Have You Seen ....? by David Thomson Part 9 - Point Break, The Maltese Falcon and A History of Violence

 

Maybe the movie that made a name for Kathryn Bigelow. I was less impressed with her Blue Steel but Point Break is outstanding. As are all her other films to come. I loved that early tracking shot through the detective's offices. Less impressive for me was the wooden Keanu Reeves. Patrick Swayze was a little better, but what makes the movie are the styles of 1991, the costumes, the hair, the cars, the violence. Not all good. It is a big budget blockbuster that seems very dated. Not surprising it doesn't make David Thomson's 1000, but worth for seeing one of the director's early films.

The first thing that struck me about The Maltese Falcon was how the black and white cinematography looked so sharp. A youngish Humphrey Bogart at 41 plays Sam Spade, helping out femme fatale Mary Astor as his client Ruth Wonderly. Then suddenly here is Peter Lorre who wants help finding the Golden Falcon from the Knights Templar of Malta.  It's amazing how much dialogue there is compared with films of today. This looked like it was a very cheap film to make, mostly in the studio with few exterior shots. But director John Huston gives the story some pace. Later on there here is an English actor, Sydney Greenstreet who didn't start in films until he was 61. David Thomson says "It's the love story that is so riveting". Not sure about that.

I must have seen A History of Violence in the cinema on it's release in 2005. (Yes, there's my ticket from the 5th October). This is an exciting David Cronenberg movie coming after two of his best films Crash and eXistenZ. Hiding in plain sight is Viggo Mortensen (maybe his best performance ever) as Tom Stall. Although he's not. The past catches up with him in the shape of Ed Harris and William Hurt. Maria Bello plays Tom's wife. I preferred the first half of the film, an understated threat of something nasty, rather that the expected violent conclusion. David Thomson says "the precision and cold advance of this film are beautiful and enthralling". Well, those movies are the best.