As a younger man, I always found the film much more depressing than my guffawing mates did. No doubt the poverty, aimlessness and dulling escapism of booze hit too close to home in my early 20s. Two decades later, I picked up the Arrow 4K on a whim because I had the film's beautiful opening theme stuck in my head, but I expected relatively little. I just knew that I was in a better place to withstand and perhaps appreciate…
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Carlito's Way 1993
Not what was expecting, this is a wonderfully romantic, fatalistic, thrilling film. Less ostentatious and quirky than my favourite BdP, but it's undoubtedly S-Rank 90s Hollywood filmmaking. Pacino is outstanding here, heartbreaking and loveable, hard but vulnerable. Spectacular finale, I shed a tear as the credits rolled, but the whole film is suffused with this same emotional weight. It's hard to rank BdP for me because he's done such incredible and varied work but I expect this will only grow richer over the years to come.
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My Lucky Stars 1985
After rather enjoying the buddy comedy of Winners and Sinners, I'd hoped for better here but the comedy falls flat. I do really like Sammo, Richard Ng, Stanley Kwan et al but the writing and comic set pieces are unsophisticated, to be generous. "Gang rape" as a punchline is a particular low point but there's little in the middle section of the film which kept me engaged. The finale in the Ghost House with Jackie Chan is great fun but…
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The Night of the Hunter 1955
A dreamlike noirish fairytale, with an iconic, malignant central performance from Robert Mitchum, Night of the Hunter is a masterpiece of atmosphere and tension. If it were only that, it would still be a classic, but it's the haunting music, the understated comedy and the lightest touch of schmaltz which add a very particular, uniquely brilliant flavour. Recommended in the highest terms.
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