Hard Contract - (1969) Directed by S. Lee Pogostin
Starring James Coburn, Lee Remick, Lilli Palmer,
Burgess Meredith
I don't know where to place this movie. Not that I'm too crazy about categories to begin with but it has all the available elements of an action movie, even if only for a climax. Yet its not an action movie, there isn't much action in the film. Its a love story within an action film drama slightly blended with social commentary, so within this limitation its a romance of, as the film itself states, "97% control and 3% emotion." The script was very well written, in particular, the dialogue but the story also plays out wonderfully. S. Lee Pogostin who directed the film also wrote the screenplay.
And I truly believe that James Coburn was the inspiration for John Corben/Metallo of the Superman WB animated series.
And also...
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte - (1964)
Directed by Robert Aldrich
Starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland,
Joseph Cotten and Agnes Moorehead
Very satisfying thriller about murder and psychological manipulation. Like most good thrillers there is a twist but instead of drastically shifting into the twist thus surprising the viewer, we are slowly eased into the plot twizzler. Its not so much a sharp turn as it is a blunt curve that works really well even though you see it coming. The effect for me was that I saw the surprise coming but because it was in plain view for so long I discarded it as a possibility.
Bette Davis is top notch material. She always has that presence, no matter what age or role, there is a strong foundation of character available to the screen.
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