The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: Before this train reaches the next station it will become the scene of the most spectacular hijack ever attempted
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
Written by: John Godey, Peter Stone
Actors include: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama
Length: 104 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Wow this was one heck of an exciting thriller and influential flick from the second it opens until the second it finishes, the tension is magnificent! It's about a well choreographed hijacking of a New York subway car by four Men who address each other only by the color of their hats. (Mr. Brown, Mr. Green etc). They demand a million dollars in just one hour or else they'll kill a hostage a minute for each they are late! It's a very exciting and well planned out plot full of surprises and several familiar faces. Look out for Jerry Stiller (who looks just the same as he did on Seinfeld), Dick O'Neill, Doris Roberts and my personal favorite Walter Matthau as wiseass Lt. Garber. It's extremely thrilling, it's well acted and it's one heck of a fun film with beautiful shots of New York contrasting the darkness of the subway. One of the best of it's kind, heck I'll maybe even check the remake out after this, really seriously awesome!

Availability:  On DVD

Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

4.5 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: L.A.'s deadliest street gang just declared war on the cops.
Directed by: John Carpenter
Written by: John Carpenter
Actors include: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Now this is one heck of an action packed and bullet filled thriller. It's hard to believe that this was only John Carpenter's second major film yet he made a perfect soundtrack and an exciting movie to boot. We meet up with an older man and his daughter Kathy (who played Inga in Little House on the Prairie) as they are out and about. When Kathy goes to get ice cream she is brutally gunned down along with the ice cream man by a rough gang (tough area). The older man goes out and chases down the thug's car and takes out one of them. This seems to provide the ammunition for a huge gang retaliation on a closed down Police station precinct 13. There are still a few roaming about but they are in no state to prepare for a multi-gang violent attack (super violent). The remaining Officers and staff are forced to work together with death row inmates on their way to a transfer to try to survive against the gangs. It's exciting, bloody as heck and super gripping, it really has something for everyone (providing that everyone likes violence) and I'd definitely recommend it. This was remade in 2005 with bigger name actors but I haven't been moved to watch it, why would I when this was so awesome?
 
Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

4.5 / 5
Tagline: Seven Total Strangers Team Up For The Perfect Crime. They Don't Know Each Other's Name. But They've Got Each Other's Color
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Written by: Quentin Tarantino, Robert Avary
Actors include: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 99 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
After an organized armed robbery takes plays at a diamond warehouse. Six fellows who didn't know each other previously were assembled by the mysterious Joe Cabot and they all go by code names (Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange...etc, borrowed from the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three). Something is obviously wrong when nearly immediately the Police show up and start shooting...there must be a rat among them but who? When they reassemble they try to sniff out the responsible party things start to get messier. It's very stylish, the dialog is definitely clever typical Tarrantino, some of his finest work really. The story is also rather intelligent and intriguing and let's not forget the memorable violence in this...it's a definite charmer. The characters created here are top notch and even the music is perfect, definitely see this if you haven't already, I doubt you'll regret it!

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Pretty Poison (1968)

4.5 / 5  Feb '10
Tagline: She's such a sweet girl. He's such a nice boy. They'll scare the hell out of you.
Directed by: Noel Black
Written by: Lorenzo Semple Jr., Stephen Geller
Actors include: Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld, Beverly Garland
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Black Comedy
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I actually thought this was really quite charming, who'da thought that Anthony Perkins could be out crazied? In this film he plays somewhat of a sociopath ex-con who convinces a simple beautiful young woman (Tuesday Weld) that he's a secret FBI agent. He charms her with tales of his imaginary life and even convinces her she's working with the FBI all in the name of getting back at the chemical company that fired him. When they go on a "mission" to rig the collapse of part of the building things go really wrong when they are spotted by the night watchman. It's really a bizarre film because Tuesday's character is really naive and well seemingly dense but yet well appearances aren't always what they seem. This is one unusually creative and fun to watch crime film with well written characters that seem surprisingly real and some nice violence. You can't go wrong with this one and there certainly aren't many like it....sort of like Bonnie and Clyde for the mentally disturbed!

Availability:  On DVD

Bloody Mama (1970)

4 / 5 Apr '10
Tagline: Say it with bullets!
Directed by: Roger Corman
Written by: Don Peters, Robert Thom
Actors include: Shelley Winters, Pat Hingle, Robert De Niro
Genre: Drama, Crime, Action, Exploitation
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Pretty enjoyably sleazy exploitation take on the whole Ma Baker and her good 'ole boys thing...only it's pretty inaccurate. I don't know much about the real story of the Bakers so the inconsistencies don't bother me in the slightest. Shelley Winters is very amusing as Ma Baker, the ringleader of evil doings and crime. She raises her boys to be very bad with warped ideas on what is good and bad and all of the rest but she's big on family and so are her boys. Hilariously Robert De Niro plays one of her sons, the heroin addicted paint sniffin' Baby Ruth chompin' boy and he's great...I just didn't expect to see him in a film like this. They rob banks as a family, kill people and more warped situations they get themselves into the meaner and more selfish Ma proves to be. It's actually very shocking and it goes a lot further than I would have expected. Heck the opening sequence is Ma as a young girl being raped by her Father (offscreen) but still...that's quite disturbing. This sort of follows from their needing to escape their home and leaving Pa Baker behind to the demise of the family. Very action packed and full of thrills and surprises, a lot more depraved than I was expecting but very fun in a way too. Corman does it again and it seems with each picture he pushes the envelope a bit further, I wonder what happened after this 'un?

Availability:  On DVD as part of the Roger Corman Collection

Cani Arrabbiati (1974) aka Kidnapped aka Wild Dogs aka Rabid Dogs aka A Man And His Boy

3.5 / 5 May '10
Tagline: Lock the doors, rollup the windows, and buckle up ... for the ride of your life!
Directed by: Mario Bava
Written by: Alessandro Parenzo
Actors include: Riccardo Cucciolla, Don Backy, Lea Lander
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Length: 96 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I was actually rather disappointed with this 'un, I mean I generally like Mario Bava productions and sleaze...well of course I like that. Thing was, I didn't find it gripping in the slightest, the characters were stereotypes and not very refreshing at all. The idea is that a robbery goes wrong so the three culprits involved kidnap a hostage, and a man and his dying child. They figure by taking the hostages they should be able to make a clean getaway. Much of the film is chatting in the car which is rather dreary and should have been filled with some sort of suspense, action or excitement. The beginning is nice and violent and appreciated, and sure some things in the film would be considered sleazy but it wasn't nearly what I was expecting in that department. The ending is something to be seen, I shant give anything away but it made the movie worth viewing. It just could have used a whole lot more of something, it felt very empty though I should mention the cinematography is very lovely! Definitely a disappointment but not without some merit.

Availability:  On DVD

The Driver (1978)

4.5 / 5
Tagline: He'll get you away faster than anyone else on wheels.
Directed by: Walter Hill
Written by: Walter Hill
Actors include: Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani
Genre: Thriller, Action, Crime
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Finally, a movie that is really exciting, full of cool '70s imagery, and not to mention some of the finest chase scenes and car maneuvers that I've ever seen. Hunky Ryan O'Neal plays "The Driver", a fellow who is the best getaway driver ever. He works for groups of bank robbers and the like for pay, he doesn't have friends and he lives in low places quietly so as to not get caught. He also comes off as being one of the coolest characters in film as he barely bats an eye at danger. Our opposition is the Police led by crusty detective Bruce Dern (who looks like a constipated Will Ferrell in this) who is hellbent on catching The Driver no matter what. Also for the fellas, Isabelle Adjani is in this, she assists The Driver on their scheme and of course is very elegant and lovely. When the Police confront a group of local robbers to hire The Driver for a job in order to trap him things really get heated. There is a little bit of chat in between many exciting chase scenes but it never drags. Sure it's not quite as awesome as The French Connection, but it's darned close! Oh and I should mention that I believe it's this film that influenced the video game Driver.

Availability:  On DVD

Lady In A Cage (1964)

4 / 5 July '10
Tagline: Do not see "Lady in a Cage" alone!
Directed by: Walter Grauman
Written by: Luther Davis
Actors include: Olivia de Havilland, James Caan, Ann Sothern
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
Mrs. Hilyard (Olivia de Havilland) needs to have her hip replaced, in the meantime she has to use a cage-like elevator to get between floors in her house. Her Son has left her alone for a few days, so when something in her elevator malfunctions and she's trapped in there she's panicked. The elevator has a buzzer for help that rings a bell outside, instead of attracting help she attracts the attention of a bum who wants to rob her. Of course she's trapped so she can do nothing, but when more bad people that are more dangerous invade her house things go from bad to worse. Suddenly there are bodies, and total destruction and nobody will help. In a way it feels like a message to the audience that society sucks and won't help a suffering injured Woman, we'd rather rob her instead. Still it's rather shocking honestly and it goes further than I had expected. A rather cool concept with an intriguing execution and a wonderful leading lady...what more could one want?

Availability:  On DVD

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974)

4 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: They don't call them that for nothing.
Directed by: John Hough
Written by: Leigh Chapman, Antonio Santean
Actors include: Peter Fonda, Vic Morrow, Susan George
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
A rather low brow take on the 'ole Bonnie and Clyde idea, but it's an entertaining action packed flick that was pretty fun to watch. Larry (Peter Fonda) is a cool dude who happens to have hooked up with an obnoxious pain in the ass girl named Mary (Susan George desperately trying to sound cheap and American). Larry's partner in crime Deke although not mentioned in the title is the mechanic and sort of the brains behind their crime operation I'd say. Deke and Larry rob a grocery store with one heck of an elaborate scheme and of course Mary comes along for the ride though they do try to ditch her several times (who wouldn't). The Cops are another element, they are continually in car chases and well let's just say a ton of cruisers get completely destroyed! This even has a car vs. helicopter chase, who wouldn't love that? Pretty exciting film with tons of memorable scenes, this should appeal to most drive-in '70s fans.

Availability:  On DVD

Badlands (1973)

5 / 5
Tagline:  In 1959 a lot of people were killing time. Kit and Holly were killing people.
Directed by:  Terrence Malick
Written by:  Terrence Malick
Actors include:  Sissy Spacek, Martin Sheen, Warren Oates
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Action
Length:  94 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review: 

Now this was a great movie, I never realized how much Natural Born Killers had ripped off this film and cheapened it...shocking!  Anyhow, this film actually feels real and surreal all at the same time, but that's a testament to the wonderful acting of Sissy Spacek as a poor lonely girl, and to Martin Sheen, the James Dean type who fell for her.  At first it's innocent, however Holly's (Spacek) father finds out and things get far more dangerous.  After Kit (Sheen) shoots her father, Holly decides she'd rather be with Kit than alone so the two head off on a crime spree.  At first it's almost like a fantasy, they go to live in the beautiful woods and have nothing but one another to pass the time.  As time goes on, they are discovered and must travel on.  It's one hell of a journey, it's a romance, it's violent, it's beautiful and poetic and yet dark and disturbed.  The story is actually based around a killing spree from the '50s by Charles Starkweather while his adolescent girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate followed him on his spree.  She claims she came home to find her family killed by Starkweather and yet the two lived on in the murder house for seven days before going on a vicious crime spree.  This is a fascinating movie, very picturesque, very action packed...I think just about anyone should find something here that they love.

Availability:  On DVD

Boxcar Bertha (1972)

4 / 5
Tagline:  Bertha Loved Lovin'...But There Was More Money in ROBBIN' TRAINS!
Directed by:  Martin Scorsese
Written by:  Ben L. Reitman, Joyce Hooper Corrington
Actors include:  Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Bernie Casey
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Action
Length:  92 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
Pretty neat little tale that was apparently taken from the diaries of a woman named "Boxcar" Bertha Thompson. Barbara Hershey plays our freespirited title character who after losing a family member during the Depression rides the rails to adventure. She meets a fellow named Bill Shelly who is a union leader who is railing against the railroad. Together they rob people and trains in order to collect money to distribute to the poor. It's very reminiscent of the Bonnie & Clyde story in several ways though I wouldn't call it a copy cat. I was really surprised at the exploitative nature of the film considering it is a Scorsese, but since he's working with Corman maybe that is where the excess comes in. No matter why it's there, it's a very fun movie and it has violence, nudity and it's pretty exciting throughout. The cinematography was quite lovely and the movie is well made, I'm a little surprised that I hadn't heard more about this one until relatively recently.

Availability:  On DVD

Bonnie And Clyde (1967)

5 / 5
Tagline:  They're young... they're in love... and they kill people.
Directed by:  Arthur Penn
Written by:  David Newman, Robert Benton
Actors include:  Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, Michael J. Pollard
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Action
Length:  112 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review: 

Pretty darned great glimpse into the lives of Bonnie & Clyde though I should mention I've never really studied either.  I have no idea how factual this film is nor did I really care as it's purely entertaining and it felt real regardless.  That is of course largely because Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty did such an amazing job in their roles (well everyone did really).  The film starts out innocently enough with Clyde meeting Bonnie and wisking her away to a life of excitement and crime.  It almost feels like kids daring each other and wanting to impress one another so things get extremely carried away.  On that note if you like violence, this should definitely please your pallet, it's shockingly bloody (especially for 1967).  I was actually really surprised how much of this film was copied for both Badlands and Natural Born Killers.  The cinematography and style were impressive as well, they really helped propell this from a great film to an amazing one.  The film is thrilling, fast paced and always entertaining a definite classic deserving of it's reputation.

Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD

Spetters (1980)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Paul Verhoeven
Written by:  Gerard Soeteman
Actors include:  Hans van Tongeren, Renée Soutendijk, Toon Agterberg
Genre:  Drama, Exploitation, Action
Length:  120 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

This one probably takes the cake for being the film with the most penis in it that isn't x-rated.  Now don't let this deter you because this is one heck of a powerful and interesting film.  The odd thing is, when I put this on I thought we were in for a racing movie, but this is so much more than that.  In fact it bears a bit of a resemblance to Saturday Night Fever but I think it's so much better.  It revolves around a group of friends who are into biking, one kid in particular called Rien is destined to be a champ.  He meets the ambitious Fientje who works at a food stand and he falls pretty hard for her.  She's more interested in who will provide the nicest life for her...she's rather evil.  The other friends involved all go through some major realizations and troubles.  One friend likes to beat and rob gay men, one is sort of an underachiever, and one is going to have a life changing ride.  It's actually rather comical despite the fact that it's rather serious overall, it's surprisingly well put together and it does have a little bit of everything.  Outside of the horror genre I've seen very few foreign films, but this was a real treat.  Highly recommended from a very talented director not to mention the excellent soundtrack of classics.

Availability:  On DVD

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

4 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: Anything can happen during the dog days of summer. On August 22nd, 1972, everything did
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Written by: P.F. Kluge, Thomas Moore
Actors include: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama
Length: 125 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Beautifully filmed film with superb acting, it's no wonder this one has been hailed a classic. It's the intense tale of a bank robbery for love gone rather wrong, and it's based upon a true story. Their intent was to be in and out in only a few minutes, but the money they were expecting wasn't really there. Also the Police show up and soon it's a gigantic circus with media and people gathered. Hostages are involved and the situation is rather desperate, and bargains start coming into play. I loved that it jumped right into action and that it is so well written, it is really an interesting piece to watch. I must admit that I thought it would have a little something more, because it is a rather chatty drama but it's realism is also a benefit as well I suppose. Well worth enjoying but maybe not for everyone.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Charley Varrick (1973)

4 / 5 Dec '11
Tagline: When he runs out of dumb luck he always has genius to fall back on!
Directed by: Don Siegel
Written by: John Reese, Howard Rodman
Actors include: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Length: 111 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a fun little film about a group of robbers who take on a small bank only to obtain one heck of a big score...only the radio announces that they only made out with a few thousand dollars! They know something is wrong, but Charley Varrick (Walter Matthau) figures out that it must be mob money! Then the cunning robbers must figure out how to survive and to stay hidden from the mob featuring more elaborate schemes and tricks along the way. Matters are not made simple by the fact that his main associate is frighteningly reckless. It's very exciting, it's filled with action and fun and there is never a dull moment. Certainly one of the better films like this and well worth a viewing, something for everyone in this I think.

Availability:  On DVD