Sunday, November 14, 2004

Noir Chiller

Yesterday we checked out the 'classic noir chiller' (that's what it says on the box) called 'D.O.A.'
It was, indeed, a classic noir chiller. (We watched the 195O original, not the 8O's remake.) It's certainly not up there with the greats of the genre, but well worth a look. The pitch is an all time corker: a man discovers he's been poisoned. He uses his time left alive to track down his own killer.
From there, the plot gets so complicated that my girlfriend and I actually had to rewatch several scenes to clarify what had happened. I think I have it straight in my head now, but that process watered down the intensity of the movie a little!
Anyway, I recommend it for one of these long winter nights. Perhaps in a double bill with 'Kiss Me Deadly' for a truly downbeat evening.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ever see The Big Sleep with Bogie and Bacall? That takes some attention to detail.

How about Lady in the Lake with Robert Montgomery? He does this in 1st person and from his "eyes". The only time you ever see him is when he looks in a mirror.

After WWII it is interesting to note how exteriors were actually shot outside instead of the back lot.

Joe said...

'The Big Sleep' is one of my favourites. But I still don't think I could tell you exactly what happens! Nonetheless, I love it.
I haven't seen 'Lady in the Lake'. Sounds intriguing. I'll have to seek it out.
I've never minded when exteriors look like they're not really exteriors. As long as I'm caught up in the story I don't give it a second thought. Now I'm thinking of 'It Happened One Night' - some of the most fake looking exteriors I've ever seen, but it doesn't matter to me because the rest of the film is so good!