The Frame » detectives

Zodiac

Jandy — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 18:04:01 +0000

Serial killer movies fascinate me, especially the ones where the killer leaves clues to his identity to taunt the police. So I was totally primed to love David Fincher’s Zodiac. I think without a rewatch, I’m going to say that I liked it a lot, and it was extremely well-done, but I’m not sure I loved it. Probably because I wasn’t quite expecting what I got–which is not a bad thing, and in fact, my guess is that when I rewatch it at some point, I will love it. Jake Gyllenhaal does realy well as the rookie journalist (cartoonist, really), who’s drawn to the puzzle and ends up devoting his life to obsessing over it. I can’t really discuss what threw me off without spoiling the ending, but the doubling and ambiguity that I usually love so much didn’t quite win me over this time, again, probably because I wasn’t expecting it. I was afraid at one point that it was going to devolve into survival horror–I’m very glad it didn’t, but that was also one of the more compelling, interesting scenes. I’m rambling now, because I’m trying to identify what didn’t completely work for me, and failing–which indicates that it was probably my failure and not the film’s, so the benefit of the doubt it gets.
Well Above Average

D.O.A.

Jandy — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:37:27 +0000

A man staggers into a police office to report a murder…his own. He’s been poisoned with an antidote-less poison, and he spends the rest of the film trying to convince the police what’s happened and trying to figure out who poisoned him and why. It’s all tied up with various crime rings and such, I forget the details. Overall, it’s a solid but not outstanding 1950s noirish crime film. Definitely skip its 1988 remake, though.
Average

Green for Danger

Jandy — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:15:58 +0000

Rather slight but entertaining British WWII black comedy/suspenser. Alistair Sim, as perfect as ever, plays a detective brought in to solve a murder committed among a group of army doctors and nurses, a task made more difficult by the suspects’ complex romantic involvements and friendships; basically, all of them have motive and opportunity. This film has a healthy reputation among fans of post-war British cinema, and it’s well-done; there’s just not a whole lot to it beyond its quintessentially British charm. And I love black and white films, but this is a rare case in which color would’ve really helped. Or else, completely ruined it. Now that I think of it, color might actually have given the mystery away–I’m not sure if that’s a positive observation on the cinematic side of the equation, or a negative one on the script side.
Above Average

Detective Story

Jandy — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:09:26 +0000

This simple title heads a deceptively simple story detailing one day at a city police precinct, largely confined to the station’s second floor. This rather claustrophobic setting is peopled with weary detectives questioning petty criminals, a young man driven to embezzlement and the girl who loves him unconditionally, and the star detective of the force, obsessed with justice to the exclusion of mercy. His strict definition of righteousness is tested when his current investigation into a murder case uncovers an unsavory side to his wife’s past. The conflict between his uncompromising moral sense and love for his wife brings this contemporary Javert to a crisis of character. It’s a small film, played in a cramped three rooms and on the faces of Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker, but well-done and attention-holding–aside from a few instances of old-fashioned overacting which threatens credulity at times.
Well Above Average

Kiss Me Deadly

Jandy — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:26:08 +0000

This noirish detective film has a healthy reputation as a pulp classic (adapted from the king of pulp fiction, Mickey Spillane) that may overshadow its actual quality. It’s good for what it is, but it’s not great. In fact, I’m having difficulty remembering the exact plot, other than it has to do with a mysterious box which acts almost as a McGuffin in Hitchcock’s films–in other words, the excuse for all the action, but everybody wants it without quite knowing what’s in it. It plays into 1950s atomic paranoia, but the final payoff seems rather anticlimactic. Of course, it’s still enjoyable to watch, if you like noirish detective pulp fiction films. Just don’t try to make it more than it is.
Above Average