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strogunn
Reviews
The Killer (2023)
Black Markets. Very Noir.
Here's a really good one.
Call it also: 'Philosophy of A Hitman'. I'm not sure how the title character doesn't get crushed under the weight of all that nihilism, but I guess it's an act of continually falling until you finally hit your burial ground. And you must be patient with his early narrative monologuing, though that's not so hard really-- being as succinct and brutally engaging as it is. But once his slip~up happens the pace becomes adrenalized. There is some fight action, but not so much. This is about his relentless movement (then waiting), escaping, Surviving, suffering, revenge planning, travelling, pursuing, and all his methodical executions (haha)-- execution of the relentless planning. The humour is dead-- really deadpan. Even amazon gets in on it. There's one brutal and excellent fight scene that thrills and frankly frightens a little, though you might not believe the guy didn't land at least one knock-out blow. Whatever, it's the desperation and execution (that word again!) that makes this thing gripping. This is now another dark piece of cinematic art in David Fincher's oeuvre.
Fassbender (Barrel bender) captivates and delights. And Tilda Swinton, once again, is perfection (watch her in Tony Gilroy's 'Michael Clayton'). Arliss Howard as the Client was also the right choice. In fact, all the casting choices were.
'The Killer': grades A+ and BE (Brutally Effective)
Hellmouth (2014)
'Hellmouth': Enter. All exits are final.
This is a visually striking Grimoire of historical evil- supremely well crafted. Visual references run the gamut from camp horror classics of the 50s & 60s to the eery twilight glow of El Greco's Renaissance paintings and back again to 40s film noir. If William Burroughs didn't deride organized religion so much I would say that this patron Saint of junkies was successfully summoned by Hellmouth's creators to cross Time and engage Dante in vigorous congress until a post-everything version of 'The Temptation of St. Anthony' was in the can. Stephen McHattie's performance is nuanced and dependably solid as ever. Supporting roles are expertly carved out by Murphy, Millen, Gibson, Richings et al.. See IT. Feel IT. Believe IT...If you dare! (As ever, 'IT' depends on what your definition of 'IS'IS')