Film Reviews by CD

Having greatly enjoyed “Lonesome Dove” (also based on Larry McMurtry’s novels), Disc 1 was a little bit of a disappointment in comparison . The casting is not quite right for Augustus McRae, who in the novels is much wilier, more charming and taller than the character in this version. The film does have some entertaining moments however,  particularly from Val Kilmer’s character, Captain Scull.  The Comanche Braves and other outlaws add to the excitement, and the supporting cast, music score and scenery are all strong.  

In Disc 2 the child actor

playing Newt is excellent and there are some beautiful landscape scenes.  Steve Zahn gets a much better grip on Gus Mc Crea’s character and Karl Urban is a strong Woodrow Call. 

This is probably the third time I’ve watched this film over the years.

The acting is  magnificent and the film puts a welcome slightly spooky spin on the genre. Based on a fantastic Thomas Eidson novel, which I strongly recommend, it tells of a brutal kidnapping but also a past fractured relationship between father and daughter, which is progressively resolved during the film. This relationship is not explored as thoroughly as in the novel, but the film still works as an explanation.

The range of characters in this film is very strong, with great performances from the main child actor. The film has good action and some beautiful photography as well. Highly recommended. 

I enjoyed this greatly having also enjoyed “Ripley” based on a Patricia Highsmith novel.  The greek and cretan context adds colour and is well filmed, and the characters are believable with terrific acting performances from the 3 leads.  The film perhaps lacks tight direction and meanders a bit towards the end but is always fun and interesting . Recommended . 

I realised what a talented and charming actor Patrick Swayze was, and he is the main interest in this film.  The soundtrack and band (Jeff Healey) is excellent and it is nostalgic to look back at a 1990s style bar.  Beyond that it is all fisticuffs and a lot of caricatured baddies - it’s funny and entertaining for half the film but then takes a darker turn and gets a bit monotonous.  Overall worth a watch just for the main actors, not for the plot.

I did not enjoy this film, although it has some good actors, a good music score and and an interesting Mexican small town locale. The amount of shooting and violence totally overwhelms anything else and it becomes a comic book gangster movie. Probably of interest to Quentin Tarantino fans, but not one for me.

Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner lift this above the ordinary but the plot is not very sophisticated and it feels overlong. The wider array of characters and their warming towards the free grazers’ cause is  well done, and the extended  gunfight is a powerful bit of filming .  The film misses a chance to go deeper into the lead characters and their motivations.  There are quite a few night shots so if your TV is as bad as  mine in coping with low light then you may struggle with seeing some of the action.

An excellent cast including English actors such as Jeremy Irons and Timothy Spall.  The chemistry and interaction between the two leads lifts this above the average western, and the camera work, filmscore and landscape all contribute to the enjoyment.   The pacing of the film is good and there is enough action to keep the plot moving well.

The casting looked very strong and does not disappoint with Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike.  The characters are very well defined with the focus being on the pychological trauma they have experienced and how they cope with it.  The setting, script and action are all high quality and the changing relationships between the soldiers, civilians and their former foes are handled sensitively and are believable.  An all round great film.

I recently listened to the entire audiobook of Larry McMurty’s  “Lonesome Dove”.  This film version is absolutely brilliant and faithfully reflects the book except in a few scenes and small details.  The casting is great and the lead actors do a great job.  The range of action and incidents keeps a good momentum and there are some convincing baddies.  Music score is majestic and the only slight issue is with the slightly sub-optimal film quality - hope this could be fixed with a future re-master.

It is always a pleasure seeing the acting talent of George Clooney, particularly in this film where he brings his comic side together with tougher action. The film is pretty violent the whole way through and the comedy is dark. How you rate this film very much depends on how much you like the extraordinary twist half way through. For me, there was enough of an interesting drama arising from the chemistry between Harvey Keitel, the actors playing his character's children George Clooney, and Quentin Tarantino to have made this a good film, without the horror twist. The musical score is great as well.

This a really well acted and directed film. The music is great and allowed to come through in full. The pathos of the lead character's plight is spiced with some light comedy moments and some bizarre characters. Carey Mulligan does a great job in support and John Goodman has a great cameo role as a jazz musician en route to Chicago. It's quite quirky but well worth an evening's viewing.

This film well deserves its good critical reviews. The acting is great and the characters are build up carefully, even in the minor parts. Paul Newman is well cast and convincing in the lead part. The pace of the film is excellent with some great photography and just enough action to keep things interesting. Strongly recommended for those wanting a more "modern" style of western, with moral points that are kept admirably open for thought.

Quite entertaining, but too much of the plot is loaded to the back end of the film, which adversely affects its balance. The acting is strong and the foot chase through the streets is well done. The police are quirky, which adds to the entertainment. Overall well worth a watch. I found the subtitles not distracting at all.

Really enjoyed this 1970s Walter Hill directed classic. The car chases are superb, but so also is the cast, both the leads and supporting actors. Ryan O'Neill's obsession with being the best driver but not caring much for the money is carried through really well. The dialogue is quite witty and the plot, while basic, makes senses and works through to a good conclusion. Thoroughly recommended.

I found the short special feature about Sam Peckinpah and the making of this film (included in the DVD) more interesting than the film itself. The film is built upon the tension between two former comrades in West Point (acted by Heston and Harris) who are divided by the Civil War and have become enemies. I understand that there was a lot of competitiveness between the two actors during the making of the film, and it certainly shows, and not to the film's advantage. Heston is very stiff and awkward and Harris is annoyingly cavalier as the confederate officer released from prison, both rather coming across as caricatures. The Apache theme becomes steadily lost and the film meanders into scenes in a Mexican village, complete with fiesta, before becoming a rather unbelievable showdown with a French army. All very disappointing.