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Thunderball (1965)
THUNDERBALL- My Alltime Favorite 007 Flick
Let's get this straight right here and now,this is my favorite Bond flick.Do I consider it the best,almost.That honor goes to FROM Russia WITH LOVE however THUNDERBALL is my personal favorite.Let's start with that man among men, Sean Connery.In THUNDERBALL, he's at his physical peak as an actor, he owns this part,otherwise every actor since him wouldn't be unfairly compared to him when they play 007.In this movie he was 34 or 35 and looks like he could take out a terrorist organization.Plus Connery has more charisma than any twenty actors that've ever lived.His Bond was a total s.o.b. which is why he's my favorite Bond,no teary eyes when a colleague or dame gets offed,he just catalogs it and takes it out on the perpetrator when he gets his hands on 'em.He's a brutal cold-blooded assassin.A football hooligan in a Saville Row suit.Is this exactly what Ian Fleming had in mind for 007? No, but with Connery you believe he could pin a man to tree with a speargun and go back to charming a beautiful woman less than a second later. He is my idea of 007 in this movie, Charming, hard-as-nails and will use anyone and any tactic to stop the bad guys.It obviously bothers him that Domino gets hurt (otherwise he'd have left her on the boat in the climax)but he's got a job to do.His fight scenes are fun to watch (not like real fights which aren't fun in any way to watch),they're ooh cool! and build up the idea that Bond is the secret service's best agent.It can't be said enough times,Sean Connery is the coolest actor who ever has or will live.I like the other Bond actors, all of 'em but for me Connery is IT. Now, The villains,I've heard some folks say Largo in this movie isn't up to snuff.I highly disagree, what is a SPECTRE if not a glorified mafiosi? Terrorists, mobsters the only difference sometimes is ideology and that is only sometimes.Adolfo Celi has beau-coup presence and charisma, enough to where you think he could be a criminal mastermind,easily.He ain't pretty or young and I think that's what the younger audiences don't like,nowadays everyone in movies has to look like GQ posterboys.Celi is loathsome as Largo,you can't wait for him to bite the big one and how he does is absolute poetic justice of course seeing Connery beat him savagely is lotsa fun too. Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona Volpe is my all time favorite Bond girl,she's cruel,vicious,sadistic and a match for Connery's Bond in the bedroom and the killing fields.She's one of the few henchman to put Connery's Bond on the run and bleeding to boot.Plus she's one of the sexiest redheads in the history of mankind.There's no converting her to the side of the angels she likes being evil, it gets her off.It's nice not seeing a character being rationalized and given the "relativity of evil" crapshoot we always see nowadays in flicks,some people just love hurting others and it's fun watching an actress playing that kinda part especially with as much relish as Luciana Paluzzi does here. Now to the good girl,Domino as played by Claudine Auger.WOW! she's beautiful no matter what.She's not given a lot to play with here but she's playing the innocent in wayyy over her head and in need of a real man like Connery's Bond to rescue her, although she does return the favor later in the flick.She's sympathetic,lovely and seeing her being tortured by Largo just intensifies one's desire to see Largo dead as Dillinger. The story is a cool race against time as Bond tries to find the stolen nukes before SPECTRE unleashes them on the western hemisphere. Bond goes through Largo's lackeys like crap through a goose and it's fun to see Connery in unabashed anti-hero mode.It's wrong maybe of me to enjoy it so much but his speargunning of Vargas is my favorite part, Vargas was such a loathsome little maggot,as a kid he kinda creeped me out so when Connery offed 'im, I cheered. If there's a weak spot in this flick it's Leiter,I wish Jack Lord could've returned but Rik Van Nutter was the closest to the Fleming Leiter in looks (except he had all his limbs, then again that've been taking method acting a bit too far).However he is my second favorite Leiter. The underwater action sequences are a bone of contention with lots of folks, but not me.I love'em, I have no problem differentiating the good guys from the bad guys.The music, the grappling over knives and spearguns by the combatants it gets my blood pumping.Not to mention Bond's dirty fighting tactics and his gear,or maybe I'm an aquatic action movie junkie.All said this flick is the epitome of the "cinematic" 007 for the Fleming 007 that's FROM Russia LOVE. I love this movie sooo much it's one of my ten favorite all time movies.Those that don't like it well that's your God-given right but I just don't get ya,probably a two way street,eh? If you like good harmless,non-p.c. 60's action movie fun, I don't think you could make a better choice than THUNDERBALL,made in the days when action movies didn't have the pacing of an A.D.D. victim on crack,sorry that was cheap and beneath me,albeit true.
The Wild Geese (1978)
The Greatest Mercenary Movie of All Time
This flick which has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it over twenty years ago.It was released on DVD in the past year or so here in the U.S.,so I bought it to see if it held up.Boy howdy did it ever,aside from some of the goofy clothes the people were wearing at the mafia punk's party,this movie still looks fantastic. First of all, you can't wrong with a flick starring two of the three greatest actors of all time,Richard Burton and Richard Harris (it's a shame there was no part for Peter O'Toole,oh well).Not to forget Roger Moore who shows all the naysayers he was a great choice to play 007,it's not his fault he was saddled with mediocre scripts and wasn't allowed to be the 007 he could've been (for proof watch the scene where he dispenses some very Bond-like justice on the mafia punk who tricked him into smuggling heroin). Richard Burton plays the no-nonsense,hard drinking merc commander who has his sense of what's right and wrong in the world re-awakened by his best friend and master tactician merc played by Richard Harris (the conscience of the group).Also in the group is great German actor Hardy Kruger as a Dutch South African who has issues but has the best character arc in the piece.There is also Kenneth Griffith as the homosexual medic who despite being downplayed as comedic relief is every bit as dangerous as the other mercs.John Kani plays the super dependable merc Jesse and the always great Winston Ntshona as the object of the mercs rescue mission. This saves my personal favorite character for last the always great Jack Watson as the RSM,his character is the guy I'd want leading me out of a hellish situation such as the one the guys encounter here in this all time great manly flick.Not to mention when Watson's character is re-training them that is my favorite scene in the flick, it always gets a good bwa-ha-ha-ha outta me. The whole point of their mission is to rescue a democracy loving ex- president of a fictional African country for the purposes of mineral acquisition.Their employer is a British banker played to evil yet constipated perfection by Stewart Granger(as different from Alan Quartermain as a part can get).Of course he betrays them and they have to fight their way through Africa to try to get Winston Ntshona's character to safe ground.They lose a lot of the cast in this section of the movie and it hurts to see characters you learn to love dying some of the most brutal deaths imaginable. The final escape by the Dakota plane is as harrowing as any I've seen in any flick,gut wrenching and heart breaking to boot.This is one flick that it's okay for guys to get misty eyed over due to the tragic heroism of Richard Burton and company.It is worth it just to see the rage boiling over in Richard Burton's eyes as they land at the airport and you know that Stewart Granger's character ain't long for this world.If any women are reading this review and your husband/boyfriend is a fan of real movies for men and not frat-house movies,then you can't go wrong with this one.This is the greatest mercenary movie of all time.
The Ruling Class (1972)
Absolute proof of Peter O'Toole as the greatest actor of all time.
I remember as a child this film being blasted by my family for it's irreverent tone and so now as an adult I sat down to view it.This film cemented an opinion I'd had since childhood,that Peter O'Toole is the greatest actor that has ever graced a stage or a film set.He displays the emotional gamut from sweet natured and very Christ-like, despite his character's harmless schizophrenia,heartbreak as his delusion is shattered by the absolutely fantastic Nigel Green as the Lord of High Voltage,to his utterly frightening final transformation into Jack the Ripper.His portrayal as "Jack" is the most unnerving frightening portrayal of a murderer I've ever seen,Forget Ted Levine in Silence Of The Lambs or Sir Anthony Hopkins for that matter.The image and sound of his psychotic,primal scream before his appearance at the House of Lords still makes my skin crawl. This film is truly great although definitely not for all tastes as my mom will vehemently attest.I love this film it is unlike anything else I've ever seen.The musical numbers are jarring but I love 'em,especially Dem Bones.I love bizarre "what the hell" moments and this movie is full of 'em, my personal favorite is the gorilla that comes crashing through when he is being "cured" by the Lord of High Voltage.If you love weird movies that send ridiculously sensitive people into apoplectic shock well buddy-boy, this is the one for you.There is so much in this movie that is great.This film is truly one of the greatest films I've ever seen.Then again,most of Peter O'Toole's movies from his pre- Caligula era were in my opinion, masterpieces.I could be slightly biased however. This film gets the highest possible recommendation,get it,watch it and keep it.
The Wind and the Lion (1975)
The Wind And The Lion- Milius' Greatest Movie, Bar None
This movie rightly belongs in the pantheon of the all time greatest adventure movies ever made.It has a place alongside The Adventures of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn), Gunga Din(Cary Grant), and King Solomon's Mines (Stewart Granger).It has a magnificent cast in Sean Connery, Brian Keith, Candice Bergen and John Huston. John Milius, one of the more underrated and under used filmmakers in movies delivered his greatest showcase with this film. Sean Connery hasn't been better.Forget Bond, Raisuli is the greatest role he's ever had.He once again proves very, very few actors can match him for sheer presence and charisma. Not to mention he never looked better than when he has a rifle and a sword on hand to help slaughter and humiliate Tuaregs and slimy turn of the century eurotrash thugs. Brian Keith IS President Teddy Roosevelt, no one has ever portrayed him better or ever will(sorry Mr. Berenger, you were good though).He was born to play President Roosevelt, he should've gotten an Oscar for it too but the political climate at the time obviously prevented that. A crying shame too.Brian Keith was, like Connery never better than in this movie.He has the burly build the infectious grin and irresistible charisma that a man playing one of our greatest leaders should have. Hell, he gives one of the best performances I've ever seen on film or stage. Candice Bergen is great in this film doing what she does best playing upright and uptight.She is beautiful in this flick if a little on the thin side.This is another of several flicks she did that no man in his right mind can dislike, along with The Sand Pebbles, The Domino Principle and of course Bite The Bullet. I can't knock her taste in choosing these flicks, plus she never comes across as some harebrained ninny. Hell, she saves Connery's bacon at the latter part of the flick. Her character is the kinda woman Maureen O'Hara would have played back in the good old days.Once again, this is the best part I've seen her portray. In case you cannot tell this is one of my all time favorite flicks. John Huston the legend that he is/was plays Roosevelt's S.O.S. and he shows us a wily old coot who admires but can't help getting exasperated by his Commander-In-Chief.Huston was not only one of the greatest filmmakers of all time but one of the best character actors of all time. His scene with the Japanese diplomat at the President's birthday party is priceless. John Huston is truly missed. John Milius hit the mother load with this flick, it is his finest moment, even better than Dillinger his gangster masterpiece starring the great Warren Oates. Milius shows us good old adventure movies can be done. We just have to put aside our self- referential, super cynic b.s. that seems smeared over every blasted movie made nowadays.He used some of his familiar actors in this flick Steve Kanaly,Roy Jensen, Geoffrey Lewis and Vladek Sheybal.The opening scene where we dramatically meet Connery's Raisuli is one of the coolest next to his other famous intro scene in Doctor No.This movie is one of the most exciting movies, the scene of Connery's character saving Bergen and her children from the slave trading Tuareg's is the prime example. Some will get prissy about the historical liberties Milius takes. All I have to say is,if you want historical accuracy from this or any other movie you aren't gonna find it. Don't sweat it, lighten up,it's just a movie. If any thing, this flick interested me in finding out more about what really happened (it's nowhere as exciting but hey sometimes the true story isn't). That's usually what happens when I watch a film like this I research the real events, it's usually very entertaining at the liberties filmmakers often take.That however is why I love this flick and movies in general, escapism.It's nice to get away from all the ugliness of the real world with movies like The Wind And The Lion. It makes real life much more bearable. The raids by the Marines in the movie will,I have no doubt offend some snooty sensitive types who look for things to get offended by.The rest of us however love seeing a good action spectacle.The German officer in this movie that Connery duels with at the end in the rescue is a credit to his people. He's fun to watch and root against.Anyway, I love any movie that unashamedly displays Marine Corps exploits, be they real or not. I wish more filmmakers would make more turn of the century adventure movies along these lines. The score is one of the greatest I've ever heard, it gets my blood pumping every time I hear it.There's nothing about this movie I don't like.Truly, one of the greatest manly movies ever made.Thank you very much to John Milius and all who contributed to the making of this great flick.
The Mercenaries (1968)
One of the ten best adventure movies ever made!
No matter whether you know this movie as The Mercenaries or as Dark Of The Sun, it's one of the greatest action movies ever made.I'll be the first to admit this flick caught me way off guard when I saw it for the first time.I was expecting an over the top action epic like Where Eagles Dare. Boy, was I in for a great big surprise. This movie is more intense than most of these so-called action movies we're forced to endure these days. I was, in all honesty shocked by Peter Carsten's character machine gunning down the two native children, it made me nauseous, but it also told me Rod Taylor was gonna kick him like a bad habit. Jim Brown as the African merc fighting for his homeland, well we all knew he was a goner, which is a shame due to the fact his was one of the few sympathetic characters in this flick. Rod Taylor,well as always he was great. Few actors (especially nowadays) can carry themselves as a guy who actually knows his way through a fight, but Rod Taylor excelled at that.In fact,aside from Lee Marvin,Oliver Reed and Sean Connery;Taylor was one of the most believable hardcases in movies.Peter Carsten gave one of the most vile performances I've ever seen in a movie. Unlike most heavies in movies,there was no, ooh cool! factor at all in his character.So when Rod Taylor gives the evil s.o.b. what he truly deserves,I couldn't help but cheer him on.The only false note is once he commits this highly satisfying act of vengeance, all of a sudden Taylor's merc is a bad guy deserving of court martial? Aside from that this is an all time manly movie classic.It's got it all baby,mercenaries, brutal hand-to-hand combat, awesome rescues, tragic losses that get even a guy's throat to catch, hell it even has a super intense chainsaw fight. A personal favorite is when Rod Taylor tries to kill Peter Carsten with the train. I know, I have issues but who doesn't want to see bad things happen to ratzis? One word of warning or maybe advice, this movie'll chase any woman or high moraled types outta the room quicker than a Stooge marathon. This flick is for hardcore manly movie fans only, a great companion piece to The Wild Geese.If this flick doesn't make you a Rod Taylor fan for life I don't know what will. Just go out and find this flick.It's like kick in the privates, only a heckuva lot more fun.
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Kiss Me Deadly- The Best Hammer Yet
This is one of those flicks I watch over and over again. Despite minor gripes (Hammer in L.A., no fedora, a bit too opportunistic for Hammer),there hasn't been a Spillaine movie this good since then. Ralph Meeker is the sleaziest actor I've ever seen. Everything he says seems to have some scumbag connotation and all sexed up.People talk about how sleazy Mickey Rourke is, well I can't help but call Ralph Meeker the forerunner to Rourke. How Meeker never became a big Robert Mitchum- style icon I'll never know.This is my all time favorite film noir,even more than The Big Heat! Meeker's version of Mike Hammer is a brutal thug with no compunction about torture and unspeakable violence (some of which is so repugnant they won't show).Another great thing is getting to see all-time manly movie great Jack Elam in an early role as part of a duo of thugs who beat and apparently torture Hammer.If you're a rabid crime flick fanatic, you have to get this movie.It's the best there is.It makes me giggle every time 'ol Ralph Meeker gets that sleazy sneer when he breaks the fingers of that coroner for jerkin' him around.I know it's immoral and wrong, but I love this sleazy crime masterpiece.
Darker Than Amber (1970)
Darker Than Amber
I've never read any of the novels by MacDonald so I can't comment on book to film accuracy.On the other hand,I'm a huge fan of both Rod Taylor and William Smith.It took me almost ten years to get my mitts on a copy of this manly movie masterpiece.It's got some foreign subtitles on it but who cares,this movie's climactic brawl lived up to every bit of it's hype.No goofy chop sockey stuff just good old fashioned, beat the living hell outta the other guy moves.Taylor and Smith use every thing but the kitchen sink on each other.It's true that the only movie fights that come close are From Russia With Love (who doesn't love seeing two football hooligans like Connery and Shaw trying to kill each other but I digress) and the final throwdown between Rod Taylor and Peter Carsten in Dark Of The Sun.This movie is a holy grail for manly movie fans but all the way worth it.Let's hope it finds it's way to DVD in it's pure,unedited form soon,hopefully with commentary by Taylor and Smith.