Down By Law (1986)

Director: Jim Jarmusch

"My mama used to say that America's the big melting pot. You bring it to a boil and all the scum rises to the top."

Down By Law is an early film from the acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch. Shot in gritty black and white, Down By Law has the familiar look and style of a Jarmusch film. The film follows three men (Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Begnini) who cross paths in a New Orleans prison. Each man is a criminal in their own right but they each are separately serving unjust sentences. We meet Waits and Lurie first, playing the roles of Zach and Jack respectively. They have nothing to do with one another at the beginning of the film but when the end up in prison, both having been set up, they become kindred rivals and eventually become brothers. Roberto Begnini's character, of the same first name, is a wide-eyed Italian gambler who speaks broken English and makes references to American poets. The relationship between the three is bumpy at best but they learn to live with and depend on each other. When Roberto discovers a way to escape the three jump on the opportunity, however, escape through the swamps of Louisiana is harder than they had anticipated. Pride and the resistance of meaningful relationships between male characters is a big theme of the movie, one which plays out all the way through to the very bittersweet ending.

The film is largely set in a prison cell and in the cramped swamp land of the deep south, giving it a claustrophobic feel. The viewer is sharing the sentence with the men, with only the dialogue of the prisoners to keep them company. The acting of the three becomes very important and luckily the performances are top notch, even with the amateur status of Tom Waits as an actor. The black and white photography is dirty in quality but in juxtaposition the film is beautifully shot. The style of the film is subdued and cool and the acting of Waits and Lurie lends to this. Despite the film's subdued feel I was never bored, I laughed a lot and would rate this highly in entertainment value.

My Rating: 8.5/10

List: Film Noir (Top 10)

Film Noir (which literally means black film) is the style of film making that began to develop after World War II. It is closely related to the Crime and Gangster genres but is known to be darker and typically more cheaply made. Film Noir tends to deal with perverse subjects and traditionally have a morally uncentered leading role, known as the anti-hero. Film Noir is also notable for its dark, shadowy visual style which has roots in German Expressionism. The shadow created from venetian blinds is typical of cinematographic imagery used in Film Noir. The genre has attracted a sort of cult following and many modern films, including China Town, Blade Runner and Sin City, reflect its continuing popularity. The following is a list of my personal Film Noir favorites.


10. Ascenseur Pour L'echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) (1957)
Director: Louis Malle

What happens when the murder you have committed is the only alibi for the murder you are being falsely accused of? This French-Noir eloquently deals with this twist on the wrong man scenario. An original soundtrack from Miles Davis is a plus!


09. The Killers (1946)
Director: Robert Siodmak

Based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway, The Killers is absolutely classic Noir. Burt Lancaster is an ex-boxer who gets mixed up in the crime business. Lancaster's co-star is Eva Gardner who plays Kitty Collins, one of films classic Femme Fatales. The Killers is highly suspenseful, grim and a good starting point to the genre.


08. Mildred Pierce (1945)
Director: Michael Curtiz

Mildred Pierce is a murder mystery told in flashbacks, about a working mother who will do anything for her children. Joan Crawford plays the role as a harsh but very strong woman, which is a large part of what makes the film compelling.


07. Rififi (1955)
Director: Jules Dassin

Rififi is French Noir at its best. A tense, rough film about revenge and a heist gone bad. A 30 minute bank robbery scene with no dialogue manages to build suspense masterfully. The following youtube clip has unfortunate English dubbing, but it was the best I could find.


06. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Director: John Huston

Another great heist movie with a sprawling cast, including a small role for Marilyn Monroe. Underlooked and very powerful.


04. Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot The Piano Player) (1960)
Director: François Truffaut

Like many French directors of the time Truffaut was interested in Film Noir. Shoot The Piano Player has many Noir elements and the youthful creativity of a new wave film. This is perhaps Truffaut's funnest film as well as a compelling example of Neo-Noir.


04. The Wrong Man (1956)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Hitckcock doing Noir during his period of masterpieces! What else is there to say?


03. The Third Man (1949)
Director: Carol Reed

Holly Martins, a pulp fiction writer is visiting from the states when he finds out that his friend has been murdered. When Martins looks into the murder he starts to have his doubts. Shot on location in Vienna, The Third Man may be one of the most beautiful Noirs. A unique zither score adds to the exotic nature of the film.


02. Sweet Smell Of Success (1957)
Director: Alexander Mackendrick

A film about corruption on all levels of the newspaper industry in New York City. Tony Curtis plays a journalist willing to do anything to advance his career, a prime example of the anti-hero. The city is shot vibrantly, the score is pulsing and the acting from Tony Curtis as well as Burt Lancaster is exceptional.


01. Touch of Evil (1958)
Director: Orson Welles

It's hard to find a movie that is more fun than this one. Over the top, dirty and ahead of it's time, Touch of Evil deals with subjects that you never would have expected to see from this time period. Orson Welles plays the monstrous police captain who has very sinister methods of keeping crime down in an American city on the Mexican boarder. The film is cheaply, but masterfully made and has everything that you could want in a Film Noir.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

"There's a whole ocean of oil under our feet! No one can get at it except for me!"

Criminally, I'm just making it around to this achievement from P.T. Anderson. I went into this skeptical of all the hype but 158 minutes later (barely felt like the length of a regular 90 minute film) I was impressed. This is a film about the American dream and a man obsessed with achieving that dream. Much like Citizen Kane this is the story of the rise of an early American entrepreneur, and the psychological crumble thereafter. Daniel Plainview, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, is an oil man who has received a tip that there is a large amount of oil under the ground of a city in California. When he finds this to be true he buys up the land from the farmers who live there and quickly begins drilling. Up until this point things are going will for Plainview. He is a serious man who mostly keeps to himself but he is also very charismatic and has an endearing (though slightly off-kilter) relationship with his young son, so at this point in the film we find ourselves on his side. However, after the oil man sets up shop in California things start to get complicated. A young evangelical preacher, named Eli, begins to take advantage of Plainview's success, for the benefit of his self-run church. This leads to a power struggle which remains a key focus of the film. Soon after the oil rig has been constructed many accidents occur, leading to the death of some men and the injury of many, including Plainview's son. Daniel's reaction to his son's injury is disconcerting for the viewer. He is forced to divert his attention from his son in order to help with a fire that has started. When the fire is under control Plainview seems to have willingly forgotten his son's state, and seems to be more excited by the huge amount of oil that appears to be underneath them. The accident is a turning point for Daniel as well as a turning point in the viewers attitude toward the man.

There Will Be Blood plays out like a classic American novel. The film's slow pace and minimalist score by Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead fame) give the movie suspense and an eerie mood. One technique used by P.T. Anderson to enhance the suspense was the use of Greenwood's unsettling score during scenes where the content of the scene is not all that unusual. This gives us the feeling that something bad could happen at any moment (which sometimes happens and sometimes does not). This technique, along with very stylized straight on shots from a distance, and slow panning camera shots, reminded me very much of Stanley Kubrick's own style.

P.T. Anderson's epic is sure to be held in high esteem in the future. It is a serious film that does not submit to the usual tricks that plague modern American film making (such as unnecessary comic relief, CGI, and quick scenes designed to hold interest). The film is ambiguous is many ways, including the relationship between Daniel Plainview and his son, Plainview's past, the twin brother of the young preacher, and even the last line of the film. These ambiguities let the viewer work things out for themselves rather than having every aspect of the film spelled out for them. The acting of Daniel-Day Lewis is one of the main draws of the movie. Lewis is a method actor, notorious for keeping in character at all times, a technique which is not always well received, however, it seems to have payed off in this case. Daniel-Day Lewis is one of our greatest talents and this is one of his greatest achievements.

There Will Be Blood did not disappoint. It held my interest, despite its slow pace and long running time. Greenwood's music, as well as Brahms Violin Concerto in D, were used effectively and were one of the highlights of the film for me. The storyline was compelling and I plan on watching this movie several more times because it is a complex film with a lot to offer.

My Rating: 9/10

C'etait un Rendez-vous (1976)

Director: Claude LeLouch

Doing something a little different here. What is presented is the entire 9 minute short from French director LeLouch. This is a single-shot film from the perspective of a car speeding through the streets of Paris. What is exciting about this is the danger that LeLouch (as the driver) put himself and others in, as well as the interest of driving through all the famous sections of the city of love. The scene was shot in the morning which is why the driver is able to speed through the town without running into congestion, however, according to the myth (and there's a lot of myths surrounding this film) Lelouch was arrested after the first showing of the film. Rendez-vous is an exciting application of Cinéma vérité ("cinema of truth") and there's a nice touch at the end to make a little sense of it all.

Yoidore tenshi - Drunken Angel (1948)

Director: Akira Kurosawa

"The Japanese love to sacrafice themselves for stupid things"

Drunken Angel is an impressive Noir style film from the master Kurosawa, coming in two years before his breakthrough, Rashomon. It features two of his biggest stars, Takashi Shimura and the great Toshiro Mifune who were both major actors in Rashomon, Ikiru, The Seventh Samuri and others. Shimura plays Doctor Sanada, an alcoholic, yet morally centered Doctor in a dirty, crowded city. He is crude and has his vice but he is devoted to the health of the people in his town. Mifune plays the role of Matsunaga, a well dressed gangster (so well dressed that I did not recognize him at first) who visits Doctor Sanada after getting a bullet in his hand. During the visit it becomes apparent that Matsunaga has a bad case of tuberculosis. Matsunaga is stubborn and the two are constantly in conflict about the seriousness of the disease. When Okada, a rival gang member, returns from a stint in prison Matsunaga struggles to keep his role in the gang without letting on that he is growing sicker every day. We watch as Mifune's character struggles with Doctor Sanada, the dangerous Okada, TB and the realization that his reckless lifestyle is killing him. Extra drama is added when we learn that Doctor Sanada's assistant and lover has a history with Okada, who is looking around town for her.

Drunken Angel has the action of later Kurosawa films, including an extraordinary climax, but mostly this is a film about humanity and is closer akin to a movie like Ikiru. The big moments draw us in but the quiet moments are what keep us routing for Mifune and Shimura. The film is complex and is loaded up on symbolism. The best example of this is the large sewage puddle in the middle of the part of town where Doctor Sanada lives, most likely a comment on the state of Tokyo and Japan at the time. Stoicism is a major theme throughout Drunken Angel, as it is in many of Kurosawa's films. Stoicism is the philosophy that states that one should take what life gives them in a quiet, dignified manor. This mantra has been revered in many societies throughout history, however, stoicism has its critics. Matsunaga exemplifies the potential problems with stoicism. He is proud and wants to appear fearless of his disease, and when Doctor Sanada directs the young gangster to change his lifestyle Matsunaga tells the doctor that he is going to die eventually so why not die now. By doing this Matsunaga is accepting what life has given him to the point of submission. With an understanding of the servile effects Stoicism can have on its followers it is easy to see why stoicism was strategically picked as the official philosophy of the Roman Empire.

The interaction between Matsunaga and Doctor Sanada is another important aspect of the film. They are both strong and set in their ways and even though the two seem to have contempt for one another, they need each other. Matsunaga needs the doctor for his health, and Sanada needs to know that he has done everything he can for as many of his people as possible. Their relationship becomes a tug-of-war contest. Doctor Sanada is sometimes too honest and harsh in his approach, often times leading to an irate Matsunaga who is sensitive to the idea that he needs any help in the first place. When Matsunaga is too proud the doctor turns him away. This relationship eases over time but the two men struggle with this throughout the film.

Akira Kurosawa is one of my favorite directors and watching this film makes me want to re-watch the ones i have seen and watch the ones i have neglected thus far. It has become a joy to watch the brutish, animal energy of Toshiro Mifune and the fatherly wisdom of Takashi Shimura, so to see them together early on in their collaberations with Kurosawa is a treat. If you are looking for a samuri movie this is not the film for you, but if you are familiar with the great Kurosawa's work this is a must see.

My Rating: 9/10

Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)

Director: Alain Resnai

"20,000 dead and 80,000 wounded in nine seconds"

A powerful, melodramatic look at the direct and indirect effects that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima to end World War 2 had on the lives of two lovers. Elle, originally from France, is in Hiroshima, sometime around the late 50s, to act in a minor role in an international film about peace. When we first meet her she is in the arms of our second main character, Lui, a Japanese man born and raised in Hiroshima. The two had only met the night before and know little about each other. Elle is done with her part in the movie and is flying back to France in the morning. The two are also each married and have lives of their own, so the question becomes whether or not they should leave their encounter as simply a one night affair.

The main focus of the film is the complicated narrative that comes from the two. We watch as they explain their lives to each other with as much detail that their time together will allow. The story unfolds slowly and in pieces, sometimes as if the story is being told backwards. We are never told about an aspect of their lives directly, instead we are compelled to put the pieces together, which sometimes makes the film play out a bit like a mystery. Elle has had an especially troubled past and through her eyes we get to see what World War 2 meant for her. Elle was 20 when the bomb fell on Hiroshima. She was in Nevers, France, suffering from the loss of her first love, a German soldier. Lui was 22 at the time and in the army, overseas, dealing with the end of the war and the knowledge that his hometown had just been devastated. Now in the late 50s, a very different time, the two try to understand each other's experience and try to heal each others wounds. There is a lot of pain though and Elle especially struggles with the concept of love, as it relates to Lui and herself.

Hiroshima Mon Amour is a dark, moody and often times disturbing film. The introduction features graphic footage of survivors of the a-bomb so this film would not be recommended to those with weak stomachs. That being said, the footage is used tastefully and is important to the understanding of Hiroshima as it relates to this film in a historical context. The imagery, cinematography and narrative style of the film make it easy to see why it would have been important to the development of French film making at the time. It is stylized and youthful, but sometimes the experimentation and the melodrama combine to a negative outcome. From time to time the dialogue becomes to heady for my liking but in the end this did not hurt the film much. It took a lot for me to make it through the graphic introduction, and even when the danger of disturbing images is over the film is still very harsh, but I ended up falling for the love affair and the beauty of this film.

My Rating: 8/10

The Kid (1921)

Director: Charles Chaplin

This Early Chaplin classic starts with a mother and her newborn baby boy exiting a foreboding hospital. The mother is ashamed and worried that she cannot take care of the child. She attempts to leave the baby with a rich family but instead the baby is left in the hands of two criminals who choose to leave the baby on the side of a rundown street. The child is then discovered by Charlie Chaplin, appearing in his usual lovable tramp persona, who has no choice but to keep and raise the child. Chaplin and the kid (now around age 7 or 8) face many challenges including town bullies, a watchful police officer and the threat of having the child taken away by the authorities. The mother continues to play a role in the film as a wealthy but generous member of the community who unknowingly has a few brief interactions with her child. The film's rundown setting seems realistic and provides a major part in setting the tone of the movie.

This was my second viewing of the film and while it may not have been as effective for me the second time around it was still very entertaining and poignant. "The Kid" may not be Chaplin's out and out funniest venture but this story of fatherly love is one of Chaplin's most touching films. The movie lacks in the jaw-dropping comedic stunts that we expect from silent-era comedy but this is made up for by the exceptional comedic and serious acting not only from Chaplin but also from Jackie Coogan, who plays the kid. The two work together playfully and with fluidity. Chaplin and Coogan were so good that at times it felt like the two were competing for my affection. After the viewing it remains difficult to say who the star was.

Chaplin also dabbles in surrealism in "The Kid". This takes place during a lengthy dream sequence in which the familiar faces of the town are now angels and sin lurches around, influencing jealousy and lust. The scene is bizarre and a little unnecessary to the advancement of the plot but it is interesting nonetheless. The film has a pretty weak ending, and we know that Chaplin is capable of powerful endings (I.E., "City Lights" and "The Circus") but this only hurts the film slightly.

"The Kid" may be my favorite of the classic Chaplin feature lengths that I have seen. It is short but sweet and is still funny some 88 years later. The most important aspect for me is that the film has a great sense of purpose and meaning that goes beyond the gags.

My Rating: 8.5/10