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tthomas760
Reviews
The FBI Story (1959)
Stewart is Magnificent!
I first saw this film as a young boy and recently purchased it on DVD.
James Stewart brings great depth to the role of Chip Hardesty, a hardworking and dedicated FBI agent. His life in the Bureau is intercut with his family life, which is not all rosy. His wife (an excellent portrayal by Vera Miles) lives in fear of the dangerous nature of his job, and they even separate for a time; Chip's best friend and fellow agent Sam Crandall (Murray Hamilton) is killed in a gunfight; Chip's son, Mike, enlists in the Marines during World War II. Through it all, the family carries on with bravery and dignity.
The action sequences are quite exciting and the semi-documentary style of the film works effectively. And the music by Max Steiner says it all; fidelity, bravery and integrity.
This country owes a great debt of gratitude to the men and women of the FBI and, yes, to J. Edgar Hoover as well. If Mr. Hoover's type of vigilance had been observed, we might have been spared 9/11, the surge in crimes against children and many of the venal politicians we've had to put up with since his passing.
The Twilight Zone: The Obsolete Man (1961)
Watch This Episode
Another of Rod Serling's cautionary tales of the rise of the totalitarian state.
Rodney Wordsworth is declared "obsolete" by a tribunal of the state in the not too distant future. The sentence is. of course, death, but some surprises await the State at the humble hands of Mr. Wordsworth.
Anyone seeing this episode today will be shocked at it's relevance. A society which has "proven" that there is no God; a state which enforces a mind-numbing conformity; a state which refuses to respect or acknowledge the rights of the individual or the sanctity of life.
Watch this episode and reflect long and hard.
The Twilight Zone: Deaths-Head Revisited (1961)
Should Be Seen By Every Generation
Rod Serling served as a paratrooper in the Pacific theater during World War II. As a result, he had an hatred toward any form of totalitarianism. He had an especially intense hatred for the Nazis.
A man arriving at a small hotel in a German village inquires about the ruins of a "camp" nearby. He is told by the proprietress that it is the remains of a concentration camp. The man takes a cruel delight in prying the name of the village from the woman; "Dachau", she replies with anguish and shame.
The man is a former SS officer who served at Dachau and has returned to engage in some sadistic nostalgia for the good old days. His sentimental journey, however, takes a decidedly grotesque and horrifying turn.
As Captain Lutze, Oscar Bergei is nothing short of terrifyingly brilliant. As he strolls across the deserted camp grounds, his stride suddenly lapses into the arrogant strut of an SS officer on his way to mete out pain and death. His revelry in his crimes is sickening and his fate is richly deserved.
Serling's monologue at the end is a departure from other such speeches. It is a stark warning to the ages, coming from a man who had seen the horrors of history all too closely. A man, not only of vision, but of abiding conscience and humanity. Hollywood shall not see his like again.
Ronin (1998)
John Frankenheimer at his heart-pounding best!
This is one of the finest action / adventure films I've ever seen. Robert DeNiro's performance is powerful, yet understated. Sam is definitely a man who has been places and seen things (he's probably been betrayed a few times as well). Sean Bean's role is brief but excellent as the overbearing phony. Jean Reno is the perfect match for Sam. And they both live up to Michael Lonsdale's description of Ronin, those who choose honor above life. But, I must admit that my heart was stolen by the lovely Diedre. Natascha McElhone smolders from the moment of her first appearance. And her love scene with DeNiro in the car is breathtaking. A previous reviewer has said that the two were in love and I must agree. You can see it in their eyes when DeNiro nudges her with his pistol. She smiles coyly and says, "You can't...". Like many, I was initially disappointed about not learning the contents of the case. But that's not the point, I realized. It's about trust and trust betrayed. No one is above suspicion and alegiances shift with the winds. For an intelligent thriller, Ronin