searchanddestroy-1

Before the FIGHTING SEABEES, director Edward Ludwig gave us this war film, propaganda war flick, not too long, fast paced, produced by 20th Century Fox, which contributed to the war effort. This is not an exceptional story, very predictable, but an excellent time waster and some good surprises, if you put the whole thing in the forties context. In the meantime, of course, you had THE EAGLE HAS LANDED, ten millions times better than this one; but you'll understand why I evoke the John Sturges' film after you will have watched this one. I don't want to spoil anything of the plot. Annabella and George Montgomery was a very unlikely cast....

Good intelligent script for a certainly not film noir, but a psychological drama, strong, solid piece of work, in the line of the forties Paramount Pictures productions, such as THE UNSEEN or THE UNINVITED, though not the same story, I mean fantasy element mixed up with a real story. Yes, I admit there is a bit film noir in the story, but just a bit, and Ray Milland as the villain and Thomas Mitchell as the good guy is very rare and interesting. John Farrow proves here he was not only a sea adventures film director. Look for his other features from the forties: THE BIG CLOCK, NIGHT HAS THOUSAND EYES, CALCUTTA.... Maybe the plot will puzzle many audiences, but it is worth the catch.

Lewis Seiler spent most of his career at Warner Brothers and this one is not one of his most important ones. It is fun, fast paced, cool to watch; the Warner Bros trademark, and the movies about airplanes were galore in the thirties and forties. This film is just common, but rather rare for movie goers, that's all. Action, romance, comedy and that's it. You have been warned. I am tired of this after forty years of oldies watching. I guess this film is easily available thanks to the public domain rights. For airplanes movies lovers only, and I suppose there are many of them. Entertaining light hearted drama.

This scheme of a couple of tourists stopping somewhere, in a gas station, and when the wife disappears, is not new. Remember Jonathan Mostow's BREAKDOWN, Frank Mancuso's RIF, or the US TV movie DYING ROOM ONLY. But this one is really disturbing, unforgettable, really painful. I hesitate to reveal the whole plot, I want to preserve the suspense and not spoil the whole movie. But believe me, it's a hell of a film. I must be seen at all costs, a must see, I don't understand that it is not more widely known. Bernard Pierre Donnadieu outstanding in a very difficult role. If you are lucky enough not to have seen it yet, don't hesitate, go, go go.

At long last, I watch an Algerian war film speaking precisely of the French Algerian war that occured between 1954 and 1962. Eight years of brutality, tortures, bombardments, atrocities of all kinds. And useless to say that the French authorities rarely evokes this war, except directors such as Yves Boisset and Philippe Faucon. France - French army - commited atrocities as well as the Algerian rebels too. This movie shows the Algerian point of view, very interesting. Il is poignant, engrossing, realistic and not propaganda from my own point of view. It's such a shame that this movie was not more widely shown in Europe, and France in particular.

What a coincidence that in this TV show speaking of the notorious Lyonnais gang, an authentic group of armed robbers, is starring Gerard Lanvin, as one of the gangsters. Considering that in 2011, Oliviier Marchal will direct LES LYONNAIS - the same story inspired from actual events -, starring the same Lanvin in the lead gangster role. This series describes very well what the police daily job is, as well as the professional robbers daily life is too. It may be seen as a sort of fiction documentary, very well donne, never boring, taut. And what amusing is this scene where Bruno Cremer's character, the cop in chief - commissaire - is eating with his family and watching on TV the Maigret show, starring Jean Richard. Cremer then says that his job is not like Maigret's one, it is more difficult. It is funnny, because one decade and a half later, Bruno Cremer will play Maigret for French TV industry.

After the success of LE PROFESSIONAL and the likes of PEUR SUR LA VILLE and L'ALPAGUEUR - major action crime flicks - and before the failure of his last action film - LE SOLITAIRE- Jean-Paul Belmondo gave us this one, directed by Jacques Deray, with whom he made BORSALINO, PAR UN BEAU MATIN D'ETE, and LE SOLITAIRE. It is obviously inspired by the DIRTY HARRY fashion, the tough, rough cop - Philippe Jordan - who applies his own methods, against all codes, rules, except his very own ones. Henry Silva plays the villain, this American actor who already played in Daniel Vigne's LES HOMMES and jean Claude Roy's L'INSOLENT, two gritty French crime flicks. The Paris car chase, under the aerial subway line, is of course a tribute to BULLITT, or FRENCH CONNECTION - also car chase under the New York aerial subway line - scene.

Anyway, from the same director Sam Raimi, you could not get deceived, even if he did exactly the same thing as he did for the previous movie, but with a far bigger budget, and - the most important- with a total freedom, compared with the crap that he will give us in 1992, a huge budget this time, still compared with the first two films. And bigger budgets means working with those producers from Hollywood crap industry, those business men tied to the stock exchange, the stock market and who want every dollar to be used for the large audiences pleasure. So, before enduring the third film of the franchise, take advantage to enjoy this one. It is really exciting fun, for any horror fans.

Joel McCrea is really engrossing, poignant, in this role here, a role that I crave for, as much as the one he will have forteen years later in GUNS IN THE AFTERNOON, a lost in advance hero. I always weep a bit when I watch this Raoul Walsh's western, which I even prefer to THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, another kind of plot, I admit. The remake I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES, starring Jack Palance, was a good one too. I recommend this one at all costs. A Warner Bros production highlight. Virginia Mayo is also at her best here, more than in WHITE HEAT, from the same great Walsh. Yes, a gripping, taut, gritty western. The climax in the old ruined village is nearly the same as in FORT MASSACRE, a tremendous western also starring Joel McCrea.

Jock Mahoney is terrific here in this enchanted Universal Studios western. An underrated western which deserves to be more widely known, as much as Anthony Mann's or Delmer Daves' films too. Gibert Roland, as usual, plays the hero's sidekick - remember him in THE TREASURE OF PANCHO VILLA, where the lead hero, Rory Calhoun, is close to Jock Mahoney's role. TREASURE...is also from George Sherman. The plot brings nothing special, compared to another western and the scheme of men search for a woman makes me think of Richard Brooks' THE PROFESSIONALS, and the directing, settings, locations, are terrific and contribute to the quality of this B western; I remind you it is under 79 minutes. When I think about Jock Mahoney - in his black leather outfit, I think about LAST OF THE FAST GUNS. This story could have been made ten yeas later, during tje sixties. And the most juicy part is the symbolic in characters clothes; have you noticed that the good guy wears black clothes whilst the evil one wears white suit? EXCELLENT.

This movie from Northern Europe reminds me the slashers from the seventies! HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH...And it is fun and bloody, efficient and never boring. Not that funny however and some things remained unexplained to me. But I appreciated this horror film purchased on Netflix. The bodycount is the main interest, no matter the characters. Yes, a good little slasher yarn. It is not too long but I would have prefered it a bit shorter. I had not seen such a slasher since a long time and it was a bit refreshing. It changes from BLAIR WITCH PROJECT rip-offs or other CONJURING like movies. Good stuff.

This story is unfortunately inspired from actual events, and I guess that's only an example of what happens in real life for millions of other girls, under age young women. Jean Paul Rouve is excellent in this disgusting character who, in the first time, attracts a poor girl with romance style, beautiful words, and then suddenly behaves like a monster, a maniac, a twisted minded man who thinks he is untouchable because famous, widely known. Yes, it is disturbing, disgusting. It is such a shame that such male monsters always behave like this with naive and gentle, honest "preys", and not with twisted minded girls; because evil young women also exist. And those evil minded young women - even under age - always deal with this time honest and true, authentic good men who really want to love, protect them. The perfect world would be that, for once, monsters meet monsters too. What do you think?

Interesting little western, as Allied or United Artists could provide from time to time, or Universal B department. But Budd Boetticher also made his famous Randolph Scott westerns more or less in the same manner. Nothing spectacular but quite surprising, unpredictable, which is not the case for every western. This kind of plot was often used in ZANE GREY THEATER series episodes, small cute engrossing stories, sometimes poignant, far far from clichés. Gerd Oswald was not a major film maker, not an ambitious one, but his films were not uninteresting. FURY AT SHOWDOWN starring John Derek was also a cute little western.

I am not a science fiction movie specialist, nor even lover, but this movie from the late sixties is really exciting, riveting, terrific, as well on the screenplay as on the making itself. And the director Bob Parrish was not a science fiction movie director; he only gave us this very one. And it is a true success. One of his best films. The atmosphere, the music, plenty participate, contribute to the outstanding result that the audience have on screen; It is a rather pessimistic film that will leave you a bitter taste in the mouth. Roy Thinnes was perfect in this role, he who already amazed us in the worldwide known series THE INVADERS.

I guess there will be a BEFORE and an AFTER AMERICAN PSYCHO in Christian Bale's career. He was revealed with this film, this performance. I tried to read the novel, but I dropped it very early in the process, because one hundred pages - I nearly exagerate - to describe in details which liquid or soap he uses to wash, take his shower, to shave his face.... I could not, sorry. The movie is far more "approachable" than the book. The adaptation could be compared to THE PERFUME, also a difficult story on paper to put on screen. But the book was riveting for me, more than AMERICAN PSYCHO. But after all, that's only a matter of taste. This one is disturbing, but also easy to be taken on the second degree for some scenes.

I literally fell in love with this movie as soon as I discovered it, back in 1999. It is depressing, gritty, painful, disgusting, disturbing but so terrific, because not destined to wide audiences. So, if I was you, I would avoid to show it to my family in law - and family too - for lunch or supper, around the poultry. This is a true masterpiece, a real must see, as also will be IRREVERSIBLE, which I will comment later. It is a powerful hit in the face, breaking your nose, your conscience, a film that will leave wounds in your spirit, your soul, and for a very long time. The way of filming can evoke Jean-Pierre Jeunet. But certainly not the story, the meaning; a meatchopper for mind, for brain functionning. An absolute must see. Philippe Nahon's best role.

Rouben Mamoulian was one of the most gifted directors of his generation. Just watch the first talkie version of DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE, the opening minutes.... Mamoulian invented new camera moving technicals. Here, in this movie, maybe it is less obvious, but the film remains an absolute flawless action adventture movie, where Tyrone Power shows himself as the perfect equivalent at Fox of Errol Flynn for Warner Bros, both fighting Basil Rathbone as the villain. The story is of course predictable at one hundred percent but only remains the genuine quality of directing and acting. The highlight being the final duel between those two fence masters Basil Rathbone and Tyrone Power.

Actually, I am not able to dislike any DIE HARD movie of the franchise. But I can understand that many folks, even DIE HARD die hard fans, can prefere the first and despise the rest of the batch, I can accept it because the five movies are all different one from the other and not only copies of the original, not even rip-offs, unlike dozens of craps of all kinds. So, if all the five films of the franchise are different, of course, it's impossible to satisfy everyone. This one is pretty good, pretty fun, pretty exciting and Maggie Q marvelous as the evil, villain female, more than the one we had in DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE. I have always be focused on the villains in the DIE HARD franchise and my favourites are and always will be Alan Rickman - DIE HARD 1 and William Sadler - DIE HARD 2. Timothy Oliphant, here, here doesn't satisfy me that much. But Maggie Q gives a jaw dropping performance when she fights against McLane. How exciting !!!!! And Cyril Raffaelli, my fellow citiizen, is also terrific as the "spider man" villain, far far better than in the Luc Besson's craps.

I expected something better from this TV series, French melodrama show taking place in the rural France of the 1800's. I expected something like JACQUOU LE CROQUANT, JEAN CHALOSSE, L'ENNEMI DE LA MORT; I mean gloomy dramas, showing how peasants, rural population, lived in those days. This one is just entertaining, but too light hearted for my taste, without being a comedy though, I admit. It is action - nearly - packed, and rather predictable. Yes, that's it, it lacks the gloominess which the other series of this kind provided. That's a matter of taste. This series was produced during the early sixties, before the sseries which I evoked above.

This rare gem from French TV industry offers the peculiarity to have many female characters for a topic that could have meant male roles. This is not really exciting but just unbelievable, offbeat, hard to realize. It seems to be inspired from spy movies of the sixties, closer to Ian Flemyng's 007 than John le Carré's novels or ICPRESS FILE like spy thrillers. Just entertaining, not more, and I easily imagine how much the seventies French audiences could be surprised. It is lousy but fun, incredible but not boring, hard to purchase but not worth watching if you have something else important to do.

Yes, Freddie Francis had used us to so many excellent horror yarns, that this one - another version of Curt Siodmak's DONOVAN'S BRAIN - could not bring anything new to the prestigious career of this director, the only one that could be compared to Terence Fisher; even more than Roy Ward Baker or John Gilling, in terms of horror Hammer or Amicus Productions. But it is OK; a good time waster, thanks to Peter Van Eyck's performance. So, don't despise it either, but if you have the choice among Freddie Francis' filmography choose PARANOIAC, NIGHTMARE, HYSTERIA, and all the Amicus productions such as DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORROR.

This movie is typical of the seventies in terms of gloominess and desperate atmosphere, it could have been made by Andre Cayatte - LA RAISON D'ETAT and a strange and disturbing and full of untold elements are here to puzzle audiences minds. Yves Boisset and Jacques Deray also gave us ESPION LEVE TOI and UN PAPILLON SUR L'EPAULE, and Henri Verneuil did the same with I COMME ICARE, nearly same kind of topics. Not for all audiences for sure, not today's - 2024 - audiences. They don't make films like this anymore. This feature is riveting, full of suspense and surprises, despite its low pace. Bruno Cremer excellent and the female character convincing too.

This is a true, pure, authentic fast and furious western, which would have never made it in movie theaters, it would have never made a gross, because audiences, silly audiences, crave for Hollywood like stories with the good defeating the evil ones and the always f...happy ending. This western is gritty, violent, disturbing and if you loved the likes of TOM HORN and HEAVEN'S GATE, if you love gloomy, downbeat stories, this one is for you. Definitely, entirely, literally. I am not sure it was inspired by an accurate real story but I know this kind of tragedies occured many many times during the old west era. There was no hero getting away in the sunset with his sweetheart. Leave it to the sissies.

Tremendous little French drama, very unusual, unpredictable, puzzling for many audiences, that's the reason why it did not work so well in terms of gross. Such a shame. It is unlikely, I admit, but that's precisely why I crave for it that much. I guess that Ridley Scott's DUELLISTS - or BARRY LYNDON - influenced this one, I won't explain why, it is so obvious.... It is impossiblle for me to spoil the story, so surprising, but believe me, if you search something different, this is definitely for you. Jeremie Renier and Vincent Perez steal the show together, this awesome, gripping, engrossing and daring movie. But from time to time, French movie industry provides such golden gems.

I understand that many people will find this small French drama very poignant, touching, engrossing if you watch it closely enough. This is not exactly JULES AND JIM, but the scheme is not so far from the François Truffaut's gem. Excellent character study, analysis, far from clichés, despite the classical basic plot. Not for too wide audiences, not a millions euros gross maker, but who cares? It sounds so real, so authentic. I love discovering such films, and the French industry offers us many of them. I am lucky. Yes, this is a true good curiosity to find out. So shame that the release was too confidential.