Category: Crime Movie
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He Directed Gripping Noirs … But You May Not Recognize His Name
John Payne, Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand, Preston Foster, “Kansas City Confidential” (1952). By Paul Parcellin Everything seemed to come together for Phil Karlson in the 1950s. It was an era in which his talent, energy and unique sensibilities were made to order for a public with an insatiable appetite for raw, gritty crime films.…
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One Step Beyond: Film Noir and the Supernatural
Edward G. Robinson, ‘Night Has a Thousand Eyes’ (1948). We can all daydream of possessing special powers, because who wouldn’t want greater insight into their life and extraordinary abilities to manipulate the hands of fate? But if there’s one thing that speculative fiction teaches us is that supernatural powers — mind reading, communicating with the…
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Jazz Mania: Film Noir, Bebop and the Devil’s Music
Elisha Cook Jr., ‘Phantom Lady’ (1944) You might be surprised to learn that jazz didn’t show up in film noir right away even though by the 1940s swing was part of the popular music landscape and bebop was well on its way to becoming a solid American art form. But you wouldn’t know it by watching…
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It Took Two Directors to Tell the Murder, Inc. Story
Humphrey Bogart as Dist. Atty. Martin Ferguson “The Enforcer” is one of the lesser appreciated Bogart films, but it deserves more attention than it gets. Granted, it’s no “Maltese Falcon.” It would be a tall order equaling “Falcon” director John Huston’s artistry. But “Enforcer” directors Bretaigne Windust and Raoul Walsh (uncredited) pull off an impressive…
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High Mass: Whitey Bulger, LSD and a Devil’s Deal
Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger? Yup, the actor who played Dillinger in “Public Enemies” is going to play another crime icon, and the movie is slated for release next year. More about that later. Dick Lehr, a former Boston Globe reporter and co-author of a new book about the life of James “Whitey” Bulger was…
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Crime in the New Wild West
A lot of people say that “No Country for Old Men” is Joel and Ethan Coen’s best film so far. I’d find that a difficult choice to make. But I’ll say that “No Country” is one of my favorites. Javier Bardem has gotten all the kudos for his portrayal of devil incarnate Anton Chigurh —…
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‘Snatch’: A Well Oiled Machine About … What?
Turkish (Jason Statham), Mickey O;Neil (Brad Pitt) and Tommy (Stephen Graham) in ‘Snatch.’ The problem with “Snatch,” Guy Ritchie’s crime drama/comedy that looks at life through the eyes of Turkish (Jason Statham), a London promoter of unlicensed boxing matches, is that the film’s not really about anything. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty that happens plot-wise.…
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Scorsese’s Favorite Gangster Movies
James Cagney, “White Heat” (1949). Director Martin Scorsese revisits crime pictures that most influenced him Here are 15 gangster pictures that had a profound effect on me and the way I thought about crime and how to portray it on film. They excited me, provoked me, and in one way or another, they had the…