he would accept an assignment to protect a Chinese political figure who is eager to return to his home country while dealing with Asian rivals as well as his friend George Hansen (Robert Duvall). Yet, Locken and Hansen are both unaware of what is happening behind the scenes as it relates to the ideas of what men want to control their idea of the world.
Sam Peckinpah’s direction is actually quite restrained in some aspects with the exception of its climax which bear many of the elements of stylish violence that he’s known for. Shot entirely on location in San Francisco and areas near the city, the film is quite straightforward as Peckinpah would create some nice wide and medium shots of the locations to play into this sense of a world that is very modern but the characters are quite comfortable with the setting. There are some close-ups to play into some of the suspense along with the medium shots as Peckinpah knows how to maintain some momentum and build it up. At the same time, there are elements that showcases what is going on behind the scenes as it relates to the ideals that Locken hold about doing his job in the hope to do something good.
Yet, there is an air of cynicism as it is more about power and wanting to maintain some form of the status quo with greed also being a factor. Especially in the confrontation between Locken and Hansen as it shows two men who are forced to deal with the emergence of a new world order. It is later followed by another confrontation where one is about honor but the other is about the realities of a new world where ideals and loyalty would become obsolete. Overall, Peckinpah crafts a fascinating yet gripping thriller about a spy’s thirst for revenge complicated by those he is working for.
Cinematographer Philip Lathrop does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of low-key lighting for some of the interior/exterior settings at night to the gorgeous look of the scenes set in the daytime. Editors Monte Hellman and Tony de Zarraga do terrific work with the editing as it has some stylish montage sequences that play into Locken‘s attempt to get revenge with a scene of what is going on in the company he works for as well as some stylish jump-cuts. Production designer Haworth and set decorator Rick Gentz do nice work with the set design from the look of the home Locken would live in his recovery to the secret base of a Chinese client that he is trying to protect.
Costume designer Ray Summers does wonderful work with the costumes as it is mostly casual with the exception of the old-school Chinese garb that the Chinese clients wear. Sound editor Fred Brown does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the violence as well as some of the sparse moments in the quieter scenes in the film. The film’s music by Jerry Fielding is brilliant for its mixture of jazz and orchestral music as it play into the suspense and sense of action as it is a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Jane Feinberg and Mike Fenton is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Tiana Alexandra as Yuen Chung‘s daughter Tommie, Kate Heflin as Locken‘s nurse Amy, Victor Sei Yung as an associate of Chung in Wei Chei, Takayuki Kubota as a rival Japanese mob figure wanting to take out Chung, Tom Clancy as Hansen‘s right-hand man O‘Leary, and Helmut Dantine as the Eastern European client Vorodny whom Locken and Hansen were protecting in the film‘s opening sequence. Bo Hopkins is terrific as Locken’s weapons specialist Jerome Miller who is good with guns while Mako is fantastic as the Chinese political figure Yuen Chung who is eager to return to his home country in the hopes of bringing some form of democracy to the country. Burt Young is brilliant as Mac as a civilian who is Locken’s getaway driver and associate who is also the film’s conscience of sorts where he goes into detail over what Locken is fighting for and why it doesn’t mean anything.
Gig Young is superb as Weybourne as a private security leader who is trying to do whatever he can to maintain his own status in the spy business while using both Locken and Hansen to clean up his dirty work. Arthur Hill is amazing as Cap Collis as Locken’s superior who gives Locken the assignments as he deals with Weybourne in a power struggle where he wants some control but for his own selfish reasons. Robert Duvall is remarkable as George Hansen as a spy who is trying to survive for himself as he copes with what he had to do for Locken while also coping with this emergence of a new world order that he isn’t sure he wants to be a part of. Finally, there’s James Caan in an incredible performance as Mike Locken as a spy who has been betrayed and nearly crippled as he seeks revenge while also dealing with what he has and trying to hold on to some idealism that is starting to become obsolete in a more cynical and crueler world where it isn’t about doing the right thing.
The Killer Elite is a remarkable film from Sam Peckinpah that features excellent performances from James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Burt Young. While it may be considered one of Peckinpah’s weaker films, it is still a fascinating suspense-thriller that does play into Peckinpah’s fascination with man and changing times as well this growing sense of cynicism where honor and loyalty are becoming non-existent. In the end, The Killer Elite is a marvelous film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, The Getaway is the story of a criminal who is released from prison by his wife as they’re both on the run following a botched bank robbery as well as what the wife had to do to get her husband released. Directed by Sam Peckinpah and screenplay by Walter Hill, the film is a neo-noir film that explores a couple trying to survive while with things that nearly destroyed their marriage. Starring Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Letteri, Sally Struthers, Bo Hopkins, Jack Dodson, and Slim Pickens. The Getaway is a thrilling and compelling film from Sam Peckinpah.
The film follows a couple who go on the run after a robbery for a businessman went wrong as some secrets are unveiled that make things more complicated for this married couple. It’s a simple film that isn’t just about relationships and what some will do to help that person but also the severity of these sacrifices. Walter Hill’s screenplay doesn’t just show the intense love that Carter “Doc” McCoy (Steve McQueen) and his wife Carol (Ali MacGraw) have for each other but also in the situation they’re in as play into corruption and deals of the worst kind. Especially as Doc is serving prison time for his own work as a robber as he is being denied parole until Carol makes a deal with the corrupt businessman Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson) to release Doc but Doc would have to perform a bank robbery with two other men.
Doc does the deal but the robbery doesn’t go well as one of his accomplices in Rudy (Al Letteri) would try to create a double-cross that failed only for Doc to realize he’s being double-crossed by Beynon who would reveal what Carol did to get Doc out of prison. Hill does create a unique structure where the first half is about Doc’s release, the botched robbery, and the ill-fated meeting with Beynon after the robbery while its second half is about Doc and Carol on the run as they ponder the future of their marriage. Yet, they’re being pursued by Beynon’s men and a wounded Rudy as well as the law where it just adds to the trouble that the McCoys would have to endure. Even as they try to make it to El Paso, Texas and reach the border with nearly half-a-million dollars which Beynon’s men and Rudy want.
Sam Peckinpah’s direction definitely bear a lot of the stylistic elements he’s known for with its usage of slow-motion to capture some of the graphic violence as well as its disdain for aspects of the modern world. Shot in various cities around Texas including San Antonio and El Paso, the film does have the feel of a western but it meshes with element of noir though not on a visual sense for the latter. While Peckinpah uses a lot of wide shots for the locations as well as some intense scenes in the violence. He would favor something that is more intimate as it relates to the McCoys’ relationship with each other as well as some of the characters they meet. Notably the scene after the botched robbery where there is this air of tension between Doc and Beynon as it has a lot of what is happening where it does play into the elements of film noir.
By the time the film reaches the second half where much of it is spent on the road where the McCoys are on the run. There is a looseness to the direction while Peckinpah would also maintain some suspense as it relates to a sequence involving a con man in a train or car chases involving the cops. The scenes on the road also pertain to Rudy where he holds a veterinarian and his wife hostage as it would create more issues as the wife would fall for Rudy. The climax is set at a hotel where many criminals would hide out as it is quite bloody as well as display some intricate framing in how Peckinpah would play into the suspense to see if the McCoys can survive the attack from all of these forces who doesn’t just want the money but also the McCoys dead. Overall, Peckinpah creates a captivating and gripping film about a married couple going on the run with nearly half-a-million dollars in cash.
Cinematographer Lucien Ballard does excellent work with the film‘s very sunny and colorful cinematography for many of the daytime exterior locations as well as some of the interiors while using low-key lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Robert L. Wolfe does fantastic work with the editing with its usage of slow-motion cuts, jump-cuts, and other stylistic moments to play into the suspense and violence. Art directors Angelo P. Graham and Ted Haworth, with set decorator George R. Nelson, do amazing work with the look of Beynon‘s house and office as well as the hotel that many of the criminals stay at near El Paso.
Sound editor Michael Colgan and Josef von Stroheim do superb work with the sound as it play into the chaotic sounds of gunfire and violence as well as some of the moments involving the car chases and dumpster truck scene. The film’s music by Quincy Jones is brilliant for its jazz-like score with elements of rock, country, and funk as it play into the energy of the film as well as some of the somber moments as it is a highlight of the film.
The casting by Patricia Mock is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Dub Taylor as the hotel owner Laughlin, Bo Hopkins as a robber in part of the heist who would fuck things up accidentally, Richard Bright as the con man that tried to steal the bag of money from Carol, Roy Jenson as Beynon’s business partner Cully, Jack Dodson as the veterinarian named Harold whom Rudy would hold hostage to fix him up, and Slim Pickens in a brief yet superb performance as a cowboy Doc and Carol would meet as he is just so fun to watch in his brief cameo. Sally Struthers is pretty good as Harold’s wife Fran who would fall for Rudy as she does whatever she can to help Rudy while being frightened by the chaos around her. Al Letteri is fantastic as Rudy as a robber who tries to double-cross Doc as he would survive their encounter as he goes after him and Carol.
Ben Johnson is excellent as Jack Beynon as a corrupt businessman who would use his influence to get Doc out on parole but he would also do things to Doc that would just push the McCoys to the edge. Finally, there’s the duo of Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in remarkable performances in their respective roles as Doc and Carol McCoy. McQueen provides that sense of bravado and grittiness to his performance as a robber that knows everything but would display some vulnerability and humility into what his wife had to do to get him out of jail. MacGraw’s performance as Carol shows a woman that is desperate to help her husband anyway she can as she then feels disappointed and ponders if she made the right decision. McQueen and MacGraw definitely display some chemistry that bring some realism to the couple in the way they love each other as well as express their own frustrations as it plays true to the world of noir.
The Getaway is a phenomenal from Sam Peckinpah that features great performances from Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw. Featuring a superb supporting cast, gorgeous locations, thrilling action, and a snazzy score from Quincy Jones. The film is one of Peckinpah’s more accessible films as well as a great blend of noir and suspense with bits of the western. In the end, The Getaway is an incredible film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - Junior Bonner - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the book by Claude Stanush, The Newton Boys is the true story about a family of thieves known as the Newton Gang who were one of the most notorious bank and train robbers of the early 20th Century. Directed by Richard Linklater and written by Linklater, Stanush, and Clark Lee Walker, the film marks Linklater’s first foray into studio features as he explores the world of the Western and a family that are eager to make their name as thieves. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, Vincent D’Onofrio, Julianna Marguiles, and Dwight Yoakam. The Newton Boys is a delightful though very flawed film from Richard Linklater.
The film is about a group of brothers who gained notoriety in the early 1920s robbing banks throughout the American Midwest as they were successful in their venture until a train robbery in Chicago where some confusion leads to their downfall. Yet, it is about these four brothers from Texas as they have endured so much poverty as their eldest brother Willis Newton (Matthew McConaughey) has just been released from a 3-year prison sentence for a crime he never committed. With the help of his friend Brentwood Glasscock (Dwight Yoakam), Newton gathers his brothers Jesse (Ethan Hawke), Joe (Skeet Ulrich), and Dock (Vincent D’Onofrio) to take part in a series of nighttime bank robberies that were major successes. With success comes trouble and also greed as the brothers try to maintain a life without crime but things don’t work well leading to their botched Chicago train robbery.
The film’s screenplay does have this unique structure where it has a level of excitement in the first two acts in how Willis Newton decided to go into the world of bank robbery. Even as he brings in his younger brothers in Jesse and Joe into the mix early in the film as they both have different ideas about robbery with Jesse being the liveliest of the bunch while Joe is more reluctant but understand the need for money. Dock eventually comes to the fold after he escapes prison where the robberies are successful as they’re only in it to get the money from big banks and making sure no one gets killed. Along the way, Willis gains a companion in Louise (Julianna Marguiles) who would try to pull him away from crime but various setbacks in attempt to go legal would trouble things. Even a tempting yet dangerous theft of a bank in Toronto would have Willis re-think about everything he went through.
The first two acts does have this sense of liveliness in the script though it does have issues in character development where Jesse is always a charismatic drunk who likes to have fun while Dock is someone who doesn’t really get much to do. Then comes the third act that culminates with the Chicago train robbery where things get darker and dramatic where the story loses some steam. Notably as they deal with the law and other authorities where it gets very grim and the film becomes uneven in tone.
The direction of Richard Linklater is quite grand but also has a sense of looseness in the way the robberies are presented as it is told in great detail. Linklater also creates some amazing compositions and moments where he keeps things lively for most of the film as it has some humor as well as low-key moments where Willis Newton lives his life with Louise. For the robbery scenes, Linklater does carry an air of suspense in the fact that something could go wrong though it would be more prevalent in its third act. Due to the weakness of the script in that third act, things do lose some luster where Linklater does try to create something lively again but it often feels to tacked on making the ending a bit drawn out despite some very good moments in the final credits scene that features the real Willis Newton talking in a documentary and a 1980 episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson where Joe Newton talks. Overall, Linklater creates a fine but messy film about a gang of brothers robbing banks.
Cinematographer Peter James does excellent work with the cinematography as it‘s mostly straightforward for many of its scenes set in Texas in its exterior and interior settings. Editor Sandra Adair does fantastic work with the editing to create some great montages for some of the robberies as well as some methodical cuts for the suspenseful moments. Production designer Catherine Hardwicke and set decorator Jeanette Scott do amazing work with the set pieces from the look of the hotels the brothers stay in to the look of the cars and such to capture the period of the early 1920s.
Costume designer Shelley Komarov does wonderful work with the costumes from the clothes the men wear to the stylish dresses that Louise wears. Sound editor Pat Jackson does terrific work with the sound to capture the energy of the robberies as well as the atmosphere of the clubs the characters go to. The film’s music by Edward D. Barnes is a delightful mix of ragtime music with blues and country to play up the sense of energy while music supervisors Keith Fletcher and Mark Rubin add material from the standards of the time to play up the liveliness of that period.
The casting by Don Phillips is brilliant as it features a huge ensemble that includes some notable small roles from Chloe Webb as Glasscock’s wife, Charles Gunning as the robber Slim, Luke Askew as the Chicago police chief Schoemaker, David Jensen as the Chicago train robbery organizer William Fahy, and Bo Hopkins in a terrific performance as the investigator K.P. Aldrich who looks into the Newton Boys’ robberies. Dwight Yoakam is excellent as the nitroglycerine explosives expert Brentwood Glasscock who is the most careful of the bunch though he is not very good with guns. Julianna Margulies is wonderful as Louise as Willis’ lover who discovers about what he does as she tries to get him to go straight only to realize the difficulties he’s facing.
Vincent D’Onofrio is good as Dock Newton as the guy who can get things done and such though D’Onofrio doesn’t really get much to do as he’s sort of wasted in the film. Ethan Hawke is very funny as the lively Jesse Newton as a guy who likes to flirt with the ladies and drink while being a charmer though the script doesn’t give Hawke more to do. Skeet Ulrich is superb as the youngest Newton brother Joe as the most reluctant person of the group who is aware of what has to be done while facing the dangers of their crimes. Finally, there’s Matthew McConaughey in a marvelous performance as Willis Newton as the ringleader of the gang who organizes every heist and such while being a man of charm and wit as McConaughey brings a lot of gusto to his role.
The Newton Boys is a good though flawed film from Richard Linklater. While it has a great cast, amazing set pieces, and a terrific soundtrack. It’s a film that starts off well only to be bogged down by some weak aspects of the script in its third act. Particularly where it wants to be a western comedy as well as a docu-drama where it becomes very uneven in tone. In the end, The Newton Boys is a fine and worthwhile film from Richard Linklater.
Richard Linklater Films: It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books - Slacker - Dazed & Confused - Before Sunrise - subUrbia - Waking Life - Tape - School of Rock - Before Sunset - Bad News Bears (2005 film) - A Scanner Darkly - Fast Food Nation - Me and Orson Welles - Bernie (2011 film) - Before Midnight - Boyhood - Everybody Want Some!! - The Auteurs #57: Richard Linklater Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
