Category: Crime

The Proud Ones: Robert Ryan is superb as the proud marshal in this classic ’50s Town Western inspired from ‘High Noon’

The Proud Ones (1956), directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Robert Ryan, Jeffrey Hunter and Virginia Mayo in lead roles, is a solid Western dealing with the archetypal theme of an upright marshal cleaning up a corrupt old west town. "Pride can kill a man faster than a bullet" As the title and the … Continue reading The Proud Ones: Robert Ryan is superb as the proud marshal in this classic ’50s Town Western inspired from ‘High Noon’ →

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The Killers: A slick Lee Marvin and a quirky Clu Gulager are fantastic together in Don Siegel’s Technicolor Noir

The Killers (1964), directed by Don Siegel, is the second film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's eponymous short story. The film features Lee Marvin, Clu Gulager, Angie Dickinson and Ronald Reagan in his final film role. "I approve of larceny; homicide is against my principles" That's Ronald Reagan talking to his lieutenants- sitting on a big … Continue reading The Killers: A slick Lee Marvin and a quirky Clu Gulager are fantastic together in Don Siegel’s Technicolor Noir →

Charley Varrick: Walter Matthau excels as the titular antihero in Don Siegel’s solid Crime Thriller

Charley Varrick (1973), starring Walter Matthau, Andy Robinson, John Vernon and Joe Don Baker, is a thrilling Crime\gangster drama directed by genre veteran Don Siegel. Siegel made this film immediately after his iconic cop thriller, "Dirty Harry," and in many ways this film is the definitive Don Siegel film. Director, Don Siegel, is most famous … Continue reading Charley Varrick: Walter Matthau excels as the titular antihero in Don Siegel’s solid Crime Thriller →

Frenzy: Alfred Hitchcock returned to Britain (and returned to vintage form) and created his last great macabre thriller

Frenzy (1972) was the great director Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate movie. This serial killer thriller, starring Jon Finch and Barry Foster in lead roles, finds the British director returning to his homeland to create his best film since the 1960's Psycho. Film Director, Alfred Hitchcock, started making films in Cinema's silent era, in the 1920s. After … Continue reading Frenzy: Alfred Hitchcock returned to Britain (and returned to vintage form) and created his last great macabre thriller →

Mr. Majestyk: Elmore Leonard mixed colorful characters, quirky dialogue and explosive action in creating one of the best ’70s Charles Bronson Actioners

Mr. Majestyk (1974) is an action thriller written by Elmore Leonard and directed by Richard Fleischer. The film stars Charles Bronson as a Colorado Watermelon farmer who comes into conflict with gangsters lead by Al Lettieri. So, after 'breaking his back' for more than two decades - starting out with bit parts, progressing to villainous … Continue reading Mr. Majestyk: Elmore Leonard mixed colorful characters, quirky dialogue and explosive action in creating one of the best ’70s Charles Bronson Actioners →

The Gauntlet: Clint Eastwood’s over-the-top send-up of his ‘Dirty Harry’ films is fun, fast-paced and packed with baroque action sequences

The Gauntlet(1977), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and co-starring Sondra Locke, was an attempt by Clint to send up his 'Dirty Harry' films by exaggerating and parodying the tropes associated with those cop thrillers. Originally conceived as a starring vehicle for Marlon Brando and Barbara Streisand, and then, after Brando's withdrawal, as a vehicle … Continue reading The Gauntlet: Clint Eastwood’s over-the-top send-up of his ‘Dirty Harry’ films is fun, fast-paced and packed with baroque action sequences →

Out of the Past: The definitive Film Noir classic that established Robert Mitchum as the ultimate Noir hero

Out of the Past(1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Jane Greer and Rhonda Fleming, may well be the greatest Film Noir ever made, with Mitchum giving one of the greatest Noir-hero performances of all time. "Baby, I don't care" was the title of actor, Robert Mitchum's biography written by Lee … Continue reading Out of the Past: The definitive Film Noir classic that established Robert Mitchum as the ultimate Noir hero →

Coogan’s Bluff: Don Siegel’s solid Cop drama transformed Clint Eastwood from a ‘Western’ hero into a modern action hero

Coogan's Bluff(1968) was the first collaboration between director Don Siegel and Star, Clint Eastwood. The film effectively transformed Clint from a star of Westerns into a modern, urban action hero. Clint Eastwood is a multitalented movie superstar; he acts, directs, produces and even composes music, but, over and above all this, what I find most … Continue reading Coogan’s Bluff: Don Siegel’s solid Cop drama transformed Clint Eastwood from a ‘Western’ hero into a modern action hero →

Get Carter: Michael Caine’s iconic star turn and Roy Budd’s pulsating score powers this classic British Crime drama

Get Carter(1971), written & directed by Mike Hodges, and starring Michael Caine as the amoral titular gangster, is a gritty & nihilistic British crime Drama. It was not well received upon its release, but it's now revered as one of the greatest British films ever made. "Pint of Bitter..... in a thin glass" One of … Continue reading Get Carter: Michael Caine’s iconic star turn and Roy Budd’s pulsating score powers this classic British Crime drama →

The Godfather: Coppola, Brando and Pacino transformed Mario Puzo’s gangster saga into a mesmerizing meditation on power, succession and moral corruption

The Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a strong candidate for the title of 'the greatest American film ever made'. The film, adapted form Mario Puzo's bestselling novel, tells the story of the fictional Corleone family and starred Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in lead roles. When Mario Puzo set out to write … Continue reading The Godfather: Coppola, Brando and Pacino transformed Mario Puzo’s gangster saga into a mesmerizing meditation on power, succession and moral corruption →

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 →

The Devil’s Advocate: Al Pacino has a ‘Devil’ of a time opposite Keanu Reeves’ modern ‘Faust’ in this very entertaining hybrid of supernatural Horror & Legal thriller

The Devil's Advocate (1997), based on Andrew Neiderman's eponymous novel, directed by Taylor Hackford, and starring Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, is a contemporary morality play that mixes elements of supernatural Horror and John Grisham style legal thriller. "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven"  (Spoilers Included) It goes without saying … Continue reading The Devil’s Advocate: Al Pacino has a ‘Devil’ of a time opposite Keanu Reeves’ modern ‘Faust’ in this very entertaining hybrid of supernatural Horror & Legal thriller →

The Enforcer: The very entertaining third ‘Dirty Harry’ film has lots of humor, exciting action sequences and a female partner for Clint Eastwood’s supercop

The Enforcer(1976), the third film in the 'Dirty Harry' series, is directed by James Fargo. The film pairs Clint Eastwood with Tyne Daly, and it contains a lot more humor along with all the elements that made the first two films great entertainment. After incurring the wrath of his superiors for the nth time - … Continue reading The Enforcer: The very entertaining third ‘Dirty Harry’ film has lots of humor, exciting action sequences and a female partner for Clint Eastwood’s supercop →

French Connection II: Gene Hackman brilliantly reprises ‘Popeye’ Doyle in this terrific sequel that takes the iconic character in an interesting direction

French Connection II(1975) has Gene Hackman reprising the role of Popeye Doyle from the Oscar winning 1971 prequel, The French Connection. This film, directed by the great action film maestro, John Frankenheimer, is a more polished and melodramatic film which is not as viscerally powerful as the original, but expands on that film in interesting … Continue reading French Connection II: Gene Hackman brilliantly reprises ‘Popeye’ Doyle in this terrific sequel that takes the iconic character in an interesting direction →

Where the Sidewalk Ends: Otto Preminger’s gritty, dark ‘rogue cop’ Noir reunites the ‘Laura’ duo of Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney

Where the Sidewalk Ends(1950) reunites director Otto Preminger with the stars of his iconic 1944 film 'Laura', Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. This is a more darker tale with Andrews playing a morally conflicted, hard-boiled, New York cop who's trying to stay one step ahead of the law as he obsessively hunts down a mob … Continue reading Where the Sidewalk Ends: Otto Preminger’s gritty, dark ‘rogue cop’ Noir reunites the ‘Laura’ duo of Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney →

Crossfire: Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan represents the two sides of the returning WWII soldier in this chilling Noir that’s ultimately a strong polemic against racism

Crossfire (1947), directed by Edward Dmytryk from a novel by Richard Brooks and starring Robert Mitchum, Robert Young and Robert Ryan, is a 'social issue' Noir which makes a strong statement against anti-Semitism. Hate is like a gun. If you carry it around with you it can go off and kill somebody. It killed Samuels … Continue reading Crossfire: Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan represents the two sides of the returning WWII soldier in this chilling Noir that’s ultimately a strong polemic against racism →

The Stranger: Orson Welles’ lone box office hit may be his least personal film but it’s still a terrific Noir thriller with Welles in top form as actor & director

The Stranger(1946) was Orson Welles' third (finished) feature film as a director, and his first Film Noir. Though this is the least artistically impressive, and most conventionally mainstream, of all of Welles' films, it's a superbly crafted genre piece, and was a box office success. Being the only bonafide box office hit that Orson Welles … Continue reading The Stranger: Orson Welles’ lone box office hit may be his least personal film but it’s still a terrific Noir thriller with Welles in top form as actor & director →

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 →

The Godfather Part II: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro redefines screen acting with their astounding performances in Francis Ford Coppola’s ultimate American epic

Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II(1974), starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and Lee Strasberg, is an extraordinary continuation to the director's magnum opus, The Godfather(1972). In many ways, the film is even better than its predecessor, and marks the height of auteur-driven  New-Hollywood cinema of the 1970s. The Godfather … Continue reading The Godfather Part II: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro redefines screen acting with their astounding performances in Francis Ford Coppola’s ultimate American epic →