Tag: crime

State of Silence (2024)

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Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

Here is a seriously heavy documentary on Mexican journalists working against drug cartels and government corruption. The brave people featured here I found to be incredibly inspiring. This whole film is informative and extremely well constructed. The director opted to use artistic live action shots instead of the usual bullshit documentary animation. I wish more movies in this category would do the same. State of Silence would have been a rock solid film if it had a standard ominous synthesizer score, but no… they got BEAK> to do the music. If you are not familiar with the band, check out their latest studio album here, and a digital version of the excellent score here. I saw them live earlier this year and they cemented the fact that they are one of my favorite current music groups. I was impressed that the score was mixed tastefully low, the director must have been tempted to have it be more prominent. I give this film a 10/10, and strongly encourage you to watch in spite of the difficult subject matter.

Not available on Blu-ray.

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The Ghost Writer (2010)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I completely missed this Roman Polanski thriller when it came out. I caught it just recently and was very pleasantly surprised. Ewan McGregor is tasked with helping the former British PM (Pierce Brosnan) write his memoir. Funny thing… the guy with the ghost writing job before him died under mysterious circumstances. Yeah, you see where this is going. The good news is that the various crime thriller curveballs are unexpected and satisfying. Keep an eye out for a young Jon Bernthal.

Available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

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Rolling Thunder (1977)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Just in case you missed this among the slew of ‘70s and ‘80s action flicks, let me tell you about Rolling Thunder. A prisoner of war finally gets home from Vietnam and what happens? Some assholes attack his family, steal his money, and leave him disfigured. Does he decide to take this as a lesson in life and become a minister? Fuck no he doesn’t. He gets some sweet, sweet revenge. This movie is a damned good example of a “revenge-o-matic” as Quentin Tarantino calls them (in fact he named his film distribution company after it). It’s fast paced, features very good performances from William DeVane and a young Tommy Lee Jones, and has a kick ass ending. The screenplay was by none other than Paul Schrader, but unfortunately his work was lightened up a bit for the final version. Mr. Tarantino says the original script is fantastic, but I have yet to read it myself (it is on my list though). Even a tamed down Rolling Thunder is a great action film, and I rank it among the very best of the ‘70s.

Available on 4k UHD from Shout Factory.

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The Pledge (2001)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I avoided this movie for years because of the cheesy TV ads, and yeah the above linked trailer is pretty bad too. Director Sean Penn is a bit of a wild card, which probably didn’t help either. However I gave it a watch just recently and was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying the film is. It does suffer from some of that big budget movie falseness, but none of it was too distracting. Thankfully there are more positives than negatives on display. In my book, this one and The Departed are tied for Jack Nicholson’s best late career performances. The other actors are pretty much all familiar faces, and they do a fine job as well. The reason this one stands out is that it is a remarkably dark movie and the ending is something I’ve never quite seen before. It is also worth noting that The Pledge is based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s 1958 novella, and was made into several other films before this one. The first adaptation was called It Happened in Broad Daylight, and is still considered an excellent movie (I just added it to my watch list). The interesting thing is that Sean Penn’s version, written by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski, is the most faithful to the novella. Yes, this definitely isn’t Chinatown, but it’s a solid crime thriller that I feel is worth your time.

Available on Blu-ray from Morgan Creek

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

A police precinct is in the process of closing when it is brutally attacked by a street gang. This seems like a really obvious recommendation choice, but it falls into the category of movies that younger people may have overlooked. Assault… is John Carpenter’s first proper film after the very short, and very silly, Dark Star. It is also one of only two works in his filmography I give a 10/10. The other is The Thing. I was lucky enough to see a 35mm double feature of both films about 20 years ago. Anyhow, here’s some fun facts for you: The first time I saw this I was on LSD. For a minute I was convinced that the street gang were actually aliens or possessed by a supernatural force. Well, that’s partially because one of the major influences on this film was The Night of the Living Dead. Carpenter directed the gang members to speak very little and act inhuman. Also, fans of Eraserhead may recognize lead actor Darwin Joston, who played a whacky pencil-factory clerk. One final “fact” is that the 2005 remake of this movie is shockingly good. See, I don’t hate on all “reimaginings”, just ones that suck.

Available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory (this would be the best way to see it for image quality).

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The Order (2024)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a very good crime thriller based on the real life murder of radio talk show host Alan Berg, as well as other crimes by a white power group in the ‘80s. I grew up in the Denver area and remember Berg’s killing vividly. The Order is an intelligent film that is also fast paced throughout. The whole movie looks great, with moody lighting, and unusual color choices, as well as scenic locations. It also benefits from excellent music by Jed Kurzel, who happns to be the brother of the director. I was pleasantly surprised by this one, and hopefully you will be too.

Available on Blu-ray from Vertical.

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Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

A fake psychic medium gets her husband to kidnap a child in order to help out business. This movie is a true oddball of the early ‘60s. It is tense, weird, and dark, but all done in a way I’ve never quite seen before. Kim Stanley was nominated for an Oscar for her part, and Richard Attenborough (brother of David) is really fantastic here as well. John Barry’s score is also very good and appropriately creepy. Check out Seance on a Wet Afternoon to experience a crime drama of a very unusual kind.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Truck Turner (1974)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Honestly this whole recommendation should simply be “Isaac Hayes is the star of a Black Action film.” I’m not that lazy, so our hero Truck and his partner are hunting for a pimp, and Turner finds out he’s got a contract out on his life. This is a solid ‘70s cult shoot ‘em up. It’s not quite up to the level of Coffy or Shaft, but it is entertaining for sure. You also get to see Nichelle Nichols play the polar opposite of her character Uhura from Star Trek TOS. There’s also Yaphet Kotto, Scatman Crothers, and Dick Miller along with several other familiar faces. This is a cheesy fun ride. When someone asks what you watched last night, you can quote the man himself: “…tell ’em you been hit by a truck: Mac ‘Truck’ Turner!” 

P.S. – Make sure to check out the previously recommended I’m Gonna Git You Sucka too, if you haven’t already had the pleasure.

The domestic Blu-ray is currently out of print.

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Manhunter (1986)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Years before The Silence of the Lambs came out, Michael Mann directed this stylish adaptation of Thomas Harris’ book “Red Dragon.” Here is one of those movies that I think many people have missed or overlooked in recent years. I have been a fan since first seeing it as a teenager. I loved Mann’s Miami Vice and Crime Story series at the time. I almost recommended this years ago, but the streaming services always cropped the beautiful cinemascope aspect ratio to 16:9. You need to see this in the extra wide 2.35:1 or it loses a lot of it’s charm. The headline here is, this is a kick ass crime thriller that is dripping with ‘80s style, and loaded with awesome actors. It is easily Tom Noonan’s best role. Yes, Manhunter is a little different than the book. If you want a closer adaptation, watch Red Dragon (2002). I didn’t care for it as much, but it’s worth seeing. The thing that sets this version apart is the awesome soundtrack and score. I own it on vinyl, and still listen to an extended music blog version regularly. The Shriekback song “This Big Hush” is the standout. It’s a damn shame they didn’t record an entire album like that. There are definitely some cheesy bits in this film, it was 1986 after all, so don’t expect perfection. Just experience it with your psychoactive substance of choice, and try to enjoy the trip.

Only a crappy Blu-ray is available domestically as part of a “Hannibal Lecter” set.

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Foxy Brown (1974)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer (maybe skip this as it is full of spoilers)

Jack Hill directed this Pam Grier follow up to Coffy (it was going to be a sequel titled Burn Coffy Burn), and while is isn’t quite as good, it is a hell of a lot of fun. There is so much ridiculous ’70s cheese packed into 92 minutes you won’t believe it. The opening credits alone are jaw dropping. All there is to know is that Foxy is getting revenge by posing as a hooker to infiltrate the gang that killed her boyfriend. That means you get to see all the naughty stuff, and much ass kicking, while being treated to tons of quotable dialogue like this: “You pink-ass corrupt honky judge, take your little wet noodle outta here and if you see a man anywhere send him in because I do need a MAN!” Just turn off your higher brain functions and get ready to be entertained, sucka.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.