Pale Rider

Directed and starring Clint Eastwood and written by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack, Pale Rider is the story of a mysterious gunslinger who arrives in a mining town to help the innocent deal with the corrupt people running the mines. The film is a western that involves a man who is quite religious as he tries to help those in need of saving in a world that is quite corrupt. Also starring Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Chris Penn, Richard Dysart, Sydney Penny, Richard Kiel, Doug McGrath, and John Russell. Pale Rider is a rich yet eerie film from Clint Eastwood.

The film revolves around a small community living nearby a creek in Northern California where they’re being harassed and attacked by thugs working for a businessman as the community get unexpected help from a mysterious drifter who is also a preacher. It’s a film that play into this struggle of a group of people trying to find gold in their own land nearby a small town that is largely owned by this mining businessman. Though this community have a legal claim to the land, the businessman hires thugs to try and get rid of them until they meet trouble in this mysterious drifter known only as the Preacher (Clint Eastwood). The film’s screenplay by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack is straightforward in its narrative while not doing much to reveal the identity of the Preacher other than he arrived as if he answered the prayer of this 14-year old girl named Megan (Sydney Penny) whose dog was killed by thugs during an attack.

When a man named Hull Barrett (Michael Moriarty) goes to town for supplies and to pay off some money he owes to its merchant, he is attacked by those same thugs until the Preacher comes in. It would set the story in motion as the Preacher would be a source of inspiration where he doesn’t kill anyone at first while remaining very little about who he was. Even Megan’s mother Sarah Wheeler (Carrie Snodgress) has her suspicions but eventually warms up to him once he shows his worth and willingness to stand up to the thugs who work for the businessman Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart). Adding to this growing conflict between LaHood and the small community of settlers is the fact that LaHood is trying to take control as well as embark on a new venture that does more harm to the land than good through strip mining.

Clint Eastwood’s direction is mesmerizing for not just its setting but also for the haunting tone of the film as it relates to the Preacher’s mysterious presence. Shot on various locations in Idaho such as the Boulder Mountains and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area as well a few scenes shot at Tuolumne County in California. Eastwood sets the film at a time in the mid to late 19th Century during the final days of the California Gold Rush as Eastwood would shoot on locations around creeks and canyons to play into the life of settlers as well as what they do when they go to this small town with some caution due to the fact that LaHood’s men are lurking wanting to cause trouble and get the settlers out for good. Eastwood’s usage of the wide shots play into the vast look of the locations including the land that LaHood’s worker led by his son Josh (Chris Penn) is watching over as it showcases this piece of land being stripped by these hydraulic water pipes that play into this idea of modernism as there’s a scene of the Preacher looking at this with immense disgust. Eastwood would also use medium shots and close-ups to help characters interact with one another including a tense scene where the Preacher meets LaHood for the first time in LaHood’s office as the former is given an offer by the latter.

The direction also have these elements of mysticism as it relates to the Preacher where is seen in a shot at a certain position in the frame and then when it goes in the same shot on that location, he’s not there. It also play into Megan’s need for salvation although she is unsure if the Preacher would really do good as there’s still a lot of anger towards LaHood and his thugs. The film’s third act relates to the arrival of a corrupt marshal in Stockburn (John Russell) who is hired to take care of business as he is aware of the Preacher but isn’t sure if he remembers him. The film’s climax with Eastwood’s careful approach compositions and suspense help play into the excitement of the film as well as this sense of justice where it is about one man versus an order of greed and corruption. Overall, Eastwood creates an evocative yet exhilarating film about a drifter helping out settlers fight off a gang of thugs.

Cinematographer Bruce Surtees does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for some of the exteriors in the daytime and some of its sunny look to the usage of grey skies for the scenes during the winter as well as low-key lighting for scenes set at night and in the interior settings. Editor Joel Cox does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythm cuts for some of the action scenes. Production designer Edward C. Carfagno and set decorator Ernie Bishop do amazing work with the look of the sets from the design of the town to the strip mining camp that Josh LaHood runs.

Costume designer Deborah Hopper does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward to play into the look of the times with the exception of LaHood who is often wearing a suit. Sound mixer C. Darin Knight does superb work with the sound as it is straightforward with some textures into the way some of the locations sound such as the strip mining camp and in the film’s climax. The film’s music by Lennie Niehaus is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the air of bombast and eerie string arrangements as well as some cadence drum sounds for the film’s climax.

The casting by Phyllis Huffman is terrific as it feature some notable small roles from Billy Drago as one of Stockburn’s deputies, Doug McGrath as a settler named Spider Conway, Jeffrey Weisman and Chuck Lafont as Conway’s teenage sons, Charles Hallahan and Marvin J. McIntyre as a couple of LaHood’s goons, Fran Ryan and Richard Hamilton as local merchants who help the settlers as they don’t like LaHood but are afraid of him, and Richard Kiel as a gigantic hood of LaHood in Club who doesn’t say much yet his presence alone is intimidating. Chris Penn is fantastic as LaHood’s son Josh as a young cowboy who help take charge of the thugs and the mining where he tries to intimidate the Preacher only to get his comeuppance. Sydney Penny is excellent as Megan Wheeler as a 14-year old girl who prays for help and is fascinated by the Preacher to the point of infatuation. John Russell is superb as Marshal Stockburn as a notoriously corrupt marshal that is known for taking care of business as well as being extremely skilled in killing people where he is bewildered by the mention of the Preacher.

Richard Dysart is terrific as Coy LaHood as a mining businessman that wants to have control of all lands nearby just to make money by any means necessary as he also wants to intimidate the settlers any way he can. Michael Moriarty is brilliant as Hull Barrett as a settler who is trying to mine for gold to have a decent life as he also pines for Sarah Wheeler and befriends the Preacher whom he sees as a source of inspiration. Carrie Snodgress is amazing as Sarah Wheeler as a woman who is suspicious about the Preacher and his motives as she is also wondering if he is really a man or something else. Finally, there’s Clint Eastwood in an incredible performance as the Preacher as a mysterious man who wears a preacher’s cloth as he helps out Barrett and Wheeler with their troubles while also not being intimidated by everyone by playing it cool and knowing when to strike as it is Eastwood at his best.

Pale Rider is a phenomenal film from Clint Eastwood. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, an eerie music soundtrack, and a compelling story. It’s a film that play into the many tropes expected in a western while showcasing a darker side into the world of corruption, greed, and the fallacy of modernism. In the end, Pale Rider is a sensational film from Clint Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood Films: (Play Misty for Me) – High Plains Drifter - (Breezy) - (The Eiger Sanction) - (The Outlaw Josey Wales) - (The Gauntlet) - (Bronco Billy) - (Firefox) - (Honkytonk Man) – Sudden Impact - (Heartbreak Ridge) - (Bird) - (White Hunter Black Heart) - (The Rookie) – Unforgiven - (A Perfect World) - (The Bridges of Madison County) - (Absolute Power) - (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) - (True Crime) - (Space Cowboys) - (Blood Work) - (Mystic River) – Million Dollar Baby - Flags of Our Fathers - Letters from Iwo Jima - Changeling - Gran Torino) – (Invictus) – (Hereafter) – (J. Edgar) – (Jersey Boys) – American Sniper - (Sully) – (The 15:17 to Paris) – (The Mule (2019 film))

© thevoid99 2018

Short Cuts

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/23/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver, Short Cuts is a multi-layered story involving 22 characters dealing with their lives in the course of a few days in California. Directed by Robert Altman and screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, the film is an ensemble piece that explores the lives of various people some of whom are connected and those that aren't. With an all-star cast that includes Lily Tomlin, Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianne Moore, Buck Henry, Peter Gallagher, Fred Ward, Anne Archer, Chris Penn, Robert Downey Jr., Huey Lewis, Jack Lemmon, Lyle Lovett, Andie MacDowell, Madeleine Stowe, Bruce Davison, Frances McDormand, Tom Waits, Annie Ross, Lori Singer, Lili Taylor, Dirk Blocker, Zane Cassidy, and Jarrett Lennon. Short Cuts is a sprawling yet exuberant film from Robert Altman.

Stormy Weathers (Peter Gallagher) is a helicopter pilot who is dropping off pesticides all over the suburban home and valleys in California while Dr. Ralph Wyman (Matthew Modine) and his wife/artist Marian (Julianne Moore) are watching a string quartet that features the cellist Zoe (Lori Singer) with their friends Stuart (Fred Ward) and Claire Kane (Anne Archer). Zoe's mother Tess Trainer (Annie Ross) is a nightclub jazz singer where Bill (Robert Downey Jr.) and Honey Bush (Lili Taylor) are watching the show. Honey's mother Doreen (Lily Tomlin) is a diner waitress who gets a visit from her limo driver husband Earl (Tom Waits) while Howard Finnigan (Bruce Davison) is making a report about the pesticide drops while his wife Ann (Andie MacDowell) and their son Casey (Zane Cassidy) watch him on TV. Meanwhile, an angry cop named Gene Shepard (Tim Robbins) leaves his wife Sherri (Madeleine Stowe) claiming he's going to a meeting when he's really having an affair with a realtor named Betty (Frances McDormand) whose ex-husband is Stormy who had just called their son Chad (Jarrett Lennon) about Betty's birthday.

With Finnigans planning a birthday party for Casey, a pool cleaner named Jerry Kaiser (Chris Penn) arrives to clean the pool while getting a call to clean Tess' pool. Stuart goes on a fishing trip with Vern Miller (Huey Lewis) and Gordon Johnson (Buck Henry) where they make a chilling discovery at the river where they're fishing at. Tired by Earl's drunk appearances, Doreen leaves in a huff where she accidentally hits Casey with her car only for Casey to recover quickly where he walks back home. After returning home from the bakery, Ann finds her son in a state of shock unaware of what's happened to him as she takes him to the hospital where Dr. Wyman checks up on him. With Howard also at the hospital to hear about Casey, he gets an unexpected visit from his estranged father Paul (Jack Lemmon) who makes a startling confession about his own infidelities. Earl goes to the jazz club to see Tess singing as she is dealing with her own issues with Zoe who is in a state of depression.

Jerry and his wife Lois (Jennifer Jason Leigh) goes on a trip with Bill and Honey as Jerry is having issues with Lois while Sherri visits her sister Marian where they talk about infidelity where Sherri learns about Marian and Ralph's marital problems. After a tense visit from Stormy, Betty tells Gene that she's going out for the weekend with her son though Gene thinks she's lying where he later spies on her. On the day of the Wymans' barbeque party where Stuart and Claire attend unaware of Ralph and Marian's issues. With everyone upset and unhappy about their lives, everyone would come together in a moment of clarity as well as deal with tragedy.

Whereas most ensemble features, especially as ambitious as this one, tend to connect characters with one another and at times, tend to be contrived. For this film, Altman chooses to throw away the idea of a plot and just let a story or some scene tell itself. Definitely inspired by the works of Raymond Carver, Short Cuts is a film that doesn't have a lot of themes or any sense of morality or judgement. The whole film is really about people, ordinary people living their life through the disappointments, the daily struggles, and frustrations of what goes on. The characters are people that audiences can relate to in every way and form. It's the many characters that drive the film's stories and how each group of characters relate to another group. It's all done in the Altman spirit of improvisation, overlapping dialogue, and intertwining moments that allows the audience to get to know the characters and the situations.

While some audiences might find some of the stories and characters' situation hard to follow, the payoff over what happens is fulfilling. From the story of Jerry being neglected by his wife to the story of a disgruntled baker being left with an expensive cake. Neglect is a small theme from a booze-drinking jazz singer who is unaware of her daughter's depression to a phone-sex operator not wanting to talk dirty to her husband. The characters of Tess and Lois aren't totally bad since Lois is trying to make money for her family while Tess is just depressed over environment. Infidelity is another issue whether it's Marian and Ralph in a very high-octane emotional scene, Gene's cheating and his awful lies that often entertain his wife, and the heartbreaking confession from Paul Finnigan telling his son what happened. All of these scenes through the script that Altman co-wrote and his direction is very observant. Even in some of the film's intense, emotional moments where Altman moves his camera to convey something that is powerful and not taking it too close to capture this emotional moment.

Cinematographer Walt Lloyd does an excellent job in capturing Los Angeles with his intimate, sprawling photography while making several scenes in the film's interior settings to be intimate and observant. Altman's late editor Geraldine Peroni does an amazing job in shifting the differing stories from one to another and connecting characters to another without making it too confusing. It's also very rhythmic to the energy and style of the film. Production designer Stephen Altman and art director Jerry Fleming do an excellent job in creating the look of the homes of the different characters and the personalities to represent each group. Costume designer John Hay also plays to the different atmosphere of the characters in the costumes from the hippie-like clothing of Honey Bush to the posh look that Marian wears. Sound editor Eliza Paley also goes for atmosphere in the film's opening sequences the sounds of helicopters flying over Los Angeles and in the places where people get together. Music composer Mark Isham brings a melodic, jazz driven score to play to the character of Tess while also doing some subtle, orchestral score work to convey the film's drama.

Finally, there's the film's huge ensemble cast. Included in the cast are some small yet memorable performances from comedian Charles Rocket, Michael Beach and Andi Chapman as a couple who asks Honey Bush to watch over her house, Susie Cusack and Deborah Falconer as a couple of bicyclists, Margery Bond, and Nashville actor Robert DoQui. Jarrett Lennon is excellent as the Captain Planet-obsessed Chad Weathers and Zane Cassidy is great as Casey Finnigan. Lyle Lovett is wonderful as the disgruntled baker Bitkower while 80s pop singer Huey Lewis and writer Buck Henry are great as the fishing buddies Vern and Gordon, respectively.

Robert Downey Jr. is funny as the quirky, horny Bill Bush with Lily Taylor as the eccentric yet concerned Honey, who seems troubled by her own relationship towards her stepfather. Jennifer Jason Leigh is excellent as the phone-sex operator Lois who tries to maintain her family's security with the late Chris Penn giving a great performance as the neglected, sexually-frustrated Jerry.

Penn's Footloose co-star Lori Singer is great as the depressed, neglected Zoe who channels all of her emotions through her cello playing. Annie Ross is wonderful as the drunk jazz singer whose drinking is caused by her hatred for her dead husband while being unkind towards her daughter. Andie MacDowell is excellent in her role as Ann Finnigan whose life is in chaos over her son's life hanging by a thread and the strange phone calls she's getting. Bruce Davison is also excellent as Howard Finnigan whose misguided anger over his son's accident leads him into trouble while having to face his own demons.

The late yet legendary Jack Lemmon gives an amazing, scene-stealing performance as Paul Finnigan with a heartbreaking performance in which he tells his son about his infidelity and the anticipation of meeting his grandson for the first time. Anne Archer is wonderful as the loving wife Claire who is in shock over her husband's reaction towards a dead body while Fred Ward is great as Stuart who is unsure of what to do in seeing a dead body. Matthew Modine is excellent as the conservative yet consumed Dr. Ralph Wyman whose work and home life has been in conflict.

Julianne Moore delivers a knock-out performance as Marian Wyman who is forced to reveal her own dark secret to her husband in a very powerful scene that also required her to do it in very naked way. It's a great performance from Moore. Madeleine Stowe is funny as Marian's sister Sherri who is amused by her husband's lies and awareness that he cheats on her knowing it'll get the best of him. Tim Robbins is excellent as the mean, cheating Gene Shepard who is forced to question his own infidelity which starts to go nowhere.

Frances McDormand gives a fine yet angst-ridden performance as a woman whose affairs start to crumble with the appearance of her ex-husband as McDormand shows the kind of selfishness and loneliness her character brings. Peter Gallagher is very funny as Stormy Weathers who learns of his ex-wife's affairs and decides to take some funny actions towards it. Singer Tom Waits is wonderfully touching as the verbally-abusive alcoholic Earl whose own life has taken a turn while trying to deal with his marriage. Lily Tomlin is great as Doreen whose own life is in a change of direction after an incident that forces her to re-examine things while dealing with her own tumultuous life with Earl.

Short Cuts is a magnificent film from Robert Altman. Armed with a spectacular array of actors and ideas about family and doing what is right. While it's a big film with lots of characters and storylines, it's a film that does lose itself in the sense of chaos that is prevalent in the film while it is also a showcase for the actors. In the end, Short Cuts is a towering achievement from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple) - (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2013

True Romance

Directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, True Romance is the story of a couple who travel to California with a luggage of cocaine that they hope to sell for a good life. Yet, they find themselves in trouble with the mob who are after them as well as cops who learn what they’re going to do. The film is a love story mixed in with a bit of violence as it explores a couple trying to seek a good life for themselves. Starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Dennis Hopper, Bronson Pinchot, Gary Oldman, Tom Sizemore, Saul Rubinek, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, and Christopher Walken. True Romance is a glorious yet spectacular film from Tony Scott.

A call-girl named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) meets a comic book store clerk named Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) at Sonny Chiba triple-feature where they fall in love and get married after a one-day courtship. When Clarence learns that Alabama’s pimp is a crazed madman named Drexl (Gary Oldman), Clarence decides to confront Drexl leading to a fight where Clarence kills Drexl and gets a luggage that he thought belonged to Alabama. When the two realize that the luggage isn’t Alabama but an entire stash of cocaine, the two make a plan to sell it in Hollywood so they can use the money to live the good life. After Clarence decides to tell his security cop father Clifford (Dennis Hopper) to see if anyone is looking for any suspects about who killed Drexl. Clifford helps Clarence out as he learns what his son and new daughter-in-law plan to do as he bids them goodbye.

After arriving to California to meet their friend Dick Ritchie (Michael Rapaport), Clarence and Alabama meet Dick’s acting class friend Elliot Blitzer who is an associated of famed film producer Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek) that is interested in buying cocaine. Blitzer calls Donowitz where Clarence talks to Donowitz about making a deal as it’s going to happen. With everything seemingly in place, a gangster named Vincent Coccotti (Christopher Walken) learns about Clarence and Alabama’s whereabouts where he sends his henchman Virgil to track them down. After Virgil confronts Alabama about where the drugs are, the two get into a fight where Clarence realizes the trouble they’re facing.

Even worse is that Blitzer got arrested for speeding and possession where he makes a deal with two detectives in Nicholson (Tom Sizemore) and Dimes (Chris Penn) about the drug deal. Just as Clarence and Alabama are to set to make their deal with Donowitz, both the police and the mob come in leading to a bloody standoff.

The film is essentially a love story between an Elvis-obsessed film buff who also loves comic books and a call girl who also shares his passion for kung fu movies where they get a suitcase of cocaine and hope to sell it big to start a life of their own. Yet, it would eventually lead to all sorts of trouble when the stolen suitcase of cocaine really belonged to the mafia as they go on the search for this couple while a couple of crooked detectives would eventually get involved in this shady deal. It’s a film that blends all sorts of genres where it’s a crime film, a love story, and has a bit of humor where it features an element of fantasy. A lot of it is told from the perspective of this call girl who has big dreams for something good to come into her life.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay, with contributions from Roger Avary, is definitely filled with a lot of his trademarks in terms of pop culture references, witty dialogue, and graphic depiction of violence. Yet, he is focused solely on these two very unique people in Clarence and Alabama as they’re just this young couple who are in love with each other and want something that can be theirs. Clarence is a guy who loves Elvis Presley, movies, comic books, and burgers while Alabama is just a girl who wants to have fun and eat a pie after seeing a movie. Neither of them really know about how to deal drugs or know anything about the criminal underworld as all they want is some money and get out of the way. Still, complications would arise due to the fact that the man Clarence kills is really an associate of the mafia led by this sadistic man who is really a quiet yet no holds barred kind of man.

One aspect of the script that is noticeable is its schematic of sorts as the story is definitely similar to Terrence Malick’s 1973 debut film Badlands which is about two lovers going on a road trip during a killing spree that was largely inspired by the Starkweather-Fugate killings of the late 1950s. Though Clarence and Alabama aren’t killers, they do kill a few people who are essentially bad people. One notable scene is Alabama’s fight with Virgil as Virgil has this great monologue about what happens when one kills someone for the very first time. It’s part of the atmosphere that Tarantino writes with his dialogue that includes that very intense yet chilling meeting between Coccotti and Clifford Worley that is truly one of the greatest exchanges in film.

Tony Scott’s direction is purely thrilling in the way he creates the film’s intense moments of violence as well as some of its non-violent moments where he manages to keep the love story just as interesting. Scott does infuse a lot of footage from other films in the background to showcase this unique world where Clarence and Alabama will watch any kind of movie to establish who they are as he also finds a way to create unique shots of this relationship. Particularly in the scenes set in Detroit such as Clarence and Alabama’s visit to see Clarence’s dad where Scott isn’t afraid to put some light humor into the scene. Scott would also use these moments to let the story take a break from the dark moments of violence to ensure that it’s still a love story at heart.

In the film’s more intense moments, the violence is definitely stylized but also has an air of brutality. The famed Coccotti and Clifford Worley scene is presented with an intimacy and an air of suspense that is unsettling where both men try to push each other’s buttons in these very quiet exchanges. It’s among one of Scott’s greatest moments as a filmmaker as is the Alabama-Virgil fight where the violence is definitely visceral in the way it’s edited and presented. It’s no holds barred as there’s also an element of dark humor to keep things more intense where its climax is bloody in its emotional impact. The comes the climatic showdown where although its presentation is definitely more Tarantino, Scott does manage to keep his own approach by displaying the operatic cascade of violence. Overall, Tony Scott creates a dazzling yet stylish film that explores true love at its most craziest that is armed by Quentin Tarantino’s powerful screenplay.

Cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball does excellent work with the film‘s stylized photography from the grayish look of the Detroit locations to some colorful shots of its interiors as well as the more vibrant look of the Californian exteriors with its sunlight as well as the lighting schemes in the film‘s climatic standoff. Editors Michael Tronick and Christian Wagner do amazing work with the editing by utilizing stylish cuts for the film’s frenetic rollercoaster scenes along with some of it’s violent moments to slower, methodical cuts in the film’s romantic moments. Production designer Benjamin Fernandez, along with set decorator Thomas L. Roysden and art director James J. Murakami, does superb work with the set pieces from the honeymoon room that Clarence and Alabama stay at to the hotel suite that Donowitz lives in.

Costume designer Susan Becker does terrific work with the costumes from the outfits that Alabama wear to the more Elvis-inspired clothing that Clarence wears. Makeup artist Ellen Wong does nice work with the look of Drexl with his scar and eye. Sound editor Robert G. Henderson does wonderful work with the sound from the atmosphere of Clarence‘s meeting with Donowitz to the more intense moments in the film‘s violent scenes. The film’s music by Hans Zimmer is brilliant for its vibraphone driven score which is directly inspired by Carl Orff‘s Gaussenhauer theme which was the music used in Terrence Malick‘s Badlands. Music supervisor Maureen Crowe creates a fantastic soundtrack that features a wide range of music from acts like Aerosmith, Soundgarden, Charlie Sexton, Jon Waite, Billy Idol, the Skinny Boys, Shelby Lynne, the Big Bopper, the Shirelles, Robert Palmer, and Chris Isaak..

The casting by Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small roles from Eric Allan Kramer as Donowitz’s bodyguard Boris, Paul Bates as Drexl’s associate Marty, Maria Pitillo as Elliot’s date, Ed Lauter as Nicholson and Dimes’ superior, Anna Levine as a woman Clarence talks to in the film’s opening scene, and Conchata Ferrell as a casting director Dick auditions for. Other memorable small roles includes Samuel L. Jackson as a criminal Drexl cheats in Big Don, Val Kilmer as Clarence’s imaginary mentor in the form of Elvis, and Brad Pitt in a hilarious performance as Dick’s stoner friend Floyd. Gary Oldman is great as the white Rastafarian pimp Drexl while James Gandolfini is superb as the vicious henchman Virgil.

Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore are amazing in their respective roles as determined detectives Dimes and Nicholson while Saul Rubinek is excellent as the charismatic film producer Lee Donowitz. Bronson Pinchot is very good as the reluctant Elliot Blitzer while Michael Rapaport is terrific as the reluctant but more willing friend Dick. Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken are outstanding in their respective roles as Clifford Worley and Vincenzo Coccotti where their scene together is truly a master class in the art of acting.

Patricia Arquette is brilliant as Alabama as a woman who is truly a call girl with a good heart and is full of joy but also someone who isn’t afraid to throw down. Christian Slater is fantastic as Clarence Worley with his charismatic persona and being engaging in conversations while also isn’t afraid to do what’s right. Slater and Arquette are the heart and soul of the film as they radiate chemistry while providing every moment for the audience to care about them.

True Romance is an incredible film from Tony Scott and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino. Armed with amazing dialogue, brutal violence, a wonderful soundtrack, and a great cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. The film is truly one of the most exciting and entertaining films of the 1990s. Not only is the film one of Tony Scott’s great films but also one of Quentin Tarantino’s great work where both men display their talents in this film. In the end, True Romance is an ass-kicking and thrilling film from Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino.

Tony Scott Films: (One of the Missing) - (Loving Memory) - The Hunger - (Top Gun) - (Beverly Hills Cop II) - (Revenge) - (Days of Thunder) - (The Last Boy Scout) - (Crimson Tide) - (The Fan) - (Enemy of the State) - (Spy Game) - (Man on Fire) - (Domino) - (Déjà Vu) - (The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009 film)) - (Unstoppable)

© thevoid99 2012

Reservoir Dogs

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs is the story about the troubling aftermath of a botched heist as its surviving criminals tried to figure out what went wrong as they also deal with someone who could be the informant. The film is an exploration of men trying to deal with who they are as well as the fact of how a heist went wrong as they all start to turn on each other. Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney. Reservoir Dogs is a gripping yet mesmerizing film from Quentin Tarantino.

In the aftermath of a diamond heist gone wrong, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) drives a getaway car with a wounded Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) at the back as he’s bleeding heavily as they both return to an abandoned warehouse to hide out as Mr. White hopes to get Mr. Orange to the hospital. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) arrives where he and Mr. White discuss what went wrong as Mr. Pink claims it was a set-up. After talking about what happened where Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) had killed many people at the place, Mr. White thinks that there was an informant who revealed everything before Mr. Blonde had started going nuts. Mr. Blonde finally arrives to the warehouse as he is waiting for a message from their boss’s son Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn) while Mr. Blonde revealed to have a captured a police officer named Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) whom they beat up to reveal the informant’s name.

Eddie shows up with news that his father Joe (Lawrence Tierney) is upset as he joins Mr. Pink and Mr. White to retrieve the diamonds that Mr. Pink had hidden leaving Mr. Blonde to deal with Nash. Upon their return, Eddie, Mr. Pink, and Mr. White make a chilling discovery where Joe arrives with some accusations leading to a standoff for all involved.

The film is essentially the story of a heist gone wrong where surviving criminals and their superiors try to figure out who set them up and where did everything go all wrong. In the course of the story, there’s the back story of three men who are involved the heist as one of them is revealed to the informant and how that man infiltrated himself to be part of this botched heist. While it’s a plot that is simple, Quentin Tarantino chooses to create a story that isn’t just about the troubled heist but the men themselves who are involved. Notably as they each try to figure out what went wrong where they all start to target each other.

In this gang are a boss, the boss’s son, and four survivors of this heist. A boss who is old school and pulls no punches. The boss’s son who is quite sadistic but also wanting to ensure nothing goes wrong. A veteran criminal who has grown concerned about his younger associate dying from his wounds. The wounded criminal trying to stay alive as he’s bleeding to death. A psychopath who is proven to be a liability as it raises many questions for those in this warehouse and there’s a weaselly criminal who is trying to keep everyone in check as he’s the only professional in the entire heist.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay has a unique narrative structure that helps tell the story where it doesn’t follow traditional conventions. Instead, it employs a somewhat non-linear style to help tell the story of these men trying to figure out what went wrong though the actual heist is never shown. The main narrative of these men pondering what’s wrong in an abandoned warehouse is often cut back to another moment where it tells the back story of the three men where one of them is the actual informant in the film’s third act. Through some stylish, playful dialogue, the film’s screenplay carries not just a sense of humor but also a language that is part of this unique criminal world that everyone is surrounded by.

In the course of this story, there’s bits in the film where the men talk about a radio program that is playing songs from the 70s led by this DJ (the voice of Steven Wright) as it often serves as transitions for the narrative while being played in the background to reveal a lot about the personalities of these men. Even where they would often talk about all sorts of pop culture references and such that includes the film’s opening scene where Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino) talks about the meaning of Madonna’s Like a Virgin in a very funny moment while Joe reads his old phone book.

Tarantino’s direction is very exciting for the way he presents the film from start to finish such as the opening scene where everyone is eating breakfast where Mr. Brown talks about Like a Virgin that is later followed by Mr. Pink’s monologue about not wanting to tip. Tarantino maintains a sense of intimacy while having the camera move around slowly to establish who these men are as they’re set to embark on this heist. This would then lead to some very chilling moments of Mr. Orange lying in the back of a car bleeding heavily as Mr. White is driving and trying to comfort him. It’s a scene that’s to reveal what’s to come as Tarantino pulls no punch in some of the film’s graphic violence that would include a graphic torture scene involving the cop Nash.

Tarantino does employ a lot of stylistic shots such as the brief scene of Mr. Pink running away from the cops with a bag of diamonds where Tarantino uses lots of tracking shots to capture this chase and some very direct camera work to capture the intensity of the violence. Even as Tarantino creates some unique wide shots to capture an entire group and setting into one frame where he would up the ante in the film’s climatic stand-off between several of its characters. Overall, Tarantino creates a suspenseful yet engaging film about a troubling aftermath of a botched heist.

Cinematographer Andrzej Sekula does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography from the sunny look of the daytime exteriors to the mood that is set in the scenes at the warehouse. Editor Sally Menke does amazing work with the editing by using lots of rhythmic cuts to play out the intensity of the action and dialogue along with the way she sets up the cutting style for the film‘s narrative. Production designer David Wasco and set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco do superb work with the set pieces from the warehouse the whole gang stay at to figure out what is going on to the look of Joe’s office.

Costume designer Betsy Heimann does wonderful work with the costumes from the look of the suits the men wear to the clothing that Nice Guy Eddie wears. Sound editors Stephen Hunter Flick and Geoffrey G. Rubay do terrific work with the sound from the intimacy of the warehouse to the way the radio sounds in some parts of the film. Music supervisor Karyn Rachtman does a brilliant job in assembling the film’s 70s inspired soundtrack as it features music from The George Baker Selection, Blue Swede, Joe Tex, Bedlam, Harry Nilsson, Sandy Rogers, and Stealers Wheel in some very key moments of the film.

The casting by Ronnie Yeskel is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some noteworthy small roles from producer Lawrence Bender as a young cop, Randy Brooks as the informer’s mentor Holdaway, and Kirk Baltz as the captured cop Marvin Nash. Other notable small roles include Eddie Bunker as the old-school criminal Mr. Blue and Quentin Tarantino as the witty Mr. Brown. Lawrence Tierney is great as the old-school boss Joe Cabot who doesn’t pull any punches about anything that has to be done. Chris Penn is superb as Joe’s son Nice Guy Eddie who tries to ensure everything goes right while also proving to be very sadistic.

Tim Roth is amazing as Mr. Orange who deals with being wounded while being the most low-key guy of the group. Michael Madsen is brilliant as the psychopathic Mr. Blonde who is cool when very quiet but has a very dark side in the way he deals with things. Steve Buscemi is excellent as the frustrated Mr. Pink who tries to maintain his professionalism amidst the chaos that is happening. Finally, there’s Harvey Keitel in a marvelous performance as the veteran Mr. White who tries to piece everything that’s happening while becoming gravely concerned for the wounded Mr. Orange.

Reservoir Dogs is an outstanding feature film debut from Quentin Tarantino that features a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney. It’s definitely one of the great crime films of the 1990s as well as an engaging piece into the world of heist and the criminal underworld. It’s also a film that remains exciting and full of witty dialogue and lots of action. In the end, Reservoir Dogs is a triumphant film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse-Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2012

Rumble Fish

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/21/05 w/ Additional Edits.

When Francis Ford Coppola broke through with The Godfather films in 1972 and its sequel in 1974. He was quickly becoming one of the finest American directors of the 1970s. 1974's The Conversation helped establish his role but after the chaotic production for 1979's Apocalypse Now, it was clearly becoming the beginning of the end for director. In 1982 with his dream studio Zoetrope now coming into fruition, Coppola fell into the big-budget flop trap with his 1982 musical feature One from the Heart which put his studio into a lot of financial trouble. The failure of the film with its $23 million budget and state-of-the-heart equipment forced Coppola to find new projects that would satisfy not just commercially but critically as well. He found himself interested in two books by writer S.E Hinton. One of them was The Outsiders which he chose after being petitioned by school kids to do the film and another Hinton novel he chose to adapt into a film was the coming-of-age street drama Rumble Fish.

Adapted by Hinton and Coppola, Rumble Fish is a tale of a young street punk who tries to take over leadership of his older brother's gang. When his older brother returns from California, the young man is forced to content with his older brother's advice to stop the gang thing and go in his own way. Shot on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma in black-and-white, Coppola aimed for an arty coming-of-age film that isn't just an ode to the European films Coppola loved but also the teen angst he identified with in the 1950s. Starring Coppola regulars Matt Dillon, Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Waits, and family members Nicolas Cage and Sofia Coppola (as Domino) along with Diana Scarwid, Vincent Spano, Chris Penn, William Smith, and Mickey Rourke. Rumble Fish is a fascinating, arty drama that carries enough angst and power to an overlooked coming-of-age film.

For the young Rusty James (Matt Dillon), all his life was to lead the gang his older brother the Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) has led. After two months, the Motorcycle Boy has disappeared as Rusty James is doing nothing but hang around with his buddies Smokey (Nicolas Cage), B.J. (Chris Penn), and childhood friend/nerd Steve (Vincent Spano) at a pool bar owned by Benny (Tom Waits). When another friend named Midget (Laurence Fishburne) arrives with news that Biff Wilcox (Glenn Withrow) wants to fight him tonight, Rusty James decides he will despite his older brother's rules of no fighting when he's gone. Before he decides to fight Biff at 10:00, he decides to meet his girlfriend Patty (Diane Lane) at her home where she's staying with her younger sister Donna (Sofia Coppola) where Patty feels that his role as a street fighter has only made him stupid.

After his night with Patty, Rusty James gets ready to fight the pill-popping Biff that all goes well until the arrival of the Motorcycle Boy who has returned after two months. Biff cuts Rusty James as Motorcycle Boy beats up Biff. Steve and Motorcycle Boy take Rusty James back to their apartment home as Motorcycle Boy takes care of him. The Motorcycle Boy reveals that he had been to California for two months while Rusty James notices he's gotten older and looks more weary while dealing with his on-off deafness and the fact that he's color-blind. After returning to school and meeting Patty at her house for another date, Rusty James returns home where he meets an ex-girlfriend of the Motorcycle Boy in Cassandra (Diana Scarwid) who has become a heroin junkie. Rusty James has a loathing for junkies and doesn't understand in what his brother sees in her. Later, their father (Dennis Hopper) returns home in his usual, sad drunken stupor as he talks to his eldest son about California and the Greeks.

After a night of partying with Smokey and his cousin James (Gian-Carlo Coppola), Rusty James finds himself in trouble with Patty as they break up. After being suspended from school, Rusty James decide to go into another night of partying into town with the Motorcycle Boy and Steve. They stop at a zydeco concert where the Motorcycle Boy dances with Cassandra while they walk into the town's vibrant scene. For Rusty James, the town was filled with live instead of the place he lives in on the other side of the bridge. After talking with the Motorcycle Boy, Rusty James thought he was going to be just like him until the Motorcycle Boy reveals that while he was in California, he met their mother and decided to be with her for a while. Rusty finds himself upset while maintaining that he’s going to be like him.

After an assault by a couple of thugs, the Motorcycle Boy saves him again as Rusty James wants to continue the gang lifestyle while Steve and the Motorcycle Boy tell him there's no future in that world. Even as the town's officer Patterson (William Smith) is waiting for the Motorcycle Boy to slip up, Rusty James still wants to pursue his brother's role. Yet after learning of a scheme created by Smokey, he realizes that his main flaw is that he isn't smart enough to be a leader whereas Smokey has the intelligence.

The Motorcycle Boy meanwhile, has become obsessed with colorful Siamese fighting fishes that he coined as Rumble Fish. With Patterson lurking, the Motorcycle Boy and Rusty James have heart-to-heart with their father as it leads to a melancholic conversation about how Rusty James is falling into bad waters. With his brother not being the same and his friends moving on, Rusty James is forced to learn about finding his own identity.

If the film does have one major flaw, it's that at times it falls into some of the pretentiousness of any kind of art movie. Whether it's the references to time, moving clouds at fast speed or shots of the city. Still, for an art film, it looks great and it represents in what Coppola is trying to say about time. In the sense that the Motorcycle Boy's time is running out and Rusty James isn't aware that he's just getting started. It's really a young man who idolizes his brother only to realize that he has to be his own person.

It's something that Coppola and the film's novelist S.E. Hinton wanted to talk about. There's one person who wants to be his brother while his brother isn't the same person anymore. He's tired, he's had enough of an old lifestyle and he doesn't feel like he's got anything to prove except to teach his brother that there's something more. It was something that was very personal to Francis Ford Coppola in its story which is why in the final credits, he dedicates his film to his older brother August (Nicolas Cage’s father) for teaching him.

If the screenplay of the film conveys the themes in what the story is trying to tell. Coppola chose to tell the story in style. By going to old black-and-white style of photography that is throw-back to the old European films he was influenced by. Even the sequences of moving clouds, city backdrops, and having a clock in a frame of the film is shown in an arty way. Even if it seems pretentious, it's all for good reasons. There's a scene during where after Rusty James gets beat up by two thugs, there's a strange out-of-body sequence that happens in which it gives the film a stylish feel. Even in the stuff with the fishes, it's the fishes that are in color where everything else is in black-and-white. Only one moment in the film where it shifts from black-and-white to color and it's an emotional one. In a lot of ways, it's Coppola leaning towards a visual style of storytelling that works overall in his directing.

Helping Coppola in his visual style is cinematographer Stephen H. Burum whose black-and-white photography really gives the film a distinctive, authentic style where in color, it wouldn't retain the tone of the film. Burum's cinematography is amazing to watch from its lighting to its use of sunlight in many sequences. Editor Barry Malkin also gives the film a nice, leisurely style feel in its 94-minute running time with a lot of solid cuts that gives the film a nice movement. Helping in Coppola to capture the authenticity of the film and Tulsa is his longtime production designer Dean Tavoularis who helps captures the vibrancy of the city and the urban decay of the apartments where Rusty James and his brother lives. Even the costume design of Marjorie Bowers works, especially for Diane Lane who manages to steal a scene with the clothes she wears. Helping the film give its mood in sound is longtime Coppola collaborator Richard Beggs whose sound design helps the movie give a feeling with its use of clocks and winds to convey an impending doom that's going to happen.

With a bit of zydeco, rock, and soul that's played in the background of some scenes in the movie. Most of the music comes from Police drummer Stewart Copeland who brings all sorts of material for the film. Ranging from reggae, jazz, new wave, and everything else that's in the Police sound. The film has a nice percussive feel that is vibrant to where the film is, even in its dark moments where the layers of jazz melodies occurs. Stewart Copeland's score is really one of the film's most memorable moments in which his work as a composer gave him something to do aside from his work in the Police during the late 70s and early 80s.

Then there's the film cast and with a cast of old-school and then-new school iconic actors/filmmakers. How can you not watch this film? With some nice small performances from Herb Rice as a pool player in a bar scene with Rourke and Dillon along with a nice little role from the young Sofia Coppola, far better than the performance she gave in The Godfather, Part III, as Diane Lane's little sister Donna. There's also cameos in the film from the film's novelist S.E. Hinton and Sofia's late older brother Gian-Carlo Coppola as in real life, Nicolas Cage's cousin. Also noted is that Gian-Carlo and brother Roman both served as associate producers for the film. Also giving out some memorable small performances are Glenn Withrow as Biff Wilcox, the always-funny Chris Penn as B.J., Diana Scarwid as the beautiful, desperate junkie Cassandra, Laurence Fishburne as the cool, pimpin' Midget, and the always cool Tom Waits as the time-consuming pool bar owner Benny.

Now if anyone is going to get an ingenue for a film like this, who better than the extremely, smokin' hot Diane Lane. Lane steals every moment in the film with her graceful, old-school Hollywood beauty, especially in the scene when she walks into Benny's bar. Even in the fantasy sequences for Rusty James, she just oozes with sexuality while bringing a lot of toughness and frustration to her character. It's a great performance from the young Diane Lane but what is more astounding is that seeing her 20 years later and she is still fucking gorgeous. William Smith gives a wonderful performance as the intimidating, observant Patterson who just waits for the Motorcycle Boy to slip while reminding Rusty James that he doesn't know his brother very well. Dennis Hopper gives a brilliant performance as the melancholic drunk father of Rusty James and the Motorcycle Boy who has a lot of love to offer but reminds Rusty James to be an individual and go his own way.

Nicolas Cage also gives a great performance as the slick, laid-back partner of Rusty James who has a lot of intelligence while reminding his friend that he doesn't have the capabilities of being a leader. Vincent Spano plays against type as the moralistic childhood friend Steven who often reminds Rusty James of his flaws and telling him that his brother is making sense. Matt Dillon gives a strong, confrontational performance as the troubled protagonist Rusty James who thinks he knows things only in the end to know so little. Dillon gives his character a lot of depth and growth towards the end as he journeys into his own existence, living in his own world and acting like a child. Then when the film develops, Dillon brings a lot of emotion to his troubles and dealing with the fact that his brother might not be around very much. It's truly one of Matt Dillon's more overlooked and inspiring performances.

The film's best performance belongs to Mickey Rourke. Rourke in many of his films brings a lot of charm, charisma, and attitude that defines him as one of the coolest actors of his generation. There's a James Dean quality to him but in his role as the Motorcycle Boy, Rourke brings something that isn't seen very often in his work. He brings a lot more restraint and melancholia to his role as a man weary of his old lifestyle trying to get his brother into the right path. Rourke is mostly quiet through the film with a complexity of coolness and weariness into one singular approach. This is a man who doesn't want to be disturb and tries to do good, even when he comforts his father and brother. Still, if you mess with him, you're going to get in trouble as Rourke proves to be a real badass. This is by far one of his greatest performances and one of the more overlooked performances of the decade.

When Rumble Fish came out in late 1983, months after The Outsiders, like its predecessor, the film received mixed reviews. Most of the complaints was Coppola's approach into making an arty film that doesn't appeal to anyone. While The Outsiders was modestly successful in the box office, Rumble Fish struggled to find an audience and ended up getting overlooked as it gave Coppola a tougher time to continue as his output in the rest of the decade was merely work-for-hire. Since its release, Rumble Fish has grown into a cult film and most recently along with an extended cut DVD release of The Outsiders, Rumble Fish was given a special edition DVD release while rumors still persist that Coppola has made an eight-hour cut of the movie. Yet the film's influence can be traced in daughter Sofia Coppola's 1997 short film Lick the Stars in its style and angst.

Nearly 20 years after its release, Rumble Fish is a wonderfully stylish, coming-of-age drama from Francis Ford Coppola. With a great cast led by Mickey Rourke and Matt Dillon along with Diane Lane, Dennis Hopper, Chris Penn, Laurence Fishburne, Nicolas Cage, and William Smith. It's by far one of the most underrated films in recent years. While the film's flaws only hits in its art-house style, fans of art-house pretentiousness will love it. Fans of these actors will definitely enjoy this film while anyone who loves the work of the Coppola family will find this worthy in their filmography. For a cool movie shot in black-and-white with a lot of attitude and style, Rumble Fish is the film to see.

Francis Ford Coppola Reviews: Dementia 13 - (You're a Big Boy Now) - (Finian's Rainbow) - (The Rain People) - The Godfather - The Conversation - The Godfather Part II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalypse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders - The Cotton Club - (Peggy Sue Got Married) - (Garden of Stone) - (Tucker: The Man & His Dream) - New York Stories - The Godfather Part III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) - (The Rainmaker) - (Youth Without Youth) - Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2011