DON TAYLOR & HOWARD DUFF IN JULES DASSIN'S 'THE NAKED CITY'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOurvQoG2_Y6xuTU5c-k4TO8CRP9o5cSVC7SAK-_APXkcGCY-1X3_9o0UDVTlk9qrvwC6UuRhGEWZb2EQLqjYUN4t5auXNjK4Ujdq_HKi-k-rPIN8gdp7Diqa5yFIXFAPuMV9vwopix1MfpHft1etAoSuE3IViF5iZAFXYtf8cF7vdLNweX4GWgLDsAn3R/s2368/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-15%20at%205.30.40%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="2368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOurvQoG2_Y6xuTU5c-k4TO8CRP9o5cSVC7SAK-_APXkcGCY-1X3_9o0UDVTlk9qrvwC6UuRhGEWZb2EQLqjYUN4t5auXNjK4Ujdq_HKi-k-rPIN8gdp7Diqa5yFIXFAPuMV9vwopix1MfpHft1etAoSuE3IViF5iZAFXYtf8cF7vdLNweX4GWgLDsAn3R/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-15%20at%205.30.40%20AM.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1948 Stars: Howard Duff, Barry Fitzgerald, Don Taylor Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After producer Mark Hellinger's famous opening narration, introducing the audience to THE NAKED CITY, following authentic shots of New York City exteriors, from buildings to shipyards... interiors from noisy newspaper offices to lonely radio stations... when we eventually catch a quick glimpse of Hollywood actors Howard Duff and Dorothy Hart at a fancy nightclub, there's an awkward contrast to those grainy/gritty shots in a police procedural that resembles a documentary one second and a dressed-up melodrama the next...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Centered on two detectives seeking the killer of a beautiful dame drowned in a classy apartment bathtub, they couldn't be more different: the veteran, Barry Fitzgerald, is like a wise old leprechaun while tall/lanky young Don Taylor traipses around town, searching for clues — yet it's stout every-man cop Tom Pedi who compliments the grittier images, like a dockyard silhouette of a formidable criminal, eventually revealed soon enough so NAKED trades mystery for a by-the-numbers investigation... </p><p><span></span></p>

anne sargent, barry fitzgerald, cop, don taylor, dorothy hart, film noir or melodrama, howard duff, john mcquade, jules dassin, kathleen freeman, ted decorsia, thriller

DON TAYLOR & HOWARD DUFF IN JULES DASSIN'S 'THE NAKED CITY'

Year: 1948 Stars: Howard Duff, Barry Fitzgerald, Don Taylor Rating: **** After producer Mark Hellinger's famous opening narration, intro...

OLIVER REED IN HAMMER FILMS 'PARANOIAC' WITH JANETTE SCOTT

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vWBjLr6HLNf3xFljqHl-WVo5Zw5cf3FRQhm-4715QwEeuhE6cmwfQOCRhocb224e2DYp59jAveE9Rbnp2iyTocsSRRSoVYM_xuraQz4KJSPrQ-X2KuHzmxwwOufUeWNitCfBLIIlUArXmK8T729zUE0Xc862abcJcUXOfR5qauu4r7TjSnu-C9bodw/s1932/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-29%20at%207.33.54%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1932" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vWBjLr6HLNf3xFljqHl-WVo5Zw5cf3FRQhm-4715QwEeuhE6cmwfQOCRhocb224e2DYp59jAveE9Rbnp2iyTocsSRRSoVYM_xuraQz4KJSPrQ-X2KuHzmxwwOufUeWNitCfBLIIlUArXmK8T729zUE0Xc862abcJcUXOfR5qauu4r7TjSnu-C9bodw/w400-h288/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-29%20at%207.33.54%20PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Poster for PARANOIAC Year: 1963 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If Terence Fisher was the <i>Universal Classic Monsters </i>version of England's HAMMER FILMS then Freddie Francis was their Hitchcock, and PARANOIAC one of Hammer's best psychological thrillers, providing stock actor Oliver Reed a grand performance, showcasing what would become his two signature traits: moody brooding and overboard intensity: He's the brother of troubled, haunted ingenue Jeanette Scott, set to inherit a bundle (strictly overseen by an aunt and family lawyer), holed up in the family's sea-cliff estate, but not if Reed (with moll Liliane Brousse) can help it...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And while mostly working alone, he's <i>not</i> alone in agenda: The leading man is a con artist, which we learn soon enough for PARANOIAC to not quite reach Mystery-genre status: But those fifteen minutes when handsome Alexander Davion may or may not be her adored prodigal brother are the most intriguing: After which, coinciding with the kind of quick-split editing wherein everything beforehand meant only how the scene abruptly ends, Reed and his boisterous persona takes over, making this a frantic game of wits using creative camera angles within a shadowy B&W aesthetic that'd perfectly suit Film Noir... and it's only five years shy of being one — for then it'd get a lot more praise and attention beyond the lot of We the faithfully dedicated/eternal Hammerheads.  </p><p><span></span></p>

alexander davion, british new wave, hammer films, horror, janette scott, liliane brousse, oliver reed, sixties, suspense, thriller

OLIVER REED IN HAMMER FILMS 'PARANOIAC' WITH JANETTE SCOTT

Poster for PARANOIAC Year: 1963 Rating: **** If Terence Fisher was the Universal Classic Monsters version of England's HAMMER FILMS then...

HAMMER PRESENTS 'NIGHT CREATURES' WITH PETER CUSHING

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTz9m6RhzMPCFlFr3qO8z-6M1AeD-lb72Tzq43aRbO6EkJwm4cjsYZEIXC1_c39mBWl_3EP7RyJI9MXDAWm9k7dIJrEc7e_yIJCvzE6FQjO7XEPfV2fygkXtoL5vezZEskUVAQsHvNP5jdAY9Yyx-N1fHIhj1WXB9Nw2LiHar-hTqk_W3xTOoURyujQ/s1581/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-15%20at%208.27.42%20PM%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1581" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTz9m6RhzMPCFlFr3qO8z-6M1AeD-lb72Tzq43aRbO6EkJwm4cjsYZEIXC1_c39mBWl_3EP7RyJI9MXDAWm9k7dIJrEc7e_yIJCvzE6FQjO7XEPfV2fygkXtoL5vezZEskUVAQsHvNP5jdAY9Yyx-N1fHIhj1WXB9Nw2LiHar-hTqk_W3xTOoURyujQ/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-15%20at%208.27.42%20PM%203.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Oliver Reed and Peter Cushing in Hammer's NIGHT CREATURES Year: 1962 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Hammer's decision to name this hybrid of thriller, horror and mystery CAPTAIN CLEGG proves that that last genre wasn't intended since spoiling Peter Cushing's true identity doesn't only ruin the plot's sneaky, intriguing premise, it makes Cushing's uniquely affable performance yet another fervent and intense one, not battling monsters this time but England's 1800's-era "tax man" himself...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In Patrick Allen's square-jawed Captain Collier, sent with his troops to investigate what he doesn't yet realize is a tightknit, secret-latch, wine-smuggling operation run by Cushing playing local vicar Rev. Dr. Blyss, THE ONLY character that director Peter Graham Scott... until well into the second act... intends him to be...<br></p><span></span>

british, david lodge, derek francis, hammer films, horror, martin benson, martin reid, michael ripper, mystery, oliver reed, patrick allen, peter cushing, peter graham scott, sixties, yvonne romain

HAMMER PRESENTS 'NIGHT CREATURES' WITH PETER CUSHING

Oliver Reed and Peter Cushing in Hammer's NIGHT CREATURES Year: 1962 Rating: ****1/2 Hammer's decision to name this hybrid of thrill...

HAMMER'S VICTORIAN HORROR 'THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-j7OKftPmdn4CV2OvYtY0iQZZATcHPtP2ZSe-QJRneKHI6HhbA638MSqZtX7LcoYo_lTPCgtOp38HluHTiLaJ_xrmRA0xxnEjAEd2n6jN1qP4z8FLhOHgLzPEhiM3B_6XwHetWDTfSutHToc7iuV3ZHG5uuzEo5ZEbynBdxeHHlDNsgU86tAsZ0x6g/s2250/1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="2250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-j7OKftPmdn4CV2OvYtY0iQZZATcHPtP2ZSe-QJRneKHI6HhbA638MSqZtX7LcoYo_lTPCgtOp38HluHTiLaJ_xrmRA0xxnEjAEd2n6jN1qP4z8FLhOHgLzPEhiM3B_6XwHetWDTfSutHToc7iuV3ZHG5uuzEo5ZEbynBdxeHHlDNsgU86tAsZ0x6g/s16000/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Oliver Reed in THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF Year: 1961 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A man gets bitten by a wolf and slowly turns into one… Which probably sounds extremely familiar but the British-run Hammer Films will have nothing to do with anything <i>that</i> simple, basic or cliche…</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The setup, before we even meet Oliver Reed’s Leon, is eerie and creative, introducing the story set during the colorfully antique 1800’s where a beggar's thrown out of a tavern, and then ventures naively into the last place he’s wanted: a lush castle where an aged King has married his beautiful young bride (a nefarious, later grotesque Anthony Dawson to insanely gorgeous blonde Josephine Llewellyn)… <br> </p>

anthony dawson, british, hammer films, horror, joy webster, oliver reed, richard wordsworth, terence fisher, victorian, werewolf, yvonne romain

HAMMER'S VICTORIAN HORROR 'THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF'

Oliver Reed in THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF Year: 1961 Rating: **** A man gets bitten by a wolf and slowly turns into one… Which probably sou...

MICHAEL WINNER DIRECTS OLIVER REED IN 'HANNIBAL BROOKS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOp0MSjHb0QcrIj9pIpQdMlDxOzx46ZSDOp34n_LHmXbjmuHNkg2UCDFccQwgbeeaYgLgNLsv0FEX9pFPL3xTF43OIx9tl3pneSSqky39CDTljNbgduUN2lx9MFvW9VFBNm4vSev6d7QmbjlATrIUxEpuuK8WQoIs1o1YJWBypo_xCwjIEWZuXeuQCNsO/s1936/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-15%20at%205.22.12%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1936" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOp0MSjHb0QcrIj9pIpQdMlDxOzx46ZSDOp34n_LHmXbjmuHNkg2UCDFccQwgbeeaYgLgNLsv0FEX9pFPL3xTF43OIx9tl3pneSSqky39CDTljNbgduUN2lx9MFvW9VFBNm4vSev6d7QmbjlATrIUxEpuuK8WQoIs1o1YJWBypo_xCwjIEWZuXeuQCNsO/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-15%20at%205.22.12%20PM.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Oliver Reed in HANNIBAL BROOKS Year: 1969 Rating: ***</u><u>*</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Short, quirky, extremely offbeat Michael J. Pollard is like a novelty song of an actor, with BONNIE AND CLYDE his one big hit while in other movies — like <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/michael%20winner">Michael Winner's</a> fourth collaboration with <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2020/10/system.html">THE SYSTEM</a> star <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/oliver%20reed">Oliver Reed</a> titled HANNIBAL BROOKS — Pollard doesn't really fit at all... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Although he's almost deliberately cast against type as a gung-ho explosives-expert leading partisans around to kill Germans, and since Reed himself hardly seems part of World War II, both work together comfortably enough in a hybrid of road movie, physical comedy and action/adventure where Reed, a POW in Germany... after conveniently working in a German zoo... takes a prized elephant across enemy lines to their long-shot goal of Switzerland... </p><p><span></span></p>

action, adventure, comedy, helmuth lohner, james donald, john alderton, michael j. pollard, michael winner, nazi, oliver reed, pow, road movie, sixties, terence sewards, world war II

MICHAEL WINNER DIRECTS OLIVER REED IN 'HANNIBAL BROOKS'

Oliver Reed in HANNIBAL BROOKS Year: 1969 Rating: *** * Short, quirky, extremely offbeat Michael J. Pollard is like a novelty song of an act...

CAROL LYNLEY IN 'THE SHUTTERED ROOM' WITH OLIVER REED

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EMgCXboxY58-vdVsKrShprjoJlD0duReNMb1vD0ipBmPYPokso-hgWRbxm2Vi3pXBs1_O6KNXwTPdLMhSPG-grHBSofvYdkX6Vddt_HqcQpW8Rq7S2GiNQTh16XN58cCoaZ5GfFud09n6J8SY9nW-G2ljtk7_ISzMcX9tVpBWEmt0_d-Urubj2r8iw/s1759/0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EMgCXboxY58-vdVsKrShprjoJlD0duReNMb1vD0ipBmPYPokso-hgWRbxm2Vi3pXBs1_O6KNXwTPdLMhSPG-grHBSofvYdkX6Vddt_HqcQpW8Rq7S2GiNQTh16XN58cCoaZ5GfFud09n6J8SY9nW-G2ljtk7_ISzMcX9tVpBWEmt0_d-Urubj2r8iw/s16000/0.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE SHUTTERED ROOM Year: 1967 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A near clone of Sam Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS only five years earlier, during the psychedelic era, which is only apparent from the bare-bone jazz soundtrack orchestrating a married couple consisting of a beautiful blonde wife with an ordinary, unassuming husband returning to her small New England-based island home (yet obviously shot in the beautifully rustic exterior of England), part of an eerie Gothic mill that's its very own living/breathing character...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Making the inevitable climax of who's hiding within the titular SHUTTERED ROOM not that important a surprise-twist having been teased during a surreal, horror-trope prologue by mostly TV-director David Greene...  </p><p><span></span></p>

body count, british, bully, carol lynley, david greene, drama, gig young, gothic, horror, jazz score, oliver reed, rural, sixties, thriller

CAROL LYNLEY IN 'THE SHUTTERED ROOM' WITH OLIVER REED

Title: THE SHUTTERED ROOM Year: 1967 Rating: ***1/2 A near clone of Sam Peckinpah's STRAW DOGS only five years earlier, during the psych...

DANA ANDREWS & GENE TIERNEY DEFECT IN 'THE IRON CURTAIN'

<p> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc-8M9BGVrRe16WbawYZyauxrHj_JrEPA4eIMCBKQa3v83mW-eJ5ZZ-MkspuW3UvFe1wMghldIxi3UMqPh902zzbnvu5u27nAJybrwmHSF1pdOGuRc0rHBOtibJ94n1SMPTZQZmmi0wwXgdXnSv9bQU4x-t7dc05zDgK254iYjZMWyW6nqvMbZh8xiUHZ/s1270/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-23%20at%202.15.10%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="958" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpc-8M9BGVrRe16WbawYZyauxrHj_JrEPA4eIMCBKQa3v83mW-eJ5ZZ-MkspuW3UvFe1wMghldIxi3UMqPh902zzbnvu5u27nAJybrwmHSF1pdOGuRc0rHBOtibJ94n1SMPTZQZmmi0wwXgdXnSv9bQU4x-t7dc05zDgK254iYjZMWyW6nqvMbZh8xiUHZ/w242-h320/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-23%20at%202.15.10%20AM.jpeg" width="242"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1947 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Between the famous Otto Preminger Film Noir <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/05/Loir.html">LAURA</a> and <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/05/WTSends.html">WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS</a> and almost a decade past TOBACCO ROAD is the sublime pair-up of Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney under the direction of William A. Wellman in a Cold War Thriller at the rudimentary stages of that very thing: the movie takes place during and right after The Second World War, and was released only three years after the war ended, based on the "true story of Soviet cypher-clerk Igor Gouzenko, posted to the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, 1943... to reveal the extent of Soviet espionage activities directed against Canada," where Dana Andrews takes a reverse risk since nothing's worse than an American actor badly attempting a foreign accent, especially one as thick as Russian...  And so, Dana basically speaks exactly like Dana. Meanwhile, he and Tierney fit within an otherwise passable programmer worth viewing: Although the real scene-stealer is Texas-born Berry Kroeger as "Paul," taking that risk and succeeding with flying colors, seeming and sounding like a Russian Orson Welles type of classy, distinguished yet nefarious thug with a scowl that's genuine, menacing and lethal...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjhR6lZ_yVPqpPEC9ymQit7CjTQDM_I6lnjf_olUY7zRBHyk6dk-q5z4rqQNJAv4QfxyBM2i7a3oeYqak82W4LlEyABmdOeurqfqRnQGLrAcOjY_HSYdQ9706389Gmr49ijxGp1lh9ouxQB87wa55tUvnUCLlqzUC5YHuVNqwu_1IhvEF2mn1zTdPP3fN/s666/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-23%20at%202.19.01%20AM.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="518" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjhR6lZ_yVPqpPEC9ymQit7CjTQDM_I6lnjf_olUY7zRBHyk6dk-q5z4rqQNJAv4QfxyBM2i7a3oeYqak82W4LlEyABmdOeurqfqRnQGLrAcOjY_HSYdQ9706389Gmr49ijxGp1lh9ouxQB87wa55tUvnUCLlqzUC5YHuVNqwu_1IhvEF2mn1zTdPP3fN/w156-h200/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-23%20at%202.19.01%20AM.png" width="156"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dana & Gene<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p>He's the person to fear, eventually defecting with information about Soviet spies. "Paul" also keeps a narrowed eye on those spies who might have lost their love of communism. Berry's scenes without either Dana or Gene are beyond-effective, and provide a dark Noirish vibe when needed – as does the initial setup concerning Andrews when Russian Femme Fatale-like secretary June Havoc tests his loyalty with vodka, seduction... </p><p></p><p>The suspense that's supposed to occur as Andrews and Tierney, with their newborn baby in her arms and secret documents stuffed into his clothing, just isn't really there as he tries locating any form of authority willing to listen to what seems like a nutcase conspiracy involving the Russian Embassy... Before that, Igor's transition is much too quick and easy... after listening to quirky and vulnerable comrade Eduard Franz's drunken speech against their country, he's converted as a loyal Canadian with defecting on the brain (with CANYON PASSAGE Peter Whitney as the guard). During his most effect scenes, Dana remains the most square-jawed as a true Russian who believes in something that we, and not yet he, know will eventually change. <br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span></span></p>

berry kroeger, biopic, cold war, dana andrews, espionage, film noir or melodrama, gene tierney, june havoc, peter whitney, thriller, war

DANA ANDREWS & GENE TIERNEY DEFECT IN 'THE IRON CURTAIN'

Year: 1947 Rating: **** Between the famous Otto Preminger Film Noir LAURA and WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS  and almost a decade past TOBACCO RO...

SAM PECKINPAH'S CONTROVERSIAL BRITISH CLASSIC 'STRAW DOGS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRC2SFD2e2UXfmtfZfV-Q3fC2Vs5gcUL_RChPiSHMa15qSQ0VxJmm1whiX8_cnZP8SL4QcxW3zZKF6fP84M51v0XhkzWesqXxBVxo6uWZveZ6zO-m_yMvZ4QmW5rxw3bJug57nLFDamRqIsIizdtxuvSASmEzdOSoq6e4Pg6P7Lq42b-NZCg46GLEunmgq/s1554/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-24%20at%204.57.29%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRC2SFD2e2UXfmtfZfV-Q3fC2Vs5gcUL_RChPiSHMa15qSQ0VxJmm1whiX8_cnZP8SL4QcxW3zZKF6fP84M51v0XhkzWesqXxBVxo6uWZveZ6zO-m_yMvZ4QmW5rxw3bJug57nLFDamRqIsIizdtxuvSASmEzdOSoq6e4Pg6P7Lq42b-NZCg46GLEunmgq/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-24%20at%204.57.29%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dustin Hoffman with Susan George & Ken Hutchison in STRAW DOGS Year: 1971 Rating: *****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>American director Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH is considered his peak — yet an even wilder albeit initially more subtle and ambiguous bunch exist within the British-set (and extremely British-styled) STRAW DOGS...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Where nuclear scientist Dustin Hoffman attempts much needed study-time in an old stone-cobbled house with younger wife Susan George, who's more like the locals she grew up around than him... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

british neo noir, colin welland, david warner, del henney, donald webster, dustin hoffman, jerry fielding, jim norton, ken hutchison, peter vaughan, sam peckinpah, seventies, susan george, t.p. mckenna

SAM PECKINPAH'S CONTROVERSIAL BRITISH CLASSIC 'STRAW DOGS'

Dustin Hoffman with Susan George & Ken Hutchison in STRAW DOGS Year: 1971 Rating: ***** American director Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD B...

STEVE MCQUEEN IN THE ORIGINAL LEGENDARY CLASSIC 'THE BLOB'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gFyynjjRr73r9j2jZ0-A6WRj2nKCPp9NcI53flOb3rV8P13pK04a88STpcQ6kvSHR2rCqyg0NZNCobdr9FsGbWiy6uW7jU6B3beNyT94CQ8LTtK_5bg8E2Cn91lwwEttoFXfukJGNk3vGCwNjyNeOGAywZT0ryMDsJOmv6htUW2ziKVZ1Sm1ld6CQg/s1309/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-05%20at%209.31.48%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gFyynjjRr73r9j2jZ0-A6WRj2nKCPp9NcI53flOb3rV8P13pK04a88STpcQ6kvSHR2rCqyg0NZNCobdr9FsGbWiy6uW7jU6B3beNyT94CQ8LTtK_5bg8E2Cn91lwwEttoFXfukJGNk3vGCwNjyNeOGAywZT0ryMDsJOmv6htUW2ziKVZ1Sm1ld6CQg/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-05%20at%209.31.48%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Steve McQueen in THE BLOB Year: 1958 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>During the prelude of an eclectic and highly successful career, Steve McQueen, billed as Steven McQueen as a guy named Steve, has never played a character so untrusted, underrated or downright frustratingly unappreciated...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>He knows what everyone, including his best girl, has strong, stubborn doubts about. And we're not only supposed to believe that the rugged-looking, world-weary McQueen is a teenager but that he'd actually get taunted, goaded and borderline bullied by the small town by a bunch of car-jerks who look as if <i>they'd</i> follow <i>him</i>...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, cult, dinosaur, exploitation, fifties, horror, irvin s. yeaworth jr., jack harris, james congdon, jazz score, lee meriwether, robert fields, robert lansing, sixties, steve mcqueen, suspense, thriller

STEVE MCQUEEN IN THE ORIGINAL LEGENDARY CLASSIC 'THE BLOB'

Steve McQueen in THE BLOB Year: 1958 Rating: ***1/2 During the prelude of an eclectic and highly successful career, Steve McQueen, billed ...

STEVE MCQUEEN LITERALLY STEALS SAM PECKINPAH'S 'THE GETAWAY'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZfaDhaKcFYfnihZyx5XmPMo0GcNWvpTUMqTlhVg_xQNCtMyPBkfevqgpmXo52LkbQ3nwYhvgLbZGf7aZU0pcna8-sFzoFZRIGmBkXrqRWitI6qMTtYZOKePYjEvF74j2UFXb8G5xQ-9iQNCyJzrF6dsEwurMA7wC0Zt07pduUUG3_ay4FNq5nga71g/s1189/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-02%20at%204.13.12%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZfaDhaKcFYfnihZyx5XmPMo0GcNWvpTUMqTlhVg_xQNCtMyPBkfevqgpmXo52LkbQ3nwYhvgLbZGf7aZU0pcna8-sFzoFZRIGmBkXrqRWitI6qMTtYZOKePYjEvF74j2UFXb8G5xQ-9iQNCyJzrF6dsEwurMA7wC0Zt07pduUUG3_ay4FNq5nga71g/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-02%20at%204.13.12%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE GETAWAY Year: 1972 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The machine-pounding prologue/montage of Sam Peckinpah's THE GETAWAY embodies caged hopelessness of prison life better than most <i>entire</i>ly-<i>set-in</i>-<i>prison</i> prison flicks... plus it's the only sequence centered solely on Steve McQueen as career criminal Doc McCoy sans the uninspired acting of ingenue/partner Ali MacGraw...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>During a pivotal meeting — tempted by Texas millionaire Ben Johnson after having sex to get Doc paroled and then tortured with envy — she has a vacant expression as opposed to McQueen's sharpened countenance... </p><p><span></span></p>

action, al bright, al lettieri, ali macgraw, ben johnson, bo hopkins, crime, exploitation, heist, modern western, road movie, sally struthers, sam peckinpah, steve mcqueen

STEVE MCQUEEN LITERALLY STEALS SAM PECKINPAH'S 'THE GETAWAY'

Title: THE GETAWAY Year: 1972 Rating: **** The machine-pounding prologue/montage of Sam Peckinpah's THE GETAWAY embodies caged hopelessn...

PETER YATES GIVES MORE THAN CHASE IN THE CLASSIC 'BULLITT'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsXBRSIZnF9aWCcL2LXabFwTBnQ5WZusV1cHusvnBKKBxHTZ89McszXwd3GAX85ecdRo_fx0zud8jrfyc-8aWEueuzji-CVQ82BbGiVuz_cqkLox2SYFDiR_mHAJgmQ4AJu-wssm4x3sD_oKkFQOcCwkSiH4dgH238DqChn6uxBiPuCG4SOvRQrBaVuY3/s1286/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-02%20at%205.20.08%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsXBRSIZnF9aWCcL2LXabFwTBnQ5WZusV1cHusvnBKKBxHTZ89McszXwd3GAX85ecdRo_fx0zud8jrfyc-8aWEueuzji-CVQ82BbGiVuz_cqkLox2SYFDiR_mHAJgmQ4AJu-wssm4x3sD_oKkFQOcCwkSiH4dgH238DqChn6uxBiPuCG4SOvRQrBaVuY3/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-02%20at%205.20.08%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Steve McQueen in BULLITT Year: 1968 Rating: *****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The iconic car chase is the only thing that seems to matter in BULLITT, and not just for the media since director Peter Yates's prior chase in his British heist thriller <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2020/09/AR.html">ROBBERY</a> was so admired by Steve McQueen, Yates got <i>this</i> gig... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But like there is far more than just action throughout the strategically tempered neo noir cadence of ROBBERY, Yates's cop/crime classic BULLITT is also more about words than wheels...</p><span></span>

action, classic, cop, crime, cult, don gordon, felice orlandi, jacqueline bisset, jazz-score, pat renella, peter yates, robert vaughn, simon oakland, sixties, steve mcqueen, thriller

PETER YATES GIVES MORE THAN CHASE IN THE CLASSIC 'BULLITT'

Steve McQueen in BULLITT Year: 1968 Rating: ***** The iconic car chase is the only thing that seems to matter in BULLITT, and not just for t...

STEVE MCQUEEN'S FINAL LIFETIME BOUNTY FOR 'THE HUNTER'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDuTpclX-2JKLjRmYgrzQf9kqb7UHJ8-3UX9KtYyOJjN5YGeaGS5CwZJMuicfW1HnBpsIwpX74HeVW1wLg6tC5z59c5N7XtD6bwhecYMs3r_r0RyzHUsuR0gvNfTZwnu9R4qgmDi40hTESP-0QRLb6JhhMHBimKIRTpzFV6EQ2iAl1l3kWfnYPU1C_g/s1432/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-03%20at%203.37.25%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDuTpclX-2JKLjRmYgrzQf9kqb7UHJ8-3UX9KtYyOJjN5YGeaGS5CwZJMuicfW1HnBpsIwpX74HeVW1wLg6tC5z59c5N7XtD6bwhecYMs3r_r0RyzHUsuR0gvNfTZwnu9R4qgmDi40hTESP-0QRLb6JhhMHBimKIRTpzFV6EQ2iAl1l3kWfnYPU1C_g/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-04-03%20at%203.37.25%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE GETAWAY Year: 1972 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Steve McQueen began his career as a bounty hunter on TV's WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE and ended as one on the big screen, twice: TOM HORN was also a <i>rebounder</i> tale, and actually resembled a theatrical motion picture while THE HUNTER looks and plays-out like a made-for-television movie... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But a pretty good one as McQueen's real life Ralph 'Papa' Thorson seeks various bond-skippers, each more difficult than the next: In one case the violent powerhouse nephew of McQueen's GETAWAY foe Ben Johnson; and later a literally explosive tractor vs Trans Am cornfield chase... </p><p><span></span></p>

action, ben johnson, biopic, bounty hunter, cop, crime, eighties, eli wallach, kathryn harrold, lavar burton, steve mcqueen, tracey walter, tribute

STEVE MCQUEEN'S FINAL LIFETIME BOUNTY FOR 'THE HUNTER'

Title: THE GETAWAY Year: 1972 Rating: **** Steve McQueen began his career as a bounty hunter on TV's WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE and ended as ...