jjclaus Reviews

Sorcerer (1977)

Gut Wrenching Suspense - Excellent!

[10/10 · 28 March 2018]

This film is extremely suspenseful and exciting with raw film locations, tension, and excellent character development. Four men risk their lives to escape squalid living conditions in a Latin American country to where they each had fled. But, Fate hangs over the men and will not let them go. The French businessman, Bruno Cremer, discusses the absolute whim of Fate with his wife in a novel she is writing. The idea of instant annihilation is repeatedly visited through the film as these desparate men cannot escape it. There is no safety for the desparate men as you root for them to succeed in the perilous task of transporting unstable explosives over moutains and primative jungle terrain.

The four men: a mobster (robbery), a businessman (fraud), a terrorist (bombing), and an assasin (contract murder) are all fleeing from their criminal pasts but cannot escape the cloud of Fate hanging over them. After seeing this film I think "That should not have happened to them", or "They did not deserve that". "They should have escaped that fate because of the tremendous effort and risk they took." It is not to be. This film will not let you go just as it treats its characters. Friedkin's best film!!

Anthropoid (2016)

Tale of Immense Bravery and Daring - Fabulous!

[10/10 · 12 August 2016]

The Czech resistance operatives depicted in "Anthropoid" show what it takes to go all out to fight back against absolute tyranny. This film is a must for those interested in WWII in Nazi-occupied countries. A David and Goliath story where the Phillistines don't just walk away but mercilessly take retribution.

Cillian Murphy gives his usual lean and hungry performance as a man on a mission that has priority over everything else including his own life and those of others. There was no half-way resistance here, either you were in to the max or completely out. Even though Czechs were sold out at Munich in 1938 and completely under the Nazi thumb, they did kill the highest ranking Nazi during the War.

The sets are very real and take you there. "Anthropoid" is an inspirational and invigorating film!

Satan's Triangle (1975 TV Movie)

Dynamite of a Plot Twist

[10/10 · 23 July 2015]

This little made for TV film released in 1975 has the best plot twist I have ever seen in a movie. Just when you think you have it figured out ... Whamo!!

The setting is the Bermuda Triangle on a small power sailboat that is drifting in distress. Doug McClure plays the rational and in control coast guard pilot and Kim Novak plays a temptress on the vessel that explains what has happened.

The dialogue from another coast guard officer over the radio and on the ship introduces the plot twist: "That is not what we found" makes you see everything differently.

Great writing and acting. Well worth the time to find on YouTube and watch. I love this little jewel.

Cosmic Kiosk (2015)

Unique Creative and Uplifting

[10/10 · 30 June 2015]

This short film packs a punch and hits well above its weight. It takes the everyday and makes it into an hilarious adventure. Hank Goodman represents everyman as he toils through life just trying to make it to the end. He has a young romantic interest and a nemesis that create drama and conflict. Little does his rude nemesis Rizzo know that Hank has the controls to personally intervene in Rizzo's life and pay him back for his rudeness and insults to Hank that are totally unjustified.

Oh what fun we could have if each of us just had our own comic kiosk. The scenes with the honey bun and $100 bill are priceless. It's well worth watching this little jewel to add a boost to your personal outlook.

Lone Survivor (2013)

A Testament to Incredible Courage

[10/10 · 12 January 2014]

Two things stick with me in this movie: a moral dilemma and the courage of four men against all odds.

Four Navy SEALs sent to observe a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan are unluckily discovered by three goat shepherds. The commander decides to let them go since killing them, while ensuring the operation's secrecy, could have nasty PR repercussions. Besides, one is very young and another very old. As fate would have it, the shepherds alert the Taliban and the four men must fight for their lives after a vastly larger force engages them from higher ground. Nineteen Americans end up dying as a result. It reminds me of in "Saving Private Ryan" when the Americans let a German prisoner go who then later engages them and kills several in combat.

However, Marcus Luttrell, the one SEAL to survive depends on the good will of a village that gives him sanctuary from the murderous and brutal Taliban. If they had executed the shepherds, could he have counted on this good will? Maybe not. All actions in this war have unanticipated consequences.

As the four men fight the large Taliban force they must jump down the steep mountain slopes to find more cover. They maintain a cohesion and continuously engage the enemy in spite of being nearly surrounded. Their physical condition degrades as they suffer wounds, but they keep up the fight. I really like the close up shots on the men's faces as they look out for each other, patch their wounds, and resist to the bitter end. These are four tough hombres with a professional warrior tradition.

Matt Axelson's resistance with a pistol while wheezing his last breath with multiple wounds is a testament to these men and to the memoir. I think anyone who has served in combat would agree these men gave it all and then a lot more.

Lastly, this film makes me question how the Afghanistan conflict can continue year after year where villages in defiance of the Taliban are under assault yet keep their traditions of protecting a guest at all costs. How can these brutal tribesmen continue to fight and murder in the face of such overwhelming fire power? When caught in the open against the Apache helicopters or the AC-130 gunships these guys are toast, yet the struggle continues. Well worth seeing this film - please go if you are interested in this war and in the US military.