Cape Fear: Gregory Peck battles Robert Mitchum in this gripping psychological thriller

Director J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear(1962), starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, is a gripping post-noir Psycho thriller in which Mitchum, playing vicious Psychopath Max Cady, gave, perhaps, the greatest performance of his career. "An upright lawyer's life becomes a nightmare when a sadistic ex-con he helped send to prison returns seeking revenge. No simple … Continue reading Cape Fear: Gregory Peck battles Robert Mitchum in this gripping psychological thriller →

El Dorado: Howard Hawks remade the rousing ‘Rio Bravo’ into a funny and poignant Western featuring Robert Mitchum as the drunk opposite John Wayne

Howard Hawks' 1967 western classic, El Dorado, starring John 'Duke' Wayne and Robert Mitchum, was a loose remake of his own 1959 film Rio Bravo. with this film being a poignant, and often funny meditation on aging and mortality. "The Western takes, really, a couple of forms. One is how the West started, the formation … Continue reading El Dorado: Howard Hawks remade the rousing ‘Rio Bravo’ into a funny and poignant Western featuring Robert Mitchum as the drunk opposite John Wayne →

The Big Country: Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in William Wyler’s Cold-War-era epic Western

The Big Country(1958), with Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston heading an all-star cast, is a visually sumptuous Western drama from the great director, William Wyler. Apart from subverting a lot of the Western myths and genre tropes ,the director intended the film to be an allegory of Cold war, which was at its peak at … Continue reading The Big Country: Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston leads an all-star cast in William Wyler’s Cold-War-era epic Western →

The Magnificent Seven: John Sturges set the template for the all-star cast, Men-on-a-Mission adventure with this exhilarating adaptation of ‘The Seven Samurai’

John Sturges' iconic 1960 Western, The Magnificent Seven, is the remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa classic The Seven Samurai, and stars, among others, Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. The film set the template for the ensemble, 'Men on a Mission' Adventure that was replicated in many films thereafter. Japanese movie maestro Akira Kurosawa is … Continue reading The Magnificent Seven: John Sturges set the template for the all-star cast, Men-on-a-Mission adventure with this exhilarating adaptation of ‘The Seven Samurai’ →

The Big Sleep: Howard Hawks’ steamy Noir classic is an eternal cinematic monument to the love between Bogart and Bacall

Humphrey Bogart co-starred with his beloved wife Lauren Bacall as the iconic detective, Philip Marlowe, in Howard Hawks' 1946 film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. “Bogart can be tough without a gun,Also he has a sense of humor that contains the grating undertone of contempt. [Alan] Ladd is hard, bitter and occasionally charming, but … Continue reading The Big Sleep: Howard Hawks’ steamy Noir classic is an eternal cinematic monument to the love between Bogart and Bacall →

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: A magnificent John Wayne performance anchors this visually stunning John Ford Western

John Ford's classic Western, She wore a Yellow Ribbon(1949), is the second film in Ford's famed 'Cavalry trilogy'. It's also one of the most visually beautiful films ever made, with John Wayne giving an extraordinary performance in the lead role. "There are no nuances because Nathan Brittles, like Tom Dunson, is folklore and legend, They're … Continue reading She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: A magnificent John Wayne performance anchors this visually stunning John Ford Western →

The Irishman : Martin Scorsese comes full circle with this mournful eulogy to a lost era

Martin Scorsese's latest crime drama The Irishman , starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, finds the master director on familiar territory, only this time, a little less flamboyant and a lot more introspective.    Martin Scorsese may be the greatest director ever to walk the earth, or maybe, he is not. But … Continue reading The Irishman : Martin Scorsese comes full circle with this mournful eulogy to a lost era →

Joe Kidd: John Sturges and Elmore Leonard crafted a lean, mean Western for Clint Eastwood

Joe Kidd(1972), starring Clint Eastwood in the title role was a Western directed by John Sturges and written by Elmore Leonard. It featured Robert Duvall and John Saxon in supporting roles Elmore Leonard , the revered American novelist and short story writer, is today known more for his crime fiction and suspense thrillers laced with … Continue reading Joe Kidd: John Sturges and Elmore Leonard crafted a lean, mean Western for Clint Eastwood →

Ennai Noki Paayum Thota: A letter to Gautam Vasudev Menon from a dejected fan

Dear Gautham Vasudev Menon, Being a fan of your cinema, i was very excited, going into Ennai Noki Paayum Thota(ENPT). I know that you had to go through a lot to get this film released and i want this film to succeed desperately, so that we can get more films of your brand of class … Continue reading Ennai Noki Paayum Thota: A letter to Gautam Vasudev Menon from a dejected fan →

Shalako: Sean Connery starred in this old-fashioned, all-star cast Western adventure that’s reasonably entertaining

Shalako(1968), starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot, is a Western adventure directed by Edward Dmytryk. Connery made the film during his temporary sabbatical from James Bond, and it's the only western he ever made. Sean Connery as a cowboy is as alien a concept as a British Western. But in 1968 both these unusual concepts … Continue reading Shalako: Sean Connery starred in this old-fashioned, all-star cast Western adventure that’s reasonably entertaining →

Mackenna’s Gold: Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif face-off in this totally bonkers Western high adventure

Mackenna's Gold(1969) is a western high adventure that reunited Gregory Peck with writer\producer Carl Foreman and director J. Lee Thompson after the stupendous success of Guns of Navarone(1961). The film, based on Will Henry's novel, features an all-star cast that includes Omar Sharif, Camilla Sparv and Edward G. Robinson Gregory Peck as a Marshall with … Continue reading Mackenna’s Gold: Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif face-off in this totally bonkers Western high adventure →

Gunaa: Kamal Haasan’s idiosyncratic amalgam of Rainman, Rambo and Devdas makes for compelling cinema

This piece on Gunaa(1991) is my new addition to  60 years of Kamal Haasan series. Gunaa is a truly unique and idiosyncratic film that was a flop at the time of its release, but has gone on to acquire a cult following. The film is also, perhaps , the greatest collaboration between Kamal and music director Ilayaraja, who has provided an … Continue reading Gunaa: Kamal Haasan’s idiosyncratic amalgam of Rainman, Rambo and Devdas makes for compelling cinema →

High Plains Drifter: Clint Eastwood reinvented his iconic ‘Man with no Name’ as a quasi-supernatural avenger in this eerie western

High Plains Drifter(1973) is the first Western that Clint Eastwood directed. It's a little different from the rest of the westerns he made, as an actor or as a director, as it plays out more like a supernatural thriller. "That isn't what the West was all about. That isn't the American people who settled this … Continue reading High Plains Drifter: Clint Eastwood reinvented his iconic ‘Man with no Name’ as a quasi-supernatural avenger in this eerie western →

Three Days of the Condor: The definitive Robert Redford star vehicle is also a first rate paranoid thriller

Three Days of Condor(1975), starring Robert Redford, Max Von Sydow and Faye Dunaway and directed by Sydney Pollock,  is a brilliantly crafted conspiracy  thriller as well as a terrific star-vehicle for Robert Redford Robert Redford is my most favorite modern movie star . And I'd put MOVIE STAR in capital letters, because Redford is not … Continue reading Three Days of the Condor: The definitive Robert Redford star vehicle is also a first rate paranoid thriller →

Apoorva Sagodharargal : Kamal Haasan’s post-modern masala classic remains a towering achievement

Kamal Haasan, who turned Sixty five recently, has completed sixty years in the film industry.His Apoorva Sagodharargal(1989), which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, was a milestone in his career , in which he essayed triple roles , both, in front and behind the camera. A Honest police officer arrests a gang of ruthless criminals. In … Continue reading Apoorva Sagodharargal : Kamal Haasan’s post-modern masala classic remains a towering achievement →

Chinatown: Nicholson is great, Huston is iconic and Dunaway’s at her greatest in Robert Towne and Roman Polanski’s Neo-noir classic

Chinatown(1974), directed by Roman Polanski, written by Robert Towne and starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston, is one of those rare gems from New Hollywood cinema of the '70s, whose appeal remains undiminished even after 4 decades (Spoilers are included) Post the collapse of the old Hollywood studio system in the early 1960s, … Continue reading Chinatown: Nicholson is great, Huston is iconic and Dunaway’s at her greatest in Robert Towne and Roman Polanski’s Neo-noir classic →

Moonraker: Roger Moore’s James Bond goes on a space odyssey in the grandest and the most grandly absurd of all Bond films

Moonraker(1979) is the eleventh James Bond film and the fourth starring Roger Moore as Ian Fleming's James Bond . This is the kind of ridiculous and ridiculously entertaining Bond spectacle that's unthinkable in today's times. After ruling the silver screen in the 1960s, James Bond was facing some tough times in the 70s. Bond, brought … Continue reading Moonraker: Roger Moore’s James Bond goes on a space odyssey in the grandest and the most grandly absurd of all Bond films →

Jubal: Glenn Ford and Rod Steiger play rival cowboys in this taut, psychological Western

Director Delmer Daves' overlooked masterpiece Jubal(1956), starring Glenn Ford, Earnest Borgnine and Rod Steiger, is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's immortal tragedy Othello transported to the old West Director Delmer Daves is most famous for his 1957 western 3:10 to Yuma. But for me, his masterwork is the 1956 film Jubal ; which transported … Continue reading Jubal: Glenn Ford and Rod Steiger play rival cowboys in this taut, psychological Western →

War : Hrithik Roshan is back with a bang in this satisfying mix of masala and Hollywood

After a series of disappointing films, Hrithik Roshan is back in form with Yashraj Productions' latest film War, which co-stars Tiger Shroff   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ0mzXRk-oM Hrithik Roshan's career is one of the strangest that i have seen in contemporary Indian cinema (or for that matter world cinema). After making one of the most sensational movie debuts … Continue reading War : Hrithik Roshan is back with a bang in this satisfying mix of masala and Hollywood →

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: George Lazenby’s sole outing as James Bond resulted in the most romantic Bond film

On Her Majesty's Secret Service(1969) was the sixth James Bond film. It introduced a new James Bond and it was very different from any Bond film that came before or after it. On Her Majesty's Secret Service(OHMSS), the sixth James Bond film from Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions, started off with a … Continue reading On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: George Lazenby’s sole outing as James Bond resulted in the most romantic Bond film →