It's a shame the movie ends up with a very mediocre third act after a wonderful buildup. It's like a Horror Express train mystery in a western setting, which is every bit as appealing as it sounds. A cool Charles Bronson and a bunch of morally suspect men with authority sneaking around and playing hide and seek on a train heading for a compromised fort in Northern California, slowly uncovering a sinister plot.
Capturing the train properly and taking advantage…
Michael Caine and Sydney Poitier in a movie set in South Africa that starts out with a severe focus on police brutality and apartheid establishes expectations of a tense political thriller. So it's surprising that it quickly turns into an odd couple adventure movie that feels more like Indiana Jones. And perhaps even more so Diamonds Are Forever, which came out a few years before this.
The sometimes comedic romp keeps clashing with the undercurrent of political thriller with elements…
At first glance a generic story of a troubled character seeking redemption by saving another character. It's told with a thin layer of mystery that is peeled off little by little, which keeps things interesting in spite of limited variation in actions and interactions.
The movie is focused on issues of child abuse, but is also trying to stuff incest, alcoholism, homophobia, illegal immigration and more into the same film. The end result is that most things are just pointed…
The first time I watched this movie I enjoyed it but wasn't blown away. I think I was expecting something more surreal after loving Dream (Bi-mong). This time around I was struck by how similar those movies are, and I'm a bit surprised I didn't appreciate it more before.
The gradual introduction to the protagonists' world says enough about the whole movie. You get an image of the male character looking for something that he doesn't have, and then you…
