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Not rated. () |
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(171) |
51 |
150 |
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(5) |
2 |
5 |
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(166) |
49 |
145 |
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Plot:
Having been 'away' for some time professional killer Frankie Bono returns to New York to do another job: assassinate some mid-level mobster. Although intending to avoid unnecessary 'contact' while car...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 6, 2008
I first heard of this film from Ed Brubaker in the comic Criminal. He recommended the film and it sounded like a great piece of film noir. Unfortunately, it?s a Criterion Collection DVD, so it means I?d have to shell out a bunch of cash if I?d ever want to see it. Then a sale came by and I was able to pick it up recently.
Blast of Silence is an inspiration. It was made with next to no money and filmed on location on the streets of New York City. This caused a few run-ins with the police. At it?s heart, the film is a typical film noir story. You?ve got the loner gunman, Frank Bono who rolls into town for a job. Things don?t go according to plan, regardless of how professional Frank acts and things end in tragedy. But I felt like this film was just more than that.
What I found unique about Blast of Silence was mostly how it was told. Lionel Stander narrated the film in this hard man?s voice. His narration made up at least 70% of the film?s dialogue. At first I was a little skeptical because it felt like a book with moving pictures, but the voice grew on me. It became a sort of conscience for our protagonist. Granted, he was no Jiminy Cricket, but he became this little voice, almost like another personality that spoke to Franky and in turn, us. I feel like if any other movie tried to do this, it just wouldn?t work. On the surface it sounds like a horrible way to direct a movie, but it just worked in this one.
The characters are perfect and for a low-budget film, surprising well played. Frank is this lonely professional hitman who always does things by the book. Somehow returning to New York City is the equivalent to throwing a monkey wrench into his world of rules. Throughout his entire journey he?s thinking of things that he could have done or could have been. Is this all that he?s amounted to in life? A well-payed, lonely hitman? Joining Frank is the skeevy and oddly disturbing Big Ralph whom Frank hits up for a much needed gun. Larry Tucker is just so?odd in this role. I sort of like Ralph, but at the same time, I despise him. I love that effect.
Included on this hoity-toity Criterion release is a cool booklet with some more info about the movie. There?s also an hour long documentary where director/writer/actor Allen Baron returns to the streets where he made the film 30 years later. It?s interesting and a little heartfelt as he literally takes a stroll down memory lane.
Blast of Silence is an achievement in low-budget film-making. It?s far from the greatest movie ever made, but it?s just good, gritty film noir that I can get behind. Sure, the effects are far from spectacular and the gunfights can be a little silly, but that doesn?t matter. This is a good movie that gets under your skin. Frank is nothing but professional, but things get quickly out of hand with this job when he?s shown glimpses of what he could have had if his life was just a little different. I can easily recommend this film to any fan of film noir. -
MCT:July 27, 2008
I didn't find it as suspenseful as the reviews claimed. I'm not sure how this movie warranted a Criterion release but I have read a glowing review from EW so this movie has to be significant in some way. I did read somewhere that this was a low budget movie. Eh, I'm still not too impressed.
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MCT:July 2, 2008
There's good pulp and there's bad pulp. This a case of Good Pulp, being it's well aware of what it is. Some of the acting isn't that great, however I believe that adds to the mystique of it, along with the naration that isn't omni-present, it isn't personal, it's like a coach or a sports announcer. Everytime I watch it, I wonder what the film would be like without it.
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MCT:June 30, 2008A good film with great on location filming in New York City. It's a good story with great narration and highly inventive shots. The only problem with the film is the acting and tacked on love story. There is one exception with the acting and that's Larry Tucker,his character Big Ralph is unconventional and really shines.
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MCT:June 30, 2008
Great early 60's low budget hitman movie. The lead actor isn't the strongest, but the direction makes up for it and the on-location New York photography is great. Nice Jazz score and fantastic hard-boiled narration.
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MCT:June 9, 2008
Clearly a major inspiration for Frank Miller's Sin City series. A definite must-see for any fan of film noir. One of the best.
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MCT:May 4, 2008This is one of my favorite Criterion releases of the past couple years. I love film noir, but I'm not a film noir buff. This movie may be my favorite film noir ever.
Without this movie, there could never have been a Sin City, at least not as we've known it. It's crazy moody and really reminds me of John Cassavetes's The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, only (personally) better. There's just this vibe that follows the movie. It really is a living bass line that takes over tehe entire piece.
I do have to say that it is very low budget and far from a perfect movie. But it has soul in spades. I can't believe that this is Allen Baron's only film. I think the thing that really steals this movie for me is the dialogue. While Allen Baron wrote, directed, and starred in this piece (usually a deadly combination), the narration was written and read by someone else. It was a wholly unique experience because it was a compeltely objective feel to the film outside of what you get with one writer's voice. It was a novel approach and it really works for the film.
Like I mentioned, this really is a lower budget film. Normally, I have some concern with these kinds of films. I know why Criterion releases them (because they're important and I can't argue with that), but they're usually harder to watch. Honestly, I was riveted with this film. Another thing about the Criterion release that I absolutely love is the art by Sean Phillips. Phillips is the artist for the Ed Brubaker penned Criminal monthly comic book. It really is a great tie into something like Blast of Silence and it makes complete sense that they asked Phillips to do the art for the DVD. He's got this really cool, hip atmosphere behind his art and that is just a top-notch addition to an already pretty amazing movie.
This movie really hasn't been available (as far as I know) on DVD in the past. Patton Oswalt, my favorite comedian and supernerd, claimed that this is one of his favorite movies. I compltely agree and cannot wait for Jim to put it into rent at Thomas. I might have to play it and play it often. -
MCT:May 3, 2008
Admittedly Blast of Silence has some embarrassing aspects to it. The jazz club scene alone should've send this movie into obscurity. Throw the poorly delivered and mostly nonsensical narration and theoretically you've got a recipe for some grade-A crap. But Allen Baron's direction and eye for the grittiness that steals the show is as brilliant as it is incredible. Yeah, the acting is weak (even though Baron himself is great when he doesn't speak) and the story kind of fizzles out at the end, that scene with Ralph toward the beginning was creepy and amazing. And Scorsese had to be thinking of this when he made Taxi Driver. Film noir dies here.
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MCT:April 17, 2008a complete disappointment. how'd this get released on criterion? the narration was probably the worst part about it. it adds almost nothing to the characters or story. even pointing out at one point that the protagonist is "remembering." really...?! just obnoxious and unneeded. some of the acting is terrible. the score was atrocious. the cinematography was the only saving factor. i give this a big "eff you!" outta 5...
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