The more than solid rating and very favourable reviews here for 'Boomerang!' made me interested into watching. Elia Kazan was and still is considered a very influential director, some of his best work including 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'East of Eden' and 'On the Waterfront' being masterpieces and even lesser efforts such as 'The Sea of Grass' not being that bad. An actor with the talent Lee J Cobb had is reason enough to see any film, the cast on the whole was an interesting one.
'Boomerang!' may not be one of Kazan's all time best, do prefer the cited above films. It is though among the best and most fascinating of his early work, and it is a very engrossing and exceptionally well made and written script with a fine cast. It is a case of the second half being better than the first, but not by much as 'Boomerang!' is great all the way through (not a tale of two mismatched halves like some films with one half being better than the other are).
Production values are very stylish and with a nice atmosphere, the locations are well used and evocative and the semi-documentary-like style of the photography suited the story really well and never looks cheap or overblown. The film is also superbly directed by Kazan, then again that was no surprise that it would be considering how great he was as a director. Especially in the climactic moments and the increasingly intense drama of the second half, the character interaction blistering. The characters are actually interesting and come over like real human beings with flaws and strengths, not exaggerated cartoons or archetypes.
David Buttolph's score has presence without being over-powering, one of the best uses of it being at the start. The script is always taut and intelligent, especially in the second half where the writing really grips the viewer and keeps them guessing. The story, based on real events, is always engrossing, apart from some slow patches in the early portions of the film, its social awareness is intriguing with a point still relevant and important today and the tension mounts up to unsettling effect in the climactic moments. The courtroom scenes are beautifully shot and lit and superbly written. The second half is powerful hard-hitting stuff, but promise is evident right from the beginning with the startling opening that really sets the tone. The ending left me floored, wasn't expecting it at all.
Acting is excellent, though Ed Begley definitely gave better performances in more fleshed out roles. Dana Andrews carries the film with authority that never comes over as clinical and Cobb, always great value in authority and villain roles, is terrific as usual as a character far more layered than one would think. Jane Wyatt is alluring. Arthur Kennedy has another one of the most interesting characters, an ambiguous one that you are not sure whether to believe him or not, and never makes him one-dimensional or stock, understated but displays a wide range of emotions with no signs of being taxed.
Overall, extremely good and most highly recommended. 9/10
'Boomerang!' may not be one of Kazan's all time best, do prefer the cited above films. It is though among the best and most fascinating of his early work, and it is a very engrossing and exceptionally well made and written script with a fine cast. It is a case of the second half being better than the first, but not by much as 'Boomerang!' is great all the way through (not a tale of two mismatched halves like some films with one half being better than the other are).
Production values are very stylish and with a nice atmosphere, the locations are well used and evocative and the semi-documentary-like style of the photography suited the story really well and never looks cheap or overblown. The film is also superbly directed by Kazan, then again that was no surprise that it would be considering how great he was as a director. Especially in the climactic moments and the increasingly intense drama of the second half, the character interaction blistering. The characters are actually interesting and come over like real human beings with flaws and strengths, not exaggerated cartoons or archetypes.
David Buttolph's score has presence without being over-powering, one of the best uses of it being at the start. The script is always taut and intelligent, especially in the second half where the writing really grips the viewer and keeps them guessing. The story, based on real events, is always engrossing, apart from some slow patches in the early portions of the film, its social awareness is intriguing with a point still relevant and important today and the tension mounts up to unsettling effect in the climactic moments. The courtroom scenes are beautifully shot and lit and superbly written. The second half is powerful hard-hitting stuff, but promise is evident right from the beginning with the startling opening that really sets the tone. The ending left me floored, wasn't expecting it at all.
Acting is excellent, though Ed Begley definitely gave better performances in more fleshed out roles. Dana Andrews carries the film with authority that never comes over as clinical and Cobb, always great value in authority and villain roles, is terrific as usual as a character far more layered than one would think. Jane Wyatt is alluring. Arthur Kennedy has another one of the most interesting characters, an ambiguous one that you are not sure whether to believe him or not, and never makes him one-dimensional or stock, understated but displays a wide range of emotions with no signs of being taxed.
Overall, extremely good and most highly recommended. 9/10