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The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
If you've seen "Once Upon a Time in the West" don't see this.
This movie was a low point for both Jason Robards and Sam Peckinpah. Major plot points are taken directly from Sergio Leone's masterpiece "Once Upon a Time in the West" (released two years earlier and also featuring Robards): A man finds a watering hole is found in the desert, being the only water for many miles in every direction, he plans to build a 'station' around the hole and to ensure there's a love interest, he falls in love with a prostitute. To this add an intemperate preacher, bad music, silly fast action shots, even sillier T&A shots - and there you go. There is little question why it failed at the box office. The real question is "how did it make it that far?".
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
This isn't intended to be a review of the movie.
This isn't intended to be a review of the movie. Suffice it to say I'm taking the time to submit some comments, so it's good enough to recommend to fans of this genre.
1) Action films aren't known for their thought-provoking dialog. The lines delivered by the majority of the top male action stars serve one of two purposes: explain why what just happened is remotely possible; get free advertising by giving viewers "witty" taglines to repeat over and over.
2) Excluding the dialog and lack of chemistry between Jet and Bridget, this is a very entertaining and fairly interesting film, even if the plot is a bit far fetched (what action flick's isn't?). I found the script better and more coherent than the script of "The One" (2002) and there is more action here than in "Romeo Must Die" (2000).
3) There are many similarities between Tchéky Karyo's character (Richard) in this movie and Gary Oldman's character (Norman Stansfield) in "Léon" (1994). Since Luc Besson wrote the screenplays for both, it's probably not just coincidence. Both actors do a fine job with their characters, but Mr. Oldman's Norman is my favorite of the two.
4) Even though Graydon Carterit thinks "it's the end of the age of irony", I wonder what was behind the chose of Bridget Fonda as the female lead. Mr. Besson also wrote and directed "Nikita" (1990) which was remade for the dumb and numb portion of the US audience as "Point of No Return (1993) starring Ms. Fonda. Makes me wonder...
C'era una volta il West (1968)
The ultimate Western - Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
The movie opens. Three men are waiting at a deserted train stop appropriately located in the desert. They're hot, they're nasty, they're restless and bored. There's minimal action on the screen: one rocks a chair; another hunts a fly. For 15 minutes this continues: the tumbleweed rolls and they wait; the credits roll and you wait. Trying to imagine what will eventually happen, you look into the eyes on their hardened faces, trying to find some sign of a soul. Frustrated, you too become restless with anticipation, their anticipation.
Suddenly, in the distance, you hear a train. As it stops, you examine the screen for the reason they're waiting. Are you looking for something good or something bad? You don't know. Then the train starts to move. Silently you yell at the train "Wait, I haven't found it yet!
As the train exits stage right and out of view, you see a man on the other side of the tracks. He speaks to the three men:
"Did you bring a horse for me?"
"Err... looks like we're shy of one horse..." comes the reply.
Not at all surprised by the response, this kind and gentle man teaches the three some simple addition. "No. You brought two too many!"
Sounds like something Mr. Eastwood might say, doesn't it? ("Get three coffins ready.") It should since this film is directed by Sergio Leone, the man who gave us Clint in "A Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - the biggest hit film in the trilogy.
With such an impressive portfolio, why did "Once Upon a Time in the West" fail to attract the attention it deserved when it hit theaters? Can the studio be blamed for mutilating the masterpiece? (It is a masterpiece, but how good was it before it was hacked?) Did audiences pass like Clint passing up the lead? (What about the drawing power of the stars?) Was America too full of spaghetti already? Who knows? Who cares?
Sergio Leone created some of the most memorable westerns ever to hit the screen. He sparred us the whiskey drinkin', Injun killin', white-is-right sanitized version of the Duke's west (sans "The Shootist") and gave us the stubble and squint of Clint. Did he spend all his creativity on the opening scene? Had he taken the genre as far as it could go?
No way! Think about his casting decisions, the haunting, soulful notes of the harmonica, the dialogue:
* Henry Fonda playing the evil villain: "People scare easier when they're dyin'."
* Jason Robards playing the good villian: "You remind me of my mother. She was the biggest whore in Alameda."
* Charles Bronson as "The Man": "I saw three of these dusters today. Inside the dusters there were three men. Inside the men there were three bullets."
Let's face it, you either like this stuff or you don't. If you like it, you won't find anything better. This movie doesn't need to be discussed, it must be felt. Period.
If you feel the need to review something, review the reason it hasn't been released on DVD. There must be an original version hidden somewhere, and I want a copy. Don't you?
Remember: Don't trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders. The man can't even trust his own pants!