pyamada

John Farrow, whose work as a director has been sadly forgotten, makes the most of a great cast, some sinister ideas about identity change and a fairly weak plot ending. It really is hard to believe that Mitchum never gets that shot; and there is less suspense in the ending than one would hope for. But Vincent Price is absolutely fantastic as a gourmet actor, tired of his image and marriage, who assists Mitchum as a sharp-shooter. Raymond Burr, as usual, plays the extremely bad Mafia man, with gusto and gravitas. Had the writing and plot been a bit better, this would be one of the great film-noirs. But even with flaws, it is a wonderful film. Let us hope it continues to occasionally show on TV, since it does not seem to be on video at all.

From any technical standpoint, this is a very well made film, colorful, playful, and action packed. But it is just one dance routine--I mean mass killing--after another. Any search for content, meaning, nuance or character development will end up with nothing. A film like In The Mood For Love is a much finer piece of film making and artistry. In the end, Lok and O are not that interesting, and the little history that the police discover in the course of their investigation, is surprisingly "nationalist", given the pan-asian contexts of the movie. The various levels of music in the film were almost all extremely weak, and reveal one huge gaping hole in the western cultural appreciation of these asian directors: their taste and knowledge in western pop and rock is abysmal! Since this film concentrates so much on the "dances" and the "big dance" between the two hit men, the viewer is left with very little else. One has to wonder where the popcorn ends the the money begins.

The use of silence and conversations filled with silence is one of the strongest aspects of this surprisingly mature and interesting film. This dramatic triad has as much problem facing feelings as it does wants and desires. As the masks come off, we learn just how fragile and messed-up each one is, and how difficult it is for all three of them to reach out and communicate. Understatement and silence and powerful parts of this movie, and it all has a very asian feeling, even if their dilemmas are acculturated and familiar to non-asian americans. Though the son who gets stuck with the family business out of obligation and something like filial piety, struck me as very asian. The film also manages to convey a significant existential quality to the main characters that is very nuanced and requires contemplation.