Crime
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ONCE A THIEF… (Dir. Ralph Nelson, 1965, US/France)
* * In Ralph Nelson’s 1965 noir heist thriller, Once a Thief, the exponential narrative pacing may test the patience, but Alain Delon’s performance is a noteworthy attraction, marking one of the few times the charismatic French star engaged with traditional American noir. The storyline adheres to familiar genre tropes: an ex-con’s struggle for redemption Continue reading
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PRINCE OF THE CITY (Dir. Sidney Lumet, 1981, US)
* * * * Lumet’s NY films, which are so many, expressly the one’s rooted in the elements of crime map something venal about a city that few filmmakers have been able to articulate with such detail and intimacy. Prince of the City is often regarded as Lumet’s masterpiece; a sprawling crime epic about Daniel Continue reading
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THE DON IS DEAD (Dir. Richard Fleischer, 1973, US)
* * Richard Fleischer’s The Don is Dead (1973) may have been one of those projects that was greenlit into existence on the back of the unprecedented box office success of The Godfather. Unlike The Godfather which weaves a narrative about the corporation through family, Fleischer’s instincts are somewhat different, shining a light on arguably Continue reading
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THE ROARING TWENTIES (Dir. Raoul Walsh, 1939, US)
* * * * Arguably a quintessential Warner Bros gangster pic that zips along with so much charm, style and Jimmy Cagney at his smarmy best. Circling back to this one from having seen so many contemporary gangster films it becomes evidently clear the film’s mighty sway on the genre, and that is a given Continue reading
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MAN ON A SWING (Dir. Frank Perry, 1974, US) – Trust in Me
* * * Since the 1970s American film canon is so rich, much has slipped through, which makes discovery altogether more pleasurable. The work of director Frank Perry is a major blind spot for me. I think the only film of his I had seen was The Swimmer (1968), a counter culture work which stars Continue reading
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