Category: Movies

I Died a Thousand Times (1955)

Director: Stuart Heisler
Screenplay: W.R. Burnett
Stars: Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, Lori Nelson, Lee Marvin, Lon Chaney, Jr., Earl Holliman and Dennis Hopper.

The Pitch: “Let’s remake ‘High Sierra.’”

Tagline: “The Story Behind The Terrifying 60-Day Hunt For Desperado ‘Mad-Dog’ Earle!”

The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…

Roy Earl [Palance] an infamous bank robber [think Dillinger] is sprung from prison by an old crime boss who wants Earl for a big robbery. Obligated for his freedom, Earl drives west to check out the set up.

Once he meets up with his old boss, Earl discovers the robbery plan is good and the money is right, but his partners are young, inexperienced thugs [Marvin & Holliman] looking to make a name for themselves… plus they have a woman [Winters] with them and everyone knows women and crime plans don’t work out.

Before it is over there will be a robbery, people killed, double-crosses and a manhunt for the “Mad Dog Killer” Roy Earl.

Rating:

The Cotton Club (1984)

Director:  Francis Ford Coppola

Screenplay: William Kennedy & Francis Ford Coppola

Stars:  Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Nicholas Cage, Fred Gwynne, Lawrence Fishburne, John P. Ryan, Tom Waits, Jennifer Grey, Ed O’Ross, Woody Strode and James Russo.

The Pitch: “Let’s make an event movie based on famous gangsters with dancing!”

Tagline: “Welcome to The Cotton Club. Where Crime Lords rub elbows with the rich and famous. Where deals are made, lives are traded. And the legends of jazz light up the night.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

It is still hard for me to believe I don’t like this movie better than I do.  Look at the director (Coppola!), the cast (too many to list) and the subject matter.  How can this not rate higher?  Perhaps the narrative is too all over the place…

There’s the young musician [Gere] who inadvertently saves a gangster [Remar] and ends up in a romantic triangle with the gangster’s girl [Lane].

There’s the African-American brothers who want to make it as a dance team but end up feuding and split up.

There’s the two gangs which are almost ready to go to war.

There’s the Cotton Club – the place owned by whites, but the talent is black and where a lot of the action happens.

There’s the… well, I could go on, but I think you get the idea.  The music is fine.  The dance numbers [especially by the Hines brothers] are fun.  It’s also a kick to identify the real historical figures portrayed in the film.  Still, the movie itself falls short.

Rating: