Double Indemnity (1944)
This 1944 film is one that - despite having heard of it on many an occasion - I knew little about going in (I seem to use this intro A LOT). What I did know was that it is held in high regard, was directed by Billy Wilder and written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and is a noir thriller of some sort. Now that I've finally seen it, I can attest to its classic status; despite telling a story that is at face value fairly straightforward, the film weaves the sordid tale in a complex and engaging manner.
Walter Neff (Fred Mac Murray) is an insurance salesman, and the film starts with him recording a confession. He lays out the circumstances of his crime from top to bottom, and it's all revealed in a voice-over accompanied flashback told from his point of view. During a routine visit to a client's home to renew an insurance contract, Neff meets the client's wife, Mrs. Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), and is immediately smitten. Phyllis takes an interest in him as well, and during a subsequent visit inquires about the possibility of secretly getting insurance for her husband (Tom Powers). Neff is suspicious of her motives and rebuffs her, but the idea plays on his mind. When Phyllis later visits him and pleads her case - her husband is uncaring and domineering - he decides to help her murder him for the insurance money, and concocts and executes a complex plan using his knowledge of the inner workings of the insurance business. Unfortunately for Neff, a colleague of his, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), is an expert at sniffing out suspicious insurance claims, and immediately gets on the case and starts asking questions. Neff's woes are compounded when he becomes acquainted with Mr. Dietrichson's daughter (Phyllis's step-daughter) and begins to learn that Phyllis may not be what she appears.
While there aren't any real surprises in the story, it's brilliantly executed and enthralling from start to finish. The plot is meticulous and seems to cover every conceivable angle. The writing and dialogue are fantastic; it's a dialogue-rich film, and the banter between the characters is always entertaining and full of wit. The characters are, in film-noir fashion, cynical, cold, and generally unemotional, and are all obsessed with personal gain one way or the other; they're hardly sympathetic (with the exception of the daughter Lola), but are fascinating to watch. The atmosphere is in tune with the characters - dark and moody, with black and white imagery full of shadows and stark lighting. There is an overwhelming sense of inevitability to the story given that it's told in a flashback, but it is still gripping from scene to scene nonetheless.
The most memorable performance was, for me, Edward Robinson as the tenacious Keyes - his turn as the grouchy friend and shrewd investigator determined to get to the bottom of things is excellent and lends some levity to counterbalance the inherent dourness of the story. Also fantastic is Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrich - she's clearly manipulative and scheming, but is absolutely convincing in her seduction of the hapless Neff. Fred Mac Murray's Neff is in many ways a man who just can't help himself; he's a bit smug and arrogant, but is not entirely without conscience despite his greed, and Mac Murray portrays that conflict quite well. He's also convincing as a man in a tight spot, being ultra careful and trying to hide his guilt when under pressure. I didn't really like the guy in the role - he's not particularly charismatic - but have to admit he did a pretty good job. When brought together Stanwyck and Mac Murray play their lines off each other perfectly and are a perfectly duplicitous couple. The rest of the cast don't leave much of an impression, but do a sufficient job in their respective minor roles.
In short, it's an excellent thriller that is still eminently watchable today, a good 60 plus years after it was made. The lack of any real 'action' compared to modern thrillers doesn't hurt the film one bit because the writing, directing and central performances are so strong that you barely notice. A classic, and yet another film to add to the growing list of great noir films that I've seen recently.
Showing posts with label noir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label noir. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Brick (2005)
Brick (2005)
According to the IMDB, this movie cost less than half a million USDs to make. In the context of movie-making that's low budget. Really low budget. You can't tell from watching the film though, because it looks and feels like it cost at least ten times that amount (I'm basing my mathematics on what other 'low budget' films look and feel like). 'Brick', the debut feature film from writer / director Rian Johnson, is a noir detective story with a twist - it takes place in a high school setting and virtually all the characters are teenagers.
The opening scene of the film finds Brendan (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) staring pensively at the body of a girl (Emilie de Ravin) lying dead in front of the opening into a sewage tunnel. The film then flashes back to two days earlier, where the girl, whose name is Emily, calls Brendan and tells him she's in trouble and needs help but hangs up in a hurry without explaining any further. It turns out that she's an ex-girlfriend who left him because of his reluctance to play nice with the social elite at school, a crowd she wanted to be a part of. Brendan is something of a detective as well as a tough guy loner - he's a 'hard-boiled' protagonist - and he immediately sets to work trying to figure out how to help Emily. He contacts an associate, 'Brain' (Matt O'Leary), who is a wealth of information and resources, and with his help he manages to track down Emily's current dimwit boyfriend Dode (Noah Segan) and through him he sets up a meeting with Emily. She tells him she doesn't want his help and to leave her alone.
The next day Brendan discovers her body, and we're back to the opening scene of the film. He hides the body (to prevent the cops from getting involved) and sets out on a self destructive crusade to figure out who killed her and why, and he begins by shaking up the upper echelons of his high school's social circles. His investigation causes him to cross paths with a crafty ex named Kara (Meagan Good) and to take a beating from a belligerent, 'popular crowd' football player (though he wins the fight!) before he manages to get wind of a drug ring run by the mysterious 'Pin' (Lukas Haas) and his henchman Tugger (Noah Fleiss). He's also offered help from an alluring socialite girl named Laura (Nora Zehetner) who knew Emily, but he keeps her at a distance and remains suspicious of her motives. As Brendan begins to learn more about what type of trouble Emily was involved in, tensions within the different groups he's investigating begin to erupt.
I don't know much about hard-boiled noir fiction, but 'Brick' is an enthralling mystery story in its own right. The thing that sets it apart from other detective films is the unusual marriage of style and setting, which is decidedly unconventional. The key to appreciating the film is accepting the glaring incongruity - despite being set in a high school, the storyline, the dialogue, and the characters are ripped out of a different era and genre entirely. Everyone talks and behaves like they're in a detective movie, and this approach is initially jarring; it's perhaps too jarring for some, but after a while I really got into it. I think it works because the stylistic approach doesn't feel like something tacked on and is a fundamental aspect of the story being told. Actually, you could probably argue that the school setting is the thing that's tacked on, but the storyline plays out somewhat believably in the context of high school social circles. The setting is occasionally used for humourous effect as well, as when these 'tough guys' eat cookies and drink milk, or talk about Tolkien. The characters are all cold and cynical, which I believe is in line with the genre, but they always hold your interest.
The storytelling in general is first rate; the vernacular can be a bit difficult to follow at times, but the writing is terrific and really flows once you get the hang of it. The film is visually very impressive, with a (surprisingly) bright and harsh look and with some very cool camera-work on display. All of the visual elements of the film are well designed, from the desolate outdoor locations to the spartan indoors, the vehicles, and the costumes, all of which contribute to the film's character and atmosphere. There's drama, suspense, intrigue, and even some raw action and Johnson handles all of these aspects with aplomb and without ever even remotely compromising the seriousness of the story. Also worth mentioning is the excellent and highly distinctive score by Nathan Johnson (Ryan's brother), which has a very melancholy feel to it.
Worthy of great praise is the cast, who are mostly lesser known actors. The entire group commit completely to the approach and play it straight and without the slightest hint of self-consciousness. Given the stoic characterization there isn't much emoting to be done, but the dialogue and its delivery could easily have come across as ludicrous were it not executed in a very particular manner. I was initially skeptical about Joseph Gorden-Levitt (of '3rd Rock From the Sun' fame), but he had me completely sold on his gritty gumshoe act after the first few scenes. The rest of the cast is equally good, particularly Nora Zehetner as the seductive Laura who is equal parts sweet and dangerous. Noah Fleiss's portrayal of Tugger with his apoplectic rage reminded me a bit of Russel Crowe in L.A. Confidential (probably because I saw it recently), and Lukas Haas was enigmatic and strangely sympathetic (for a drug lord!) as the Pin.
It ought to be apparent from the preceding paragraphs that I dug 'Brick' quite a bit. As just an exercise in style it's terrific, but it works overall as a film despite the ostensibly gimmicky setting. A film that's well worth watching, and one that stands as testimony to how far determined and talented filmmakers can go on a shoestring budget. I look forward to Johnson's next film, The Brothers Bloom, for which he has secured a mighty impressive cast. I'm also tempted to watch as many noir classics as I can (I haven't seen enough) to experience more of this particular style of storytelling.
According to the IMDB, this movie cost less than half a million USDs to make. In the context of movie-making that's low budget. Really low budget. You can't tell from watching the film though, because it looks and feels like it cost at least ten times that amount (I'm basing my mathematics on what other 'low budget' films look and feel like). 'Brick', the debut feature film from writer / director Rian Johnson, is a noir detective story with a twist - it takes place in a high school setting and virtually all the characters are teenagers.
The opening scene of the film finds Brendan (Joseph Gorden-Levitt) staring pensively at the body of a girl (Emilie de Ravin) lying dead in front of the opening into a sewage tunnel. The film then flashes back to two days earlier, where the girl, whose name is Emily, calls Brendan and tells him she's in trouble and needs help but hangs up in a hurry without explaining any further. It turns out that she's an ex-girlfriend who left him because of his reluctance to play nice with the social elite at school, a crowd she wanted to be a part of. Brendan is something of a detective as well as a tough guy loner - he's a 'hard-boiled' protagonist - and he immediately sets to work trying to figure out how to help Emily. He contacts an associate, 'Brain' (Matt O'Leary), who is a wealth of information and resources, and with his help he manages to track down Emily's current dimwit boyfriend Dode (Noah Segan) and through him he sets up a meeting with Emily. She tells him she doesn't want his help and to leave her alone.
The next day Brendan discovers her body, and we're back to the opening scene of the film. He hides the body (to prevent the cops from getting involved) and sets out on a self destructive crusade to figure out who killed her and why, and he begins by shaking up the upper echelons of his high school's social circles. His investigation causes him to cross paths with a crafty ex named Kara (Meagan Good) and to take a beating from a belligerent, 'popular crowd' football player (though he wins the fight!) before he manages to get wind of a drug ring run by the mysterious 'Pin' (Lukas Haas) and his henchman Tugger (Noah Fleiss). He's also offered help from an alluring socialite girl named Laura (Nora Zehetner) who knew Emily, but he keeps her at a distance and remains suspicious of her motives. As Brendan begins to learn more about what type of trouble Emily was involved in, tensions within the different groups he's investigating begin to erupt.
I don't know much about hard-boiled noir fiction, but 'Brick' is an enthralling mystery story in its own right. The thing that sets it apart from other detective films is the unusual marriage of style and setting, which is decidedly unconventional. The key to appreciating the film is accepting the glaring incongruity - despite being set in a high school, the storyline, the dialogue, and the characters are ripped out of a different era and genre entirely. Everyone talks and behaves like they're in a detective movie, and this approach is initially jarring; it's perhaps too jarring for some, but after a while I really got into it. I think it works because the stylistic approach doesn't feel like something tacked on and is a fundamental aspect of the story being told. Actually, you could probably argue that the school setting is the thing that's tacked on, but the storyline plays out somewhat believably in the context of high school social circles. The setting is occasionally used for humourous effect as well, as when these 'tough guys' eat cookies and drink milk, or talk about Tolkien. The characters are all cold and cynical, which I believe is in line with the genre, but they always hold your interest.
The storytelling in general is first rate; the vernacular can be a bit difficult to follow at times, but the writing is terrific and really flows once you get the hang of it. The film is visually very impressive, with a (surprisingly) bright and harsh look and with some very cool camera-work on display. All of the visual elements of the film are well designed, from the desolate outdoor locations to the spartan indoors, the vehicles, and the costumes, all of which contribute to the film's character and atmosphere. There's drama, suspense, intrigue, and even some raw action and Johnson handles all of these aspects with aplomb and without ever even remotely compromising the seriousness of the story. Also worth mentioning is the excellent and highly distinctive score by Nathan Johnson (Ryan's brother), which has a very melancholy feel to it.
Worthy of great praise is the cast, who are mostly lesser known actors. The entire group commit completely to the approach and play it straight and without the slightest hint of self-consciousness. Given the stoic characterization there isn't much emoting to be done, but the dialogue and its delivery could easily have come across as ludicrous were it not executed in a very particular manner. I was initially skeptical about Joseph Gorden-Levitt (of '3rd Rock From the Sun' fame), but he had me completely sold on his gritty gumshoe act after the first few scenes. The rest of the cast is equally good, particularly Nora Zehetner as the seductive Laura who is equal parts sweet and dangerous. Noah Fleiss's portrayal of Tugger with his apoplectic rage reminded me a bit of Russel Crowe in L.A. Confidential (probably because I saw it recently), and Lukas Haas was enigmatic and strangely sympathetic (for a drug lord!) as the Pin.
It ought to be apparent from the preceding paragraphs that I dug 'Brick' quite a bit. As just an exercise in style it's terrific, but it works overall as a film despite the ostensibly gimmicky setting. A film that's well worth watching, and one that stands as testimony to how far determined and talented filmmakers can go on a shoestring budget. I look forward to Johnson's next film, The Brothers Bloom, for which he has secured a mighty impressive cast. I'm also tempted to watch as many noir classics as I can (I haven't seen enough) to experience more of this particular style of storytelling.
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