This 1965 WWII “men on a mission” film is based on the real-life exploits of a small team of Norwegian saboteurs, who were tasked with preventing the Nazis from manufacturing ‘heavy water’, essential for production of an atomic bomb. Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris offer strong chins and a miso-mash of accents as the leads….
Magnum Force
Magnum Force was the second (and narrowly second best) of the Dirty Harry movies. Clint Eastwood is on great form as Harry, this time facing down vigilante motorcycle cops who (spoiler alert) turn out to be led by his own uptight boss (Hal Holbrook). A young David Soul plays one of the cops, pre Starsky…
The Graduate
“Here’s to you, Mrs Robinson….” Simon and Garfunkel’s famous song is one of the many delights of this 1967 classic. It is the movie that made a star of Dustin Hoffman, and earned director Mike Nichols an Oscar. Hoffman plays an aimless 21 year old college graduate who is seduced Ann Bancroft’s older married woman,…
Escape from Alcatraz
Escape from Alcatraz is one of the grittier movies Clint Eastwood has starred in. It was the fifth and final collaboration between him and director Don Siegal. There’s no Dirty Harry-style catchphrases here in this true(ish) story of allegedly the only convicts to ever escape from Alcatraz island. Its a fairly dour affair, as Clint…
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen this 1950 gangster/noir, but I like this image of tough guy star James Cagney, seen here on the Belgian poster. The movie had the distinction of being banned in Ohio for “a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission….
Jaws
Jaws is one of the greatest movies ever made IMHO. It was also the first time I was properly scared in the cinema. Although it was released with an “A” certificate in the UK (meaning all ages could go), there are a number of gruesome shock moments (notably the half-eaten corpse that pops out of…
The Manchurian Candidate
The 1962 original version of The Manchurian Candidate is one of my all-time favourite movies. (The less said about the 2004 remake the better). Star Frank Sinatra has never been better and Laurence Harvey is incredible as his poor doomed military colleague, brainwashed to be a political assassin. The movie has many great scenes, none…
Dr Terror’s House Of Horrors
Dr Terror was the first of Amicus’ studios portmanteau horror movies. These were based on the format of Ealing Studios’ classic Dead Of Night. They all began with a tenuous linking device to bring together a disparate group of people, which would then lead into individual short stories told by or about each person, and…
The Natural
For some reason, I have amassed more promotional material for The Natural than any other movie. At last count, I have a UK quad, a French grande, a press book and a variety of stills – all of which are for sale here. It’s not that I have a particular affection for the movie. Its…
Billion Dollar Brain
Billion Dollar Brain was the third and final movie in the Harry Palmer spy series, starring Michael Caine. What started out in The Ipcress File as a grittier, more realistic take on international espionage than the James Bond series had by the time of this third instalment morphed into something approaching Bond-level of supervillain craziness….