Sunday 19 January 2014

Freeview films of the day : sunday 19th of January



Point Blank (1967 87mn.) [BBC4 9.00pm]

Thriller starring Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson. Walker is double-crossed and shot by his partner while stealing a fortune in loot from a rival gang. Walker survives, and as he seeks revenge he is approached by a mysterious man who offers to help him.

Terrific thriller, the US debut of director John Boorman, with Marvin perfect as the ice-cold killer who's out for revenge.
The plot twists and turns but never leaves the viewer outside the action as Marvin's character's search begins to resemble some sort of mythic quest.

The night time LA locations are superbly photographed by Philip H Lathrop and the whole thing is constructed as an updated film-noir.
Great support from the under rated Angie Dickinson and Keenan Wynn.


Haywire (2011 88min.) [C4 10.00pm]
Freeview premiere

Action thriller starring Gina Carano and Ewan McGregor. Agent Mallory Kane works deep undercover on missions that don't officially exist. So when her latest assignment goes badly wrong, she is forced to use all her cunning and field skills to protect her life and exact revenge on those who betrayed her.

Steven Soderbergh attempts to make a 1970s style caper movie (in the style of his Oceans series) but with added full-on violence and martial arts fighting.

The film suffers because of the extrardinary charisma vacuum that surrounds Ewan McGregor throughout and which sucks any interest out of the central story.

Gina Carano is good in the action scenes but less well suited to carrying the story ; there's good support from Michael Fassbender, Canning Tatum, Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas; David Holmes score is excellent and there's some great location shooting on rain sodden Dublin streets.

Sadly all of these plus points can't overcome the weight of negativity that the lack of a decent plot and the failings of the two leads can't overcome.

Not utterly worthless but could have been so much better.


A Serious Man (2009 101min.) [BBC2 11.00pm]

Comedy drama from the Coen brothers, starring Michael Stuhlbarg and Richard Kind. Bloomington, Minnesota, 1967: Larry Gopnik is a middle-aged physics professor desperately looking for meaning in life after his wife leaves him and an anonymous person sends letters that threaten to sabotage his career.

Agreeably silly and playful film that entertains throughout with it's moments of whimsy, laughs, occasional grimness and downright daftness.
The story is told in such a circuitous way that it's easy to get lost unless you're paying full attention.

But it's a decent little film that deserves a better reputation than that which it has so far gathered.



Shifty (2008 85min.) [BBC1 11.50pm]

Crime drama starring Riz Ahmed and Daniel Mays. After four years working in Manchester, Chris visits his old stomping ground on a London estate. He meets up with his drug-dealing best friend Shifty, but Shifty has moved on from just selling weed and is now involved in hardcore drugs, and with that comes danger.

Very well done low budget British film that remembers to put moments of comedy in among the social commentary.
Excellent performances by the three leads and a good sense of time and place. Worth the effort.

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