I am a great fan of Armand Assante's but have passed over this film due to negative reviews. Roger Ebert gave it 1 1/2 stars and wrote that he didn't find Assante funny. I finally saw the film and I have to say this is one of the very few times I will have to disagree with Mr. Ebert. Armand Assante had me laughing so hard, I kept wondering why he didn't do more comedy. He had the perfect film noir voice, handsome prescence and completely surprised me with his hysterical dance in red heels. Kate Nelligan channeled Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity extremely well. Sean Young was a convincing 50s style Vamp not only spoofing Sharon Stone and Glenn Close; I suspect she must have watched Beverley Michaels and Virginia Leith films as well. Sherilyn Fenn was very charming as the loyal secretary in love with her clueless boss. James Remar parodying Max Cady from "Cape Fear" has some hilarious moments. And it was great to see Tony Randall with a deadpan delivery of his lines as the judge. Very funny movie. Don't let the ratings dissuade you from viewing this movie..... Very funny spoof of "Fatal Attraction," "Body Heat," "Basic Instinct", "Sleeping with the Enemy," "Double Indemnity", "Chinatown" and "Cape Fear".....with a tinge of "9 1/2 Weeks;" Roger Ebert writes in the same scathing review that "Armand Assante is one of the greatest actors of his generation." Now that I have to agree with.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The View from Pompey's Head
(1955)
Engrossing and Memorable
13 June 2020
After several attempts at watching blurry copies, I finally found a decent copy with satisfactory sound and was then able to view the entire film. I found this film to be quite absorbing and beautiful. The performances were very convincing. Richard Egan as usual is a very powerful and engrossing presence here always balancing restraint and erotic tension. Dana Wynter is lovely but could have been more impetuous. I read that Jean Simmons was considered for the Dana Wynter role. Perhaps she would have added that fiery impetuousness that was lacking in Ms. Wynter's performance. The acting accolades go to Marjorie Rambeau who was truly commanding in every scene. Sidney Blackner and Cameron Mitchell contribute very strong performances as well. Visually, the production is stunning. The colours, light, shadows and scenery were extremely lush and well thought out. The farewell scene at the train station for me ranks as one of the most beautiful "train station" scenes ever, along with " A Man and a Woman", "Love in the Afternoon" and dare I say, "Brief Encounter." It is unfortunate that a fully and meticulously restored version of this film is still unavailable. I can only imagine what the experience of watching this film must be like on the big screen. I should also not neglect to mention Elmer Bernstein's sweeping music score and moving love theme.
Voice in the Mirror
(1958)
Unjustly obscure
10 December 2019
It's rather curious that this film is not as famous as it deserves to be. It is a very well made film with outstanding performances by Richard Egan, Julie London, Arthur O'Connell and Walter Matthau. The Henry Mancini score is also noteworthy. I also appreciated that the main focus of the film was finding a solution to the problem of alcoholism. Richard Egan gives one of the best perfomances of his career. I just read in the AFI page that Universal International reissued the film in 1958 with the hopes that Mr. Egan would get an Oscar nonimation for his role. He certainly deserved one for this.
The Sweet Creek County War
(1979)
Surprisingly good
9 October 2019
I'm a big Richard Egan fan but wasn't expecting much since Mr. Egan's later work was quite uneven. I was pleasantly surprised at this story of an unlikely friendship. Egan and Salmi had good chemistry as former adversaries who become buddies who fight against the odds. Mr. Egan looks older here but is still a commanding prescence. It's a touching and funny but ultimately sad story. Not your typical western.
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