U Turn

Tags

1990's, Billy Bob Thornton, Claire Danes, Dark Comedy, Jennifer Lopez, Joaquin Phoenix, Jon Voight, Neo Noir, Nick Nolte, Oliver Stone, Powers Boothe, Sean Penn, U Turn

Film Title

U Turn

Director

Oliver Stone

Starring

• Sean Penn as Bobby Cooper
• Jennifer Lopez as Grace McKenna
• Nick Nolte as Jake McKenna
• Powers Boothe as Sheriff Virgil
• Billy Bob Thornton as Darrell
• Claire Danes as Jenny
• Joaquin Phoenix as Toby N. Tucker
• Jon Voight as Blind Indian

A movie that caused a mixed opinion on release, U Turn is actually a head-spinning mashup of noir and dark comedy, wrapped in the guise of a fever dream. This wont be every viewer’s cup of tea, but is inventively strange and overripe with a cast willing to surrender to the baffling weirdness present.

Bobby Cooper is a gambler and two-bit criminal who is driving down the highway to Las Vegas to pay off debts to the mob. Armed with the money, Bobby wants nothing more than to settle the deal and be on his way. His unlucky streak has other ideas as his car breaks down and he’s forced to enter the town of Superior, Arizona. Now to say that this place isn’t a dust bowl and populated by some of the strangest people on Earth is a lie, as Bobby discovers the strange and dark ways that these people live by and how he just wants to leave. The local mechanic Darrell takes delight in annoying him with his obnoxious and unscrupulous ways that test Bobby’s patience no end and his day just goes from bad to worse from then on. A robbery at the local convenience store deprives him of the money he needs to pay of gangsters and puts him in a deadly situation. It’s at this point that the darkness increases with the introduction of seductive Grace McKenna and her brutal, older husband Jake. Grace entrances Bobby with her teasing ways and gorgeous beauty. While Jake makes him an offer that is very tempting but could be tainted. Jake asks that Bobby kill his flirty wife and a lot of money could come his way. Now while Bobby is no saint when it comes to criminal acts, he is more than a little hesitant to commit murder. Yet in a dire situation, what is he supposed to do? Complicating this twisted web is Grace seducing Bobby and bringing him into her plot to have her husband killed and make off with his hidden millions. More encounters with the unusual residents( such as the ditzy nympho Jenny and her short fused psycho boyfriend Toby N. Tucker, as well as a sheriff that is always skulking about) of Superior unnerve and annoy Bobby as he attempts every conceivable way to leave, yet seems to be thwarted at every turn. In need of money quickly and desperate to get out of the creepy town in at least one piece, he is left with either the plan to kill Grace or kill Jake; both of which could get him the stashes of money he craves. Let’s just say that events will go south and very bloody for all involved in this dark neo noir/ black comedy that just brings new meaning to the word weird.

I must say I found U Turn refreshing as it showed me a different side to Oliver Stone’s film making. From what I’ve viewed of his work, he is adept at directing films that confront issues and politics in a very well done way. But I enjoyed seeing him let loose and revel in the darkness of the story and the hazy world of unusual individuals that Bobby finds himself in and tries to inexorably escape from. This isn’t one of Stone’s movies that is addressing any big ideas, but he gives the film a real stamp of his through demented events and weird happenings; all captured in a style highly reminiscent of an acid trip, complete with rapid fire editing, grainy styling and overlapping scenes. Stone is firing on all cylinders here, finding twisted comedy and lurid deceit in the neo noir story at play and obviously having fun with it. You see as much as U Turn is a crime film and noir, it is also something of a black comedy, and let me not forget that Stone tips his hat to the western genre in the setting and some of the tone. It isn’t funny is a way that many people will traditionally laugh at, instead finding humour in disquieting events of which many are so wildly over the top that you will gasp as it basks in perverse glory. Now while U Turn is an underrated surreal film, it’s not without flaws. The main one is the pace growing slightly stale in the middle stretch of the film and your interest could very well wander. The sheer abundance of visuals being thrown at us gets at times a bit bloated, yet there is hope as both flaws are rectified by an electric and twisting final part of the film that redeems whatever flaws came before it. A superlative score that skilfully crosses between the humour and brutality of the film is provided by the great Ennio Morricone, who shapes the score with unusual cues and melodies to further put us under the spell of the hypnotic and surreal events unfurling.

I really enjoyed watching the cast of great actors and actresses put into all these whacked out situations and give it their best shots, all making an impact in some way. Sean Penn is effective in the role of Bobby, who is something of our anti-hero in this strange odyssey. Penn rightfully does make Bobby a really likable guy, instead showcasing his arrogance and intolerance. Yet he imbues the character with a growing sympathy that is hard to forget as he endures the hardships of the crazy town and the murderous plans he is sucked into. Jennifer Lopez sizzles as the femme fatale Grace, lulling Bobby into her devious plans for money. Yet unlike some actresses that just make the temptress role just seductive and nothing else, Lopez excellently brings forth a damaged and saddened side to the character that makes it something different to the usual deadly lady. Granted she is still seductive and dangerous, but it was a bit refreshing to see another interpretation of the femme fatale role. The appropriate nastiness and sleaziness is brought to the table by Nick Nolte as the brutish Jake, who growls his way through life with violence never far away. Then there is Powers Boothe, who appears to be the one decent law-abiding citizen in town, but who may be far from it. A devilish and unrecognizable Billy Bob Thornton turns in a memorable performance as the disagreeable grease monkey that gets more testing to impatient Bobby as the film goes on. With his ragamuffin appearance and sneering smiles, Thornton just adds even more weirdness to the proceedings complete with grimy humour. Claire Danes and Joaquin Phoenix more than gamely play their roles of the floozy with a naive attitude and her petulant, man-child boyfriend. Both stars find ridiculousness and humour within both of the loopy characters. Jon Voight appears as a blind shaman, who talk philosophically to anyone that will listen and is actually pretty spot on about an upcoming carnage that will be brutal.

It does have its moments when it gets a bit much and the middle half drags, but taking all of that into account, U Turn represents an underrated film by Oliver Stone that puts weird into a whole other dimension with editing, good performances and the noir atmosphere tinged with black comedy.

Body Heat

Tags

1980's, Body Heat, J.A. Preston, Kathleen Turner, Lawrence Kasdan, Mickey Rourke, Neo Noir, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, Thriller, William Hurt

Film Title

Body Heat

Director

Lawrence Kasdan

Starring

• William Hurt as Ned Racine
• Kathleen Turner as Matty Walker
• Richard Crenna as Edmund Walker
• Ted Danson as Peter Lowenstein
•  J.A. Preston as Oscar Grace
• Mickey Rourke as Teddy Lewis

A truly scintillating and wicked neo noir, Body Heat provides dark-hearted and sexy viewing as temperatures rise and danger lurks. As the directing debut of Lawrence Kasdan, he crafts a sultry tale of seduction and murder that burns with an erotic frisson and superb performances from the leads William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. With this being my first viewing of the film after hearing all the praise it had received, I’m happy to report that Body Heat more than lived up to my expectations.

The setting is Florida as a sweltering and unbearable heat wave grips the area. Ned Racine is a sleazy lawyer who is bored and not exactly the sharpest guy out there. One fateful night while out, he encounters the seductive Matty Walker, a woman married to a very rich man. It is lust at first sight as Ned becomes entranced with the gorgeous Matty and soon begins a steamy affair with her while her husband is away. As the affair grows more intense, Matty begins to plant the seed of killing her husband. It appears that having signed a prenup, Matty wouldn’t inherit anything of her husbands fortune from a divorce. Only if her husband dies first does everything of value go to her. Increasingly bewitched by Matty, Ned agrees to it hoping that his workings with the law will enable the two to escape from justice. Successfully going through with it, Ned kills and seems to cover up any sign of murder, staging it as an arson job that went wrong. Yet as events take a darker turn, the bewildered Ned begins to realise that the alluring Matty has other ideas of her own and for the whole time has used him for her own gain in a devious plan. Yet by this point, it could be too late for Ned as he becomes prime suspect in the case that Matty so cunningly orchestrated and ensnared him in.

Lawrence Kasdan, as writer and debuting director, is on fine form in both seats. Respectfully giving notice to the dark noir of the past and updating it with a sexy pulse, he makes sure Body Heat is deliciously dark and wicked as hell. As writer, he contributes a smart, crackling script laced with double entendres and a keen sense of events unraveling slowly but very surely in a suitably dark and dangerous style. With this movies, the talented Kasdan works utter wonders in the way he brings out the dangerous machinations that femme fatale Matty has crafted in a slow burning way and cloaks them in a sweltering and sexual ambience. There are some excellent moments of dark foreshadowing that are peppered through Body Heat as warnings for Ned that he misses as the plot becomes more sinister.The heatwave that grips steamy Florida almost becomes a character itself and as an audience, we can feel the sweat and steamy passion sizzling from every frame. I think it’s safe to say that after viewing Body Heat, you may need to cool down from the sizzling heat of it all. And speaking of sizzling, no discussion of Body Heat would be complete without talking about the erotic encounters between Ned and Matty. Strikingly shot in bold oranges and shadows, they form the darkly passionate core of the movie and the chemistry between Hurt and Turner practically sets the screen on fire. A score accentuated with smooth jazz from John Barry goes a long way in helping set the sultry tone of this masterful thriller.

William Hurt is well cast as Ned, capturing the womanizing nature, easily led and naive mannerisms of him as he quickly becomes trapped in Matty’s plan and can’t see no way out as he is clearly in over his head because of his blinding passion for her. Yet the biggest impression made in Body Heat is from Kathleen Turner, in what was her debut role. Seductive, husky voiced and coldly calculating beneath the surface, Turner is marvellous at imbuing Matty with a dark sense of deception, masked by come hither glances and sexual energy. It is the definition of a star making role and Turner knows it as she creates a modern femme fatale who is bad to the bone and as manipulative as they come, constantly two steps ahead of all the other characters. Engaging supporting performances from Richard Crenna as the ill-fated husband, Ted Danson as Ned’s nerdy prosecutor friend and Oscar Grace as a detective thinking that Ned knows more than he’s telling all contribute their presence to the film. And watch out for an early performance from Mickey Rourke as one of Ned’s former clients who supplies him with the means to go through with murder.

Body Heat is an excellent example of how to successfully create a neo noir with just the right amount of hat-tipping to the past and the perfect contemporary setting for modern audiences.

Final Analysis

Tags

1990's, Eric Roberts, Final Analysis, Kim Basinger, Neo Noir, Paul Guilfoyle, Phil Joanou, Richard Gere, Thriller, Uma Thurman

Film Title

Final Analysis

Director

Phil Joanou

Starring

• Richard Gere as Isaac Barr
• Kim Basinger as Heather Evans
• Uma Thurman as Diana Baylor
• Eric Roberts as Jimmy Evans
• Paul Guilfoyle as Mike O’Brien

A twisting neo-noir that alludes to the works of Hitchcock, Final Analysis is a good enough thriller that although derivative and more than a little flawed manages to keep the attention with glossy style and cast.

Isaac Barr is a dedicated psychiatrist in San Francisco who is treating a strange patient by the name of Diana Baylor. The unusual young woman is plagued by traumatic dreams that seem to stem from her childhood, but every time Isaac gets close to getting to the bottom of it, Diana somehow switches off and refuses to talk. Wanting to get to the root of Diana’s case, Isaac contacts her older sister Heather in the hopes of possibly discovering something. What Isaac gets is something he least expected. The gorgeous Heather captures his attention immediately and he feels for her because she is locked in a loveless marriage with Jimmy Evans, a hotheaded gangster who controls her every moved and exercises complete domination over her. Soon enough, Isaac and Heather have entered into a steamy affair after the stunning Heather secures him, despite the implications of him going against medical ethics. Yet while their affair is dangerous, there is also the matter of a strange condition that Heather suffers from. If she consumes even a tiny bit of alcohol, she flies into a violent and uncontrollable rage after which she can’t recall any of her actions. Events for the unsuspecting Isaac get more complicated when the vicious Jimmy is killed by Heather during what appears to be one of her violent episodes. Put on trial for murder, Isaac acts as a help to her because of his desire for her and tries to aid her in getting off through his friendship with her defence attorney Mike O’Brien. Yet as the case begins to open, several things begin to test Isaac’s faith in Heather as he starts to suspect she may not be the vulnerable and abused woman she appears to be. Mystery and deception meet as Isaac digs into the twisting case that is not what it seems on the surface.

As aforementioned, Final Analysis owes a lot to the movies of the masterful Alfred Hitchcock. And while it can be neat counting the references to his work, especially Vertigo, it can grow a bit bothersome as it is a film that is never going to be put in the same category as his work. Regardless of that, director Phil Joanou keeps things very stylish and moving along nicely, and it’s not hard to see that he knows how to frame an enticing shot for this neo noir. Good examples of these skills are the opening credits that provide vignettes of what is to come being illuminated by a searching fog light, a tight close up of the haunted Diana recounting her dream and later a stormy climax at a rickety lighthouse. Derivative as Final Analysis may be, it still is sure as hell an entertaining mystery. The writing is good for the most part, yet while it builds a sense of unease in the beginning, it starts to squander it in the middle by revealing a bit too much information and throwing in some very incomprehensible twists. Thankfully, the tense climax makes up for the floundering middle half with panache and thrills. A string heavy score delightfully recalls the work of Hitchcock regular Bernard Herrmann with its romantic undertones and sense of passionate danger.

Richard Gere is very good as the unsuspecting Isaac, whose confidence in his beliefs and love for Heather are sorely tested as the case opens up. Gere successfully makes Isaac a character who finds himself caught in a web and tries to navigate his way out, only to uncover more deception. The beautiful and talented Kim Basinger sizzles as the mysterious Heather, who is by turns sad, beguiling and extremely seductive. Basinger brings energy to the part as we like Isaac, begin to witness how the afraid surface she projects may in fact hide something a lot more deadly. A young Uma Thurman projects a haunted and almost ghostly quality to the role of the traumatised Diana, who may know more than she is letting on as the web of deceit intensifies. Eric Roberts may only be on screen for a short amount of time, but when he’s there he exudes an animalistic intensity and thuggish demeanor as Heather’s ultimately ill-fated husband. Paul Guilfoyle is very amusing as Isaac’s best friend and lawyer who showcases humour during the trial.

Flawed but still very entertaining, Final Analysis has enough visual flourishes and contributions from a game cast to make it watchable. It may not be going down as the best thriller out there, but it is still well done and effectively directed by Phil Joanou.

L.A. Confidential

Tags

1990's, Crime, Curtis Hanson, Danny DeVito, Drama, Film Noir, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, James Ellroy, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential, Neo Noir, Russell Crowe

Film Title

L.A. Confidential

Director

Curtis Hanson

Cast

• Kevin Spacey as Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes
• Russell Crowe as Officer Wendell “Bud ” White
• Guy Pearce as Det. Lt. Edmund “Ed” Exley
• James Cromwell as Capt. Dudley Smith
• Kim Basinger as Lynn Bracken
• Danny DeVito as Sid Hudgens

Based on the novel by James Ellroy and boasting an excellent ensemble cast, L.A. Confidential takes the viewer on an intricate journey into the 50’s, exposing corruption and murder beneath the veneer of glamour and bright lights along the way. Director Curtis Hanson has fashioned an elegant, brutal and thoroughly convincing neo noir that grips you with its labyrinthine plot, excellent jazz score and perfect feel for the time.

The main focus of the film is three members of the Los Angeles Police Department; suave and confident Jack Vincennes who enjoys the limelight in Hollywood, Bud White, whose violent and hot-headed antics often clash with others and intelligent upstart Ed Exley, who does everything by the book and longs to be just as good as his late father. The paths of the three men first cross at a Christmas Party, in which prisoners and police begin brawling in the cells and the paparazzi have a field day with the story, dubbing it “Bloody Christmas”. After a massacre at a restaurant named the Nite Owl, in which one of the men’s fellow officers is killed, the men are drawn together again in order to solve the case.This case leads them through many twists and turns involving corruption within the police force, the scandal loving magazine “Hush Hush”, a prostitution ring in which the women are made to resemble movie stars, drug dealing and long-buried secrets.

The pacing of the film is magnificent, slowly revealing and concealing things to keep the viewer guessing what will happen next. The cast assembled add immeasurable impact to the story as it gradually unravels before us. Spacey is excellent as the limelight loving Jack, adding humour and impact in his scenes. Guy Pearce is well-suited to his part of the determined Exley, who is driven to succeed whilst being ostracized by his peers. Russell Crowe makes an indelible mark as the violent and troubled Bud, getting under the skin of him and revealing a rarely shown sensitive side to his character. As a prostitute who is the spitting image of Veronica Lake and caught up in the ongoing investigation, Oscar-winning Kim Basinger adds both glamour and poignancy, especially as she and Bud begin to develop feeling for each other whilst he is working on the dangerous case.

Aided by stunning cinematography and an evocative jazz score, Los Angeles almost becomes another character within the film.It becomes  a hot bed of Hollywood high glamour, scandal loving people and deception round every corner. The humorous and barbed opening narration by Danny DeVito’s dirt loving tabloid journalist, in which footage from old movies and grainy paper headlines about drugs and illegal activities is shown while he speaks, clearly sums up this dichotomy of the place.

If you’re looking for a crime film with a noir sensibility and more twists than a winding serpent, then look no further than L.A. Confidential. Trust me you can’t go wrong with this excellent film.