Genre
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Grihajuddha / Crossroads(1982, Dir. Buddhadev Dasgupta, India)
Bengali director Buddhadev Dasgupta’s Grihajuddha is a stark and unflinching entry in India’s third phase of Parallel Cinema, which I have titled ‘the high point’, and which often thrived on perceptive socio-political critique. Funded by the West Bengal government, this early work from Dasgupta is a tautly scripted political thriller that takes a searing look Continue reading
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WILL PENNY (Dir. Tom Gries, 1968, US)
* * * Will Penny is a Western that I always had in my rear-view mirror. And I was really surprised by how good it is. It is arguably a revisionist, if not, Twilight Western, made in the late 1960s when the genre was about to explode into a million different pieces with Peckinpah’s deconstructive Continue reading
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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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RIDER ON THE RAIN / Le Passager De La Pluie (Dir. René Clément, 1970, France)
* * * In René Clément’s peculiar Rider on the Rain (1970), the film wields an enigmatic allure, driven largely by the magnetic presence of Marlène Jobert. Known for his rugged demeanour, Charles Bronson plays second fiddle here, emerging in a compelling yet understated role during his fascinating European phase. Jobert, however, commands every frame Continue reading
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BLOOD AND WINE (Dir. Bob Rafelson, 1996, US)
* * In Bob Rafelson’s uneven neo noir tale, Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of a sleazy, violent thief was part of a peaceful nineties’ renaissance that saw him clocking up him a whole new repertoire of roles that were less about scope and more about endearing himself to new audiences. Blood and Wine is a minor Continue reading
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