"Have you ever met anybody you didn't kill?"
"Well, I haven't killed you yet."
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey
Written by: Shane Black
Directed by: Richard Donner
If there's one good movie to emerge from the 80s buddy film genre, it's Lethal Weapon - a movie chock full of action, suspense and most importantly, chemistry between the two leads.
In the days leading up to his retirement from the force, LAPD sergeant Roger Murtaugh has been assigned the case of Amanda Hunsacker, a young woman found dead after taking a nosedive from her high-rise apartment. Things get personal for Murtaugh after he discovers Amanda was the daughter of Michael Hunsacker, an old friend from his days in the army. Further complicating matters is Murtaugh's new partner, sergeant Martin Riggs, a burnt-0ut cop who's registered as a Lethal Weapon from his combat experience in Vietnam. Riggs has been on the edge since his wife's death three years prior. The two reluctant partners are forced to work together to solve Amanda's murder, which leads to the discovery of Shadow Company, a drug-smuggling cartel importing heroin into Los Angeles. Murtaugh vows to bring down the drug cartel, if only he can survive his partner.
There's no shortage of gunplay, fistfights, explosions and high-speed chases in this gripping action movie from the mid-80s, and Donner clearly wasn't shy about the violence; much of it is the in-your-face variety. But it's the relationship and the interplay between the two leads that elevates this film over other genre fare, and adds loads of character to the story. Riggs and Murtaugh couldn't be a more disparate duo. One enjoys his time on the job neat and by the book - the other lives on the edge, an adrenaline addict and nearly too dangerous for his own good. Their settings are at odds with one another.
We first see Murtaugh on the morning of his 50th birthday. He's surrounded by a loving family, lives in the big house with a boat in the driveway, and enjoys the life of the domesticated family man in his autumn years. As we're introduced to Murtaugh, all he has to worry about is the gray hair, the pains of raising a teenage daughter with her budding sexuality, and finishing out the last few days of his fairly tame routine on the job. Riggs on the other hand, lives by himself in a trailer on the beach; no one around but a dog to keep him company. He lives the life of a lonely man, his surroundings are in disarray, and there's no solace in his existence. He wakes up every day, going through the motions. We soon find out that it's the job that keeps him going. Not only is Riggs at odds with Murtaugh, he's at odds with himself. He very nearly actually kills himself with his pistol, but can't do it with his wife's wedding picture staring him in the face. He desperately wants to end it, but it's her that's keeping him alive, plugging along, day after day.
There's a definite edge to this movie, most of which stems from Riggs, himself. His wife's death has reduced him to little more than a badge-wearing killing machine. His aim is lethal, and his hands quick to snap one's neck. He's a loner, as no one in the department wants anything to do with him. More often than not, he's got the look of a manic wild man, thanks to Gibson's crazy eyes and long hair (somewhat reminiscent of the vagrant appearance of John Rambo in First Blood).
Much of the movie's humor is derived from the bickering between Murtaugh and Riggs. When Riggs isn't making fun of Mrs. Murtaugh's cooking, he's poking fun at Murtaugh's overly professional approach to the job. Riggs derives pleasure from the chase, Murtaugh's happy with staying alive. It's almost like a sadistic action movie version of Bert and Ernie. And the movie could easily veer off into a married couple on the job (as the sequels will, in time), but the duo's infighting is offset by the violence and the very dangerous nature of the film's bad guys. In the end, these two detectives are only trying to survive to see tomorrow.
8.5/10
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Part VI in a John Carpenter film quest.
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun
Written by: Martin Quatermass
Directed by: John Carpenter
After the death of a priest in a Los Angeles church leads to the discovery of a cylinder in the church basement (containing a swirling green liquid), a group of physics graduate students from a local university is asked to investigate. After translating a manuscript found near the cylinder, it is discovered that the liquid contains the essence of the Anti-Christ. The manuscript portends that when the son awakens, he will then awaken the father (the Anti-God), trapped in another dimension. The remains of the Anti-Christ have been stirring in the preceding days, and the students' research finally awakens the demon. He assumes control of the students (one by one) from the inside of the church, while controlling the group of homeless people living outside. As their numbers decrease, the research team must stop the Anti-Christ and sever the portal before the devil is released.
Critics weren't kind to Prince of Darkness upon its release in 1987 (and for that matter, neither were audiences). And it left me feeling odd as the credits rolled. The movie is downright creepy, and it wasn't lacking in the scary department, either (to be fair, I don't have the stomach that horror fans do). And the movie certainly has a great setup. But it's the payoff that's disappointing, for me. There were some good scares in the second half (along with some unsettling makeup), but these weren't characters I really cared for. There was a romance in the beginning of the film that was never really fleshed out, reducing any impact that would have on the movie's climax. And the only character that had any personality was Walter (Dennis Dun), and he was the jerk of the group (any humor was derived from that particular role).
The zombie-movie elements of the possessed humans grew a little outlandish, as limbs were chopped, and heads hacked away (the zombie-movie angle was used to greater effect in Assault on Precinct 13) , which took away from the psychological thriller aspect; one of the movie's strengths. The overly technical dialog (which many a critic had a beef with), I didn't mind, at all - especially when you had the intriguing idea of people in the future broadcasting messages back to the present through neural stimulation (dreams). Prince of Darkness faded from theaters and found a cult following in the years ahead. I have a feeling my attitude toward this film will change with another viewing.
6.0/10
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun
Written by: Martin Quatermass
Directed by: John Carpenter
After the death of a priest in a Los Angeles church leads to the discovery of a cylinder in the church basement (containing a swirling green liquid), a group of physics graduate students from a local university is asked to investigate. After translating a manuscript found near the cylinder, it is discovered that the liquid contains the essence of the Anti-Christ. The manuscript portends that when the son awakens, he will then awaken the father (the Anti-God), trapped in another dimension. The remains of the Anti-Christ have been stirring in the preceding days, and the students' research finally awakens the demon. He assumes control of the students (one by one) from the inside of the church, while controlling the group of homeless people living outside. As their numbers decrease, the research team must stop the Anti-Christ and sever the portal before the devil is released.
Critics weren't kind to Prince of Darkness upon its release in 1987 (and for that matter, neither were audiences). And it left me feeling odd as the credits rolled. The movie is downright creepy, and it wasn't lacking in the scary department, either (to be fair, I don't have the stomach that horror fans do). And the movie certainly has a great setup. But it's the payoff that's disappointing, for me. There were some good scares in the second half (along with some unsettling makeup), but these weren't characters I really cared for. There was a romance in the beginning of the film that was never really fleshed out, reducing any impact that would have on the movie's climax. And the only character that had any personality was Walter (Dennis Dun), and he was the jerk of the group (any humor was derived from that particular role).
The zombie-movie elements of the possessed humans grew a little outlandish, as limbs were chopped, and heads hacked away (the zombie-movie angle was used to greater effect in Assault on Precinct 13) , which took away from the psychological thriller aspect; one of the movie's strengths. The overly technical dialog (which many a critic had a beef with), I didn't mind, at all - especially when you had the intriguing idea of people in the future broadcasting messages back to the present through neural stimulation (dreams). Prince of Darkness faded from theaters and found a cult following in the years ahead. I have a feeling my attitude toward this film will change with another viewing.
6.0/10
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Part V in a John Carpenter film quest.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong
Written by: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein, W.D. Richter (adaptation)
Directed by: John Carpenter
"When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: 'Have ya paid your dues, Jack?' 'Yessir, the check is in the mail'."
Way before the East-meets-West action movie became profitable with American audiences, there was 1986's Big Trouble in Little China. This is one of those movies that was tailor-made for the 80s Summer blockbuster crowd. It's an action/adventure/comedy/monster movie/kung fu/ghost story/western that hits the ground running and leaves the viewer working to keep up. It's got it all: swordfights, damsels, demons, gunfights, standoffs, high-flying kung fu, Chinese black magic and enough witty banter to keep things light and comical.
The story centers around loudmouth truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell). After delivering his freight in San Francisco, Jack meets his old friend, Wang Chi, and drives him to the airport to meet his fiancée, arriving from China. Also awaiting the flight are the Lords of Death, a street gang operating under the rarely seen David Lo Pan in Chinatown. A scuffle ensues, and in the confusion, the Lords of Death make off with Wang's bride-to-be, with Jack and Wang hot on their heels. The chase leads our heroes deep beneath Chinatown, in the criminal underworld ruled by the mysterious Lo Pan - a 200 year-old sorcerer cursed to walk the earth until he marries and sacrifices a woman with green eyes. When they find out Lo Pan seeks to marry Wang's fiancée, so begins a daring adventure into the murky waters of Lo Pan's domain.
Carpenter keeps the action moving from the start, leaving the movie jam-packed with high-flying martial arts, gunplay, and snappy dialogue. When there's no physical action onscreen, the audience is preoccupied with the mystery surrounding just what Lo Pan actually is (and Burton's comic inability to comprehend this information).
But if there is a fulcrum on which everything in Big Trouble in Little China rests, it is the film's main character. Because Jack Burton has never seen anything that's going on in the movie (nor heard any of the myths), he is the audience's guide through the adventure. He shares our reactions, and grounds the movie in some kind of reality we can work with. Burton is also Carpenter's stab at the quintessential 80s action hero. He's the mulleted meathead, who's quick with the one-liners (and this is Carpenter's one-liner factory if ever there was one) , and charming with the ladies (or at least he thinks he is).
But what separates Burton from the Stallone, Norris, and Seagal characters of the decade ... well, to put it simply, he's an idiot. He's a bit of a braggart, brash, and overly self-confident, and he would fit the Indiana Jones mold if he actually got things done. But he's more talk than action - all swagger, no substance, as it were (one gets the sense that Russell's playing Burton as an inept John Wayne, which only makes things funnier, in this case). And as the movie gets going, it becomes evident that the Jack and Wang roles are reversed; Wang becomes the ever capable leading man, while Jack ends up becoming the trusty sidekick (he just doesn't know it). What kind of action hero tosses his knife across the room after jerking it out of its sheath, and then spends the entire fight looking for the weapon while his partner does all the work? Or knocks himself out with falling rubble after shooting his gun in the air (and again, leaving Wang to all the fighting)? For me, Jack Burton is Carpenter's most entertaining character to date; you just end up sitting there wide-eyed at this guy's shenanigans.
Big Trouble in Little China is the very definition of a cult film. Virtually ignored upon release in 1986, the movie rightfully gained a cult following on home video (which was really a godsend in the 80s). I guess it's just one of those movies where you either get it, or you don't. In my opinion, I think Big Trouble in Little China stands as Carpenter's most entertaining work. It's escapism in its purest form, from back in the days when escapism ruled the multiplexes.
9.5/10
Starring: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong
Written by: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein, W.D. Richter (adaptation)
Directed by: John Carpenter
"When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: 'Have ya paid your dues, Jack?' 'Yessir, the check is in the mail'."
Way before the East-meets-West action movie became profitable with American audiences, there was 1986's Big Trouble in Little China. This is one of those movies that was tailor-made for the 80s Summer blockbuster crowd. It's an action/adventure/comedy/monster movie/kung fu/ghost story/western that hits the ground running and leaves the viewer working to keep up. It's got it all: swordfights, damsels, demons, gunfights, standoffs, high-flying kung fu, Chinese black magic and enough witty banter to keep things light and comical.
The story centers around loudmouth truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell). After delivering his freight in San Francisco, Jack meets his old friend, Wang Chi, and drives him to the airport to meet his fiancée, arriving from China. Also awaiting the flight are the Lords of Death, a street gang operating under the rarely seen David Lo Pan in Chinatown. A scuffle ensues, and in the confusion, the Lords of Death make off with Wang's bride-to-be, with Jack and Wang hot on their heels. The chase leads our heroes deep beneath Chinatown, in the criminal underworld ruled by the mysterious Lo Pan - a 200 year-old sorcerer cursed to walk the earth until he marries and sacrifices a woman with green eyes. When they find out Lo Pan seeks to marry Wang's fiancée, so begins a daring adventure into the murky waters of Lo Pan's domain.
Carpenter keeps the action moving from the start, leaving the movie jam-packed with high-flying martial arts, gunplay, and snappy dialogue. When there's no physical action onscreen, the audience is preoccupied with the mystery surrounding just what Lo Pan actually is (and Burton's comic inability to comprehend this information).
But if there is a fulcrum on which everything in Big Trouble in Little China rests, it is the film's main character. Because Jack Burton has never seen anything that's going on in the movie (nor heard any of the myths), he is the audience's guide through the adventure. He shares our reactions, and grounds the movie in some kind of reality we can work with. Burton is also Carpenter's stab at the quintessential 80s action hero. He's the mulleted meathead, who's quick with the one-liners (and this is Carpenter's one-liner factory if ever there was one) , and charming with the ladies (or at least he thinks he is).
But what separates Burton from the Stallone, Norris, and Seagal characters of the decade ... well, to put it simply, he's an idiot. He's a bit of a braggart, brash, and overly self-confident, and he would fit the Indiana Jones mold if he actually got things done. But he's more talk than action - all swagger, no substance, as it were (one gets the sense that Russell's playing Burton as an inept John Wayne, which only makes things funnier, in this case). And as the movie gets going, it becomes evident that the Jack and Wang roles are reversed; Wang becomes the ever capable leading man, while Jack ends up becoming the trusty sidekick (he just doesn't know it). What kind of action hero tosses his knife across the room after jerking it out of its sheath, and then spends the entire fight looking for the weapon while his partner does all the work? Or knocks himself out with falling rubble after shooting his gun in the air (and again, leaving Wang to all the fighting)? For me, Jack Burton is Carpenter's most entertaining character to date; you just end up sitting there wide-eyed at this guy's shenanigans.
Big Trouble in Little China is the very definition of a cult film. Virtually ignored upon release in 1986, the movie rightfully gained a cult following on home video (which was really a godsend in the 80s). I guess it's just one of those movies where you either get it, or you don't. In my opinion, I think Big Trouble in Little China stands as Carpenter's most entertaining work. It's escapism in its purest form, from back in the days when escapism ruled the multiplexes.
9.5/10
Monday, January 4, 2010
Starman (1984)
Part IV in a John Carpenter film quest.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen
Written by: Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon
Directed by: John Carpenter
John Carpenter's Starman is often referred to as a mature E.T., or "E.T. for adults", if you will (an all-too-common comparison). And indeed the movie does appear to be an about-face from his other work (thus far). There's a distinct optimism at work here, as this is definitely a benign, romantic movie. And I don't mean that in a negative light, but if you take the pessimism of Escape from New York, this movie is a complete opposite. It's almost as if Carpenter's showing the other side of himself. It's a John Carpenter love story (and all that that implies). I've heard people say this "isn't really a Carpenter movie". And while it is different in tone, it definitely does have a few Carpenter touches (think the noted disdain he has for authority).
Karen Allen plays Jenny Hayden, a woman stranded in life without hope or faith. She still hasn't gotten over the death of her husband, Scott (Jeff Bridges), from an accident a few months back. Her nights are spent reliving the happy days with home movies and wine, before retiring to a fitful rest to endure the next day. It is on one of these nights that an alien visitor lands in her rural Wisconsin home. The visitor came in response to the Voyager II probe (launched back in 1977 with a message of peace and invitation), and was knocked off-course by the armed welcoming party of the U.S. government (you can tell who the bad guys are, already). Inside Jenny's house, the visitor (thus far, a pinpoint of blue light) finds a lock of Scott's hair, and proceeds to clone an earthly vessel, in his exact image. The visitor explains that he can't survive for long in Earth's atmosphere, and must reach the Great Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona in three days' time. Feeling sympathy for the alien stranger, Jenny agrees accompany him on the road trip.
No doubt there are E.T. comparisons to be made with this sci-fi setup. But one of the remarkable things about Starman is that Carpenter pulls a 180 and handles it like a road movie (think Capra's It Happened One Night). Both Starman and Jenny start out as two opposing characters, who eventually begin to grow closer and even love each other. As they draw further away from Wisconsin, Jenny learns more about Starman's people and life on his home planet.
The movie hinges on the strength of the lead actors. And this is certainly one of Bridges' finest performances (completely deserving of his Oscar nomination for this movie). There is no Jeff Bridges here - only Starman. We truly believe he is a visitor, grappling with the insane customs and people of this planet; someone who is pure at heart, and lacking the savagery of the people of Earth. And Karen Allen skillfully plays the emotionally vulnerable (and resonant) widow, forced to interact with an alien being in the guise of her dead husband; as if to ask, "can you imagine the pain that woman is going through?" - but it's all there in her performance. Allen was in top form in this movie.
The comparisons to E.T. are evident, though Carpenter steers clear of the cliches that audiences will see in the tasteless knockoff, Mac and Me (1988). Starman, like E.T. is a benevolent visitor; he received our message and he's here out of curiosity. And there's a broken home (in a sense) in both movies. With Elliott's family, there's the void left by his missing father. For Jenny, it's the emptiness in her life left by her dead husband. And both alien visitors are pursued by the U.S. government (along with friendly scientists Peter Coyote, and Charles Martin Smith), providing the looming threat of capture.
But Carpenter makes it clear this isn't just another E.T. knockoff. He makes Starman his own, and as a result, produces the warmest and most heartening movie of his career.
8.0/10
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen
Written by: Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon
Directed by: John Carpenter
John Carpenter's Starman is often referred to as a mature E.T., or "E.T. for adults", if you will (an all-too-common comparison). And indeed the movie does appear to be an about-face from his other work (thus far). There's a distinct optimism at work here, as this is definitely a benign, romantic movie. And I don't mean that in a negative light, but if you take the pessimism of Escape from New York, this movie is a complete opposite. It's almost as if Carpenter's showing the other side of himself. It's a John Carpenter love story (and all that that implies). I've heard people say this "isn't really a Carpenter movie". And while it is different in tone, it definitely does have a few Carpenter touches (think the noted disdain he has for authority).
Karen Allen plays Jenny Hayden, a woman stranded in life without hope or faith. She still hasn't gotten over the death of her husband, Scott (Jeff Bridges), from an accident a few months back. Her nights are spent reliving the happy days with home movies and wine, before retiring to a fitful rest to endure the next day. It is on one of these nights that an alien visitor lands in her rural Wisconsin home. The visitor came in response to the Voyager II probe (launched back in 1977 with a message of peace and invitation), and was knocked off-course by the armed welcoming party of the U.S. government (you can tell who the bad guys are, already). Inside Jenny's house, the visitor (thus far, a pinpoint of blue light) finds a lock of Scott's hair, and proceeds to clone an earthly vessel, in his exact image. The visitor explains that he can't survive for long in Earth's atmosphere, and must reach the Great Meteor Crater in Winslow, Arizona in three days' time. Feeling sympathy for the alien stranger, Jenny agrees accompany him on the road trip.
No doubt there are E.T. comparisons to be made with this sci-fi setup. But one of the remarkable things about Starman is that Carpenter pulls a 180 and handles it like a road movie (think Capra's It Happened One Night). Both Starman and Jenny start out as two opposing characters, who eventually begin to grow closer and even love each other. As they draw further away from Wisconsin, Jenny learns more about Starman's people and life on his home planet.
The movie hinges on the strength of the lead actors. And this is certainly one of Bridges' finest performances (completely deserving of his Oscar nomination for this movie). There is no Jeff Bridges here - only Starman. We truly believe he is a visitor, grappling with the insane customs and people of this planet; someone who is pure at heart, and lacking the savagery of the people of Earth. And Karen Allen skillfully plays the emotionally vulnerable (and resonant) widow, forced to interact with an alien being in the guise of her dead husband; as if to ask, "can you imagine the pain that woman is going through?" - but it's all there in her performance. Allen was in top form in this movie.
The comparisons to E.T. are evident, though Carpenter steers clear of the cliches that audiences will see in the tasteless knockoff, Mac and Me (1988). Starman, like E.T. is a benevolent visitor; he received our message and he's here out of curiosity. And there's a broken home (in a sense) in both movies. With Elliott's family, there's the void left by his missing father. For Jenny, it's the emptiness in her life left by her dead husband. And both alien visitors are pursued by the U.S. government (along with friendly scientists Peter Coyote, and Charles Martin Smith), providing the looming threat of capture.
But Carpenter makes it clear this isn't just another E.T. knockoff. He makes Starman his own, and as a result, produces the warmest and most heartening movie of his career.
8.0/10
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Fog (1980)
Part III in a John Carpenter film quest.
Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman, Hal Holbrook
Written by: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Directed by: John Carpenter
Continuing in the horror genre, John Carpenter follows up his massive Halloween success with The Fog: the story of a small seaside town in the grip of a spooky weather anomaly. But where Halloween was a slasher movie featuring a stalker, The Fog veers down a different path. This time offering more of a ghost story.
The events occur over two nights, centered around the 100th anniversary of Antonio Bay, California. The town is slowly invaded by an unforeseen fog, carrying with it the remains of an old ship (as well as its murdered passengers, out for revenge from an incident that happened 100 years prior). The story is told in essentially three parts: the night before (fog rolls in, town wonders why everything suddenly went haywire), the day of (discovering the damage from last night), and the night of the anniversary (lead characters must solve the mystery and end the curse).
In a direct nod to past horror films, Jamie Lee Curtis headlines the film with real-life mother Janet Leigh (of Psycho fame). Hal Holbrook gives an ominous performance as Father Malone, and Adrienne Barbeau gives some of her best work as the owner of the town's sole radio station.
The movie (like Carpenter's others, up to this point) takes its time establishing the characters and the setting before presenting the primary threat. But where Assault on Precinct 13 exploded at a certain point, and the Halloween did the same toward the end, there is not a sudden quickening of pace in The Fog. Although the movie does feature scenes of distinct shock value (Carpenter's great at eliciting shock from his audience).
At this point in his career, Carpenter is becoming increasingly proficient in the use of music, mood and atmosphere to ratchet up the suspense during tense scenes. Not to mention sound effects to scare the crap out of his audience. The film's inherent strength lies in the creepy atmosphere, with the fog looming as the omnipresent threat.
The events occur over two nights, centered around the 100th anniversary of Antonio Bay, California. The town is slowly invaded by an unforeseen fog, carrying with it the remains of an old ship (as well as its murdered passengers, out for revenge from an incident that happened 100 years prior). The story is told in essentially three parts: the night before (fog rolls in, town wonders why everything suddenly went haywire), the day of (discovering the damage from last night), and the night of the anniversary (lead characters must solve the mystery and end the curse).
In a direct nod to past horror films, Jamie Lee Curtis headlines the film with real-life mother Janet Leigh (of Psycho fame). Hal Holbrook gives an ominous performance as Father Malone, and Adrienne Barbeau gives some of her best work as the owner of the town's sole radio station.
The movie (like Carpenter's others, up to this point) takes its time establishing the characters and the setting before presenting the primary threat. But where Assault on Precinct 13 exploded at a certain point, and the Halloween did the same toward the end, there is not a sudden quickening of pace in The Fog. Although the movie does feature scenes of distinct shock value (Carpenter's great at eliciting shock from his audience).
At this point in his career, Carpenter is becoming increasingly proficient in the use of music, mood and atmosphere to ratchet up the suspense during tense scenes. Not to mention sound effects to scare the crap out of his audience. The film's inherent strength lies in the creepy atmosphere, with the fog looming as the omnipresent threat.
7/10
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Halloween (1978)
Part II in a John Carpenter film quest.
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Charles Cyphers
Written by: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Directed by: John Carpenter
John Carpenter became a household name in 1978 with Halloween, his landmark entry into the horror genre. Made on a shoestring budget ($320,000) the film went on to gross nearly fifty million in the U.S. alone, and became the biggest independent movie in history.
Fifteen years prior, six-year-old Michael Myers is locked up in an institution after killing his teenage sister with a butcher knife. On the night he's to be transferred to court (to be tried as an adult), Myers escapes, his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) trailing after him.
Myers returns to his childhood home in Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween, and proceeds to stalk Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends relentlessly. No one knows why, but it's clear Myers will stop at nothing.
Put simply, the movie is horror, in its most raw and purified form. With Halloween, Carpenter proved that he could scare the hell out of his audience without a big budget. Instead of special effects, he uses lighting, sound design, and music to do the work for him. The music - a seemingly simple and unsophisticated piano melody serves to add a distinct mood to the movie, and us used to a very creepy effect. It's a style that punctuates the minimalist approach to the actual film (just as he did with Assault on Precinct 13).
And like the film's style, Carpenter keeps Myers simple. There's no "why" when it comes to Myers - nothing supernatural or outlandish. He's just some kid who snapped. And the fact that we have no reason why he's after Laurie just heightens her role as victim. She's done nothing wrong, nothing to atone for. But he's out to kill her, and there's no reasoning with Myers.
Carpenter's third movie as a director fires on all cylinders. It's spartan, basic and undiluted.
And scary as hell.
Fifteen years prior, six-year-old Michael Myers is locked up in an institution after killing his teenage sister with a butcher knife. On the night he's to be transferred to court (to be tried as an adult), Myers escapes, his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) trailing after him.
Myers returns to his childhood home in Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween, and proceeds to stalk Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends relentlessly. No one knows why, but it's clear Myers will stop at nothing.
Put simply, the movie is horror, in its most raw and purified form. With Halloween, Carpenter proved that he could scare the hell out of his audience without a big budget. Instead of special effects, he uses lighting, sound design, and music to do the work for him. The music - a seemingly simple and unsophisticated piano melody serves to add a distinct mood to the movie, and us used to a very creepy effect. It's a style that punctuates the minimalist approach to the actual film (just as he did with Assault on Precinct 13).
And like the film's style, Carpenter keeps Myers simple. There's no "why" when it comes to Myers - nothing supernatural or outlandish. He's just some kid who snapped. And the fact that we have no reason why he's after Laurie just heightens her role as victim. She's done nothing wrong, nothing to atone for. But he's out to kill her, and there's no reasoning with Myers.
Carpenter's third movie as a director fires on all cylinders. It's spartan, basic and undiluted.
And scary as hell.
8.5/10
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Part I in a John Carpenter film quest.
8/10
Starring: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer
Written by: John Carpenter
Directed by: John Carpenter
It's been said that the Western would pop up in several movies throughout John Carpenter's career. But his sophomoric effort, Assault on Precinct 13, remains his love letter to the genre.
The story unfolds in the "Anderson ghetto", a gang-ridden neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. CHP Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is assigned to oversee the neighborhood police precinct on its last night in operation. This is on the same day that the members of Street Thunder have sworn a blood oath against the police, following a raid that kills several of their own. Adding to that (in the grand tradition of coincidence), a prison bus on its way to Sonora is using the precinct as a way station until one of the prisoners can receive medical treatment for a sudden illness ..... thus setting the stage for the night's onslaught.
On the surface, Assault on Precinct 13 is your standard siege movie. Most of the action takes place in and around an aging police station, undermanned and out gunned. But it's the mishmash of genres going on here that sets the movie apart from other actioners of the time: part noir, part exploitation, and part zombie movie (with the largely unseen gang members stalking outside).
And there is the distinct homage to Howard Hawks, as well. Not only to the great Rio Bravo, but also to his entries into the noir genre. Evidenced by the tough-as-nails secretary Leigh (Laurie Zimmer), the anti-hero prison inmate Napoleon Wilson (played by the late Darwin Joston), and even the slashed lighting of the venetian blinds in the station.
And just like the Western, Assault on Precinct 13 takes its time setting up the characters and the locale. If the movie were done today (there was indeed a remake in 2005), much of the slow pace of the first 30 minutes would be sped up, and a lot more would be happening. But in slowing down the pace of the first half, the action breaks out in parts, and becomes one of the movie's distinct strengths. You're not continuously "assaulted" by a siege. But once things get going, the action comes out of nowhere, often relentlessly. And you're left with the all-too-rare feeling of wanting more.
The story unfolds in the "Anderson ghetto", a gang-ridden neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. CHP Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is assigned to oversee the neighborhood police precinct on its last night in operation. This is on the same day that the members of Street Thunder have sworn a blood oath against the police, following a raid that kills several of their own. Adding to that (in the grand tradition of coincidence), a prison bus on its way to Sonora is using the precinct as a way station until one of the prisoners can receive medical treatment for a sudden illness ..... thus setting the stage for the night's onslaught.
On the surface, Assault on Precinct 13 is your standard siege movie. Most of the action takes place in and around an aging police station, undermanned and out gunned. But it's the mishmash of genres going on here that sets the movie apart from other actioners of the time: part noir, part exploitation, and part zombie movie (with the largely unseen gang members stalking outside).
And there is the distinct homage to Howard Hawks, as well. Not only to the great Rio Bravo, but also to his entries into the noir genre. Evidenced by the tough-as-nails secretary Leigh (Laurie Zimmer), the anti-hero prison inmate Napoleon Wilson (played by the late Darwin Joston), and even the slashed lighting of the venetian blinds in the station.
And just like the Western, Assault on Precinct 13 takes its time setting up the characters and the locale. If the movie were done today (there was indeed a remake in 2005), much of the slow pace of the first 30 minutes would be sped up, and a lot more would be happening. But in slowing down the pace of the first half, the action breaks out in parts, and becomes one of the movie's distinct strengths. You're not continuously "assaulted" by a siege. But once things get going, the action comes out of nowhere, often relentlessly. And you're left with the all-too-rare feeling of wanting more.
8/10
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