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mcdougallgreg
Reviews
In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988)
Ahead of its time...
The FBI Murders is a made-for-TV film that really surprised me. The acting ranges from good to excellent. No one in this film did a poor job portraying their characters. Ronny Cox and David Soul are the stand-out performances here.
The shoot-out in the end is quite graphic for TV standards. There were a few moments in the shoot-out where I was wondering how this film made it onto network television. And this was in the late 80's, way before shows like "The X-Files" and "ER" started to push the limits of graphic bloodletting. The climactic confrontation certainly isn't gratuitous, but it doesn't shy away from showing a little blood (as would be expected when shotguns, sub machine guns, and a dozen pistols are going off).
The film isn't perfect though. There are a few times where it feels like this was filmed in the early 80's. Shaky aerial shots support this noticeable flaw. It's hard to explain, but see it and you'll know what I mean. And the music is, at times, a little chintzy. Synthesizers in the 80's usually never helped a film to age well and it certainly shows in this case. Still, this did not detract too much from my satisfying viewing experience.
All-in-all though, highly recommended.
Trespassers (2006)
Far better than a lot of Hollywood garbage...
This film was a nice surprise. The pacing is decent, the acting is good, and the cinematography is on a par with that of much higher budgeted films. Plus, the use of creepy locations in Mexico adds an uneasy atmosphere.
The story itself is interesting. Kind of compelling, actually. The set-up with the vacationing friends is nothing to rave about, but the story behind the cursed beach is definitely original. And for once, the kids aren't ANNOYING. Too many low budget horror films seem to think that being an ass is the only way a kid should act. Well, these kids seem fairly realistic and their antics aren't too outlandish. In fact, one antic involves a kid tricking a girl to take off her top on her condition that he doesn't video tape it. This, of course, leads to some nudity that didn't feel forced and is always welcome in a low budget horror film. Plus, the actress showing her - ahem - assets is a natural beauty, so everything is 100% real. Always a plus.
This film does have some gore, but is fairly restrained as far as blood-letting is concerned. This film isn't about copious buckets of blood, either. It's about atmosphere. Gore hounds should rent a George Romero film if they want a gore fix, because they won't find it here. And, actually, that's a small quibble that I did have with it. A little more blood would've been nice to see. It really did need a few violent shock moments (think "28 Days Later"), but this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the picture.
All in all, a commendable job by all involved. I can think of many other, much higher budgeted films that are far below this effort.
White of the Eye (1987)
Different, but cool
"White of the Eye" is an interesting little film. It does have some stylish murder set pieces and the ending is pretty awesome. Quite a few of the other comments point out that the ending is too "Hollywood". *SPOILERS* Yes, there is a car chase, but it doesn't include cars crashing through giant panes of glass, boxes stuffed with shredded paper, and fruit carts. Nor does the car chase end with a car jumping through a wall of flame. So, just because there is a car chase, doesn't mean it is "Hollywood".
Also, the ending does contain a huge explosion, but it too does not feel like it is out of a "Hollywood" film. Actually, the explosion itself doesn't look like a standard Hollywood explosion. There isn't a car flying up in the air, flipping over in slow-motion. There aren't fireballs streaking into the sky, either. It is the kind of explosion that dynamite makes and you can really almost feel the impact this explosion has. The ground trembles and blows into the air with a magnificent roar. Plus, the thunderous chorus accompanying the explosion and the aftermath is a really neat touch.
It is neat moments like this that make "White of the Eye" unique while standing apart from Hollywood-type films.