lanqui

Movies are meant to entertain and educate. Red River is extremely entertaining while giving a true to life glimpse of what it was like in Texas in the middle 1800's. Don't look for a message, just sit back and enjoy the adventure you are about to experience.

John Wayne is at his best here providing the acting skills necessary to communicate the many layers of his character. As with all Wayne movies the supporting cast is what truly holds the movie together.

If there is one picture people should see, silent or otherwise, this should be at the top of the list for consideration. Chaplin is at the top of his form. He plays the viewers feelings like a virtuoso with a violin. You laugh, you cry, and then your heart is squeezed tighter than a size ten foot in a size five shoe.

This powerful movie captures the essence of the people who inhabit the netherworld between respectability and the dregs of society. The characters are well defined and believable, the situations are real, and all the actors(main and supporting)are convincing. All aspects of the movie wind it tighter than a 10 year old substitute being asked to sink the winning basket for a CYO championship.

Paul Newman was at the top of his game, George C. Scott gave a preview of greatness to come, Jackie Gleason once again teased us with what we might have seen if he brought his considerable talents to movies more often,and Piper Laurie showed she was much more than a pretty face.

This movie along with such classics as "The Third Man","Touch of Evil" and "Red River" shows how black and white films utilize the black and white format to add to the overall feeling of the movie. It would be criminal to convert any of these or selected other black and white classics to color.

This ranks as one of the worst movies ever made. This movie stretches its attempt at psychocriminality. Yaphet Kotto who always gives a solid performance did so here as Birney's boss, but I can't imagine he used this part to get his role on the TV series "Homicide." You have a young southern girl with multiple personalities(the one of her father is over the top)killing prostitutes,a southern farmer with a limp and a pick up truck and at least another dozen cliches that at times make the movie painful to watch. One of the more preposterous shots is having Birney drive his car up to a house with a lawn in front, a stream in back and the address would be at 72nd St. & Columbus. For people who know New York City this is comparable to going to the moon and seeing palm trees. Where Ms.45 was bad, but campy, Pretty Kill is just bad. This movie is best viewed in the old Times Square at the midnight showing of a dilapidated theater with it raining outside and a flask of scotch in your pocket.