Tag: crime

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

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This was one of the few good movies that was regularly shown on broadcast TV in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. I only had six channels to choose from until I was 18. That means that I have seen Three Days… many times. I am not sick of it yet. The only real flaw is that there’s a crazy violent scene towards the beginning, followed by a mostly slow paced thriller style for the remainder. This movie has brains though. I’ve always been impressed by the little details that our hero Turner (Robert Redford) picks up on, and survives because of. All the other main actors are great in this too. You’ll see many familiar faces. If you’re in the mood for a well-made thriller, this is a very good choice.

Blu-ray available from Paramount.

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The Warriors (1979)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer 

You’ve seen this one right? I mean, if you like action films at all you MUST have. I suppose it’s possible this falls into that weird generation gap, so just in case… The Warriors are a New York City street gang. They get framed for murder. Every other gang is out to kill them. They have to cross a lot of enemy territory to get home. It’s a lot of fun to watch. Yep, this movie has aged a bit. However, it’s always been made of cheese, so that’s really ok. As you’d expect, some bits are pretty damned offensive by the standards of today. However, The Warriors remains a KICK ASS movie. This was directed by Walter Hill who made several solid action flicks. My favorites are: Southern Comfort, Extreme Prejudice, and Last Man Standing. If you like The Warriors, you might enjoy the book too. It’s WAY different than the film adaptation, but well worth reading.

P.S. The trailer linked above is a personal favorite. You may recognize the music. That is because it’s a bit of Tangerine Dream’s awesome score for Sorcerer (another must-see movie).

Blu-ray available from Paramount.

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Frailty (2001)

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This is a solid horror thriller directed by the late great Bill Paxton (who also co-stars). Daddy Meiks (Paxton) kills demons by what he believes to be divine guidance, and seeks to teach his kids to do the same. Matthew McConaughey is one of the kids, and he does a damn good job in this role. Frailty is not a cheesy video game style action movie. It’s a carefully structured almost-mystery, with some extreme violence peppered throughout. Don’t spoil the experience by reading about it ahead of time. There’s some great twists that you’ll get the most out of by viewing cold. Yeah, the film does show it’s age a bit. You may wince at some early-2000s cheesy moments, but it’s absolutely worth letting that stuff slide.

Available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

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Revenge of the Ninja (1983)

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An art dealer (who just happens to be a ninja) gets mixed up in a crime ring. Naturally things go bad and he is forced to kick every ass. Revenge… arguably launched the ninja craze in America. This was a favorite film back when I was way too young to watch it. The childish appeal is bizarre. By adult standards this is as stupid as can be. However if you like violent, fast-paced martial arts films, this one delivers the goods big time. The last act is a ninja action extravaganza. It’s pretty spectacular. Stupid, but spectacular. I am slightly embarrassed to say that I maintain that Revenge of the Ninja is a five star film.

Blu-ray available on Kino Lorber.

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The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

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A young sailor joins a yacht cruise, and ends up involved in a murder plot. This is a near perfect slice of film noir that only exists because of a desperate situation. Orson Welles needed $55,000 to stage a production with his Mercury Theater. He agreed to make the movie if one of the producers would pay him the needed funds in two days. It all worked out, and we have this excellent work of cinema as a result. This is one if my favorites of the ‘40s, and should not be missed.

Available on Blu-ray from Mill Creek.

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Memories of Murder (2003)

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Here’s a dark, beautiful, high quality murder thriller directed by Bong Joon Ho. I have avoided recommending it so far as I thought all the excitement over Parasite would have lead you to watch it already. What? You haven’t seen Memories of Murder yet? Well get on it. 

Available on Blu-ray from Criterion Collection.

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Chappie (2015)

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I missed this movie when it first came out. I figure a few of you did too. It’s not as good as Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, but I found this very entertaining. Thankfully Chappie has that same level of high quality CG. Yes, it is a bit cheesy at times. Let that slide and you get lots of R rated action to make up for it. I have to admit that Ninja and Yo-Landi are good in this too. Shockingly good.

BONUS: Check out Blomkamp’s Oats Studio videos on YouTube. There are a lot of great short films available for free.

Available on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures.

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Sightseers (2012)

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ANOTHER Ben Wheatley movie?!?? Yes, this is a great one though. A couple go on holiday and wackiness ensues. By wackiness I mean murder. It’s a dark comedy that is truly funny, and one of Wheatley’s very best films. The female lead just happens to be Alice Lowe who played Madeleine Wool in Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place (she’s been in a ton of other great stuff too). You might also recognize her boyfriend Chris, played by Steve Oram, from The World’s End, Kill List, and The Mighty Boosh. I can’t recommend this film strongly enough. It gets an Anomalous Cinema 10 out of 10.

Available on Import Blu-ray from Studio Canal.

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Lady Vengeance (2005)

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This is the final part of Park Chan-Wook’s loose “Revenge Trilogy” (although it can be watched on it’s own). A woman seeks to right the wrongs of her false imprisonment, and her child being taken away. This film didn’t get as much attention as Oldboy, but it’s arguably just as good. Dark, poetic, funny at times. Oh yes… it’s also brutal as hell. 

The domestic Blu-ray is out of print.

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Small Town Crime (2017)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a solid crime thriller with some good, at times extremely graphic, bursts of action. The cinematography looks great as well. Saturated colors and deep shadows are featured. It’s nice to see Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, Walking the Edge, Alligator, etc) given lots of screen time. Small Town Crime is an enjoyable dark film, with a lot packed into 90 minutes.

Available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

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