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Reviews
Lonely Are the Brave (1962)
The Ultimate Loner
"Lonely are the Brave," based on Edward Abby's novel The Brave Cowboy, is the story of Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas), a man way past his time. Burns loves the cowboy image and believes he fits that description, a loner. The only problem is that he lives in a modernized world. The landscape is closed off by barbed wire fence. Military jets fly over the desert sky. For one reason or another, Burns does not want to change with the times and still wants to be his own man.
Burns visits two friends in Arizona, Jerry (Gena Rowlands) and Paul (Michael Kane). Jerry informs Burns that Paul is now in prison for helping illegal immigrants get across the border. Burns decides to get locked up and escape with Paul. For the most part, the plan succeeds, except Paul wants to take responsibility because he does not want any harm come to his family. Burns escapes and makes an attempt at the border being pursued by a sheriff (Walter Matthau) and modern mechanism, including a helicopter.
"Lonely are the Brave" came at a time when the Western was beginning to fade in the sunset. It should be noted that released the same year were John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and Sam Peckinpah's "Ride the High Country." All three films deal with the passing of a certain time and period. "Lonely are the Brave" might be the saddest of the three due in part that it was set during modern times and the sense that there are no more independent types of men like Jack Burns who still go by a certain code of honor.
Kirk Douglas said that this was his personal favorite, and he is right to say that. This may be the best role he ever did in his well recognized career. It's ashame that "Lonely are the Brave" was not well recognized back in 1962 as it is today. The studio expected a traditional Western, but instead received a well developed character study about a loner. The supporting cast, Matthau, Rowlands,Carroll O'Connor, are also in top form. The film also features Jerry Goldsmith's first film score and it is a beauty. Philp H. Lathrop also provides excellent B&W photography to give the film a sad yet magnificent feel.
Dalton Trumbo's script provides some quotes that still stick with me. The best example, when Burns says farewell to Jerry before he rides off, might best sum up the whole cowboy/loner image: 'I'm a loner clear down deep to my guts. Know what a loner is? He's a born cripple. He's a cripple because the only person he can live with is himself. It's his life, the way he wants to live. It's all for him. A guy like that, he'd kill a woman like you. Because he couldn't love you, not the way you are loved.'
"Lonely are the Brave" stands with "Hud" as the best modern Westerns that captures the sad feeling of a time long gone and for the men that wish to stand by their old ways until the end.
Firecreek (1968)
Jimmy Stewart Minus Anthony Mann
"Firecreek" is a Western that features Jimmy Stewart as a farmer who is also sheriff of a small town, Firecreek. When a gang led by Henry Fonda arrive to get supplies, a few of the townsfolk want them placed under arrest. Stewart believes the gang has not done anything wrong yet. Fonda also does not want any trouble. He's wounded and wants to rest without any disruptions. Eventually, one member of the gang is killed and the town becomes under siege.
It's a little clinking here and there, but this film has the same feeling of a few of the Westerns Stewart made with Anthony Mann in the 50s. There is background information relating to Stewart's life before settling down and involving a widow who lives in Firecreek. Despite being a little slow in a few parts, "Firecreek" ends up being an interesting Western. It's nice to see old friends Stewart and Fonda team up for the first time. Fonda's villain is to some extent sympathetic. He knows that what he's doing is wrong, but he does not want to be seen as weak by the other gang members. I find it pretty interesting that his role in this was also seen the same year "Once Upon a Time in the West" was released.
There is also some good support from Inger Stevens as a women who tends to the wounded Fonda. Jack Elam and James Best are two members of the gang. Dean Jagger plays the manager of the general store who gives an interesting speech to Stewart during the siege about the townsfolk.
Overall, I give "Firecreek" a *** 1/2 out of ****. It's an underrated Western that needs another chance.
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
John Huston: A Man Who Was King
It took John Huston more than 20 years to bring one of his favorite stories, "The Man Who Would Be King," to the big screen. Originally, he had Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable in mind for the lead roles. Sean Connery and Michael Caine would end up in the roles. Overall, it was worth the wait.
Based on Rudyard Kipling's short story, "The Man Who Would Be King" is a tale set in the 1880s at the height of the British empire's rule in India. Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan (Connery and Caine respectfully) are two soldiers turned con men who decide to conquer Kafiristan, a remote section of Afghanistan. Once there, the two men plan to train the natives into an army, become rulers, and steal the country's treasure left behind by Alexander the Great. However, due to a misunderstanding, Daniel is crowned king and is seen as a possible god and descent of Alexander. Peachy wants to stick with the plan, but Daniel soon becomes consumed by his new power.
In a decade that evolved around the 'New Hollywood,' Huston was one of the very few filmmakers from the Studiio-era to be able to continue his craftsmanship and turn out some fine stories. In a way, "The Man Who Would Be King" is a big screen epic presented on a smaller scale. Despite all the breathtaking scenery and fine set pieces, it ultimately is a character driven story about two friends staying together until the end.
The performances of Connery and Caine rank among the best work from their distinguished careers. Christopher Plummer also gives a fine performance as Kipling himself. Huston, who always seemed to adapt other's materials successfully, achieved one of his most personal projects into fine perfection. With beautiful locations and a wonderful musical score by Maurice Jarre, "The Man Who Would Be King" is not only one of Huston's best, but is also one of the best films to come out from the 70s that still had a certain feel of stories that had a feel of a time long gone when film audiences were able to enjoy films that had everything. Adventure, comedy, drama, suspense, and so forth. I guess you could say 'They don't make them like they use to' after viewing this film from one of the great film mavericks of all time.
Ride the High Country (1962)
Very beautiful and elegant Western from one of the Masters
"Ride the High Country" was only Sam Peckinpah's second film project as a director, and it sure paid off. The film was not a hit with MGM executives, so they decided not to play the film as a main feature. However, critics would go on to praise this Western and rank as one of the best of the Western genre. "Ride the High Country" would even go on to win major film awards, including the Grand Prix at the Belgium International Film Festival over Fellini's 81/2, the Paris critic's award, and the best foreign film at the Mexican Film Festival.
The film tells the story of Steve Judd (Joel McCrea), a retired marshal, who decides to deliver a shipment of gold to a bank. Stve hires his old partner and friend Gil Westrum (Randolph Scott). The two men are joined by Gil's new partner Heck (Ron Starr). Little does Steve know that Gil and Heck want to steal the gold, whether or not Steve wants to help. Later on, the men are are riding along with Elsa (Mariette Hartley), who leaves her home and Bible-crazed father (Peckinpah regular R.G. Armstrong) and plans to marry one of the men she knows from the mining camp named Billy Hammond. Billy also lives with his brothers, who are all crazy and dangerous. Three of the brothers are played by Peckinpah regulars Warren Oates, L.Q. Jones, and John Davis Chandler. Elsa decides to leave newly married husband and his clan before things get a whole lot worse. Situations will get more complicated with everyone on the way back to town.
The film was shot beautifully on location in the hills of California by Lucien Ballard, who would work with Peckinpah on a few other projects, including Peckinpah's masterpiece "The Wild Bunch." Peckinpah, as usual, would get period detail down perfectly and would rewrite most of the dialogue, including the most famous line from McCrea's Steve Judd,"All I want is to enter my house justified." On a personal level, "Ride the High Country" was Peckinpah's farewell not only to the Old West and Westerns itself, but to his father, a man that lived the times and loved the Bible, which can be seen in R.G. Armstrong's character when he and McCrea discuss and quote from the Bible during a dinner scene.
"Ride the High Country" has become known as one of Peckinpah's greatest achievements as a filmmaker. This can know be seen as a companion piece to the director's most famous film, "The Wild Bunch." Both films use the same themes, that of men living by a certain code of honor deciding how to deal with change in the present time. I don't think another director has dealt with this more poignantly that Peckinpah in his Westerns, especially "Ride the High Country." Let's hope the gem will be released on DVD for a new generation to see how beautiful and elegant this Western can be.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
Peckinpah's final, haunting eulogy to the West and Westerns
Simply put, Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" is one of the last great Westerns ever made. Like most of 'Bloody' Sam's films, "Pat Garrett" was molested and cut by the studio, MGM upon its release. The film would be panned by audiences and critics. It's a shame that Peckinpah never lived to see the longer cut of the film finally released to a wider audience on VHS. It would become a cult hit and is now known as one of the best Westerns and one of Peckinpah's best.
The film depicts the final days of Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) before he was killed by his friend Pat Garrett (James Coburn), the newly appointed sheriff of the territory. Other than the fine performances of Coburn and Kristofferson, the film also features excellent supporting roles from famous Western regulars and members of Peckinpah's stock of actors. The long list of players include Jason Robards, Bob Dylan (also the film's music composer), Slim Pickens, R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones, Katy Jurado, Paul Fix, Chill Wills, Jack Elam, Harry Dean Stanton, Richard Jaeckel, and Dub Taylor. Most of the characters are killed off in the film, violently evoking both the death of the West and Westerns.
Peckinpah's two regular themes are here: the death of the West, and men living past their time and deciding whether or not they should accept change. My favorite scene in the film takes place about halfway through the film. Pat Garrett, isolated and alone, is sitting by his fire near a river bank. He sees a man about his age and his family sailing on a raft down the river. The man is shooting bottles for target practice. Garrett takes a shot at a bottle. The man sees Garrett and shoots back. Garrett then takes cover behind the nearby tree. They both are aiming at each, but just lower their guns are stare at each other. The raft continues to flow down the river. The scene, which was the reason why Peckinpah, Coburn, and almost everyone wanted to take part in the film, has so much meaning to it. 1. It references an earlier scene with Garrett and Sheriff Baker (Slim Pickens). Baker was building a boat so he could drift out of territory because of how awful it has become. Tragicaly, Baker does not get a chance to see this dream. 2. The scene also references the shoot-out between Garrett and Black Harris (L.Q. Jones). Before his death, Harris yells to Garrett "Us old boys shouldn't be doing this to each other." The same thing happens between Garrrett and the man on the raft.
Other than the performances, the film also features some good musical pieces by Dylan. John Coquillon's cinematography is also very beautiful and haunting at the same time. Peckinpah, as always, was able to get period detail down correctly. Rudy Wurlitzer also did a fine job at the screenplay, despite Peckinpah improving most of it himself. Coburn's performance was possibly his best ever. The idea of Garrett having a lot of inner conflict was good. Garrett knew that he had a job to do, but just could not handle the fact it was his friend that he had to kill. Maybe he was the one who put the gun in the outhouse for Billy to use. It was also great to see the myth and actual facts of the last days of this incident played out.
Although this film may have a few faults (some of Dylan's music and a few of his scenes), "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" is really worth the time to view now that a DVD will be released on January 10th, 2006. The Two-Disc set will feature two versions of the film. The first one is a 115 min. version editied by Peckinpah biographers Nick Redman and Paul Seydor. The second disc will feature the 122 min. version assembled in 1988. According to both men, there was no final cut to "Pat Garrett." The version that Peckinpah screeded for the MGM heads was just a rough cut. Either way, the DVD will now a new generation of film lovers to be able to view how costly it is when an artist cannot complete his work. Peckinpah and editiors originally had six months to edit, but the idiots from the studio cut it down to two months. I guess the new 115 minute version of the film is closer to Peckinpah's vision because of notes and interviews with the filmmaker's colleagues. No matter which version you will watch, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" is a sad but magnificent Western made by one of the last great storytellers of the Western genre.
Billy: Old Pat...Sheriff Pat Garrett. Sold out to the Sana Fe ring. How does it feel?
Pat: It feels like...that times have changed.
Billy: Times maybe. Not me.
Platoon (1986)
The ultimate Vietnam flick
Director-writer Oliver Stone, who was a Vietnam vet, began his Vietnam trilogy with "Platoon". Most of the film was almost based on his experiences as a soldier. The film would win numerous awards, including the Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards.. The film tells a story of Chris Taylor, played by Charlie Sheen. His platoon is led by two sergeants. One who goes around and kills villagers without being stopped(Tom Berenger). The other is the complete opposite(Willem Dafoe). The soldiers have to choose sides between commanding officers. Much of the fighting is very violent. In my opinion, "Platoon" is my favorite film depicting the conflict in Vietnam. This is my fifth favorite war film and is in my top twenty-five list of the greatest films ever. A tour de force for Stone in many ways. This is a war film to be treasured for a long time. P.S., look for Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards who makes eye contact with Sheen at the beginning.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
A Landmark World War II Epic
"Saving Private Ryan", my favorite film, should be remembered for decades to come as one of the greatest war films ever made. Director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Robert Rodat captured the brutality and realism of war with a certain passion. I still can't believe "Shakespeare In Love" won the Best Picture Oscar over this film. After twenty minutes of the graphic recount of the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach, we find out that a Private James Ryan, who is behind enemy lines, has to go home after his three brothers have been killed in combat. Captain John Miller, Tom Hanks, leads a squad of soldiers to find Ryan. With some of the most graphic battle scenes, this is a film that will haunt you. It will make you realize of the horrors the soldiers had to face. Spielberg and "Private Ryan" does World War II like Oliver Stone and"Platoon" did for Vietnam. This is a film not to be missed.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Triumph of the Human Spirit
CONTAINS SPOILERS "The Shawshank Redemption" is a film about banker Andy Dufrense(Tim Robbins) who is framed and sent to a maximum security prison for the murder of his wife and her lover.He befriends Red Redding(Morgan Freeman), who is the only guilty man in Shawshank, the prison. Through a few brutal years, Andy finally manages to get through. He helps prisoners graduate high school, opens a prison library, and works on the taxes for the crooked warden(Bob Gunton). Little does anybody know what his secret is, an escape.
Based on a short story by Stephen King from 'Different Seasons', this is the best film about the triumph of the human spirit. Frank Daranbot delivers a top notch drama. This film also features an excellent musical score by Thomas Newman. Morgan Freeman delivers,in my opinion, his best role. Though a little cruel at some points, this film will make you want to see it again. One of the three best films of the 1990s. Second on my all time list.
The Godfather (1972)
One word can sum it up-WOW!
"The Godfather" is truly one of THE greatest films in cinema ever. With the help of possibly one of the greatest casts, Francis Coppola's film is one that should not be missed. It all involves the rise and near fall of a mafia family. Many of the young talents have gone to other great roles. Among them are Al Pacino(who steals the whole film), Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, and the late John Cazale. And of course, there's Marlon Brando's performance as Don Vito Corleone. He deserved the win for Best Actor, though it might have been a little dumb to refuse the Oscar. Pacino should have been the real winner for the role of Michael. With some of the greatest scenes ever this is a must see.