The Laughing Policeman (1973)

-Hey man, what the fuck y'all chasing me for?

   -What the fuck you running for?

                            -Cuz y'all chasing me!

 

I don't actually know what is involved in the process of investigating a crime.  Usually, what we get from most hollywood films ends up being a little too exciting and action packed to be believed.  Sure it's entertaining and makes for great movie watching, but the pros probably roll their eyes when they watch Se7en, Heat or The Departed.  It's kinda like when real boxers watch Rocky.

Having said that, what we get with The Laughing Policeman is probably the most authentic and accurate depiction of police procedurals, short of a documentary, that you will find.  Well, at least what I believe to be an accurate depiction.

Walter Matthau stars in the third of his trilogy of 70's crime films which included Charley Varrick and The Taking of Pelham 123.  Unless you are a huge police procedural head, this will probably be the least entertaining of the bunch for you.  It's got it's draggy wait-and-see parts.  It's got it's dead ends and red herrings.  The slaughter at the beginning is probably the most exciting actiony part.

But wait, there's more.  We get Bruce Dern at his slimy assholey best (this was probably a  preperatory role for his work in The Driver).  The Iron Eagle, himself, Louis Gossett Jr is in attendance.  We get some good old fashioned 70's racism.  The obligatory 70's car chase, which is good to watch for the sake of reference but not so hot on the excitement scale.  Anthony Zerbe!, AND,...a yound tender scantily clad Cathy Lee Crosby for a little ocular pleasure.  That's Incredible!

Slaughter on a bus.  One of the victims is Matthau's partner, who was on vacation at the time. What was he doing on a bus?  Was he following someone?  Was someone following him? How are the passengers connected.  Will Matthau break character and crack a joke?  All this and more will be answered when you watch the ironically titled, The Laughing Policeman

11 Harrowhouse (1974)

-That man has been following us.

    -How could he be?  He's in front of us.

-I hope you've got a witty line if he shoots us.

11 Harrowhouse is a british heist comedy.   Or, it's a british heist drama with a few chuckles, depending on which version you watch.  The movie stars Charles Grodin and it has been screened with and without his restrospective commentary which runs the length of the film.  With the commentary (which is the version I saw), you get plenty of Grodin's trademark deadpan observations and narrative, throughout.  Removing the commentary leaves the viewer with a much more serious heist movie experience.

Grodin plays Chesser, a small time diamond buyer/seller who stumbles on an offer that's too good to be true.  He is offered the opportunity to oversee the purchase and cutting of an obscenely large diamond.  During the delivery of said diamond, Chesser gets robbed.  To make things right, Chesser (now a million dollars in the hole) has to pull off a major diamond heist for his client.

 Grodin channeling Henry Silva

The cast in this movie should have guaranteed some measure of success, but we all know that's not always the case.  Candice Bergen, James Mason and Sir John Gielgud all lend the movie a little extra touch of class.  The overall tone of the movie reminds me of Foul Play (1978) with Chevy and Goldie, just to give you an idea of what you're in for.

Overall, 11 Harrowhouse was an enjoyable watch, but i don't think it's gonna cause anyone to rewrite their top 50 movies of all time.  I'd give it a 6 out of 10. 

The Nickel Ride (1974)

This goddamn city is dying all over.  It's drying up like a corpse, sections are choking to death.

 

Man, what a great flick!  The Nickel Ride stars Jason Miller as Cooper (The Key Man), a mid level mob boss who is on the verge of securing a block of empty warehouses which the LA mob will use to house stolen goods.  He just can't seem to get all of his ducks in a row.  

This movie reminds me a lot of The Friends of Eddie Coyle.  You've got your main character doing everything in his power to get over this last mid life mob hump and he's just not getting the right cards for a winning hand.  Father Karras does such a great job of conveying the concern, worry, distrust and paranoia that comes with having to deliver for the mob and fearing the cost of failure.  As the movie moves forward, you really get the sense of dread and mounting tension as Cooper starts to run out of time.  What gives the film an extra boost is that you're never really sure if Cooper's concerns are real or imagined. 

Bo Hopkins good ole boy character really shines against Millers stoic and intense character and their exchanges are highlights of the film.  Also stars Linda Haynes, Victor French (almost unrecognizable sans facial hair) and John Hillerman.  Really well done and deliberately paced, it was great to finally get to watch this one.  (Merry Christmas to me!)

Paranoia, the destroyaaaaaaah!

Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

"Now wait a minute. I've been slapped, scratched, punched, knocked unconscious, drugged, and shot at, looking for your Velma, so quit trying to make a milkshake out of my insides, will you?"

Every grown man wants to grow up to be Robert Mitchum.  Mitchum plays Philip Marlowe, Private Detective, on the case.  Farewell is a great film noir with all the noir trappings.  Cool lines, tough guys, dames, shootouts, corrupt cops, dead bodies, exposition and booze.

After 7 years in jail, a tough guy (Jack O'Halloran - General Zod's muscle from Superman) hires Marlowe to find his lady.  Wrong turns lead to dead ends and, the next thing you know, Marlowe has got his hands full with multiple investigations that all seem to be connected, somehow. 

"She was giving my the kind of look that I could feel in my hip pocket"

Charlotte Rampling plays the main dame and tries her best to be ugly, but fails miserably.  Harry Dean is in attendance.  We get bit parts for Sly Stallone and Joe Spinell.  Anthony Zerbe also grabs some fun screen time.  Check it out if you can get your hands on it.  I'm glad I did.

American Me 1992

"You're starting to show weakness,...and we both know you can't do that." 

I've probably seen this movie close to 40 times.  One of my all time faves.  Watched this one again cuz I like to revisit the "classics", on occasion.  Decided to watch it with an eye on writing something up for this blog.  I guess after you've seen a movie so many times, the brutality gets lost on you.

I would venture to say that every hispanic male between the ages of 35 and 45 could quote every line from one of two movies.  American Me...or Blood In Blood Out.  It all just depends on which one you saw first.  I've done my own unofficial polling on this so,...

American Me is a fictionalized account of the rise of La Eme (the letter M), The Mexican Mafia, within the California Penal system.  The story is the rise and fall of Montoya Santana, from teenage street gang member to leader of what became the most powerful gang in Foslom Prison.  A lot of drama and a lot of the aformentioned brutality.  Let's see,...

Gang rape, immolation, A knife to the chest, A knife to the jugular, A knife in the back door, a gunshot blast to some dudes manhood, death by cocaine and sibling murder.  You add it all up and that kinda puts the ear cutting in Reservoir Dogs to shame.

A documentary on this movie, found on the dvd, made it clear that La Eme was none too pleased with the making of this movie.  Supposedly, Edward James Olmos name was "on a list" and a few of the real life collaborators on the film ended up dead after it's completion.

Well,...that's enough to keep me from blogging anymore about this movie. 

44 Inch Chest (2009)

"Fear is stronger than love"

So, If you're into Euro-Ensemble-Foul-Mouthed-Geezer-Gangster-Black Comedy-Psychoanalytical-Revenge-Films, then this is your bag, baby!

Colin Diamond's (played by Ray Winstone) wife has decided to move on with another man.  Colin has a meltdown and his friends come to his rescue.

The friends in question include Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane and John Hurt (he, of Alien chestburster fame).  Truer brothers, a man could never find.

The movie unfolds much like a play.  We have one main focal set piece with ancillary scenes which serve to flesh out the story.

So, your friends wife leaves him for another man.  What do you do?  You kidnap the adulterous fellow, beat him and leave him to the mercy of your jilted friend.  Right?  Well,...that's what happens in this movie.

This is one of those movies where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.  Wait,...the parts of the whole are greater than the sum.  No, the parts of the sum...are...uh...nevermind.

Excellent performances, by all.  The ending left some viewers hanging, but it works for me. 

Prime Cut (1972)

Prime Cut turned 40 this year.  It's a bizarre little sleazy 70's mob movie that, well..., you just gotta see it.

Lee Marvin plays a badass enforcer (totally cast against type) for the Chicago Irish mob who is sent to America's heartland to collect money from Mary Ann (Hackman), who is holding out on the mob.

Most of the action takes place in Kansas City. Where is that?  Kansas (is that too obvious a guess?)?  Utah?  Oklahoma?
Well, wherever it is, they've got county fairs, first place ribbons, pie eating contests and women in pig pens.

More highlights?...Hackman at his slimy-grinning-mustachio-ed best, Sissy Spacek at her young, tender best, car vs wheat baler, and Lee Marvin almost gets stabbed to death with a weiner.

We also get some nice down-home insults thrown about like...

"You old cheese..."
"You old weevil, you..."
"You old...sow belly..."
"You cot'damn cow dung!!!" 

Everyone is reluctant to use their guns in this movie until the final climactic shoot out.  Who knew that a sunflower field could be so exciting?  All set up against the backdrop of an impending storm.

Lalo Schifrin goes bluegrass.  Check it out!!!