Film Pairing – Let’s Rob A Bank, Maybe Two

I’m a fan of heist films. The theft of fine art and jewels from the very rich or money and gold from the banks has always struck me as romantic rather than criminal, especially when no lives are lost in the process. On this double bill, one film is a classic drama, the other a clever puzzle. What makes them special is that they are not just about the heist, but that they offer an original, thought-provoking twist in the story telling.

Dog Day Afternoon — If you are of a certain age and have always loved movies, you’ve seen this one.  If not, see it.  If so, see it again. It is based on a true and unusual story, especially for its time. Sidney Lumet directed this multiple award winning film released in 1975 and based on the news article, “The Boys In The Park” by P.F. Kluge. Though most of the film takes place inside a branch bank in Brooklyn, one gets a great overview of the 70s, culturally and politically. Al Pacino is extraordinary as the central figure. The entire cast, which also includes Charles Durning, John Cazalle, Chris Sarandon, and James Broderick turn in fine performances. Credit also goes to Penelope Allen as the head teller. Pacino, who plays an unemployed perhaps unemployable young man, has a wife and a lover, the latter needing expensive gender-changing surgery.  Pacino decides to rob a bank to get the money and creates a situation that shows his character’s humanity and almost comic incompetence. This is a must see for film lovers and historians.

 

Inside Man — Justice isn’t always served the way you think it might. Inside Man, a 2006 release is a solid entry in the heist genre. Directed by Spike Lee, the intricate robbery plot is exercised by Clive Owen who faces Denzel Washington, representing the law.   Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer add fascinating dimensions to the already clever screenplay by Russell Gewirtz. Actors Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor are also featured in this quick-paced drama that challenges the imagination.  How are the robbers going to get out with what they want and a couple of dozen dozen hostages kept safe? It seems impossible. Will there be a bloodbath? Perhaps we viewers make too many assumptions.

My suggestions for sustenance on these cool nights involve the drug caffeine.  Why not an Irish coffee?  Or some other coffee mix with or without alcohol that will keep you buzzed and able to keep up with Pacino’s typical high-energy performance.

Film Pairing — Two Takes On American Gangsters

Close your eyes.  Let’s travel back in time to the 1940s. And when you’re done with Tommy Guns in Los Angeles and a sharp divide between good and evil, go to New York for a glimpse of smaller-time gangsters and an abundance of angst in the 1970s. One film is an all-American shoot ‘em up. The other is American with a French twist. It’s a great contrast in filmmaking barely missing the obvious cultural clichés.

Gangster Squad – This is a graphic novel of a film – not quite to the extent of Sin City, but pretty damned close and almost as good. In this case, heroes and villains are intentionally paper–thin characters engaging in a violent, action-packed bio of gangster Mickey Cohen’s reign in Los Angeles and a dirty half-dozen gang of cops determined to take him down. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, and beautifully photographed by Dion Beebe, the movie was released in 2013.  Sean Penn (Cohen) and Josh Brolin play the main adversaries.  Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte and Emma Stone are also among a large and talented cast.

Blood Ties — Despite its blue-collar roots, the film relies on story and character as much as plot. In other words, if you are looking for an action film, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a tale of two brothers — one a decent cop and the other a guy who just can’t walk a straight line. The family bond brings them together and their shared past tears them apart.  Both of their lives are in danger.  Love, honor and loyalty are explored in depth.  “What would you do?” is the question you are left with.  Leave it to the French influence to make you work and not tie it up in a neat little bow at the end. The film, also released in 2013, was directed by Guillaume Canet, based on Jacques Maillot’s Les Liens du sang.  Clive Owen and Billy Crudup play the brothers. Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana also star.  James Caan is excellent as the brothers’ father.

A little sustenance while you watch?   For Gangster Squad, pretend you are at a table at the nightclub, Slapsy Maxie’s, and order the cocktail of your choice. Shirley Temples are okay.  There’s nothing highbrow about Blood Ties (except for its philosophical questions), so break out a six -pack of something.  For both films, stay alert for new and innovative ways of saying the F-word.

Film Pairing — Only The Shadows Know

In Night of the Hunter, Robert Mitchum arrives to court Shelley Winters, mother of two. He wants her to believe he is a righteous, religious man, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. The film, though almost worshipped now, was a failure at the box office, perhaps because it was unlike any film anyone had ever seen. It was a collaboration with renowned writer James Agee and the only film that actor Charles Laughton directed.

Night of the Hunter was story based on David Grubb’s novel of the same name. While there are still those who are critical of the melodramatic nature of the screenplay, its high rank on lists by film scholars is largely because of its ground-breaking, expressionistic cinematography. Deep, dark, angular shadows set the mood. Every moment of the film seems to suggest some deep, dark horror is only a few frames away.

With Sin City, if you want mood, if you want dark and harsh and brutal images, one after another, you’ll get it here as well; but it will be through advances in filmmaking technology. Nothing wrong with using the tools we have. And here they are used well. This is Frank Miller’s movie. It is based on his fine graphic novel, also of the same name. He directed with help from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Like Night of the Hunter, Sin City is shadowy black and white; but with strategic touches of bold color. Where Hunter is more fluid visually, Sin City has more sharp edges. Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Own, Jessica Alba, Benicia Del Toro, Rutger Hauer and Josh Hartnett are among the talented stars rendered in graphic fashion. Sin City has its critics as well. For some, the characters didn’t seem quite human.

There is some truth, I think, in the criticism of both films —created half a century apart. However the truth in both these cases is what makes them the significant contributions to film history that they are. I don’t think either director set out to make a conventional film. And they didn't. That’s one of a number of reasons to see them.

How about Jack Daniels on the rocks for the double feature? Something rugged from Tennessee seems appropriate.