A Flash of Green

I completely agree with the positive reviews. A lovely, subtle film, and I can attest to its verisimilitude. I was a reporter in West Palm Beach, Fla. for 1 1/2 years from 1981 to 1983 and this story hits the nail right on the head -- development issues, land use issues, environmental issues and journalism/ethics issues. It's fictional, but it's also completely real.

I'm writing this review because I thought that no one else had and that would have been a shame. After reading raves on this site about movies which are, at best, popcorn-fare (`Space Cowboys'?!? . . . yeah, I saw it . . . the theater was air-conditioned . . . what the hell), it would be a shame if this little gem stayed neglected.

Victor Nunez apparently knows how to make only one kind of movie. Those who are familiar with his better-known titles, `Ruby in Paradise' and `Ulee's Gold', will know what I mean. Like those two fine films, `A Flash of Green' is what is often called a `personal' movie, set in Nunez' native rural Florida and populated with ordinary people in recognizable situations. This is a story, which unfolds slowly, allowing us to catch the rhythms or its character's lives, involving us in their concerns. When the Ed Harris character is forced to confront an ethical choice, we are concerned for him because, by that point in the film, we know him as if we, too, are resident in that small town.

Sound boring? It's not. Any good screenwriter knows there's nothing as interesting as real life. `A Flash of Green' is not a documentary. It has its artifice, in the best sense of the word, with evocative images and sounds and wonderful performances from top to bottom. But it is the atmosphere, the feeling that I've been somewhere and met the people who live there, that stays with me most about this film. I can't describe too much of the plot. I only saw it once almost 15 years ago. But this isn't, foremost, a plot-driven movie anyway. There are no startling twists, memorable bits, catch-phrases, special effects or `money shots'. Just fine actors, good writing and a director accomplished enough to make us feel as if his characters' world is ours, too.

`A Flash of Green' is sweet, sad and best of all, absorbing filmmaking. Take the time to make the trip.

I love this movie. It represents some of the very best work of Ed Harris, Blair Brown and Richard Jordan. Aside from that, the story is intelligently written, and intrinsically American. A cynical, bored reporter is hired by a friend and ambitious real estate speculator to publicly smear a group of conservationists who stand in the way of a big land deal. The drawback is, one of the group is a woman the reporter is in love with. He agrees in order to protect her. When things become violent, he confesses his sins, and goes public with his schemes, exposing the real estate swindle. He regains some measure of his pride, and takes a series of brutal beatings in the bargain. In the end his persistence is rewarded, in some measure. Few movies take the time to explore characters as deeply as this one, and offer heroes as complex and flawed, yet still redeemable. The movies moves slowly, at the pace of the Florida landscape it portrays, but it never flags. The characters are absorbing, and the conflicts between them are always intriguing. Victor Nunez's photgraphy and subtle emphasis on mood and insight make for a very moving and thought-provoking film experience. Don't miss it. And take your time watching it. This film isn't about action and plot. It's a lot closer to real life than we've come to expect in film.

Just finished viewing "Flash of Green" on the Sundance Channel & was amazed by it's laid-back, easy yet altogether potent quality. Catch this if you can.

It's a wonderful example of the all-American one-good-man theme in journalism, and in the context of the coastal Florida south 'round about the early 1960s. It's about how an individual can both belong to and resist the toxic tides in his or her own immediate environment; has a delicate sense of place without (New York City style) shoving it in your face. Thematically one will also find delicious shades of Rachel Carson & Oliver Sachs (i.e., think out of the box) -- and the acting is superb. Sure, it's a bit of a melodrama; but so what. Isn't that part of what good story telling is about?

I think I've read all the John D. MacDonald books. It's been years. I might even start reading them over again. Such a guilty pleasure. MacDonald's pre-politically correct philosophy really gives you the flavor of an era. I love this film adaptation. Richard Jordan makes the perfect MacDonald villain, Blair Brown the ideal MacDonald wholesome love interest. And Harris in the lead made me a lifelong fan. Some years back it was screened at our local Museum of Photographic Arts. The print wasn't in great shape then. I own an old grainy copy of Flash of Green on VHS but no longer have a VHS player. Please, somebody, let's get this fine film on Blue Ray/DVD. I'd love to watch it again. There's so much junk available on DVD that it breaks my heart to think of a really satisfying film moldering away somewhere.