Category: 1980s

Sudden Impact: The only ‘Dirty Harry’ film directed by Clint Eastwood is a slick neo-Noir Actioner that borrows elements from the ‘Death Wish’ films

Sudden Impact (1983) is the fourth film in the 'Dirty Harry' film franchise, which has Clint Eastwood portraying the iconic character of SFPD Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan. Apart from being the most lurid & action-packed of all the films in the franchise, this is also the only 'Dirty Harry' film directed by Eastwood. Clint Eastwood … Continue reading Sudden Impact: The only ‘Dirty Harry’ film directed by Clint Eastwood is a slick neo-Noir Actioner that borrows elements from the ‘Death Wish’ films →

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Death Hunt: Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin reunited after ‘The Dirty Dozen’ for Peter Hunt’s thrilling Western Actioner

Death Hunt (1981), starring Charles Bronson and lee Marvin in lead roles, and directed by Peter Hunt, is a thrilling action-packed Western set in Canada. Golden Harvest presentsAn Albert S. Ruddy ProductionA Peter Hunt filmCharles BronsonLee MarvinDeath Hunt This is how the titles of the 1981 film, "Death Hunt" unfolds. The titles are very interesting … Continue reading Death Hunt: Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin reunited after ‘The Dirty Dozen’ for Peter Hunt’s thrilling Western Actioner →

Heartbreak Ridge: Clint Eastwood excels as the highly-decorated, hard-drinking, tough-talking Marine in the only ‘War film’ that he made as both actor & director

Heartbreak Ridge(1986), produced by, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood, is a gritty military drama in which Eastwood plays a tough & cynical Gunnery Sergeant who's close to retirement, and is given a final assignment to whip a rag-tag group of young Marines into shape. "We're Marines, sir. We're paid to adapt, to improvise." Though … Continue reading Heartbreak Ridge: Clint Eastwood excels as the highly-decorated, hard-drinking, tough-talking Marine in the only ‘War film’ that he made as both actor & director →

Never Say Never Again: Sean Connery returned as James Bond for the last time in this bizarre remake of ‘Thunderball’

Never Say Never Again(1983), directed by Irvin Kershner, is a remake of the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball(1965). The film, produced by Jack Schwartzman (and not by Albert Broccoli's Eon productions) saw Sean Connery returning to his career-making role after a hiatus of more than a decade. "Never Say Never Again" is one of those … Continue reading Never Say Never Again: Sean Connery returned as James Bond for the last time in this bizarre remake of ‘Thunderball’ →

Firefox: Clint Eastwood attempted something different as an actor and director with this ‘James Bond’ meets ‘Star Wars’ hybrid of Sci-fi & Cold-war espionage thriller

Firefox (1982) is a cold-war techno thriller directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the film. The film is adapted from a novel by Craig Thomas, and it's one of the costliest films Eastwood has ever attempted in his career. Long before it was an open-source browser developed by the Mozilla Corporation, "Firefox" was … Continue reading Firefox: Clint Eastwood attempted something different as an actor and director with this ‘James Bond’ meets ‘Star Wars’ hybrid of Sci-fi & Cold-war espionage thriller →

The Untouchables: Kevin Costner and Sean Connery battles Robert De Niro’s ‘Al Capone’ for the soul of Chicago in Brian De Palma’s bravura gangland Opus

The Untouchables(1987), written by David Mamet and Directed by Brian De Palma, is the big screen adaptation of the eponymous T.V. Series, with Kevin Costner playing Elliot Ness and Robert De Niro as Al Capone. "It's like a John Ford western. A good guy is on a mission and gets help. At the end he … Continue reading The Untouchables: Kevin Costner and Sean Connery battles Robert De Niro’s ‘Al Capone’ for the soul of Chicago in Brian De Palma’s bravura gangland Opus →

Escape from New York: John Carpenter’s cult sci-fi classic transformed Kurt Russell from a Disney Kid into one of the greatest action icons of all time

Escape from New York(1981), directed by John Carpenter is a superbly realized futuristic action thriller set in a dystopian New York of 1997. The film is most famous today for giving star, Kurt Russell, his breakout and most iconic role of Snake Plissken . Except for Elizabeth Taylor, few actors have had such a long and … Continue reading Escape from New York: John Carpenter’s cult sci-fi classic transformed Kurt Russell from a Disney Kid into one of the greatest action icons of all time →

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford created an endearing pop culture icon and the definitive modern blockbuster

Raiders of the lost Ark(1981) was conceived by George Lucas as a tribute to the adventure serials of the 1940s. The film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford as the Professor-archeologist, Indiana Jones, created its own legend by becoming a trendsetting box office blockbuster that ushered in a new kind of action hero … Continue reading Raiders of the Lost Ark: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford created an endearing pop culture icon and the definitive modern blockbuster →

No Way Out: Kevin Costner caught in a deadly ‘ménage à trois’ with Sean Young and Gene Hackman in this thrilling, Neo-Noir take on ‘The Big Clock’

No Way Out(1987) is director, Roger Donaldson's adaptation of Kenneth’s Fearing’s suspense novel, The Big Clock. The film set amidst the political intrigue of Washington features Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young and Will Patton in pivotal roles I love movies which has unique opening sequences; i love movies which sets up its plot economically and … Continue reading No Way Out: Kevin Costner caught in a deadly ‘ménage à trois’ with Sean Young and Gene Hackman in this thrilling, Neo-Noir take on ‘The Big Clock’ →

Silverado: Lawrence Kasdan’s exuberant tribute to traditional Westerns gave Kevin Costner his breakout role

Silverado(1985), co-written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, and starring Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover and Kevin Costner, was an attempt to reinvigorate the 'Western' that was considered dead by the mid 1980s. In his attempt to create the ultimate Western tribute, Kasdan throws every genre trope and cliché into the pot, but the result … Continue reading Silverado: Lawrence Kasdan’s exuberant tribute to traditional Westerns gave Kevin Costner his breakout role →

Heaven’s Gate: Michael Cimino’s ambitious Western epic encapsulates the best and worst of 1970s auteur-driven cinema

The epic Western, Heaven's Gate(1980), Written & Directed by Michael Cimino and starring Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert and Christopher Walken, was a major financial disaster for its studio, United Artists, and for the western film genre, and marked the end of the Auteur-driven New-Hollywood cinema that flourished in the 1970s. Michael Cimino was a hot-shot … Continue reading Heaven’s Gate: Michael Cimino’s ambitious Western epic encapsulates the best and worst of 1970s auteur-driven cinema →

Pale Rider: Clint Eastwood saddles up once again as the archetypal mysterious stranger in this mystical Western

Pale Rider(1985), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is a mystic Western where Eastwood reprises his iconic role as the mysterious loner, perhaps, for the last time. "Who are you? Who are you... really?" A question one should never ask the "mysterious stranger" hero of a "Western"; the question becomes even more pointless if this … Continue reading Pale Rider: Clint Eastwood saddles up once again as the archetypal mysterious stranger in this mystical Western →

Tom Horn: Steve McQueen transcends his cool persona and delivers a deeply moving performance as the legendary Western folk hero

Tom Horn (1980) was Steve McQueen's penultimate movie and was released just a few months before his death on on November 7 1980. Though it's not a film that immediately comes to mind when one thinks of McQueen, the film features one of his most deeply felt performances as the legendary gunfighter in the old … Continue reading Tom Horn: Steve McQueen transcends his cool persona and delivers a deeply moving performance as the legendary Western folk hero →

Scarface: Al Pacino’s electrifying performance powers this brutal and uncompromising Gangster epic from Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma

On Al Pacino's birthday, here is looking back at his grandest and most popular performance from the 1983 gangster epic, Scarface, written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian De Palma. “ Al Pacino's performance in the 1983 gangster classic, Scarface, is an instance where the lead star\actor takes over a film completely with his … Continue reading Scarface: Al Pacino’s electrifying performance powers this brutal and uncompromising Gangster epic from Oliver Stone and Brian De Palma →

Amitabh Bachchan in Don and Mohanlal in Chithram: Two Superstars, Two seminal Films, Two Iconic roles

Amitabh Bachchan’s Don and Mohanlal’s Chithram, 2 Iconic films of  the 2 most beloved superstars as well as the greatest actors of the country celebrate their 40th and 30th anniversary respectively this year. Here is a look back Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal made their debut in movies almost a decade apart. Bachchan in 1969 with … Continue reading Amitabh Bachchan in Don and Mohanlal in Chithram: Two Superstars, Two seminal Films, Two Iconic roles →