Hello, and welcome to yet another edition of Five Cool Things, where I talk about all the interesting things I’ve discovered since the last time. This week I’m talking about a harrowing World War II thriller, a crazy Hong Kong actioner, a damn fine French policier, Hugh Grant taking on a villain role, and the new film from Paul Thomas Anderson. Let’s go!
Edge of Darkness
A new boxed set of Errol Flynn movies just came out. I’ll have a full review of all of it soon, but for now I want to talk about Edge of Darkness. Flynn became famous for starring in big adventure films; his good looks and charm made roles like Robin Hood easy for him, but this is something different.
Buy Edge of Darkness Blu-raySet in a small, seaside Norwegian village against the backdrop of World War II, the film plays out like a morality play. The Nazis have occupied their town, but for the moment they are allowing the villagers to go about their business. The villagers struggle against their natural instinct to rebel and their desire to keep things as normal as possible. To keep their businesses running and their lives intact.
Flynn leads the group who want to fight, but without the support of the town leaders, there is little he can do. There is some harrowing action, a bit of romance, and some surprisingly deep meditation on right and wrong.
City on Fire
The Criterion Channel is running a series of films dubbed “Hong Kong Action Classics,” and I’m here for it. City on Fire is probably best known by American audiences as one of the inspirations for Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. There are some definite similarities in the plot, especially in the final showdown, but Tarantino makes his film his own, and City on Fire is definitely worth watching on its own, too.
Buy City on FireChow Yun-fat stars as an undercover officer trying to take down a jewel-thieving gang. Over time, his allegiances become muddled because he gets to know the gang, even becoming friends with one of them, while the cops (led by an over-eager upstart) keep hassling him, unaware he’s undercover.
Like a lot of Hong Kong action films, there is a goofy romance attached to the proceedings. Our hero has a girlfriend who is always upset that he goes missing for days at a time. To keep her from breaking up with him, he proposes marriage, only he doesn’t show up to the ceremony. There is a lot of comedy involved in all of that, but it doesn’t work for me at all. I see this a lot in Hong Kong films, and I guess it is just a cultural thing because the comedy never comes across to me.
But the action is terrific. There are several big set pieces and they completely make it worth watching.
Last Known Address
This French police procedural stars Lino Ventura as a seasoned detective who gets into trouble after arresting the son of an influential lawyer. He’s demoted and teamed with a much younger and inexperienced cop (played by Marlène Jobert). At first they are asked to arrest perverts harassing women at movie theaters, but soon enough they are tasked with finding the only witness to a crime committed by a major player.
Buy Last Known Address Blu-rayThis film puts the procedural in police procedural as it focuses on our two heroes knocking on a lot of doors, asking a lot of questions, and digging through a lot of paperwork. I’m a big fan of movies that dig deep into procedures and lay out how a job is really done.
Kino Lorber has just put this out on Blu-ray, and you can read my full review.
Heretic
Hugh Grant has made a career out of being charming rascals, handsome leading men, and the star of countless romantic comedies. With Heretic, he takes that charm into something much darker.
Buy Heretic Blu-rayWhen two Jehovah’s Witnesses (played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) show up at his door, Grant’s Mr. Reed is more than happy to invite them in and discuss their religion. He poses himself as a free thinker, someone who is interested in religion and spirituality, but hasn’t quite made up his mind just yet.
He asks the girls pointed questions and listens thoughtfully to their answers. But behind that thousand-watt charm lies a hint of something more nefarious. The women are forbidden to be in a house alone with a man, but while Mr. Reed promises his wife is just finishing up in the kitchen, she never seems to appear. His questions get more challenging while his tone becomes more menacing. Then things get much more terrifying.
For the first half, when it is all about Grant’s charm with hints of something darker behind it, the film is aces. But once we learn what’s really going on, it turns into a much more standard horror film, and it is all the worse for it.
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film is a crazy, wild ride. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a far-left radical activist. When his girlfriend becomes pregnant (and then leaves him with the child), he settles down into a life of solitude (and getting high). Flash forward many years, and his kid is now a teenager, and an old rival (Sean Penn) is back to settle scores. The daughter gets kidnapped, and he’ll have to reconnect with old friends in order to save her.
The film is so much more than that simple plot synopsis. It is deeply political. The film is set in a slightly alternate reality, but one that still echoes what’s still going on, especially in terms of the current administration’s harsh attempts to curtail immigration. It is also a road movie, an incredibly funny dark comedy, an action flick, and a family drama.
It is one of those films I immediately loved but also know I need to see several more times before I get anywhere close to truly understanding it.
Diane Keaton (1946-2025)
The style icon and star of such movies The Godfather Parts I & II, Finding Dory, and Manhattan died this week. She’s probably best known for her idiosyncratic characters in Woody Allen movies, but she had a long career full of all kinds of different roles. My favorite will always be the titular character in Annie Hall. I think I’ll give it a spin this weekend.
