The Burglar

With a career that spanned three decades, Dan Duryea had quite a career in film and television, racking up over 100 different roles. He never became a huge star, instead becoming one of the best character actors to ever grace the screens in Hollywood. Like most character actors, he did get a crack or two at his own movies, one he could carry himself, and he doesn't disappoint in 1957's The Burglar.

Having grown up as a thief, always improving his skills and ability, Nat Harbin (Duryea) doesn't have many equals. He's a small-time thief though, never gaining much in the way of notoriety over the years. He pulls jobs that net him enough money to get him to the next job while also caring for his step sister, Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), who helps him and two other thieves. With his most recent job, Nat steals a necklace worth $150,000 but much to the dismay of his team, he sits on, waiting for the heat to cool down and the cops to back off. With each passing day though, the heat intensifies, and his two partners get more and more anxious. When Nat senses the cops are closing in, he sends Gladden to Atlantic City to hide out only to find out that a crooked cop (Stewart Bradley) is following her. Now it becomes a race against time to see who can get to her first.

I came away impressed with a lot of things from this Paul Wendkos-directed film noir. It is based on a novel by David Goodis (who also wrote the script), and it is the better for it. The best thing going here is Duryea as the anti-hero thief, a thief with a code of honor. It is the type of character that would pop up more and more in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. He's a criminal, a thief, no doubt about it, but he does operate by a code of sorts. No guns, no betrayals (if possible) and no messing around, just get the job done. His background is explained, showing how he ends up caring for Gladden, how he came to be the man he is. It is a quiet, perfectly understated part that gives Duryea a chance to shake off his bad guy typecasting. With a bit of that doom cloud hanging over his head, it is apparent things may not end well for him, but maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for him to get out clean.

Using Duryea's starring performance as a jumping off point, 'Burglar' manages to rise above the good but not great film noir list with some impressive style decisions. Yes, it is filmed in black and white, bringing to life the shadows and dim lights that populate the criminal underworld, but it's more than that. Wendkos takes what we know of the noir genre and makes it more of an arthouse film, an almost existential film. It is a lonely, isolated world, and Wendkos brings it to life with some startling jump cuts, some odd, off-center camera angles and a solid, appropriately jazzy, unsettling score from composer Sol Kaplan. The pacing can be a tad slow early on with some long, dull monologues, but once things get rolling, it doesn't really slow down, right up until the surprising finale.

While Duryea's performance is noteworthy, I think at least part of this movie's relatively unknown status is because the rest of the cast lacks any name recognition. Building up her sex kitten status, Mansfield shows she doesn't have a ton of acting range, but she's solid. Her looks are dulled down for the first half -- baggy clothes and all -- and then at the halfway point....ta-da! Bathing suit! Martha Vickers plays Della, a middle-aged woman with a checkered past, looking for something new in her life...and maybe with an ace up her sleeves. As the sinister, hovering villain, Bradley is a good counter, a bad guy with greed as his only real motivation and nothing else. Working with Nat as his partners on jobs are Peter Capell as Baylock, an older crook looking to retire and Mickey Shaughnessy as Dohmer, a brutish thug who is always worrying.

Shaking off the somewhat slow start, 'Burglar' picks up the pace when Nat realizes the crooked cop is on their trail. The ending is almost inevitable in its execution, but that doesn't take away from that tension-packed build-up. Nat and Co. head to Atlantic City to find Gladden, but when they run into a motorcycle officer that recognizes them, the plan takes a wicked plan. 'Burglar' films its finale on location in Atlantic City -- a time capsule to the late 1950s -- and it becomes a race against time as Nat, Gladden, cops (crooked and legit) all converge on the Steel Pier. It really finds its noir roots in the finale, a downbeat ending that nonetheless works extremely well. Highly recommended, shaking off a sluggish start. Watch the movie HERE at Youtube.

The Burglar (1957): ***/****

Attack on the Iron Coast

American producer/screenwriter John C. Champion and his studio, Oakmont Production, aren't exactly synonymous with classic World War II movies. But over a period of just three years, the studio produced six war movies that are far from classics but still are pretty entertaining -- and pretty bad in some cases -- in their low budget charm. I didn't even realize they were connected having seen and reviewed four of the six, but there's a change, and here we go with the fifth, 1968's Attack on the Iron Coast.

It's 1942, and Canadian commando Major Jamie Wilson (Lloyd Bridges) is still struggling with a past mission that haunts him. Leading a dangerous commando raid, his unit suffered extreme casualties, the mission a complete failure, but now he's being offered a second chance and he intends to make this one work. It is called Operation Mad Dog, it's ultimate goal to knock out a key German dock at Le Clare, a harbor used for servicing havoc-wreaking German battleships. The plan seems doomed to failure -- a destroyer loaded with explosives and commandos will actually ram the dock -- and it isn't helped by a Naval commander, Capt. Franklin (Andrew Keir), who holds a grudge against Wilson for his past failure. Can Wilson put that failure behind him, leading a successful mission despite countless things working against him?

From director Paul Wendkos, 'Iron' is actually the first of the six movies Champion's studio produced that included Submarine X-1 (pretty bad), Hell Boats (pretty decent), Mosquito Squadron (pretty average), The Last Escape (another pretty decent), and The Thousand Plane Raid (the lone flick I haven't seen/reviewed). Made on the cheap, they were low budget war flicks intended for a double feature, usually featuring an American lead in a primarily British cast. They aren't classic, and their budget limitations are pretty evident throughout. No all star casts, no groundbreaking storytelling techniques. When they're bad, they're pretty bad. But when handled correctly, they do what a good B-movie should do...entertain. So while 'Iron' can be a tad generic, and there's issues with the budget and cast, it succeeds because quite simply, I was entertained, especially in the finale.

 Playing on a familiar genre convention, 'Iron' manages to make the most of it; two rivals battling each other and deciding if they can put their differences aside to pull off an impossible mission. So where this flick lacks star power in Bridges and Keir, it makes up for it with two worthwhile, very solid performances from the duo. Never a huge star, Bridges is highly effective as Wilson, an experienced, very capable commando officer who struggles with past demons. He's looking out for his men, pushing them as hard as he can so they'll be ready while also pushing his superiors to green light the mission and give him the supplies they need. Keir too is equally effective, a similarly experienced Naval officer who blames Wilson for his son's death in the previously doomed mission. Their rivalry feels real, not forced, and I liked their heated dynamic throughout.

Now, yes, there are flaws. The budget is pretty limiting at times. We're not talking about hundreds of extras and lavish sets. Things are kept on the small-scale here. With one exception -- a cool scene with Wilson's ships sailing up the Thames -- all the "scenes at seas" are some badly done miniature scenes. Just painfully obvious stuff. The first 30 minutes are a tad slow, but they do pick up the pace once the mission gets underway. As for the story, the portrayal leans toward the stereotypical at times, especially of the unknowing Germans waiting in Le Clare, portrayed by familiar faces Walter Gotell and George Mikell. Not their fault, but still. Upon hearing a British minesweeper is in the area, they laugh it off and continue on with the dirty movie they're watching. Seriously, they're watching porn as a group. Second, in their next scene together, they complain about how they have to eat all the rich French food available. Stereotypically cliched doesn't begin to describe these scenes.  

While the budget keeps the action in the background, when it does make its appearance, it is worthwhile. The actual logistics of the mission seems suicidal to say the least, logically flawed a bit. That said, the actual mission is a great action set piece, the Canadian commandos making their way through the darkened streets and alleys of Le Clare, the Germans trying to mount a defense of some sort. The mission doesn't go quite as planned, forcing Wilson to improvise on the fly. It is an ending that doesn't need an army of extras to be effective. The focus on the chaos of the battle, the nighttime setting, it all works well toward a surprising ending. Good not great, but it isn't trying to be great. It's just a good war movie.

Attack on the Iron Coast (1968): ***/****

Hell Boats

So originality is overrated, don't you think? First released in 1962, The Guns of Navarone has a team of commandos attempting to blow up two immense German guns stationed in an impregnable fortress. It's a classic, still remembered fondly almost 50 years later. I realize not all ideas are winners, but 1970's Hell Boats takes that basic premise and runs with it. Okay, it's a little different....there are boats.

Recovering from a serious wound, Lt. Commander Jeffords (James Franciscus) has received orders for a new posting. It's 1942 as he's sent to under-siege Malta where he's place under the command of ineffectual Commander Ashurst (Ronald Allen). An American volunteer fighting for the British, Jeffords is given a possibly suicidal mission. A port in Sicily houses a warehouse loaded with radio glider bombs that are wreaking havoc on Allied shipping convoys. Given a small, ill-equipped flotilla of motor torpedo boats, Jeffords starts to plan the mission with the help of Chief Petty Officer Yacov (Reuven Bar-Yotam). The mission seems suicidal, a warehouse heavily guarded by water and impossible to reach by land. What can they even hope to accomplish?

World War II movies based in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East are few and far between so you've got to enjoy them when you get a chance. Almost a forgotten theater of the war, there's a black market, shady feeling to the fighting, soldiers thousands of miles from the more major conflicts. Director Paul Wendkos handles his story in a workmanlike fashion. 'Boats' was filmed in Malta and is a visual stunner to watch, a city that looks much the same way it did thousands of years ago. In an unobtrusive way, I liked composer Frank Cordell's score, quieter than many war scores but appropriate and even surprisingly moving at times.

Visiting the cliched character department, 'Boats' goes back for seconds. A B-movie star through the 1960s and 1970s, Franciscus is solid if unspectacular as Jeffords, an American sailor/officer fighting for the British. He can be a tad on the wooden side at times, but Jeffords is a driven, very capable officer, helping make up for some flaws. Bar-Yotam (better known as 'Schlomo' from a classic Seinfeld episode) is underused as Yacov, the loyal and brutally efficient right hand man. Allen is good when given the chance as the commander trying to prove himself and his ability to his questioning men. Some of Jeffords' men include Barlow (Mark Hawkins), a young officer who questions Jeffords' orders, and Drewe Henley and Inigo Jackson.

Can you feel it coming? Here come the negatives! Let's start with the biggie. A story about soldiers in WWII on a near-suicidal mission sounds interesting enough to me, don't you think? Nope, apparently not enough here. Enter stage left...the love triangle! Jeffords meet Alison (Elizabeth Shepherd) and is instantly drawn to her only to discover she's the wife of his commander, Ashurst. Oh no! It's a broken, falling apart marriage, but it's still a marriage. So basically we're introduced to this potentially very cool mission, and then get a door slammed in your face. Oh, interested in commandos and behind the lines action? Nah, that's boring. Let's watch one woman choose between two men. "Yeah," can't wait for more of that.

This is a lower-budget B-movie so it has its other flaws, at least ones not based in love triangles (my favorite plot device of all time). German soldiers stand idly by while their comrades are gunned down -- Franciscus never reloading his machine gun as he fires 800 rounds -- only to be shot down themselves when flanked. As part of their plan to get into the heavily guarded harbor, the Brits "steal" a German E-boat in the most convoluted of fashions, seemingly forgetting they steal it for about 20 minutes after. The Trojan Horse technique to sneak into the harbor seems ridiculously stupid to me, but what do I know? Apparently German soldiers were semi-mentally handicapped when realizing they're being duped.

So here I sit reviewing a movie that really wasn't that good yet I found myself enjoying it. I can chalk most of that up to the action. A behind the lines mission into the harbor and the city with Jeffords, Yacov, an MI6 agent (Takis Emmanuel, one of Michael Caine's commandos in Play Dirty) and his beautiful assistant (Magda Konopka) is simple and straightforward, a small team risking death around every corner. The final assault and mission on the rock fortress in the dead of night is similarly exciting with some surprising reveals as to who survives and who doesn't.  It's an entertaining, unpretentious little WWII action flick. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less, and you can certainly do worse.

Hell Boats <---Credits/Opening sequence (1970): ** 1/2 /****

Cannon for Cordoba

What I love more and more about movies as I look harder for those hard-to find gems is that there is always another gem around the corner.  They are the movies that you read about but can't find or can't afford that pricey VHS through an Amazon vendor.  They're the ones with these great casts that have somehow escaped your grasp for years.  I love stumbling across one of these older gems more than I appreciate seeing a really good new movie at the theaters.  For me, most of these gems are westerns or war movies, including 1970's Cannon For Cordoba. 

I read about this American western shot in Spain a few years back and was immediately interested but just couldn't find a copy anywhere, and it never seemed to be on TV anywhere.  Well, just like I was able to watch 1965's The Glory Guys last week, I found 'Cordoba' available through Netflix's Instant watch feature.  I knew from the first time I read about the movie I'd like it because it comes from the always reliable 'men on a mission' sub-genre that stretches across countless types of movies.  It is a mix somewhere between The Guns of Navarone, The Magnificent Seven, and The Professionals so it is fair to say you won't see anything you haven't seen before.  It is a western that follows the formula closely and is the better for it, even if it isn't anything new.

It's 1916 and General Black Jack Pershing (John Russell) is on the Texas/Mexico border with the U.S. army doing his best to protect the border from bandit attacks, none of whom is worse than a rogue general named Cordoba (Raf Vallone).  In a raid, Cordoba and his own army steals six artillery pieces and transport them back to his mountaintop fortress. Pershing has no option but to send some men undercover into Mexico to destroy the guns and possibly bring Cordoba out alive.  He chooses an officer, Captain Rod Douglas (George Peppard) to the lead the raid that will have his team travel 200 dangerous miles into Mexico. On his team are three men from his unit (Don Gordon, Pete Duel, and Nico Minardos), a Mexican officer (Gabriele Tinti) and a beautiful, mysterious woman who will be used as bait looking for revenge (Giovanni Ralli).  The odds are stacked against them though, and Douglas isn't sure any of them will come back.

Director Paul Wendkos sticks close the successful men on a mission formula from beginning to end here, and turns in a finished product that will never be thought of as classic, but it's like comfort food.  Just cause you've seen it before doesn't mean it's a bad thing.  He lays things out with an evil general as the villain, establishes a suicidal mission, assembles a team of specialists to pull off the job, throws in some curveballs, and lets the action take over.  Throw in a solid if unspectacular score from composer Elmer Bernstein, beautiful location shooting in Spain, a touch of nudity here and there, and enough action to fill in all the gaps.  It's typical of cheaper but well made westerns from the late 1960s and early 1970s that weren't trying to change the world. They were content to be damn entertaining, and whoever didn't like it didn't have to watch.

After some huge success in the early 1960s, Peppard was at a bit of a crossroads in his career, taking parts wherever he could get them.  He's not slumming here, but the part and movie as a whole clearly isn't as large scale as he'd probably like.  Playing Capt. Douglas, Peppard is a nice choice to lead a small team of specialists on a suicide mission.  He was cool in just about everything he did, and his cigar chomping (hello Hannibal!), don't give a damn officer is a solid anti-hero to lead the proceedings.  His team is made up of TV actors, and the four are given just enough background to make them interesting.  Gordon is the soldier looking for revenge against Peppard, Duel is Andy, the fun-loving nut of the group ready to turn on anyone and everyone, Minardos is the Greek immigrant with a touch for explosives, and Tinti is the loyal Mexican officer also looking for some vengeance.  I was surprised by which ones of the group actually makes it through the mission, but that's always part of the fun with these men on a mission movies.

This is an action western, and Wendkos does not disappoint.  Three huge set pieces dominate the gunplay, all building up to the explosive finale that is just an orgy of gunfire, explosions and nameless henchmen getting blown away.  Cordoba's raid on the cannons starts things off on a big scale, followed by Peppard's team tangling with some of Cordoba's men in a ruined, crumbling church.  Smaller scale, but still exciting.  Then in the finale, the actual suicidal mission.  For one, Cordoba's mountaintop fortress is a very cool set so placing a battle in its midst with chaos and explosions everywhere is a great finish.  It reminded me some of the ending to another Wendkos western, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, in terms of the large scope it takes.  Exciting to the very end with some good twists.

For a story set in the Mexican Revolution, 'Cordoba' does follow a fair share of genre conventions, all the better to stick with that formula.  You've got the generic evil general, the waves of nameless men in his armies more interested in women and drinking than fighting, and the requisite European general -- Swedish, not German this time -- played by Hans Meyer.  Vallone is given little to do as the evil Cordoba, but he looks the part with that menacing glint in his eyes.  He of course gets his comeuppance in the end as the bad guy always does.  A classic this is not, but an exciting, always entertaining western that is worth tracking down. No luck finding a trailer either, my apologies.

Cannon for Cordoba (1970): ***/****

Guns of the Magnificent Seven

Now this may just be me, but George Kennedy doesn't resemble Yul Brynner too much. After two Magnificent Seven movies with Brynner as the star, the third movie starred a new 'Chris' leading a new 7, Kennedy. Of course the posters over at IMDB have to nail this down. So is he the same character? A different man named Chris? Did he undergo extensive plastic surgery? Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.

Three years removed from Return of the Magnificent Seven comes director Paul Wendkos' take on the popular series, 1969's Guns of the Magnificent Seven. It's a departure from the first two movies with Kennedy, a year removed from his Oscar from Cool Hand Luke, stepping into the saddle. But where 'Return' was basically a rehash of the original classic, 'Guns' gets points for originality both in story and casting. Also, having Elmer Bernstein's score doesn't hurt, especially with some new notes in the music.

Deep in Mexico, a revolutionary leader, Quintero (Fernando Rey) is captured by a sadistic Mexican colonel, Diego (Michael Ansara), who runs a prison that resembles a fortress more than anything else. One of Quintero's most loyal followers, Maximilliano (Reni Santoni) heads north to look for help in getting Quintero out of prison before it's too late. In a border town, Max finds a man named Chris (Kennedy) who's in the process of saving another man, Keno (Monte Markham), from a lynch mob. Chris agrees to help out and assembles a group of specialists to help him in the prison break. They seek help from a local bandit Lobero (Frank Silvera) and his gang -- quite a change of pace since the 1st one, huh? -- but the odds still seem impossible.

The Seven: Kennedy is more than capable of handling the lead role, and while he doesn't look like Brynner at all, he brings the same characteristics to the part; loyal, honest, and always willing to stand up for the downtrodden. As for the other six, this is by far the most unique group when comparing the three sequels. Markham as Keno, the Steve McQueen right hand man role, isn't given a ton to do after his introduction, but as a right hand man, he does what he's supposed to; look cool while helping the leader. Santoni's Max is a youngster with little fighting experience but who wants nothing more than to join the fight.

In adding a black character, Bernie Casey's Cassie, a dynamite expert, the dimension of race is added and even more so with another member of the seven, Slater (Joe Don Baker), a one-armed Confederate gunslinger. Cassie and Slater would seem to have nothing in common, but a friendship develops when they realize how similar they really are. James Whitmore, as solid as ever, plays Levi, an aging knife fighter who's settled down with a family but takes the job for the $. Adding some depth to the character, Levi bonds with Emil (Tony Davis), a young Mexican boy looking for his father. Unfortunately, the 7th member, P.J. (Scott Thomas) receives little development which is a shame because a expert gunfighter/rope thrower dying of tuberculosis has some potential.

The Villain: A definite step up here after Emilio Fernandez's part in 'Return.' Michael Ansara plays Diego to a T. He's a sadistic commandant trying to snuff out the revolution in his district no matter what the cost, especially when it comes to torturing his prisoners. One torture scene midway through the movie shows a creative way to take care of prisoners, bury them in sand up to their throats and then trample and suffocate them with horses walking all around them. Ansara's Diego isn't as developed as much as Calvera or Lorca, but he's just a straight bad guy and sometimes that's all you need.

Some critics said this movie is too slow-going and to be fair, there isn't a ton of action. But really, none of these movies are action-packed. Characters are introduced, we get to know them, and then throw in the action so that when some of the 7 do eventually die, their deaths mean something emotionally. The finale in 'Guns' is on par with the shootout at the end of the original. Finally ready for their assault, Chris leads the 7 and a small group of farmers in an attack on Diego's prison, dubbed the 'Cave of the Rats,' and his 200-man garrison.

It's loud, chaotic and violent, and completely different from the rest of the series. For one, the 7 go on the attack instead of waiting to be attacked against larger numbers. Second, two characters are killed almost at the outset of the battle, and for awhile it looks like the plan might actually fail. Semi-SPOILER I'm convinced Max was supposed to die, he gets absolutely riddled by at least 3 Mexican soldiers, but he's there at the end, apparently just wounded. This would have been the first Mag7 movie to kill 5 of the 7 END OF SPOILER. The attack is a great action sequence from start to finish, and the prison set looks pretty cool too, and even with some other surprises as to who survives and who doesn't to keep you guessing.

A worthy sequel to the original for sure. It does justice in every way while still putting its own spin on a familiar story. Good casting and a strong script that really fleshes out the new members of the Magnificent Seven with a great, action-packed finale. Next up...the finale, The Magnificent Seven Ride!

Guns of the Magnificent Seven <----trailer (1969): ***/**** (Best tagline ever: 7 Against 700; They Just Couldn't Lose!) MASSIVE SPOILERS: Cool fan-made video breaking movie down