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| a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves |
I've just started reading Delia Owen's Where the Crawdads Sing so it feels somewhat fitting to have films about police detectives as a theme for this week. Too bad me reading that book didn't make it easier for me to find three films to pick because I love detective movies but most of them involve private detectives — like Knives Out, which made it to the three until I started writing about it and remember Craig's character is a private investigator. Anyway, I struggled a little but I did find something worth talking about.
Dirty Harry (1971) - Review
Clint Eastwood stars as Inspector Harry Callahan in this first film of the series that has Callahan investigating a serial killer who calls himself Scorpio (Andy Robinson). I can't believe how much digging I had to do to come up with this one considering that it's the only Dirty Harry film I liked and it's based on the same case as Fincher's Zodiac. This is a fun and exciting film, and Clint is great in the titular character.
L.A. Confidential (1997) - Review
With an all-star cast, this compelling thriller follows three detectives — LAPD golden boy Edmund "Ed" Exley (Guy Pearce), the brutal Wendell "Bud" White (Russell Crowe), and the narcotics and celebrity detective Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) — as they investigate a series of murders linked to police corruption. It's definitely worth watching.
Zodiac (2007) - Review
Another brilliant thriller from Fincher, it follows cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) and crime editor Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) as they become fascinated with the Zodiac killer (John Carroll Lynch), and San Francisco Police Inspectors Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) as they investigate the murders. This is a film I've been meaning to rewatch ever since watching it for the first time.
Zodiac is such a perfect pick! I've only ever seen it once too and I definitely need to watch it again. It's just so long I keep putting it off.
ReplyDeleteThat's the same reason I still haven't rewatch it. I don't care how good a movie is, if it's more than 2 hours it's very likely I will never rewatch it.
DeleteI love all your choices. Dirty Harry is excellent and has quite a few sequels. L. A. Confidential is an excellent film and quite shocking. Zodiac is quite good if a bit long and a true story.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you loved them all.
DeleteLove your choices!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE L.A. Confidential!! An almost perfect picture with such a great feeling for both the period and the text with brilliant work from the entire cast. I've never understood how only Kim Basinger ended up with a (deserved) nomination. Speaking of Basinger while I think she's excellent in the film she looks nothing like Veronica Lake, though she does bear a similarity to Rita Hayworth. It's something that bothers only me probably other than that the film is next to perfect.
Dirty Harry as with most films that end up creating a series is the best of them. Eastwood is so ideally suited to the role it seems crazy now that he was only offered the part after John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster and Steve McQueen had passed on it.
Zodiac is a tense and intense film with a raft of fine work but the deeply disturbing subject matter and feel of the film has kept me from revisiting it after that first watch.
I ran into a bit of the same problem as you at first, coming up with private detectives rather than police ones until I hit on my first pick and than was actually able to do a theme within the theme with the others.
Serpico (1973)-Based on the autobiographical book of the same name this looks at honest NYPD cop Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) and his struggles against the corruption that permeated the department in the 60’s and his ultimate role of whistleblower after earning his detective shield. Gritty drama anchored by Pacino’s Oscar nominated performance captures the feeling of a grimy corruption plagued New York City.
Brannigan (1975)-Chicago police detective Jim Brannigan (John Wayne) hops a plane to England to extradite American gangster Ben Larkin (John Vernon). His brash ways clash with the more reserved British methods of Scotland Yard Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough) but when Larkin is kidnapped before Brannigan can take him into custody rough and tumble cop takes off on a manhunt through the streets of London assisted by Detective Sergeant Jennifer Thatcher (Judy Geeson). Fun actioner was one of the Duke’s final films, the fresh locale invigorating his performance.
Stone (1974)-In 70’s Australia members of the biker gang The GraveDiggers witness a political assassination while under the influence of hallucinogenics and shortly afterwards begin to be killed one by one. Police detective Stone (Ken Shorter) goes undercover within the gang to try and ferret out the killer. He bonds somewhat with the members but when he uncovers a conspiracy, he must make a choice between his job and loyalty to the gang. VERY 70’s film is more concerned with footage of motorcycles, skinny dipping and exploitation than telling a really cohesive story.
I remember reading Dirty Harry's trivia when I watched the film and I couldn't believe it took them so long to offer the role to Clint. He is perfect for it!
DeleteI haven't seen any of your picks but Serpico is one I've been meaning to watch for years. And I'm actually planning on watching it soon.
I love Zodiac! I haven't seen your first two picks but I know I should have by now.
ReplyDeleteOMG how have you not seen L.A. Confidential?! That film is wonderful!
DeleteI just recently saw David Fincher's Mank and even though it was boring at some places, I really enjoyed the cinematography of the movie! I need to check out Zodiac! Great list!
ReplyDeleteI took Mank off of my watchlist because I kept reading how boring it was and I didn't want 2020 to ruin Fincher for me. As if ruining Kaufman wasn't enough.
DeleteAh... 3 incredible films. All taking place in California.
ReplyDeleteI am so dumb for not realising that.
DeleteI haven't seen the first two, but I enjoyed Zodiac when I watched it years ago. Gyllenhaal and Downey Jr. seems like such an odd pair for a movie, but they were great. I've been meaning to rewatch it for a long time too. Nice picks!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI've seen two of the sequels, but somehow I've never seen the original Dirty Harry. I found them all in a set for five bucks so that should change soon. I love L.A. Confidential. I'm not as big on Zodiac. I think it's great for 2 hours then it ceases to be compelling.
ReplyDeleteI forgot Zodiac was that long. Rewatching it and being focused the whole time will be impossible.
DeleteYay, we match with Zodiac!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy all three of your picks, even though it's been quite a while since I've seen any of them.
I haven't seen them in a long time either which is why I want to rewatch them.
DeleteI haven't seen Knives Out...so I didn't know the Craig's character was private detective...good of you to keep strictly with the theme...especially since we've had a Private Detective theme in 2019, which was why I made this one to be distinctively be a Police Detective theme.
ReplyDeleteOf your picks I've seen L.A. Confidential which I remember liking but don't remember much of now.
I hope you get to see Knives Out soon because it's great.
Delete