The Detective

Movie star, actor, singer and entertainer, Frank Sinatra was able to pick and choose his roles as he saw fit by 1968. He picked movies he wanted to do, not just for the sake of doing a movie. With 1968's The Detective, Sinatra was at the helm of a police drama that was ahead of its time and helped kick the door open for where the genre would go at the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s.

A veteran detective with years of experience in New York City, Joe Leland (Sinatra) has seen it all, and it's starting to wear on him more than a little bit. He's been called in to investigate a particularly gruesome murder, the son of a rich businessman killed and disfigured. Rumor has it the dead man was gay, Leland and his fellow detectives forced to explore the gay sub-culture (its the 1960s, just go with it) to see if they can track down the murderer. The case has gained notoriety in the headlines, putting Leland and the precinct in the spotlight to solve it and solve it quickly. It's the kind of case that can make or break a police officer. Solve it and quickly rise through the ranks? Don't? Well, a scapegoat will be needed. It's not the only case on the docket though, crimes -- murders and more -- rolling in on a daily basis. Hopefully, Leland can keep it together long enough to find his man.

The appeal in this police drama from director Gordon Douglas is obvious. Made during one of the most turbulent times in Hollywood history (and American history at that point), 'Detective' embraces the sharp-edged, rougher mindset perpetuating the minds of the audiences. It isn't interested in being politically correct...at all. A gay man being murdered (with his penis cut off) provides quite the jumping off point, constant mention of "fags" and "homos," as well as an almost laughable portrayal of a homosexual meeting point. Beyond that though, it's a brutally realistic story in terms of the storytelling. Sex, violence, one-night stands, drugs, city corruption, 'Detective' is ready, willing and able to dive in head first and get dirty.

For all the positives though, there's the obvious counter of the negatives. In a movie that runs 114 minutes, I thought too much time was spent getting to know Sinatra's Leland via a series of flashbacks. It serves to give some cool background, but there's a limit. We see Leland meet Karen (Lee Remick) who he eventually marries. If cop movies have taught us anything though, it's that a cop's marriage has never gone smoothly in the history of law enforcement. The subject matter may have seemed ahead of its time in 1968, but it makes the story lag. We hear Joe talk about all the women he's been with, we hear Karen discuss her troubled past, her series of one-night stands, her inability to hold a relationship. A little bawdy if you ask me (that's sarcasm by the way). Seeing Remick's Karen say 'Let me make love to you this time' is a little scandalous for the time, but when the murder cases are far more interesting, those wavy-screened flashbacks kill the momentum.

I've always thought Sinatra was an underrated actor. Was he a great actor? No, but he was far better than people remember him. He does a no-nonsense tough guy like nobody's business. As we see with his dating/marrying Karen, Joe is exceptionally smooth, looking like he's almost bored with the process. He's that cool. More than that though, I appreciated the human side of Sinatra's part as longtime detective Joe Leland. The job is beating him down as he sees the lowest of lows, what people can do to each other in day-to-day life. He comes from a family of police officers and does it because it's in his blood, not because he loves it. Joe is good at what he does, but as he sees the violence and corruption, he begins to question how much more he can take. Uninterested in being a PR police man, he wants to do his job. An underrated part, Sinatra is the best part of this one.

Give Sinatra credit when it's due. Other actors wanted to work with the guy. Including Remick, the cast is pretty impressive. The list of Leland's fellow detectives include Robert Duvall, Jack Klugman, Ralph Meeker and Al Freeman Jr, Horace McMahon playing the precinct commander. Jacqueline Bisset plays a widow who approaches Leland with a case involving her dead husband, supposedly by suicide but she believes otherwise. Also look for Tony Musante, Lloyd Bochner and William Windom as possible suspects in the cases Leland is pursuing.

I wanted to like this one more, mostly because there was so much potential for a really good to maybe even near-classic status. The flaws are pretty big though, especially the intense focus on Leland's personal life. I thought the twists in the movie's last act were pretty solid too, catching me by surprise, but even in that aspect, the execution is pretty weak as the film limps to the finish. Really good performance from Sinatra and a solid cast overall, but it never lives up to what it could have been.

The Detective (1968): **/****

Days of Wine and Roses

When I hear the names Blake Edwards and Jack Lemmon, my mind automatically jumps to the madcap, sprawling 1965 comedy The Great Race. It was a favorite of mine growing up, and I still enjoy it a lot. As far as critical acclaim, the duo paired for a film that couldn't be a bigger departure in tone, 1962's Days of Wine and Roses.

A successful public relations man for a firm based in San Francisco, Joe Clay (Lemmon) both likes his job and is equal parts frustrated with it. During a boat party hosted by one of his clients, Joe meets Kirsten (Lee Remick), a beautiful secretary who he likes, but she wants nothing to do with him. Upon actually talking with Joe though, she starts to fall for him, and then it's only a matter of time before they are dating and then married with a kid. As their relationship develops though, Joe's main passion, drinking, begins to affect Kirsten too. What starts off as a drink here and there turns into something much more severe, threatening to tear the relationship apart.

As I watch certain movies, I try to remind myself that the purpose of every single movie is not necessarily to entertain. Some movies you just sit back and watch. Take in the acting, the cinematography, the music, whatever. This is a dramatic movie. I feel safe saying you won't just out and out enjoy it, much less like it. Edwards' film documents in great detail two people's descent into alcoholism, and not surprisingly it isn't a barrel of monkeys to watch. It is intensely uncomfortable to watch and never even eases up just a little.

So looking at the entire film, I just can't give it an overly positive review. Seeing the descent into alcoholism is fascinating to watch in a sick way. Early on, we see Joe bring over two grocery bags of booze to Kirsten's apartment, emptying them and giggling about it. He introduces his future wife to alcohol, the duo just drinking occasionally only to eventually end up as boozehounds. The issue becomes -- on a purely movie basis -- is that it just wasn't interesting to watch (for me at least). How many times can we see people going back to the bottle after achieving some sort of sobriety? Yes, I realize that's the reality of alcoholism, but as a film, that doesn't make it any easier to tolerate. It gets tedious, and with a 117-minute movie, it feels significantly longer thanks to its episodic story techniques.

Where the movie is worth recommending is the performances from Lemmon and Remick as Joe and Kirsten. Their chemistry is without question. They look, act and talk like a couple madly in love, drawn to each other as if the universe wants them to be together. There is a genuine connection of some sorts between them, but eventually their relationship becomes more about the alcohol and bonding over their mutual love of alcohol than anything. Their drunk scenes are pretty bad (literally with some unintentional laughs but also uncomfortable to watch), and their crumbling relationship is difficult to watch. On performance alone though, it's two great acting jobs. Both were nominated for Oscars, Lemmon losing to Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird) while Remick lost to Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker).

The story requires a focus heavily on Joe and Kirsten, but two other performances stand out. One is Charles Bickford as Ellis, Kirsten's widowed father. This is a Dad who just wants the best for her daughter, even seeing that this relationship could be an issue the first time he meets Joe. Also look for Jack Klugman as Jim Hungerford, Joe's eventual Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. Both are small parts, but both left a very positive impression.

Again, my review is only based on an entertainment level as I try to do with all my reviews. As a film, it is easier to judge. The acting is great, Edwards' direction solid as always, and the shadowy black and white cinematography is ideally suited to the darkness of the story. On the other hand, it simply wasn't a film I enjoyed. It's a tough film to get through in spite of all those more technical positives. Ahead of its time for a 1962 audience, yes, but just not a film I will revisit soon.

Days of Wine and Roses <---trailer (1962): ** 1/2 /****

The Omen (1976)

So let's go big picture here, real big picture. For everything good going on, there has to be an equal and opposite bad thing going on, right? Basically any movie ever has dealt with that concept on some level -- however big, however small -- but at its biggest there is good (God) and bad/evil (Satan). Personal beliefs, convictions, principles aside, that is the most epic struggle of all and the setting for the classic 1976 horror film The Omen. 

The U.S. ambassador to England, Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) and his wife, Katharine (Lee Remick), are welcoming their first child when Robert is told the newborn died soon after delivery. Another baby was born at the same time, its mother with no family dying in childbirth. The staff tells Robert he can keep the baby, and he agrees, knowing the strain might be too much for his wife to handle. He doesn't tell her, and the family is a happy one as the years go by. Now five years old, their son Damien (Harvey Stephens) seems to have weird, unexplainable things happening around him. A frazzled priest approaches Robert with horrific, life-shattering news. He believes Damien is the son of the Devil, the Antichrist, and he must be stopped. Robert can't believe it. How could this little boy be evil? Could he?

This is an exception to the rule when it comes to horror movies. Directed by Richard Donner, 'Omen' isn't interested in surprise or 'Gotcha!' moments. This is a smart, well-written and well-thought out horror-mystery-thriller. It isn't scary in the way some horror movies are. Instead, it is decidedly unsettling. It makes you uncomfortable, and that can be scarier than anything. Serial killers, murderers, rapists? All immensely creepy. But what about something you can't combat? How do you stop something or someone that is inherently evil? You can't beat evil, can't negotiate with it. You just hope to slow it down. Donner's movie is one of the all-time greats at making an audience uncomfortable, an unseen and possibly all-powerful opponent that will not be stopped.

Now usually when a musical score is really good, I try and give it a mention in a sentence or two. I'm not much for explaining how musical cues affect audiences even though I try. For this movie though, I've got to make an effort. In a long and distinguished career, composer Jerry Goldsmith won his first and only Oscar for his 'Omen' score and did he ever deserve it. The main theme -- Ave Satani which you can listen to HERE -- is a choir singing in Latin, sounding like some sort of demonic cult. It sends chills up my back just thinking about it. The other main piece of music is a quieter but equally creepy sample, one that is supposed to put a question in your head, setting the groundwork for the chilling moments to come. Goldsmith had a lot of great scores through his career, but this may be the best.

When I think horror movies, I don't think of great acting performances. And to be fair, the performances in 'Omen' aren't great. They're good at what they're supposed to do, and it's always cool to see some big name actors take parts in a genre you wouldn't often associate them with. Take Gregory Peck for example, one of Hollywood's all-time greats. Now 60 years old when 'Omen' was made, Peck delivers an underrated performance, a possibly rising politician who finds himself involved in something much bigger than he could have ever anticipated. His disbelief, his wavering over what to do, his worries about his family, Peck does a great job, as does Remick as the emotionally fragile Katharine. Clues point to their son being different, but in what way? He couldn't really be evil, could he?

With the story focusing mostly on the Thorns, only a few supporting parts are even needed. David Warner is very good as Keith Jennings, a photographer who gets involved with Robert investigating these strange occurrences. His photos taken of all those involved might reveal something darker of what's to come. Billie Whitelaw is downright terrifying as Mrs. Baylock, Damien's new nanny after the previous one....well, the Thorns just needed another one. That's all. Whitelaw has a look in her eyes that just can't be described, pure evil if you ask me. Patrick Troughton plays Father Brennan, a priest with the most checkered of pasts now trying to redeem himself, telling Robert that he believes his son is the son of the Devil.

A horror movie has to have its memorable moments, and 'Omen' has plenty of them. I won't go into detail describing them because that would ruin much of the movie's enjoyment. All of them pale to the last 10 minutes of the movie, specifically the final two scenes, shocking and surprising in a way that is hard to describe. The final shot? One of the most perfect endings to a movie ever. One of the all-time best horror movies ever. Enough said.

The Omen <---trailer (1976): ****/****

Sometimes a Great Notion

Spend enough time in front of a camera, and an observant actor/actress is going to pick certain things up.  More than just acting, you see what it takes to actually make a movie from a business perspective.  There is a notion that actors turned directors are primadonna who just want a chance to show off their all-around skills.  I usually think of the positive examples though, actors who became successful, respected directors like Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Warren Beatty.  One of my favorite actors, even Paul Newman took a crack at movie-making from the director's chair.

Released in 1970, Sometimes a Great Notion was just Newman's second directing effort.  It was nominated for two Academy Awards -- neither of which won -- and features an all-star cast, all of whom deliver performances worth talking about individually.  As a collective group, they are great together.  Based on a novel by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest author Ken Kesey, 'Notion' has still somehow managed to be generally forgotten over the last 40-plus years despite the talent involved in the production. It was only recently that it became available on DVD through the Warner Archive.  Why has it been forgotten?  Who knows for sure. What I do know is that it is definitely worth catching up with now.

In a small tight-knit coastal town in Oregon, the local loggers union is and has been on strike for quite awhile. Only one company remains open, the one belonging to the Stamper family, long-time residents of the area. Family patriarch Henry (Henry Fonda) is hobbled by a recent fall that broke his left arm, but with sons Hanks (Newman) and Joe Ben (Richard Jaeckel), is in good hands. While everyone else objects to them continuing to work, the Stampers don't really give a damn, claiming they need to keep their word and fill contracts. If everyone else wants to go on strike, let them. In the midst of the work stoppage, half-brother and semi-hippie Leeland (Michael Sarrazin) returns home with some previous issues welling up among the family.  The Stampers try and piece it all together, figure it out, all the while worrying that the union will take drastic measures to put them out of business.

I read about this movie years ago but was never able to track down a copy or stumble across it on TV, but thanks to Netflix Instant watch, I did finally get a chance to watch it.  As a director, Newman carves out a little niche of Americana here with his story of the Stamper family.  At times, it reminded me of a 1970s version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath in its portrayal of the not so perfect, never easy life of a middle to lower class American family.  They are close-knit, all of them willing to stand up for the other, but that doesn't mean everything is perfect. Hank's wife Viv (Lee Remick) is struggling to continue on with the life she leads. Sarrazin's Lee marvels how the family and the business goes on, some of the time completely oblivious to the problems around them. But when backed into a corner, family issues and personal problems will get thrown aside because family comes first, last and always.

A sucker for strong ensemble casts, I fell hook, line and sinker for this one.  I loved, LOVED this movie.  Why it isn't held in higher regard I just don't know because it certainly deserves more recognition than it's gotten.  The cast is the biggest reason for high marks. Newman's Hank is that quintessential Newman character, a bit of a rebel, someone who does things his way and doesn't really care what others think of him.  Sarrazin's Lee is his polar opposite, a product of the late 1960s who's embrace a different lifestyle but returns to his estranged family after his life took a new turn. Half-brothers with quite a past (no SPOILERS here), the two men are vastly different but also perfectly similar. Lifestyles and outlook on life are different, but they are both strong-willed, smart, incredibly stubborn and both hard workers. They butt heads because they are so alike. Remick is typically solid as the quiet, attentive wife trapped in a life she doesn't think is so glamorous anymore, and Fonda is the perfect choice to play the Stamper patriarch. A tough son of a bitch and crude to boot, he keeps his family going almost by force of will alone.  The supporting cast includes some very recognizable 1970s face including character actors Roy Jenson, Charles Tyner, Jim Burk, and Joe Maross as town heavies trying to influence the Stamper's decision.

Telling a story revolving around family, certain stereotyped characters are going to be common place -- the prodigal son, the tough patriarch, the tough and intelligent first son, the affable if somewhat simple younger brother -- but working with Kesey's novel, Newman and the cast rise above anything that might be seem commonplace.  There are elements of a Greek tragedy here because from the start there is just an assurance, a guarantee that everything will not end well for the Stampers.  The shoe drops late as the family tries to fill their contracts SPOILERS from here on in SPOILERS with Fonda's Henry and Jaeckel's Joe Ben both dying when a tree splinters, the explosion setting off a chain reaction. Henry loses an arm and later dies in the hospital while Joe Ben gets pinned under an immense fallen log and later drowns. His death scene is so heartbreakingly real with the darkest, black humor rolling through as an undercurrent, it's just perfect.  It is well-written drama at its best, characters you've come to love put into these life and death situations.  Newman's reaction comes from the gut, his heart tearing itself apart because he wasn't able to death. END OF SPOILERS You can watch the whole scene HERE.

One of two Oscar nominations 'Notion' earned, Richard Jaeckel got the nod for Best Supporting character, eventually losing out to Ben Johnson for The Last Picture Show (an equally deserving part).  I've long been a fan of Jaeckel, one of those great character actors who started out playing heavies and then worked his way up into key supporting roles.  He's given a chance here to not just be a tough guy here, instead showing off his acting chops.  His Joe Ben is married (wife Linda Lawson) with two kids and has in recent years found God. He's not a simple man or a stupid one, but he also isn't overly intelligent or could ever be accused of being a thinker. The character is one that's hard not to love, making his late death even more tragic.  Pinned under the log, he jokes with Newman's Hank about what's happening, laughing at the situation he finds himself in. It is genuinely funny and equally tragic, one of the greatest, most emotional death scenes I've ever watched.

Nothing flashy here, just a good old-fashioned story about a family living and trying to survive.  The cast is phenomenal, the musical score from Henry Mancini quiet and moving, the setting unique if the circumstances aren't.  If nothing else, the look at the logging business is incredibly interesting to watch. There's something primal about watching a tree hundreds of feet tall being cut down, falling back to the ground with a deafening crash. It provides a great setting for this story, an underrated 1970s classic with a perfectly appropriate ending in tone, story and character. The movie is available to watch at Youtube, starting HERE with Part 1 of 11.

Sometimes a Great Notion <---trailer (1970): ****/****

Hennessy

Pick any assassination attempt -- successful or not -- in history, and you've got a problem when it comes to turning that attempt into a movie.  If the person being gunned for is even somewhat well known, you know the end of the movie before it starts.  Your average Joe Blow doesn't mean much so a hit attempt can leave you guessing, but what's the point?  Political figures on the other hand are pretty obvious if they're going to survive or not. So goes a major problem with 1975's Hennessy.

Abe Lincoln, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, all major, universally well-known names that have been assassinated over the last 150 years.  Not on that list? Queen Elizabeth of England.  She's the target in this British-made movie detailing the true story of one man's suicidal mission to take out the Queen and as much of Parliament as he can.  Now I'm no genius, but some 30 years later, Queen Elizabeth is still kicking so the attempt must fail at some point.  That's not a sure thing for movie failure, but it's got to be handled the right way, keep you guessing as to HOW he'll fail, but that sense of urgency is missing here, and that ends up derailing the story.

An Irishman with some past IRA connections, Nile Hennessy (Rod Steiger), turns down an offer to join the IRA in a mission, wanting to live his life.  Soon after though, his wife and daughter are accidentally gunned down by British troops, and something inside him snaps.  Nile decides to go on a suicide mission with hopes of killing the Queen and the member of Parliament.  Two groups are working against him.  The police (including Trevor Howard and Richard Johnson) follow the clues, trying to catch up with him, while the IRA -- wary of the political backlash from a possible connection to Hennessy and an assassination attempt -- puts a hit out on him.  The odds are against Hennessy, but with nothing to lose, not much is going to slow him down.

The movie I consistently found myself thinking of while watching Hennessy was the overall much better Day of the Jackal, the story of a possibly true hit attempt on Charles De Gaulle.  You know going in that De Gaulle survives, but it's getting there that makes the movie a classic.  Tension, worry, near panic dominate the movie as it appears that maybe -- just maybe -- the Jackal actually pulls off the job.  In Hennessy, that same fear and worry just isn't there.  Steiger's Hennessy is an easy semi-bad guy to root for, but the character is pretty vanilla after his motivations are presented.  When the attempt does come, it's dullsville.  The chase after the attempt is equally weak and caps off a movie with a workable idea that never quite clicks.

Where some actors play themselves over and over again, Steiger is an actor who always played himself but in a wide variety of ways if that makes any sense.  His characters were always these ultra-intense dudes who looked seconds away from just blowing up at all times.  Hennessy is a man with nothing to lose on a mission that he HOPES and WANTS to end with him dying.  His wife and daughter were callously shot down, and he can only think of one thing; revenge on the biggest scale possible.  He doesn't have political inclinations and he doesn't hope to deliver a message.  He is pissed at the world, and he intends to make the world suffer just as much as he is.  Once Nile gets involved with the assassination, there's no more development late so the pacing can be a little off.

While Steiger is an interesting choice to play a burned Irishman -- the accent isn't as bad as you'd think -- his female co-star is interesting but not in a good way.  Lee Remick plays Kate Brooke, the widowed wife of an old friend of Nile's.  After years without seeing him, she invites him into her house while he copes with the loss of his family.  She knows something is going on but seems to choose not to push the issue.  Bad attempt at an Irish/English accent aside, Remick is given little to do in a pointless supporting part.  She's dispatched when the story requires it with one of the more unceremonious deaths I've seen in awhile. 

As for the police pursuing Hennessy, Johnson joins Steiger as the main reason to catch this movie.  He's a cop who's worked undercover in Ireland and has paid the consequences, both physically and emotionally.  He is a shell of the man he used to be, and like his counterpart, is motivated by a mix of anger and persereverance that won't let him quit, knowing if he fails the repercussions will be epic.  Howard's part is more of a cameo, but it's always cool to see him no matter the size of the part.  The acting is the lone reason to check this one out because otherwise it just doesn't have much going for it.

Hennessy <--- TCM clips (1975): **/****

The Running Man (1963)

No matter how many movies you see, some flicks, directors and stars have a way of avoiding you somehow.  The names might ring a bell or leave an impression, but that's about it.  British director Carol Reed is one of those movie-related topics for me. Besides thinking that he was a she (come on, the guy's name is Carol), I really just had no idea what kind of movies he'd made.  But continuing to branch out in movie choices, I watched his classic The Third Man last year and have since found out I'd unknowingly seen a few more of his movies, including 1963's The Running Man, since changed to Ballad of the Running Man so as not to confused with the Arnold Schwarzenegger version of The Running Man.  

In a career that spanned just over 30 movies, Reed carved a niche out for himself as a solid storyteller able to make the usual/the norm visually interesting.  Of the movies I've seen of his, the camera style is unique with a variety of types of shots from angles and perspectives you wouldn't normally think of.  He often filmed in black and white -- although not in 'Running' -- and had an eye for creating a movie that was interesting to watch in terms of story and to the eye, never a boring sequence in sight.  Okay, maybe one or two, but less than most directors.

After an insurance claim is denied because he let the renewal go a few days late, pilot Rex Black (Laurence Harvey) concocts a plan to get some badly needed money.  He fakes his own death in a crash at sea after signing up for a new insurance plan, and a few months later his wife Stella (Lee Remick) gets a check from the insurance company that assures they'll never be poor again. Stella waits a few months and meets Rex -- now posing as an Aussie businessman with bleach blond hair -- in Spain where they prepare for their future.  Rex begins to bring up the idea of pulling the insurance scam again only to have a surprise dropped in his lap.  The insurance agent (Alan Bates) who handled the recent case with Stella is in Spain too.  But what are his intentions? Is he vacationing or investigating? Paranoia and worry settle in, but can Rex and Stella figure out what's going on before it's too late? 

If I've figured anything out about Reed and his storytelling technique, it's that he likes to keep his viewers guessing.  And after some slow early moments here, Reed ratchets up the tension with each passing scene.  When Bates' Stephen shows up in the same Spanish town, the new couple of crooks are instantly put on the defensive.  Rex and Stella can't be mean or ignore this curious stranger without setting off alarm bells, but is Stephen just interested in Stella or is it something deeper?  Even though they're crooks, I found myself rooting for the couple, well maybe just Stella.  There's not really much of a twist when the answer comes, but the more surprising things come in the last 20-30 minutes after the supposed twist.

For a story meant to keep you on your toes, Reed has a way of disarming you in the same scenes he sends a shiver up your back.  The movie was filmed in Andalucia and Gibraltar, and for fans of spaghetti westerns, you even see some familiar locations, especially the bullfighting ring from A Bullet For Sandoval.  So while the story develops, the background works almost as a travel guide for the area from the sun-swept country roads near the ocean to the idyllic little towns with its motels, markets and vendors.  Choosing not to film in black and white was a wise choice here as Spain gets to show off its beauty.

As the credits rolled at the beginning of the movie, all I could think was "Man, after those first three names I don't recognize anybody."  Well, my worries were unfounded as the main trio dominates the movie with little outside interference from the supporting cast.  I continue to catch up with Harvey who I've only see in four or five movies.  He can be very theatrical in his parts, but the guy can straight up act.  His character goes through the biggest transformation, and not always a good one; a slighted man looking for a second chance after a mistake to a vengeful, greedy individual wanting piles of cash.  Remick is his wife, a woman who loves her husband despite what he becomes.  Bates is the wild card, keeping you guessing as to exactly what's he up to. Of the supporting cast, the only face I recognized was Fernando Rey as a Spanish police investigator. 

During the last act of the movie, the old idea that "bad things happen to bad people" certainly rings true.  I didn't necessarily like the ending as one character keeps a huge secret to themselves rather than reveal it.  The impact is obviously huge and caught me off guard and disappointed at the same time.  None of this is enough to deter me from recommending the movie.  After those early struggles with pacing, 'Running' finds it rhythm and quickly settles in for the ride.

The Running Man <---TCM clips (1963): ***/****

Baby, the Rain Must Fall

Throughout his cancer-shortened career, Steve McQueen readily admitted he didn't think much of the acting profession he had chosen. It was a job to him, plain and simple, one that he obviously had a talent for but also one he never really embraced as being a legitimate job or occupation.  Well, whether he admitted it or not, McQueen was an incredible presence on screen.  Critics said he often played the same character -- what successful movie star can't that tag be applied to? -- but as a defender of McQueen, I've yet to come across a part of his that didn't have something to recommend.

To be fair, McQueen did perfect the part of the quiet, loner anti-hero who just doesn't fit in with society and its norms.  This formula worked in big blockbusters like The Great Escape and The Magnificent Seven and more character-driven stories like The Sand Pebbles (nonetheless an epic) and Papillon.  Early in the 1960s after his star-making part as Cooler King Virgil Hilts in The Great Escape, McQueen made a point of doing different parts and not being typecast as one specific kind of action actor/star.  So over two years, he made three movies -- none of which have been remembered well -- including 1965's Baby the Rain Must Fall. 

Making the long bus trip across Texas with her young daughter, Georgette Thomas (Lee Remick) is on her way to find her husband who she hasn't seen in years. Henry Thomas (McQueen) is a recent parolee from the state penitentiary looking for a clean slate in life and fully embraces his wife and daughter's return.  He dives right into making their lives better, renting a house to live in and looking to take night classes and get a degree.  At the same time though, Henry has this dream of selling his country/western songs and hitting it big, becoming the next Elvis Presley.  Georgette is on his side supporting him all the way, but Henry's past demons from a difficult childhood start to emerge, making an already difficult task nearly impossible.

Director Robert Mulligan crafts an intriguing story here that has drawn comparisons to the stories and plays of Tennessee Williams. Intriguing doesn't always translate to interesting though.  Filming in black and white, Mulligan makes what looks like a 1960s version of The Grapes of Wrath.  With his Texas locations, there is a sparseness, an emptiness to the story.  Big wide open stretches of land with the wind blowing by with nothing to stop it.  The story is focused on Henry and Georgette and a handful of supporting characters, and it is always grounded in a very human, very realistic way.  All said though, it's too bleak, too dark with no real hope of a peaceful resolution.  You know before it starts that this is going to have a tragic ending, you just don't HOW exactly it's going to go down.

As a fan of McQueen, I'll admit that I'd watch the man read a phone book, sure that he would put some unique spin on his reading.  His Henry Thomas character is one of his more underrated parts and is generally unknown thanks to the film's epic tanking in theaters.  A good jumping off point is that from the start, McQueen makes Henry a very likable character.  You're rooting for him to hit it big, become a star.  In preparing for his part, he uses a lot of his own personal experiences from his own checkered past and troubled childhood to really get to know the character.  As Henry devolves into a shell of himself, it's startling to watch the transformation.  It is uncomfortable watching it at times as McQueen brings a ton of intensity to the performance.  This isn't as iconic as Hilts gunning his motorcycle across the countryside or Det. Bullitt racing through the streets of San Francisco, but it proves without a doubt that McQueen was a great actor...if there was ever any question.

In a part that could have been overshadowed by McQueen's powerful performance, Lee Remick more than stands her own as Henry's wife, Georgette.  Remick's looks definitely play into the character, but for the better.  She is this extremely thin blonde young woman who looks like a stiff wind could knock her over.  Add in her girl next door looks and a Texas drawl, and you figure you've got this character pegged.  You'd be wrong.  Her Georgette has lived for years as a single mother (a great mother at that) and is as tough as they come.  She's not going to let anyone or anything slow her down.  Add in her obvious chemistry with McQueen, and you've got quite a pair in the lead roles.  Also starring are Paul Fix as the town judge, Don Murray as the local deputy who grew up with Henry and knows his past, and young Kimberly Block in her only acting performance as Margaret Rose, the Thomas' daughter.

One other complaint, but it's a pretty bad one.  McQueen plays a country singer with one major problem; McQueen couldn't sing a lick.  Anytime Henry sings, we see McQueen lip-synching to the lyrics, but it's clearly someone else singing.  The voices just don't match up.  Check one example out HERE. It completely takes you out of the flow of the movie, and these scenes can be painful to watch.  Still, McQueen and Remick are great leads, and that's the main reason to check out this forgotten flick from the 1960s.

Baby the Rain Must Fall <---trailer (1965): ** 1/2 /****

Anatomy of a Murder

In the 1950s, actors like James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando started a trend in acting that continues even to this day; method acting. Actors tried to really get into the role, often times driving everyone around them nuts in the process. What about method directing then? I couldn't help but think of that idea while watching 1959's Anatomy of a Murder from director Otto Preminger.

A producer, director and actor at different points during his career, Preminger never shied away from telling stories without that glossy finish. His movies feel real, almost like a documentary, because they don't call attention to themselves in a highly visual way. These movies are nonetheless great to look at -- the German-born director favored black and white filming -- but as a viewer you feel like you are there with the actors in the scene. Where some directors overfilm (if that's a word/concept), Preminger puts the camera in place and lets his actors go to work. This style pays off with his depiction of a genre that's been used to death in film, the courtroom drama.

Having lost his position as the county district attorney, lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) has settled into an easier, slower-paced lifestyle. He spends much of his time fishing, playing his piano, listening to music and reading law with his friend Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell), and then takes an occassional case here and there. But then Paul is offered a high-profile case to defend a soldier, Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), who shot a man five times for raping his wife, Laura (Lee Remick). Paul isn't sure if he should take the case but after looking into it and interviewing those involved decides to defend Manion. What's waiting for him in court is Michigan's best prosecutor, a ringer brought in from Lansing, Claude Dancer (George C. Scott).

Having grown up watching countless repeats of Law & Order, Boston Legal, and any number of courtroom movies like 12 Angry Men, I won't say I'm jaded when it comes to that type of story, but I feel like I've seen just about everything the genre has. That doesn't mean I don't seek these movies out, it just takes a little more to impress me. Preminger succeeds on that level with his sometimes leisurely -- slow-paced isn't the right choice of description -- courtroom story that runs 160 minutes. Even at over two and a half hours, it doesn't feel long. The first hour is Biegler's personal investigation as he figures out exactly what happened in the murder. The last 90-100 minutes is the actual trial, and it's one of the best presentations of a courtroom trial I've ever seen, thanks to Stewart and Scott bantering back and forth.

What's interesting in the execution of the trial is the feel of a twist coming, the expectation that we're about to be wowed with some huge revelation. It never comes. There is no twist. Preminger doles out the story, the situation and the characters and lets the story peel like an onion. The jury's verdict is read, and that's it. So in a way, it is a twist. The story is as linear as a story like this could be. Biegler is the viewer because he knows what we know. Was Laura Manion raped, or was she having an affair that went to far? Did Lt. Manion go temporarily insane when he shot the accused rapist? Preminger doesn't give you an easy out, no nice and tidy explanation. And that's why Anatomy of a Murder works.

Working with many of Hollywood's biggest stars, Preminger had a reputation as a stickler for details, but he was always able to get an impressive performance out of his actors. I can't decide about Jimmy Stewart because I say this with every movie I see with him in it, but this is one of his finest performances. With the Manion case, he's up against the wall and must use every trick in the book to get his client acquitted. It's one of those performances where you can't take your eyes off the star, it's that captivating to watch him work. Stewart worked with all the greats in his career, Preminger, Ford, Hitchcock, Capra, and it's easy to see why. He never mails it in, always making his performances special.

To work with Stewart, Preminger assembles an impressive listing for his supporting cast. Gazzara is his typical sneering, intimidating self as Manion, and Remick sexes it up as his possibly trampy wife Laura. Neither character is particularly likable, and we're never sure who's telling the truth so Stewart's Biegler has his work laid out for him if he wants to win the case and get Manion off. This isn't Scott's best part, mostly because it is a one-note part, but he makes the most of it. O'Connell is the stereotypical country drunk who never really lived up to his own expectations but gets a 2nd chance at success with Biegler. Eve Arden has a funny part as Paul's long suffering secretary looking for a paycheck, and Kathryn Grant plays Mary Pilant, the estranged daughter of the murder victim.

Certainly a unique look at a genre that's been overdone at times. Somewhat risque for the time in its depiction of a rape and the rape victim, Preminger has a winner with this courtroom drama. Not a perfect movie, but pretty close to being one. Enjoy the very cheesey, very enjoyable overdone trailer.

Anatomy of a Murder <----trailer (1959): *** 1/2 /****

Experiment in Terror

I tend to avoid horror or slasher movies whenever I can. Seeing people's heads get lopped off or the torture porn in the Saw and Hostel movies just doesn't do it for me. It doesn't take much to make a movie a scary or frightening one, especially for me. You don't need mass murderers wielding chainsaws and machetes to bring out fear. Sometimes all it takes is the unknown, a stranger messing with your life like in 1962's Experiment in Terror.

Probably more well known for the Pink Panther movies, director Blake Edwards bases the story on a frightening premise; someone is always watching you, in this case an individual who knows almost everything about you and is holding it over your head. All it takes sometimes to get someone to do something, often against their will, is to threaten loved ones. That's the basic premise of 'Experiment' and even at over 2 hours it's always interesting with a back and forth cat and mouse game.

Coming home from a late-night party, Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) pulls into her garage and is heading to bed when a man grabs her from behind. Calmly and cooly with his arm around her throat, the stranger whispers to Kelly what he wants from her. One day soon, Kelly, a bank teller, will take $100,000 from her drawer and bring it to him. If she doesn't cooperate or goes to the authorities, he'll kill her 16-year old sister, Toby (Stefanie Powers) and then come after her. He leaves with an ominous final threat, someone will always be watching you so don't try any funny business.

Secretly calling the FBI, Kelly talks to Agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford) and enlists his help in finding the mysterious man blackmailing her into robbing her own bank. With Kelly unable to give a physical description of her attacker, all they have is one clue to go on; he's asthmatic and talks in a slow, halting pattern. Can they catch him with so little information before both Kelly and Toby come under the gun?

This is a thriller that is at it's best when it's dealing with the villain, played perfectly by Ross Martin. I won't go into his background or motivations because that would ruin some of the mystery. Known mostly for his work as Artemus Gordon, James West's partner in The Wild, Wild West, Martin is downright terrifying as the bad guy. Edwards always shoots him in dark, shadowy situations in close-ups that rarely give a clear shot of his face. If you've seen him in other shows, you'll recognize the distinctive voice right away. It's quite a departure for Martin who as Gordon was the amiable master of disguise always appearing at the perfect time to save the day. He was nominated for his part for a Golden Globe, but unfortunately was snubbed by the Academy Awards.

As the possible victim, Remick is an ideal damsel in distress. The 27-year old actress is rail-thin here and looks like a good wind would knock her over. At first, she's not quite sure how serious her attacker is in his threats so at times she's terrified of what he'll do and then other times eerily calm in her dealings with Ripley and the FBI. I like Glenn Ford more and more with each movie I see of his. He wasn't in a ton of classics and was almost a poor man's John Wayne, but Ford was always likable/believable as the tough leading man trying to save the day. A young Stefanie Powers, as cute as she ever was, is also good as Kelly's younger sister, a thankless role because she's not given much to do.

The story moves along as the FBI tries to secretly help Kelly and Toby, all the while trying to find the mysterious man threatening them. Martin coasts in and out of the story, making one ominous appearance after another until he finally puts his plan into play. The finale is a good one, filmed at a L.A. Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants game at Candlestick Park. With thousands of extras all around, it's a great setting as the FBI attempts to close in on their man, all the while trying to protect Kelly who's out in the open with little protection.

The DVD has been discontinued and can be hard to find, I caught it on TCM recently, but the print I saw was a good one, really taking advantage of the black and white filming. The movie's got a good score from Henry Mancini, here's a sample. Of course, I can't find any trailers, but TCM does have a handful of scenes you can watch through their website. It's a good thriller with a movie-stealing performance from a villainous Ross Martin and good parts from Ford, Remick and Powers.