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Rating Averages
My Friends |
Not rated. () |
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All Flixster |
(650) |
257 |
1877 |
Female |
(131) |
52 |
378 |
Male |
(519) |
205 |
1499 |
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Plot:
Cosmo Vitelli owns the Crazy Horse West, a strip joint in California. He's laconic, a Korean War vet, and a gambler. When we meet him, he's making his last payment on a gambling debt. Then, he promptl...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 31, 2008Director Cassavetes was a master of realism and naturalized story telling. The story here unfolds so naturally that I feel more like I'm witnessing a story than being told one. A standard crime thriller with a title so literal that a plot discription is unnecessary. A bit long and slow for some people, but I have a hard time imagining where to cut it. Cassavetes, like all directors, had his own "style". Camera tecnique, actor direction, ect. But his style was so subltle that even some of his fans couldn't tell you what it was. Here we are given a complete portrait of Ben Gazzara's Cosmo Vitelli. Not a scene is wasted in putting us squarely in his world. By the end we feel like we really got to know him. It almost feels more like a moment in time than a movie. A solid dramatic piece free of cinimatic pretentions or heaviness.
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MCT:May 18, 2008
People say director Cassavetes wanted audiences to work, and I get that, but I find it off-putting to do ALL the work. Ben Gazarra is terrific as a club owner behind the eight-ball, but I would have appreciated him more if I wasn't trying to work out the plot all the time. Cassavetes works without establishing shots or master shots. Like being thrown into the deep end of a pool, we the audience are thrown into scenes without warning, and it's up to us to sink or swim. Who is this guy he's giving money to? What's he doing at this bar, looking pathetic? Did he get shot back there? If so, why isn't he limping? While my mind is grasping for character motivation and plot points, I'm missing the movie. I picked this movie to see of the George Eastman House's Cassavetes series because it sounded the most action driven, but it's still essentially a character piece. Sure, there's some gun play and a good chase scene, but they don't pay off in the traditional way. I was reminded of Scorcese's Mean Streets and Who's that Knockin, but those character pieces had more bravado and fun characters to grab onto.
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MCT:April 5, 2008Ben Gazzara gives a great performance in John Cassavetes' meditative tale about masculine posturing, identity and desperation.
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MCT:December 2, 2007
Really great film. Cassavetes builds such an interesting character study not just through his writing, but by his direction. The way he shoots the main character's action (specifically the title event) say so much about the main character. And also some outstanding composition and editing. Just terrific all around.
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MCT:October 30, 2007One of my favorits. Great dialogue, great acting. Ben Gazzara is great and so is the underestimated Tim Carey.
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MCT:June 27, 2007
The definitive Cassavetes film. His attempt at film noir. Brilliant stuff. To hell with "slick" moviemaking!
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MCT:June 19, 2007
The original cut, which I watched just seemed far too long. However, it does score points on visual style, with those handheld camera scenes. It also attains a realism in it's scenes involving conversation - it used amateur and professional actors together as well as overlapping dialogue which reminded me a lot of Welles' Touch of Evil. The jerky and stylish camera movement with it's pallete of bright colours really reminded me of a Wong Kar Wai film. Wonder if he was influenced by this film. Overall, an alright story and great acting and so on, just too long.
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MCT:June 7, 2007
Some may find the improvisation and muffled sound detracts from the narrative but then it wouldnt' be a Cassavetes film. This is one of his best and the killing sequence is edge of the seat stuff. Interesting to compare it in style to Taxi Driver, made the same year. Perhaps this film is even more revolutionary.
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