Red Rock West (1993) is a thriller with a big-time cast worth checking out. The films stars Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, and Lara Flynn Boyle, among others (such as Dwight Yoakam and J.T. Walsh).
Also be sure to check to the talented, country music-dominated soundtrack featuring: Johnny Cash, Shania Twain, Toby Keith, The Kentucky Headhunters, and Sammy Kershaw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyTP99iyMEM
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The great Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre (1981) is as much the antithesis of an action movie (at least a physical one) as you will ever see.
And yet, it is an entertaining film in its own right, a tribute to the dialogue, acting, and, of course, Malle’s direction.
Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, apparently playing themselves, share their lives over the course of an evening meal at a restaurant. Gregory, a theater director from New York, is the more talkative of the pair. He relates to Shawn his tales of dropping out, traveling around the world, and experiencing the variety of ways people live, such as a monk who could balance his entire weight on his fingertips. Shawn listens avidly, but questions the value of Gregory’s seeming abandonment of the pragmatic aspects of life.
And check out the late Gene Siskel’s analysis.
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Body Heat (1981) is a steamy thriller set during the hottest of the hot weather in Florida. Kathleen Turner, in her prime, plays a devious woman who convinces her lover to murder her wealthy husband.
William Hurt, Ted Danson, and Mickey Rourke also headline the cast.
The film is referenced often for its steamy sex scene. But, on the whole, it is a strong film on the merits.
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Hard Target (1993) was one of the more critically well-received Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. It is directed by the great talent out of Hong Kong, John Woo.
Also featured is Wilford Brimley sporting an absurd accent.
I consider this a solid action film, especially if you are in the mood to see one.
If you are in the mood for something more high brow, I suggest an old classic an one of my all-time favorites: Double Indemnity (1944).
via imdb.com:
Comments »A woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her father, who has gone missing. They discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance in the process.
Straight Time (1978) stars Dustin Hoffman as a career criminal. Seeing a younger Hoffman in one of his grittier roles makes it worthwhile, on top of how well the story flows in this crime/drama.
It is also worth a viewing since it is directed by the highly underrated Ulu Grosbard.
via imdb.com:
Comments »After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer. When he is released again, he assaults the parole officer, steals his car, and returns to a life of crime.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is an excellent film portraying the lives of three World War II veterans who return home to find out their lives and people around them have become incredibly different.
Compared to Vietnam and the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts, WWII is widely seen as the “good war.” Regardless of your take on that, this film is unique in how it shows the fallout and post-traumatic stress seen even from that war.
In addition, the film is worth seeing due to the lead Fredric March’s performance as the memorable Al Stephenson.
This one swept up at the Oscars back in 1946, back when they meant something more.
Watch it.
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