A whiskey stream of consciousness review.
Never realized how blue Gene Hackman's eyes were. If not for Paul Newman... Gene is a force as Roy Tucker. Brilliantly acted and a monster cast including Greats: Eli Wallach, Mickey Rooney, Eddie Albert Jr, and Richard Widmark. Candice Bergen is also fine as Hackman's wife, however there are times she seems a little over the top playing the "token blackmail piece". She really doesn't seem to be Tucker's type either. This is a Make a Deal with the Devil or Make a deal with the Deep State film. A precursor to films like Enemy of the State. For a movie hyped on action, there isn't a ton and the drama and plot structure is a bit lead heavy. That said, it is well-crafted and the dilemmas Tucker faces are intriguing. There are a number of pretty good Hitchcockian moments and the dialogue drives them, especially the scenes with Widmark and Hackman. There are moments when it seems like you may be let down, but surprises often instead. Maybe considered paint by numbers, but Hackman's everyday man with special skills caught up in the deep state domino game makes for a compelling film. A good primer for those who always believe the "official" lone gunman style narratives. Well- Conditioned with a dram of Maker's Mark Cask Strength. Cheers!
Never realized how blue Gene Hackman's eyes were. If not for Paul Newman... Gene is a force as Roy Tucker. Brilliantly acted and a monster cast including Greats: Eli Wallach, Mickey Rooney, Eddie Albert Jr, and Richard Widmark. Candice Bergen is also fine as Hackman's wife, however there are times she seems a little over the top playing the "token blackmail piece". She really doesn't seem to be Tucker's type either. This is a Make a Deal with the Devil or Make a deal with the Deep State film. A precursor to films like Enemy of the State. For a movie hyped on action, there isn't a ton and the drama and plot structure is a bit lead heavy. That said, it is well-crafted and the dilemmas Tucker faces are intriguing. There are a number of pretty good Hitchcockian moments and the dialogue drives them, especially the scenes with Widmark and Hackman. There are moments when it seems like you may be let down, but surprises often instead. Maybe considered paint by numbers, but Hackman's everyday man with special skills caught up in the deep state domino game makes for a compelling film. A good primer for those who always believe the "official" lone gunman style narratives. Well- Conditioned with a dram of Maker's Mark Cask Strength. Cheers!