Meurtre à Hollywood

I appreciate Sunset the film because it gave the man who I consider the best big screen Wyatt Earp, James Garner, a chance to reprise the role.

Garner played Earp back in the mid sixties in John Sturges's Hour of the Gun. That film took the unusual plot line of beginning with the famous Gunfight at the OK Corral and showing the aftermath from that event. It was a pretty grim western, and Garner was not playing his usual likable con artist.

It took twenty years from Hour of the Gun to Sunset, but it was over 40 years in real life from the OK Corral fight until the events of Sunset that take place in Hollywood in and around the first Academy Award dinner in 1928. Wyatt Earp was in fact in Hollywood and did in fact know Tom Mix. Earp died in 1929 at the age 80 and Garner is one of the liveliest 80 year olds ever on screen.

Blake Edwards must have hated Charles Chaplin because Malcolm McDowell as Alfie Alperin, the Happy Hobo and villain of the film is one loathsome creep. No doubt Chaplin's character is used as the basis for McDowell's. The famous Thomas Ince shooting on board a yacht is also worked into the plot. Topping all that the first Academy Award dinner had a triple homicide in the lobby.

Bruce Willis as Tom Mix stars as Wyatt Earp in a film about the OK Corral and of course with Wyatt still being alive, Garner is brought in as a technical adviser. The two of them get involved in a lovely web of intrigue during end of the silent era that starts with the murder of a bordello madam who had a lot of blackmail information concerning the mighty of Tinseltown. Wyatt Earp discovers a few personal facts about himself he didn't know also.

Patricia Hodge is McDowell's long suffering wife and Jennifer Edwards is his equally loathsome sister. Another pair that Willis and Garner have to deal with are Richard Bradford as a corrupt LA detective and M. Emmet Walsh as the studio cop who do a lot of McDowell's dirty work.

Sunset is entertaining enough, not a great film for either Willis or Garner. And it does capture the ambiance of old Hollywood, give or take a lie or two.

Caught this for the first time late night Sept., 2006. It was a very cool, foggy San Francisco night. I loved it! The critics missed the point altogether on this one. An older Ebert probably would have given it more than two stars. Garner was great, as usual, in his cool understated character. One critic said Bruce Willis was not movie star material. WRONG! The porn star Joe Dallesandro as "Dutch" was one of several funny, kinky sidebars. Yes, Chandler could have written it and drank to its health. Oh oh! scolded for less than ten lines---so, the cold, impersonal wind swept down trashy Market Street where the very rich and the very poor rubbed shoulders nonchalantly. Ah! the irony of it all.

The murder mystery plot in Sunset is of a standard variety, with the usual twists and surprises, and very bad 'bad guys'.

What makes this movie is two things.

First is that the primary protagonists solving the mystery are a famous cowboy movie star, and an actual famous western marshal, Tom Mix and Wyatt Earp.

Second is that the luminaries are played by Bruce Willis and James Garner, a unique mix of leading men with plenty of chemistry, charm, and personality.

This film is very different from the standard fare, and in a good way. High recommended.

A very interesting premise ends up with a rather tame execution here, however the cast is full of talent, and they help to pull the film through. The best performance of the film is delivered by James Garner as Wyatt Earp. Although, no thanks to a poor makeup job, Garner does not look or act like he is approaching eighty years of age, Garner still portrays the charisma that one would expect from Earp very well. Of interest also is Mariel Hemingway, who is quite good as needing woman. The main problem with the film is that the mystery is rather dull, and its implementation into the plot comes at the cost of sacrificing room for further character development. Blake's directing work is slightly heavy-handed here, full of silly spectacles and violence that add little flavour to the film - and his work directing the film won him a Razzie award. It is not half bad as a film overall though. Garner and the rest of the cast, which includes Malcolm McDowell, help make some interesting segments when on screen, and Henry Mancini's music is as good as ever.

I can't believe I had never heard of this movie before I decided to record it. I was expecting standard Blake Edwards fare, which for me means mostly enjoyable, usually ranking about a 7 of 10, but instead was treated to an engaging cinematic odyssey. This movie has everything, it is a western, it is a romance, it is adventure, it is a crime drama, it even has horses, car chases, and a biplane, not to mention the stunning art deco scenery. And western scenery. Add in the fabulous shots of Mix's Duesenbergs, and what's not to love.

Malcolm McDowell is sublime as the villain, James Garner is charming as the sidekick, and Bruce Willis is truly at his best, here in an unusual role not playing Bruce Willis.

Not a great film by Academy standards, but an enjoyable way to spend a couple hours. Beautiful, silly, intriguing...all in one movie. Splendid, eh?