Movie Review: Hang'Em High (1968)

Genre: Western  

Director: Ted Post  

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Pat Hingle, Ed Begley, Ben Johnson, Bruce Dern  

Running Time: 114 minutes  

Synopsis: In Oklahoma Territory of 1889, ex-lawman Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood) is wrongfully accused of cattle rustling and summarily lynched by a posse led by Captain Wilson (Ed Begley). He survives thanks to the intervention of Marshal Bliss (Ben Johnson). In Fort Grant, Cooper is set free by Judge Fenton (Pat Hingle), who also convinces him to become a Marshal and to avoid extrajudicial killings. In addition to tracking down bad guys throughout the territory, Cooper gets involved with the widow Rachel Warren (Inger Stevens), who is keen to take a close look at every captured outlaw. 

What Works Well: Eastwood's first US-based Western after achieving stardom through the Dollars trilogy effectively combines toned-down spaghetti stylings with robust genre traditions. The plot is inspired by the real-life "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker, and the scene of multiple hangings as carnival-like entertainment for the whole community is impressive commentary about the guise of violence. Reflections on the nature of justice and governance basics required to achieve statehood also emerge from the debates between Eastwood's Cooper and Hingle's Judge Fenton. With the help of an impressive supporting cast and a Dominic Frontiere music score saluting Morricone, director Ted Post still allocates plenty of time for revenge, survival, romance, and a few action set-pieces. 

What Does Not Work As Well:

Inger Stevens is unable to do much with Rachel Warren's side-story, which appears tacked-on to justify a leading female role.

Key Quote:

Jed Cooper (to Reno, a member of the lynch mob): When you hang a man, you better look at him.



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Movie Review: Madigan (1968)

A tough police procedural, Madigan tackles multiple storylines but is more successful as a television series template than a cohesive film.

In New York City, detectives Daniel Madigan (Richard Widmark) and Rocco Bonaro (Harry Guardino) are humiliated when fugitive Barney Benesch (Steve Ihnay) slips from their grasp and steals their guns during what should have been a routine arrest. They set out to make amends, contacting Benesch's known associates to track him down. 

Meanwhile Police Commissioner Anthony Russell (Henry Fonda) has other problems: he receives proof his long time friend and deputy Chief Inspector Charles Kane (James Whitmore) is on the take, while the distinguished Dr. Taylor (Raymond St. Jacques) is accusing the police department of harassing his Black son.

Madigan is finding it increasingly difficult to manage the expectations of his wife Julia (Inger Stevens), who resents his frequent absences and low salary. Russell is single, but is having an affair with the married Tricia (Susan Clark). Through bookie Castiglione (Michael Dunn) and then part-time pimp Hughie (Don Stroud), Madigan and Bonaro close in on Benesch, but he is determined to evade arrest.

An adaptation of Richard Dougherty's book The Commissioner with a script by Howard Rodman and Abraham Polonsky, Madigan deserves credit for attempting to round the two principal characters into people who have private lives and frustrations beyond solving the crime at hand. And the concurrent stories add a dose of realism, a Commissioner like Russell not afforded the luxury of solving one problem at a time. 

While the change in title from book to film suggests an increased focus on top-billed Richard Widmark's detective, director Don Siegel still tilts the screen time more towards Henry Fonda's commissioner. In this case, this is not necessarily a good thing, Fonda appearing dour and vaguely disinterested throughout. His multiple worries surrounding the evidence against Inspector Kane, Dr. Taylor's allegations of brutality and racism, and his illicit relationship with Tricia spread the movie too thin. Madigan threatens to drop to the level of a television pilot where future episodes will pick up the many loose threads (a short-lived network series did follow).

Siegel does better foreshadowing 1970s urban grittiness and loose-cannon detectives. Madigan deglamourizes New York City into yellows and browns, the action playing out in back alleys, narrow hallways and nondescript motel rooms. And with Widmark relishing his character's joy at operating just slightly over the line, the film starts and ends with short and sharp bangs, taut encounters with the dangerous Benesch making up for some of the flab in the middle. The police officers may have romantic partners to appease and cocktail parties to attend, but nothing replaces the thrill of the chase.



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Movie Review: Cry Terror! (1958)

A ransom and hostage drama, Cry Terror! has a good cast and a smattering of good ideas, but also distracted focus.

After an airline receives multiple anonymous bomb threats, electronics and detonations expert Jim Molner (James Mason) realizes he was duped into building miniature bombs by ex-army buddy Paul Hoplin (Rod Steiger). Now Hoplin demands a $500,000 ransom from the airline and holds Jim's family hostage, including wife Joan (Inger Stevens) and young daughter Patty.

Paul's gang includes Eileen Kelly (Angie Dickinson), the high-strung Vince (Jack Klugman) and unstable ex-con Steve (Neville Brand). With the FBI desperately searching for the perpetrators, Joan is dispatched to collect the ransom money, with any wrong move resulting in harm to the family.

Written, produced and directed by Andrew L. Stone with big assists from his wife and editor Virginia, Cry Terror! is filled with intrigue and promise. Stone predicts the coming age of terrorism targeting airlines with difficult-to-find small bombs, built using military-grade explosives and smuggled into either the passenger or luggage compartments. The film starts with the threat of big bangs and mass casualties, only avoided because smooth criminal Paul is less interested in murder and more focused on demanding the coveted half a million dollars.

Unafraid to experiment, Cry Terror! features alternating narration, Joan and Jim taking turns describing their thoughts and emotions as they maneuver through the hostage experience. With Inger Stevens delivering the film's standout performance, Joan stars in the highlight sequence, a stressful time-limited courier ordeal where being late means harm to Jim and Patty. Later, a more disinterested James Mason gets to describe his attempted escape through an elevator shaft, an altogether less logical chapter.

The film's second half goes searching for tense Hitchcockian moments with varying success but at the expense of rational plotting. The supposed evil genius of mastermind Paul Hoplin (with Rod Steiger menacing but restrained) is parked as the script just pauses his plan and waits for Joan, Jim and the FBI to make their moves. Stone is engrossed in the minutiae of specific actions, while the big picture gets quite blurry.

But crisp black and white cinematography, interesting camera placements, extreme close-ups and a variety of sets help overcome the rough moments. Cry Terror! never quite soars, but it does barrel down the runway with engines revving.

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Movie Review: The Buccaneer (1958)

A fictionalized account of the Battle Of New Orleans, the final major encounter of the War Of 1812, The Buccaneer is a mix of piracy and politics, with a focus on pirate leader Jean Lafitte.

The British have sacked Washington, and the strategic port of New Orleans is their next target. United States General Andrew Jackson (Charlton Heston) is dispatched to organize the defences of a disorganized city. Jackson finds little to work with, the local troops lacking training and supplies. Both the British and Americans recognize the strategic importance of a large swath of sea-side territory on the outskirts of the city, controlled by the charismatic pirate Jean Lafitte (Yul Brynner) and his well-armed, battle-hardened band of merry men including second-in-command Dominique You (Charles Boyer).

Lafitte is allied with no one, and has problems of his own with insubordination from Captain Brown, one of his key lieutenants. Brown's scrappy daughter Bonnie (Claire Bloom) harbours a secret crush on Lafitte, but he is only interested in winning the heart of Annette Claiborne (Inger Stevens), the daughter of the New Orleans Governor. With the battle for New Orleans drawing ever closer, Lafitte has to decide which warring army he wants to align with.

Overseen by Cecil B. DeMille, whose failing health prevented him from taking a more active role, The Buccaneer aims for an epic-like scope but is limited by the confines of indoor sets and artificial-looking backdrops. Even the brief scenes of naval combat are constrained by the walls of a rather small sound stage. The film has the look and feel of ambitious theatre exceeding available resources, rather than the relaxed breadth of grand location-based story telling.

DeMille's son-in-law (at the time) Anthony Quinn took over directing duties, the first and only time that Quinn went behind the camera. His work here is best described as perfunctory, as apart from some good use of fog, there is little visual flair to speak of.

But despite reaching for and missing the requisite grandeur, The Buccaneer is still a boisterous adventure, mostly thanks to the charismatic Yul Brynner as Jean Lafitte. Brynner exudes the relaxed confidence of a man comfortable in his own skin, sure of his leadership capabilities and sharply focused on getting what he wants. In a rather small role Charlton Heston adds his hefty, serious presence as Andrew Jackson, and together Brynner and Heston provide The Buccaneer with formidable star power.

In support, Charles Boyer thrives in the well-written role of Dominique You, purportedly a former soldier in Napoleon's army, his pockets filled with dubious medals, his soul darkened by disappointment to the point where a life of piracy appears to be a genuinely fun, an alcohol-drenched opportunity to dispense jaundiced wisdom.

Of course historical accuracy is sacrificed for the sake of enhanced drama. Nevertheless, The Buccaneer sets a brisk sail in its final 45 minutes and enjoys two back to back peaks: the Battle Of New Orleans itself is recreated, with Lafitte's pirates playing a prominent role in a literal fog of war, and then a lavish celebration of unexpected victory turns dour when the past catches up with the present. Even a buccaneer, it seems, can't escape the winds of reputation.

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