Hitman who has lost zest for life and only sleeps with hookers is given a job which he hopes will fun his retirement but he falls in love... that feels like a very familiar plot and I was expecting a familar film.
But this is a very arty, sixties effort - close in tone to the George Lazenby Bond follow up Universal Soldier in a way. There's a little bit of assassinating but not a lot. Mostly it's chat in European locations.
James Coburn is more effective when chatty but here plays a stoic Alain Delon type - the film feels very influenced by the French. He hooks up with Lee Remick thinking she's a hooker but actually she's a bored housewife. He won't kiss but the film makes sure we know he's great in bed. (Karen Black pops up as another hooker). Lili Palmer is Remick's friend.
The film was written and directed by S Pogostian who was a TV writer and this has the soul of a television play. Lots of chat, mostly dialogues. It would work fine on the small screen. It's directed that way too. Jazzy angles - the John Boorman Point Blank treatment - would have worked. Less bad back projection.
To be fair I think there's also miscasting. Coburn isn't the same as Lee Marvin - far more effusive. He doesn't have chemistry with Lee Remick who is beautiful but aloof, not in a good way. The film is slightly off. The sex isn't that sexy. Imagine, I don't know, Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson in this. More interesting, yes? Actually Sterling Hayden, who plays an ageing hit man, would've been better in Coburn's part.
No real action. I feel sorry for Fox they would've expected some bang bang as well as philosophy but they just got philosophy.
But look film gets points for trying to be different. Coburn spent his stardom on interesting projects - this, Presidents Analyst, Last of the Mobile Hot Shots, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment