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Reviews
Ride Lonesome (1959)
Budd and Randy at their best
Budd Boetticher was such an interesting man,old-school American,creative,brash tough guy with a glint in his eye. And a great movie director,of course. Randolph Scott,in so many ways the heir to the William S Hart classic cowboy from the Silent movie era and a fine one in his own right. The best landscape God ever created for a Western outside of Monument Valley,the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine in California.(Both William S Harts old ranch house in north LA and Lone Pine are excellent stops for the Sagebrush Pilgrim out on the road...) Great writing by Burt Kennedy,fine acting by the likes of Pernell Roberts...I could go on but will add up and conclude: A terrific western,tight,adult with noir-like undertones makes this not only the best film in the Ranown cycle but one of the best westerns of the 50's(which I consider the Golden Age of the genre...)or indeed ever. And in just 73 minutes... "Ride Lonsome"...is pretty much perfect. T
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1958)
Noir is a french word ,of course...
Many have already commented on this little dark gem by Malle,so I'll be brief,like the film.(Less then 90 minutes) This is bleak,oh so bleak,just the way we Noir freaks like it. Important part of Noir History,a must see. The French have made a HUGE contribution to the genre,for which we should be truly grateful. Saw "Chair de Poule" the day after,both fine examples of the art but of course it's a very long list... I've seen "Ascenseur pour L'échafaud" compared to the Spanish"Muerte de un Ciclista,made by Bardem(Javier's dad...),a very good film too but LM does it better here. It's dark,desperate and delightful. Who could ask for more? T
A Gunfight (1971)
Johhny Cash in the Ring of Fire
Saw this,many,many years ago at the movies and it stayed on my mind. Having gone back to watch it again, more than once in the last couple of years,it seems even better than I remember. I have to confess to being a lifelong fan of Johnny Cash,although never convinced as to his acting skills.Still,he does convince here as Abe Cross and the whole story comes across well. True,not that much action but some Westerns don't need it. I do doubt,however,the information on IMDb that it was filmed in Spain. The Bullring is NOT the Madrid Bullring,as listed,I know that for a fact.Does anyone out there know where it was filmed? Best performance by JC on the screen?I think so. Kirk Douglas is great too and the questions raised about growing old,loneliness,love,money and how an "Outsider" faces up to it all,are explored well. A strange western but a minor masterpiece,a B movie(I love 'em!)in some ways but one that stays with you. A must see for all JC fans,of course. T
Jägarna (1996)
Very poor
Got this on DVD not long ago but having watched it now, can I have my money back and the time it took to watch it? Perhaps we have been spoiled by some fine Nordic Noir in the last few years,and thus bad writing,improbable "plot twists" and incoherent "drama" stands out all the more...I really don't know. Loved the stunning landscapes,it's only redeeming quality but the whole"people who live in remote,rural parts of the world are bloodthirsty ,sadistic,racist,etc,etc ,bla,bla,bla" idea has been done to death. Let's be honest,the real weirdos live in big cities... Sure,Peckinpahs "Strawdogs"is a masterpiece that defines this type of movie but this flick does not reach up to old Sam's ankles... This"Deliverance"in Norrland falls flat on its face. I've been told that the sequel,that I've bought but I've yet to see, is better... Boy,let's hope so... T