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Reviews
The Highwaymen (2019)
An excellent film that had fallen through my radar
There are so many movies and series that are being endlessly promoted that inevitably there are very good ones that get lost. For me, this was one. I found it by accident and am very, very pleased that I did. It's apparently the true story behind the end of Bonnie and Clyde's rampage, and it's told with a calm, serious and nuanced voice. Kevin Costner is outstanding as (so they say) the most famous Texas Ranger of all time, and Woody Harrelson is excellent as his friend and partner. It's a historical recreation, a buddy movie, a police manhunt, and a tour through the culture of the Depression years in America's lower Midwest. It's shot beautifully, with convincing period detail. The one discordant half-note is provided by Kathy Bates; a half-note only because the set up she provides in the first part of the film is essential to the story, but the latter scenes seem superfluous. There is some violence in the film, but until the final scene it is kept in check and is in service to the film's more humanistic elements. The film, and Costner's performance, leaves us thinking about the role of violence in law enforcement and especially towards very, very bad criminals.
Vice Squad (1953)
Straightforward but well-done day in the life of a police captain
Vice Squad interweaves different stories that the police captain, played very well by Edward G. Robinson, must tackle during the course of a day. It does a good job of portraying the captain's many hassles and the need to constantly shift from one case and back to another. The film is shot in a realistic style in LA and has a great cast of supporting actors. And as long as it is focused on the most serious crimes it has a strong dramatic narrative and tension that holds our interest. But the film struggles to overcome its weaknesses, chief among them the constant juxtaposition of stories that is at the heart of the film's structure. The lighthearted ones seem realistic enough, but break up the flow. Paulette Goddard is overacting during her scenes and drags the film down every time she's on screen.
The Endless Game (1989)
Good, intricate film and sordid story !
The Endless Game from Byan Forbes is a good film. It held my interest, had a good pace, and had no particular special effects of the kind that ruin modern spy movies. I do find it a bit facile that Forbes, like Le Carré often did, makes an American the (very, very) bad guy. It's been about 70 years since writers and filmmakers began routinely making the CIA into the source of all kinds of invented malevolence. But did Forbes have to make this CIA character such a twisted, sick person? A little bit more realism, please !
The Best of Enemies (1961)
A gentle comedy, anti-war film and buddy movie, all in one.
Alberto Sordi is brilliant and David Niven his subtle and reserved foil in this unusual film. It is an ultimately uplifting tale of warriors doing their duty despite wanting to avoid battle. It is the story of their comic interactions, told in a way that highlights how war, as experienced on the ground, can sometimes be absurd and confusing. And it is ultimately a deeply humane, quixotic, gentle and understated film.