Reviews

"Farewell, My Lovely" is another film version of the Raymond Chandler novel, "Murder, My Sweet," and thrusts Robert Mitchum in the role of the overly tired, beat-up but willing to take on a case private detective known as Philip Marlowe. As the film opens in 1941 Los Angeles, Marlowe has just tracked down a runaway girl, returned her to the parents, and gotten a good slug to the midsection for his troubles. Out of the shadows of a nightclub steps Moose Malloy, freshly released from prison, who tells Marlowe that he wants him to find his missing Velma. At first glance, it seems like a simple case, but it drags Mitchum, (Marlowe) through several shootings, muggings, an injection of a narcotic, and other mishaps before Marlowe can wrap up the matter of the missing showgirl, Velma. Mitchum manages to provide a great voice-over to move the film along, but it goes at a good pace on its own. The supporting cast includes John Ireland, Charlotte Rampling, Sylvia Miles, and introduces Jack O'Halloran as the Moose. Also, catch a young Sylvester Stallone in some work prior to his Rocky Balboa films. A great film noir for fans to enjoy.

"Five Card Stud" is one of a few westerns that combine a western background spun with a murder mystery. As such, the formula works fairly well. Starring Dean Martin as a gambler and Robert Mitchum as a preacher with a hidden past, the scene takes place in Rincon, Colorado, where a gold strike of some size has been discovered and where tensions are a bit high. One night, Martin, as Van Morgan, hosts a 7 player game of 5 card stud, a game at which he is fairly competent with. He takes a break, Roddy McDowell takes over, and immediately catches an outsider trying to palm a card, and a lynching ensues. Morgan attempts to stop the lynching, but is knocked unconscious for his effort, and the hanging concludes. Later, two murders occur, and the connection seems to be that both murdered players were in this particular card game. Mitchum arrives on the scene, playing a western preacher as only he could, and unfortunately, the murders keep happening, again by some form of strangulation or hanging. Tensions continue to mount, until finally only Morgan and McDowell's character are left, and the preacher, Jonathan Rudd, is watching with some degree of mystery and an aura of suspense. The final confrontation does take place, and the murders do stop in Rincon. Good musical background by Maurice Jarre, fine support cast in Inger Stevens, Denver Pyle, Yaphet Katto, and Katherine Justice, with able direction by Henry Hathaway. Good western fare.

"Young Guns II" picks up the story of the outlaw capers of Billy the Kid, after they escaped the clutches of the law in the Lincoln County war of New Mexico Territory in the 1870's. There is one unique part of this film that "Young Guns" wasn't able to use, and that is, in the 1950's, an old-timer named Brushy Bill Roberts claimed to be William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. Brushy Bill desires a pardon, says that the governor of 1870's New Mexico, Lew Wallace, promised him one, but never came through on that promise. Now, he is willing to tell his story to the media, in exchange for a pardon from the current governor. The reporter is, of course, skeptical, wants some proof of Brushy Bill's story, and therein lies the story of "Young Guns II." Told in flashback style, the film recounts the few years following Billy's escape from the legal factions in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and his new gang's outlaw capers.

The cast returns several of the actors from the prequel film, and adds some new faces, as well. Besides Emilio Estrevez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Phillips, the gang adds Christian Slater, who wishes to make a name for himself in outlaw legends. James Coburn adds some class to the film in the role of John Chisum, big ranch owner in the New Mexico territory, and William Petersen plays the role of Pat Garrett, who is hounded by the legal authorities to bring Billy in to justice, dead or alive.

There's the story, and one has to decide for himself, was Brushy Bill really telling the truth as to his being Billy the Kid, or was he simply trying to make a memorable place for himself? The film also features a Golden-Globe Award-winning Best Original Song,"Blaze of Glory" performed by Jon Bon Jovi. A good film to fill an afternoon with, but not quite up to the height of "Young Guns."

The year is 1870 and the place is Lincoln County in New Mexico territory. A young William H. Bonney is rescued from a possible hanging by John Tunstall, who befriends the youth and makes him part of the family of young guns known as Regulators. This puts Billy in the midst of a territorial dispute between Tunstall and the Santa Fe Ring, led by Lawrence G. Murphy, villainously portrayed by Jack Palance. Another western legend, Pat Garrett, is played by Patrick Wayne, the son, of course, of John Wayne.

After the killing of Tunstall by Murphy's henchmen, the Regulators and Billy hit on all cylinders in extracting revenge for the slaughter of their benefactor. The Regulators are branded as outlaws, and the "legal forces" of Murphy attempt to pare them down to nothing. This leads to a final shootout on the streets of Lincoln, and very few of the original Regulators escape, which leads to the sequel of "Young Guns," appropriately called "Young Guns II." The cast of young and upcoming Hollywood stars include Emilio Estevez as Billy, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Lou Diamond Phillips, Casey Siemaszko, and Dermot Mulroney.

One final note: the DVD includes as part of its special features section a Trivia Track, which flashes western facts and information about the stars or the characters being portrayed on screen without detracting from the viewing of the film. This is worth seeing and owning.

Some westerns don't allow people to change, or reform, during its run on the screen. "Yellow Sky" allows peoples' true natures to emerge, once the influence of a gold strike in a near-empty ghost town appears. Filmed in b&w in 1948, the film stars a youthful Gregory Peck, a starlet named Anne Baxter, and a superb villainous performance by Richard Widmark.

The story begins with the band of outlaws, led by Peck, hold up a town and escape the clutches of the law by fleeing to the desert sands. They can't go back, because the legal authorities will capture them, and they have to continue to cross the flats, with an ever-dwindling water supply. One outlaw, in fact, filled his canteen with whiskey in the town they held up, and now he's begging to swap a belt of whiskey for just one sip of cool water.

Finally, just before giving up all hope, the band comes to a town called Yellow Sky, which once prospered, but now has all but expired. The two remaining occupants of the town, Anne Baxter and her grandfather, agree to let them rest, spend a few days, and that's when the outlaw band, or rather, Widmark, figures out that the two have a gold strike in the mountains nearby. Why else would they stay in a town going nowhere? Peck wishes to split the gold claim with the two occupants, while the rest of the gang, spurred on by Widmark, desires the whole cache, and if Peck doesn't agree, then they can fix that problem, too. The final shootout in the ghostly buildings of Yellow Sky resolves the conflict.

Look for good supporting performances from John Russell and Harry Morgan, as two outlaw gang members, and providing comic relief is Charles Kemper, whose career in the movies came to an end just a few years after this film was released. He plays the whiskey-guzzling Walrus to the hilt, and some film viewers would wish he had left more film roles on the screen. Overall feelings, a solid 8/10, and happy to see the release of this western classic on DVD.

"U-571" is a simple enough story from WWII. A German submarine has been disabled, but not sunk. A team of Naval commandos is assigned the task of getting aboard the sub, capture the device, then safely return to home port. Simple, but the plan goes awry when the team manages to get aboard the German sub. A destroyer from the German navy sinks their own sub, and the US Navy team is left to return safely to base in a crippled German U-boat. To make matters worse, the Germans have gotten wise to their plan, and are making efforts to put the crippled U-boat to rest permanently, at the bottom of the ocean. Depth charges are dropped every few minutes, just to shake the viewers up, and attempts are made to make the U-boat an effective weapon to use against the destroyer trying to sink the craft.

The cast includes Matthew McConaughy as the leader of the US team, and ably backed by Harvey Keitel, Bill Paxton, and David Keith. There's also a batch of fresh, new faces on screen and these young actors do show some potential. There's highly explosive entertainment for the viewer as U-571 sets sail across the screen of his/her wide-screen digital television.

"Unconquered" was one of those Cecil B. DeMille productions that did not quite make it as a true epic, but it did qualify as good film entertainment. Set in the American colonies of the 1760's, the film brings into conflict a love triangle, Indian uprisings, dastardly dealings by greedy whites in selling arms to tribes for furs, and the rights of indentured servants in the colonies. Featuring Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard in the lead male and female roles, plus Howard Da Silva in the role of the sneeringly evil fur trader, this film moves at a decent clip, even if some history is ignored for the sake of the story in the film.

Ah, the story. Paulette Goddard has run afoul of the British judicial system and is given the choice of execution in England or slavery in the colonies for a period of 14 years. She chooses the route of an indentured servant, and is placed aboard a British frigate heading for the colonies. While on board ship, she catches the eye of both Cooper and Da Silva, and in a shipboard auction, is purchased by Cooper, much to the chagrin of Da Silva. Cooper intends to free her when the ship arrived in the colonies, but Da Silva forces the auctioneer to resell Goddard, unbeknownst to Cooper.

In later scenes, the three engage in one conflict after another, which brings in to the arena, the Indian tribes led by Boris Karloff, playing a Seneca chief named Guyasuta. Da Silva's role, Martin Garth, had earlier married the chief's daughter, and that gives him an inroad with the Indian tribes. Cooper, as Captain Chris Holden, is able to rescue Abby Hale, Goddard's role, from the Indians, and they make their escape down river, which leads to a trip through the rapids and over a waterfall. Finally comes the showdown in which the Indians attack the nearby Fort Pitt, garrisoned by British regulars and frontiersmen and their families. While the battle rages outside the fort, Holden and Garth have to settle their disagreements in the fort's stable.

Besides the trio of leading performers, the cast has several Hollywood regulars. Cecil Kellaway, Ward Bond, and a very youthful Lloyd Bridges add to the protagonists in the film, and Mike Mazurski gives a great performance as Garth's henchman in the attempt to control the Indian fur trading practice.

"Unconquered" gives Cecil B. DeMille a chance to embellish another period of history, and while the production is worth watching, a viewer needs to take the overall work as entertainment, and not completely true to the times of 1763 Colonial America. 8 out of 10.

"The Uninvited" was made in 1944, and while that may be several decades back, this film still packs a chilling degree of suspense for any viewer. The film features Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey in the lead roles, brother and sister who happen to come onto a sea-coastal house located in Cornwall, England. They fall in love with the place, and are able to convince the owner, keenly played by Donald Crisp, to sell the residence to them. He does so, reluctantly, and the two start to move in the house, unaware of the mysterious past their residence hides, and which Crisp did not fully alert them to.

After they settle in, some strange occurrences take place, such as doors opening and closing by themselves, a pungent aroma of mimosa fills the air at unusual times, and there can be heard the sounds of heart-wrenching sobbing. The mystery is further enhanced when Stella, a relative of Crisp's, visits the place. She lets the two owners in on some of the past secrets the house contains, and each time she comes, something strange and macabre occurs, putting her existence in peril.

This film moves to a conclusion which will leave the viewer in a mood of terror without having been subjected to endless mayhem and gore. The film's cast work well together, and the background music adds to the ghostly mood of the story. It's a very satisfying way to spend a dark, stormy night.

John Ford's 1952 film classic, "The Quiet Man", speaks out as his directorial thank-you to his Irish background. Perhaps, the film could not be made today, because of its downplay of the place women hold in society, but be that as it may, it is a film classic, and meant to be enjoyed on days when one wishes to sit back nd take in the laid-back lifestyle of another land.

John Wayne uses a good amount of acting talent to play the role of Sean Thorton, an Irish born native son who went to America, became a professional boxer, and during a bout, killed his opponent in the ring. This cloud hangs over him, he leaves America, and returns to his native town, Innisfree, where he vows to never fight in anger again.

In his home town, he meets up with Mary Kate Dannaher, played by Maureen O'Hara. These two had an undeniable screen chemistry, and it certainly came out in this picture. Wayne wishes to marry Mary Kate, but he has riled her brother, Big Will Dannaher, played by Ford stalwart, Victor McLaglen, who refuses to permit such a union. In Ireland, the oldest brother, if there was no father, could take this action.

Eventually, thanks to the efforts of the local matchmaker, played by Barry Fitzgerald, and the local priest, played by Ward Bond, Sean and Mary Kate are able to marry, but Will refuses to hand over her dowry, Sean refuses to fight for the dowry, and the Irish landscape begins to boil over.

Eventually, matters do come to a head, or fist, between Sean and Dannaher, in a wild, woolly, brawl that starts in an open field on the Dannaher property, goes over the countryside, spills into the nearby town, and in typical Irish manner, ends up in a local pub. The final punches are thrown, and peace ultimately comes to White O'Mornin', the birth home of Sean.

If one wishes to enjoy a film dedicated to the Irish, this classic is it. A good 9/10

"Quigley Down Under" is the story of an American marksman who takes a job in the land down under, Australia, at the bequest of one of the local land barons. With his saddle and custom-made rifle in hand, Quigley lands in the land of Australia, gets entangled with one of the local "ladies in waiting", and ends up with a complete distaste for the reason he answered the want ad in the first place. Quigley played by Tom Selleck, thought he was being hired to exterminate the local wildlife from the cattle ranch of Elliott Marston, deviously played by Alan Rickman. Marston makes it clear that Quigley's job is to hunt down and terminate the local natives of Australia, the aborigines, whom he considers a nuisance. That prospect sickens Quigley, he and Marston have a falling-out, and Quigley winds up on the Australian wild lands, beaten-up, no water, and a half-loco lady, who keeps calling him by another name.

Selleck is able to give the role a fantastic reason for watching the film over several times, because it seems to fit him so well. He is a moral individual, who will do the job called for, as long as it is in no way a compromise of his own personal principles. Marston represents the complete opposite of those guidelines, and the two eventually end up in the confrontation that stamps movies of the western genre.

Selleck and Rickman do very well in their parts, and Laura San Giacomo plays the loco lady that Quigley has to take under his arm, as if he does not have enough to deal with. The lands photograph well, and the tone is a film worth having in a person's own collection. Enjoy the trip to the Land Down Under, Mate!

The legend of King Arthur has been told, and retold, by movie makers several times. This may have been one of the first tellings, using Technicolor coupled with Cinemascope and drawing heavily upon the pageantry of the days of chivalry and knighthood in England. The story is simple, relating the coming of the throne of his country by Arthur Pendragon, and his attempts to establish justice and peace in the war-torn, divided land he called England. His efforts are to no avail, as there is simply too much greed and distrust among the small kingdoms of the country to allow the rule of one person, but this film has some fun in the citing of the Arthurian legend.

The cast members for 1953 read like a star-studded list from MGM. Mel Ferrer portrays King Arthur, with the lovely Ava Gardner as his queen, Guinevere. Stanley Baker plays the villain in the piece, Mordred, a knight sworn to capture the throne for himself, even if it destroys the unity of England. Playing the role of the greatest knight member of the Round Table, Lancelot, was Robert Taylor, who seemed to relish the sense of justice, decency, and moral standards as no one else of the time seemed willing to do.

"Knights of the Round Table" is meant to be viewed as an enjoyable touch with the past and the days gone by. Worth a view or two.

"Key Largo" was filmed in 1948 and served to give more notice to the attraction of film-noir movies, and the acting talents of Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, and Lionel Barrymore. Those talents, alone, would make "Key Largo" a very watchable film, but throw in the elements of a storm that is raging around them, and an Oscar-winning role for Claire Trevor, and the viewer has a superb film in front of him/her.

Bogart plays an ex-army major who comes to the area of Key Largo to visit the family of a deceased soldier who was in his unit during the war. Barrymore plays the father of said GI, and Bacall his widow. They are glad to see Bogart and make no bones about having him stay over. However, in the hotel run by Barrymore, there are some gangsters posing as guests who are basically holding everybody as prisoner until they make a criminal deal, and leave the area. Heading the gang is Edward G. Robinson, who as Johnny Rocco, was a big-time hood once, and who aspires to climb that pinnacle of success again. The storm rages outside, and the criminals hold everybody captive inside. Compounding the problems to be endured is the fact that the local sheriff and his deputy are looking for two escaped Indians whom they suspect have come to the hotel, because Barrymore has always been a friend and benevolent benefactor to them. All the emotions that can be brought up come to a head in a small boat at sea after the storm comes to an end.

Directed by John Huston, who always seemed to be a good director for Bogart, this film rates very high on Film-noir lists. Sit back while the hurricane rages.

"Justice at Nuremberg" took on the matter of the post WWII military trials that took place in Germany with many of Hitler's associates as the defendants. In this film, those jurists that administered justice in the name of the 3rd Reich are brought to answer for their roles in the legalizing of Nazi atrocities. It is a difficult subject, to be sure, because they were acting, in the statement of the defense attorney, for the benefit of their country, right or wrong. Patriotism, an American virtue, is to be practiced by German patriots who felt that Germany was correct in its quest to rid the world of certain undesirable groups. In the end, the viewer has to discern all the questions and thoughts that arise, which can make this movie a bit tough. However, it is a film to be viewed with an honest, clear-thinking mind that makes one think and recall those times of sheer horror and torment.

The cast is top-notch; Spencer Tracy plays the American judge who ultimately has to deliver the verdict to four former judges, and he plays it with quiet dignity and integrity. Burt Lancaster plays one of the four defendants with silence and intensity, which erupts when his attorney, played by Oscar-winner Maximillan Schell, tries to make the actions of the judges both acceptable and correct, for the times of occurrence. Lancaster delivers a very moving soliloquy in his time to finally testify which rivets the viewer to heed all that is said. Richard Widmark plays the prosecuting attorney with a fierce determination to see justice done, no matter what, and Judy Garland,along with Montgomery Clift, contribute moving scenes during their time as witnesses to recall horrors inflicted upon them during the control of the 3rd Reich.

All said and done, this film needs to be recognized as one of Stanley Kramer's directorial masterpieces, but viewers need to realize that these events did occur, and hopefully, are now prevented from ever occurring again.

"Ice Station Zebra" was one of the films made during the 1960's that depicted the tensions that existed in the Cold War era. The Soviet Union has launched a satellite containing a camera that is taking pictures of United States defense bases, etc. That satellite, upon reentry, takes a mysterious trajectory that causes it to crash land at a British weather station located at the top of the world, Ice Station Zebra by name. The United States sends a submarine on the mission to find the satellite, a passenger from British secret service goes along to provide expert knowledge, and along the way, a non-communist Russian is added to the passenger list. This makes for some rather tense moments on the voyage, there is a possible sabotage effort aboard the sub, and all folks involved are wondering of the possibilities of a spy aboard the submarine. Finally, the American vessel makes it to the weather station, and even more of a disaster has occurred there; a fire has broken out, there are survivors, but they are in no shape to go satellite hunting. And, to make matters worse, the Russians have sent an air force strike to Zebra in order to lay claim to this camera and its film contents. The conditions at Ice Station Zebra could definitely heat up, as US Marines and Russian paratroops confront each other.

The cast is top-notch; Rock Hudson plays Capt. Farraday, in charge of the submarine and its crew, and plays the role to the hilt. One may almost close eyes and see Hudson in charge of the boat as it embarks on its mission. Patrick McGoohan is in rare form as the British agent Jones, and Ernest Borgnine is able to play a rather convincing Russian who feels that freedom/democracy is better than communism. Jim Brown, the former NFL running back, has the role of the leader of the Marines that will be asked to confront the Russian troops at Zebra.

Just this month, a DVD version of this film has been made available to the public, and the wait has been well worth it. 9/10, and a nice add to a person's collection.

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is the second of the Indiana Jones trilogy to be released, but it, time wise, is a prequel to the box-office hit, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." It does have some very exciting moments, and some fantastic adventure scenes, but the theme is very dark, and very foreboding. Steven Spielberg uses some of the ideas from the first film, but has to let the film settle to its own heights and its depths of gloom. That puts the viewing public on alert that they may want to avoid the film, if there is a taste of uneasiness or faint heart, as this film, quite literally, pulls the heart from its natural place.

Indy has just managed to finish one adventure, confronts the gangster/owner of a Shanghai nightclub for payment, and barely escapes the club with his life, but not before a brawl, a vial of poison, and its antidote are fought over, and machine guns fire all over the populace of the club. Next spot is India, and Indy learns of a mysterious cult of the macabre that has been resurrected and is tormenting the nearby villagers, forcing the children of the villages to work under inhumane conditions to find some glowing stones that are supposed to give the owners supreme power and domination over the other countries of the world. After a bunch of wild adventures, including one wild ride in the caverns of the underground mines, Indy and his crew of cohorts manage to save their skins and outwit the evil Thuggee cult.

Hold on to your seats as this film grabs one from the beginning, and the tension seldom lets up. 8/10. but not meant for the young viewers.

"The Final Countdown" has a very interesting concept: take a modern day aircraft carrier, in the case, THE USS NIMITZ, and time warp it back to the eve of the impending Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The possibilities would be endless; there, of course, would be no Japanese surprise attack on the morning of Dec. 7, as the NIMITZ would have known, in advance, of the attack scheme and taken counter-measures to combat it. Also, the history books, as we know them now, would have undergone some drastic mind-boggling changes. Time travel, and its supposed existence, has also been a fascinating subject for movies, and this film plays that angle to the hilt.

Kirk Douglas portrays Captain Yelland, the modern skipper of the aircraft carrier NIMITZ. On routine training mission outside Pearl Harbor, his command, and all the men, planes, equipment, etc., are mysteriously time-warped back to the same locality, but the date is December 6, 1941. Douglas,Martin Sheen, an expert from the Defense Dept., the other members of the crew, James Farentino, who is a Pearl Harbor historian as well as being a wing commander of a group of jet fighters, begin to realize the infinite possibilities of what they could do by stopping the Japanese attack in its early stages. However, they do encounter some 1941 era people, Katherine Ross, a secretary to a Senator Sam Chapman, played by Charles Durning. According to the history, as Farentino recounts it, Sen. Chapman disappears mysteriously during the attack, and would have been in line for the vice-presidency under FDR. Other matters complicate Captain Yelland's decision regarding the situation, and at the moment when matters could not get worse, the mysterious time-warp cloud is on the horizon in the path of the NIMITZ, and heading straight at them.

Sci-fi at one of its better moments, a solid 8/10

"Escape From Fort Bravo" had a unique western storyline that shifted somewhat during the course of the film, but still left the viewer

with a decent film for its time. Fort Bravo is being used as a Confederate prison camp during the waning months of the American Civil War. Inside the fort's walls are the prisoners, wanting to escape, and the troops of the Union cavalry, trying to prevent their escapes, and outside are the bands of savage Mescalero Apaches, just waiting for anybody to leave the safety of the fort.

William Holden plays Capt. Roper, the Union officer given the dubious task of recapturing any escapees and returning them to Fort Bravo. It's an unpleasant task, he personally dislikes the job, but he does it, and does it all to well, much to the chagrin of the rebels still in the fort. During this time, a female Confederate sympathizer, played by Eleanor Parker, comes to the fort and will attempt to distract Holden, while she manages to enact the escape of her Confederate lover, played by John Forsythe. The escape occurs, some rebel prisoners manage to leave the fort, Parker goes with them, but she does not realize that Holden has come to fall in love with her. Roper, Holden's part, takes a small troop of men out from the fort in pursuit, he hoping to catch up with them before the Apaches do.

Besides the three main leads mentioned above, the supporting cast includes William Demerest, William Campbell, Richard Anderson, Polly Bergen, and in a pre "Broken Arrow" role, John Lupton. Campbell and Demerest do provide some comic relief, playing off each other's abilities, etc., but the lead parts do carry the picture and prevent it from becoming just another Cavalry-Indians western. 7/10

"The Enemy Below" released in 1957, was one of those films directed by Dick Powell, and starring Robert Mitchum, that sparked with genuine realism and utmost attention to detail. This film also showed the harsh realities in war, and the dedication that men on both sides of the conflict can give to the task appointed. Mitchum plays the commander of a US Naval vessel that has the task of seeking out and destroying enemy submarines; having just recently lost one command, he is going to make sure such doesn't happen twice. The renowned German actor, Curt Jurgens, portrays the submarine commander whose presence has been detected by Mitchum's destroyer, and the chase is on.

Both commanders, Mitchum and Jurgens, in their characters, reveal that each was firm in their beliefs toward their respective countries. While Jurgens is not a gung-ho Nazi, he does have a firm dedication to his fatherland, and what it was before the war. Mitchum has the same firm devotion to his country, and what he is doing is the right course to bring a successful ending to the war, ultimately. There is a lot of verbal discussion during the course of the film, who is right, why are we engaged in this action, etc., but both commanders are desperately trying to out think and outmaneuver the other.

There were several good movies made during the 50s, this film, "The Enemy Below",and "Run Silent, Run Deep" come to mind, and are certainly worth a view. This film does give a look at both sides involved in the type of chase done here. An 8/10

"The Client", made in 1994 features the type of story that can happen in the pace of today's society. A young boy and his even younger brother slip off from school to indulge in youthful frivolities, and end up as witnesses to a Mob lawyer's suicide. The legal authorities are able to place the youth at the scene of the death, and they suspect the lawyer may have revealed some evidence about a murder that has gone unsolved. The mobsters in the city suspect this too, and the boy is caught between a rock and a hard place, wondering where to go to get help, and to stay ahead of the criminal elements stalking him and his family.

Enter in the scene of total chaos two folks who are attempting to help the boy with his problem. Susan Sarandon has the role of a lawyer willing to risk her career for Ricky, the youth, and Tommy Lee Jones plays an ambitious federal prosecutor anxious to use Ricky's testimony to further his own career. Susan's character takes Ricky under her legal protective wing, as it were, and the two square off in an effort to make the young client, Ricky, turn evidence over to them. Ricky is determined to protect his family before doing anything to help the authorities.

It's a superb suspense thriller, based on the John Grisham novel of the same name, and both Jones and Sarandon turn in great performances. The movie also benefits from support cast members such as Ossie Davis, Anthony LaPaglia, and as "The Client", Brad Renfro. Renfro shows some talent, and one hopes that he hasn't wasted the chance to have a good career. I gave the film a rating of 8/10, and would encourage viewers to keep one eye on the screen at all times.

"The Hunters", released in 1958, showed the so-called forgotten air war from the Korean War. Robert Mitchum portrays an aging air pilot from WWII who manages to find one more war to find some success in. He lands command of an air squadron led by Richard Egan, who was his leader during WWII. Mitchum puts together a wing squadron and starts out on hunting missions. His squadron consists of a nice guy, a loud-mouth guy, and a lush whose wife Mitchum falls for. However, the squadron does come together, and manages to down quite a few enemy planes, including a Korean ace nicknamed K C Jones.

The film focuses on electrifying flight sequences that hold the attention of the viewing audience, and the cast delivers performances that do carry the story. This film has been finally released in DVD by 20th Century Fox, and I have replaced my taped VHS version with the DVD. It's very watchable, and the flying sequences still hold their own. 7/10, but a strong entry in this genre.

The 1962 film version of "Cape Fear" was shown in black and white; to use color might have distracted from the mood and tension-filled atmosphere of this film. Gregory Peck is the good guy, or hero, in the film, but the viewing audience will be constantly drawn to the truly great performance by Robert Mitchum, as a returning ex-con bent on extracting a path of revenge on Peck and his family.

Mitchum plays Max Cady, a drifter who was sent to prison by the work of Sam Bowden, Peck's character. Cady has been released from prison and is determined to make Bowden pay for ruining his life, unwilling to admit that he caused his own problems. The back-and-forth meetings between Peck and Mitchum, and the tension caused by these confrontations, simply causes the audience to really squirm as Mitchum uses the legal means to cause Peck and his family to be in fear of their very existence.

The Cape Fear river area in Carolina is the site designated for location for this film, and its creepiness, coupled with the swamp area that Peck takes his family to for safety, add to the suspense and tension that builds with each scene. The music score also grips the film, and each moment builds to the final climax, which takes place in the swampy river area aboard a floating houseboat.

Cast-wise, Peck and Mitchum are ably supported by Martin Balsam, Polly Bergen, Jack Krushen, and with hair,sans lollipop Telly Savalas.

"Cape Fear" rates very high on the list of thrillers, and Mitchum simply conveys evil in every scene he is in. 9/10

"Open Range" is a film that is to be a monument to the true talents and abilities of Hollywood to get something right. Kevin Costner stars in, and also directs, the film, but the real performance comes from Robert Duvall, who portrays the leader, or boss, of a small cattle drive.

Duvall, playing Boss Spearman, is a man that has refused to change with the times around him, he has his own ways of doing things, and they have worked for many years. He's a good man, even though stubborn, has a sense of decency and fair play about him, and refuses to compromise, or bend his principles. Costner plays his partner, Charlie, a former gunman who has made it a quest to put the past behind him, and make a go of life with Boss as his guide.

The cattle herd is driven on open range, and allowed to graze freely by Boss and Charlie. However, there is a rancher, Denton Baxter, played by Michael Gambon, who feels that "free-grazers" are a blight upon his range and should be exterminated like the varmits they are. One of the four cattle drivers, Mose, is sent to town to get some supplies, does not return, and when Boss and Charlie go searching for him, they find that Baxter's paid for sheriff has him locked up, and has also been part of a group that beat him up. Upon paying some fines, and told by Baxter to leave the area promptly, Boss and Charlie decide to make a stand and oppose the lawless elements in the town, including Baxter. The occurring gunfight is more realistic than many others that have been staged in previous westerns, but it is well worth the wait.

"Open Range" features powerful characterizations, some tragic scenes, and some parts that simply lift the viewer's spirits to a high level. The cast members, besides those already mentioned, include Annette Bening, whom Charlie falls for, and Michael Jeter, in sadly, his last performance. There are also touches of humor; one classic case comes before the final confrontation, Boss wants some candy and some fine cigars. He asks the local storekeeper for the finest chocolate in the store, two bars of bittersweet chocolate are produced, came all the way from Switzerland, Europe, and according to the storekeeper, "will melt in your mouth." Boss asks how he knows that, has he tried it himself, and when he learns that the storekeeper has not, can't afford it, Boss gives him a piece of his just purchased candy.

This film is simply a fine addition to the DVD collection of western fans, and it shows true acting genius, combined with a great story, and epic action on screen. 10/10, but wish I could go higher.

This movie version, based on the television series of the same title, hits on all cylinders that can make a movie great. There's action aplenty, astonishing escapes by the fugitive, played by Harrison Ford, near-misses by the pursuing US Marshall, played by Tommy Lee Jones, fantastic stunts on screen, and suspense that holds the viewer on the edge of his/her seat. This is a definite film to grace a collection of any home viewer.

If one recalls, the TV series had a doctor wrongly convicted of the crime of murdering his wife, when the real killer was an one-armed man. Dr. Kimble escaped from his prison lock-up, then spent several tv seasons hunting for the guilty killer, and at the same time, trying to avoid being recaptured by a Lt. Gerard. The movie makes use of the basic program, but then alters the escape of Dr. Kimble, limits the locality to Chicago, and introduces a drug-related scheme that Kimble stumbled onto, and would have prevented a medical company from reaping millions of dollars in the drug's sale.

The viewer is asked to follow "The Fugitive" as he stays just one jump, literally, ahead of the law. There's a very realistic train wreck staged, which helps spring the good doctor, a leap down a waterfall, which keeps him out of the clutches of the US Marshal Gerard, and many more realistic stunts. Catch this film, on tape, or DVD. 9/10

"Virginia City", released in 1940, is a film that could have been rated as a western classic, because of the cast members alone. Against the backdrop of the American Civil War, Errol Flynn, Union Captain, was up against Randolph Scott, Confederate Colonel, with Miriam Hopkins supplying the love interest between the two. Flynn breaks out of a Confederate prison commanded by Scott during the latter days of 1864, a period that saw the South's dwindling resources virtually shrink to nothing. There is a slim chance to smuggle a multi-million gold shipment from Virginia City, Nevada, to the South. Scott is given the assignment, and Flynn, hearing of the plan, is given the job by the Union to prevent the smuggled gold from reaching the Confederacy. There's the overview. The weakness comes in casting Humphrey Bogart as a Mexican-American bandit whose main interest in the gold is to steal it for himself. Bogart's miscasting really distracts from the film, even though it is no fault of his own.

Besides the stars in the film, there's good support cast members from Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Alan Hale, Sr., John Litel, and Moroni Olsen, all veterans of the Western genre. Add a stirring music score by Max Steiner, plus sweeping vistas of the West, and the struggles of the Confederate sympathizers in their efforts to succeed in their task, and you have a film that could have been great, but one that falls short. It is worth watching, however. 7/10