4 out of 5. Billy Wilder is one of the few directors whose work
always has strong characterization and fresh-sounding dialogue an ACE IN THE HOLE is no different. This is a
rare treat as Kirk Douglas eats up the scenery with his loud
and boisterous unlikeable charm. He plays a real man's man reporter who
has the world on a dangerous tether that's pulled tight to the point of
snapping. There's a great undercurrent of America's love of
sensationalism and his character serves it up with brace of hard liquor.
There were two very surprising moments. A real joy watch. If you liked
Sunset Boulevard I have no doubt you will enjoy this.
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4 out of 5. Based on a Joseph March poem, THE SET UP is a
film that could have easily been a play. It's one of those films whose
narrative has a real earthy feel, much like High Noon, making it very
original for its time. It's a simple
story told really well, with compelling characters all in high stakes
situations. Robert Ryan plays an over-the-hill boxer (35) at the end of
his career. He's expected to fall and everyone bets against him. It's a
simple story but a gem of a film with great performances and a really
rough ending. Feels like something Hemingway might have written.
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4 out of 5. THE BIG HEAT blew me away. It's
hard to say who the hero is FRITZ LANG or SYDNEY BOEHM. I'd have to go
with Boehm I think. Every character is interesting and nuanced and not
at all cliched. Clear specific
relationships are established and the story takes twists and turns
involving the audience to guess what happens next. The dialogue was
superb and layered and some of the acting was quite excellent too.
Fritz's directing was very subtle in this piece and it worked
wonderfully. If you like NIGHT AND THE CITY or WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS
you'll love this.
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