Tag: film noir

Fallen Angels: Dead End For Delia- A Review by Nate Hill

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review

image

Fallen Angels was a super cool L.A. film noir television series that ran in the 90’s, only never to be heard from again, curiously. It attracted an incredible lineup of directors including Tom Hanks, Alfonso Cuaron, Steven Soderberg, Peter Bogdanovitch, Jonathan Kaplan, John Dahl, Keith Gprdon, Tom Cruise and more, with an even more unbelievable troupe of prolific actors. For whatever sad reason though, it was never really released or marketed well, and has never seen the light of day. Dead End For Delia is the first, and one of the best of the bunch, directed by Phil Joanou, with the lead roles taken by Gary Oldman and Gabrielle Anwar. I’ve always wanted to see the two of them do something together, and funnily enough they share almost no screen time, but having the two occupy space in any project is electric enough. Oldman plays Pat Keilly, a police sergeant who is summoned to the scene of a crime, only to find out that the murder victim is his wife Delia (Anwar). As he is led along a trail of clues as to who her killer might be, he discovers things about her and realizes that he may have never really known his wife, or the person she really was. Oldman does something interesting here; for most of the film his trademark intensity sits at a low boil, lulling us into a false sense of calm and seeming to be one of his more restrained exercises. Then, all of a sudden in the last act he downright explodes and goes on a tirade of fuming emotion that is quite something to see. Makes me wonder if he planned this with his performance, or if he surprised himself with the unexpected outburst. The whole series is solidly star studded, and in addition to Oldman and Anwar we get to see Meg Tilly, Wayne Knight, Paul Guilfoyle, Vondie Curtis Hall and the great Dan Hedaya who works overtime playing at least ten different characters all throughout the show. It’s filmed through a lacy lens, the windows on set always open, the gauzy curtains set unearthly adrift to let in that clammy, humid L.A. breeze that promises secrets you wish you never knew as soon as it brushes against you. Perhaps one day this forgotten show will get a lovely dvd box set. Until then you have to scavenge for fragments over in the scrap yard of youtube. Good luck.

James Foley’s AFTER DARK MY SWEET – A Review by Frank Mengarelli

by Frank Mengarelli, posted in Film Review

Original Cinema Quad Poster - Movie Film Posters

James Foley is master of deception, blurred lines, and skeevy noir. AFTER DARK, MY SWEET is a taut and mischievous opus. Jason Patrick gives his finest performance as a mysterious and unstable drifter who crosses paths with Rachel Ward as the sexy femme fatale, and the always superb Bruce Dern who is as sleazy as ever with his mustache, floppy hair, and aviators/Hawaiian shirt/Members Only jacket combination that shows us all we need to know about his character without him having to say anything.

ADMS Patrick

The double, triple, and quadruple crosses that build in this film keep us unsure of how exactly this story of lies and desire will unfold; yet however the plot unravels, it is not going to end well for anyone. Jason Patrick is electrifying as a mentally and physically unstable former boxer who drifts into the wrong place at the wrong time, slowly being groomed by Ward who has a penchant for alcohol, cigarettes, and sexual control.

ADMS Dern

Bruce Dern is the smooth talking man with the devious plan, giving one of his finest performances. Dern has recently been reawakened with NEBRASKA and Quentin Tarantino’s use of him in THE HATEFUL EIGHT and DJANGO UNCHAINED. He remains one of the most underrated and undervalued actors of all time. He is able to blend together sleaziness, affability, and menace all at once in such a way that it is amazing to watch.

ADMS Ward

Foley’s strategically slow camera pans, David Brisbin’s production design, costumes by Hope Hanafin – all these elements are masterclass and create a world of dilapidation and deception. The environment of this film is carefully crafted, and the details of the visuals are so grabbing that you can smell the cigarette smoke and taste the cheap wine. AFTER DARK, MY SWEET is one of those films that anchors itself as not only a staple transition from the 1980’s into the 90’s, but also a one of the best erotic noirs that has ever been made.

Brown’s Requiem: A Review by Nate Hill

by natewatchescoolmovies, posted in Film Review

image

Brown’s Requiem is a neat little slice of Los Angeles film noir in the tradition of L.A. Confidential and Mulholland Falls. It’s based on a book of the same name that’s written by James Ellroy, who actually wrote L.A. Confidential as well, so the crime vibe here is thick, rich and geniune. Michael Rooker is flat out fantastic as Fritz Brown, a world weary, hard bitten private investigator who is hired by a rotund caddie named Fat Dog (Will Sasso) to find his kid sister (Selma Blair) a wayward girl who has apparantly run off with a her sugar daddy, and may be in danger. Brown noses around and before he knows it he’s neck deep in police corruption, violence and murder. It’s convoluted, but film noir always is, and when the plot is left to bake in the California sun, it’s going to be nicely sinewy and labyrinthine to please all the filmgoers put there who fancy themselves gumshoes and like to decipher the happenings along with the protagonist. The trail leads Brown to sinister police captain Cathcart (the late Brion James), brutal thug Richard Ralston (Jack Conley) and many other bottom dwelling nasties. This is a rare lead role for Rooker and he’s riveting, fitting this genre protagonist like a glove. His innate menace and gruff whisper of a voice are put to good use as the hangdog tough guy takes care of business in style. Watch out for Kevin Corrigan, Tobin Bell, Christopher Meloni and a brief but darkly funny cameo from Brad Dourif. Where L.A. Confidential hid it’s grit beneath a sheen of glamour, Brown’s Requiem wears it proudly on its seedy sleeve, a scrappy little cousin to Confidential, and a sturdy little noir mystery boosted by Rooker’s work.