Reviews

I am dead sure that Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo will be very sorry that this movie is shown on Netflix one month before the Olympic Games in Paris and more precisely the triathlon event...There is already the big, huge issue of the supposed - or not - clean water of the Seine river. And this horror thriller is also an ecological thriller, as also was John Frankenheimer's 1982 PROPHECY. But at least Xavier Gens the director is back to France, where he began in 2007 with the terrific FRONTIERES. In the meantime, he worked for the Hollywood industry. This disaster horror thriller from France is of course daring, and proceeds the today's tendency for French film industry to produce action and horror flicks - film de genre, as we say in France - which was rather rare so far. Or exceptional. This one is good, not terrific, and, I repeat, it is funny that it is aired one month before the Olympic Games in Paris. But why not?

This famous novel, written in the forties, and supposed to be an allegory of the WW2 and the Nazi troops who occupied France, has never been put on screen by the French movie or even TV industry; only foreign...So now the French has at last decided to make it. And what better pretext, not better reason, to use this story to evoke the COVID period? Many, many elements remind us the COVID plague and all the restrictions, lockdowns, masks, curfews.... And also a good pretext to denounce totalitarian regimes, the manipulation that the government may use against population. This is a thriller, full of characters and fates, not always without gloomy atmosphere, tragic elements that makes this series not for all audiences. It may be depressing, from time to time. Frederic Pierrot is awesome in the lead role, and I would also have imagined Jean-Pierre Daroussin in this doctor character.

The two movies which I mention above opened a new kind of topics and that made possible many, many rip-offs, including this one; and not only for the American film industry. So, this scheme is excellent, as any of this kind - the collision of several fates - precisely because of the editing that prevents to make any story being boring. Full of suspense, it also pushes audiences to be very careful, concentrate on different characters, and that makes this viewing even more interesting. Yes, there were many of those schemes during the 2000's, not all produced with huge budgets, but what for? Only script and good editting counts.

I went to see this film only because of the director Rowdy Herrington, who gave us the tremendous ROAD HOUSE, four years earlier, and also because of Bruce Willis who, at this time, was still rising to the top, twenty years before he began to fall down...Ok, this is a good action film, never boring, but just so so...Predictable, as were so many films from Hollywood made during this period. I would never go to the movie theaters now to watch this kind of stuff. What's the use, what for?? My tastes have also changed.... The best of Rowdy Herrington will forever remain ROAD HOUSE for me, and I am sure I am not the only one to think this.

This is not a major western, this is not a Delmer Daves, John Ford or Anthony Mann's western, it will not stay in memories. It's just a seventy five minutes film, without much ambition, except bringing something unusual, moving, as the Budd Boetticher's western films series was during the same period. Not big budget yarns, but still riveting because of the characters study, not necessarily the gunfights. The two brothers relationship is really the must see of this Gerd Oswald's movie. Not ambitious at first sight, but, I repeat, really worth. Try it, just try, and I am sure you won't regret it. And It's rare too.

The story itself is not uninteresting, though not that realistic. A cop is involved against his will with a group of armed robbers. He is trapped by a blackmail affair. Not bad but that exciting either. This story could have been enhanced by a solid and strong directing, but it was unfortunately not the case at all. The only good thing here are the action and shooting scenes, very bloody and realistic, which creates a contrast with the lame rest of this forgettable film. But, to summarize, it remains watchable, bearable. Anyway, during the eighties, most of the productions looked more or less.

A so French satirical drama, or comedy drama, and played by the perfect cast of actors. Jean-Louis Trintignant and Romy Schneider are here not as good as in LE TRAIN, made the very same year, but this movie is a perfect testimony of this seventies period. Jean-Louis Trintignant is delightful of cynicism, selfishness, as a cool ruthless man. This film, I repeat, is a satyre of social rise during this period. Keep in mind that the seventies was a period that we never knew after. Greed was smooth, ambition was fun, and we could speak about that, show this without any restriction, with a bit of humor. Foreign audiences will probably understand nothing to it.

It was the WATERWORLD before its time. A movie which the shooting was so long, so long, with so many interferences, problems, postpones, delays.... It was absolutely unbelievable. But the result is awesome, not terrible, it is a true gigantic sword and sandal film, as good - quite different - as BEN HUR or THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. And the couple Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Richard Burton participates to the legend, the myth of this tremendous story. You can not avoid this film, impossible, and don't be afraid of the length, many movies are long too and they are bearable for audiences. It nearly destroyed - physically and mentally - the director Jo Mankiewicz, as he did Rouben Mamoulian. A big, huge Hollywood masterpiece.

This post apocalyptic plot is not as good as THE WORLD THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL nor even LAST MAN ON EARTH but it is still worth, considering it is made by Stuart Gilmore, the former Howard Hawk's editor...he gave us some westerns, this small budget science fiction film and even a B western strarring Tim Holt. It is very short, so you won't have any excuse to despise it because of the length. It is a curiosity, but not more, let's be fair. I am not sure many audiences remind this one. For the period, it is daring, it deserves to be seen. It's not a bad film, there has been far worse. Far far worse.

During those early fifties, Universal Studios tried to replace the adventure movies from the forties starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall. Those colorful and action packed enchanted movies taking place in the south seas, Arabic deserts...So there were those One Thousand and One Nights tales, such as this one and SON OF ALI BABA, VEILS OF BAGDAD, PRINCE WHO WAS A THIEF and many many more. Typical from this amazing studio. Generations of fans loved this kind of stuff and even still now old timers still crave for it. Lousy but fun and full of nostalgia. They don't make such films now. It's a lost period, but not for everyone.

This blind gunfighter plot reminded me an US movie starring Patrick Wayne, back in 1966 - AN EYE FOR AN EYE - but no one had noticed it, of course.... François Cluzet in a very early good performance, not that easy, and an excellent and convincing performance of Henri Lambert in a villain character. Here, you have two parts: the young woman segment, and the young boy one. The kid part is a bit annoying, I prefered the girl in love with the blind man. I like this feature, faithfully adapted from Robert Destanque's novel, and pretty dark, gloomy. And the training methods to teach the blind man how to shoot - the clock method - looks very the same with the film, a western, I just mention above - AN EYE FOR AN EYE.....

I am still amazed by this third part of the most prestigious mafia films trilogy ever made. This movie is absolutely stunning, terrific, unforgettable. I would say that the more the better, unlike many other franchises. The meeting between Al Pacino and Andy Garcia is also a pure moment of hapiness for any movie lover. Everything is flawless, jawdropping here. It is poignant, gripping, it grabs your guts till tears invade your eyes. I would have not guessed that after twenty years, the GODFATHER franchise could proceed in such a awesome way. It must be seen at all costs by every movie buff. A pure masterpiece.

With this little crime thriller, Tay Garnett gets back to his POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE spirit, though the plot is not the same, just the atmosphere and a postman element - which was not in THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. At least there is not here the John Ford like line, that Tay Garnett used in many of his movies. I speak of those rough, tough manhood tales with gigantic fist fights...That was also the Tay Garnett's trademark. Nothing to do with this excellent feature which, I am sure, many movie buffs have never seen or at best forgotten. The plot is intelligent, surprising, and saves some unpredictable moments. Such a shame that this film is not better known. I am so glad to have seen it again.

Or the Magnificent Six...This very surprising action thriller adventures from a director such Val Guest has always enchanted me, but that doesn't make it an excellent, flawless film either. Val Guest will always be more famous for QUATERMASS films or his other features from Hammer Films company, or even war features - CAMP ON BLOOD ISLAND, YESTERDAY'S ENEMY- than for this one. Any only good film maker could have been made this tremendous action packed - at least in the second part - film. And I would have never imagined Christopher Lee, Hugh O'Brian and OJ Simpson - plus Peter Fonda - in the same film. Good actionner.

I am not a great comedies fan, especially French ones, but the French comedy tradition in the fifties and sixties , with the likes of Bourvil, Fernandel, Louis De Funès, was purely as excellent, terrific as the American style and the Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, Laurel and Hardy period...So this very one is a great great job, given by a young future great French director: Henri Verneuil, whose filmography will certainly not be known for its comedies: LE CLAN DES SICILIENS, PEUR SUR LA VILLE, LE CASSE, MELODIE EN SOUS SOL.... So early in his career - Verneuil did not belong to the French Nouvelle Vague nor the same period film makers such as Philippe de Broca, Pierre Granier Deferre, George Lautner, Jacques Deray - So early, Verneuil showed his talent, his skills, despite the fact that he was a commercial director, not a true artist - unlike Jean-Pierre Melville, for instance. This story is stunning, thanks to Fernandel and his incredible performance. An outstanding French comedy gem.

Bert Gordon was definitely a great B science fiction film maker. I love all his movies, ALL OF THEM. I almost forgot this one, and what a shame. I discover it again with great pleasure. It is not lousy, it is fun; it is not stupid, it is a good time waster, especially for Bert Gordon's fans, and there are many on earth. You will easily find here his trademark: gigantic animals; the Bert Gordon's trademark. Every horror movie buff should watch this one. Lon Chaney Jr shows a wooden performance, compared to other films which he played in. But let's be honest, it is not the highlight of Bert Gordon. However, this is a must see for horror fans.

The surprise here is the Victor Mature's character, very unusual for him. A good movie from a director mostly known for TOWN WITHOUT PITY, excellent drama. This is a rather forgotten film, speaking of WW2, but it is worth watching, because engrossing enough to keep you glued to it. Not so many films evoked the Dutch element in this war, except THE BLACK BOOK and SOLDIER OF ORANGE from director Paul Verhoeven. However, some Tv movies were made about it, mostly underrated. But without the Victor Mature's character - I won't say more about it, not to spoil - I would have probably watched it only once, despite Lana Turner and Clark Gable. It is more espionage than purely gritty "front line" war feature, but why not? War was not only a matter of explosions and bombardments.

With Edgar Ulmer, the cheapest was most of time the better, far better than big huge and juicy craps, whatever the periods. This movie is a cult one, that will never get old. Edgar Ulmer was a genius for a certain period of time, he made gold with a fistful of dollars. Here, you have one of the most terrific picture of femme fatale ever made, even better than POTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, or even DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Useless also to say that Tom Neal has never been better than in DETOUR. This film belongs to the most famous and world known B pictures of all times. It was made to be an ordinary movie, and no one could foresee the reputation this movie would get afterwards. A small masterpiece.

After Fritz Lang's FURY, speaking of lynch mob, William Wellman offered us this tremendous and unforgettable western but it should be considered as a drama instead of a simple western. It is a very rare gem, a hell of a damn good film, shocking for its period, very social in its message. Director William Wellman did not speak only of aerial fighters but also social problems - HEROES FOR SALE - and this western can be watched as a social one. Hank Fonda awesome in this lead role. Of course we'll find him later for TWELVE ANGRY MEN in a very close message movie, unforgettable too. One of Wellman's best.

During the history of French TV industry, you had two "period" series that were very very successful in terms of audiences: JACQUOU LE CROQUANT in 1969 and ARDECHOIS COEUR FIDELE (1974). It is a tremendous characters study, a terrific friendship story, very rare. I admit that during the late seventies or early eighties, you hade many French series speaking of history of France, and the Revolution in particular with the unavoidable Napoleon wars veterans.... GASPARD DES MONTAGNES, JACQUOU LE CROQUANT, FABIEN DE LA DROME, ARDECHOIS COEUR FIDELE, TROMPETTE DE LA BERESINA, JEAN ROCHE COIGNET.... The actors are purely awesome, especially the two leads : Claude Brosset, Sylvain Joubert....

It takes place in a school, not high school, and it is a deep characcter study, pupils behavior among themselves. It is made by people who know very well this atmosphere: teachers or school principals.... It is very accurate, cliché ridden, sometimes disturbing if you have children of this age - between ten and fifteen - and who can live those kinds of situations. It's not brutal nor gloomy but makes you to think about it, or discover if you are not concerned. One excellent film about schools, and I am afraid it may be underrated. But I have seen movies really downbeat, harsh, depressing, concerning those children relations in a school. This one is definitely not.

The only Chinese thing I have ever liked in my life is the restaurants, dishes.... Not the movie industry. Beware, I speak of Chinese, not Korean nor Japanese...But this one is above average, though remaining very different from the Western countries atmosphere; but also different from the other Asian movies, nothing to do with movies from Japan or South Korea. No mix up of comedy and tragedy nor offbeat situations. This crime film from China looks like a very auteur film, I mean not destined to wide audiences. Dark, gritty, gripping, I was stuck to it and my interest never fell down. Yes, I recommend it.

It begins like a prison break plot, in the line of CANON CITY, CRASHOUT, BIG HOUSE USA, but it appears that this is quite different. The following plot will surprise you, because of the warden character. Not the predictable scheme of good vs evil guys. Abner Biberman made some good films for Universal Studios and this one belongs to his best. NIGHT RUNNER was good too. This is for me an underrated crime film from the fifties. I like being surprised by such daring schemes. I won't tell you the film not spoil it. Please try it, if you can purchase it; it is not so hard to get. Maybe more drama than pure gritty crime yarn.

Destined to Brian De Palma's die hard fans, or to the simple common folks who search for a good time waster. It is a fancy lousy picture, splendidly made, offering a fantastic directing work with terrific camera angles, for instance the opening long, long take, very daring for the late nineties. Brian De Palma shows here all the tricks of his trademark...Even the most stupid of the viewers would recognize De Palma's touch in this stupid story that will never let you forget SCARFACE, CARLITO'S WAY, CASUALTIES OF WAR, BLOW OUT...I insist, the story is empty, deceiving compared to the production design. Fancy but lame.... Shining only from the outside. Don't look forward.