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

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)CANYON PASSAGE 5)THE FEARMAKERS 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 10)THE CROWDED SKY 11))THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)TENTACLES 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)NIGHT CREATURES 22)CURSE OF THE DEMON 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)KILLER FISH 25)AIR PATROL 26)DUEL IN THE JUNGLE 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE ROARING TWENTIES 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)JACK NICHOLSON 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)STANLEY BAKER 1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER