Movies
Sidney Lumet ended his career on a high note. This is by far the best film I've seen from him so far, so maybe I should give him another shot (beyond watching his most prestigious films that is). The plot's a little simple, but the presentation, structure, and performances make it into something quite memorable. Two brothers are in dire need of cash. They plan a heist on the jewelry store of their parents, knowing that the insurance will cover their losses. But the operation doesn't go as planned. The mother ends up in the hospital with gunshot wounds, one of the robbers is shot dead, and the two brothers will need to clean up their mess. Hawke and Hoffman make for a great duo, the many time jumps add to the appeal of the plot and the presentation is classic but stylish. The film is a tad long maybe, and the premise is pretty generic, but Lumet did a great job working around those limitations. A pretty cool surprise.Read all
What I've come to expect from a popular 70s Hollywood films. It's a bit dark, it's a bit gritty, it's mostly a genre film bogged down by a lot of pointless drama and an excessive runtime. If it works, I'm sure it's all the more impressive, if it doesn't, you can't help but wonder why they even bothered. Serpico is an honest cop, which makes him somewhat of a pariah. None of his colleagues want to work with him, some even go further by putting Serpico in direct danger on purpose. But Serpico stands by what he believes, and when he discovers some of his fellow policemen are stealing cash from the busts they're doing, he can't keep the info to himself. Pacino is decent, though I prefer him when he was a bit older. The plot isn't all that interesting and the extra characterization feels flat and uninspired. I'm not a big fan of that grayish (read dull) 70s cinematography either, the score was also pretty tame. That said, I've seen worse and at just over two hours long, it's not impossible to get through.Read all
Sidney Lumet is a pretty big name in cinema, apparently that hasn't kept him from directing some truly mediocre thrillers. Guilty as Sin feels like a bland, dispirited straight-to-video release in every single way possible. It's the kind of shelf filler that would disgrace video stores in the 90s, genre fare that was meant to be consumed and forgotten. Jennifer is a young, female lawyer looking to build a career. When she takes on David's case it looks like an ideal opportunity to rise in the ranks, but soon enough Jennifer finds herself battling an unruly client. David is a scumbag who keeps taunting Jennifer, but she has no choice but to defend him in court. Poor performances, bland cinematography, a non-score and a very basic plot make this an extremely forgettable film. No doubt De Mornay and Johnson were big enough to draw some unsuspecting souls to watch the film, just as Lumet's name may have convinced a confused shopper, but this is little more than a bland 90s thriller.Read all
