Robert Wagner made a few wacky heist films in the 60s - Sail a Crooked Ship, The Pink Panther, this. It has the benefit of some pretty Italian location filming, a strong cast, Raquel Welch in a series of sexy outfits and bikinis, and an unoriginal plot.
Wagner isn't very well cast as a small time crook who kidnaps a former big time crook, Vittorio de Sica - only to find out that no one wants to ransom him. So de Sica offers to mastermind a $5 million heist for Wagner and his crew.
Raquel looks spectacular but it's a lousy role - she hangs around a lot at the side of scenes. Godfrey Cambridge is one of the men. Edward G Robinson steals the film as a mastermind and it's a shame his part isn't bigger. The main fault of this film is it isn't very funny, or clever or entertaining. Even the Italian locations aren't that pretty.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
Movie review - "The Green Berets" (1968) ** (warning: spoilers)
Attacked by the mostly liberal film critic establishment with almost hysterical furor in its day, enough time has passed to appreciate this movie for what it actually is, an utterly fascinating time capsule that is a pretty crap flick.
The one big big budget pro-Vietnam War film was always going to be up against it; things aren't helped by some shoddy filmmaking. Structure wise, the film really should have focused just on the siege - then they throw in this extra act about a female agent who helps them abduct a general, which clunks.
Hokey moments abound - the intro sequence where sergeant Aldo Ray professes to be non political then gives journos a lecture about why they want to be in Vietnam; the journalist from the woman's journal being apologetic on that fact; meeting Hamchuck the orphan; Hamchuck getting into bed with Jim Hutton; Hamchuck going "you funny"; pretty much every sequence involving Hamuck (including the ending exchange "was my Peterson brave?" "Yes he was brave" "what will happen to me now" "You let me worry about that you're what this war is all about".)
But it's fascinating, utterly fascinating. It takes these well warn World War Two and Western tropes - evil generals, double agent women, spies, sieges in outposts, yelling savage natives - and puts them in this fresh Vietnam War setting. It's remarkable to see Wayne talking about DMZ and saying Vietnam place names. It contrasts sharply to Vietnam War tropes (soldiers going crazy and raping/napalming Vietnamese etc) which we assume are so much more accurate because... um... we see it more in movies I guess.
Some of the action isn't bad - I enjoyed the siege component as a good old fashioned John Wayne siege story. And the film doesn't stuff around showing the harshness of war - we meet key soldiers who die (eg the likeable Jim Hutton winds up in a trap - this made me feel sad; Mike Henry gets a whole taking-out-several-VC-before-being-killed himself sequence). The Vietnamese enemy are admittedly heavily depersonalised as wild, mostly faceless savages (just as they were in Platoon and Full Metal Jacket), but the South Vietnamese are allowed a bit of characterisation: the double agent girl, the officer. It is completely worth seeing.
The one big big budget pro-Vietnam War film was always going to be up against it; things aren't helped by some shoddy filmmaking. Structure wise, the film really should have focused just on the siege - then they throw in this extra act about a female agent who helps them abduct a general, which clunks.
Hokey moments abound - the intro sequence where sergeant Aldo Ray professes to be non political then gives journos a lecture about why they want to be in Vietnam; the journalist from the woman's journal being apologetic on that fact; meeting Hamchuck the orphan; Hamchuck getting into bed with Jim Hutton; Hamchuck going "you funny"; pretty much every sequence involving Hamuck (including the ending exchange "was my Peterson brave?" "Yes he was brave" "what will happen to me now" "You let me worry about that you're what this war is all about".)
But it's fascinating, utterly fascinating. It takes these well warn World War Two and Western tropes - evil generals, double agent women, spies, sieges in outposts, yelling savage natives - and puts them in this fresh Vietnam War setting. It's remarkable to see Wayne talking about DMZ and saying Vietnam place names. It contrasts sharply to Vietnam War tropes (soldiers going crazy and raping/napalming Vietnamese etc) which we assume are so much more accurate because... um... we see it more in movies I guess.
Some of the action isn't bad - I enjoyed the siege component as a good old fashioned John Wayne siege story. And the film doesn't stuff around showing the harshness of war - we meet key soldiers who die (eg the likeable Jim Hutton winds up in a trap - this made me feel sad; Mike Henry gets a whole taking-out-several-VC-before-being-killed himself sequence). The Vietnamese enemy are admittedly heavily depersonalised as wild, mostly faceless savages (just as they were in Platoon and Full Metal Jacket), but the South Vietnamese are allowed a bit of characterisation: the double agent girl, the officer. It is completely worth seeing.
Movie review - "Zeta One" (1969) *
A terrible, terrible movie - someone once called it the worst British film ever made and maybe they had a point. Sure, there's some camp fun with all these naked/near naked women running around but it's an absolute mess - continuity all over the shop, agonisingly long sequences, stunningly unfunny running gag about a secret agent whose moustache keeps falling off, incoherent story, unpleasant sequences of men torturing women.
Some familiar faces pop in and help pass the time - James Robertson Justice, Yuette Stusgaard, Valerie Leon. It sounds as though it's going to be fun - a British Barbarella - but the film screeches to a halt within the first few minutes with a painfully slow strip poker sequence and never recovers. Dreadful.
Some familiar faces pop in and help pass the time - James Robertson Justice, Yuette Stusgaard, Valerie Leon. It sounds as though it's going to be fun - a British Barbarella - but the film screeches to a halt within the first few minutes with a painfully slow strip poker sequence and never recovers. Dreadful.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Movie review - "Chisum" (1970) ***
Entertaining late period John Wayne movie, from his last really solid period - the True Grit era. It has the benefit of a strong story, heavily based on history. Wayne plays the real life rancher Chisum dealing with the much-adapted Lincoln County Wars - he has to deal with Tunstall, Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, etc... the same era later glamorised in Young Guns.
Wayne actually doesn't drive a lot of the action - he's more interested in keeping the peace - but because he's so imposing and such a force it doesn't matter. He easily overshadows poor old Forrest Tucker who plays the main baddie - Tucker reminded me of George Kennedy, another big boned character actor with a big presence but who was dwarfed by Wayne (to be fair the script has Wayne punch out Tucker several times).
There's a rich array of support cast: Ben Johnson as Wayne's sidekick, Geoffrey Deuel (who I'd never really heard of) as Billy the Kid, Glen Corbett (ditto) as Pat Garrett, Patric Knowles as Henry Tunstall, Christopher George as a gunslinger, Bruce Cabot as a sheriff, Richard Jaekel as another gunslinger. They've been given decent roles to play too, notably Billy the Kid's emerging psycho and Tunstall determined to lead a better life.
Some decent action (including a cattle stampede at the end), plus decent direction from Andrew McLaglen for a change. I really liked this film.
Wayne actually doesn't drive a lot of the action - he's more interested in keeping the peace - but because he's so imposing and such a force it doesn't matter. He easily overshadows poor old Forrest Tucker who plays the main baddie - Tucker reminded me of George Kennedy, another big boned character actor with a big presence but who was dwarfed by Wayne (to be fair the script has Wayne punch out Tucker several times).
There's a rich array of support cast: Ben Johnson as Wayne's sidekick, Geoffrey Deuel (who I'd never really heard of) as Billy the Kid, Glen Corbett (ditto) as Pat Garrett, Patric Knowles as Henry Tunstall, Christopher George as a gunslinger, Bruce Cabot as a sheriff, Richard Jaekel as another gunslinger. They've been given decent roles to play too, notably Billy the Kid's emerging psycho and Tunstall determined to lead a better life.
Some decent action (including a cattle stampede at the end), plus decent direction from Andrew McLaglen for a change. I really liked this film.
Movie review - "Kansas City Bomber" (1972) ***
A high water mark in the career of Raquel Welch: the film was written as a vehicle for her and she helped produce it, and gives one of her best performances: a single mum (Jodie Foster is one of the kids) who is determined to make it in the roller derby. Welch seems more natural than normal, chewing gum, slouching and skating her arse off. Still not brilliant or anything but beautiful
It's a gritty-ish early 70s piece - certainly no add for roller derby which is depicted as brutal, corrupt run by team owners such as Kevin McCarthy. The script depends too much on McCarthy doing Something Bad - whether encouraging Welch to brawl, trading her best friend, encouraging a rival with another skater, causing a male skater to be brutish. It's as if they couldn't bring themselves to criticise anyone else - and sometimes it's a bit silly.
But the milieu works - dingy bars and halls, cramped beds, crummy locker rooms. Its very feminist even if Raquel takes a shower or two and looks great in her costumes, with Raquel learning she can't rely on a man. (Though admittedly she's not the best mum in the world, dumping her two kids with her mum while she goes off skating.) The love scene between McCarthy and Welch is underwhelming but Helena Kallianiotes gives an interesting support performance.
The title is completely perfect even though most of the action takes place in Portland.
It's a gritty-ish early 70s piece - certainly no add for roller derby which is depicted as brutal, corrupt run by team owners such as Kevin McCarthy. The script depends too much on McCarthy doing Something Bad - whether encouraging Welch to brawl, trading her best friend, encouraging a rival with another skater, causing a male skater to be brutish. It's as if they couldn't bring themselves to criticise anyone else - and sometimes it's a bit silly.
But the milieu works - dingy bars and halls, cramped beds, crummy locker rooms. Its very feminist even if Raquel takes a shower or two and looks great in her costumes, with Raquel learning she can't rely on a man. (Though admittedly she's not the best mum in the world, dumping her two kids with her mum while she goes off skating.) The love scene between McCarthy and Welch is underwhelming but Helena Kallianiotes gives an interesting support performance.
The title is completely perfect even though most of the action takes place in Portland.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Movie review - "Fathom" (1967) **
Raquel Welch was one of the last film stars created by a studio - kind of. Under contract to 20th Century Fox, her PR pictures were getting a lot of attention so they were considering putting her in Our Man Flint as The Girl before deciding to cast her in a support role in Fantastic Voyage (as The Girl). She was borrowed by Hammer to appear in One Million Years BC where the famous still of her in a fur bikini made her a star, at least in PR terms. Enthused, Fox decided to give her her own vehicle, this spy spoof.
James Bond movies and their rip offs were hugely popular in the mid 60s - so much so that there was a sub genre of female spy movies: Modesty Blaise, Caprice, this. Welch is a sky diver who is hired by a mysterious agent (Ronald Fraser) and his offsider (Richard Briers) to find a maguffin, a nuclear triggering mechanism.
Some not particularly colourful or well budgeted adventures follow, with Welch coming up against a mysterious American (Tony Franciosa), comic Armenian (Clive Reville) and brooding Tom Adams (briefly the star of his own spy series). There's also a Chinese Secret Service agent, Greta Chi and Australia's own Reg Lye.
The film was written by Lorenzo Semple Jnr, whose work I often like, including the film of Batman; that was directed by Leslie Martinson, who also directed this. This has a similar campy tone with Revill's performance being particularly over the top. It could have done with more gags - or excitement. Or logic really.
The film is seems most inspired by is Charade with an adventurous heroine who is continually rescued by a handsome leading man who may be good or bad.
Welch isn't very good but she does look great - wearing a series of sky diving outfits, low cut outfits and bikinis, plus large hair. Annoying her character is saved a lot by Franciosa (in a bull ring, on a plane), who is a better actor but not as strong a personality - the role required someone more charming. And he calls her "poppet" too often, it gets on the nerves. I enjoyed Welch more than Franciosa and the two don't have much chemistry.
Fraser and Briers give the support cast some class.
James Bond movies and their rip offs were hugely popular in the mid 60s - so much so that there was a sub genre of female spy movies: Modesty Blaise, Caprice, this. Welch is a sky diver who is hired by a mysterious agent (Ronald Fraser) and his offsider (Richard Briers) to find a maguffin, a nuclear triggering mechanism.
Some not particularly colourful or well budgeted adventures follow, with Welch coming up against a mysterious American (Tony Franciosa), comic Armenian (Clive Reville) and brooding Tom Adams (briefly the star of his own spy series). There's also a Chinese Secret Service agent, Greta Chi and Australia's own Reg Lye.
The film was written by Lorenzo Semple Jnr, whose work I often like, including the film of Batman; that was directed by Leslie Martinson, who also directed this. This has a similar campy tone with Revill's performance being particularly over the top. It could have done with more gags - or excitement. Or logic really.
The film is seems most inspired by is Charade with an adventurous heroine who is continually rescued by a handsome leading man who may be good or bad.
Welch isn't very good but she does look great - wearing a series of sky diving outfits, low cut outfits and bikinis, plus large hair. Annoying her character is saved a lot by Franciosa (in a bull ring, on a plane), who is a better actor but not as strong a personality - the role required someone more charming. And he calls her "poppet" too often, it gets on the nerves. I enjoyed Welch more than Franciosa and the two don't have much chemistry.
Fraser and Briers give the support cast some class.
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Movie review - "Stopover Tokyo" (1957) **
Robert Wagner was lucky to be a film star, really - he had boy next door looks and was under contract to a studio, 20th Century Fox, who needed a juvenile they could groom as the next Tyrone Power, so they gave him a lot of chances, but he could never carry a film, as proved by this thriller.
You can say "the material is crap" but a real star can carry a crap thriller - like Alan Ladd, or William Holden or John Wayne or Burt Lancaster. Wagner's too lightweight, too young, and child looking - for all the cigarettes he smokes and cynical dialogue he spits out. (It's a different matter on TV where Wagner is a star.)
This was based on a novel by John Marquand which was originally a Mr Moto novel. There's no Moto in the film, which is a shame as it would've given the movie some kick. It does have location shooting in Japan - something very common in the 50s (eg House of Bamboo, Sayonara).
Wagner is never convincing as a US agent investigating an attempt to assassinate the US High Commissioner (who, conveniently, really really doesn't seem to care someone is after him). There's a pointless set up where Wagner's ID is held off, a bunch of mediocre investigation scenes, an unconvincing rivalry with fellow agent Ken Scott (even more beige than Wagner), a whimpy romance with receptionist Joan Collins (torn between two men and not really essential for story).
The most effective bit is a plot where a Japanese agent is killed and Wagner discovers he has a ten year old daughter and can't bring himself to tell her that dad's dead. Hokey, sure, but actually moving (because the girl doesn't have anyone).
I also quite liked the end where Wagner has to pretend to be a photographer to get to the flame in time to stop the assassination - then chucks the explosive away. It is pretty to look at, and there is some novelty in watching Wagner so miscast.
You can say "the material is crap" but a real star can carry a crap thriller - like Alan Ladd, or William Holden or John Wayne or Burt Lancaster. Wagner's too lightweight, too young, and child looking - for all the cigarettes he smokes and cynical dialogue he spits out. (It's a different matter on TV where Wagner is a star.)
This was based on a novel by John Marquand which was originally a Mr Moto novel. There's no Moto in the film, which is a shame as it would've given the movie some kick. It does have location shooting in Japan - something very common in the 50s (eg House of Bamboo, Sayonara).
Wagner is never convincing as a US agent investigating an attempt to assassinate the US High Commissioner (who, conveniently, really really doesn't seem to care someone is after him). There's a pointless set up where Wagner's ID is held off, a bunch of mediocre investigation scenes, an unconvincing rivalry with fellow agent Ken Scott (even more beige than Wagner), a whimpy romance with receptionist Joan Collins (torn between two men and not really essential for story).
The most effective bit is a plot where a Japanese agent is killed and Wagner discovers he has a ten year old daughter and can't bring himself to tell her that dad's dead. Hokey, sure, but actually moving (because the girl doesn't have anyone).
I also quite liked the end where Wagner has to pretend to be a photographer to get to the flame in time to stop the assassination - then chucks the explosive away. It is pretty to look at, and there is some novelty in watching Wagner so miscast.
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