The Cotton Club

Based on the historical picture book by James Haskins, The Cotton Club is the story of a musician who finds himself falling for a mobster’s girlfriend where he gets himself into trouble during the era of Prohibition. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and screenplay by Coppola and William Kennedy from a story by Coppola, Kennedy, and Mario Puzo, the film is a stylish gangster-musical film of sorts as it is set largely in this nightclub. Starring Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Laurence Fishburne, Gwen Verdon, and Fred Gwynne. The Cotton Club is a lavish yet incoherent film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Told in the span of the final years of the famed gangster Dutch Schultz (James Remar), the film follows a coronet player who falls for Schultz’s teenaged girlfriend as he’s given a job to protect her after saving him from an assassination attempt where things eventually become complicated. The film doesn’t just explore the life of this cornet player who is love with this young woman but also a tap dancer who is trying to pursue a singer who sings at the titular club that feature a lot of African-American singers, musicians, and dancers yet they can’t be at the club as audience members. The film’s screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and William Kennedy want to showcase this world that is the center of the gangster world in New York City. Yet, there’s so many characters in the story including real-life gangsters as it eventually becomes messy to understand what is going on and what it wants to be.

There’s this love story where the cornet player Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere) pursuing Schultz’s girlfriend Vera (Diane Lane) as well as the story of his tap-dancing friend Sandman (Gregory Hines) trying to woo the mixed-race singer Lila Rose Oliver (Lonette McKee). The narrative would move back-and-forth into these storylines as well as Schultz’s activity in the world of crime as he would find himself becoming a rival of Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins) and his right-hand man Frenchy (Fred Gwynne). Madden owns the Cotton Club which would have Schultz later form a rival club yet they would use Harlem as the place of conflict with some of Schultz’s men including Dixie’s brother Vincent (Nicolas Cage) getting into trouble with some of the locals including Bumpy Rhodes (Laurence Fishburne) who decides to fight back. It all takes place in the span of a few years as the script wouldn’t just try to be this romantic-gangster drama with elements of musical performances. Its major drawback is that blend of genres as well as dialogue that isn’t strong and characters that aren’t engaging enough.

Coppola’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of its presentation of the film as it has elements of old Hollywood and these lavish musical numbers with intricate choreography by Henry LeTang. Shot largely in New York City with its interiors shot at the Astoria studio in the city, the film does play into this high-octane world of New York City gangster life during the days of Prohibition. Coppola would use wide shots to get a scope of the locations in its exteriors as well as the performances that include tap dance numbers, choirgirl dances, and all sorts of things that was prevalent during the days of Prohibition. Much of the direction that Coppola aims for is style in its usage of slanted camera angles, close-ups, and medium shots to capture the atmosphere of the clubs. Even as the moments of violence are intense such as this dramatic re-creation of Vincent leading an assassination on one of Schultz’s men where some children are killed. It’s among some of the key moments in the film where it manages to overcome many of the script’s shortcomings including an argument scene involving Madden and Frenchy as it’s presented in a very simple yet direct medium shot.

For all of the lavishness, stylish musical numbers, and homage to the gangster films of the time, Coppola unfortunately doesn’t find a center into the film as much of its centerpiece takes place in the titular club. Rarely, the characters of Dixie and Sandman would interact as the script never establishes more of their friendship in favor of their respective romantic pursuits. The direction is all over the place where it messes up much of the film’s tone as it would be one genre and then go into something else. Even the film’s ending which mixes fantasy and reality of what happens to the characters wants to be this traditional Hollywood ending but the result is extremely messy as Coppola tried to end it with a sense of style. Overall, Coppola creates an extravagantly rich but inconsistently tonal film about life at a club during the days of Prohibition.

Cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish approach to lighting for some of the musical performances as well as the look of the exteriors set at night. Editors Barry Malkin and Robert Q. Lovett do excellent work with the editing as it is stylish with its usage of dissolves and transition wipes to play into the film’s frenetic style. Production designer Richard Sylbert, with set decorators Leslie Bloom and George Gaines plus art director Gregory Bolton and David Chapman, does amazing work with the look of the nightclubs in all of its lavish form as well as the backstage areas and the places the characters would go to.

Costume designer Milena Canonero does incredible work with the costumes as it is a highlight of the film in the lavish dresses and costumes the women wear including the colored suits of the male performances in the musical numbers. Sound editor Edward Beyer does superb work with the sound with the way music sounds on location as well as the sounds of gunfire and other violent moments in the film. The film’s music by John Barry is fantastic for its orchestral-jazz based score that play into the period of the time with elements of blues music while music consultant Jerry Wexler would provide a soundtrack that feature many of the standards of the time that are performed by the actors in the film including Richard Gere playing his own cornet solos.

The casting by Lois Blanco and Gretchen Rennell is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Mario Van Peebles as a dancer at the Cotton Club, Mark Margolis as an assassin late in the film, Sofia Coppola as a young girl trying to sell Vince an apple, Giancarlo Esposito as one of Bumby’s hoods, Bill Cobbs as a veteran gangster in Big Joe Ison, Woody Strode as a Harlem veteran who advises Bumpy, Larry Marshall as the famed performer Cab Calloway, Rosalind Harris as the famed actress Fanny Brice, Jennifer Grey as Vince’s girlfriend Patsy, Tom Waits as the Cotton Club manager Irving Starck, Diane Venora as the actress Gloria Swanson who sees Dixie as a future film star, Lisa Jane Persky as Schultz’s girlfriend Frances Flegenheimer, Maurice Hines as Sandman’s brother Clay who would perform with Sandman as part of a tap duo, Julian Beck as Schultz’s advisor Sol Weinstein, Allen Garfield as Schultz’s accountant Otto Biederman, Joe Dalessandro as Lucky Luciano, and Gwen Verdon as Dixie and Vince’s mother Tish Dwyer who knew Madden who always liked her.

Fred Gwynne is terrific as Frenchy as Madden’s right-hand man who looks menacing yet is also calm unless he gets really angry while Bob Hoskins is superb as Owney Madden as the revered gangster that knows what to do and get things done but is also a man that has some morals where he tries to help out whoever he can. Nicolas Cage is fantastic as Vince Dwyer as Dixie’s brother who is trying to be a gangster working for Schultz only to get carried away to the point that he becomes trouble for everyone. Laurence Fishburne is brilliant as Bumpy Rhodes as a Harlem gangster who has had it with Vince and Schultz’s antics as he decides to fight back and get some rights for his people. James Remar’s performance as Dutch Schultz definitely has the ferocity and anger of Schultz but it also borders into parody at times where it’s a mixed bag overall as Remar isn’t given more to do but be angry and jealous for most of the film and rarely display any kind of sensitivity.

Lonette McKee is good as Lila Rose Oliver as a singer who is fascinated by Sandman but is keen on wanting to do other things as she is able to get opportunities that other women couldn’t get as she’s half-black, half-white as McKee’s performance is wonderful but very underwritten. Gregory Hines is excellent as Sandman as a tap dancer that is eager to perform at the Cotton Club and win over Lila as it’s definitely the best performance of the film where Hines is someone that is just trying to make it as he later copes with the chaos that is happening in Harlem as well as the prejudice he endures. Diane Lane is alright as Vera as Schultz’s teenaged mistress who wants to run a club as it’s a performance that has charm but not a lot of substance as her character doesn’t really do much but be pretty and be the object of affection. Finally, there’s Richard Gere in a decent performance as Dixie Dwyer as he does display a sense of charm while being a capable musician. It’s just that his character is also messy where he can be the nice and smooth talker one minute and then be an asshole the next minute as it’s just a messy performance from Gere.

The Cotton Club is an entertaining but extremely messy film from Francis Ford Coppola. Despite its gorgeous visuals, lavish production values, terrific supporting performances, and an enjoyable music score/soundtrack, it’s a film that had all of the right ideas on paper but doesn’t mesh well in terms of its execution. Notably as it tried to be so many things in one entire film only to have a lot of tonal issues as well as being more style over substance. In the end, The Cotton Club is a worthwhile but incoherent film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola Films: (Tonight for Sure) – (The Bellboy and the Playgirls) – Dementia 13 - (You’re a Big Boy Now) – (Finian’s Rainbow) – (The Rain People) – The Godfather - The Conversation - The Godfather Pt. II - Apocalypse Now/Apocalyse Now Redux - One from the Heart - The Outsiders – Rumble Fish - (Peggy Sue Got Married) – (Garden of Stone) – (Tucker: The Man & His Dreams) – New York Stories-Life Without Zoe - The Godfather Pt. III - Bram Stoker's Dracula - (Jack) – (The Rainmaker) – (Youth Without Youth) – Tetro - (Twixt)

© thevoid99 2018

Cruising (1980 film)

Based on the novel by Gerald Walker, Cruising is the story of an undercover New York City cop who is tracking down a serial killer through the S&M gay nightclubs as gay men are the targets of the deaths. Written for the screen and directed by William Friedkin, the film is an exploration into the world of the gay subculture of leather bars during the late 1970s/early 1980s before the AIDS crisis would emerge. Starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, and Don Scardino. Cruising is a chilling although uneven thriller from William Friedkin.

The film is set into the sub-culture of the gay leather bars and sadomasochistic clubs in New York City where a New York City cop goes undercover to find a serial killer who had been killing gay men. Along the way, the cop deals with the growing homophobia among his fellow policemen while struggling with his role as an undercover cop as his personal life starts to fall apart. It’s a film that plays into a man going into a world that he doesn’t really know much about as he gets extremely close to this world. Even as he begins to wonder who the killer is as William Friedkin’s screenplay takes its time for the film’s protagonist in Steve Burns (Al Pacino) to study this gay subculture he’s in as he has to pretend to be gay by the way they walk and how they act.

Yet, he would struggle with his job and being undercover as his sporadic visits with his girlfriend Nancy (Karen Allen) are limited as the only person he can talk to his superior Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino). Upon trying to find evidence and such about the world and who the killer might be, things do get more complicated where the film’s third act does become a mess. Even as the narrative reveals not just who the killer is and his motivations but it’s one that is never developed as Friedkin seems to try and make the killer a complex character but it never really gets fleshed out. Friedkin does also explore the world of homophobia from the way a couple of patrol officers harass two men in drag in one scene as well as the beating of a suspect from cops that would disgust Burns.

Friedkin’s direction is very interesting in the way he maintains an air of suspense in the film while the killings that are presented are quite brutal and gory. The film does open with a scene on the Hudson River where crew members on a barge ship find a severed arm. Friedkin’s use of close-ups and medium shots are very prevalent while he also infuses some very strange moments such as Burns at a leather bar dancing and getting high as it plays into his own descent. Friedkin maintains that sense of paranoia as well as terror in the way Burns deals with these murders as some of the violence is quite gruesome. The scenes at the leather bars and S&M clubs are quite provocative to showcase a world that is quite dangerous as well as foreign to a mainstream audience. Yet, some of it does play to stereotypes with the exception of a few characters who are fleshed out. Overall, Friedkin creates a very engaging yet messy thriller about a man going undercover into the world of gay leather bars and S&M clubs.

Cinematographer James A. Contner does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the grimy look of the seedy New York City streets where many of the clubs happen as well as some of its low-key lighting in its interiors and other dazzling shots in those clubs. Editor Bud S. Smith, with additional editing by M. Scott Smith for its 2007 reissue, does amazing work in the editing to capture the air of suspense and terror in the killing scenes as well as some straightforward cuts for the dramatic moments. Production designer Bruce Weintraub, with set decorator Robert Drumheller and art director Edward Posini, does fantastic work with the look of the nightclubs that Burns would go to as well as the apartment that he would live in.

Costume designer Robert De Mora does nice work with the costumes that features a lot of stylish clothes and leather gear that many of the gay men would wear. Sound editor Charles L. Campbell, with additional remixing by Aaron Levy for its 2007 reissue, does superb work with the sound from the way the parties at the clubs sound to the moments in many of the locations in New York City. The film’s music by Jack Nitzsche is brilliant for its very eerie classical guitar score that plays into its suspense while the soundtrack features music by the Germs, Willy DeVille, John Hiatt, Mutiny, and other underground punk and dance-rock acts of the times.

The casting by Louis DiGiamo is terrific as it features some notable small roles from James Remar as a roommate of Burns’ gay neighbor, Ed O’Neill as a detective, Mike Starr and Joe Spinell as a couple of patrolmen who harass two men in drag, Powers Boothe as a hanky salesman, Allan Miller as a chief of detectives, and Gene Davis as one of those men in drag who is also an informant for Captain Edelson. Jay Acovone is superb as a young hustler who is a suspect in the case as Burns sees him as a victim while Richard Cox is excellent as another suspect in the case who is actually really troubled. Karen Allen is pretty good in a somewhat thankless role as Burns’ girlfriend as she is often concerned about him.

Don Scardino is wonderful as Burns’ neighbor Ted whom Burns befriends as he brings a nice complexity to a character that could’ve been a stereotype but manages to be so much more. Paul Sorvino is amazing as Captain Edelson who is the one contact that Burns has as he is concerned with Burns’ well-being as well as see gays as real people rather than the stereotypes his homophobic officers act towards him. Finally, there’s Al Pacino in a marvelous performance as Steve Burns as an undercover cop who takes his first undercover assignment as he struggles with his new surroundings as he tries to find the killer while dealing with the homophobia that surrounds the police department as it’s one of Pacino’s more underrated performances.

Cruising is a stellar yet flawed film from William Friedkin that features an excellent performance from Al Pacino. While it’s a film that is very controversial in the way it explores a part of a gay subculture that was taboo at its time. It is still interesting as it navigates into a dark world where gays are the victims where a man tries to find their killer. In the end, Cruising is a very good film from William Friedkin.

William Friedkin Films: (Good Times) - (The Birthday Party) - (The Night They Raided Minsky’s) - (The Boys in the Band) - The French Connection - The Exorcist- Sorcerer - (Brink’s Job) - ((Deal of the Century) - To Live and Die in L.A. - (Rampage (1987 film)) - (The Guardian (1990 film)) - (Blue Chips) - (Jailbreakers) - (Jade) - (12 Angry Men (1997 TV film)) - (Rules of Engagement) - (The Hunted (2003 film)) - Bug - Killer Joe

© thevoid99 2014

Django Unchained

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained is the story of a slave who is freed by a bounty hunter as the two team up to find a group of vicious killers while the bounty hunter helps the slave in retrieving his wife from a plantation owner. The film is a mixture of not just the Spaghetti Westerns that Tarantino loved but also mixed in with a bit of blaxploitation as it explores the world of slavery and a man’s desire to claim back his wife. Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo di Caprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson. Django Unchained is a thrilling and adventurous revisionist western from Quentin Tarantino.

It’s 1858 in Texas as a man named Django (Jamie Foxx) is being taken to a slave auction by the Speck Brothers (James Remar and James Russo) where they encounter a German-born dentist named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who is looking for someone that knows the infamous Brittle Brothers. Django claims to know the Brittle Brothers as Dr. Schultz frees Django from the Speck Brothers as the two make a deal. With Django a free man, Dr. Schultz decides to train Django as a bounty hunter where they team up to find the Brittle Brothers and split the rewards. Django agrees to Dr. Schultz’s deal in which he hopes to retrieve his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) who has been taken to a famous plantation known as Candyland owned by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). After a successful run of bounties that has made Django and Dr. Schultz famous, the two travel from Tennessee to Mississippi to meet Candie.

Upon arriving into Mississippi, Dr. Schultz and Django decide to play a role to woo Candie whose plantation is notorious for training male slaves into fighting and women into prostitution. After intriguing Candie, Dr. Schultz and Django go to Candyland where the two see Candie’s plantation that is filled with all sorts of things including an elderly servant named Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). Upon learning that Broomhilda is working at the plantation, Dr. Schultz hopes to see her since he has learned that she speaks German. Once Broomhilda realizes what Dr. Schultz is doing, things seem to go well until Stephen believes something is up as he talks to Candie about his suspicions. Suddenly, trouble brews for Django and Dr. Schultz about their intentions as it leads to a showdown.

The film is essentially the story of a slave who is freed by a German bounty hunter as they team up to kill many targets and retrieve the slave’s wife from a charming yet brutal plantation owner. It’s also a film about a man who has endured slavery throughout his life where he not only gets his first taste of freedom but also find a reason to get back the woman he loves from the shackles of slavery. It’s a film that is mainly a western in terms of its visual setting and plot scenario but it’s much more than that it’s a love story, a revenge film, a buddy film, a comedy, and has elements of 70s blaxploitation in terms of its stylish dialogue and themes.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay is quite straightforward in terms of narrative structure yet it does feature a few flashback scenes to reveal what Django went through and how he got separated from his wife. A lot of the script revolves around Django and Dr. Schultz’s budding friendship and their partnership in the bounty hunting business. A lot of which has to involve lots of charm, trying to talk the way out of a situation, and intrigue someone. Yet, there’s also killing where Django and Dr. Schultz each play a character where Django plays valet to Dr. Schultz where both men keep their cool and then go about their business. Some of which would antagonize various plantation owners including a man named Big Daddy (Don Johnson) who tries to organize a rally that doesn’t work itself out.

While the character of Broomhilda doesn’t really get much to do as she’s really more of a plot device for Django who would often see her in his journeys. She is still important as someone who tries to endure all sorts of trouble as her past is just as interesting as she was taught to speak German by her mistress which definitely interests Dr. Schultz. Then there’s Calvin Candie who is this antagonist that is a man that loves to see slaves fight where he makes a lot of money and he gets a lot of pride in what he’s done for his plantation. Yet, he is also quite brutal through the men who work aside him including an elderly servant who is extremely loyal to Candie and is far more vicious in the way he believes slaves should be treated. It adds to this complexity of what Dr. Schultz and Django has to do where the former is disturb in how a slave is killed though it doesn’t surprise Django. Yet, it would play to the kinds of trouble Django would go through not just in the hands of Candie’s goons but Stephen most of all.

Tarantino’s direction definitely has a lot of unique compositions as well as various trademarks that he’s been known for such as the intimate table conversations where there’s a camera on a dolly capturing the conversation. Yet, it is also very stylish in the way Tarantino presents certain scenes such as the flashbacks where there’s an air of grainy stock film footage and de-saturated photography to play up the struggles Django and Broomhilda went through. Still, Tarantino does manage to keep things straight while creating some interesting compositions for the scenes between Dr. Schultz and Django as the way their friendship builds up. Notably as it goes beyond the student-mentor archetype of the relationship as both men are very clear about their intentions for each other.

The film also has Tarantino go into elements of black comedy with not just some of his stylish dialogue that has a lot of use of a certain racial slur. It also plays to the fact that white people are befuddled by the idea of a black man becoming a bounty hunter. The violence is definitely bloody and graphic at times yet it plays to what is happening as these men have to encounter someone like Django. There’s also some very chilling moments of suspense such as the dinner scene between Django, Dr. Schultz, and Calvin Candie where it’s about who can intrigue who in the art of negotiations. It then goes into a very dark turn due to the stakes that occur as it would be followed by what Django has to do and use everything he learned from Dr. Schultz to fight back. Overall, Tarantino creates a film that truly lives up to what is expected in the western but also create something that is engaging as well as entertaining.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the lushness of the winter scenes to the gorgeous colors of the Candyland exteriors along with the nighttime interiors inside the mansion. Editor Fred Raskin does excellent work by employing lots of stylish cuts including slow-motion cuts for some dramatic moments, methodical rhythms for the suspenseful moments, and some slight fast-cutting in the action scenes. Production designer J. Michael Riva, along with set decorator Leslie A. Pope and supervising art director David F. Klassen, does superb work with the set pieces from the look of the towns Django and Dr. Schultz encounter to the splendor that is Candyland.

Costume designer Sharen Davis does amazing work with the period costumes of the times from the lavish, stylish dresses some of the women wear including the female slaves of Candie to the suit that Candie wears that plays up to his persona. Sound editor Wylie Stateman does wonderful work with the sound from the sound of whips and gunfire to the more intimate moments such as the dinner scene at Candyland. Music supervisor Mary Ramos creates a fantastic film soundtrack that features many film scores from Ennio Morricone, Luis Bacalov, Don Straud, and Jerry Goldsmith as well as mixture of music from soul, hip-hop, country, and pop from artists like Johnny Cash, Jim Croce, Richie Havens, Rick Ross, James Brown, 2Pac, John Legend, and Anthony Hamilton as the music is definitely a highlight of the film.

The film’s casting by Victoria Thomas is just flat-out awesome due to the numerous cameos and appearances that were assembled for the film. In some great cameo appearances, there’s Tarantino associates Zoe Bell and Tom Savini along with Robert Carradine as Candie’s trackers, Michael Parks and Quentin Tarantino as a couple of men taking slaves to a mining company, Bruce Dern as Django’s old slave owner, M.C. Gainey as one of the Brittle Brothers, Tom Wopat as a marshal that Dr. Schultz deals with, James Russo as one of the Speck brothers, Jonah Hill as one of Big Daddy’s associates, and the original Django in Franco Nero as a businessman who shares a drink with Django.

Other notable small roles include Walton Goggins as a sadistic associate of Candie in Billy Crash, Dennis Christopher as Candie’s attorney Leonide Moguy, Laura Cayouette as Candie’s sister Lara Lee, James Remar in a dual role as one of the Speck brothers and an enforcer of Candie, and Don Johnson in an excellent performance as the old-school plantation owner Big Daddy. Kerry Washington is pretty good as Broomhilda though she doesn’t really get much to do though she does have a great moment in her scene with Dr. Schultz where they converse in German. Samuel L. Jackson is brilliant as the very devious servant Stephen where Jackson displays a lot of humor in response to Django only to be much more sinister in what he does to Django.

Leonardo diCaprio is outstanding as Calvin Candie where he exudes not just wit and charm to his role as a plantation owner but also a sense of terror into his character in the way he gives this very chilling monologue. It’s a performance that shows what kind of enthusiasm diCaprio brings as well as something that shows he can play the bad guy. Christoph Waltz is magnificent as Dr. King Schultz where he too exudes wit and charm into his role but also someone who is very intelligent and cool in the way he deals with things while being a mentor to Django as the chemistry between Waltz and Jamie Foxx is a true highlight of the film. Finally, there’s Jamie Foxx in a exhilarating performance as Django where he definitely makes his character a true archetype of what is expected in a Western hero. Foxx maintains that sense of cool in the way he deals with things and his enemies but also a restraint where he knows he has to be in control to save his wife.

Django Unchained is an incredible film from Quentin Tarantino that features a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo diCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is definitely one of the most fun and exciting westerns that doesn’t just pay tribute to the genre but also gives it a nice sense of flair that makes it engaging and also thrilling. It’s also a film that isn’t afraid to not take itself seriously while also being funny. In the end, Django Unchained is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.

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

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

© thevoid99 2012

Fear X

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and written by Refn and Hubert Selby Jr. from an original story by Selby, Fear X is the story of a man who deals with strange visions that he believes has something to do with his wife’s murder. The film marks Refn’s first English-language feature following two features in his native Denmark. Starring John Turturro, Deborah Kara Unger, Stephen McIntyre, William Allen Young, and James Remar. Fear X is a very intriguing suspense film from Nicolas Winding Refn that loses its focus in its second half.

After the death of his wife in a shopping mall that he works at as a security cop, Harry Caine (John Turturro) is obsessed with finding out who killed her and why as he continuously searches through various security footage and pictures to find answers. After a friend in Phil (Stephen McIntyre) gives a video tape where Caine witnesses how his wife was killed as authorities ask him if his wife knew anyone. Caine suspects that the home that is across from his might know something due to surreal images he breaks in to find a strip of film on the floor. After uncovering the pictures that features a woman (Deborah Kara Unger) and a child, he learns that the pictures are from Montana as he travels to a small town to find answers.

Meanwhile, a lieutenant police officer named Peter Northrup (James Remar) has just been given a special award for his duties as his wife Kate watches in awe. Yet, Peter just learned that Harry is looking for Kate based on the photo he has where he reveals to his superiors about why Harry is here. With Harry getting closer to finding answers while dealing with the strange images in his head. He and Peter finally meet to discuss what happened to Harry’s wife.

The film is about a security mall cop who tries to figure out who killed his wife and why where he goes into this strange obsession to finding out who her killer is while a small town cop from Montana might have the answers. The film is about simply about fear, the fear of finding some awful truths and the fear of the guilt that is sweeping into a character. While it’s a premise that is interesting, screenwriters Nicolas Winding Refn and Hubert Selby Jr. don’t exactly create a payoff that is satisfying. While the first half of the story has this amazing narrative that follows Harry Caine weaving his way to find answers. The narrative then shifts a bit where Caine arrives in Montana as the focus is on this other man where things become messy and their eventual confrontation ends up being followed by moments that don’t make any sense.

Refn’s direction of the film is quite entrancing for the compositions he makes in the snowy locations of Winnipeg. Notably in how he sets a mood for Harry’s obsession in uncovering the mystery where there’s a great element of suspense as well a study into this man’s mind. One of the drawbacks of the film are these strange surreal montages that displays whether Harry is imagining things where it blurs the idea of reality and fiction. Some of which are seen as flashbacks but other times, it becomes confusing in the film’s second half to the point that it adds to the messiness of the narrative. When the film arrives in the second where Harry arrives in Montana, the focus on Peter starts forces the narrative to lose some momentum as if shifts back and forth for this eventual meeting.

While the compositions and the way Refn frames the meeting is interesting. It is followed by a very strange montage of visual images that really just hampers all of the tension. This would be followed by an ending that is very disappointing because it leaves more question than answers as it begs the question of whether Harry Caine’s obsession was imaginary or real. Overall, Refn creates a film that starts off very strong and then ends up into a huge mess where its payoff is a frustrating one.

Cinematographer Larry Smith does amazing work with the film‘s evocative cinematography from the lush interior settings he creates in the hotel hallway scenes to the gorgeous exteriors of the Winnipeg locations to play out the open-ended world of Montana. Editor Anne Osterud does nice work with the editing to play up the suspense of Caine‘s attempt to uncover the mystery along with some straightforward cuts to help intensify the drama. Production designer Peter De Neergaard, along with art directors Morten Isbrand and Rejean Labrie and set decorator Stephen Arndt, does terrific work with the set pieces created such as the hotel room that Caine stays at as well as the lovely hotel hallway that plays to the dark mood of the film.

Costume designer Darena Snowe does good work with the costumes as a lot of it is quite casual including the uniform that Harry wears when he works at the mall. Visual effects supervisor Morten Balling does some fine work with some of the visual effects montage that is quite surreal to look although they weren‘t really necessary. Sound designers Jens Bonding and Peter Schultz do superb work with the sound design from the calm atmosphere of Caine‘s home to the raucous world of the mall that Caine works at. The film’s score by Brian Eno and J. Peter Schwalm is wonderful for the way it plays out the tense atmosphere of the film with its chilling yet ethereal ambient score as it’s definitely some fantastic work from Eno who is the godfather of ambient music.

The casting by Carrie Hilton and Penny Perry is terrific for the ensemble that is created as it includes an appearance from Refn’s wife and Bleeder co-star Liv Corfixen as a hotel waitress as well as small roles from Amanda Ooms as a hooker, Mark Houghton as a diner cop, William Allen Young as an investigator who talks to Harry, Jacqueline Ramel as Harry’s late wife, and Stephen McIntyre as fellow security cop who helps Harry in providing security tapes. Deborah Kara Unger is practically wasted in her role as Peter’s wife Kate as she only appears in a couple of key scenes as she doesn’t get much to do but feel upset about what Peter could be hiding. James Remar is excellent as Lt. Peter Northrup who tries to deal with the news of Harry’s visit as Remar displays a great sense of anguish over what he could be hiding as well as the guilt he’s dealing with.

Finally, there’s John Turturro in an incredible performance as Harry Caine. It’s a performance where Turturro really gives a very understated approach to his character who is lost in his grief and determined to find answers for what happened. It’s truly mesmerizing in the way Turturro makes Caine into a character that audiences can sympathize with as he’s a man that isn’t about action but rather just someone seeking out some truth.

Despite some amazing images and John Turturro’s great performance, Fear X is a very underwhelming suspense film from Nicolas Winding Refn. While the film will feature compositions and a visual style that would be part of Refn’s later films. It’s a film that will disappoint fans of suspense films due to its incomprehensive second act and an ending that will leave everyone disgusted and confused. In the end, Fear X is a worthwhile but very frustrating film from Nicolas Winding Refn.

Nicolas Winding Refn Films: Pusher - Bleeder - Pusher II - Pusher 3 - Bronson - Valhalla Rising - Drive - Only God Forgives - The Neon Demon - The Auteurs #12: Nicolas Winding Refn

© thevoid99 2012

Drugstore Cowboy

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/15/05 w/ Extensive Revisions.

1980s independent American cinema helped open doors for films of all subject matters. One of them was drug abuse were many independent filmmakers took a more realistic, documentary-like perspective into the drug culture. One director in the late 80s went full-on for a dramatic approach in his exploration on drugs and his name was Gus Van Sant. After helming his 1985 debut feature Mala Noche, Van Sant had been hailed as a new visionary yet wasn't ready to move into the Hollywood circuits as he wanted to remain independent in his vision. No matter what subject he wanted tackle, even after a brief stint with Universal that failed. Van Sant moved to Portland, Oregon to create his tale of the drug world with 1989's Drugstore Cowboy.

Based on an unpublished novel by James Fogle, Drugstore Cowboy is a chronicle about four young drug addicts in 1971 Portland who scam their way into stealing pharmaceuticals at drugstores to feed their addiction. While evading a cop and staying at an apartment to plan their next heist, tragedy emerges as their leader tries to stay clean despite his wife's continuing addiction and the world he tries to leave behind. Adapted into a script by Van Sant and Dan Yost, the approach is more cathartic tale of four young, dysfunctional people living as a family while dealing with their addictions. Starring Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James LeGros, Heather Graham, James Remar, Grace Zabriskie, Max Perlich, and Naked Lunch novelist William S. Burroughs. Drugstore Cowboy is a gritty, off-the-wall masterpiece from Gus Van Sant.

Longtime drug addict Bob (Matt Dillon) has made a career stealing and using pharmaceutical and prescription drugs with help from his wife Diane (Kelly Lynch). With help from a couple of young addicts in Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham), they have been successful as Nadine fake seizures while the rest steal. Using these drugs for themselves, Bob also tries to deal with a fellow dealer named David (Max Perlich) who is trying to rise up in the game. Bob is also trying to avoid a cop named Gentry (James Remar) who often checks for any of the drugs Bob and his gang has stolen. During a visit to see his mother (Grace Zabriskie), Bob and Diane ponder their own future as they also try to find a new home.

When Nadine asks Bob about getting a dog, Diane reminds her about the superstitions that Bob has where he believes that a dog or a hat on a bed would curse them for some time. After a prank on Gentry during a police assignment, Bob and the gang leave Portland where another heist is foiled by Nadine's clumsiness. Forced to hide out again, Bob finds a drug he had stolen as he makes another attempt at a hospital that was almost successful. The jinx that Bob claims is happening finally hits someone forcing Bob and Diane to leave only to be trapped by a nearby sheriff's convention prompting Bob to go straight.

Returning to Portland, Bob goes into treatment as a counselor (Beah Richards) takes him in where he befriends a former priest named Tom (William S. Burroughs) whom bob knew as a kid. Tom's wisdom prompts Bob to lead a straight life as he gets some unexpected help from Gentry. Yet, Bob's past would come to haunt him as Diane makes a chilling return along with some old adversaries.

Most films about drugs would either glorify or just attack the culture yet in Van Sant's approach, the film is not really about drugs. From his view, it's really about a family and their dysfunctions while feeding their habits in stealing from drug stores. It's also a story about a man who lives a certain lifestyle only that he realizes that it's not cracked up to be only to try and straighten up. The script Van Sant and Dan Yost come up with is excellent for its realism as well as surrealism in Van Sant's direction that includes fantasy backgrounds in whenever Bob is getting high or is feeling elated about something. While the film has a sense of doom in the second act, the third act is where the story shifts into a story where Bob finds himself in a room full of addicts. The conversation is about drugs yet there's no judgement towards them since Van Sant is really viewing them as human beings.

Everything that Van Sant comes up with is very well, even with the ending where in Bob's narration, it has a sense of irony. The narration really brings a perspective in what Van Sant wants to say, especially since it's from the words of James Fogle, the story's original novelist. The narration is unique while the film starts and ends in the same place and same time. The structure is pretty original in how it builds up a story, especially in the death scene where the emotions are mixed on how Bob and his team react. A lot of the credit goes for Van Sant for not glossing anything or being exploitive at the same time.

Helping Van Sant with his outlook and arty visual style is cinematographer Robert Yeomen who brings a dreamy yet gritty look of the film in the exterior scenes in Portland while in the interiors, brings a wonderful intimacy with his lighting and camera work. Production designer David Brisbin and art director Eve Cauley also bring an authenticity to the look of the hotels and homes since the film is set in 1971 along with Beatrix Aruna Pasztor on the costume design, particularly for the clothing of Kelly Lynch and Heather Graham. With wonderful layers of cinematic visuals done by editor Curtiss Clayton, the film has a nice, multi-dimensional look in the dream backgrounds of Bob while it's nicely paced throughout the film. Composer Elliot Goldenthal brings a wonderful score to the film for its dramatic moments and dreamy sequences while the film features a nice soundtrack of late 60s/early 70s music.

Then there's the film's wonderful cast that is filled with realistic and powerful performances including memorable ones from Max Perlich as the naive drug dealer David who gets caught up in his power, Grace Zabriskie as Bob's strict but loving mother, and Beah Richards as a wise drug counselor. The most eerie performance of the entire film is late Beat novelist William S. Burroughs who gained notoriety for his drug novel Naked Lunch. Burroughs gives a mesmerizing and disturbing performance as a former priest who continues to use drugs while providing some strange insight into its culture and roots. James LeGros is excellent in his performance as the doltish but resourceful Rick who manages to find his way and help out Bob while being the only real supporter for his young, naive girlfriend Nadine. James Remar is also brilliant in his role as Gentry, a cop who is willing to do anything to bust Bob. Remar might seem like a villain but he brings a lot more sympathy for Bob in trying to help him straighten out and when Bob does go straight, Remar becomes an unlikely supporter.

The film's most surprising performance goes to a young Heather Graham as the naive, innocent Nadine. With her winning smile and naive behavior, Graham makes herself into a believable character who is new to the game while learning and after a series of screw-ups, Graham takes her character to new dramatic heights as her performance is the film's real breakthrough. Kelly Lynch is also great in her role as Diane, a veteran junkie who is aware of the traps of the game but remains very upbeat on all levels, even as Bob leaves to go straight. There's never a moment in which Lynch gives a dull performance as she graces the screen with her amazing beauty and intelligence.

Then there's Matt Dillon who gives probably the best performance of his career, especially at the time when he had fallen off the radar for a while after his great moment in the early 80s. Dillon brings a lot of complexity and charm to his role as an addict who seems to know everything. Even when it comes to superstitions and how to create a perfect scam and heist. When Dillon goes straight, we see him trying to struggle with his upcoming role only to become content right till the end. This is truly one of the best performances of the decade and a real reason in why Matt Dillon is one great actor.

Drugstore Cowboy is a wonderful yet provocative film from Gus Van Sant that features a great cast and superb imagery. While Van Sant's best work is yet to come with the gay road drama My Own Private Idaho, it's this film that put him into the map of the independent film movement. While more mainstream fans will find this interesting, it's more likely they'll enjoy To Die For and Good Will Hunting more though fans of his recent work will definitely love Drugstore Cowboy. For a film with a lot of grit, surrealism, great performances, and a wonderful style, Drugstore Cowboy is the film to see.

Gus Van Sant Films: Mala Noche - My Own Private Idaho - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - To Die For - Good Will Hunting - Psycho (1998 film) - Finding Forrester - Gerry - Elephant - Last Days - Paranoid Park - Milk - Restless - Promised Land

The Shorts & Videos of Gus Van Sant - Auteurs #4: Gus Van Sant

(C) thevoid99 2011