Tag Archives: Movie Review

My Review of ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ (1964)

Posted on July 12, 2018 by

The first in a series of groundbreaking films that were initially released in Europe and eventually came to the US of A, this movie (plus two others in “The Man with No Name Trilogy” shot Clint Eastwood (who played the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews, Westerns | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

My Review of ‘Caged’ (1950)

Posted on July 5, 2018 by

Unlike many films noir, this movie has neither a femme fatale nor an homme fatale. Unless the homme fatale is the husband of the protagonist who commits robbery, gets killed, and lands his wife in the clink. When we meet … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Noir, Movie Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

My Review of ‘Mystery Street’ (1950)

Posted on June 14, 2018 by

This movie is unique among the film noir canon in a few ways. Before I get to that, here’s a brief synopsis of the plot. A blonde bimbo girl named Vivian (played by Jan Sterling) calls a mystery man, complaining … Continue reading →

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My Review of ‘Ronin’ (1998)

Posted on May 24, 2018 by

As action-thrillers go, this one is (as my British friends would say) a corker. It has the unbeatable combination of exotic locations, convoluted plot, and an increasingly breathtaking succession of car chases. It also has an ensemble cast to weep … Continue reading →

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My Review of ‘The Narrow Margin’ (1952)

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

This is a taut film noir thriller that takes place almost entirely on a train. It starts with an LAPD detective, Walter Brown (played by Charles McGraw) and his partner Sergeant Gus Forbes (played by Don Bedoe) picking up their … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Noir, Movie Reviews, Thriller | Tagged , | 4 Comments

My Review of ‘Blast of Silence’ (1961)

Posted on May 10, 2018 by

There’s much to like about this movie, but it falls short of perfect. Let’s go over the good stuff before we turn our attention to the not-so-good. And—warning—this review does reveal spoilers. To begin with, Blast of Silence is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime Drama, Crime Movies, Film Noir, Movie Reviews, Thriller | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

My Review of ‘Crossfire’ (1947)

Posted on May 3, 2018 by

This movie goes beyond the usual territory of film noir—postwar, nuclear age anxiety about gender roles, etc., etc.—into the realm of social commentary. The message in this case being one against anti-Semitism. The plot revolves around a group of soldiers … Continue reading →

Posted in Drama, Film Noir, Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments