Reviews (240)

A tribute to man's failings!
I approached this movie with a certain trepedation. As a great fan of the Nick Hornby novel, I was somewhat concerned about the Americanisation of the novel.

How could I ever have doubted John Cusack and co!! The point is made well by Stephen Frears in his interview; moving the movie to Chicargo highlights the fact that its themes are universal.

We are taken inside the mind of Rob(John Cusack), a thirtysomething record store owner, undergoing a mini mid-life crisis. His girlfriend has left him for the new-age hippie neighbour (Tim Robbins). In an effort to understand why this has happened he takes the advice of "The Boss" and contacts his "all-time top five break-ups" to try to determine why they broke up with him.

Rob is not the perfect hero and his flaws are clearly shown to us. It is this which allows the viewer to identify with Rob in a way which certainly I have done with very few movie characters. He's a good guy who does stupid things, hurts the people he loves, acts selfishly but is ultimately likeable.

Rob's journey of self discovery is always anchored by his obsession with music and this music gives us a further insight into the mind of the main character.

Special mention must be made of the deleted scenes on the DVD version. A couple of these are particularly fine and would have added to the narrative. I can only think that there was a particularly vicious editing process to cut ten minutes off the running time.

The cast is truely outstanding, a real ensemble piece with particularly fine performances from Jack Black and Todd Luiso as Rob's stereotypical record shop snob employees ("I can't fire them. I hired them three days a week but they starting coming every day. That was three years ago!) Some of the scenes in the music shop are painfully funny.

But ultimatly it's Cusacks movie. He truly is one of the most talented actors in mainstream cinema today.

Besides any movie that can namecheck Belle & Sebastian and The Beta Band and features a cameo from Bruce Springsteen deserves an extra star!

Watch it twice. At least.
It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't seen High Fidelity, or even someone who's just seen it once, how incredibly good it is. Take first the phenomenal John Cusack, who seems to make any film he appears in twice as watchable. Is there a more underrated leading man in this decade? I doubt it.

Then take into account the amazing support, knowns and unknowns - Cusack's sister Joan, Tim Robbins, Jack Black, etc. - even Zeta-Jones isn't half bad. Consider too the script, which is surprisingly faithful to Nick Hornby's (very good) book, and gives equal measure to comic and tragic relief.

Fianlly, the soundtrack. Can there be any greater song to sum up Rob Thomas (John Cusack's) final revelation after the film ends than Stevie Wonder's I Believe? No. High Fidelity is the complete package - funny, touching, well-acted, scripted, directed, scored for, and unbelievably true to life.

And for all those sad Englishmen writing in to complain that the movie should have been set in Britian - get real. I thank you.

Possessions and obsessions
This is a movie about men, their possessions and how they order them. For Rob, it's all about pop music and women. Nothing else, besides the odd film, matters to him. And it's pretty much the same for his two male colleagues at the record shop, who exist at opposite ends of the forcefulness spectrum. They form a self-selected elite who look down on the musical taste of nearly everyone they meet.

But actually their hyper-critical views are pretty close to the mark. It's great to hear someone else noticing and lamenting the 1980s decline of Stevie Wonder, for example. One might criticise author Hornby for selecting Rob's dream job as record producer in the punk era (1976-79) when he could have chosen, say, late 1960s Beach Boys / Beatles psychedelia. But you can never find someone with the identical taste as your own. Strangely, the music is not particularly central to this movie, in the sense that it probably generated fewer album sales for featured artists like Marvin Gaye than say 'The Big Chill'.

The structure of the movie takes a little getting used to. The first time you see it can be a disappointment -- there's no upbeat climactic ending, unless you count the improbable, rather obviously tacked-on, disco/concert by Sonic Death Metal, or whatever they happened to be called at the time. John Cusack's frequent chats to camera seem altogether natural (except when he's sauntering backwards and forwards on some wooden bridge-cum-platform in downtown Chicago).

What I like about this film is that, from a male viewpoint, it rings true so often. Men do behave treacherously, and the behaviour often looks worse at first sight. I like the fact that the actress who played Laura wasn't stunningly attractive. Even Lisa Bonet didn't seem particularly beautiful in the movie. (But yes, that really is Catherine Zeta-Jones discreetly stripping off in a role just before she became famous enough to warrant a major Hollywood film credit.)

This is not the perfect movie, but it contains a message about the male psyche that I hadn't extracted from any other movie, and that revelation in itself is sufficiently uplifting to distract from the artificial attempt by the film to uplift via the back-together-again concert/disco scenario.

Maudlin Navel Gazing to a Great Soundtrack
Ah yes. Another quirky offbeat romantic comedy from quirky offbeat romantic cynic John Cusack. Life sucks but he wouldn't miss it for the world. Give John Cusack credit. He was 34 when he made this. His character is a guy in his late 20's who has the emotional maturity of a teenager and Cusack pulls it off effortlessly. Cusack's character, Rob, isn't a jerk. He's a manchild. He doesn't mean to be a selfish obsessive boob; he just lacks the normal range of human adult emotions. Imagine the teenager Cusack played in Better Off Dead. Now imagine that teenager ten years later and working as the owner of a independent music store. He's a music snob and puts in long hours at the store but he still has time to ruin promising relationships with childish antics, talk to the screen and stalk former girlfriends while chasing after the next soon to be ex girlfriend. High Fidelty is the unofficial sequel to Better Off Dead. Instead of weird parents and goofy fantasy sequences, we get weird coworkers and morbid sexually and violently charged fantasy sequences involving Tim Robbins. I won't compliment the soundtrack except to say any movie about music had better have a damn good soundtrack and High Fidelity does its job.

There's a little Rob Gordon in all of us
After working on my college radio station as a DJ, entertainment news anchor, and Human Resource director, I was told by my friends that I should check this film out as I reminded them a lot of John Cusack's character in it. They were right. I too have had my share of bad relationships and can easily tell you the stories of how it went from "Hello" to "Goodbye" in less than 5 minutes. I have worked in music retail for 2 and a half years and I am also incredibly anal about my own collection of music and every song I can recognize played on the radio I can tell people what it is, who the artists is, what album it appeared on, and whether it is a radio edit, extended version, or remix.

That being said, when I first saw this movie I didn't quite understand many of the points. So I watched it again and realized "My god, I AM Rob Gordon!" Within a month, I purchased the DVD of High Fidelity and the book by Nick Hornby which was incredible. I highly recommend this film to all guys who have had their share of hard-not-to-forget relationships, radio DJs, music retail workers, and lovers of music of all types because the soundtrack, to quote Jack Black "kicks fu**ing a**".

The DVD is great to own. It presents the film in clear colorful matted Widescreen (1.85:1), offers 9 Deleted scenes that appeared in the original screenplay as well as the original novel, short mini conversations with actor John Cusack & director Stephen Frears, and the original theatrical trailer for the film.

Without a doubt, this is a MUST-HAVE for people who love music, have been in tough relationships, and enjoy writing Top 5 Lists.

"Good luck...goodbye...thanks, boss."-Rob Gordon (John Cusack) ... Read more

Amazon.com

A sumptuously mounted and photographed celebration of artful wickedness, betrayal, and sexual intrigue among depraved 18th-century French aristocrats, Dangerous Liaisons (based on Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses) is seductively decadent fun. The villainous heroes are the Marquise De Merteuil (Glenn Close) and the Vicomte De Valmont (John Malkovich), who have cultivated their mutual cynicism into a highly developed and exquisitely mannered form of (in-)human expression. Former lovers, they now fancy themselves rather like demigods whose mutual desires have evolved beyond the crudeness of sex or emotion. They ritualistically act out their twisted affections by engaging in elaborate conspiracies to destroy the lives of their less calculating acquaintances, daring each other to ever-more-dastardly acts of manipulation and betrayal. Why? Just because they can; it's their perverted way of getting get their kicks in a dead-end, pre-Revolutionary culture. Among their voluptuous and virtuous prey are fair-haired angels played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman, who have never looked more ripe for ravishing. When the Vicomte finds himself beset by bewilderingly genuine emotions for one of his victims, the Marquise considers it the ultimate betrayal and plots her heartless revenge. Dangerous Liaisons is a high-mannered revel for the actors, who also include Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, and Keanu Reeves. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (79)

a real class act
DANGEROUS LIAISONS is a fantastic character study of the twisted and obsessed. The classic novel translates perfectly to the screen in this adaptation by Christopher Hampton which was taken from his acclaimed stage play.

Glenn Close is mesmerising as the seductive and manipulative woman who challenges the cruel Valmont (John Malkovich) to seduce her naive niece (Uma Thurman). However, Valmont also wishes to seduce and disgrace a remote beauty (Michelle Pfeiffer), totally uncaring and unaware of the tragic outcome that will envelope them both.

The stellar cast also includes Keanu Reeves (THE MATRIX, PARENTHOOD), Swoosie Kurtz (LITTLE GIRLS IN PRETTY BOXES, REALITY BITES) and veteran Mildred Natwick (THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY).

The DVD transfer is gorgeous and has a dynamic 5.1 sound mix that shows off the beautifully dramatic score by George Fenton.

Remade as VALMONT (starring Colin Firth and Fairuza Balk) and CRUEL INTENTIONS (starring Ryan Phillippe).

The Game as You have never seen it....
You wouldn't necessarily think that an adaptation of an albeit famous 17th century French novel would make a relevant and fascinating piece of cinema... but it does.

The first thing that strikes you is how well the film is lit and shot. The period locations and costumes are visually sumptuous and perfect. Better yet, the acting entirely matches the skill of the direction that takes its method from the theatre - emotions are conveyed by expression and not dialogue. Glenn Close gives her best performance on celluloid as the scheming Madame de Merteuil, amorally hellbent on bending everyone to her will, no matter the method or the cost, and John Malkovitch is her perfect foil as the cynical hedonistic but world-weary Valmont. Michelle Pfeiffer engages our empathy as the tortured and manipulated target of Malkovitch's desire and Close's plotting.

The film is basically a morality tale, but one that fascinates in its exposure of ego, vanity, intrigue and the war between the genders, subjects that are timeless in their relevance, despite the period setting. The storyline, which sticks faithfully to the original novel, remains compelling throughout as we watch deceits within deceits take their tragic course. Whole-heartedly recommended - take your time over it, and enjoy.

A wonderful film
Dangerous Liaisons is a lush and lavish glimpse into the lives of the 18th century French aristocracy. The Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont used to be lovers and are now close friends, a powerful but restrained attraction still simmering between them. They are both twisted people who enjoy manipulating everyone around them, but the foundation of their demise is laid when they make a bet - if Valmont can seduce the virtuous Madame de Tourvel, a married woman of unimpeachable morals, the Marquise will give herself to him for one whole night of romance. What neither anticipates is that Valmont will fall in love with Tourvel, and that the Marquise will become victim to a destructive jealousy.

Glenn Close is marvelous as the depraved Marquise, and ever so subtly reveals to us the insecurities behind the noblewoman's coldly smiling facade. Malkovich proves that a man does not need to be conventionally handsome in order to be seductive; he exudes serpentine charm and masterfully acts out the Vicomte's slow and astonishing change of heart. The dialogue is witty and stirring, and the costumes are candy for the eyes. This was a thoroughly enjoyable film.

Dangerous Liaisons
Some reviewers spoke of the poor dvd quality. I was too young to see this film in the theaters when it came out, but is it possible that it could have been made to look like that? Sometimes a special filter is used on the camera to give the picture a specific look. I thought the haziness and soft, pastel colors presented in the movie mirrored the rococo style of the period perfectly.

This is my favorite John Malkovich movie. His looks are irrelevent to his portrayal of the Viccomte. Malkovich completely embodied the sinister and seductive Valmont, and every time I watch this film, I fall under his spell, too.

Fabulous
From an earlier review...

"Great Potential Ruined By Mediocre Actors"

Oh, now THIS is rich...

THREE Oscar-nominated performances, and one of those is an example of "mediocre" acting? Gimme a break.

This is without doubt a fine film... Wicked, delightful, and delicious even for this guy's guy (forget that "chick flick" nonsense, any man who doesn't wish to take Malkovich's place in "educating" a very young Ms. Thurman is delusional). Five stars, a modern classic.

Superb cinematography, acting, costumes, dialogue, etc. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Snapper may be the funniest film ever made about anunexpected pregnancy. In adapting the second novel of his popular Barrytown Trilogy, Irish authorRoddy Doyle brilliantly captures the hilarious dynamics of a working-classfamily, the virulent gossip of their nosy Dublin neighbors, and the mixedemotions of a young woman on the verge of single motherhood. Sharon (TinaKellegher) is the 20-year-old daughter of Dessie (Colm Meaney), and her refusalto name the father of her unborn child turns into an escalating crisis that's astraumatic (especially for Dessie) as it is delightfully amusing. The film wasdirected for British television by Stephen Frears, but its flawless blend ofcomedy and drama made it worthy of a theatrical release, landing it on manycritics' top 10 lists for 1993. Best known as Chief O'Brien on Star Trek:Deep Space Nine, Meaney mines gold from the role of his career, and hisfatherly love turns The Snapper into a heartwarming charmer withuniversal appeal. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Sequel to "The Commitments", "Snapper" falls short...
"The Snapper" is the second part of the Trilogy of a group of impoverished North Dubliners, the first part being the excellent and almost perfect movie, "The Commitments." "The Snapper" falls short of the quality of the first movie in part because the plot line is muddled. Characters portrayed in "The Commitments" reappear in "The Snapper" but are played weakly by different actors. The dilemma of the sister being pregnant out of wedlock is not really funny, nor is it a large enough crisis on which to build a movie. The single exception to the mediocrity is, as ever, Colm Meaney, once again brilliant, funny and poignant as the father of the family. He paces the film with his performance, laced with perfect comic timing and a delivery as good as any you'll see in any movie anywhere. See "The Snapper" for Meaney's performance--he won't disappoint you.

Wickedly funny
Based on the second book in Roddy Doyle's Dublin trilogy, The Snapper is a wickedly funny glimpse into the lives of a working class Irish family. The eldest daughter of a large family becomes pregnant and refuses to name the father. Not your traditional comic premise, but in this case it works beautifully. The characters are fully developed and presented in such a manner that you care deeply about them, and experience their pain as well as their joy. Veteran actor Colm Meaney (Star Trek DS9), who appears in the other two films that make up the trilogy (The Commitments and The Van), masterfully carries the story as the father of the unruly brood. He comes across as a good man who tries to do the right thing and loves his family, but is painfully human at every turn. The rest of the cast is mostly unknown but very believable and capable. I highly recommend this film (and the books, too). It may be the closest you ever get to Dublin without actually crossing the Atlantic.

A realistic view into an Irish home.
No other film has ever captured the zeitgeist of Irish life as well as the snapper. Roddy Doyle was teaching in a North Dublin working class school when he wrote this book. Much of the dialoge that you hear in the film is directly out of the mouths of his students.

What you see in this film is as close as an outsider is ever likely to come to an understanding of working class Irish life. The unmarried daughter giving birth accounts for 1 in four of all children born today in Ireland. This is as real a situation as you can have. The language, the wit, the sarcasm and the lifestyle are all iminently recognised by Irish people as being true to daily life.

The bonus of the Snapper is that you get a bellyaching laugh at the same time. There are few films as funny as this.

Absolutely brilliant!

A real look at an Irish working class family.
I've seen this video several times and it never fails to entertain me and make me feel good. My maiden name was Curley and my Mother was going to name me Sharon but named me Cheryl instead because all the girls in the ward were being named Sharon. Although my Dad was not born in Ireland, he was very "Irish" and had many of the same mannerisms of the father in this movie. The father reminds me of my Dad (although he would not have been as understanding). Irish Dads typically idolize their daughters and defend their honor at any cost. This Irish dad was no different.
The antics of the family are typical of a large Irish working class family as is the love you see for the girl as she goes through the painful process of growing up and entering motherhood. Having visited Ireland (to scatter my Dad's ashes), I found the dialect true and understandable (even the cuss words). The pub scenes were authentic as well. All in all, a great movie, somewhat dramatic in its content but a very feel good ending. Can't really understand why anyone would compare it to the Committments as it is a totally different type of movie. I enjoyed that as well.

absolutely brilliant!
This is one of the funniest films I've ever seen! Tina Kellegher is brilliant as the knocked up daughter, and Colm Meaney's performance is top notch as always. Anyways this film definitely does justice to Roddy Doyle's wonderful book. ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Disappointing
"Dirty Pretty Things" is the story of two immigrants, Senay (Audrey Tautou), a young Turkish girl and Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Nigerian doctor who both work menial jobs in the Baltic Hotel in London. Okwe is in London illegally, and Senay is not supposed to work until her immigrant status changes. Life doesn't exactly look promising for either Okwe or Senay, but then Okwe accidentally stumbles into an illegal organ transplant business. This discovery has serious ramifications for both Senay and Okwe.

I bought a copy of "Dirty Pretty Things" mainly because of Audrey Tautou. I really enjoyed her performances in "The Venus Beauty Institute" and "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" so I wanted to see her in this film too. Many critics claimed that this role would allow Tautou a chance to play something a bit different. I thought her performance was abysmally wooden and mealy-mouthed. The film was saved from being a complete disaster by an incredible performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor as the soulful Okwe. Witty, bright performances were also delivered by Benedict Wong as a philosophical morgue attendant, and Sophie Okonedo as a savvy, tough London prostitute.

The plot was problematic--why, for example, is there a heart stuffed down the toilet? Where is the rest of the body? Okwe deals with a tough gang of Russian gangsters. It's hardly credible that the thugs would be as careless as this film portrays them. This would have been a much better film if the plot had focused on the struggles of the immigrants, and saved the entire organ transplant thuggery for some Steven Seagal extravaganza. For a really great film about the immigrant experience, I recommend "Bread and Roses"--displacedhuman

Director plus Cast equals Magnificent Film
Stephen Frears has given us some very fine films ('My Beautiful Laundrette', 'The Grifters', 'Dangerous Laisons' among others of a broad spectrum of types) and though these were all excellent films, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS is his best work to date. Simply stated, the story is an inside view of how a group of immigrants (mostly illegal) in London survive, having escaped their home country for promise of a better life and yet not really finding it in the threat of living sub rosa in the underbelly of London. Okwe (Chiwetel Eijiofor in an amazingly sensitive portrayal) has immigrated from Nigeria where he was a physician mistakenly accused of killing his wife but now works as a taxi driver and a hotel clerk just to survive. He ends up rooming with a hotel maid Senay (the always impressive Audrey Tautou as a Turkish immigrant) and with her assistance discovers a black market operation where human organs are obtained from desperate immigrants and sold to 'respectable' physicians for transplants. In their attempt to avoid being deported by the police, Okwe and Senay join with hooker Juliette (Sophie Okonedo), morgue tender Guo Yi (Benedict Wong) and the all important doorman to the hotel, Ivan (Zlatki Busic) to trick the hotel manager Sneaky/Juan (Sergi Lopez), who masterminds the organ harvesting, into inadvertently aiding their escape to other countries to resolve their lives. Though the story alone is rich in character detail and interest, it is the underplayed vulnerability of the wonderful immigrants that captures our hearts and makes us examine the plight of this unappreciated 'underclass' of people who live on hope. A very sensitive, evocatively filmed, strange movie that packs a tremendous wallop. Highly recommended!

Her Eyes Convince You
The drama of looking over your shoulder as an undocumented, gypsy in the London tenderloin and although the characters are overly lush and vivid-this makes compelling story telling with Casablanca Characters. A cloak and scalpel thriller.

A dark world of no dreams...only survival
"We're the people you never see. We drive your cars, we clean your rooms," says Okwe, a Nigerian immigrant in London. He's here illegally and is struggling to survive, which he barely does. By day, he drives a cab. By night, he's the front desk clerk at the Baltic Hotel. Surviving means making connections by others with your talents and skills. Okwe is a doctor, and he helps his boss, who gets the clap, by getting some medicine from a Chinese named Guo Yi. In exchange, the boss gives him first dibs of all South London fares. This portrait of the immigrant experience in contemporary London sets the stage for Dirty Pretty Things.

Okwe is also sharing his apartment with a young Turkish woman named Senay (pron. Shinai). However, Senay's immigration status is pending, and during that time, she is not allowed employment-presumably, she's on some kind of assistance. Okwe has her as a cleaning woman at the Baltic, but both must be careful of immigration officials. Okwe is also engaged in getting money on the side in collusion with the Russian doorman Ivan, where they sell food to hotel customers when the kitchens are closed. It's a tough life indeed, as Okwe chews on some leaves that takes away his necessity to sleep.

One evening, Okwe finds a human heart lodged in the toilet of one of the rooms. What happened in that room? He is dissuaded from investigating by the oily Juan, the manager, who tells him that calling the police will require him to identify himself, which would lead to his being discovered as an illegal. Even Ivan tells him not to concern himself with who comes and who goes. However, he discovers that some immigrants are so desperate, they will resort to doing something very hazardous to get a visa or passport, and it's this that puts a little wasp in Okwe's head. It's a wasp that stings him into the reason why he left his country, and which ultimately transforms him from a survivor to a human being.

Senay, though, gets a job at a sweatshop following a close encounter with immigration, but that falls through when she is forced to do sexual favours for the sweatshop boss. She dreams of going to New York where her cousin lives and needs to work in order to get the money. Her desperate act of trying to fulfill that dream is what ultimately stirs Okwe into action, where he must call on all sorts of favours.

As the desperate, hard-working, and ultimately conscientious Okwe, Chiwetel Ejiofor is definitely a strong presence in this film. And this has to be Audrey Tautou's toughest role ever. Senay is a far cry from Amelie or Venus Beauty Institute's Maria, going through hardships that ordinary non-immigrants would never go through, and she proves she's more than just the romantic idealist Amelie or the mentally disturbed Angelique in A La Folie...Pas Du Tout. She does well speaking English with a non-French accent. Yes, this film proves Tautou is a real actress, something I already knew with Amelie.

In one of his earlier films, My Beautiful Launderette, Stephen Frears explored a different side of immigrants, race relations between the affluent Pakistanis and the poor unskilled whites. Here, he outlines a more sordid situation for those who leave their homeland in search of better opportunities and freedom, only to find that they are trapped in a neverending cycle of fear and poverty. As Okwe tells Senay, who dreams of going to New York City to be with her cousin, there are no dreams: "for you and me, there's only survival."

Great Movie, Disappointing DVD Quality
Don't know what happened here, but this fine "5-star" thriller reproduction looks rather like a "second or third generation" transfer. It's darker, more diffuse and less clear than what I saw on the big screen. What was crystal-clear and beautifully realized in the theater now looks more like a "third cousin" on DVD. Something seriously went wrong with this transfer-- disappointing, considering how fine a film it is basically. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Touching story about class and cultural differences
People made a huge deal out of this movie because of the gay content. It's really very minimal (two kisses, a lick on the neck and one very tasteful yet erotic scene and another little kiss later) Maybe a total of 3 or 4 minutes of the film (ok, though that turned into a half hour by all the replaying I did of those scenes - and yes, I'm a straight girl and still can't get enough of DDL's passionate kisses) It's very touching because it's so natural and a complete non-issue. No one dies of AIDS, no one makes a big drama scene about coming out of the closet, no one demands attention and acceptance for being gay(though *of course* gay people should be accepted) the film just really goes out of its way to show there's *nothing* deviant or strange to homosexuality. You could even see it as a symbolic point, that it's the one thing Omar and Johnny share that does not fit into either of their cultural equations.

My two other favorite characters were Omar's father and Tanya. This Pakistani family reminded me of my family. I am not Pakistani but the issues are the same. The dad was very poignant in the way he wanted better for his son, how he couldn't let go of his upper class background and how he looked down on the Johnny's sort but was kind and wanted better for him too. He reminded me of my grandparents. And then there was Tanya. I loved how she sort of bonded with Johnny in their way. What a great performance she gave. This film has so many threads and nuances and Omar's character balances it all with so much grace, respecting his culture and keeping close to his family but being true to himself at the same time by staying involved with Johnny.

I *love* Daniel Day Lewis!

"My Beautiful Laundrette" Delivers the Goods
I've been waiting a very long time to be able to add Stephen Frears' wonderful, independent film "My Beautiful Laundrette" to my DVD collection. I'm overjoyed to once again view this well written, 'slice of life' comedy/drama. The movie casts a sharp and critical, socio-political, eye on Margret Thatcher's England of the 1980's.In the film we meet Omar (Gordon Warnecke) a young man, who is a poor relation to a wealthy Pakistani family, living in England.Omar's rather unscrupulous, Uncle (Saeed Jaffrey)decides to do him a favor and take him into the family business.He allows Omar to make a go of an old, broken down, laundrette, which is blithley described as a "toilet".At first Omar seems quiet, polite and attenative. But as the film goes on we find out, that he is quite a character. He isn't one to just push a broom around and watch the laundrette fail.He has big dreams for both the establishment and his financial future.Omar enlists the help of his white, working class, pal and gay lover, Johnny (brilliantly played by a young, Daniel Day-Lewis)to make the future happen now.Together the two craftily (and illegally) finance and fix up, what can only be described as the 'Disneyland' of Laundrettes.Director,Stephen Frear's movie humoursly presents Omar's speedy rise into the business world.But it is also rather melancholic in tone and touches on a variety of serious subjects, which includes everything from politics to race relations to economic policy. The cast of the movie is fantastic and the standouts include Saeed Jaffrey as Omar's amoral, Uncle Nasser and Roshan Seth as his socialist, alcholic father. Daniel Day-Lewis is superb in his star making, nuanced performance as a gay, working class, tough guy.The DVD remaster of the film is adequate, but has little in extras. It is a movie that is just begging for a director's commentary!"My Beautiful Laundrette" is a wonderfully entertaining film, which leaves the viewer with plenty to think about. Highly recommended!

Perfect slice of Thatcherite Britain oh! And a fab gay roman
A classic film in my book, My Beautiful Laundrette is the story of Omar, a young restless Asian man caring for his alcoholic father in Thatcherite London. Escape comes in the form of his uncles many and varied business ventures,...

Anyone who experienced anything of life in '80's Britain will recognise the craving for instant financial success. Similarly I am sure Asian viewers will recognise the struggles inherent in finding an identity in a country which is your home but which can never feel quite like your real home.

Omar dreams of success so works to achieve it...along the way he meets up with old school-friend Johnny, who has betrayed him by falling in with a group of neo-nazi's. Omar soon has Johnny working for him and his uncle. Turning the tables on him as he is made to rely on the very people he has been taught to hate. The chemistry between Omar and Johnny is palpable and their relationship handled totally matter-of-factly. About the only part of the film not trying to score any political points is the gay relationship. There is a "so-what" attitude and no-one comes out at any point. And why should they?

Tension in the film is far more the result of socio-economic and racial inequalities. The whole thing is handled with grace, charm and wit. Anyone remotely familier with British film in particular will note the starry casting of supporting roles, though Danial Day Lewis is - now - the biggest star of the show. Here he shows the real substance behind his fame - more so than in any other film of his seen to date. The cast is universally excellent and the unique shooting, pacing and dialogue, quite quite brilliant.

Some of the shots in this film could be used as a template for brilliance...An unexpected kiss in a dark alley is easily the most erotic single shot I have seen in a film.

Despite a few reviews I have read claiming otherwise, I don't believe you need to be gay or Asian to get something out of this picture. Living in Britain may help, though it's a lot less than essential.......

And hey! Wouldn't you love to throw your knickers into the washing machines of a neon-lit music-filled laudrette from heaven run by two insatiably young and energetic lovers?

Well I would anyway! Pass the detergent this way please!

True to its name, a beautiful film
I've seen few films with such intensity, humour and heartache all rolled into one. The scenes flowed onto each other seamlessly, the plot complex yet perfectly led, and the Acting was just superb.

Daniel Day Lewis was unforgettable as the rough street punk Johnny, while Gordon Warnecke was equally engaging as Omar, the Pakistani boy with big ambitions. Another stand-out was Roshan Seth, playing a drunken disgruntled Pakistani father, with no hope, no future, and little life left in his alcohol weakened body. Seth stole the scene wherever he appeared, and not just because of the hair, seriously.

The fact that this film is partly about the relationship between two men had absolutely no influence on me as an audience. To the people watching, it is as natural to them as it is for the two main characters on the silver screen.

At times, it is heartbreaking to watch the hatred and misunderstanding between two races living on the same land. But what do 2 boys with a beautiful laundrette care anyway, for them, each day is a brand new day isn't it?

A Satiric Movie
I think ¡§My Beautiful Launderette¡¨ is a pretty satiric movie. Back in 1980s, Pakistan people were being discriminated by the British. However in the movie, Nasser, a Pakistan businessman, owned a launderette which earns money from the British instead of the other way round. Satirically, Nasser also has a mistress, named Rachel, who is a British instead of a Pakistan. Tanya, daughter of Nasser who later on found out Rachel , tell Rachel that she does not mind her father having a mistress and use her father¡¦s money.

Omar, niece of Nasser, who worked in the launderette as a manager, met Johnny one night when he was being disturbed by a group of racist gang. Johnny is a British young man who actually belongs to the gang, he knew Omar because they were old school friends. Omar asked Johnny to help in the launderette. The most satiric part of the movie is that Omar and Johnny are homosexual lovers. Homosexuality was considered to be unacceptable in those days. Other than that Omar and Johnny are different in race.

The film shows the audiences two groups of people. First is the people who reject the British community, second is the people who accept the British community. The first group of people have traditional, conservative, and stubborn mind. Omar¡¦s father belongs to this group. He is a journalist and political activist. He thinks that he doesn¡¦t belong to Britain and he hated Britain. He lives in poverty and lie on the bed all day doing nothing.

Nasser and Omar belong to the second group. Nasser adapted himself into the British society and learned to live with it. He then became a successful businessman who owned a launderette and a car cleaning service company. Omar chose to follow Nasser to involve in the business field instead of being what his father wanted him to be, which was to get into college. He convinced Nasser to let him redecorate the launderette and he succeeded in attracting more customers. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

ELEVATOR TO HELL
Produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Stephen Frears, THE GRIFTERS is a winner. With three top actors, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening and John Cusack, Frears invites us to a non-stop ride to hell.

Caught between his mother and his girl-friend, John Cusack will have a hard time to survive and become a man. You can almost touch the hate those two women feel for each other. Their last encounter is really a scene you will remember : set in Phoenix, in a motel, in a subtle variation of PSYCHO's first murder, it is a moment of great cinema.

Cusack is outstanding as the gentle grifter, Frear's cinematography is first class and Anjelica has never been so devilish. No doubt about it, THE GRIFTERS is a masterpiece of the film noir genre.

A DVD that bleeds.

Superb
I've never been a John Cusack fan, but he's utterly riveting in the role of a coming-of-age grifter caught between two indelible women. Annette Bening, at least here, is a pure force of nature, a sexy tsunami overwhelming everything in her path. And Anjelica Huston??? Her entire career has been one splendid performance after another, and this is one of her finest. You simply cannot take your eyes off her. The interaction of these three is one of the best examples of ensemble acting outside of an Altman film. And the little subtleties around these three -- from the brilliant set piece of the orange scene to the almost-identical dresses worn by Lily and Myra to Elmer Bernstein's moody score -- make The Grifters a compelling experience. The only disappointment is that the CD has NO extras at all, but you could certainly make the case that this is a movie that can stand completely on its own.

The towering work of Stephem Frears!
This is a splendid film. One of the hard movies of this decade. A chess game in the purest sense of the word. The underworld of these little gamblers ond fortune seekers was depicted with origianilty and built on a solid script and secondary characters that enrich even more this story.
Angelica Huston is her best performance (I like even her Award performance Prizzi's honor) ; John Cussack made a brighting performance and Anette Benning superb.
The film plays hard . It's a neo film noir but it keeps for the viewer several smart bits and clever twist of fate: a little homagge to "The sting" ; in the middle of the movie and fine dialogues ; specially in the tour de force dialogue Huston and her son and the frenetic and anguishly fight Huston - Benning in the motel .
Frears is a very original film maker but besides its intimate character this film may be well considered his masterpiece.

"A thing like this rarely happens..."
Those of us who love this film, love it a lot. It is one of my all time top films that I watch shamelessly for record numbers of times and love the same, if not more. So, The Grifters is right up there on my big board along with Body Heat, Black Widow, Peggy Sue Got Married, Hannibal, Silence of the Lambs, Diabolique (the original)and Splendor in the Grass (the original)and The Long Good Friday. Atmosphere, performances, dazzling movie style and grace, heart and soul.

I will never understand how Jeremy Irons, during his visit with James Lipton on Inside the Actor's Studio, could possibly state that American films lacked soul while the British films had long since cornered the market in that particular quality. The Grifters is as loaded to the gills with every quality necessary to film greatness as the greatest British, or any other European film ever made.

This film always has impressed me as a very close relation to the fabulous "Long Good Friday" with Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren (English Gangster film par exellence). These folks are not burdened with the need to justify their lives or livelihoods. Remember Bob Hoskins character reminiscing fondly about his boyhood start as a gangster doing some scam with cars and intimidation. Whenever the grifter or the gangster gets a big dose of self-righteous indignation, it is alway for his or her own benefit and never applied to another victim, harmless or otherwise.

I love the blurring of eras in the Grifters, the feeling that although the story is depicted in the 1980's, it has the rich, indefinable quality of Alfred Hitchcock's films from the 1950's. The Grifters takes the American film to the top of the world's cinema and challenges the rest of the world to do better.

On a sadder note, it is also the pinnacle of American short-sightednes and just plain old bourgeois lack of artistic sense, not to award films like Grifters the big awards that are so well deserved. Perhaps the Academy feels that you can only let a good independent film have its day every ten or so years and let the Cannes Film Festival, or Sundance, or whoever take care of the rest of the finest productions of cinematic artistry.

Stephen Frears' Best Work
If, like me, you saw and loved Stephen Frears' 2003 outing "Dirty Pretty Things" (starring Audrey Tautou in her first English-speaking role), consider going back and watching what is arguably his finest effort, "The Grifters."

This is a wonderful movie featuring three very talented actors. In 1990, John Cusack was just transitioning into adult roles, in much the same way his character Roy Dillon is doing. A perfect fit.

Annette Benning lets it all hang out, as she has done with all of her performances, even after ascending into Hollywood royalty as Mrs. Warren Beatty.

Despite those stellar performances, they're still no match for Angelica Huston. She is truly magnetic as Cusak's mother, Lilly.

Also worthy of note is long-time character actor Pat Hingle's turn as Lilly's boss, Bobo Justus. It's essentially a cameo role, but it's the performance that stands out foremost in my mind two months after viewing. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

underrated
Hero is really a gem. It features consistently good performances and is sharp, thought-provoking, and is touching without approaching sappiness. You get Geena Davis while she was still making good movies, Dustin Hoffman without much visible ego, a solid Andy Garcia, and the always-fabulous Joan Cusack.

This movie was SO underrated. I remember reading that Quentin Tarantino said this was a movie he wished he'd had a chance to direct because it could have been so much better, that in this movie you see a director reaching the extent of his abilities, and while I was glad to see that someone was recognizing it in any way, it also really made me mad that Quentin Tarantino, not like the most consistent or productive director, should say that about Steven Frears, who directed My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous Liaisons, and this. Really! This is for me up there among the best movies of the past 10 years, certainly among the most underappreciated.

AN OTHER ACTOR VERY VERY MUCH INTELLIGENT
Dustin HOFFMAN is a PRODIGIOUS PHENOMENAL ACTOR in THIS SPLENDID MOVIE and he demonstrate witch he is able to conceive a role who's consist to be a FALSE COWARD ! He don't like the photographs the PUBLICITY for HIM and PREFEAR his SON at anything in his life he is contrained to make many things, ... stranges to retain his natural propensity to rob anything, EVEN his ADVOCATE FOR PAY SHE IN A SAME TIME WONDERFULL DUSTIN HOFFMAN AND HIS MOMENTARY FRIEND WHO'S ANDY GARCIA WHO'S AN OTHER WONDERFULL ACTOR !!!!! SPLENDID MOVIE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoffman is great here!
Dustin Hoffman is Bernie, a selfish nasty guy who barely shows up at his ex-wife's to spend time with his kid. One night as he is driving to her house to fulfill his parental duty, he sees a downed plane in a field. Irritated but grudgingly acknowledging he should do the right thing, he pries open the door to free the passengers. He goes in and finds the unconscious Gale (Davis), who is a newscaster back from an awards show. Seeing everyone to safety, Bernie hails a cab and continues on his way.

Gale goes on TV looking for her hero. The cabdriver to whom Bernie told his tale then takes credit. He is handsome, seems nice and apparently saved an entire airplane full of people -- a media dream! Bernie sees all this on TV and gets aggravated to no end. But no one believes him that he did such a heroic deed.

The farce continues till it is indeed discovered, through a convoluted turn of events, who the real hero is. Mostly, thouh, Bernie wants to prove to his son that he can do a good thing every now and then, even if people won't believe you. As he philosophizes, the world is just layers of "poop". You peel through the layers till you find "poop" you can live with, and then that's your "poop"!!!

One selfless act of courage can really mess up your life
"Hero" has an interesting premise because it has such an unlikely title character, namely Bernie LaPlante, a born loser played by Dustin Hoffman. Bernie is a small-time thief who has been thrown out of the house by his wife (Joan Cusak), whose son (James Madio) has pretty much written him off, and who is once again on the brink of being sent back to the slammer by a judge (Warren Berlinger). Looking over his options, Bernie figures his best play is to try and make amends with his son before he goes away for a few years. But bad luck pursues Bernie with a vengeance. Not only does his car break down but an airplane crashes in front of him and some kid who walks out of the wreckage bawling about his father being trapped in the plane. Complaining every step of the way, Bernie rescues several passengers, the last of whom is Gale Gayley (Geena Davis), Channel 4 News Reporter. She never sees much beyond a face covered in soot and mud, and the only photograph of her rescuer show a silhouette against the flames, so the story she ends up doing is about "The Angel of Flight 104." Meanwhile, insult is added to injury for Bernie, who lost one of his shoes during the rescue. The other he gives to cabbie John Bubber (Andy Garcia), all the while complaining about how stupid it was to try and be a hero.

Of course, this is all just prologue to the rest of the film, because Gale's television station offers a reward of $1 million for the identity of the mystery man who saved all those lives. Bernie could use the million dollars, but John has the shoe that matches the one the rescue workers found stuck in the mud. Besides, Bernie told John enough of the story for the imposter to get the details right. You also have to keep in mind that in "Hero" no good deed goes unpunished. That is because Bernie did something else when he got Gale out of that airplane, because John really is a good soul, who feels guilty about having so many people praise him for something he did not do, and because Gale is having more than thankful feelings for John. It is going to be really hard to pull a happy ending out of this film with all the bad things waiting to happen.

It is hard for older viewers to watch "Hero" and not see some strong similarities to some of Frank Capra's films such as "It Happened One Night" and "Meet John Doe," where journalists are at the heart of the story. Certainly the performance by Chevy Chase as Gale's boss harkens back to that tradition. But this 1992 film, also known as "Accidental Hero," lacks the soul of the true Capricorn film. More importantly, there does not really seem to be a big point behind all the drama. I keep thinking that there is something deeper going on here, but when Bernie gets to deliver the film's big speech, there is just too much cynicism for it to be really profound. This idea is reinforced at the end of the film where the final scene goes for a punch line. I also explored the idea that this film was a penetrating look at the modern mass media circus, but the great insight along those lines is basically do not believe anything you see on television, which is not as helpful a bit of advice as it might seem.

The performances are certainly solid enough, with Hoffman turning in one that comes across like Ratzo Rizzo's cousin (with a lower voice). Davis plays plucky well and Garcia has an innate earnestness that serves him well in different situations. Cuzak is once again wasted in a fine supporting role, but she is the one that has to reveal that big irony about her husband Bernie: he is really good in a crisis, which is when he forgets to be Bernie LaPlante and be a real human being. You have to admit, that is a pretty good definition of a how heroism works in the real world.

A WONDERFUL FILM
A perfect cast, great story, wonderful humor, and a beautiful heart.It deserves so much more credit. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Stephen Frears reunites with the production talents who made thetempting Dangerous Liaisons for this new look at the infamous Dr. Jekyll(a deft John Malkovich). Instead of being in the laboratory where the gooddoctor unlocks his evil twin, we stay in the mansion overlooking the lab. Aninquisitive, proper maid, Mary Reilly (Julia Roberts) slowly becomes Dr.Jekyll's confidant. Rather than a horror story, the film is a spooky mysterythat keeps us in the dark, and what a wonderful dark Frears and his designershave fashioned. Roberts carries the movie, digging deep for her best dramaticwork to date. Though some may wish she'd show more passion, she holds heremotions appropriately in check. The movie faced considerable, well-documentedtroubles, including the reshooting of several scenes months after the initialproduction. This probably affected the finale, which has little impact andnearly ruins a good thing. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (11)

get this if you like good writing and exceptional acting
At last. This film has been unavailable on VHS for a couple of years now. I seriously contemplated stealing the copy from my local video store but couldn't do it. The whole cast is superb. The story is extremely interesting and it's all true. Oldman is Joe Orton, the uninhibited English playwright who was the toast of the town in 60's London. Young and successful he lives life to its limits, hindered only by his mentor, lover and eventual murderer Kenneth, exceptionally portrayed by Alfred Molina (who has fallen far, now starring in a horrendous American sitcom called Ladies' Man). Their story is very engrossing. Vanessa Redgrave is the literary agent and this performance made her one of my fave female actors of all time. She's excellent. Get this movie!

looking for success
A beautiful film, a cult movie, finally on video.
The love-hate relationship between Joe Orton, the famous playwright of the 60s and his friend Kenneth Halliwell, a love story which is also a strife between two men who seem to try to overcome each other, what they both want is success, until one of them(Joe Orton) wins the "match" and becomes famous.
His sex life is extraordinarily "lively"; he finds sex in all the men's toilets and dark alleys of london, seeking those fleeting exciting moments that only the "hunt" can give. Eventually he writes all these episodes down in his diaries asking Halliwell to read them,"so you would like me a little less" says Orton.
He is now a famous playwright, Halliwell is his "personal assistant" as he defines himself trying to find a purpose in his life that he considers useless: Joe doesn't love him, he doesn't have sex with him any more, he cannot share success with Joe. Halliwell gets terribly depressed..........Then the tragedy.
Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina are two superb actors, director Stephen Frears is at his best.
A film that everybody should see.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
Am thrilled that it's finally being released on DVD. If you haven't seen it -- beautiful performances, fascinating subject. You won't be disappointed.

A short life story of Joe Orton
This was an entertaining film with suprizes. The production quality was good and the acting solid. I had no idea what to expect when I got this film and viewed it with an open mind. It is the life story of Joe Orton, Playwrite and all around character. A some what more modern Quentin Crisp although Mr. Crisp was bold and respectful and Mr. Orton was bold and much less concerned with being respectful. For his short life he was an Out, in your face sort. Gary Oldman did a masterful job of not only capturing the bold and harsh aspect of Orton but also did an outstanding job of letting us see the soft, tender and even semi-romantic feeling Orton had for his lover of ten years, Kennith. Just when your sure that Orton is cruel and cold, he shows you a loving act that that renews your hope.
The acting made this film a great investment and the story is excellant. You will most likely want to add this to your collection as I did. It was an impressive film.

A small gem for fans of modern English culture
This little-known movie has a great cast (actors who are quite famous now), and tells the story of gay playwrite Joe Orton. It's interesting in the details of gay life in less liberal times, and the quirkyness of its characters. Orton is a self-destructive enfant-terrible of British arts in the 60's, and we are often fascinated to see how someone like this tears through the lives of those who care about him, while creating great, or at least popular, art with apparently little effort. Somewhat like Jim Morrison or Jackson Pollock. ... Read more

Description

Sir Ian McKellen gives a knockout performance as a mentally challenged man dealing with the harsh realities of the world.From birth, Walter has always been a fighter. Through his own grueling efforts, he learns to read and write and even manages to hold down a humble job. When his parents die, however, Walter suddenly finds himself alone and unable to cope with the crowds, the noise and the world outside his little home. The only solution is a lengthy stay at a forbidding psychiatric hospital, an experience that proves even scarier to the young man.

Eventually, Walter’s determined spirit wins out over his fears and he creates a new life for himself at the institution, even gaining a love interest, June (Sarah Miles). Years later, Walter and June dare to take on the outside world again, leaving the safe confines of the hospital and setting out for London. Facing monumental challenges and with only each other to cling to, they are determined to make a life for themselves.Directed by Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons) and based on David Cook’s award-winning novel, Loving Walter is a profoundly moving film with a character impossible to forget. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Mesmerizing Film
LOVING WALTER is one of those films that sticks in your gut long after the credits are finished. Originally made in 1981 as a film for British television (actually there are two films here, loosely tied) and written by David Cook, LOVING WALTER relates the story of a mentally challenged child born to parents who consider him "one of God's mistakes" and keep him isolated as a child tending pigeons with his silent but caring father and his enduringly patient but highly resentful mother. His father dies and Walter is left with his pity-party mother until she, too, dies, though her corpse is kept by the needy Walter in a room with his pigeons. His parents' death having 'released him into the world', Walter soon finds a new home in a mental institution managed by, among others, Jim Broadbent (in a terrifically bizarre performance) and finds his purpose in tending other less able patients. He stays there from age 21 to age 40 and this is where the film changes. Apparently the original film was released at this point. This DVD form of the film continues with the admission of women to the mental institution, among them a fragile but forceful Sarah Miles who convinces Walter to leave with her and live in the filthy sector of London. Love ensues, wanes, and Walter survives, perhaps not in a winning way but he does find some solace at film's close. This second half of the film is poorly edited with what seem like breaks for commercials. But this is the only negative aspect to the flow of the total film. Sir Ian McKellan imbues Walter with total credibility, creating an unforgettable character about whom we care deeply. His entire body is 'challenged' and his few lines of dialogue are all the more poignant because of this subtle, subdued performance. Sarah Miles once again proves that she is a consummate actress as the quite mad, sexaholic misfit. Top honors, however, go to Stephen Frears (whose past films include 'My Beautiful Launderette', Dirty Pretty Things', 'The Grifters', 'Dangerous Liaisons', and 'Prick Up Your Ears') for his extraordinary sensitivity in directing actors and extras alike in a factual, tough to observe, heartrending (without the excess of saccharine) picture of the life in a mental institution. The cinematography is gritty and apropos and the slight music score is additive rather than distracting. A truly remarkable film.

Masterful acting from McKellen in a very nonsyrupy movie.
If any of you have seen THE OTHER SISTER featuring Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi playing mentally challenged characters, you might cringe at the thought of seeing any more movies with "normal" actors portraying such roles. However, I must say that LOVING WALTER is quite different and well worth watching. A British production (filmed for the UK's Channel Four), it's a very unflinching look at Walter, a mentally challenged man who has to deal with the hard lot in life that he's been dealt. He loses his parents and has to survive being in a mental institution with all manner of disabled people (both mental and handicapped), but makes himself useful to the staff and patients by being an assistant minder of sorts.

McKellen is amazing in his subtlety (not so much dialogue, but a lot of communication through his expressions, actions, and mannerisms), and there are very few moments of comic relief provided at the character's expense. (I was often nervously anticipating some scene where Walter makes a complete fool of himself in front of people a la THE OTHER SISTER but thankfully there weren't any such moments.) His physical transformation--with false teeth, awful haircut and shuffling gait--only adds to the utter believability of the Walter character. It's also interesting to hear him use a more Northern accent (when he does speak).

The direction and story (by Stephen Frears and David Cook, respectively) don't sugarcoat anything, and the bleak situations Walter goes through make him almost Job-like...without the happy ending. The first half of the DVD (which was originally broadcast as its own movie) is grim and heartwrenching, but the second half almost veers into campy, madcap hilarity with an escape plan from the mental institution. Luckily (relatively speaking), our hero Walter does not ride off into the sunset with the girl--far from it.

It's a real bummer of a movie, so caveat emptor. Still, it's a very good film and a real treat to see McKellen in a very different role than one we're used to seeing him do. Fans of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and CHARLY will find a lot to like in this movie--a man who somehow doesn't give up, even when society seems to have given up on him...and doesn't necessarily live happily ever after.

The DVD has new interviews with author David Cook, Ian McKellen and director Stephen Frears, as well as a text-only feature detailing some "futile" remedies for mental illness from the past. I would have liked to have seen extra scenes, as well as perhaps a commentary, but I suppose not every DVD in the world has to have all those goodies. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Deserves to be a small cult
"The Hit" is a wonderful and endearing early effort from top Brit director Frears. A slick kidnap, road movie with a kooky edge, blending in beautious spanish landscapes with theories on mortality and teenage crushes. But its the charming, oddball characters that really sell this. Terance Stamp is perfect as the doomed, yet gleeful Willy, and is able to be sympathetic, enigmatic and wickedly comic. John Hurt is brutal and troubled as the Hitman who develops a quite surreal relationship with his female hostage. However the most winning performance here belongs to a remarkably young Tim Roth as the lippy sidekick. His portrayal of Myron is spunky, goonie and...adorable! This is the sort of movie you watch at 2:ooam and it gains a kind of dreamlike quality. The ending is so painfully ironic.

The Passenger
Any quick synopsis of the plot may give you the idea that this is like so many independent films that came after it but its not. The three things that make this different and better are the three actors involved. The young hood who acts tough but really may not have the stomach for this kind of thing is Tim Roth, the true professional hit man who has little patience for his young accomplice and would be apprentice is John Hurt. And the target for the elaborate hit is the always exquisite Terence Stamp who knows it has been coming all the years and has become very philosophical, almost welcoming it when it finally appears. Stamp too was a pro and that makes both Hurt and Roth admire him, even revere him perhaps for accepting things like he does. There is action but most of it is character interaction, which is very good. Visually the most exciting scenes are in Spain where Stamp has been hiding it out in a very comfortable country villa, but the trip back to Paris presents several interesting villages and vistas. Frears later did Dangerous Liasons which I also like but this smaller film is my favorite of his primarily because of the Stamp character and Terence Stamp himself. If you've seen anything of his from Billy Budd to Fellinis Toby Dammit to Pasolinis Theorem to The Limey, you know he is one of the most interesting screen presences you will ever encounter, The Hit was made when he hadn't been seen in a picture for a while so the fact that the character he plays in The Hit has also been out of circulation for awhile gives the role an added dimension.
Later Reservoir Dogs made Tim Roth famous and for good reason but here you get his debut doing it all for the first time. And Hurt is always scary as hell like he's haunted with some knowledge about human nature that you nor I nor anyone will ever know about.

The Best Film Noir You've Never Seen .
The old song goes: "Hooray for Hollywood , where you're terrific if you're only good."

All too true. So at the risk of sounding snobbish, let me start by saying that this gem boasts three terrific actors---even by British standards---Johh Hurt, Terence Stamp and, in his film debut, Tim Roth.

Can't ask for better.

Story by Peter Prince, directed by Stephen Frears; a few years before he became a major name with 'Dangerous Liasons.'

So far, so good. Now here's the tough part: What's the film about?

At first it seems simple enough. A small time gangster (Stamp) has grassed , or as we say in America, squealed on his cohorts. Having turned state's witness, he's let off the hook and proceeds to hide out in a small village in Spain. Ten years later the gang is out of prison, they've discovered his whereabouts and sent their top hit man (Hurt) and his eager hooligan apprentice (Roth) to kidnap and bring him to Paris where they intend to execute him in front of The Boss. If anything goes wrong, they're to kill him immediately.

So much goes wrong that some professional reviewers listed the genre of this film as 'Comedy'

Er... way off base, though it does have some very funny moments. The greatest complication in the list of what goes wrong is Maggie, a 15 year old (or is she?) Spanish babe, which they end up having to take along for the ride , played by the actress Laura del Sol.

An appropiate name since this noir film is brightly scorched by the Spanish sun. An intended thematic point. Hurt and Del Sol are passionate animals, fighting for life.

On the other hand, Stamp, who has known for ten years that death at the hands of the mob was inevitable has spent his time preparing for his demise by " Reading wonderfull things."

He appears to have transformed himself from petty thief into another Socrates. Death, he tells us is 'as natural as breathing.' Far from making any attempt at escape, he infuriates Hurt by helping him along--fixing his car when it breaks down, for example.

Is he real or full of it?--Or as they say in England " You mouth! "

Great ending, which I won't give away, may (?) answer the question.

Yes it is Film Noir, yes it's a gangster film but --No I'm NOT going to tell you that it 'transcends the genre ' that's a dumb cliche. The story uses the plot device of a hit man ( speaking of dumb cliches perhaps the most annoyingly prevalent around these days--every year there's a dozen 'hit men' flicks) and turns it spectacularly on its head into a superb story with phenomenal characters.

Technical review only!
A forerunner to "Sexy Beast", the outstanding 1984 Brit-Noir "The Hit" is a lushly filmed, "*****" (five-star) movie by director Stephen Frears ("My Beautiful Laundrette","High Fidelity", "Dirty Pretty Things"). It features a dream cast (Terrence Stamp, John Hurt and the big screen dubut of Tim Roth). A five-star film, a critically acclaimed director/cast, and a beautifully-filmed Mediterranean locale. Any one of the aforementioned attributes should warrant respectful treatment of the film's transfer to DVD. Unfortunately, Artisan "Entertainment" botches the job once again (check out customer reviews of Artisan's DVD release of "The Last Emperor" to see the pattern emerging here). Not only is the DVD in "pan & scan", but the print is quite dark and noticably "jittery" in several places. The audio, while acceptable, exhibited no improvement over the the s-vhs copy I had already archived from a cable airing. I understand that "The Hit" is likely destined to "cult" status, with a limited arthouse audience, but does this justify the shoddy, inattentive treatment? Scour your cable listings until Criterion gets hold of it.

DVD available Pan & Scan only
I've been waiting for this film to come out on DVD for years. I like it quite a bit -- it's sort of a philisophical gangster road movie. I'd normally rate it maybe 3 1/2 stars. But I can't give that rating to this version of it, unfortunately, since I discovered when I tried to watch it tonight that it's Pan & Scan -- cutting off both sides of the picture -- and apparently that's the only way that Artisan will to release it. Don't you hate it when film studios don't actually care about their films?

Anyway, if you don't mind Pan & Scan, by all means, check this one out. Heck, I'll sell you mine, cheap. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Annette Bening twists like a mink on a leash through Stephen Frears's adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel. This may be the perfect trope for the moral hysteria that coils around a mother, her son, and his girlfriend in this slender but highly pleasurable neo-noir. Small in effect and local in scope, the film is about small-fry, attractive, bloodless con artists who view the world as neatly split between ropers and suckers, grifters and squares. "Grifter's got an irresistible urge to beat a guy that's wise," an old-timer tells Roy (John Cusack). And yet the three characters here--played by Angelica Huston, Cusack, and Bening--only beat the innocent: Lilly (Huston) gigs at the track for a mobster named Bobo, putting wads of cash on long-shot horses to even out the odds. Roy, her son, swindles citizens by dimes and degrees, flashing twenties at bars then paying for his beer with tens. His girlfriend, Myra (Bening), is hustling herself, her salad days as a long-con roper behind her. Theirs is a world of gut punches and smart lines, and the adrenaline these cheats and chiselers live by is palpable onscreen. But a larger canvas? Maybe it's there as a parallel universe. "What do you sell again?" Myra asks Roy, the matchbook salesman. "Self-confidence," he says, a wry allusion to the confidence game all three of them are playing. The movie boasts dazzling turns by Bening, Cusack, and especially Huston, whose mère fatale breaks new ground for noir. --Lyall Bush ... Read more

Reviews (38)

ELEVATOR TO HELL
Produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Stephen Frears, THE GRIFTERS is a winner. With three top actors, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening and John Cusack, Frears invites us to a non-stop ride to hell.

Caught between his mother and his girl-friend, John Cusack will have a hard time to survive and become a man. You can almost touch the hate those two women feel for each other. Their last encounter is really a scene you will remember : set in Phoenix, in a motel, in a subtle variation of PSYCHO's first murder, it is a moment of great cinema.

Cusack is outstanding as the gentle grifter, Frear's cinematography is first class and Anjelica has never been so devilish. No doubt about it, THE GRIFTERS is a masterpiece of the film noir genre.

A DVD that bleeds.

Superb
I've never been a John Cusack fan, but he's utterly riveting in the role of a coming-of-age grifter caught between two indelible women. Annette Bening, at least here, is a pure force of nature, a sexy tsunami overwhelming everything in her path. And Anjelica Huston??? Her entire career has been one splendid performance after another, and this is one of her finest. You simply cannot take your eyes off her. The interaction of these three is one of the best examples of ensemble acting outside of an Altman film. And the little subtleties around these three -- from the brilliant set piece of the orange scene to the almost-identical dresses worn by Lily and Myra to Elmer Bernstein's moody score -- make The Grifters a compelling experience. The only disappointment is that the CD has NO extras at all, but you could certainly make the case that this is a movie that can stand completely on its own.

The towering work of Stephem Frears!
This is a splendid film. One of the hard movies of this decade. A chess game in the purest sense of the word. The underworld of these little gamblers ond fortune seekers was depicted with origianilty and built on a solid script and secondary characters that enrich even more this story.
Angelica Huston is her best performance (I like even her Award performance Prizzi's honor) ; John Cussack made a brighting performance and Anette Benning superb.
The film plays hard . It's a neo film noir but it keeps for the viewer several smart bits and clever twist of fate: a little homagge to "The sting" ; in the middle of the movie and fine dialogues ; specially in the tour de force dialogue Huston and her son and the frenetic and anguishly fight Huston - Benning in the motel .
Frears is a very original film maker but besides its intimate character this film may be well considered his masterpiece.

"A thing like this rarely happens..."
Those of us who love this film, love it a lot. It is one of my all time top films that I watch shamelessly for record numbers of times and love the same, if not more. So, The Grifters is right up there on my big board along with Body Heat, Black Widow, Peggy Sue Got Married, Hannibal, Silence of the Lambs, Diabolique (the original)and Splendor in the Grass (the original)and The Long Good Friday. Atmosphere, performances, dazzling movie style and grace, heart and soul.

I will never understand how Jeremy Irons, during his visit with James Lipton on Inside the Actor's Studio, could possibly state that American films lacked soul while the British films had long since cornered the market in that particular quality. The Grifters is as loaded to the gills with every quality necessary to film greatness as the greatest British, or any other European film ever made.

This film always has impressed me as a very close relation to the fabulous "Long Good Friday" with Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren (English Gangster film par exellence). These folks are not burdened with the need to justify their lives or livelihoods. Remember Bob Hoskins character reminiscing fondly about his boyhood start as a gangster doing some scam with cars and intimidation. Whenever the grifter or the gangster gets a big dose of self-righteous indignation, it is alway for his or her own benefit and never applied to another victim, harmless or otherwise.

I love the blurring of eras in the Grifters, the feeling that although the story is depicted in the 1980's, it has the rich, indefinable quality of Alfred Hitchcock's films from the 1950's. The Grifters takes the American film to the top of the world's cinema and challenges the rest of the world to do better.

On a sadder note, it is also the pinnacle of American short-sightednes and just plain old bourgeois lack of artistic sense, not to award films like Grifters the big awards that are so well deserved. Perhaps the Academy feels that you can only let a good independent film have its day every ten or so years and let the Cannes Film Festival, or Sundance, or whoever take care of the rest of the finest productions of cinematic artistry.

Stephen Frears' Best Work
If, like me, you saw and loved Stephen Frears' 2003 outing "Dirty Pretty Things" (starring Audrey Tautou in her first English-speaking role), consider going back and watching what is arguably his finest effort, "The Grifters."

This is a wonderful movie featuring three very talented actors. In 1990, John Cusack was just transitioning into adult roles, in much the same way his character Roy Dillon is doing. A perfect fit.

Annette Benning lets it all hang out, as she has done with all of her performances, even after ascending into Hollywood royalty as Mrs. Warren Beatty.

Despite those stellar performances, they're still no match for Angelica Huston. She is truly magnetic as Cusak's mother, Lilly.

Also worthy of note is long-time character actor Pat Hingle's turn as Lilly's boss, Bobo Justus. It's essentially a cameo role, but it's the performance that stands out foremost in my mind two months after viewing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on the novel byMax Evans and directed by Stephen Frears, The Hi-LoCountry charted a long and circuitous route to the big screen, and the final resultproves that the material posed a major--and perhaps insurmountable--challenge forscreen adaptation. It's easy to see why this contemporary Western was once acoveted project of director Sam Peckinpah; its codes of honor, male bonding, andhardened morality would've played nicely into Peckinpah's artistic legacy. There areclear echoes of Peckinpah in the screenplay by Walon Green (who wrote TheWild Bunch), and while the movie is blessed by Woody Harrelson's vivid performance as a reckless latter-day cowboy, Frears fails to maintain a compellingtone and the rest of the cast nearly fades into the background.

Billy Crudup (Without Limits) plays Harrelson's best pal, just returned toNew Mexico from service in World War II with hopes of starting a cattle ranch freefrom the greedy clutches of a local rancher (Sam Elliott) who dominates the town ofHi-Lo like a bootclad kingpin. Harrelson joins in the effort, but tensions rise when heconnects with the sultry seductress (Patricia Arquette) with whom Crudup has falleninexplicably in love. Harrelson has provoked others as well, and he seems primed fora fall, but The Hi-Lo Country is a film out of balance. Memorable momentsare found in abundance, and the film's period detail is impeccable, but Crudup'scharacter is so underwritten and underplayed that his role as narrator and ostensiblehero has minimal dramatic impact. By the time fate deals its inevitable blow, it's toolate to care. Frears has suffered from similar missteps before (remember MaryReilly?), and The Hi-Lo Country leaves you wondering what Peckinpahmight have done with the novel he so dearly admired. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (10)

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