cult film freak: SUMMARY REVIEW OF THE NEO NOIR 'SLITHER' W/ JAMES CAAN

Written by James M. Tate / 1/09/2016 / No comments / crime , james caan , neo noir , peter boyle , thriller , warner archives

SUMMARY REVIEW OF THE NEO NOIR 'SLITHER' W/ JAMES CAAN

1/09/2016 | No comment

YEAR: 1973

James Caan as roving con artist Dick Kanipsin, emerging from a hole in the ground while the word SLITHER appears on screen, describing the title that has nothing to do with snakes...

He had narrowly escaped an exploding house owned by mob-wanted Richard B. Schull (the same year Schull appeared in SSSSSSS, a bonafide serpent flick where his character is equally doomed).

Thus we know that Caan's slick rogue most likely squirms in and out of trouble, and yet the rest of the film is more centered than his meandering life has probably ever been: since he was initially given a task by Schull to recover stolen money, he winds up joining Peter Boyle on the maze-filled name-dropping hunt, getting sidetracked by a crazy Sally Kellerman along the way: a wacko Bonnie desperately seeking her Clyde.

While not as footloose as our anti-hero has the potential of being, SLITHER manages a spontaneous vibe and worthy performances: although it may seem a bit slow in the middle, that is, until you see it another time, and another, and then some more.

Share This Post :

Tags : crime , james caan , neo noir , peter boyle , thriller , warner archives

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)THE FEARMAKERS 2)JAWS 3)THE CROWDED SKY 4)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 5)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 6)ASH WEDNESDAY 7)SHARKS' TREASURE 8)CANYON PASSAGE 9)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 10)HOT CARS 11)CURSE OF THE DEMON 12)HARDCORE 13)VIOLENT SATURDAY 14)FALLEN ANGEL 15)DUEL IN THE JUNGLE 16)SWEENEY TWO 17)THE DEFECTOR 18)THE ROARING TWENTIES 19)AIR PATROL 20)THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN 21)THE SERGEANT 22)OTLEY 23)AL CAPONE 24)SWAMP WATER 25)JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG 26)THE KILLING 27)COMPULSION 28)MY BLOOD RUNS COLD 29)EASY LIVING 30)WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS 31)ATLANTIC CITY 32)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 33)CANYON RIVER 34)MADISON AVENUE 35)THE SHARKFIGHTERS 36)DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS 37)WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS 38)FRENZY 39)THUNDER ISLAND 40)THE DAY THEY ROBBED THE BANK OF ENGLAND

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 ACTRESSES 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 CARPENTER 7)MAURY DEXTER 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)MICHAEL WINNER 10)SAM PECKINPAH