Category: Crime

“The Outfit” (1973) starring Robert Duvall, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker and Robert Ryan / Z-View

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The Outfit (1973)

Director:  John Flynn

Screenplay: John Flynn, Walter Hill (uncredited); based on THE OUTFIT by Richard Stark

Stars: Robert Duvall, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker, Robert Ryan, Timothy Carey, Richard Jaeckel, Sheree North, Felice Orlandi, Marie Windsor, Jane Greer, Henry Jones, Joanna Cassidy, Tom Reese, Bill McKinney, Anita O’Day, Archie Moore, Tony Young and Elisha Cook Jr..

Tagline: Nobody plays rougher than The Outfit…Except maybe Earl, Cody and Bett!

The Plot…

When Earl Macklin gets out of prison, his girlfriend Bett picks him up.  She drives to a motel and informs Earl that his brother was recently murdered.  Late that night a man breaks into the hotel room and attempts to kill Earl.  Earl survives and gets the upper hand.  He then tortures the man for information.

Earl’s brother robbed a syndicate bank.  That’s the reason he was killed.  They sent the killer to take out Earl so he wouldn’t seek revenge.  Earl lets the killer live on the condition he takes a message to the people that hired him.  The message: The Outfit owes him $250,000.00.  If they pay, Earl will go away.  Until they do, Earl is going to cost them money that he’ll keep.  And they will still owe him the quarter million.

Earl wants his money.  And he doesn’t care how many people he has to kill to get it.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Film legend, Robert Ryan’s last released film. He was also in Executive Action filmed after The Outfit, but released first.

The Outfit features Joanna Cassidy’s film debut.

Former Light Heavyweight Champion Archie Moore has a role as a tough guy.  Moore held the light heavyweight boxing title for ten years — longer than any champ in that division.

The great (and eccentric) character actor Timothy Carey appears in a supporting role.  Same could be said of Elisha Cook, Jr.

The Outfit (1973) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Get Carter by Jarrod Alberich aka The Yard Sale Artist!

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Jarrod Alberich aka The Yard Sale Artist created the Jack Carter piece for pick-up at HeroesCon.  I’ve known Jarrod for years.  He’s a fun guy and an easy artist to deal with.

Jarrod calls himself The Yard Sale Artist because he uses materials that he finds at yard sales, thrift stores and so on. Jarrod passes those savings on to his customers with reasonable prices.

CEREMONY: A SPENCER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker / Z-View

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CEREMONY: A SPENCER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker

First sentences…

“She’s a goddamned whore,” Harry Kyle said.  “And I don’t want her in this house again.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

April Kyle, a high school student ran away from home.  Although her parents don’t know exactly where she is, they know what she’s become.

A teenage prostitute.

Susan Silverman, a counselor, meets with her parents.  Susan’s lover, a hard case private eye named Spenser could find April.  Spenser could bring her home.  But April’s dad is too self-righteous to care for his daughter because of what she’s become.  Dad doesn’t want April back.  April’s mom is too weak to stand up for her child.  Spenser is ready to walk away.  He can’t stand April’s father.

But Susan cares.  She convinces Spenser to find April.  If April stays on the streets she certain for an early grave.  Spenser agrees to find April, but will only bring her home if she agrees.

What sounds like an easy job, find a high school girl who has gone down the wrong path, turns out to be anything but.  Spenser is soon at odds with Trumps, a pimp with a stable of hoes, as well as people (some who are very “connected”) who specialize in trafficking kids.

Spenser and Hawk are on the case.  Let the fun begin.

+++

CEREMONY was published in 1982.  It’s as relevant today as it was over 40 years ago.  Maybe even more relevant now since it deals with child-trafficking.  Also if written today, I have no doubt that many would make accusations that Parker was making a comment by naming a pimp Trumps.

I’m a huge fan of Robert B. Parker’s tales… especially those involving Spenser.  Not many authors would be willing to have their main character save a teenage girl from a life on the streets using Spencer’s solution.

Rating:

“Dredd” (2012) starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey / Z-View

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Dredd (2012)

Director:  Pete Travis

Screenplay:  Alex Garland; based on Judge Dredd by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra

Stars: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Jason Cope, Tamer Burjaq and Deobia Oparei.

Tagline: Judgment is coming

The Plot…

In a dystopian future law officers are given authority to become judge, jury and executioner (as needed).  These police are called Judges.  The bring law and order to the Mega-City One where 800 million residents eke out a living.

Judge Dredd, a veteran officer is tasked to assess Cassandra Anderson. If Anderson survives the day making appropriate decisions and leving correct setences, she will become a Judge.

Dredd and Anderson are called to the Peach Tree Towers.  There they find three murder victims who had been tortured and skinned before being tossed from one of the 200 storey towers.  The Peach Tree Towers are the home base of Madeline “Ma-Ma” Madrigal.  Ma-Ma is head of a notorius drug cartel.  She was sending a message through the torture murders of the three victims.

Dredd and Anderson capture one of Ma-Ma’s soldiers and decide to take him in for questioning.  Ma-Ma is not going to let that happen.  Ma-Ma and her crew take control of the building’s security room.  They disrupt communications going in or out of the towers.  Ma-Ma then lowers the Tower’s nuclear blast shields.  No one is getting in or out.

Ma-Ma then announces over the Towers communication system that a bounty has been placed on the heads of Dredd and Anderson.  Anyone who kills them will be rewarded.  Anyone who helps them will, along with their families, be executed.

Alone and outnumbered, with no help coming, Dredd and Anderson decide to take the fight to Ma-Ma and her cartel.

Prepare to be judged.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In the comics that Judge Dredd is based on, Dredd is never seen without his helmet on.  Karl Urban refused to take his helmet off for any scenes.

Although Pete Travis is listed as the director of Dredd, many say that Alex Garland directed most of the movie.  Karl Urban has stated this as well.

Karl Urban is excellent as Judge Dredd.  The same for Lena Headey as Ma-Ma.

Dredd (2012) (1932) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Black Camel” (1931) starring Warner Oland and Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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The Black Camel (1931)

Director:  Hamilton MacFadden

Screenplay:  Barry Conners, Philip Klein, Dudley Nichols (uncredited); written by Hugh Stanislaus Stange (adaptation), based on THE BLACK CAMEL by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars: Warner Oland, Bela Lugosi, Victor Varconi, Murray Kinnell, J.M. Kerrigan, Mary Gordon, Dwight Frye and Robert Young.

Tagline: The unsolved secrets of Hollywood

The Plot…

Shelah Fayne is a movie star.  Her friends are beginning to worry about her.  Shelah is thinking of marrying a man she has only known a week.  Shelah will make a decision once she speaks to her favorite psychic, Tarneverro.

When Shelah is murdered Inspector Charlie Chan gets the case.  There are many suspects.  One is the killer.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bela Lugosi plays the psychic.  Dwight Frye appears uncredited as Jessop.  Lugosi and Frye appeared together in Dracula which was released the same year.

Warner Oland made five Charlie Chan films based on novels written by Charlie Chan creator Earl Derr Biggers.  Sadly The Black Camel is the only one that survived.  The other four were lost due to studio fires.

Robert Young who went on to fame playing Marcus Welby, M.D., makes his film debut in The Black Camel.

Most folks enjoy The Black Camel more than I.  Keep in mind your mileage may vary.

The Black Camel (1931) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Casino” (1995) directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Robert DeNiro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci / Z-View

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Casino (1995)

Director:  Martin Scorsese

Screenplay:  Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese; based on CASINO: LOVE AND HONOR IN LAS VEGAS by Nicholas Pileggi 

Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King, Kevin Pollak, L.Q. Jones, Dick Smothers, Frank Vincent, John Bloom, Pasquale Cajano, Melissa Prophet, Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Jerry Vale and Frankie Avalon.

Tagline: Luck has nothing to do with the games they play.

The Plot…

The year is 1973 and Las Vegas is booming.  Especially for the Chicago Mob thanks to Sam “Ace” Rothstein.  Rothstein has doubled profits for his Chi-town buddies.  Skimmed cash is sent back weekly.  All is great.

Then Rothstein’s childhood pal shows up.  Nicky Santoro is a hothead and mob enforcer known by the cops for his past crimes.  Nicky’s come to Vegas to make his fortune.  Rothstein tells Nicky all will be good if he keeps a low profile.

Of course Nicky’s gotta be Nicky.

Add Ginger McKenna to the mix and things get, uh… explosive.  Ginger is an ex-showgirl, ex-prostitute and con artist.  Rothstein loves her dearly.  She loves what Rothstein can give her.

Let’s roll the dice.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sharon Stone was nominated for a Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award.

Martin Scorsese allowed Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci to improvise much of the dialogue in their scenes.

Scorsese,  DeNiro and Pesci are gold.

Casino (1995) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Violent Ends” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here we have the poster and trailer for Violent Ends.

Deal me in!

Set in the Ozark Mountains, VIOLENT ENDS follows Lucas Frost (Magnussen), an honest man brought up in a crime family whose only legacy is violence. As Lucas tries to make a peaceful life of his own with his fiancée, Emma (Shipp), he is suddenly pulled back into the family business when his cousin, Eli, perpetrates an armed robbery with brutal consequences.

Director: John-Michael Powell
Starring: Billy Magnussen, James Badge Dale, Alexandra Shipp

MYSTIC by Jonathan Maberry / Z-View

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MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES by Jonathan Maberry

First sentences…

I see dead people.
Make a joke.  Go ahead, people do.
Fuck ’em.
I see dead people.
Not all of them.  My life would be too crowded.  Just some.  The ones who need to be seen.
The ones who need me to see them.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Monk Addison is ex-military.  Ex-Private Military Contractor.  A shooter.  If a high stakes target needed to be done, the government wanted Monk on the trigger.  But the killing took a toll.

Monk left the work and the world behind.  He decided to travel the world to find redemption.  And maybe save his soul.

What Monk learned instead was that he had a gift.  He can see and communicate with the spirits of recently murdered people.  Communicate doesn’t really convey what happens.  Monk can see the recently dead.

Yeah.

Once the murdered spirit (ghost?) appears to Monk, there’s a process.  Blood of the victim and holy water are combined.  The mixture is used as ink for Monk’s new tat… of the victim’s face.  His body is covered with faces.  Of the dead.  Of murdered souls who have come (been sent?) to Monk.  As the new body art is finished, Monk experiences (see, hears, feels) everything the victim felt when he/she was being murdered.

The process takes a toll.  But once Monk recovers, he usually knows who the murderer was.  And then Monk goes to work.  And a sniper shot would be too kind.  No, Monk has other skills he learned as a soldier and bounty hunter.  He puts them to use to meet the killer.   Then justice will be served.

+++++

MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES features a forward by Jim Butcher.  Jonathan Mayberry brings readers up to speed with About Monk Addison which is followed by eleven Monk Addison tales.

Monk Addison joins the ranks of classic Maberry characters (many who make appearances in some of the tales presented).

Jonathan Maberry has created another winner.  Bring on a Monk Addison full length adventure!

Rating:

“The Wire” Season 5 created by David Simon / Z-View

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The Wire: Season 4 (2008)

Created by: David Simon

Teleplay by:

  • (eps. 1, 10) David Simon from a story by David Simon, Ed Burns;
  • (ep. 2) William F. Zorzi from a story by David Simon, William F. Zorzi
  • (ep. 3) Chris Collins from a story by David Simon, Chris Collins
  • (eps. 4, 6) Ed Burns from a story by David Simon, Ed Burns
  • (ep. 5) David Mills from a story by David Simon, David Mills
  • (ep. 7) Richard Price from a story by David Simon, Richard Price
  • (ep. 8) Dennis Lehane from a story by David Simon, Dennis Lehane
  • (ep. 9) George Pelecanos from a story by David Simon, George Pelecanos

Directed by:

  • Joe Chappelle (eps. 1, 9)
  • Ernest Dickerson (ep. 2)
  • Scott Kecken & Joy Kecken (ep. 3)
  • Dan Attias (ep. 4)
  • Agnieszka Holland (ep. 5)
  • Seith Mann (ep. 6)
  • Dominic West (ep. 7)
  • Anthony Hemingway (ep. 8)
  • Clark Johnson (ep. 10)

Stars: Dominic West, Reg E. Cathey, Aidan Gillen, Clark Johnson, Tom McCarthy, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Michelle Paress, John Doman, Deirdre Lovejoy, Lance Reddick, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jamie Hector, Neal Huff, Corey Parker Robinson, Tristan Wilds, Jermaine Crawford, Seth Gilliam, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Andre Royo, Domenick Lombardozzi, Michael Kostroff, Jim True-Frost, Frankie Faison, Chad Coleman, Robert F. Chew, Method Man, Felicia Pearson and Michael K. Williams.

Tagline: Read Between the Lines.

The Plot…

The economy is hurting everyone.  Budget cuts have forced The Baltimore Sun newspaper to cut personnel.  Carcetti, the newly elected mayor isn’t able to institute the changes he wanted because of the school system shortfall.  Money needed to be diverted there.  This has caused shortfalls for the police who are no longer getting or being paid overtime.  The Major Crimes Unit has been shut down.  This has left the Vacant Buildings Murders and the Stansfield Investigation stopped in their tracks.

McNulty, back to his old drinking ways, comes up with a plan.  He arrives on a murder scene before anyone else.  He then disfigures the corpse and ties a ribbon around the dead man’s wrist.  McNulty figures if there is a serial killer on the loose, the department will have to find funds to investigate.  He leaks the story to a reporter.

A dead homeless person.  The story doesn’t create a buzz.  So McNulty takes it to the next level.  He uses dentures to put bite marks on another homeless person who died on the street.  He leaks the story.  Now it appears there is a serial killer with a sexual fetish preying on the homeless.  The killer seems to be escalating.  More murders are assured.  No one is safe.

The story takes off. Under pressure to catch the killer, the mayor (who wants to run for Governor in the next election) finds funds to bring back the Major Crimes Unit.  McNulty now has access to unlimited overtime that he plans to use to bring down the Stansfield crime family and solve the Vacant Buildings Murders.  Despite institgating a plan that would get him fired and arrested, McNulty seems to have things under control.

Then a Baltimore Sun Reporter claims that the killer is in contact with him.  Although the reporter is lying everyone believes him.  Papers are flying off the stands. The reporter keeps upping the ante with his tales of the killer contacting him.  Soon the FBI is called in.

McNulty knows the reporter is lying but the only way to prove it is to turn himself in.  With the publicity the case is getting, plus the Feds itching to get involved, McNulty feels the noose tightening.

Meanwhile Omar is back to his old ways ripping off drug dealers.  But now there is a price on his head.  And every criminal in the city is looking to collect.

Marlo is feeling his increasing power.  He shuts down the co-op.  Snoop and Chris are turned loose on any who oppose him.  Especially anyone considered a snitch.  Michael, who had been on the rise in Marlo’s organization may be talking to the cops.  If that’s the case, he has to disappear.

The Wire’s final season goes out with a bang.  Not all will survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Wire was a Nominee for a 2008 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series –  David Simon (writer/story by), Ed Burns (story by) for the -30- episode

The Wire‘s final season builds upon everything that came before. It finished as it started: well written, well directed and well acted.

The Wire: Season 5 (2008) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Boneyard” (2024) starring Brian Van Holt, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson and Mel Gibson / Z-View

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Boneyard (2024)

Director:  Asif Akbar

Screenplay:  Vincent E. McDaniel, Asif Akbar, Hank Byrd, Koji Steven Sakai; story by Vincent E. McDaniel

Stars: Mel Gibson, 50 Cent, Brian Van Holt, Nora Zehetner, Weston Cage and Randall J. Bacon.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When the remains of eleven women are found buried in a field, there is no doubt a serial killer is at work in Albuquerque.  The F.B.I. sends in profiler Special Agent Petrovick to assist the team led by Chief Carter.

There are many leads, but evidence doesn’t point to a single killer.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Boneyard is based on a real case. The remains of eleven women were found buried in the desert west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Several suspects were considered. None were arrested or charged.  If you’re hoping the movie has a better resolution… don’t.

Mel Gibson is featured first on the movie poster.  Gibson also appears prominently in the movie’s trailer.  Boneyard has a run time of 96 minutes.  Mel Gibson gets approximately 15 minutes of screen time.

Boneyard (2024) rates 2 of 5 stars.