Dear Don Seigel,
your noir flick The Lineup works both as a police as well as a thieves procedural. The film begins with a bang as a car crashes into a policeman and then the driver crashes the car into a post. The police uncover a plot where heroin is placed in idols/curios brought home by unsuspecting tourists. Then the action shifts to Wallach and his mentor who arrive in town to recover the heroin from the tourists. I like the way you shot Eli Wallach's introduction scene with a dolly out of him reading a book about English grammar in a plane. But his role was a bit hard to digest. I mean why would they send a psycho like him to collect all the drugs? But it is all good far fetched entertainment. His creepy misogynistic mentor. Their alcoholic driver. The lonely housewife who falls for Wallach. The writer (Sterling Silliphant) really packed it in despite the movie's short length (82 minutes). The film mostly uses real life locations around San Francisco. I did not like the choice of camera angles during some of the tense moments like when Wallach threatens the Chinese servant at a house where he goes to recover the heroin. But the long car chase towards the end is worthy of a big budget film. Overall, a nice little noir, Don.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(7/10)
your noir flick The Lineup works both as a police as well as a thieves procedural. The film begins with a bang as a car crashes into a policeman and then the driver crashes the car into a post. The police uncover a plot where heroin is placed in idols/curios brought home by unsuspecting tourists. Then the action shifts to Wallach and his mentor who arrive in town to recover the heroin from the tourists. I like the way you shot Eli Wallach's introduction scene with a dolly out of him reading a book about English grammar in a plane. But his role was a bit hard to digest. I mean why would they send a psycho like him to collect all the drugs? But it is all good far fetched entertainment. His creepy misogynistic mentor. Their alcoholic driver. The lonely housewife who falls for Wallach. The writer (Sterling Silliphant) really packed it in despite the movie's short length (82 minutes). The film mostly uses real life locations around San Francisco. I did not like the choice of camera angles during some of the tense moments like when Wallach threatens the Chinese servant at a house where he goes to recover the heroin. But the long car chase towards the end is worthy of a big budget film. Overall, a nice little noir, Don.
Best Regards, Pimpin.
(7/10)