Category: Thriller

Duel at Diablo: Sidney Poitier is one dandy broncobuster and James Garner is the tough frontier scout in this thrilling ‘Cavalry Vs Indians’ Western

Duel at Diablo (1966), directed by Ralph Nelson, is a thrilling, action-packed Western starring James Garner in his first Big screen Western,, Sidney Poitier in his first Western and Bibi Andersson in her first American film. There are three things that immediately strike you once you start watching Ralph Nelson's "Duel at Diablo (1966)." First, … Continue reading Duel at Diablo: Sidney Poitier is one dandy broncobuster and James Garner is the tough frontier scout in this thrilling ‘Cavalry Vs Indians’ Western →

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Man of the West: Gary Cooper is terrific as the reformed outlaw battling kinsman Lee J. Cobb in Anthony Mann’s dark & gritty Western

Man of the West (1958), directed by Anthony Mann, is a gritty western that finds all-American hero, Gary Cooper, stepping into the shoes of the morally ambiguous Mann protagonist from his 1950s Westerns that usually starred James Stewart. 1950s is considered the decade when Westerns finally came of age. The simplistic White hat\Black hat, cowboys … Continue reading Man of the West: Gary Cooper is terrific as the reformed outlaw battling kinsman Lee J. Cobb in Anthony Mann’s dark & gritty Western →

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 →

Play Misty for Me: Clint Eastwood made a confident debut as director with this proto-‘Fatal Attraction’ romantic thriller

Play Misty for Me (1971) was the first film directed by Clint Eastwood. Clint also starred alongside Jessica Walter in this romantic thriller set in and around Clint's hometown, Carmel. 1971 was a big year for Clint Eastwood. He had three releases that year- Two of which was directed by his pal & mentor, Don … Continue reading Play Misty for Me: Clint Eastwood made a confident debut as director with this proto-‘Fatal Attraction’ romantic thriller →

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 →

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 →

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’ →

In the Line of Fire: Clint Eastwood is determined to save the American President from John Malkovich’s assassin in this terrific political-action thriller

In the Line of Fire(1993), directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Clint Eastwood and John Malkovich, is a terrific political action thriller inspired from 'The Day of the Jackal'. Eastwood plays the U.S. Secret Service agent who tries to stop Malkovich's killer from assassinating the U.S. president. "I thought Eastwood was terrific. . . . … Continue reading In the Line of Fire: Clint Eastwood is determined to save the American President from John Malkovich’s assassin in this terrific political-action 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 →

3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe and Christian Bale add strength and depth to this gritty and gripping adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Western thriller

3:10 to Yuma (2007) is the second film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's eponymous short story. This tense, psychological Western thriller is directed by James Mangold and stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in lead roles. Eminent writer Elmore Leonard has a rather strange relationship with Hollywood. On one hand, more than 25 of his works … Continue reading 3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe and Christian Bale add strength and depth to this gritty and gripping adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Western thriller →

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 →

The Missing: Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett excels in this thrilling Western from Ron Howard

The Missing (2003) is a superb Western directed by Ron Howard, and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchet in lead roles. The film, adapted from Thomas Eidson's novel The Last Ride, plays more like an updated version of John Ford's classic 1956 Western, "The Searchers" John Ford's 1956 Western classic "The Searchers" may or … Continue reading The Missing: Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett excels in this thrilling Western from Ron Howard →

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 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 Alcatraz: The final collaboration between Clint Eastwood and Don Siegel resulted in a subdued and suspenseful prison-break thriller

Escape from Alcatraz(1979) brought together Clint Eastwood and director, Don Siegel for the fifth and final time. In this low-key, slow-burn, prison-break thriller, Clint plays Frank Lee Morris, a real-life convict who escaped from the Alcatraz prison in 1962. "If you disobey the rules of society, they send you to prison. If you disobey the … Continue reading Escape from Alcatraz: The final collaboration between Clint Eastwood and Don Siegel resulted in a subdued and suspenseful prison-break thriller →

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 →