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Film & TV on DVD - John Doe News & Reviews

 
Greetings Film Fiends and welcome to John Doe's Film Blog. 30 years of dedicated celluloid obsession has meant that I have seen a few films. Drawing attention to some of the lesser discussed gems that I love. Cult classics, obscure curios and quality genre pictures. This blogs purpose is to translate some of my passion for these films and with luck, inspire you the reader to go check em out.
The People Mover that Did

Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 DVD
DVD Available in Australia
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Robert Shaw, Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Lee Wallace, Jerry Stiller, Earl Hindman


“We’re going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us a million dollars.”Mr Blue

Back in 1974 this mercilessly tight cat and mouse story of a New York Subway train being hijacked was a groundbreaking and bold action thriller. Seen by many as the logical progression towards Die Hard and its slew of reworks, the recent announcement of another remake (There was also TV movie in the 90’s) starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta has not met with much joy from lovers of this original passenger train of terror.
“Oh, come on. If I've got to watch my language just because they let a few broads in, I'm going to quit. How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?”Caz Dolowicz

The story is economic in its contrivance; four colour coded terrorists bring the notoriously crowded NYC underground to a standstill by taking a carriage of commuter’s hostage.
“Excuse me, do you people still execute in this state?”Mr Blue

Led by the immovable steel girder named Mr Blue (Robert Shaw) they are armed with automatic weapons and have no reservations about killing innocent people. Disgruntled rail worker Mr Green (Martin Blasam) drives the train and brings knowledge of the network. Mr Brown (Earl Hindeman) is a professional who loyally follows orders.
“Now, then, ladies and gentlemen, do you see this gun? It fires 750 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition per minute. In other words, if all of you simultaneously were to rush me, not a single one of you would get any closer than you are right now. I do hope I've made myself understood.”Mr Blue

The wild card of the pack is Mr Grey (Hector Elizondro) an uninhibited assassin so psychotic that the mob had to let him go, an addiction to the thrill of the kill makes him unpredictable.

In charge of saving lives and ending the siege is Lt. Zachary 'Z' Garber (Walter Matthau) an unflappable Transit cop who must out guess the crooks and neutralise the volatile situation. There is no handbook for this unprecedented event and so Garber’s intelligence and restraint goes against authorities eager to escalate the carnage….its going to be a long day.
“Be reasonable, will you? We're trying to cooperate with you but we can't do anything if you don't give us enough time to work with.”Lt Garber

taking of pelham poster
No ticket?



John Doe Says:
Smart and driven by a gritty realism of procedure and consequence, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 is riveting cinema that has never lost its impact. Suspenseful and exciting the superb performances from the cast serve to realise the heightened chaos, ironing out the few minor flaws.

Directed with deliberate velocity by Joseph Sargent the chess game premise seldom slips. Opening with the siege, echoing films like The French Connection and Dog Day Afternoon there is an inescapable authenticity of tone. The claustrophobic tunnels of a decommissioned line in Brooklyn double for the NYC subway Pelham line and is shot to harness the atmosphere of the underground.

The convincing screenplay leaves little breathing room. The theme score by David Shire is tough and dangerous, the music is sparse, tension is omnipresent and the character dialogue exchanges seem genuine with just enough theatrics to ensure the stories potential entertains and never becomes dour. There is a dark, socially critical air that laces much of the supporting players lines to comment on the “times that were a change’in”

The menacing Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia With Love, A Man For All Seasons) as the steel eyed ex mercenary with an air tight plan relishes the unnerving potential of the character. His silences scream disciplined rage, his cues matter of fact, always on a tight leash and never going the flamboyant route of contemporary villainy.

Walter Matthau (Charley Varrick, The Odd Couple, Fail Safe, Bigger than Life) plays against type, still amusing with some of his character moments. He is easy to believe as a haggard lawman who seldom lets his pulse quicken. The first time we seem him he is fast a sleep in his chair at work, when he awakens little excites him, so skillful is Matthau as a performer that he still exudes a frantic energy that is contained within his shell.

The rest of the roles are packed with richness and obvious talent striving to breakout. Hector Elizondo (Hill St Blues, The Fan) and veteran Martin Balsam (Psycho, Cape Fear, Catch 22) add much to proceedings.

John Doe has seen this films many times before, yet with each viewing it still holds his unwavering gaze. What could have been mindless or over the top is curtailed into classic storytelling told with cinematic realism. First time through you don’t know who will live or die, whether Matthau’s lethargic demeanour can save the passengers lives. Taking of Pelham is a nail biter that never seems to punctuate itself or worry with superfluous action, its about flanking the enemy, out thinking the other man. This is the stuff that all visceral and intelligent popcorn entertainment should aspire too.


The tough minded retro trailer for The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three


The opening credits with David Shire's now classic score

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The Killers (1946) and (1964)

April 13th 2008 00:01
The Companions of Death


The Killers DVD
A rebadged edition of this U.S release is now available in Australia

Original Director: Richard Siodmak
Original Cast: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Charles Levine, Vince Barnett, Albert Dekker
Remake Director: Don Siegel
Remake Cast: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Casavettes, Ronald Reagan, Claude Akins, Clu Gulager, Norman Fell

“You see, the only man that's not afraid to die is the man that's dead already.”Charlie Strom

Based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway’s, both versions of The Killers are quintessential films of their time. The original Directed by Richard Siodmak is a tense noir classic, the remake by Don Siegel a brutal thriller.

Both open with a pair of cold blooded hitmen coming to a small town and slaughtering their mark with a past, a trigger for an obsessive search for the truth about the dead man.

In Siodmak’s version it is an insurance investigator (Edmond O’Brien) that must journey into the seedy underground to discover the doomed Swede’s (Burt Lancaster) secret.
“Don't ask a dying man to lie his soul into Hell.”Lt Sam Lubinsky

The Killers Burt lancaster
Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in Siodmak's The Killers


Siegel’s take on the story sees the professional gunman Charlie Strom (Lee Marvin) confused by the bullet riddled Johnny North’s (John Casavettes) acceptance of his fate.

Questioning the low lives involved, following the clues to solve the puzzle of a corpse. Edmond O Brien wants to know the “why”, Lee Marvin is determined to find out “who” hired him for the job.
“Sylvester, unless you want to renew your partnership with the late Johnny North, I suggest you tell us everything and anything we want to know.”Charlie Strom

The Killers lee marvin
Lee Marvin and his partner in Don Siegel's The Killers


John Doe Says:
Two sides of the same coin, both films excel on their merits. Director Richard Siodmak (The Spiral Staircase, Criss Cross, The Crimson Pirate) was a pivotal component of evolving the noir genre. A moody black and white mystery masterpiece that toys with shadow and light in its cinematography and characters. This is as captivating as any of the better remembered efforts in the form. (Eg: The Big Sleep, Double Indemnity etc)

The crackling dialogue adapted by Anthony Vieller (Night of The Igunana, The List of Adrian Messenger, Beat the Devil) is a spring loaded labyrinth of deception. Taut and gripping this is the film that launched Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner’s careers. Lancaster as the doomed Boxer Swede has a strong physical presence. Ava as Kitty, the gangster’s moll oozes erotic danger.

Miklós Rózsa’s music synch fills out the experience to elevate the already thick atmosphere.

Now onto Don Siegel’s (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry, Charley Varrick) remake: determined to take the story in a new direction and drag it into the modern world, his is a gritty, violent and melancholy reinvention.This is the hard steel slug of a .45 to the head.

Intended as a TV movie of the week, when executives saw an early cut they realised it was far too ferocious for audiences of the time and opted instead to release it on the big screen.

Right from the vicious opening scene where Lee Marvin (Point Blank, Hell in the Pacific) as a grizzled, aging hitman and his sociopathic partner interrogate a blind receptionist its obvious why the studio made its decision.

This time around indie film revolutionary John Cassavettes (Faces, Shadows, Rosemary’s Baby, The Dirty Dozen) plays Johnny North, the race car driver that refuses to flee. Waiting to die his acceptance of his own murder is what gnaws on Marvin’s characters conscience.

As the object of lust and desire Sheila Farr Angie Dickinson (Point Blank, Dressed to Kill) delivers one of her best performances. Make no mistake though this is Marvin’s film and even a playing against type Ronald Reagan as a ruthless villain is no match for his charismatic portrayal.

A hazy morality permeates throughout the film and serves to increase its powerful impact. There is an inbuilt urgency to the camera work, vitality to the script and importantly an unwavering tone of intriguing narrative.

It is worth noting that Siegel was originally slated to helm the 1946 version but because of an excessive loan out fee from Warner’s the producers opted for Siodmark.

John Doe can’t say which version he prefers, both are executed with vigour and confidence. It was hard to perform the juggling act of contrasting the two, he only hopes that this review creates more interest to check out both. Fortunately the DVD release comes as a double disc with the pair of them so all you need to do is set aside the time.


The mood setting opening of Richard Siodomak's Noir Classic


The trailer for Don Siegel's The Killers

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Heat (1995) - Footage Included

January 2nd 2008 00:01
Explosive motivations in the mirror

heat DVD
Heat DVD Cover- Available in Australia
Writer/Director: Michael Mann
Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Natalie Portman, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, Hank Azaria, William Fichtner, Henry Rollins, Jon Voight, Wes Studi


"A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." Now, if you're on me and you gotta move when I move, how do you expect to keep a marriage?" - Neil Mccauley

Performing micro surgery on the life of professional criminals and the lawmen that hunt them, Heat is a character study of machinations and consequences. Remaking his own film L.A Takedown, Stylist Director Michael Mann drenches Los Angeles in a thick ambience for this electrifying cops and robbers epic.

Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is the steely eyed, withdrawn lifetime crook who follows a strict code of emotional detachment. The blood hound L.A policeman on his trail and in his head is Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino).
"You know, we are sitting here, you and I, like a couple of regular fellas. You do what you do, and I do what I gotta do. And now that we've been face to face, if I'm there and I gotta put you away, I won't like it. But I tell you, if it's between you and some poor bastard whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow, brother, you are going down." - Vincent Hanna

Both men lead expert crews, obsess over every detail of their work and have fully accepted the realities of their chosen fields. Now the City of Angels streets are going to become a battleground of counter surveillance, covert techniques and destructive automatic weapons.
"Well ya know, for me, the action is the juice. " - Michael Cheritto

It is the daylight robbery of a payroll van that triggers a collision of destinies as McCauley executes the operation with military precision and Hanna is assigned to investigate the case.

A rivetting test of wills, skills and kills ensue as adversary and prey manoeuvre on instinct, jockeying to out guess their opponents.

"M.O.? Is that they're good... Once it escalated into a murder one beef for all of 'em after they killed the first two guards, they didn't hesitate. Pop guard number three because... what difference does it make? Why leave a living witness? Drop of a hat these guys will rock and roll." - Vincent Hanna

heat scenes
The Robbery, the talk and the mood


John Doe Says:
Taking a pair of cinematic legends and finally having them in same frame on the big screen then favouring neither side. The power plays and dealings of both sides receive equal attention to become a definitive portrait. Scrutinising their private lives, social interactions and psychology to deliver an authentic and powerful work, complete in its demanding portrayals.

Obsessively researched by the ever thorough Michael Mann (Thief, Manhunter), the sledgehammer plotting and deliberately uncomfortable pacing lets the numb melancholy and trademark atmosphere enter the audience subconscious. The lengthy running time goes by unnoticed, there is too much to see and think about in every silence.

The bullet riddled, intensity of realism from the central bank heist has been used in coaching anti-crime divisions since, testament to its commitment to physical honesty.

The intense screenplay thrives on moral ambiguity and subjective character choices. Taking you into the mindset of its players the loaded words are used sparingly and by the finale tribute to Bullitt seem to have multiple implications.

Robert De Niro (Greetings, Godfather II, Midnight Run, Deer Hunter) lodges one of the few notable performances of his later career here. His withdrawn and guarded manner ideally suited to this ghost of a man.

Al Pacino (Scarface, Scarecrow, Godfather, Cruisin, Serpico, Dog day Afternoon) as the man commanded by his killer instinct thrives on the thrill of the chase. The actors exuberant style is perfectly suited to the interrogation and domination of situations that his part requires.

The singular coffee shop verbal confrontation is as compelling as any in the history of cinema. Alternate energies bounce of one another as the plot pivotal conversation plays out, revealing the subconscious motivation of each.

Val Kilmer (The Doors, Kiss Kiss bang bang, salton sea, Thunderheart) proves his versatile dedication to craft, his career criminal icy proficiency comes through in every glance. Watching his wham-bam reload in the street battle in swift, coordinated movements you see the endless hours of repetition that must have been spent weapons training.

Tom Sizemore is a great character actor and here his glassy edge is an unquestionable strength, much like Scagneti in Natural Born Killers.

It’s not all macho posturing though as the strong woman add dimension to their counterparts. There’s Diane Venora (Insider, Ironweed, Bird) as suffering wife Justine Hanna and her troubled daughter played by Natalie Portman (Leon: The Professional, Garden State, Beautiful Girls). Amy Brennan is the woman who falls for an enigma, and Ashley Judd is at wits end with her risk junkie husband.

John Doe is not alone in his love for this immersing experience, the cinematic technique is faultless. The breaking down of the jobs and revealing similarities enthrall. This is quality action cinema of high calibre pedigree, the ensemble cast and crew make it essential for every DVD collection.


Watch the Heat trailer


Here is the palpable coffee shop scene


Here is a revealing clip of what happens when De Niro gets justifiably bugged


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Miami Blues (1990) - Trailer Included

August 30th 2007 05:08
Hot times in Miami's vice.

Miami Blues DVD
DVD Cover
Writer/Director: George Armitage
[ Click here to read more ]
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Sympathy for Lady Vengeance – Another FilmInk Review

This is a review that was published in FilmInk I did awhile ago. Figured with Cib’s review of the confronting thrillride Old Boy igniting interest in the second part, it would be a good time to focus on the final chapter.
[ Click here to read more ]
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