A legal thriller from 2007, brilliantly directed by TonyGilroy, Michael Clayton chiefly revolves around the relationship between the title character, a “fixer”, and Arthur Edens, a brilliant attorney who is suffering a breakdown but also grasps more of the truth than is perhaps good for him. GeorgeClooney and TomWilkinson star, along with TildaSwinton, who portrays a ruthless general counsel and chief antagonist. All provide memorable performances, with Wilkinson at the height of his powers as the bipolar Edens.
NoCountryforOldMen, a 2007 existential noir western thriller by Joel and EthanCoen, examines the dilemma of LlewelynMoss {JoshBrolin}, who somewhat inadvertently ends up in the crosshairs of, among others, sociopathic assassin/operative AntonChigurh {JavierBardem}, a most singular character with a ruthless code and nihilism to spare. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell {TommyLeeJones} wants to help Moss, but, though plenty smart and resourceful, he realizes with the likes of Chigurh, whom he wryly and despairingly describes as a ghost, he’s in over his head; he’s dealing with a new kind of human. New, yet as old and implacable as the unforgiving landscape.
It is the uncanny accomplishment of the Coens to have rendered an extraordinarily nuanced environment where everything means something, yet nothing means anything. The interface of chance and inevitability is front and center.
Directed by a 28 year old StevenSpielberg, Jaws is a gripping, multi-faceted masterwork. This thriller/cult classic features resonant, memorable work by RoyScheider and RichardDreyfuss, and a mesmerizing, iconic performance by RobertShaw. Also involved is a 20+ (25!) foot-long shark. One of the most perfectly realized films of the 20th century.
The 1996 film Fargo, a Coen Brothers masterwork, presents the story and precipitous moral/psychological decline of Jerry Lundegaard (WilliamH. Macy), the misadventures of the bungling kidnappers (SteveBuscemi and PeterStormare) whose “help” he enlists, and the dogged attempts of Marge Gunderson (FrancesMcDormand) to make sense of it all. Macy’s performance is mind-boggling, Buscemi and Stormare are brilliant, and McDormand carried away an Oscar for her finely-nuanced portrayal. CarterBurwell composed the memorable theme.
This offbeat, rather twisted Western presents the intertwined stories of Tom Logan (JackNicholson) and his good-hearted, somewhat hapless rustling gang, and Lee Clayton (MarlonBrando), a so-called “regulator” (hired killer) whose job it is to identify and curtail the activities of Logan, et al. As the film progresses, an ever-increasing sense of dread and disquiet permeate the proceedings, as it becomes clearer all the time that the eccentric Clayton is a ruthless, sadistic sociopath, who relishes his deadly machinations and depraved exploits. The bounty hunter’s bewildering array of accents and disguises also merits mentioning.
ArthurPenn directed this cult masterpiece, and allowed the actors, especially Brando, to find their own way with the characters, including improvising much of the dialogue. Idiosyncratically paced, this oddball absurdist comedy/western thriller deconstructs the genre to beautiful effect, and Marlon Brando’s incomprehensibly stunning performance ultimately defines and lifts the film to the very heights.
The serial predator and killer MartinVanger appears in both the American and Swedish iterations of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He is equally disquieting in both. PeterHaber portrays Vanger in the 2009 Swedish release, and StellanSkarsgΓ₯rd does the honors for the 2011 American film. Both performances are brilliant, and chilling. Haber’s portrayal is more earnest and volatile, while SkarsgΓ₯rd is more haughty, detached. Both work perfectly.
The Wicker Man, an extraordinary, curious, classic cult film, debuted in 1973 and has only gained in popularity since. The movie stars Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt, and a host of locals from the small Scottish towns where it was filmed. So many memorable moments.
The 1987 film Withnail and I, written and directed by Bruce Robinson, and starring Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, and Richard Griffiths, has come to be recognized as one of the great achievements of British film-making. Originally considered a “cult” movie, this poignant and amazingly humorous film is so very memorable. This happened to be Grant’s first film, as well, putting him firmly on the map of such things.
The extraordinary film Manhunter, filmed in 1986, features auteur-like vision by director Michael Mann, and memorable performances by Tom Noonan, Brian Cox, and William Petersen. Based on the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, Manhunter possesses an eerie noir-ness, focuses often on the similarities between hunter and hunted, and resonates powerfully to this day.
