some lesser-known/off-beat films i saw recently

’Corrupt’ (a.k.a Copkiller, Corrupt Lieutenant, 1983)
if you like gritty, focused cop/crime dramas (like they used to make in the 70s) this obscure little film is worth hunting for. Harvey Keitel & John Lydon (a.k.a Johnny Rotten of the punk band ’The Sex Pistols’!) star in this bizarre psychological thriller about bent cops & a serial killer. in many ways, this seems like a prequel to The Bad Lieutenant mixed with the themes of Performance. the film is very low-budget, but well-made. both lead performances are fine, and the script (based on the novel ’The Order Of Death’ explores dark places of the male psyche that you don’t often see onscreen. there are suggestions of homosexuality & sado-masochism, but it’s never included just for shock value. the soundtrack is provided by none other than Ennio Morricone, and seemed effective enough (though it might seem jarring to some). there’s a country-ish song that is repeated many times in the film (Keitel’s character likes to listen to this record when he relaxes), called ’Tchaikovsky’s Destruction’ sung by someone called Steve. there are a few sudden shifts in characters that seem puzzling (or maybe there’s some footage missing, as this film has never had an official video release, and there are rumored to be different running times for different releases) & the end is a bit of a head-scratcher as well. but overall it’s an intriguing character study/crime thriller, far more ambitious and intelligent than the typical product from Hollywood.

score: 8/10


’In The Folds Of The Flesh’
an above-average giallo-esque (’giallo’ is Italian for ’yellow’, and a tag they used to classify pulpy murder/mystery/suspense fiction, as well as such movies) thriller by Sergio Bergonzelli, with an engrossing story, dubious characters galore (including a main role played by the late Pier Angeli, credited here as Anna Maria Pierangeli), by turns wacky & stylish direction, and a half trippy/half creepy atmosphere about it. kept me guessing almost till the very end, always coming up with a twist, a revelation, or a grabbing visual up it’s sleeve (it’s even got a scene with WW2-era featuring Nazis!). gotta love a movie that begins with some Freudian psycho-babble text, and immediately cuts to a shot of a severed head on a carpeted floor! somebody needs to release this crazy film on dvd pronto (hello Blue Underground, NoShame, Synapse, etc...). anyone with even a passing interest in this kind of film would be well adviced to check out this one.

score: 8/10


’The Ruling Class’
oh, my holy God (no pun intended)! what did i walk into, here? this is as weird and bizarre as it gets, not to mention blackly comic. i enjoyed all the performances, especially Alastair Sim’s stuttering bishop (more so than Peter O Toole’s central bravura act). the only thing bugging me was the sudden & unprovoked musical interludes (i didn’t know it was a musical, or i might’ve stayed away) and the drawn-out running time. not for everyone, but one of those must-be-seen-to-be-believed oddities. endlessly quotable dialogue, too.

score: 7.5/10


’The Man Who Fell To Earth’
i have not yet seen a Nic Roeg film that was boring, or uninteresting. and this one doesn’t disappoint either, even if it isn’t my favorite Roeg film (i thought the largely forgotten Eureka was a much better film). having said that, i must admit this one broke a lot of new ground for its time and pushed the envelope to an inch of its life (check out the scene where Rip Torn is not only full-frontal naked, but *gasp* is being...er...’handled’ by a hot young babe or two!) . moving on from Performance & Don’t Look Now, Roeg’s style is still as crazy as ever. the script doesn’t lay everything out like normal Hollywood films would. the cast is all fine, and David Bowie is an alien. Candy Clark looks like a 70s version of Tara Reid, slimmer & more talented, though. funny thing is, i thought her face seemed scarily identical to Bowie’s in a couple of shots, and watching her interview on the 2nd disc, i found out she actually doubled for him in some scenes! depressing, downbeat, and decidedly deranged film. but quite a trip, if you’re game. the script was a little too unfocused in some places, which hurts the overall structure and prevents it from being an absolute classic. as it stands, it’s nonetheless quite an accomplishment, and a must-see for lovers of intelligent, off-beat cinema. some of the images are sure to stay with you long afterwards.

score: 8/10


’Rolling Thunder’
a pretty good film, a grim, gritty & moody 70s psychological drama/revenge thriller that is unfairly neglected (despite Tarantino swiping its title). good to see William Devane in his prime, and what a sweet grizzled old mug on this guy! now this is the kinda lead actor they don’t feature any more (another career for Tarantino to rejuvenate, if he hurries up). a young Tommy Lee Jones is also on hand here, positively beaming with maniacal glee in some of the best scenes from the film. there is an interesting story in here, with shades of Taxi Driver, Coming Home, Death Wish and even Alfredo Garcia. unfortunately, not enough work has gone into tightening the script (like, the loot for which 5 men are required isn’t much to begin with, and certainly not worth contemplating 3 murders...and all this without any attempt to hide your identities, faces, etc!?). still, there are some great little scenes throughout, with the right amount of tension, unease, realism, humor & pathos. Devane’s brooding performance is fine with the hints of menace he exudes being particularly pleasing, but it’s a shame Jones doesn’t have more scenes coz he seems to be a ticking timebomb (which does explode at the end, but it’s sadly too little). excellent shootout climax, also, another thing increasingly rare in movies these days. why this film isn’t out on a proper dvd, is another one of those All-American mysteries.

score: 7.5/10


’Fudoh: The New Generation’
Takashi Miike. you gotta hand it to him. prolific, talented, in-yer-face, excess-loving, controversy-baiting, audience-dividing, and never less than entertaining. so it goes with this tale of revenge amongst various yakuza factions. if there’s a taboo to be broken, Miike’s broken it in this eye-popping, jaw-dropping, and head-turning (and in some scenes, stomach-turning) action thriller. oh, except for the Japanese taboo against showing the pubic area on screen (but he gets around that well enough, for one of the most inventive devices ever used in cinema!). admittedly, i found myself slightly less satisfied with the whole, as there are many random and unbelievable moments spread throughout. but then i noticed that it’s based on a comic, which accounts for some of the sillier elements and occasional disjointedness. maybe i was spoiled by the tightness and polish of the superior Audition, some of which could have really smoothed out the edges on this film. still, those are minor complaints, and now i gotta the uncut Ichi The Killer soon!

score: 8/10


’Masters Of Horror: Imprint’
oh, god! oh, man! oh, f--k! i have just seen the first almost-unbearable, nearly-unwatchable, ass-clenching, teeth-grinding and stomach-churning Takashi Miike film (and i have yet to see Ichi). a film truly deserving of the ’spine-chilling’ label that is used so casually. no wonder this was pulled off the TV networks in USA. the more PC and faint-hearted Americans are likely to suffer a stroke with all the stuff going on in here. i can’t even review this bizarre film without giving away some those ’surprises’. all i can say is this: it isn’t really a horror film in that there’s hardly any scary stuff or jump scenes (like, say, in Audition), although some of the images are likely to disturb & haunt you, even afterwards. but certainly no shortage of horrible stuff. it’s more like a bone-chilling endurance test, and a beautifully crafted one, at that (gr8 cinematography, art direction, music, etc). i just won’t be watching this again, ever. not because it’s a bad film, mind...but because i can’t. scenes in this film just about pushed me to my limits, and that happens very rarely (as does my having to remind myself that ’’it’s just a movie’’. if you think you can stomach anything, i fully recommend seeing this film. there’s some dodgy acting and silly plot points, but they’ll be the least of your worries.

score: 7/10


’Wolves Don’t Eat Meat’
Wow! I was very curious to see this Egyptian action/crime thriller from 1973, and boy, was it worth the wait! Similar in a lot of ways to the Italian films of this type, this one features gun fights, car chases, lots of nudity, askew camera angles, lots of hand-held camera work (though more out of budgetary constraints, than any post-modern considerations, ala Michael Bay, Tony Scott, etc), and just plain weirdness. A few scenes are effectively done in the style of giallos, and there’s quite a few surprises in the deceptively linear story. Some scenes and effects are laughably inept (like the point blank shooting of a naked woman where the squib turns out to be dry…!?), but the overall package is so deliriously trippy, you hardly mind the flubs. there is even a touch of lesbianism and a (possible) hint of incest in the script, which is familiar in places but accumulates enough elements to appear somewhat unique. But despite the crudeness of style and the sleaze, the film manages to say something meaningful, and end on a poignant note…just when I thought it was going towards a more happy ending. I love this baby, and I want to see more Arabic films like this one (if indeed there are any). apparently the film was later banned in Egypt, but that’s all good in my book.

score: 8/10

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