Category: Crime

Z-View: “Jack Reacher”

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The Pitch: ”Hey, let’s do a movie adaptation of one of Lee Child’s best selling Jack Reacher novels and get Tom Cruise to star.”

“But Jack Reacher is described in the novels as being 6′ 5″ — a modern day giant.  Tom Cruise is pretty short and fans of the novels will hate the casting.”

“Tom Cruise is in so who cares about the miscasting.  What do you say?”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “The law has limits. He does not.”

The Overview:  James Barr, a former military sniper, kills five random people.  He’s quickly caught in what appears to be an open-and-shut case.  The evidence is overwhelming.  Barr claims he didn’t do it and tells his defense attorney to get Jack Reacher.

Reacher shows up on his own.  Reacher is a former Army Criminal Investigator who is now living off the grid.  Reacher is there to prove that Barr committed the crime since Reacher knows Barr got away with a similar killing when deployed overseas.

Reacher looks at the evidence and fairly quickly determines that Barr was used as a patsy and didn’t kill those murdered.  As he digs into the case, Reacher becomes the target of those behind the killings and a bigger conspiracy.

*** Beware – minor spoilers are found below ***

The Good

  • Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher as if he knows he is not only the smartest but also the baddest man in the room.  Reacher doesn’t flaunt either ability, but he won’t back down from showing either ability when pressed.
  • Because Cruise isn’t a 6’5″ hulk, it is even more impressive when Reacher refuses to back down.  You can see Reacher enjoys the chance to show how smart he is or whoop some butt if those who are pressing him refuse to stop.
  • The story is a good one.  It is fun seeing Cruise unravel the mystery and put together the killings so that they make better sense than the sequence of events that the prosecutors laid out.
  • The car chase is one of the best in years.
  • Cruise has a number of great lines.
  • Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, Jai Courtney and Alexia Fast are impressive in their roles.  It’s always nice to see Robert Duvall show up.

The Bad:

  • Lee Child fans who refused to see Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.
  • The scene where two thugs attempt to beat up Reacher in a bathroom.  The first part of the scene almost plays like The Three Stooges, but then takes a turn and the second half of the fight scene works much better.
  • It would have been nice had Werner Herzog been given more to do.
  • Telling someone you didn’t see them so they won’t have to kill you and getting the response, “It doesn’t matter.”

The Ugly:

  • Being given the choice to break or chew off a finger or take a bullet to the head.

Rating:

White Suits by Frank Barbiere & Toby Cypress

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That’s a preview page for White Suits a new mini-series coming from Frank Barbiere [writer] and Toby Cypress [artist].  Barbiere summarizes the series saying…

The White Suits is an action/crime story about a mysterious group of killers known as, you guessed it, The White Suits. The group has history dating back to the Cold War… they have resurfaced in NYC and are systematically eliminating the city’s gangs. The crime lords of the city have banded together to deal with the problem, while a rogue FBI agent who has a history with the Suits is plotting her own battle. She’s been on the tail of a man she suspects was once a member and finally corners him, only to discover he has amnesia — so the two of them are on a quest for truth (and revenge) against the Suits. The story is fueled by the mystery of exactly who the White Suits are — which will come to light by the end of the mini-series.

You can learn more about White Suits here.  If it sounds like something you’d like, you can pre-order through your local comic shop.  I did.

Source: CBR.com.

Z-View: Dead Body Road #1

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Dead Body Road is a six issue mini-series published by Image.

Writer: Justin Jordan

Penciler / Inker: Matteo Scalera

Colorist: Moreno Dinisio

The men involved in his wife’s death must die.   All of them.

Dead Body Road #1 sets the bar high.  Great writing, great art and a crime/revenge story that hits all the right marks without being cliché.

Gage is an ex-cop.  His wife Anna (also a cop) was killed in what looks like a robbery gone bad.  Everybody in the building was murdered and the bad guys got away… just not together.  When the robbery turned into the OK Corral, one of the thieves (the one with the item being stolen) high-tailed it.

Now he has Gage, and the other crooks hot on his trail.  It won’t be good for him no matter who catches him first.  And how bad would it be if the crooks and Gage get to him at the same time?

Justin Jordan has created a crime story that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up.  There’s a lot going on and each scene propels us deeper into something that is much more than your typical ex-cop seeks revenge against those who killed his family tale.  This could have been a simple story of revenge, but Jordan has layered in much more.

Matteo Scalera creates visuals that have the maximum impact for each scene.  Car chases are usually boring — especially in comics.  Scalera pulls off a four page sequence that not only advances the story, but makes you feel the speed and danger of the chase.  His characters have character.

Dead Body Road #1  is a comic for mature audiences due to violence and language.  If you’re a fan of crime/revenge stories then this is for you.  Dead Body Road #1 gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

Big News for Frank Miller’s Sin City

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We have some news, some big news, for fans of Frank Miller’s Sin City.

On July 8, 2014, Dark Horse will release Frank Miller’s Big Damn Sin City.  This baby will come as a hardcover edition and clock in with over 1300 pages — and contain every one of Miller’s seven Sin City yarns!

On July 8, 2014, fans will also be able to pick up Frank Miller: The Art of Sin City  which will appear for the first time in a trade paperback edition.  I have a copy of the hardback edition, and give Frank Miller: The Art of Sin City  my highest recommendation.

To round out the trifecta, on July 8, 2014, Dark Horse will re-release in hardcover, Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

These books will be a great lead-in for the movie adaptation of A Dame to Kill For which will be released on August 22, 2014.

“The Big Heat” directed by Fritz Lang, starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Graham & Lee Marvin / Z-View

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The Pitch: ”Hey, We could make a new kind of movie.  It’ll be about an honest cop who refuses to back off his investigation of a homicide.  He’ll go up against crooked cops, mobsters and refuse to quit no matter the cost.  This movie will influence everything from ‘Dirty Harry’  to Frank Miller’s Sin City.  What do you say?”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “A hard cop and a soft dame!.”

The Overview:  Glenn Ford is Detective Sgt. Dave Bannion, a rare honest cop in a town run by a mobster named Mike Lagana.  Bannion is sent in to investigate the suicide of a fellow cop.  It should be an open-and-shut-case, but when a prostitute provides evidence that there’s more to the case, Bannion begins to dig deeper.

Then the prostitute turns up dead — the result of a torture murder — and Bannion is ordered to stand down.  He refuses.  How can one honest cop bring down a powerful mobster and a police force full of cops on the take?  Dave Bannion is going to find out… or die trying,

*** Beware – minor spoilers can be found below ***

The Good:

  • The direction by Fritz Lang.
  • The cast: Glenn Ford, Gloria Graham, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby, and Lee Marvin!  They are excellent.
  • There is an undercurrent that runs through this movie that what you’re seeing on the surface is just a hint of what is really going on.
  • The movie is perfectly cast from the main stars to the smallest roles.  Carolyn Jones [best known as Morticia on The Adams Family] has a small, but important role.
  • Bannion’s confrontation of Lagana in his mansion.
  • The interplay between Bannion and his wife.
  • Bannion in the bar [all of the scenes – with the prostitute, later with the bartender, and again when he backs down Lee Marvin].
  • Bannion’s scenes in the hotel with Debby Marsh.  Will he cross the line?  Will they?
  • The guy’s who get the drop on Bannion… and what happens next.  [It is not what you’d expect.]
  • Bannion and Mrs. Duncan.  Will he cross the line [and not like he might have with Debby Marsh]?

The Bad:

  • Lee Marvin as Vince Stone.  He’s a mobster on the rise and he’ll do or have done whatever Lagana orders.
  • Hot coffee near Vince Stone when he’s mad.
  • What happens to people who cross Mike Lagana.
  • What happens to people around Dave Bannion when he won’t back down.
  • What happens to lawbreakers when Dave Bannion is on the case.

The Ugly:

  • Getting a face full of hot coffee.
  • Dave Bannion’s last line of the movie.  ; )

Rating: 5 out of 5

Z-View: Chambers by Locher & Rossi

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Chambers is a graphic novel published by Arcana

Writer/Creator: Wes Locher

Artist: Kristian Rossi

Narcotics Officer Denis Chambers comes from a family of law enforcers. Now, someone is picking them off one by one, and she’ll have to figure out who’s taking an axe to her family tree before it’s too late.

Denis Chambers is a cop marked for execution by the same powerful men who killed her father [who was also a cop].  Normally killing a cop brings the entire police force into play to find the killer(s)… but what happens when the killers are cops?

Denis Chambers finds herself in a race against time to discover who is trying to kill her and her brother.  Who can she trust?  How deep does the corruption run?  Is her partner in danger or part of the conspiracy to kill her?

 Wes Locher hits all the right marks as he moves us through Denis Chambers’ story.  She’s tough, and despite being outmanned and outgunned she keeps plowing forward.  This is classic noir with a great ending.

Kristian Rossi’s art does a serviceable job of telling the story.  I’d have liked to have seen Rossi’s art without the color.  At times Rossi’s art has a glimmer of an Eduardo Risso [and we all know what a Risso fan I am], influence.

Chambers  is a comic for mature audiences and not kids.  If you’re a fan of crime comics, pulp fiction, and noir, then Chambers  is worth a look.

Rating: 3 out of 5

“Farewell, My Lovely” – Pulp Writer, Jim Thompson’s Only Acting Role

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I’m sure you’re aware that this version of Raymond Chandler’s classic  Farewell, My Lovely  has an all-star cast that includes Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Anthony Zerbe, Harry Dean Stanton. Jack O’Halloran, Joe Spinell, and Sylvester Stallone. Did you know that it also features pulp writer Jim Thompson in his first and last acting role!

Z-View: “The Mechanic” (2011)

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The Pitch: “Hey, We could remake “The Mechanic”  with Jason Statham in the Charles Bronson role and Ben Foster in the Jan-Michael Vincent role.”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Someone has to fix the problems.” [Where was this person when this remake was made?]

The Overview:  Jason Statham is Author Bishop aka The Mechanic.  Bishop is a hit man — the best in the business and able to kill without leaving a clue.  Often his hits look like fatal accidents.  Bishop works alone, is precise, methodical and logical.  When Bishop’s mentor is killed, Bishop takes on the mentor’s son as an apprentice.  This will lead to the death of many including one or both of them.

*** Beware – minor spoilers can be found below ***

The Good:

  • The original Charles Bronson version.
  • Ben Foster’s fight scene with a huge guy.

The Bad:

  • Statham and Foster lacked chemistry.
  • It seemed out-of-place that Statham would take on a partner.
  • You know you’re in trouble when the best fight in the movie doesn’t involve the star [who is known for fighting].
  • A black water swimming pool?  Swimming underwater below the guy you just killed, moving his arms to make it appear he is alive and swimming?

The Ugly:

  • Remaking a classic and falling this short.

Rating: 2 out of 5

“Homefront” / Z-View

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The Pitch: “Hey, Sly has a great action screenplay that he was gonna use for Rambo available.  It’s based on a book by Chuck Hogan.  Sly says Jason Statham is up for the lead.”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “How far would you go to protect your home?”

The Overview:  Jason Statham plays Phil Broker, a retired under-cover DEA agent who moved to rural Louisiana to raise his 9 year old daughter after the death of his wife.  When his daughter bloodies the nose of a class bully (who happens the be the child of the local meth dealer) things quickly escalate and Statham’s past as a DEA agent becomes known. Soon an outlaw motorcycle gang and local thugs are both looking for revenge.

*** Beware – minor spoilers can be found below ***

The Good:

  • The cast.  Kate Bosworth kills in her role as, Cassie Bodine Klum, a redneck, methhead who is used to getting her way thanks to her brother being the local “Walter White.”  James Franco as “Gator” Bodine is surprisingly effective in a role that wouldn’t at first seem to fit him.  Winona Ryder, Clancy Brown and Chuck Zito all make welcome appearances.  Jason Statham is of course Jason Statham (that’s good).
  • Broker does his best to avoid trouble, but there is a line he won’t cross and God help you if you cross it!
  • The fight scenes and the fact that they avoided Statham giving “wise-cracks.”
  • Broker mistakenly thinks that Jimmy Klum is behind the threats to him.

The Bad:

  • What happens when you don’t let Broker finish filling his tank.
  • When you are a friend of Broker’s and go to pick up his horses.
  • If you’re the class bully and you decide to pick on Broker’s daughter.
  • Being married to Cassie Bodine Klum.

The Ugly:

  • One of Gator Bodine’s thugs ankles after Broker has had enough.
  • When you raise your gun towards dozens of cops who are armed, hyped up and have warned you to drop it.
  • That Homefront is doing better at the box office.

Rating: 4 out of 5

(Re)Discovering Hitchcock’s Rope

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When movie fans talk about the films of Alfred Hitchock the first ones mentioned are usually, Vertigo, Psycho, North by Northwest, and Rear Window.  Often the list goes on a bit more before Rope is mentioned.  And that’s too bad because many folks never get around to seeing it.

Rope stars Jimmy Stewart in Hitchock’s adaptation of a play based on the infamous Leopold-Loeb murder case.  (Another excellent movie based on the Leopold-Loeb murder case is Compulsion starring Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman.)  It’s interesting to note that Hitchcock filmed Rope as if it was done with one continuous shot to keep the feel of a stage play!