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arijit-paul
Reviews
The French Connection (1971)
Single minded chase
"The French Connection" - One of the most slick, no-nonsense and sharp movie I have ever seen. I reckon it as one of the finest Hollywood film ever made. William Friedkin have manged to synthesize styles of some the best directors of all time but yet made this movie his very own. The film has godfatheresque gangster feel, the restless camera movements of Bertloucci and the script embodies the razor sharp preciseness one normally associate with Kubrick's film. It's a hallmark movie in the genre of crime thrillers. Gene Hackman, shows in this movie all the signs of a great actor he is going to be. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants get thrilled and yet wants to cherish an absorbing and engaging cinematic experience.
Ministry of Fear (1944)
A precise Cinema
The experience of watching the 'Ministry of Fear' is unique, since I have never come across such a cinema with such a minimalistic characterization. For each of the characters, we only know what is necessary for the sake of the plot; no additional information, about the characters, is provided. Take for instance the chief protagonist. We only know that he was sent to an asylum, for perpetrating mercy killing on his wife. In case of the lead female protagonist, we only know that she is the sister of the gentleman who runs a charitable society. The bookshop owner is shown to solely sell books, and no other detail is provided for the character. Such minimalistic characterization helped Lang to create a precise and extremely focused narration, without ever losing the intensity of the script. The lean script delineates the mystery and its subsequent revelation, without, ever, straying away from the core of the story. 'Ministry of Fear' reminds us of the power of the script in cinema, where, by simply narrating a crisp story, the director grips his audience's complete attention.
Hangmen Also Die! (1943)
An excellent war period movie
Hang man also die! is an excellent war period movie. It however does not show war as such, but portrays a very believable account of the lives of a populace living under an occupational, dictatorial and brutal regime. The film narrates the frustration, the anger and the yearning for freedom of the Czech people, living a subjugated life under the German army. The screenplay is very tightly woven; there were almost no dull moment during the nearly two and a half hour duration of the movie. However, the film lacks a multi-layered plot and varied shades of the characters in it. The plot is too linear; it is throughout the same story of good versus evil, where the distinction between good and evil is clearly drawn out. Consequently, the charterers are also portrayed in black and white- Germans always as evil, sinister characters, and, the Czech characters are just the opposite to them. Although there were moments where, briefly, some other shades were glimpsed upon, for example, when the protagonist doubted whether he should hand over himself to Gestapo, in order to save the execution of the innocents, and, when the lead female character is torn between love for her country and concern for her father's life. However, these moments remain as glimpses only- Lang does not develop them further. In the end, the film merely tells a story of a fight between good and evil, and it does that very well. However, a too linear narrative structure, and, black and white characterization stops the movie from achieving the heights, achieved by, for example, Rossellini's war trilogy, or, Battle of Algiers.
Man Hunt (1941)
A film which could have been the greatest thriller of all time
The movie had all the elements which could have made it one of the greatest thriller of all time. Daring assassination attempt which could lead a continent into a war, thrilling escapades, cunning secret service agents following the trails of the wanted. Lang with his natural brilliance in this genre captivates the audience from the very first scene itself. However, unfortunately the taut suspense that the movie builds slacks through the introduction of the romantic angle in the movie. The romantic interludes slows the pace and acts as a dampener. If the screenplay could have pared these excesses of romantic interludes or could have integrated the same in a better way with the main narration of the film, this film could have become, as I said in the beginning, one of the greatest thrillers of all time.