cult film freak: THE REIVERS

Written by James M. Tate / 10/03/2010 / No comments / adventure , based on literature , burgess meredith , coming-of-age , mark rydell , mitch vogel , rupert grosse , sharon farrell , sixties , steve mcqueen , will geer , william faulkner

THE REIVERS

10/03/2010 | No comment

title: THE REIVERS
year: 1969
cast: Steve McQueen, Sharon Farrell, Mitch Vogel, Rupert Grosse
director: Mark Rydell
rating: ****

This entertaining little gem, based on a novel by William Faulker, featuring Steve McQueen as a young man's mentor during a road trip to a brothel, is quite racy, literally, the third act centering on a suspenseful horse race (two, actually) and much of the plot anticipating it. Set in the turn of the century, the odyssey consists of McQueen, his best friend, an eleven year old boy, and a "horseless carriage" i.e. automobile, a character in itself along with grownup narration by Burgess Meredith. Scenes in the brothel has the boy, played wonderfully by Tom Sayweresque redhead Mitch Vogel, learning from beautiful Sharron Farrell, as a kindhearted prostitute, that a woman's power is deeper than sexuality. McQueen does a decent job, breaking from his usual super-cool persona, but Rupert Grosse, a wonderful black actor who died a few years later, not only steals the show but keeps it rolling.

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Tags : adventure , based on literature , burgess meredith , coming-of-age , mark rydell , mitch vogel , rupert grosse , sharon farrell , sixties , steve mcqueen , will geer , william faulkner

James M. Tate

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FAVORITES SHORTLIST

MOVIES 1)THE FEARMAKERS 2)JAWS 3)THE CROWDED SKY 4)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 5)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 8)CANYON PASSAGE 9)FALLEN ANGEL 10)HOT CARS 11)CURSE OF THE DEMON 12)HARDCORE 13)LOCAL HERO 14)SHARKS' TREASURE 15)IN HARM'S WAY 16)SWEENEY TWO 17)EASY LIVING 18)THE ROARING TWENTIES 19)AIR PATROL 20)THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN 21)THE SERGEANT 22)OTLEY 23)AL CAPONE 24)DUEL IN THE JUNGLE 25)ASH WEDNESDAY 26)DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS 27)SORCERER 28)MY BLOOD RUNS COLD 29)THE DEFECTOR 30)WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS 31)WICHITA 32)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 33)CANYON RIVER 34)MADISON AVENUE 35)THE SHARKFIGHTERS

ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)MARLON BRANDO 4)JACK NICHOLSON 5)ORSON WELLES 6)PETER O'TOOLE 7)TOM COURTENAY 8)CHARLES BRONSON 9)GENE HACKMAN 10)VICTOR MATURE 1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)OTTO PREMINGER 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)ORSON WELLES 6)JOHN CARPENTER 7)MAURY DEXTER 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)MICHAEL WINNER 10)SAM PECKINPAH