searchanddestroy-1

George Raft and director Edwin Marin made several films together: JOHNNY ANGEL, INTERIGUE; NOCTURNE and this very one, which is for me the best of them all, also showing William Bendix in an unusual cop character. Bendix should have made more films like this one, he had the face and charisma for it. This crime noir is excellent for me, a pretty exciting RKO feature which I watch regularely with great pleasure. Fast paced, not too long, the ending is also in the line of the story and far better than other movies from this era; Good directing and camera work emphasize the power of this story. I recommend it;

One pure masterpiece western from the magician, the wizard of western: Anthony Mann. I discovered it in the seventies, when I was a kid and fell in love with it at first sight. The settings are absolutely outstanding, jaw dropping, unique. Mind blowing. Those landscapes literally steal the whole film. I forget the story but only those mountains, rivers, forests.... This movie enchanted my young years. Pure Anthony Mann's piece of work where Borden Chase seemed to be involved too. Action packed, it also offers romance and the usual lines of a western. Among my favourites from Anthony Mann. I prefer it to TIN STAR for instance.

I would have never net a dime that this film, adventure flick, was directed by an American film maker, especially George Marshall; I woud have bet on Terence Young or even Jack Lee Thompson. I know, there is Dana Andrews here, because it is a co production, but the US touch is not that obvious. It remains however very entertaining and rather light hearted. I saw it a long time ago and totally forgot it. Not bad but far from being the best from this director who seemed to work in a so frantic pace, so many movies in his filmography confirm it. Good time waster taking place in Dark Africa, with some elements of thriller.

Director Lewis Teague, the genius who gave us CUJO, lost his inspiration and motivation in this horror tale, itself inspired from Steven Spielberg's JAWS; CUJO was never copied, at least as far as I know - after all, maybe it was, but under my radar detection - however ALLIGATOR plot, scheme is not the only one made for the horror movie encyclopedia. But don't worry, it remains an effective seventies horror yarn, as was also GRIZZLY or other flicks which I don't remember the titles just now. Yes, you can watch it without any problem, it is not lousy, lame. CUJO was only better regarding of a lesser budget for the Stephen King's adaptation.

I don't know why but I thought of the Bertrand Blier's flms atmosphere when I saw this movie. For instance TENUE DE SOIREE, and the presence of Miou Miou enhances this feeling. Plus, Charles Berling's voice is nearly the same as Gérard Depardieu's one. I watched this film only because of the Anne Fontaine's directing and the Miou Miou's presence. The plot itself is not my cup of tea at all, the sex element doesn't shock me but only doesn't interest me either. However this story offers a pretty good characters analysis, an ordinary couple's daily life and problems description. A couple which seems to look like so many other ones.

The peculiarity of this short film is that there are no dialogue, no camera work or move of any kind. One shot, one take, the camera stands still and you have a boy, a dog and a woman. The sound is also very important. Absolutely nothing is explained and it is even more exciting, intriguing. Typical plot for a short movie. Many things may be possible behind those sounds, this terrific but simple atmosphere: a small boy, a dog, a woman who puts her laundry to dry, her cry when she gets back into the house, the train sound close to the house...Very intriguing. There should be more items like this one. I recommend it.

Bullying among youngsters is unfortunately a very modern problem, and it is good that many stories evoke this absolute plague. Those stories showing bullying are all painful and sometimes unbearable to watch. This short movie doesn't make exception. It is sharp like an edge, accurate, gripping. Maybe it would not be wise to show it to certain people, for instance those young folks who were victims of bullying. I like this kind of short films, so close to real life; unlike those stupid stories, a mix up of comedy and fantasy.... This movie should be watched by mature audiences, strong ones, especially parents.

I remember now having watched this sleeper several decades ago, and I also have in mind how boring it was. I admit that those corruption tales are not my cup of tea, especially when they are so talkative. And the eighty two minutes length is far too long for me. John Hodiak was a petty second rate, supporting character for MGM company, and he was not a bad actor. He had a presence, some kind of a Ray Liotta but for the 40's and 50's. The best of this movie is the atmosphere, this famous charming atmosphere from the fifties. Great photography also helps a lot to appreciate this drama thriller. Not bad.

Director Edward Dmytryck was still on the black list during those early fifties, because his political "friendship" with the Communist party. Producer Stanley Kramer proposed him anyway to direct this film, and I think it was a damn good idea. This is the awesome portrait of a lonely young man - Arthur Franz - mentally disturbed who is on rampage for a killing spree, concerning only women, brunettes. This terrififc little gem offers the peculiarity of draw the painting of an unusual character. He is a killer but the audience may feel some empathy for him, despite the crimes he commits. Thru this unpredictable story, proposing another ending as usual, it is somewhere not only the portrait of a man, but also the portrait of a society, a sick society. The analysis of such a film may be not that simple.

Only one thing to say : great film, very daring, very bold, the kind of film which the French film industry would have the biggest difficulties to produce, concerning for instance war in Algeria. This topic has more or less been talked about in the previous years, for instance this time concerning the war in Vietnam: the most notorious being Oliver Stone's BORN A 4TH OF JULY, and Hal Hashby's COMING HOME. Many more other features will also evoke the problems of war vets and many nasty things about war which the government always wanted to forget or simply erase from memory. This is about war in Irak. It could have been Afghanistan too; after all the same period. Tommy Lee Jones awesome, as he was in THREE BURIALS, two years earlier.

This drama hesitating between film noir and social analysis of the Pigalle district center of Paris of course reminded me Karim Dridi's PIGALLE, made in 1995, nearly the same kind of plot, atmosphere, and the directing is excellent for this sort of story. Inspired from Marc Villard's screenplay, it is totally faithful to Marc Villard's book spirit, soul, downbeat tales of prostitutes, petty punks and crooks of all kinds, drug addicts and dealers, transvestites. Juliet Berto is awesome here, in a role that was made for her, I am sure of it. Typical from the early eighties period, and even a bit later in the decade. If you like this kind of atmosphere, this film is made for you.

It is very painful to know that this little and rare French anticipation - science fiction - flick, directed by a film maker whose the other movie, made in 1980 - 5% DE RISQUE, also very strange and terrific - was a commercial failure. I commented the other one too. So this one is really interesting because totally unpredictable. The plot seems very simple but the message is more subtle. I would have imagined the Spanish film industry making such a film where kids have a so much and evil importance. Spanish movies often give children a big importance, especially horror or dramas. This movie is rather gloomy, not very optimistic, but you can "read' it from different points of view. In the same category of message, but not film, you also have Serge Leroy's ATTENTION LES ENFANTS REGARDENT. Very interesting.

I know this is a rare Poverty Row material and it deserves a little respect. I usually and will continue to defend those small little films, forgotten gems from the thirties and forties. I am so glad that from time to time it is possible to purchase them on line or thru a bootlegged - or not - marketplace, thanks to the public domain - or not - rights. But this one is so boring, so lousy, so.... Only because it was from Elmer Clifton, the director of CAPTAIN AMERICA serial, back in the forties, a decade about which I can watch some super heroes adventures, unlike the 2020's ones, which I can't bear at all. So, yes, I watched it till the end but it was rather hard to finally make it. I will always prefer from Clifton his final film THE JUDGE. Very interesting but lame feature.

This movie is so French, so unique, not destined to any audience, but a movie which will always enjoy millions of people, a fetish, mythic film that will never bore any one who loved him at first sight. I could not watch it every year, because it is not my personal cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it is not worth the viewing. It is a pure absolute gem from France, that can not be remade by the American film industry, or with another atmosphere. However, the US plots, indie features I mean - certainly not Hollywood ones - can from time to time provide such offbeat and weird stuff. Not only French. For instance the Coen brothers were maybe influenced by this film.

When I read the Patrick Suskin's novel, I was so astonished, I did not realize how powerful this book was, because when I read it, I literally smelled every scent, fragrance of every scene, because of the description. It was absolutely unique. And when I learned that a movie would be made from this terrific novel, I said to myself that it was impossible to be faithful to such a material. How wrong I was !! How wrong !!!! This movie is also a pure masterpiece, outstanding, unforgettable. The story in book made me think to some kind of french novelist Serge Brussolo's. Plot, so incredible, so crazy...But in the good way. A milestone in movie history.

The novel, genuine material which this junk is made from, was a James Hadley Chase's novel, not his best, because written in the late seventies, but still among my favourites, because with so many characters - most of them never make it before the end - and so riveting, gripping, the pure Chase's trademark. A trademark that nearly no movie was faithful to, or only a very few - EVA for instance. Concerning this one, the overall plot is more or less the book, but forget the rest if you are a Chase die hard boiled as I am since my childhood. It is a comedy, at least a lighthearted crime film, where for instance the Tom Lepski's character can not be faithful to the book.... The first part reminded me SANS MOBILE APPARENT, made in 1969 by Phlippe Labro from a Ed McBain's book, where it was also question of rich people on the French Riviera getting killed by a mysterious sniper. Prefer the book instead this junk directed by a once good and inspired director - except for his nude films - I mean Claude Bernard Aubert - L'ARDOISE, CHARLIE BRAVO, L'AFFAIRE DOMINICI.

Two years before Paul Henreid's GIRLS ON THE LOOSE, you also have here a plot which was usually made and written for men ; but here it is for women...And director Roger Corman is in command, with his fetish actress Beverly Garland as the main lead. The plot is not that exciting because too many times told before, and so predictable too. I personnaly prefer GIRLS ON THE LOOSE, because of a more interesting and more violent and gritty story. But this one remains very worth seeing, because precisely of Roger Corman's skills to always invent for each of his films. Beverly Garland is also a good pretext to watch it.

This is a very personal topic for author and director José Giovanni who was usually specialized in pure crime action flicks - as director or writer - CLASSE TOUS RISQUES, LE DEUXIEME SOUFFLE, LE GITAN, LA SCOUMOUNE, HO, and also adventure stories LES GRANDES GUEULES, LES AVENTURIERS, LA LOI DU SURVIVANT...Giovanni was himself a convict supposed to be executed in 1945 but he was finally pardonned by French president Vincent Auriol. .Here, you have of course criminal elements, but it remains over all a drama. Poignant, gripping, painful, sad, downbeat but terrific movie showing Jean Gabin and Alain Delon together for the last time after MELODIE EN SOUS SOL and LE CLAN DES SICILIENS. This is a film that you can not avoid. Michel Bouquet is as excellent here as he was in UN CONDE. Alain Delon also meets again Robert castel ten years after L'INSOUMIS.

And subject too. This plot, topic, could be adapted to any country, because the issues, elements it talks about could happen anywhere in a big town. But besides this, I am not that surprised that it was not released in France. As far as I know, Philip Noyce's first film shown in France was DEAD CALM, back in 1989. And this director began his career in 1971 !!! No one in France ever saw those early films in movie theaters. This one is a good drama and character study, relation analysis. I am happy to have discovered it, though it is not really my cup of tea. I guess the Aussie movie industry - and not only Australia - has many more of such gems in its vaults.

I totally forgot this little crime thriller from the director of THIRD VOICE and PLUNDER ROAD, and don't forget NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY too. It was one of his earliest films, starring a western actor: Bill Elliott; I still can not believe that Bill Elliot played in features other than westerns. I still can't believe it. This one brings absolutely nothing to the genre investigation, mystery and detective in search of the real guilty man. But the quality is good and the movie not too long. It is just bearable, but that's not my stuff and I won't see it again. Just destined to discover Bill Elliott with something else than a stetson and a horse;

Yes, I have always been astonished that this great French film starring Jean Gabin and Sophia Loren was so rarely - if never - aired on French Tv and never released in VHS nor DVD. A pure mystery. Some folks succeeded in their search thru some foreign DVD or VHS stuff, never French.... Andre Cayatte delivers here his pure and genuine trademark around justice plots. Jean Gabin offers one of his last performances, and that's the first time he and Sophia Loren co starred. This is a rather good thriller drama that grabs you and never let you foresee what will happen in the next sequence. That's just a shame that this film was not better released, the same with Claude Pinoteau's L'HOMME NE COLERE, starring Lino Ventura. Some lines here remind me Richard Marquand's JUGGED EDGE. I mean for the final part.

This is a big budget film, especially if you consider the cast, and a very rare role for Renaud, the famous French singer. Adapted from the also famous Emile Zola's masterpiece, the most powerful social movie that you can imagine. It is also a semi documentary about the coal miners, as terrififc as as Martin Ritt's MOLLY MAGUIRES, but less from a political point of view. It is riveting, gripping and Claude Berri gives here one of his best films. It was a big success in France and was aired many times on sunday evenings. Gerard Depardieu has his character nearly stolen by the jaw dropping performance of Renaud the singer.

I have never seen such a Sylvester Stallone's performance since 1978 FIST, twenty years earlier. And he seems the very same age. Twenty years in between. I love him in such roles, and besides I hate him in all his super heroes trash - ROCKY and FIRST BLOOD - RAMBO film franchise. Stallone had the gift to be a real actor, unlike for instance Arnold, who had only his charm, and presence, his charisma. Stallone had more than this but he wasted it in junkk films, actionners very popular but still garbage. So, back to COP LAND, this movie is also exceptional because you have Stallone co starring Bob De Niro, but also the likes of Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Harvey Keitel.... Stallone has never been so moving, poignant than in this very film. Unfortunately one of the weakest ending ever.

This is an unfairly underrated crime noir from the late forties. The director Max Nosseck already gave us DILLINGER one year earlier with the same Lawrence Tierney, absolutely fabulous. This one is more drama oriented, though the intentions and atmosphere of violence are the same. It is short, sharp, and the story with those two boys raised by their old Mom is very touching. Those two brothers story has something that we have seen before, in westerns mainly. The overall film may you think of some kind of CRIME DOESN'T PAY material. The film maker made only a handful of films in the USA and Germany besides this one and DILLINGER, including BRIGHTON STRANGLER and KILL OR BE KILLED.

At least, in France, this adventure film from One Thousand and One Nights tales was very famous, and I understand why after watching it. Full of charm because of the photograpjy, production design, music score and above all Nat King Cole's song. No matter the story, the plot, focus only on the overall film, not details. The best material from director Don Weis, forget the rest. Anyway this director was especially a TV director, more than a big screen film maker. Even if his real influence was not important for this film, it is still a good adventure film and it is very important to consider it in terms of other movies of this kind, as good - but different though - as the Universal ones from the forties and fifties, starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall or Yvonne De Carlo or Maureen O'Hara.