LeonLouisRicci

Extreme, Morbid-Obesity, at First-Glance, Seems to be the Subject, Title, and Lead-Character in a Film Focusing on the "Problem" that is Increasingly On-the-Rise and Threatens the Very Structure and Form of Homo-Sapiens that has Existed Since Man Walked Upright...

But Hold-On

The Central Morbidly-Obese "Charlie" Character is Defined Almost Always as a Good-Hearted, Lonely, Articulate, Caring Human-Being Beneath the 600lbs of Blubber.

Also, the Movie Looks the Other Way Frequently, Like Adding to the Scenario the Most Famous Whale of All...

Let's Talk "Moby Dick", because there is Nothing Strange about What We Have Here. That Appalling Exterior is Almost of Secondary Concern to the Story.

Instead of Pointing to the More Crucial Existential Harm and Threat to Most of the Citizens of America...

Obesity and the Evil, Deadly Demands it Propagates on the People in Question. Those Unfortunates with a Self-Inflicted Damaging Behavior (Folks are not being Force-Fed).

The Individuals Inhabiting an Abused Body Burdened with Literally the "Extreme-Extra-Weight" Added to the Exteriors Task of Housing the Heart, Soul, and Mind.

A Foisted Foreign Invader, as Deadly as a Virus or an Invading Army.

The Play, the Movie, the Script and Story, Looks the Other Way as if the Abomination is an Hallucination, a Mirage, or is No Different than an Odd Fashion-Statement.

So "Charlie" (the Whale), His Life and Times, Focuses on His Estranged Daughter, Not Abandoned by a Selfish Desire to Eat, and Eat, and Eat.

But Because He Preferred to Take-Off with His "Gay-Lover".

It's the Same with the Wife, for the Same Reason. None of this has Anything to Do with His 600lb Behemoth of a Body.

The Movie is so Full of Other-Things that His Suicide by "Gorging" is Secondary to All that is Happening.

What is the Point in Having such a Grotesque Character at the Center and Abandon the Grotesque for Other Less Life-Threatening and Easier to Face "Facts-of-Life".

This by a Film-Maker that Loves to "Take Chances"?

But Here, He Makes a Movie that has the Opportunity to Address Crucial Concerns that, in some way or another, Touches Everyone in America.

A Celebrated Nonconformist Artist......Looks the Other Way.

He Makes a Movie that Could Have Been Made by any Hollywood Hack,

Not Willing to Go There and Involve Itself in a Truly Suppressed or Ignored Story that Needs to be Told.

Darren Argonfsky, for the First-Time...Has COPPED-OUT.

Note...100 million adults have obesity, and more than 22 million adults have severe obesity.

Benicio Del Toro (huge original Fan) Surely Looks the Part, as Did the Big-Brutish Lon Chaney Jr.

Anthony Hopkins, Master of Subtle-Genius-Malevolence, is a No-Brainer.

Emily Blunt is a "Progressive" Woman in the Culturally and Scientific "Backswoodian-Era", Immediately Transforms Her Love from Brother-to-Brother in a Heart-Beat,

and the Script Makes the Curt Siodmak Story Transition Without Interference.

Rick Baker's Award-Winning SFX and Make-Up Took the Years Oscar,

and the Film Not Only Honor's the Original Universal Movie, along with Nods to "Werewolf of London" (1935, Years ahead of the over-shadowing 1940 Movie) but also the Style and Make-Up of Hammer's "Curse of the Werewolf" (1960).

There's More Gore and Blood-Letting than All of the "Werewolf" Movies to Date Combined.

So What, Exactly, is so"Bad" About this Movie that it Turned-Off Fans and Critics Alike?

The Answer is...Objectively...Nothing...Another Easy-Answer is...

The Time-Lapse of the "Tale" and the Multitudes of "The Wolf-Man" and its Various Story-Character-Driven Psychology of Schizophrenia and the Yin-Yang of the Human-Soul has a Long-List of Titles, Styles, and "Takes",

It 's a Classic Battle of Inner-Demons that Cannot be Denied its Mystery and Telling with Each Passing Generation.

The Challenge to 21st Century Story-Telling, is to Make the "Classic" Fresh and Engaging for "New" Audiences, and Still be "True-to-the-Tale"

In Doing So, the "New" Movie-Makers Chose, Early On, that All Color Needs to be Muted, Drained, and Shown the Door. Technicolor...Good-Riddens.

What We Got Here People is Sepia-Toned Madness, All Looks the Same...

Like a Previously Color-Photo Left Out in the Sun Too Long. The Cynical New-Display is "Bleakness"...Look at that Poster...Is that "Bleak-Enough" For Ya?

That's What Passes for "Artfulness" in the New-Age where CGI, "Artistically-Speaking", is "The New".

Cinematic-History Will Not be Kind.

Maudlin Melodrama From Aldos Huxley...Zoltan Korda & Top-Notch British Actors

Jessica Tandy is a Stand-Out in Huxley's Screenplay from His Own Novel ("The Gioconda Smile", with Charles Boyer, Cedric Hardwick, and Ann Blyth.

Helped by a Relentless Downer-Tone, some Norish Cinematography, and an Excellent Supporting Turn from the "Devilish" Mildred Natwick Quoting Scripture to Justify Her Serpentine Hatred for All Men..."They're all Pigs"..."Vengeance is mine saith the Lord" (Romans II:xix).

The Moody Sets, Dialog, and Presentation Serve-Up a Potent, Poisonous, Maniacal Melodrama of the Psychological... Love, Hate, Wrath, and the Criminally Insane.

It's Wordy, Lengthy, and Heavy Stuff, No Surprise Considering the Author...

A Celebrated Writer and Philosopher (nominated for the Nobel Prize 9 times)...His Book "The Doors of Perception" was the inspiration for "The Doors" Rock-Group. Although, a Pacifist He Volunteered for Duty in WWI but was rejected due to Failing Eyesight. Prolific with 50 Books...the Most Famous is "Brave New World" (1932)...along with Many Essays and Articles...Major Interests in Mysticism and Philosophy Huxley was Considered a Leading Intellectual of His Time. Working in Hollywood, He Practiced Philanthropy. Donating a Lot of His Earnings there to Help Many Jews Escape Germany.

Great Production and the Film Easily Fits in the Post-War Guilt and Gloom of Film-Noir that Formatted the Cynical, and a Newly Discovered Exploration Considering the Menace of the Mind. Including America's Post-War Suffering, Guilt, and some Very-Dark Philosophical Musings.

Excellent Film All Around that Crackles Like Thunder and Lightning, and Today Some Might Consider it a Heavy-Dose to Take-In. Although in 1948 it was on the Fringe of the New and Probably was a Stormy Experience for Most Movie-Goers, as it Offers a Dark Look at the Human Condition, by way of an Old War-Horse... "Men vs Women".

Those Movie-Buffs, who Watch a Lot, Love to Venture on a "Road-Less-Traveled", if for No Other Reason than to Experience a Variety in Their Entertainment Program.

Writer-Director David Lynch (nominated for 4 Oscars) has Demonstrated Again and Again, that His Job-of-Work-Art is Certainly Creatively Apart and Distant from His Contemporaries.

With the Likes of "Eraserhead" (1977), "The Elephant Man" (1980), "Blue Velvet" (1986), "Wild at Heart" (1990), "Lost Highway (1991), and "Mulholland Drive" (2001)...and TVs-"Twin Peaks" (1989-91).

Lynch has Few Contemporaries that Approach Cinematic-Creativity with a Passion for the Absurd, Surreal, Detachment, with a Disturbing Method and Style Apart from Anything Resembling Routine.

The "Aeuter" and His Assembled Filmography is Stranger than Strange.

So Save the Shock, Muzzle the Musings of the Incomprehensible, and Savor or even Ignore His "Art"...

and Move On to the More Accessible Products Manufactured at the "Dream-Factory", that are Mostly "Designed Obsolescence".

One Description of the Films of David Lynch, if Futile to Embark on such a Challenge, is the "Tag"..."Dream-Like", and even More of a Break-Down "Fever-Dream", and Perhaps the Most Accurate of All is..."Nightmare".

So Buying a Ticket to a David Lynch Gallery is Not the Usual Exposition to Say the Least.

Here He Tries "Digital", Shooting with a Low-End Digital Camcorder in Low-Resolution and then "Tweaking" or Playing with the Results.

"Fiddling About" to See What He Can See and Manipulate Like an Artist "Finger-Painting" with its Ever-Changing Texture and Swirls...

"Look Ma, what I Did with No-Budget."

Laura Dern is Possessed in a Multi-Faceted Role that Changes Her in Melodramatic Ways, sometimes in the Same-Scene, Demonstrating Acting-Art Sublimely "Submitted for Approval" and is a Master-Class of Cohabitation.

The Movie is 3Hrs Long and is a Lynchian Conceit of Additional "Effort" Foisted on Film-Folks to See if They Can Take It.

Those who Can are Certainly Welcomed Members of the "David Lynch" Fan Club Worthy of a Membership Card as a "Movie-Misanthrope".

Who "Boldly Travel...Where Few Men Have Gone Before".

A Mission of Voluntary Servitude to the Dark-Arts.

Weak-Kneed and the Easily Disturbed and Sensitive Types Need Not Apply.

This is a Special-Club for Special Film-Fans that Love to Take a Chance with Their Movie-Selections...

and Taking a Chance with a David Lynch Exhibit, is Inherently Rife with Traps, Pitfalls, Unconventional Certainty, Mystery, and is So-Out-There, Especially This Movie...

It's Like Experiencing a "Black Hole" and Living to Tell About It...

That is If They Dare.

Influential and High-Style Action-Guru John Woo, Now in His Late 70's, seems to be Having some Fun Remaking His "Killer-Hit"...

That Blind-Sided Most Movie-Fans in the 1980's who Discovered there was More to Hong-Kong Films than "Kung-Fu"...it's Woo...Who Became a Known Identity in America and Developed a "Cult" Following.

When "The Killer" (1989) was Released on Home-Video along with Some of His Other, Similar, Crime-Action Films, He and the Intense and Charismatic Actor Chow-Yun Fat were Instantly a "Thing",

On the Fringe of America's Love and Fascination with "Guns" and "Hard-Boiled" Action and Crime Movies.

Presumably Semi-Retired in 2024, "Peacock" (Streaming-Service) Offered to Finance a "Remake" of His Seminal, Classical, Over-the-Top, Highly Entertaining, Adrenalin Fueled Film, and for Whatever Reason He Signed-On...

This is His Answer, Re-Imagining a Movie that Made Folks Take Notice.

Not Surprisingly, this Super-Glossy, Digital Answer is Woo Painting a Picture Using the "New-Tools" in the Movie-Making Tool-Box...Along with other Well-Worn Tools-of-the-Trade, Some He Invented.

This Version is a Liter-Look at His Story, More Tongue-in-Cheek, Spreading the Visuals to a Wider Vista and Not-So-Much Up Close and Personal Displays of Blood-Soaked-Slow-Motion...Letting the Wider Horizon Soften the Intensity.

Woo Always Did Have a Surreal, Cartoon Way of Presentation that is "One Step Beyond" Reality and Makes for a Comic-Book-Look and Attitude.

Consequently Less Visceral and the Violence Less Painful to Endure. To be Sure...Violence is Ever-Presented and Essential to Woo's View of Entertainment in "Pulp" with Almost a Juvenile Juxtaposition of the "Reality" Less Important than the "Art".

His Modern Remake is More of a "Fun-Romp" than the Original, and its Ultra-Gloss Resulting in a More "Pleasant" Ride for the Masses.

Strap-In and Watch a Master Inventive Movie-Maker Encore and Homage Himself for Your Consideration and Enjoyment.

Based on the Reactions for those that Put Pen-to-Paper for Ventilation...there is a Considerable Amount of "Hate" and Disrespect.

The Movie is Just Too Much Like All the Other Main-Stream Film-Makers Working Today, who, By-the-Way,

Got a Lot of those Tropes from Woo, and Have been so Recycled, so Copied, so Prevalent in a Number of Genres, and are Now Cliches.

Obviously Learned and Studied at the Altar-of-Woo.

Respectfully and With Pleasure, More than...Worth a Watch.

Chronologically..."Cotton Comes to Harlem" (1970) and "Sweet Sweetback Badass Song" (1971) Preceded "Shaft"...

but Failed to Make More than a Minor Blip on the "New-Hollywood" Wave" of Independent Movies that Erupted After the Collapse of "The Code" and the Implementation of the "Rating System" that Began with...

G...GP (later changed to PG & even later added PG-13)...R (Restricted)...and the "Dreaded" and Heavily Stigmatized...X (absolutely nobody under 18 admitted).

It was the "Season for Independents", with Ultra-Successful, Financially and Critically, Low-Budget "Indies",

Like "Easy Rider" (1969), and others, that were "Cleaning-Up" at the Box-Office, Putting the Final "Nails-in-the-Coffin" for the Big Studios...

who had been Guilty of Mediocritizing Movies and were Wasting Away, During an Over Decade of Bloat, Waste, Artistic Indifference, and Cultural Detachment.

Gordon Parks and Richard Roundtree's "Shaft" Delivered a Racial-Attitude-Adjustment to a Long-Overdue Correction with Regards to Black Film-Artists "Seat at the Table" in Main-Stream Hollywood Productions.

Movies Would Add a New Patina and Coat to the Film-Production Permanently and Forevermore.

"Shaft" Wallows in the "Grit" of Film-Noir and the "Private-Eye" Genre.

The Era of "Blaxploitation" was Creating a New "Trend" and Proliferated the Movie-Scene in the 70's.

The Film does Suffer Somewhat with some Dated and, and Frankly some Cringe Inducing Inclusions of "Black-Stereotypes"...with "Hipper than Hip", "Too-Cool-for-School" Dialog and Behavior.

Especially the Obvious "Slang" and "Sexual Prowess" of "African-Americans".

But, the Look was Fresh and Dirty...the Violence Amped, and the Story Minimalist.

All Adding to the "Entertainment" Factor.

Audiences Ate-it-Up and to this Day...Continue the Feast.

Issac Hayes Score and Song are Iconic "talkin' 'bout Shaft..."He's a Bad Mother F' hush your mouth".

For Film-Historians and Pop-Culture Cultists, it's a...

Must See.

For Others it's...

Worth a Watch.

Expanding the Palette of His Stylishly Low-Budget Grittiness of "Blue Ruin" (2013) and "Green Room" (2015), Writer Director Jeremy Saulnier's New Netflix Outing, although Somber and Slick, Seems Stuck on One-Note and Rarely Rises to Upbeat.

The Actors Go Through the Motions OK, but the Side-Stories with AnnaSophhia Robb as a Wannabe Lawyer (with a past), Goes Virtually Nowhere Beyond its Foundation.

The Assorted Utterly Corrupt Small-Town Law Enforcement, with a Determined Dramatic Delivery from Don Johnson, is Anything but Newly Explored.

Something the Director Did with the 2 Aforementioned Films that Put Him On-the-Map.

But Here it All Seems Rote, Recycled, and Rather Muddled.

There's Very Little Ultra-Violence, Practically None, and the Extended Scene with Wronged Innocent, Ex-Military-Man Aaron Pierre Launching Smoke and Tear-Gas Grenades Over and Over, is Like a Vinyl Record Stuck in a Groove.

It's Just too Cliched and Standard Stuff from a Director that Came Out-of-the-Box "Smokin", this one is a Major Letdown.

OK, but that's Not Good Enough for a New Writer-Director that Surely has Better Movies in Him than this Somewhat Suspenseful, Serviceable Film.

Where is that Sauliner Edge?

It's just Not Here and the Smoky Story Adds to the Disappointment.

Still the Director Manages with Minimum Creativity to Make it...

Worth a Watch.

Not One of Brian De Palma's Hits...a Missed Opportunity Homage to one of Hitchcock's Most Artsy Movies.

Cliff Robertson is One of those A-List Actors that Rode His "Charly" (1968) Oscar for an Entire Career and was Never a Charismatic or Fine Actor.

John Lithgow is Prone to "OVER" Acting and Tends to Strongly Emphasize His Line-Deliveries a Notch Above the "Red".

Here He Gives One of His Most Exaggerated Performances where All Around Him, Including the Director are Somewhat Restrained.

The Hilarious Southern Accent along with an All White Outfit Throughout and He Stands-Out (and not in a good way) as if He is Detached from the Proceedings and is in a Different Film.

Nothing Quite Clicks in a De Palma Sort of Way, the Elements are Here but seem Abstractly Muted.

But then Again, Brian De Palma is a "Stylist" or "Auteur" and All His Movies are a Hoot to Watch because He Offers Such a Visual-Vista of Eye and Ear Candy.

That is to Say that Even the Worst De Palma Movie Could be Called a "Guilty Pleasure".

Worth a Watch.

Ferrera was Just Starting to be Noticed Following the Waves He Set in Motion with His "Artsy-Surreal-Violent" Pulp-Fiction..."Ms. 45" (1981)...

the Encore of His 1st Feature...The Less "Artsy", More Crude "The Driller Killer" (1979) where He Takes on the Titular Role, but After Pretty Much Left "Acting" to "Others".

Here Witness a "Nod" or a Capitulation to More Accessible Movie Producers and Audiences, but the "Maverick-Bad-Boy", Reluctantly or Not, was an Uncomfortable Fit for Such Pretensions.

His Films were "Born" on the Fringe of the "Big-Apple", and for the Most Part that's where He Stayed (at home), to Develop on His-Terms a Filmography that Steadily Found a "Cult" of "True Believers" in His Edgy, "Guerilla" or what Writer Hunter Thompson Called the "Gonzo" Approach to "Art" (few rules, a lot of improv and "Cinema Verity" style or method).

"Fear City" has a Neo(n)-Noir Template Focusing on the "Time-Square" of His Home-Town,

Specifically "Strip-Clubs", Strippers, and the Assorted "Misfits" and "Misanthropes" that Hang There. The Film had Many Times the Budget of His Previous "Shoe-Strings" and it Looks Fantastic.

But that's where the Accolades Start to Fade Fast.

The Acting, even from Tom Berrenger, Melanie Griffith, Billy Dee Williams and Other Familiar Faces from "Character" Actors is "Ripe" and Distracting.

The Story, Riding the "Slasher" Successes Trend, is OK with the "Serial-Killer" Manifesting Tropes such as "Psychotic and Narcissistic"...

(he keeps a Journal called..."Fear City" with the Cover Title Written in Blood)...

He is a "Martial Artists" Gone Over the Edge and is "Putting Mankind on a Different, more Pure Path, by Slaughtering those "Napalms of Sin"...Smut Peddlers and the Human Smut They Peddle.

"Fear City" is Ferrera Entering the "Real-World" of Movie-Making" and He has the "Chops" to Take Advantage of "Money" and "Talent" Allocated...

But One can Tell He is "Reverse-Slumming".

Making a Movie that Needed an OK from the "Suits" and while the Movie Does Have some Ferrera Moments,

Overall it Suffers from a "By-the-Numbers" "Playbook" Handed to a Writer-Director that Never Heard of a "Playbook"...

This is the Result...Abel Ferrara Playing by Another Man's Book. He Realized Quickly that His (In)Famy and Destiny was to Do Different.

No Doubt About it, Character Actor Joe Pesci has had a "Checkered" Career.

He Won "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar, the Only Win from "Goodfellas" (1991) 6 Nominees.

Pesci has Done Other Outstanding Work..."JFK" (1991)..."Lethal Weapon 2" (1989)..."Raging Bull" (1980)...Among Others.

A Difficult Actor to Fit Comfortably in a Leading Role, Pesci was Given this Opportunity to Play the Role of "Bernstein", a Character Based on Still Photographer Arthur "Weegee" Fellig, a "Nightcrawler" in New York City .

Fellig's Story is Legendary and was the Leading "Paparazzi" in Gotham for Many Years.

The Movie is Rich and Rewarding, Telling the Tale of a Colorful "Artist" who Captured, with a Flashbulb, Camera and an Amazing "Public Eye", the Underbelly and More of "The Big Apple" and Delivered it to Newspapers who Delivered it for Mass Public Consumption.

Pesci Gives an Understated Warmth and Persona to the Role and is Surrounded by a Sumptuous Look.

The Supporting Cast of Barbara Hershey, and a Plethora of Familiar Faces who All Enhance the Proceedings.

It's Slightly Off-Beat in Style and Tone, its "Retro-Look" is Fantastic.

It is a Mystery Why this Highly Entertaining Film, Based on a Second-Tier Celebrity's True Story with a Visual Vista Built In,

was Not a Hit When Released, and even More of a Mystery is why it's Virtually Unknown, and has Not Attracted a "Cult" Following. It is an Impressive Film Across the Board.

A Bona-Fide Anomaly...A Hidden-Gem...and Certainly...

Worth a Watch.

The Movie Literally Becomes a Barely Coherent String of Fuzzy Slap-Stick Scenes.

Not Many are Fresh and Most are Another Tired Wire & Green-Screen Tutorial For the 10% of Fans Who Care "How They Did That!"...

The "Buffs" who Really Care to See How the "Sausage is Made" and Spoil those Screen-Dreams, do Love those Disc "Extras"...

That's What This Is...Exposing "How They Did That"...While They're Doing That.

The Package is Delivered as a "Behind the Scenes" Fictional FEATURE-ette...

The Making of a Mega-Budgeted Block-Buster...

Uncomfortably "Wrapped", More Like "Warped" in Possibly One of the Weakest Romantic Comedies EVER on this Level...

Headlining those 2-Mega-Stars...Served-Up a Yucky and Luke-Warm...that Never Heats-Up...

Absolutely No-Gosling-Blunt Chemistry...Emily Blunt Miss-Cast...

Giving New Meaning to "Sleep-Walking" Through the Movie and it Comes Across Like a...

Highly Paid Somnambulist, Oblivious, Maintaining a Thousand-Mile Stare.

Gosling Comes-Off Better in a Role that a Young Jackie Chan Invented (including the end-credits-out-takes).

The Stuffed, Over-Written Plot is Lacking Coherence and Definition...

The Dialog, Pacing, and Kinetic-Energy On-Screen is 1-Part "Familiar-Cringe" and 1-Part "Migraine-Inducing".

The Only Surprise, but not really, is to Watch so Much Money and Talent (across-the-board) Squandered, Resulting in a Barely-Passable,

By-the-Book, Mega-Mediocrity.

Failing by Different-Degrees in All the "Arts" of "Movie-Making"... Ironies of Ironies that's what This is About..."Making Movies".

Proceed with Caution and Bring-Along "Very-Low-Expectations".

This is a "MEGA-MISFIRE"

Although the Coen-Bros Debut Film "Blood Simple" (1984) is One of the Best "Neo-Noir", this Movie has No Such Pretensions.

It Actually Pretends it's 1949, Not in a New or Neo Sense, it is 1949 by All Intents and Purposes.

That was the Year that is Considered the Peak of "Film-Noir"

Before the Spontaneous-Eruption of the Genre, as it was Becoming Fully-Formed and a Bona-Fide Singularity, with its Own Style and Tropes.

It Suffered an Intentional Dilution that Caused it to Morph More and More into what Became Known as "Police Procedure".

Billy Bob Thornton, and His Stoic, Dead-Pan Narration and Acting...The High-Contrast Cinematography (Roger Deakins that was Oscar Nominated),

the Irony, the Twists of Fate, in Fact the Entire Film is an Uncanny Time-Travel with a Modern Transformation Propellant of the Pure "Film-Noir".

A Typical Coen-Bros Ensamble of a Great Cast, the Witticisms...

Lawyer (The Best) Frank Reidenscheidner..."Look I'm an attorney, you are a Barber...You don't know nothing".

Film-Formula Insights, and the Black-Comedy Tone, All Combine for Another Unique Experience and is Another Mesmerizing, Totally Unique Offering that the Brothers Served-Up so Often.

This One has Limited Appeal to a Wide-Audience, it's Small but Compelling, Compact Sharp-Edged-Cinema of Minimalism, and is an Off-Beat, and Unusual Experience. Sort of Like Their "Barton Fink" (1991).

It's Another Coen-Bros "WoW" of an Exceptional Experience...and with a Cast Like...

Billy Bob Thornton, Francis McDormand, Richard Deakins, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Baladucco, James Gandolfini, and Jon Polito

It's a Must-See for Film-Noir Fans

For Others

Worth a Watch.

Typical in the Zeitgeist of "Anti-Commie" Movies Proliferating During the "Cold War" Era in America and Britain.

Containing some "Noir" Tropes (Amnesia, Dark Suspense, & Atmosphere) it Manages to be an Intriguing, if Often Used Story of Soviet Spies of the Eastern Bloc on Western Soil.

Brain-Washing (Hypnotizing) a "Person of interest" for Nefarious, Scientific, or Political One-Ups-Man-Ship, Striving to Gain an "Upper-Hand" on the "Free-World".

The Acting is the Usual British-Stage-Craft, put to Good Sinister Use with Russian-Spy-Craft.

A Talkie 1st-Half, Setting the Stage, for a More Robust 2nd-Half where the "Game is Afoot" and Expands Beyond the Confines of the Corridors, into the Country where Our Hero and Victim Conveniently Finds a Warm and Naive Welcome from Ella Rains (in Her Final Movie).

After a Slow-Start and an Uncomfortable Inclusion of an Alcoholic (Cyril Cusak) that Knows the "Skinny", but can Barely Maintain Sobriety Long Enough to Help.

Slightly Above Average Minor Movie in a Genre (Spy-Espionage) that Gained Much Momentum After WWII, Peaking with Bond, James Bond.

Worth a Watch.

In this Movie, that is a Come-On, Flashing its Cast, Director, and Location as a Piece of Cheese that Most Movie-Mice Can Not Resist the Temptation of that Ole Movie-Magic that is Sustenance for the Insatiable Film-Fan.

Matt Damon...Still Riding a Very Successful and Rewarding Career that was Blessed by Energy, a Great Sense of Choosing the Right Projects, Collaborators, Friends, and Good-Luck, Not to Mention a Talent that Some Call "It".

Then There is Casey Affleck.

Nepotistic Career Propelled by His Brother After He Attained Enough "Cred" to Push His Sibling into the Spotlight Again and Again, Until He Became Familiar and Helped by some Sort of Voodoo that Mesmerized Fans and Critics Despite...

a Mumbling Line Delivery of Half-Swallowed Words that the Ear and Brain Struggle to Interpret, Like a Recognized Language, but Buried so Deep Under what Seems Like Cryptic-Code to Decipher.

And the Body-Language Used in Every Role as an Aw-Shucks, Nerd with a "Shy" Personality Disorder that Broadcasts "I am Embarrassed to Just be Here".

They Gave this Guy an Oscar. Sheesh.

The Cast is a "Dream-Work", and All are Cashing-In with Roles of Varying Degrees of...Showing-Up, Phoning it in, or Helping a Friend.

Taking Underwritten and Hardly Developed Characters that Disappear After a Scene or Two Enough to Established the Credibility of the Credits that Announce...

a List of Name-Drops that Ultimately Signifies "Fraud" Behind the Curtain-of-Deception.

Sure, this Made-for-Apple-TV Movie has that Corporate Money Behind it and No-One will Lose a Wink-of-Sleep or Worry if the Film is a Flop, and the Number-Crunches were Not-Needed,

because this is Work-for-Hire and All Involved can Clock-Out with No-Fear of Reprisals from Film-Fans or Critic Negativity.

Embarrassing, No Fun, Stilted, Half-Heated "Retirement Home" Play that Fizzles...

but Hey Thanks a Bunch for Your Attention, now Exit Safely, and Have a Nice Day...

We Sure Did, at Least Financially.

5 Years After Michael Mann's Directorial Debut..."Thief" (1981)...He Made this Film that Bombed at the Box-Office, went Virtually Unnoticed and was Brushed-Off as just Another "Miami Vice"-Like Product from TV's Show-Off, In-Your-Face Director.

That is...Until the Phenom Called "Silence of the Lambs" (1991) and a Serial-Killer Named "Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector.

Suddenly, Mann's Film Showed-Up On Radar and was Quickly Re-Discovered, Re-Evaluated, and had a "New-Life" on Home Video.

Film-Fans, who were Not Michael Mann "Cultists" Discovered a "Hidden-Gem". It was All There...Hannibal, the Tooth-Fairy, Will Graham, and was the "Red Dragon" Book Translated in Film with Uncanny, and Rare Accuracy to the Delight of Everyone, especially Author Tom Harris Fans.

Packaged with the "Flare" and "Style" Familiar to the Films of Michael Mann that Made Him a Fan-Favorite and Popular, Award-Winning Director.

Coated with a Slick, Sleek Gloss of Color Saturation, Neo-Noir Template of High-Style, and a Sound-Track of Synthesizer and Songs that Equalize the Visceral Cinema Experience to the Max. Although, in this Early Work, the Songs are Not as Well Placed as Mann's Later Films and, some say, are the Movie's Main Distraction.

But Overall, Not Enough to Make this Less than a Substantial Entry in the Serial-Killer Genre and a Initially Neglected Gem that Deserves a Place in the Director's Filmography Along-Side His Better-Known Movies.

Objectively, Side-by-Side with "Red Dragon", it's the Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal), Ed Norton (Graham), Version that Edges-Out This One.

But, this Once Forgotten Film has Thankfully been Re-Evaluated and Awarded its Due Glory.

At the "Peak" of His Acting Career John Travolta comes Close to Over-Acting in Almost Every Scene.

Competing with the Always Sinister-Subtlety of Scott Glen who Literally Blows Everyone Off the Screen Like Their Armatures in His Presence, Another Rival Travolta Encounters and He Fights that Damn "Mechanical-Bull" for Attention.

No One Seemed to Notice that, the Never-Ending "Bull-Rides" all Look and Sound the Same, Ultimately the Movie Suffers Significantly from its Over-Exposure and as a "Character", it's "Bull-Doo-Doo", Travolta Pushes Hard, Maybe a bit Too-Hard.

So Travolta is "Upstaged" by The Bull, Scott Glenn (turning to Evil in the 3rd Act & Kills it), and Maybe even Debra Winger in Her Debut.

It's a Shallow Scenario at its Core and the "Neo-Country-Music" that Sold its Soul to the "Pop-Music-Gods" hasn't Aged Well,

although the Sound-Track Sold 3 Million and Became a Fad that Said..."Country Music is the New Cool", it was "Manufacturing Consent" and it did the Heart of the Genre No Favors, except it Raked-In a Lot of Money for a Lot of People.

It's Not an Easy-Watch...Most of the Characters are Unlikable Throughout the Movie.

It Does Try Hard to Address Domestic Violence and Macho-Madness,

The Movie, Like the Aforementioned Vapid Country-Pop has Aged Horribly.

Might be...

Worth a Watch...

Depending On Your Cultural Mind-Set and Attitude.

George Melies and His Magic-Box Played on the Playground During the Childhood of Cinema with Many Short, Colorful, Bizarre, Surreal Tricks that Treated the Birth of what Ultimately Proved to be the "Most-Popular-Art-Form-of the 20th Century".

Although He and His Creative-Team Made Dozens in a Similar Vein, All are a Testament to Creativity, Energetic Resourcefulness, and a Public Craving with an Insatiable Appetite for "The Movies".

Melies Never Disappointed His Fans...His Most Famous Film is..."A Trip to the Moon" (1902)...Our Lunar-Partner Suffers a "Rocket-Ship-To-The-Eye" that Resulted in a Still-Photo Symbolizing the Power of the "New-Art" and is "Iconic" and Recognized Today, even by those who have Never Seen a "A Trip to the Moon", and Never Heard of Melies.

Since its Inception the Superlative "Magic" has Never been Absent as a Wonderful and Accurate Descriptive of "The Movies"...

"Time-Slip"...Star-Date (1954)...

For the 1st Time "The Movies" as a Collective-Undertaking and an "Art-Business" Creation was Severely Threatened,

Financially, though Not Really "Artistically", because of the Limitations of the Technology Involved with that 1st Wave of the "Idiot-Box" (B&W, Tiny Screen Size, Horrible Resolution, Similar and Limited Program Offerings, Constant Image Interference, Low-Tech Audio, Etc.),

Hollywood's Magic-Formula and its Creators and Financiers were Caught Blindsided and Felt the Ambush from the "New-Kid-On-The-Block" Devastating...On Their "Bottom-Line"...

Panic Ensued and a Rush was On to "Counter-Program" the New "Upstart" and Ended-Up Throwing Many Things at the Wall...

Wide-Screen-CinemaScope...Cinerama...Technicolor...Stereo & Multi-Channel Sound with High-Fidelity...and of course 3-D...

3-D was a "Failed-Flop" Immediately...Stupid-Looking Red & Blue Paper Glasses that were Clunky, Hard to Keep "Fitted & Straight" on the Eyes...and Worse of the Worst...

it Seemed to Cause "Headaches" to some "Heads"...and all of this for a Mediocre 3-Dimensional Experience, at Best,.

Truth is, Most of the "Effects" were Unimpressive, Dismal, Contrived, and a Big-Letdown for Fans...and Audiences were Not Rushing to "See" What All the Fuss was About.

Word of Mouth and Folks who Witnessed this "New-Sensation" First-Hand thought it "New" for sure, but 'Sensational" Hardly.

So 3-D was a Fizzle, and the "Tech" was Given No Favors with the Titles that Carried this "Monkey" on its Back...the B-Movies...and the "Writing Was On the Wall-Screen" from the Get-Go.

"The Mad Magician" (perhaps a fitting metaphoric slogan of the "Real-Time" Frenzied Film-Makers)...

TV's Unexpected "Power" and "Hold" (close to home was concerning) Causing the "Magic-Movie-Makers" to Scramble and Cower at the "Awesomeness" of this New-Invention Offered to "Nuclear-Families" or Any-One with a Couple Hundred Bucks and an Electric Wall Socket,

Almost Everyone Joinedd-In and Experience this "Crazy-One-Eyed Monster', that Must have Seemed Like...Well...Magic.

For Sure, it was Hypnotic, Magnetic, Addictive and Hard to Stay Away from and Created what Could be Called the 1st Generation of "Screen-Zombies" (sound familiar).

This Movie is Essentially a Remake of the Previous Years Semi-Hit "House of Wax", also Starring Price and in "Color".

Vincent is Excellent, the Script is Edgy with "Buzz-Saws" and a "Crematorium". But, The Mystery-Plot is an "Old-Saw" of a Story.

It's Entertaining Enough, and a Truly Horrifying making it True to its "Roots".

An Above Average B-Movie.

Film-Historian and Critic, Peter Bogdonavich Teamed with Roger Corman and Director Sam Fuller to Craft an Ultra-Low-Budget Psycho-Horror.

Inspired by the Real-Life "Mad Sniper", Charles Whitman. Who 2 Years Earlier Killed 14 People and Wounded Dozens of Others,

Atop a Tower on the Campus of a Texas University, Armed with an Arsenal of Guns and Ammunition.

Whitman, a Trained Military Sniper was Seen as a "Clean-Cut-All-American Boy" by Those who "Knew" Him. The Motivation Behind the "Snap" and the Massacre are Very Ambiguous.

The 60's was a "Decade of Assassinations"...Pres. John F. Kennedy.... Sen. Robert Kennedy...Rev. Martin Luther King...Malcolm X...and an Attempted Assassination of Gov. George Wallace.

"Targets" is Purposely Absent any Sort of Motivation for the Squeaky Clean Spree-Killer and that Rings-True to Most of the Type to this Day.

Their So-Called "Reasons", as a Group are All Over the Map and Can Not be Legitimately Pinned-Down, so Bogdonavich's Instincts were On the Right Path.

It's a Strange Movie Across the Board. Nothing Like it had Ever Been Seen At the Movies.

Boris Karloff, in his Next-to-Last Movie is Excellent, Essentially Playing Himself.

An Aging Horror-Actor Knows that His Style of Scaring Audiences is Over and that Modern-Times the Monsters are More Likely...The Boy Next Door. His Drugs of Choice are Sugar and Caffeine.

Pulling from Roger Corman's Bag-of-Tricks, Bogdanovich Splices Together Old-Footage from Karloff and Corman's "The Terror" (1963) for the 3rd Act. It is a Drive-In Screening where Karloff is Making a Personal Appearance.

The First 2 Acts are Disturbing, Chilling, Expertly Filmed by Laslo Kovacs who Intentionally Filmed it to Look Sleek, but Gritty and Grainy in Tandem.

The Cast also Includes Bogdanovich as a Young Director, Polly Platt (also co-scripted) as Karloff's Assistant with Fresh-Faced Unknown Tim O'Kelly. All are Superb.

The Movie has Lost None of its Edge, Despite Innumerable Clones and Rip-Offs, and is even More Relevant Today where "Spree-Shooters" are as Common as Dirt.

A Must-See

One of the Best Ultra-Low-Budget Movies Ever.

Produced Simultaneously as a "Sound" and "Silent" Film, this Highly-Stylized War-Anti-War Film, is an Arresting, Awesome, Audacious Movie Made at the Precise Moment America and Britain were Contemplating, Not Only the Future of Film-Making but the "Future" of War, Technology, Creature Comforts, and the "Roles" of Men and Women in Daily-Life.

The Movie Only Existed in a Silent Version Until Very Recently when a "Talkie" Print Emerged from the Rubble of Time.

"Lost-Media" Hopefuls, Once Again, are Given Proof-Positive, that Adapting a "Positive" Attitude that there May Be Found, "Cross-Fingers", an Existing Print of All Things "Media" Thought Lost is "Not".

"High Treason" is Surely a Powerful Treat for the Eyes with its Stunning Art-Deco Images and its Imaginative World-Building that is Elaborately Executed and Shown to be Both Awe-Inspiring and Clunky.

For an Example of said Clunky, Awkward is the Display of a Dance-Hall where the "Guys and Gals" are Stepping Staccato (start & stop) to a Band of Instruments On-Stage.

A Band of Instruments Playing Without Humans Involved.

It's sort of a "Goldberg" Kinda Thing with Wires and Other Hardware Forcing Air into the Woodwinds with Levers and Such Plucking Others. It's One of the More Ridiculous Displays.

The Things Most Impressive are the Communication Devices (Skype-Like), and a Stab at Cars, Aircraft, and Transportation.

At its Heart is its Pacifistic Foundation.

Women with More of a Role in Society and Government, but its also Not Above being Playfully Erotic at Times.

An Odd, Surreal Look at the Future that can Boggle-the-Mind and Spirit with its Wonderfully Poetic Visuals that Dominate the Feature.

The Acting, as Expected is Dated, as are some of its Attitudes about Almost Everything, but Not that Absurd if You Think About it.

"High Treason" is a Daring "Hidden Gem" that can be Placed, with Certitude, Along-Side other Pre-1950 Extravaganzas of Science-Fiction such as...

"Metropolis" (1925)..."Just Imagine" (1930), "Things to Come" (1936).

Must-See for Film-Historians, Sci-Fi Fans, and those Seeking Spectacle.

Or Anyone Wanting to be "Blown Away" by the Art of Movie-Making with Accent on "Art".

With a Dollop of Social Commentary, Prognostication, as Pure Entertainment...

It's a WOW.

The "Ballad of Davy Crockett" was Actually a Song Made Famous when Walt Disney Aired a 3-Part 1 Hr Mini-Series...

During the Phenom a Rabid Fan Base of "Baby-Boomers" Acted-Out the Saga in Back-Yards and Playgrounds Across America...

it Created a Merchandising Empire and the 45-RPM Records, got Constant "Radio Play" and Infectiously Sold 10 Million Copies in 1-Year 1955-56...

This Movie, for some Reason Ignores the "Ballad", Except for the Title...the Phrase "King of the Wild Frontier" (the Disney Tag-Line) is Mentioned by "Davy" Once.

This Movie is a Low-Budget, Good-Looking "Yarn" that is a Fun-Watch...

Nothing Special, but an Engaging Short-Span in the Life-Span of a Rustic, Honorable Man...It's Sort of a Tease...

Further Research is a Rewarding Experience...The Movie Leaves the Viewer Wanting More than this "Little" but Commendable Snap-Shot.

It's a Family-Affair...

the Story is Built Around the Crockett Clan, Their Struggling Containment in a Tennessee Cabin-in-the-Woods...

where His Beloved Wife "Polly" and the 2 Adolescent Boys Patiently Await the Return of Their "Pa" in the 2nd Act.

It's Worth a Watch but is Ultimately an "Unsung" Pioneer Slice-of-Life by the Known Exploits of a "Larger Than Life" American who Died Along-Side 200 Other Unfortunates, as Most Know, "Remember the Alamo"...His Legend Lives, Forever More. The Good-Natured...Please Call Me "David" Crockett.

Here are the Lyrics to the "Ballad"...

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee... Greenest state in the land of the free... Raised in the woods so's he knew ev'ry tree... Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three... Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier... In eighteen thirteen the Creeks uprose... Addin' redskin arrows to the country's woes... Now, Injun fightin' is somethin' he knows... So he shoulders his rifle an' off he goes... Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear... Off through the woods he's a marchin' along... Makin' up yarns an' a singin' a song... Itchin' fer fightin' an' rightin' a wrong... He's ringy as a b'ar an' twic't as strong... Davy, Davy Crockett, the buckskin buccaneer... He fought single-handed through the Injun War... Till the Creeks was whipped an' peace was in store... An' while he was handlin' this risky chore... Made hisself a legend for evermore... Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier... He give his word an' he give his hand... That his Injun friends could keep their land... An' the rest of his life he took the stand... That justice was due every redskin band... Davy, Davy Crockett, holdin' his promise dear... He went off to Congress an' served a spell... Fixin' up the Govern'ments an' laws as well... Took over Washin'ton so we heered tell... An' patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell... Davy, Davy Crockett, seein' his duty clear... When he come home his politickin' done... The big western march had just begun... So he packed his gear an' his trusty gun... An' lit out grinnin' to follow the sun... Davy, Davy Crockett, leadin' the pioneer... He heard of Houston an' Austin an' so... To the Texas plains he jest had to go... Where freedom was fightin' another foe... An' they needed him at the Alamo... Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear... His land is biggest an' his land is best... From grassy plains to the mountain crest... He's ahead of us all meetin' the test... Followin' his legend into the West... Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.

Source: LyricFind Songwriters: George Edward Bruns / Tom Blackburn Ballad Of Davy Crockett lyrics © Kanjian Music, Walt Disney Music Company.

This was an Early Entry in the "Eco-Horror" Phase along with the "Revenge of the Creatures" that Speckled the 70's.

Most were Unremarkable Drive-In-Grind-House Fodder.

"Frogs" also Offers a Supporting Cast of Snakes, Spiders, Lizards, Alligators, Turtles, Leeches, along with the Vacuous Humans.

Some Sharp-Edged Nature Cinematography with Somewhat Nasty Kills, now and then. But the Movie's Lack of Style, Pacing, and Creativity Renders it All Ho-Hum and Lethargic.

Things Pick-Up a bit in the 3rd Act, but by then Tedium Reins and the Film Can Not Muster a Good Climax.

Ray Milland (in a wheel-chair), Sam Elliott Bares His Hairy Self sans Upper-Lip, and Joan Van Ark are a Cast of Talking-Heads that Say Very Little. Especially in Regards to the Environmental Concerns that is, after all, the Scripts Foundation.

The Movie does have a Minor-Following, but Overall it is Just Slightly Above Awful.

This is the Period that Fans and Critics Love to Point-Out as the Delusional Crawford Forced Her Substantial "Power" Cracking the "System" and Turning the Trope of "Older-Man"-Younger Woman" on its Head.

She Made a Number of the Type in the 50's Insisting that Every Man with whom She Shared Screen-Time Seemed Spellbound by Her "Beauty" and the "Woo" would "Wow" the Men into Lecherous Loons.

On the Screen and On the Surface it All Looked Like What it Was...Ridiculous...But, through the Crawford "Mystique" the Audience usually Submitted and Most of the Movies, this Particular Plane of Existence in the Filmography, were at the Least Entertaining, somewhat Mesmerizing with its Audaciousness, that They have Become Known Today as "Camp".

It's Doubtful that any of Her Contemporaries could have Pulled-Off this Bit of Chicanery, as well and as often, as the Unstoppable Joan.

Jeff Chandler is the "Hunk" Caught in the "Headlights" and Performs Admirably, with Jan Sterling Gracing the Screen as a "Real" Looker.

Worth a Watch.

Bonafide Cult-Movie (see Danny Peary's "Cult Movies" 1,2,3)...

Part of the "German-New-Wave", Wim Wenders Made Movies with a Seldom-Seen, Overwhelming Passion that is Undeniable.

In this "Ripe for "Film-Noir", Character (Anti-Hero) Story, and Style, Wenders Uses the "Form" and Backdrops and Transfigures "Tom Ripley", here a Co-Star in the Purest Sense, Played by Dennis Hopper (fresh off the plane from the filming of "Apocalypse Now" (1976).

Bruno Ganz, Plays "Jonathan", a Family Man with a Wife and a Pre-School Son, who is Grappling with a "Terminal-Diagnosis", and is Distraught at the Meger Holdings He will Leave After "Departing".

"Ripley" Recruits "Johnathan" for a "Hit-Man" Assignment where He can Earn a Bundle-of-Bucks for a Few Days "Work".

Reluctant at First, but Soon Realizes He has Very Little Options in Front of Him Before He "Passes"...So Agrees.

Expressionistic Style, Other-Wordly Presentations, Thickly Embellished Cinematography (especially the fluorescent lighting and the use of color from Cinematographer Muller),

Ambiguous Playful Plot and Story, all are a "Personal" Decision" from Wenders, Forgoing Popular Modern-Tropes, for a More Intimate Portrayal of Crime and Film-Noir.

European Film-Makers are a "Different Breed" (obviously), from their "American" Movie-Makers.

As Such, it Takes Time for the Impact, Artistic Influences, offering a "Same" but "Not the Same" Game.

Here is a "Master-Class" of Independent Film-Making He Combines 2 Dynamos of Acting...Bernard Ganz and Dennis Hopper who Effortlessly Capture the Screen, Lisa Kreuzer, Playing Johnathan's Wife, is Equally Compelling.

Another of Wim's Playful Inclusions of Former Real-Life Directors Sam Fuller, Nicholas Ray, and Others in Supporting Roles,..

and Tops it All Off with a Visually Arresting Display of Cityscapes (internal and external).

"The American Friend" is Infectious and has a Long-Lived Staying Power from those that Watch this "Immigrant" Hybrid...

with an Open-Minded Look-See at What's Going On with Movies by Non-American Film-Makers Abroad.

If that bit of Mind-Travel is of No Interest there can be No Interest in Going Here.

In a Few Days there will be Hundreds of New Movies at the Cineplex where You will Feel Comfortable and Very at Home.

Running Time (3hr 15min)

Chapter Titles

1. The Purple Death...2. Freezing Torture...3. Walking Bomb...4. The Destroying Ray...5. The Palace of Peril...6. Flaming Death...7. Land of the Dead...8. The Fiery Abyss...9. The Pool of Peril...10. The Death Mist...11. Stark Treachery...12. Doom of the Dictator

Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon), Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless), and Frank Shannon (Dr. Alexis Zarkov) only Actors to Appear in All 3 "Flash Gordon" Serials.

The 3 "Flash Gordon" Serial Titles...Flash Gordon (1936)...Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)...Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe ( 1940). King Features Syndicate Released the 3 Flash Gordon Serials as well as "Buck Rogers" (1939).

Much of the Background Music was by "Frank Waxman" Originally Used in "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). Also, the Song Playing in the Background during the Sequence Recapping the Previous Chapter's Events was the Theme for "The Invisible Man" (1933).

In the 1960s, this Serial was Edited into the Length of a Feature to be Sold to TV. The feature version was renamed "Flash Gordon's Perils from the Planet "Mongo".

According to Film-Historians Jim Harmon & Don Glut, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe ...

"Was the most picturesque of the trilogy but surrendered much compelling charm for its cinematic sophistication."

Somewhat Available "Free" and For-Sale...But be Diligent in Your Selection because the Offerings Vary-Wildly in Quality...Take some Time and Choose the Best Versions that can be Found to Truly Experience this Serial and the Other 2 that are Considered, with Very Little Descent...

The Best of All "Cliffhangers, Serials, Chapter-Plays" Ever.

Elaborate, Eye-Popping-Art-Deco, Exciting...and Fun for the Family.

Historically, Cinema Science-Fiction was Produced Mostly for Children...with some Diversion along the way, but Not Taken at all Seriously, Until "Kubrick" ("2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)...

that "Ground-Breaker-Break-Through" Started an Awkward "Hit & Miss Filmography Until George Lucas and "Star Wars" Changed All That (follow the money) with "New Thinking" about its Worth, Along-Side Other Genres.

The Western, Similarly, was Given the "New Think" Starting about 1950 with "Adult" Themed Movies from Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher. But it Took Longer for Sci-Fi, and it was Worth the Wait.

If You are all Curious about the "Serials"...Might as well Start with the "Flash Gordons".

For Sci-Fi Fans...

A Must-See

For Others...

Worth a Watch.

An Oscar-Winner who is Considered one of the Best-Actors of His Era, was No-Stretch if You Know His Private-Life Back Story.

A Man who Lives a Life, Despite all the Talent and Success, of One Addiction or Another that Haunts His Life.

He Entered "Rehab" at 22 after Finishing His Undergrad Work, Suffering from Alcohol-Addiction.

Then After Many Years Sober Found Another Pleasure, so All Consuming (heroin) that Ended His Life in the Bathroom with a Needle still Stuck in His Arm when Discovered Unconscious.

He was 46, and Made Over 50-Movies,. In 2003 He was Still Accelerating a Career Much Admired and Respected by Fans and Critics.

But in 2003 the "Public" and Peers were Confident, after Kicking Alcohol, that the "Trouble" was in the Past and He had Much to Live-For and Enjoy Life, Including His 3 Children.

Still a Supporting Actor in Independent Films, for the Most-Part...His Oscar Win as "Truman" in "Capote:, was 3 Years in the Future, it's Obvious that He Finds "Addiction" and Addicts Something Compelling.

He IS the Driving-Force Behind any Success the Movie Displays.

The Support is from John Hurt, Minnie Driver, Maury Caulkin, and the Story of Molony, who is Canada's Most Infamous "White-Collar" Criminal for His Crimes of Embezzlement and Fraud.

Directed by 2nd Timer, Richard Kwietniowski, with a $10M Budget that Shows its Under-Funding in a Bad-Light,

Especially the Casino Scenes, which Obviously are the Grounding where His Gambling During "Game-Day" are a Necessity, but Here are Hopelessly, and Crudely Handled.

If Hoffman was Not in the Lead the Movie would be Haplessly Worthless.

Even as a Study or a Studied-Warning about the Many Life-Destroying Activities or the Struggles and Road-Blocks Put In Front of the Species as a Matter-of-Course.

All the Things that Give Pleasure can Become "Habit-Forming" by the Very Nature of the Appeal

Ir Must be Enjoyed in Moderation to Avoid Becoming Physically or Psychologically "Addicted"

No Easy Task, but it Seems a Very Easy Role for Philip Seymour Hoffman to Identify With and Carry the Movie on His Back, Like so Many Monkeys, that have Done Just That.