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Reviews
Heat (1995)
What happened to Val Kilmer's character?
I've just watched the new DVD of this film and the thing that struck me was what happened to Val Kilmer's character? The last we see of him was him driving him away from his wive's house after the cops let him go thinking he was someone else. He was pretty badly wounded in the shoot out but seemed to make a pretty amazing recovery.
If he did survive then maybe there is a chance of Heat 2. With both Kilmer and Pacino returning. A long shot but I think they could make a good sequel. Kilmer could comeback looking for revenge for the killer of the De Niro character. Might be better to film it somewhere like Miami this time.
Collateral (2004)
The best movie of 2004
What a great movie this was it had me hooked from start to finish. There is an interesting cameo at the start by Jason Statham and I kept expecting him to turn up again in the movie but he never does. James Foxx is really good as the cab driver but it is Tom Cruise he steals the show with his portrayal of the hired hit-man. He does though make it look really cool to be a hit-man and has a certain style in carrying out his hits! Okay the film has its flaws and the plot is a bit silly at time but its a great movie. The ending though does seem like a bit of a rip off from the first Terminator film but is well executed. Tom Cruise shows in this film he can play bad guys and I hope he plays more bad guys if this film is anything to go by.
Taxi Driver (1976)
One of the Greatest Movies ever
There are some fine film actors outthere but standing above all of them is Robert De Niro and this is one of his finest acting performances. The character he played Travis Bickle was recently voted the greatest anti-hero of all time and anyone who has ever watched Taxi-Driver would have to agree with that.
De Niro gives a masterful performance as Travis Bickle a Vietnam veteran who is a loner and is slowly going mad. Through De Niro's performance we can watch him going mad as he drives his taxi through all the scum of New York. He chooses to work at night where the worst of New York can be seen.
Travis Bickle gets himself armed to the teeth and you know its only a matter of time before he explodes. He shots dead a punk trying to raid his local store and the owner is grateful to him. His character shows genuine concern for Jodie Foster's character who is only 12 and a prostitute. It seems she wants help but is trapped in a world of pimps and junkies. Travis Bickle takes it on himself to take them all on with very bloody results.
This is a truly classic film and probably one of the best De Niro-Actor Scorese-Director collabrations. Scorese evens has a cameo in the film.
De Niro didn't win an Oscar for his performance in this film amazingly enough though he was up against Jack Nicholson's performance in One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. In fact De Niro has only ever won two Oscars but his performances in Film's over the years should have netted him at least 10. Taxi driver was made 29 years ago but hasn't dated and is still relevant today. I would love to see a sequel of Taxi Driver and see what happened to Travis Bickle. The DVD is really good, the extras include a 70 minute documentary where all the main characters talk about the film. It is rare for De Niro to give interviews but he does here and he is clearly proud of this film. The only disappointment is there is no Directors Commentary. Hopefully one day they will rectify this and Both Scorses an De Niro can get together to to do a commentary for this film.
The Boxer (1997)
brilliant film
Have just watched this film on DVD having previously watched this film on TV. The film itself is quite brilliant. It has the huge advantage of having Daniel Day Lewis as the main actor. He is one of the truly great actors of alltime. What I loved about this film was that it didn't try to glorify the IRA it showed it up to be a tired terrorist organization split between those wanting peace and those that don't. I have hated films in the past that have glamorized terrorism this film doesn't do that and shows the harshness of years of fighting and what happens to the families of those involved in the fighting. The main character played by Day-Lewis has seen this and wants to make peace. This is a tough film and can be pretty brutal but is by far and away the best film ever made about the troubles in Northern Ireland.
I picked up the DVD for just 6.50 and it has some excellent extras including two commentaries one by the director the other by the producer. There is a 25 minute featurette about the making of the film. There are also a lot of deleted scenes which does add something extra to the film and develops a lot of characters and also we get to see Danny's family. There is also an alternate ending which shows what happened to the main characters. This is a highly recommended film and a DVD well worth buying for a cheap price with a lot of extras. I would give this film 9 out of 10. The DVD gets 10 out of 10.
Against All Odds (1984)
One of the best films of the 80's
Just bought and watched this DVD. This is the first time I've watched this film for many years. I've always loved this film and its great to finally own it on DVD. Its hard to believe this film is 20 years old now but it hasn't dated and is one of the best films to come out of the 80's. Its a cracking thriller that goes along at a fast pace. it does get a bit muddled in the middle as the plot unfolds but builds up to a dramatic ending. Rachel Ward is totally stunning in this film and has a fantastic body though sadly we don't get to see all of her body thanks to some pretty remarkable camera work!! The scenes between her and Jeff Bridges are very hot. James Woods is great in this film as well. Its a real tear jerking end with the end credits rolling to Phil Collins greatest ever song 'Against all Odds' with our two stars of the film unable to be with each other thanks to Rachel Ward's powerful family. If ever a film needed a sequel it was this one but sadly it was never made. This film is well worth owning on DVD and can be bought at a pretty cheap price and comes with quite a few deleted scenes which do add to the film. I must check out the Directors commentary with James Wood and Jeff Bridges. On the whole this is a very watchable film with some very steamy scenes. I give it 8 1/2 out of 10. A little known fact is that the song 'Against All Odds' was a reject song from one of Phil Collin's albums which he deemed wasn't good enough for the album!!!!