Run All Night

Do you like thriller gangster films?  The genre is fun!  If the story and acting are right, you can get mighty tense!

Run All Night is way up there when it comes to action.  I am reminded of the tone of the original Godfather.

NO spoiler, but here's the basic story:  A hit man, played by Liam Neesan, has worked for years for his closest friend, a gangster capo, played by Ed Harris.  The hit man is weary and retired, but he is still close with his former boss.

All would be fine in gangsterland if each of the main characters did not have grown up sons who, well, don't exactly behave themselves!  When the fathers get involved, mayhem follows.  Soon old friends are deadly foes!

Add to that situation crooked cops who chase the hit man.  If you can't trust the cops, who can you trust?  Oh, by the way, even the honest cops are after the hit man!

So you've got your basic gangster vs gangster with a little twist:  The son of the hit man is really a good guy, a family man, but he might go down with his father!

Yikes!

With actors like Liam Neesan and Ed Harris, the film would get my attention right away.  But what really sold me was the storyline:  taut, edgy, gritty, hold-onto-your-seat tense.

Are there good shooting scenes?  You betcha!  Some of the flying bullets are captured in slow-motion.  Count on lots of shootouts in a variety of settings, from train tracks to the woods.

Is there much redeeming value to this flick?  Sort of.  Even gangsters have their own morality, and odd as it may seem, the viewers become part of that dark and different world.

Prepare to watch the film without a break....you can barely breathe, because the pace never lets up.

It is somewhat mindless....but fun nevertheless.  If you're into thrillers, this one is a gem.

Grade:  A+

Badlands (1973)

In my last review, I noted that Hollywood has produced some wonderful cult films about young, lawless folks on the run.

In Love and a .45, I commented on Renee Zellweger in a very early "bad girl" role.  Remember Thelma and Louise?  Gina Davis and Susan Sarandon wowed viewers with their cross-country escapades.  Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis dazzled us with Natural Born Killers.  Who can forget their crazy journey across rural America?  Of course, don't forget about Bonnie and Clyde...with the fantastic acting of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.

Amid the great films about felonious types in souped up cars one step ahead of the cops, a little known winner was the 1973 film Badlands.  It is right up there with the other kids-on-the-run gems.

Check out Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek in the pictures above!  Aren't they young?  They were up and coming actors when they did this chase film.  Martin had not yet done his famous Apocalypse Now.  And Sissy had not yet done Carrie.

No plot spoiler, but here is a hint:  As usual, the kids fall in love and their love is forbidden by the powers that be.  Hey, don't blame Sissy's onscreen dad, played by Warren Oates.  If the local bad boy, who could not keep a job, carried a pistol, and wooed your teenager dropped by, wouldn't you tell him to scram?

Of course the dad does.  And that's when things go mighty awry!

As in all the chase films, there is murder and mayhem galore.  But as usual, we are entranced by the amoral, wayward kids on the lam.  He's a real bum, and not too likable.  She's rather innocent, yet totally devoid of any understanding of right from wrong.

The scenery:  It's remarkable.  You follow the kids in their cadillac as they race across the Montana plains toward Canada, where they hope to find freedom.  You see the dust kicking up from behind their car as they traverse deserts and back roads, committing all kinds of felonies!

If you like the chase film genre, you'll love Badlands.  You'll also see why both Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek emerged as top level actors.

Buckle up.  It's a wild ride!