Movie Review - Messenger Of Death

Messenger Of Death

1988

The Cast

This is a wonderful slice of the '80's and I was only too pleased to watch this again. The story is actually a whodunnit as a group of Mormon women and children are massacred, a couple of the religious factions are blamed for the incident. Especially when one of the factions believes that by killing some of their congregation they are helping them to find enlightenment in the afterlife.

This is where Bronson as hardened reporter Garret Smith comes into the story. He starts to investigate the murders and what he finds sets him and the people around him on a dangerous path to the truth.  Let me start by saying that I admire Bronson as an actor, though when he signed to the Cannon/Golan-Globus deal they wanted him as the hardman.  So when he's in Death Wish he's an architect... though you definitely wouldn't want to get on his mean side, when he goes for revenge.  The same can be said here.  Even though he's a reporter he holds himself in a way that says, don't mess with me!  That aside, as with all his films, he still puts in the acting skills he's acquired over the years and is always a pleasure to watch.  He was one of my Dad's favourite actors and I'm glad he introduced me to his films. 

What you get in this film is plenty of action and above average acting. In fact, there are quite a few good actors in this flick including, Laurence Luckinbill, Daniel Benzali, Jeff Corey, and John Ireland. It's also nice that the guilty party is not revealed until the last minute. The writer and director do a decent job of weaving your thoughts and the suspects together in a way that you're never really sure. However, the ending is a little strange - I would have written it differently, though the sudden ending really does work well with this style of movie.

My favourite thing about this was the car and truck chases, that had a reminiscent feel of Spielberg's Duel. I doff my hat to the stuntmen and drivers in these scenes. These are real vehicles with real stunts and explosions - nothing is CGI.

If you like an entertaining action film with a hint of a whodunnit then this film should be right up your street, as long as your not being chased down by a Semi-truck. If you were wondering what was so special about the '80's then this will enlighten you, especially since it's a Cannon / Golan-Globus Movie - it just couldn't get better.

I give this mystery an explosive 6.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Murder On The Orient Express

Murder On The Orient Express

1974

The Cast

  

This is an apotheosis of a star-studded movie - but where most films of similar ilk fall flat this reigns supreme...  The Story is so good and the director does a brilliant job of bringing this to the large screen and the actors add to the strength of their skills.

There are a couple of drawbacks, for me...  Firstly, I'm not a fan of Hercule Poirot (I much prefer Miss Marple) and Finney's portrayal of the detective left me cold and irritated.  Though he and the director did get his pompous peacock preening down pat, it was more Finney's vocals and no-neck stance that got under my skin.  Secondly, there were a few scene's where the director used Perkins "Norman Bates" to cast suspicion on his character, as Norman does make an appearance a couple of times.

Though, all this said, the rest of the film is delicious and splendidly filmed.  There are some really nice panning sequences; I especially liked the sequence where the train guard walks down the platform as the train pulls out - this is expertly done and sets a great atmosphere, though the music is a little too saccharine for me.

This is a great whodunnit, which I did solve before Hercule, but not too quickly so as to spoil the film, so this is a bonus as it draws the audience in and makes them part of the story and movie.  If you like murder mysteries then this is the one to watch, you should even enjoy it if you've read the novel and know the outcome, as the acting and direction is that good.

I would recommend this to mystery and thriller lovers as well as movie aficionados.  This is now on my favourites list and I will watch it again - even though I'll have to put up with Finney's Poirot.

I give this a mysterious and suspicious 8.75 our of 10.

The Trailer