Here we are again with a fortnightly round-up on what some of the Row Three contributing writers have been chewing on cinematically, yet eschewed fully posting about on the main-site. For many more entries click on the little “Movies We Watched” icon on the side bar over there.
Navajo Joe (1966) 3/5
A Spaghetti Western starring Burt Reynolds as a renegade Native American, on the warpath against a band of outlaws. Director Sergio Corbucci had fashioned better westerns throughout his career (including one of my favorites, the original Django), but Navajo Joe will hold some interest for fans of the genre. – DAVE
Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997) 4.5/5
Errol Morris’ unusual juggling/balancing act that is this film throws down the gauntlet concerning documentary form and construction, but it does so not in an in-your-face-way. The film is an absolute marvel of intense curiosity (note also Morris’ lengthy inquisitive blog entries on specific photographs over at the NYTimes) and meticulous anarchy. Four separate men are scrutinized under his camera: A topiary gardener, a robotics academic, a biologist studying the habitats of hairless African mole-rats and a career circus lion tamer are interviewed and the audio, talking heads, stylized cinematography and stock footage of an old jungle serial are all mashed together to yield some startling connections on men who attempt to conquer the chaotic by an organic sense of going with the flow. I can’t remember the last documentary that my jaw was on the floor simply for the audacity of the construction of the piece. It sure doesn’t hurt that all four subjects are compelling on their own, but thrown together in such a strange an organic fashion is raw pleasure. – KURT
Cleaner (2007) 3/5
I’m not quite sure what happened with this film but I’m a bit surprised a movie starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Renny Harlin didn’t get a big release. Jackson plays a cleaner who goes in to clean up after folks die – be it natural deaths or crime scenes. He takes on a job that goes wrong, ends up mixed up with a confused widow and hunted by the police. It really sounds much more involved than it is and that’s not a bad thing. To boot, Jackson actually acts rather than yell his lines, Eva Mendes’ boobs are given 4th billing rather than first and Ed Harris steals the show. Overall story is a bit convoluted by side-stories but “Cleaner” still manages to entertain. – MARINA
Day of the Outlaw (1959) 4.5/5
Here’s an amazing movie that very few people will have heard of: a western with characters as tough as nails. Robert Ryan stars as the cattle man who has a beef (no pun intended) with the local farmers, who want to close off sections of the open range with picket fences. However, this little conflict quickly takes a back seat when a renegade Army Captain, played to perfection by Burl Ives, shows up with his men and takes over the town. Now, the cattle men have to team up with the farmers if they’re to have any hope at all of surviving. An excellent film that deserves a much wider audience. – DAVE
For a Few Dollars More (1965) 4.5/5
“Thought I was having trouble with my adding. It’s all right now.” A strange enough line of dialogue to end a straight-up gunfighter film. But everything is strange in Sergio Leone’s westerns; that is what makes them wonderful. Here Lee Van Cleef gets the front and center portion of screen time, with Eastwood often being a sidekick, even though his character occasionally carries the narrative. An excellent score which sometimes takes to the background in favour of the chimes on a pocket watch which choreographs much of the standoffs. The opening scene is sublime because it uses your own expectations as a weapon against you (a Hitchcock staple) and oddly, look for Klaus Kinski in a minor roll as Thug #6. For a straight up genre picture, this film should get more credit than it does. – KURT
À l’intérieur (2007) 3.5/5
So you want blood, killing, gore, blood and all sorts of things creepy and make-you-look-away reactionary? This is the movie for you. Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s film is easily the bloodiest film I’ve seen in the last year. To boot, there’s nearly no dialog and the film is 90% action which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. And just when you start to wonder “But WHY??” the filmmakers give you the answer. I’ll certainly not be returning to it any time in the next few weeks but definitely one I’m happy to have added to my collection of twisted visions. – MARINA
The Steel Helmet (1951) 4/5
Another early Sam Fuller film, this was his first venture into the genre of war. Himself a decorated soldier during WWII, Fuller borrowed several of his own experiences for this film, and as a result The Steel Helmet feels 100% genuine. A brisk, entertaining entry into a genre that Fuller would explore numerous times over the course of his career. – DAVE
The Last of the Mohicans (1992) 4/5
Over the last few weeks I have inadvertently picked up a number of Daniel Day-Lewis classics with tiny price tags and yesterday, I finally took in the greatness that is one of Michael Mann’s early greats. I remember seeing this a few years after its release but at 15, I didn’t have much appreciation for it but re-watching it now I can’t imagine how I could ever have found this film “boring”. Action packed from beginning to end, touching with moments that would be cheesy at the hands of any other director work under Mann’s hand – particularly the ending. Great acting from DDL, Madeleine Stowe, Steven Waddington and everyone involved, throw in a timeless and haunting score and you have a modern classic. – MARINA
Bloody Mama (1970) 3.5/5
I haven’t seen this movie for about 20 years, and back then I must have seen it a dozen times. Shelley Winters stars as the infamous depression-era gangster, Ma Barker, who, along with her four sons, tears across the South. Notable because it contains one of Robert DeNiro’s earliest performances. – DAVE
