Movie Review - Forbidden Cargo

Forbidden Cargo

1954

The Cast

Smugglers disguised as Navy Personnel are bringing French Liqueurs into the country.  Unfortunately, they decided to drop them off in a nature reserve watched over by Lady Flavia Queensway (Grenfell).  Concerned about her beloved bird population being in danger from the transgressors, she informs Customs and Excise of the events.  They send Agent Kenyon (Patrick) to check it out.  This, in turn, leads them to a more important smuggling ring who are about to bring in a large volume of drugs.  Kenyon sets out on their trail, which takes him to the south of France and closer to one of the suspects than he would like.

What makes this such an enjoyable movie to watch is the lightheartedness within the script.  This at first centres around Lady Flavia Queensway.  Since this is played by the great Joyce Grenfell, how else was this going to be played(?).  Then later in situations, especially those between Rita (Sellars) and Kenyon.  However, this is not a comedy film and the drama, intrigue, and suspense are evident in every scene.  All of this is enough to keep the viewer interested.

Then you add in the acting and it's hard to walk away from the movie until it's finished... even to pause it for a toilet break.  The cast is solid and everybody is superb in their roles, though it's Theodore Bikel as Max who stood out the most for me.  There's an air of menace and power to his character whenever he's on screen.  Even when he's playing the guitar to entertain his guests.

Though there are some places in the story that are realistic and believable it's the south of France section that feels a little awkward.  It's hard to believe that Customs and Excise would be able to afford Kenyon's lifestyle as he lives it up, OO7 style.  Though this is forgivable as it progresses the story nicely and it's more than a little entertaining to watch.

If you like your thrillers to have a lighthearted entertainment value this film is right in your ballpark.  I would recommend this to all thriller and suspense fans out there.  It's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon after dinner.

I give this a White Line of 7 out of 10.

The Film Clip

Movie Review - Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Dead Over Heels

An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

2017

The Cast

Aurora (Bure) is having plumbing problems and with the help of her friend, Sally (Doig) they set about fixing it.  While checking out the well's pump in the garden, the body of Chief Of Police, Captain Burns (March), falls from an aeroplane... at their feet.  Being the compulsively curious amateur sleuth she is, Aurora sets out to track down the cop killer...

Storywise, this isn't as solid as previous instalments of the enthusiast crime solver.  In a few scenes, it feels especially contrived.  Specifically where the two sisters are concerned.  The reaction of Bess Burns' (Cairns) reaction to her husband's death is kind of unbelievable.  She doesn't appear to mourn him and at times even sees a bright side to his death.  Then there's her sister, Lillian Tibbit (Harvie), who has an episode where she's the complete opposite of her normal personality,  This would have been okay had Bess been more realistic.  But to have two strange personalities in one story is one too much.  This does pull the audiences attention away and out of the story and film.

This though is pretty much the only downside to the movie.  The rest of the story is strong and sound.  Filled with red herrings and false suspects.  Though it shouldn't be too hard for you figure out whodunnit... though you may find yourself changing your mind a couple of times.

There's nothing too interesting in the direction, it's pretty standard stuff.  Also, the special effect of the falling body looks cheap and nasty.  Luckily it's at the start of the film and over in a couple of seconds.

It's the acting along with the story that will keep the attention of the audience.  Just like the previous episodes, the acting is above average and nobody stands out more than anyone else.  Everybody has the limelight, allowing the story to take precedence and helps to extend the mystery (there's nothing worse than having some actor or actress walk on screen and you know they're the bad guy or gal).

If you're a fan of the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries you will like this chapter of her life.  You needn't have watched the previous episodes to enjoy this film, though you would probably get more enjoyment if you had.

I give this a Free Falling Murder of 6.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Juggernaut

Juggernaut

1974

The Cast

On paper, this film should not be as monotonously sleep-inducing as it actually is.  That isn't the roar of the engines or the crashing of the waves against the ships hull you hear... it's the audiences snoring...

The story tells the tale of two courageous men... bomb disposal technicians.  Who have to cope with, not just one, but several cleverly constructed devices onboard a cruise liner.  This should, in itself, bring in a multitude of ways to create an interesting film.  Tension, suspense, panic, and fear at the very least.  Well, no!  The very least appears to be a total disappearance of these elements.  The way most of the movie is filmed is in such a fashion to hinder these feelings untenable.  For example, the scene where the heroes board the ship.  This should have been one exciting moment as the ship is in rough seas and the men are parachuting in from a plane... wasn't a helicopter available(?)  Of course one of them ends up in the sea and has to clamber onto a rope to survive.  However, this is rendered boring by bad editing and worse filming as the scene is shot from a distance and the sea spray renders the shot near impossible to view.  There are a lot of distance shots throughout.  This, at times - though not always, adds interesting camera viewpoints...  however, there's usually very little happening in these instances; a man walking through an office, a group of passengers dancing, a man walking through a bank, etc...  I believe the director was going for a realistic approach but on the whole, realism is boring.  I want my films to invigorate me, at least a little.  Take the ballroom scene when all the passengers are informed of the explosive predicament they are in.  Do they panic?  Do they get anxious and upset?  Do tempers and attitudes start to flair?  No, they just mope about; evidently, the pay for extra's was non-existent after paying for the good cast.  I've never seen a group look so bored.  So much for striking terror into the hearts of people!

Even the actors appear to suffer from the same malignity of dullness as their characters often appear two dimensional and flat.  The worst is Omar Sharif who's rendition of Captain Alex Brunel is so laid back and paper-thin he's almost not there.  Poor Old Roy Kinnear is just annoying as the Social Director of the cruise.  His jokes are worse than bad and his delivery is terrible.  The only thing funny is his name, Curtain - a good name for a person who arranges the entertainment; though I do wish they'd dropped the curtain at the start of this disastrous movie.

Not even the likes of Richard Harris, David Hemmings, Anthony Hopkins, and Ian Holm can lift this out off the doldrums... at times, Ian Holm looks as if he could join the audience for a snooze.  The best actor in the whole film, who actually adds an engaging spark, is Freddie Jones as Sidney Buckland.  If only the rest of the cast and characters were as appealing.  However, one character in a busload is too little... and he's not even a major character.

There are much better films of this ilk out there so I'd recommend you check out one of them rather than this film.

I give this a Juggernaut Of A Disastrous 3.75 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Killer Obsession

Killer Obsession

AKA:  Crossfire

2016

The Cast

When National Guard soldier Samantha Harrison (McKee) returns to her hometown after a tour in Iraq, which has left her with a pending "Friendly Fire" charge, she finds "Normal" life is harder than serving in a war-zone.  Graydon (Rozon) is the sole survivor of the team Samantha supposedly gunned down and he's looking for both justice and revenge.  Unable to remember the night in question, Samantha has to rely on the testimonies of her squad; Billy (Koensgen), Bobby (Thebaud), and Jimmy (Lund)...  However, after both Billy and Bobby take their own lives it becomes evident to Samantha there's something darker going on and she sets out to solve the mystery.

This is a very well thought out mystery with strong believable characters that are portrayed respectfully by the actors and actresses.  McKee makes a good lead role and is so subtle in her portrayal, never going overboard on the emotional side, to make Samantha very believable.  I could relate to her outburst of anxiety when she tries to seek law advice.  She just cannot fill in the forms.  You can see all the raw emotion on her face.  Then after she takes flight, back in her car, you can see the relief flood over her along with the sadness and anger at not having been able to complete a simple task.  This is pretty much spot on, as a sufferer of depression and anxiety, I can relate.  Lund too is great in his portrayal.  His character also has as many different flaws that he brings across to the audience in a believable way.  The only thing I would have liked would have been a little more structure and drive to Rozon's character, Graydon.  This could have been used to create a little more unease and suspense, especially revolving around the inevitable twist.  This, however, could have been down to writing or direction, rather than acting.  I must also pay respect too to Thebaud's character, Bobby, who injects the idea of a conspiracy theory into the storyline.  He does this so well, you can see that he's worried about his and his families life.  There are no small parts in this film.

The story, on the whole, is good and flows well.  It does have a few slight flaws.  If you're a fan of mysteries then you'll have solved this one pretty quickly as it's not a great twist.  As I said before, it could have been made better.  The other is the constant bombardment of "getting councilling".  Don't get me wrong, I believe therapy can be a good thing but it's pushed too much within the run of the movie.

The direction is well above standard for a TV Movie and helps to keep the audience's attention, as well as creating atmosphere.  Though I do believe there was a chance missed to make Graydon appear more ominous and driven.  I particularly liked the use of colourisation.  Muddy browns for a melancholy moment and greys for sad and depressing scenes.  Even the flashbacks to the combat looked realistic, even though they weren't on a large scale, which I think actually helped their power.

If you like a war drama with an interweaving mystery to solve this is the film to watch.  I really enjoyed the film and would be happy to watch it again at some time...

I give this a cold and calculated 6.75 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - The Girl In The Picture

The Girl In The Picture

1957

The Cast

Four years ago, a robbery went wrong resulting in a policeman being murdered and the killers escaped.  However, a photograph turns up on news reporter Jon Deering's (Houston) desk.  It shows the getaway car and a woman looking into it.  Believing this woman holds the key to the case, Deering sets off to find her... unfortunately, in his investigations, he tips off the robbers, who then start a search, though be it more deadly, for the girl in the picture... Pat Dryden (Crawford)

I do like this as a premise for a story, however, I don't think all the possibilities were utilised well.  This could have been a cat and mouse stalking game, what with the police, the reporter, and the bad guys tracking her down.  However, the police don't get involved too much and the murderers are hanging on the reporter's coattails.  This has the effect of making it less suspense-filled than it could have been?

The story and the acting are enough to make this an enjoyable one watch flick, though I would warn about the soundtrack.  It's your basic standard full orchestration, but when you get to the climax the director decides to use the music to jar your nerves... and turns the volume up.  This mixed with the old-fashioned police bells and sirens is enough to drive you mad.  As for the direction, it's okay, there's nothing innovative in the camera work and the pace stays pretty steady throughout.  Changing these would have helped to create a better atmosphere and tenseness to draw the viewer in.

The acting is pretty good and both Houston and Crawford do well in their roles.  That said, there are moments when it gets a little melodramatic and the acting begins to feel a little hammy.  Though these are few and have little effect on the film or story.

The one thing I did like about the story was the lack of a love interest.  In most films, this is a must, even when it's not required and sometimes it even feels awkward.  But there's nothing between Dryden and Deering, they are merely an eyewitness and a reporter. It was a refreshing change not to have the fawning doting of screen romance.

Though it's not the best thriller of its time it's still worth a checkout.

I give this a Reluctant Eyewitness a Suspicious 5.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - The Long Memory

The Long Memory

1953

The Cast

The one thing Phillip Davidson (Mills) does wrong is fall in love.  On the night he decides to ask Fay's (Sellars) father for her hand he's in the middle of conducting some illicit business; that of smuggling a criminal out of England.  Mobster, Boyd (Chandos), who is funding the criminal's escape takes umbrage at the disrespect the criminal shows him.  Lashing out with a poker he strikes and kills him.  Davidson tries to stop Boyd's rampage and in the fight the boat catches fire.  The lifeboatmen pick up Davidson after he jumps off the boat, aflame.  Unfortunately, the survivors change their story so they won't be jailed for trafficking.  They all confirm there was no criminal onboard and that it was Davidson who struck and killed Boyd.  Davidson is jailed for twelve years.  Upon his release, he sets out for revenge on those who took those years away from him.

What stands out the most is the atmospheric and beautifully shot camera work.  Director, Hamer works well with black and white film.  The sequence where the freed Davidson steps off the train and is followed by a plain-clothed policeman is one of the most atmospheric I've seen.  It's brilliant.  Hamer sets the pace slow and this adds to the feeling of despair and loneliness, which oozes off the screen.  There's a bleakness that starts at this point and permeates most of the picture.  He is also very good at using the locations to add to the atmosphere...  The lone hotel, near derelict, on a sandy beach road... the wooden slatted cafe for the seamen and fishermen... the three beached barges slowly rotting.  He's also very adept at the iconic shot, such as a couple of shots of London Bridge.  And, especially the sequence where Davidson finally gets to Pewsey (Slater).  The entire thing is exquisitely structured and choreographed, though, it's the scene where Pewsey looks through the letterbox to see Davidson waiting in a doorway that holds the most power.  I never thought of Mills' as a tough guy or a hard man but when I watched this scene I thought, now that's somebody I wouldn't mess with.  Perfect acting with perfect direction makes a perfect scene.

Though Mills' is an outstanding actor, which he proves here, there are a few times when it gets just too melodramatic, in a soap opera way.  Luckily enough, this only becomes overpowering towards the latter part of the movie.  It does detract from the film's power, though I can forgive that because there are so many better acting sets within the film.

All the actors are good within their roles and there's even an eccentric hermit, Jackson, to keep it interesting.  One strange character is alright, because they are out there, and Michael Martin Harvey does a fantastic portrayal.  He doesn't go overboard and this makes the man more real to the viewer.  Even the lesser characters are full and rounded.  Take Mrs Pewsey (Hird), even though her husband has run off with a trollop, she still goes round to the trollop's house to warn him of Davidson's return.  While she's there, she takes care of him because he always gets a chest cold at this time of year.  Well thought out, written, acted and directed.  These little things only add interest to the viewer, add realism and strength to both the story and the film.

Then there's the story.  Though it's a revenge tale there's an added depth to even that.  When Davidson finally meets his first love, Fay, after his release he realises his perspective and feelings have altered.  This is a sobering, sad, and profound realisation.

I have to admit this has now made it onto my expanding favourite flicks list and I would recommend this to all thriller fans, revenge freaks, crime story lovers and drama aficionados everywhere.  Also, if you're a budding filmmaker, you could do worse than checking this out.

I give this Bleak Midwinter a Revengeful 7.5 out of 10.

The Trailer