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DEATH ON THE NILE

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This 1978 adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, the first to feature Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, was a star studded affair which was a big hit.  The story as presented here had some aspects which didn’t strike me as typical of Christie so I went and read the source novel to see what changes screenwriter Anthony Shaffer had made. Understandably he cut out some of the characters as well as some subplots, for example one involving jewel robberies, so as to focus on the central murder mystery.  Given that the studio would want to make the most of the Egyptian locations Shaffer added the absurd scene where the newlywed couple of Linnet and Simon climb the Great Pyramid thinking they are totally alone when who should pop up but Jackie, still angry at having been tossed aside by Simon. À significant change by Shaffer is to give several characters motives for killing Linnet, which are absent from the novel.  Whilst on one level this makes sense (multiple suspects with moti...
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RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY

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This is Sam Peckinpah’s second film, another Western, released in 1962.  In it one can see the start of the transition from traditional to revisionist Westerns which Peckinpah himself would advance more spectacularly with ‘The Wild Bunch’ . The lead actors are Joel McCrae and Randolph Scott and you can’t get much more traditional than that.   On the other hand there are some moments in which Peckinpah shows his propensity to push the boundaries.  There’s an horrific scene in which à young bride nearly gets gangbanged by the groom’s brothers. And in the climactic shootout Peckinpah doesn’t softsoap the brutal violence. As is often the case with Peckinpah there is a strong elegiac theme. How could there not be with two old timers together for one last time, this being Scott’s last film and one of McCrea’s last. The characters they play (who know each other from way back) have both fallen on hard times but have reacted in different ways.  Steve (McCrae) is happy enough ...
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THE BEDFORD INCIDENT

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This obscure 1965 Cold War thriller was a real discovery. It’s the first film to be directed by James B Harris who at that time was best known for coproducing some early Kubrick films.  But not Dr Strangelove, which apparently Harris felt shouldn’t be a black comedy, so this film is his attempt to cover the same ground but in serious fashion. In fact he goes to the other extreme and gives this story a documentary feel in which there’s very little by way of conventional drama, just an insidious sense of a rising tension. That documentary feel is established right from the start when we see Sydney Poitier and Martin Balsam being lowered from a helicopter onto the deck of the USS Bedford.  It’s a real helicopter and a real ship so never mind that stunt doubles are used, Poitier plays a journalist whilst Balsam is the ship’s doctor.  Neither is made to feel especially welcome by Captain Finlander (Richard Widmark).  In the case of Poitier though it thankfully has nothing...
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THE FURIES

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This was a film whose existence I had inexplicably forgotten about, until I stumbled upon it on a streaming platform, and what an exciting discovery it was - a highly rated Western starring Barbara Stanwyck and directed by Anthony Mann.  Wow! Mind you, to describe it as a Western is rather misleading;  it's really a moody psychological drama with a Western setting, specifically a  ranch called (for some strange reason) The Furies, in Texas in the late nineteenth century.  It is owned by TC Jefford, an ebullient widower who has accumulated more land and cattle than he knows what to do with. Now that he's getting on in years TC is prone to disappearing for long periods to California where his extravagances are threatening the financial viability of his empire.  The weakness of his finances are being obscured by him issuing his own banknotes, which are essentially IOUs.  TC's relationship with the bank to whom he owes money plays a surprisingly important role ...
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THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE

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Back in 1978 I made the terrible decision to go see ‘The Swarm’, now generally reckoned to be one of the worst films ever made.  It was an Irwin Allen production and this may explain why I’d never got around to catching two of his earlier, more successful films, this one and ‘The Towering Inferno’.  But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this potentially quite silly story about a luxury liner that gets turned upside-down by a giant wave. To be fair to Mr Allen he brought a lot of talent to bear on this adaptation of à best seller. The cast includes no less than five Oscar winners:  Gene Hackman (who won his first Oscar during filming), Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson and (checks notes) Red Buttons.  They form the backbone of the small group of survivors trying to make their way up (or do I mean down?) the stricken vessel.  They are joined by Roddy McDowell (sporting a dodgy Irish accent), three actresses who all ...
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THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES

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This film starts off with Josey (Clint Eastwood) in the unlikely role of a farmer whose wife and child are killed by a marauding gang.  It’s during the Civil War so naturally Josey’s immediate response is to practise his firearm skills and join the Confederate army. Fast forward to the end of the War and Josey refuses to take the amnesty on offer from the victors, which is a good decision because it's a trap set by the nasty Union soldiers who are going to massacre Josey’s comrades. Cue some unconvincing action as Josey gets to a Gatling gun and fights fire with fire. The upshot of all these preliminaries is that Josie is now a wanted outlaw with a price on his head, pursued by (in an unlikely coincidence) the guy who led the gang that killed Josey’s family, Captain Terrill. So far so fairly humdrum, and we seem set up for a straightforward revenge narrative. But that’s not what we get at all.  Instead it’s more like a ‘Mosey with Josey’ hangout movie where Josey ambles t...
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THE PROPOSITION

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This is an Australian Western set in the late nineteenth century which, as one might expect given that it is written by Nick Cave, combines moments of brutality and rage with more meditative and melancholic interludes. The plot centres around three criminal brothers headed up by psycho Arthur (Danny Huston in fine fettle).  The youngest, Mikey, is what can only be described as simple-minded. Caught between them is relatively sane and likeable Charlie (Guy Pearce).  Ray Winstone is Captain Stanley who has the challenging job of keeping law and order in what seems like a very primitive society.  Having captured Charlie and Mikey he comes up with the imaginative idea (or proposition) that Charlie should bring Arthur to justice within nine days in order to save Mikey from the gallows. It’s a daft idea but perhaps the incessant heat has got to Stanley’s brain. An obvious flaw in Stanley’s cunning plan is that Charlie and Arthur might team up to rescue Mikey, which indeed is wh...
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