bernebner

The most delicious (and under-appreciated) noir of the year. I saw the flick when first released on the basis of Dargis review in the NY Times, but I don't think she quite appreciated the absolute brilliance of the movie. First Harold Ramis script is a delight from beginning to end ... the dialog (particularly between Oliver Platt and John Cussack) is of such top-drawer quality as to be exemplary! The performances are fine, their are no holes in the complex plot and there are more and more things to admire. It's even better the second time around. Cussack, Platt, Thornton, Nielsen are great AsWitchita Falls falls so you'll fall for Witichita Falls (inside joke.)

It's not Busby Berkeley, but it's probably the next best thing. I rented the VHS from the New York Public Library and the print was devine! Yup, they don't make 'em like this any more...not even Busbey made them this racy! The performances with the exception of Jack Oakie are uniformly terrible ... terrible in the way that early 30's movies can be (I did not include Jack Oakie in this observation, because Jack Oakie is always Jack Oakie). It's a shame that Duke Ellington section was completely wasted and as per the observation above, his efforts were probably severely cut. It's a shame that Toby Wing never made it to star status...she was a stunner par excellence and could deliver a sarcastic and/or dumb blone line with the best of them. The MARIJUANA number alone makes this flick one for the memory book.