Thriller
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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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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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THE LAST RUN (Dir. Richard Fleischer, 1971, US)
* * * I must have TCM’s greatest hits on speed dial. Howard Hawks is probably a major link when it comes Michael Mann’s proletariat time obsessed professionals and potentially Melville’s polar films but George S Scott’s Harry Garmes, an ex-driver for organized crime and modelled on Bogart, seems to be a notable precursor to Continue reading
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SORCERER (Dir. William Friedkin, 1977, US)
* * * * William Friedkin’s 1977 remake of Cluzot’s The Wages of Fear is one of the most atmospheric Hollywood films of its era. Arguably Friedkin’s best film after The Exorcist, Sorcerer was for a very long time a footnote in the end of an era – the New Hollywood one, including films like Continue reading
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THE MEAN SEASON (Dir. Phillip Borsos, 1985)
Long before Tom Cruise decided to patent the running on screen just to look cool thing, Kurt Russell was busting similar sprint speed marathons in many of his films. In The Mean Season, Russell really goes for it, bombing it through the streets of Miami so he can try and save his girlfriend from the Continue reading
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