Reviews

Solid anti Red B flick from the early fifties, the decade of the anti Red fashion, where many action and thrillers were made in this direction. I will prefer ten million times this one to BIG JIM MC LAIN for instance, despite John Wayne's character in the good American lead role. The Edward Ludwig's film was lousy, boring, pure lame propaganda stuff, compared to this action packed little film, where the main character is precisely the villain: Barton McLane, in a role that suit him like a glove. And the director worked so little for the film industry - mostly TV one - that explains why - I suppose - not so many folks search for it. Only luck can permit you to watch this hidden gem.

This cheesy drama would have been perfect for Rock Hudson - though Arthur Kennedy is OK too - for this Universal Studios production, but 1951 was too early, because Hudson was not a star yet. The plot seems very like a Douglas Sirk's job and I am so surprised to see that the direction is from Mark Robson. I did not know the latest worked for Universal. Some elements - racial issue - had already been used by Robson with HOME OF THE BRAVE. However this is not a war film, let's say a war drama evoking the difficulties that some veterans have to deal with - here, blindness. Good drama that deserves to be known.

That depends of which point of view, but considering the history of Audie Murphy's life, the latest was not the common law abiding citizen. Not far from the end, his character says he is not afraid to kill; if you know the true life of Audie Murphy before he became an actor, this sentence seems so accurate and true. And this role was the best opportunity for him to begin in the business, and in a lead role; unlike his two first pictures that he made before. The relation between young Audie Murphy and the already vet Lloyd Nolan is interesting. And as the first film sentence says, the main character, this young delinquent, is not a Dead End Kid. No cliché here, but it's not LES HAUTS MURS either. It could have been more gritty, poignant, brutal too. Because young delinquents world is sometimes very tough, violent. This looks like a propaganda and cheesy film, but it is still interesting to see Audie Murphy between his true life war hero character and his westerns one, that will follow very soon after this movie.

This rare Sam Newfield's film brings nothing to a movie buff's knowledge. Every moviegoer can live without it, but for those who have nothing else to do, those who want to waste time, why not? It is an amusing and not so boring gumshoe plot...If you like Hugh Beaumont, maybe you'll bear it. The copy I purchased was rather good and that helps a lot to appreciate, let's be fair. The directing is also Ok, but Sam Newfield was a prolific director and that means he was a professional, despite the low budgets he had at his disposal. So, I won't say any real harm about this little detective film. It's not too long, anyway.

Poor Rock Hudson, how the hell could he be involved in such a disaster? Yes, it is not only a disaster movie, but a movie which is also a disaster. Forget TOWERING INFERNO, EARTHQUAKE, POSEIDON ADVENTURE if you wish only to appreciate this one, only a bit. Poor Rock Hudson.... I have seen some movies from the forties, fifties, also showing some avalanche scenes far better than those ones here. And this is supposed the main purpose to watch this junk. The avalanche scenes, forget the rest, forget the characters, only focus on the action elements. No, honestly, you can live without it. The worst of the disaster movies from the seventies.

I did not know this movie, and made by one of the greatest French director ever: Henri George Clouzot. And also starring great actors such as Charles Vanel, Brigitte Bardot...This movie did not hold my attention so far...I did not think it could interest me. But my wife talked about it and I decided to try. It is not as intellectual as I thought, the reason why I avoided it since so many years. Acting is mindblowing, terrific and the flashback element is not annoying at all. It was made just during the Nouvelle Vague era, doesn't seem to belong to it. Brigitte Bardot claimed that she loved this film, the only one which she was proud of, despite the fact that Clouzot pushed her and her co stars so far that she tried to commit suicide after the shooting.

This movie is really faithful to the Robert Pollock's novel, written eight years before. The only book written by this novelist. A book that - according to the legend - inspired Albert Spaggiari to prepare and pull the famous world known Nice - France - bank heist, in July 1976, where the gangsters used the sewers net, the big city intestines, to drill a tunnel and then have access to the safe deposit room. It was a really terrific and terrifying adventure, that Jose Giovanni put on screen in 1979 in LES EGOUTS DU PARADIS. Back to this one, it is very realistic, because Spaggiari and his men could have had the very same problem as the gangsters here...I won't spoil any further.... I like the characters and all the details shown here concerning the preparation and the heist itself. I love the ending, but I understand that many people do not.

It was very surprising from science fiction specialist director Byron Haskin to provide such a film that highly reminded me ALL THE KINGS MEN and A LION IS IN THE STREETS, some kind of political thriller dramas where the lead character is not a so good guy, but a ruthless and ambitious one. Here John Payne occupies the place of Broderick Crawford for ALL THE KINGS MEN and Jimmy Cagney for A LION IS IN THE STREETS. I like this kind of topic which sounds very realistic, and a very unexpected role for John Payne, in such an ambivalent character. And the railway station hall shooutout scene reminded me Brian De Palma's THE UNTOUCHABLES sequence. Maybe the SCARFACE director saw this film too, in addition of the POTEMKINE....

Picture Releasing Corporation - Poverty Row Corporation - made many craps, yes, but let's be fair, considering the tiny budgets they had, we are lucky to have seen good little surprises from them. Very surprising stories, but a bit talkative, I admit. This one is not my favourite from Victor Halperin: TORTURE SHIP, WHITE ZOMBIE, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES were better..But that's not a reason to keep away from it. It is fun, not as boring as you could expect from PRC stuff. This movie is actually a drama, convincing drama, rather well acted and filmed. I am sure everyone has never seen or forgotten it. Such a shame.

When you have seen the opening scenes, you already know what you deal with. Something great, stunning, unforgettable, especially from a 1931 film. It was then something new, jawdropping, I am not surprised that this masterpiece will never get old. The best proof, there was no modern remake, I mean, a serious and great film, in the line of DRACULA, which was remade in 1993. It is disturbing, gripping, something never done before, except the previous silent adaptation from Robert Stevenson's novel, made by John S Robertson. I have seen it already but I don't remind it very well. But I don't think there has been a better adaptation than this one; even Spencer Tracy - despite his talent - did not permit Victor Fleming's film to be better than this one.

I guess that's the message of this anti red movie, one of the most famous of this late forties-early fifties period, besides I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE FBI, RED MENACE and many more. And the fact that the Communists are located in Hawai is connected to the December 7th 1941 trauma. Some kind of a metaphor. If it was not because of the Duke's presence, I would say that this film sucks...I hate propaganda films, whatever they denounce, whatever the message is. This one is the less interesting of director Edward Ludwig - I prefered the Ludwig-Wayne association in WAKE OF THE RED WITCH - and of course John Wayne was the perfect choice for this role, that would have been difficult for Robert Ryan for instance, precisely because of Ryan's political tendancies; not necessarily Communist but at least left winged.

This is a really poignant, gripping but never sad story of friendship setting in the prizefighting world. It is very accurate and realistic, so close to actual folks, whilst remaining a fiction. It is mostly destined to French audiences, I guess the foreign ones could not appreciate the same way. The story of three friends, the relationship between the three of them is absolutely awesome, so engrossing for sensitive audiences. I loved Sylvain Joubert and Robert Dalban, terrific in a boxing trainer, an old timer, a role that suits him lie a glove. It is really a lost treasure from French TV industry.

It is one of the first films from director Lew Landrers - Louis Friedlander - a very prolific film maker, who will proceed till the early sixties. Mostly cheap but fun actionners, horror, crime, adventures.... But this one is a real true little gem, masterpiece, jewel, thanks of course to Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The overall quality is at the scale of a James Whale's film, or even a Tod Browning' s production. Universal Studios also contributed to the success of this movie, and Lew Landers had not the same luck for the following years of his career. So, take good advantage to appreciate, enjoy a Lew Landers...It is far far better than THE BOOGIEMAN WILL GET YOU. Which was already a good little horror flick. I found some modernity in the production design, especially for a 1935 film.

I had never heard of this Richard Quine's film, till I found it on ok.ru platform. It has never been aired in France nor even released in movie theaters. Very strange for a two hours film, adapted from Arthur Hailey's book, which looks very like Edmond Goulding's film GRAND HOTEL - that had nothing to do with Arthur Hailey; JUST A COINCIDENCE, because many moviegoers still think HOTEL is a GRAND HOTEL remake or rip-off. Not at all, just an Arthur Hailey's adaptation, that's all. But the overall scheme is the very same, same concept. Here, with this first novel, writer Hailey brings his DNA that will follow him till the end. Characters depictions, many characters whose fates not necessarily cross but at least mingle with each other. Romance, drama, some thriller elements. But not here however. Not bad, and again very surprising, despite the cast, that it was shown in France. Never.

As far as I know, Bruce Willis has never played in a DIE HARD rip-off, among the hundreds of them since the early nineties. And Bruce Willis made only craps since 2013 and the failure of DIE HARD 5. Here, it is so exciting, fun, to see him in the villain role - precisely the same role of Hans Gruber in DIE HARD - but a villain for whom we can feel a bit of empathy - just a bit. It is a lousy film, straight to DVD or streaming platform stuff, but precisely because of Bruce Willis presence in such a role - the reverse of DIE HARD -, it remains a good little film. It would not have been made with Bruce Willis, I still would have been interested by this film, precisely because of the lead villain character. But Alan Rickman's performance in DIE HARD was ten times better than the Bruce Willis's one here.

What a crime movie, what an atmosphere, from the SUBURRA, ROMANZO CRIMINALLE and GOMORRA series maker.... I did not expect less anyway, and I was not deceived. This is long, slow, but so atmospheric, it is dark, gloommy, gritty and, I repeat, the directing is purely mindblowing. I hope Sollima's son - because Stefano is the son of the late Sergio - will this time stay in Italy instead of emigrating to the Hollywood crap industry and being a "gentle" yes man for the stock holders producers. SOLDADO - SICARIO 2 -was OK though but not the Tom Clancy's adaptation. So, this new film from Stefano Sollima is really worth the catch.

This rough, brutal crime flick denouncing corruption in a big town offers nothing really exceptionnal, but a chiseled directing, acting, screenwriting, and some tremendous scenes, such as this one, showing Lee Marvin - awesome and gruesome - throwing boiling coffee on Gloria Graham's face. So brutal for this period. Even now, it would be shocking. Fritz Lang shows one more time how great he was, but this crime movie is not as jaw dropping as BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, for instance. It is ot too long to watch. A usually forgotten movie from Fritz Lang, it is unfair. Lee Marvin was rreally the best choice for the villain role. Gloria Graham outstanding, so poignant.

It is a small budget and very intelligent psychological western, speaking of cowardice and the elements in relation of this. But I guess it could have been a bit better though, more gritty, poignant, with a different ending. The director Abner Biberman offered us good stuff, but not too many films, unfortunately. This one is also a family - brothers - story, with the good tension that supposes. I did not expect to see Jeffrey Hunter in this movie, besides Fred McMurray. His character is riveting, and only for this, this western is worth the watch. Universal Studios really made interesting westerns.

This is for me a really poignant, gripping, sad story involving a dog. And not a family oater. A very surprising film from director Samuel Fuller the BIG RED ONE film maker. I don't know if it was faithfully adapted from Romain Gary's novel, but I don't care. Today in 2024, I know there is another film - CHIEN BLANC - same title but in French, starring Denis Menochet, speaking of the same plot, because adapted from the same book. I love this movie, very deeply, more than any CUJO or THE PACK, other excellent dog films too, but certainly not at this scale. Probably my favourite from Samuel Fuller.

This is a tremendous film noir this one, the best Alfred Werker ever directed. And what an awesome performance from Richard Basehart, as the evil character. I was a bit annoyed by the semi documentary style, which was used many times in those fifties years - late forties here - in the "expose" movies style. Here, I don't know exactly why, I would have prefered not. But this is a pure exciting crime noir from a director rather specialized in westerns during the fifties. Richard Basehart steals the show, he is the character whom we remind the most. Gritty, taut, in the Phil Karlson or Don Siegel manner. Jawdropping climax.

Three decades later, American film industry made MONEY TRAIN, starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, a buddy movie, in the pure nineties fashion, and also speaking a heist against the New York City - instead of Paris - subway train collecting the stations money. But the Alex Joffe's film, which I review now, is an amusing comedy and not an action thriller. Only the basic element was in common between the two features. If you like Paris from the sixties point of view, the Parisian subway and so on, this movie is made for you. Bourvil and Paul Meurisse steal the show. It is not a crime film, I warn you, despite the heist plot. But Paul Meurisse's character, just released from prison, pulling a heist without any gloves, is very unlikely. Because ex cons have always had their fingerprints registered in a database.

I was about to compare it with Harold Becker's TAPS, made thirteen years later, in 1981, and also taking place in a school, military academy, more precisely, not a traditional public school, but also showing a revolt of the pupils...The plot seems a bit close, but the message not the same at all. And the thirteen years in between certainly explain this difference. This 1968 movie, directed by one of the kitchen sink fashion makers - Lindsay Anderson - is perfectly in the "mood", fashion of this late sixties period: counter culture, revolt against established order...Unlike TAPS, which denounces the contrary of what this British films tries to show off, the maintain of the military traditions by pupils.... Anyway, both films are outstanding and here, Malcolm Mac Dowell announces his awesome character, three years later in CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

I discovered the Dardenne brothers' cinema thru this very one, and I also discovered Emilie Dequenne in this true gem. It shocked me with its social brutality; it looks like a depressing Ken Loach, the true face of the real life, real hell which is not necessarily shown in "normal" movies destined to entertain, give pleasure, or kill time. Here, the only thing you kill is the hope to believe in a paradise on earth. Useless to say that this film is not a fairy tale, do not go to watch it if you are depressed or about to commit suicide. Or if you are about to give birth.... Emilie Dequenne was already at her peak here. The camera work, describing the gesture, the daily suffering of this poor young woman is absolutely a torture for any sensitive audience. It is purely beyond any description. Disturbing, depressing, especially during the last minutes, really unbearable, with this poor girl preparing her own suicide by quietly boiling an egg and then. Terrific sequence.... Pure masterpiece.

First of all, do not confound this war feature with BEACH RED, directed by Cornel Wilde, ten years later, and also speaking of WW2 in the Pacific, between GIs and Japanese army. This one is only a good time waster for those who crave for war films. The face to face between Tony Curtis and Frank Lovejoy is OK, but not that gritty, brutal, bloody as the Cornel Wilde's feature. This one remains more Hollywoodian, in the tradition of OBJECTIVE BURMA or MERRILL'S MARAUDERS. Not that bad, I repeat, but nothing exceptional either. Tony Curtis nearly steals the film from his co star Lovejoy; for me it was his first great film, after his Universal Studios costume Arabian flicks, co starring Piper Laurie.

Nothing special nor exceptional in this true excellent story, that we have seen thousands of times in movie history, from any country. Excellent acting, dialogues, directing, atmosphere from the fifties. The story of common American people from the medium class. A married man in love with another woman, also a married one. Predictable, classical but very beautiful, charming, even if this kind of film is not your cup of tea. Small town community analysis, as were so many American movies from the likes of Vincente Minelli, Joshua Logan or Mark Robson...You are glued to this story, thanks to the solid acting. So close to reality, actual life and human relations.