Reviews for the week starting on November 6, 1995

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MOVIES IN THEATERS

Seven (1995)

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I saw this last week on Halloween and it was the perfect film to see on that particular holiday. A thrilling mystery, involving two detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman), trying to solve a series of strange murders, patterned after the seven deadly sins. During this time, Pitt and Freeman become good friends and earn each other's respect. Typical buddy-film? Not really. There are some of the usual detective cliches, but it's actually pretty surprising. Pitt is very good, but it's Freeman's presence that is the most powerful. The film is stylishly made. I'd say it's patterned after the old Film Noirs of the Forties and Fifties.

Pitt's real life girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow, plays Pitt's wife and turns in a pretty good performance. The film is a psychological thriller in the same vein as Silence of the Lambs and Angel Heart. It's a film that really sinks into memory. Well acted, filmed and directed, Seven is a really scary film, and basically, a very suspenseful mystery.

My Rating =

Rent

MOVIES ON VIDEO

Here are three films on video and/or laserdisc.

Stalin (1992)

An incredibly good film, telling the story of one of the world's greatest dictators, Joseph Stalin. The movie details the years between 1917 to the dictator's death in 1953. During this time, Stalin ruled with an iron fist. He stopped the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which killed millions of Russians. However, Stalin himself was as big a butcher as Hitler. The movie follows much of the awful stuff he did to his people and country. Excellent performances from Robert Duvall as Stalin, Julia Ormond (Legends of the Fall) as Stalin's wife and Maximilian Schell as Lenin, who propel this incredible epic. The scenery helps quite a bit.

Though admittedly it's a little overlong, Stalin is a very good historical epic and is one of Robert Duvall's best films.

My Rating =

Rent

Helter Skelter (1976)

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One of the most popular TV-movies of all time, Helter Skelter is a well made Docudrama. The film follows the famed investigation of the Tate-LaBianca slaying and the trial of Charles Manson and his "Family". The two star performances are excellent, with Steve Railsback, terrifying as Manson and George DiCenzo as Vincent Bugliosi, the man who prosecuted Manson. Bugliosi also wrote the book on which this movie is based. The movie is factual and is true to the book and case. The film isn't perfect, because it doesn't really explain the fascination people have with Manson. I guess the reason I'm interested in Manson, not because he's supposed to be "cool", but rather, I'm interested in how he made people kill for him. Most likely he was an amazing con-artist, who was really good at his job. Helter Skelter is still an interesting and fascinating film.

My Rating =

Rent

The Wages of Fear (1952)

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Here is a film that could almost be two films in one. Director Henri Georges-Clouzet's masterpiece takes place in a dying village in South America, where people from all over the world are living life on the streets and bars of this small town. The town is run by the Southern Oil Company (SOC), which profits at the expense of the villagers. After a fire breaks out at one of the oil fields, killing a good deal of the workers, the company asks for experienced drivers to haul a truckload of nitroglycerine across the dangerous mountain roads. Two trucks are to be loaded with the cargo and two people per truck. Four men are picked out from village. A rather handsome Corsican (famed French actor, Yves Montand), his husky Italian roommate (Folco Lulli), an egotistical German (Peter Van Eyck) and a fugitive French gangster (Charles Vanel).

Here's where the real fun begins. The four truckers face danger after danger, trying to get their cargo through safely, without blowing up. The film could be two films in one. The first half introduces us to the villager's and company's characters and lifestyles. The second half is the best. Incredibly suspenseful in every detail. There are many moments, where danger is barely avoided, that just make you want to go "phew!" The performances by Vanel and Montand, as friends that stick together all the way through, are excellent. One of the best films I've ever seen, The Wages of Fear is a definite must-see.

My Rating =

Rent

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