2024 Days at the Grindhouse II Nov. 16th:

 

For over 20 years now, I am a member of this filmclub.  It's a secret one, so I won't tell you the name. The members of this filmclub go down into forgotten movie archives to unearth prints of very obscure or interesting movies. These prints then are shown in an old art-deco cinema-palace, that still has 35mm and 70mm projection. This takes place on a saturday morning and only members are allowed. 

This time it is Hollywood all the way. Before the first movie, we get three trailers, all of them pretty unconvincing:

"Miami Story" from 1954 has such a bad trailer that now, 6 hours later, I cannot remember anything from it. And thank God I wrote the title down, otherwise I would not have remembered this one either. Well, well. Obviously it is about an attorney that wants to bring down a mob boss. I read that in Wikipedia. 

"Make haste to live" stars "Spiral Staircase" victim Dorothy MacGuire, considerably older looking than the 10 years that had passed since the Siodmak movie. The trailer makes it clear that she is the main attraction in this obviously cheap noir about a man returning that had been to prison for alledgedly killing her 20 years ago. This seems to play like "Cape Fear" but the trailer could not raise my interest.

"Time Lock" is about a boy, trapped in a bank-safe with less air than he needs to breath through the 24h until the safe can be opened. This too is much too unexciting and seems to be more of a children's movie than a Noir. Whatever.

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL 1952

Then we get to see a theatrical print of Der Vierte Mann/Kansas City Confidental 1952, a tightly scripted robbery-noir that even spawned its own little series.

A hooded figure hires three crooks, who do not know each other to rob a money transport, unsing the car of a flower-delivery service as a disguise. During the robbery, which works well, all of them wear masks and cannot see each other. Before they split, each one gets half a playing card to identify once they get back together to divide the money after a year or so. 

The driver of the the flower-delivery service car has no idea about this, but as he had already served a term in prison, he is prime suspect and manhandled for a week or so until the "fake" flower-service car is found and he is aquitted.

Naturally he himself now wants to find out who the robbers were and want to get even (which is a bit flimsy, because they had never intended him to be a suspect). Well he gets to know the whereabouts of one of the guys, a notorious gambler.

In a very cleverly directed scene, our hero now gambles with him which makes him nervous and they have a fight. Our hero wins, takes the half-card and the telegram that announces the meeting place for the 4 robbers.

The gambler is then killed by the police. Using his identity our hero now arrives at the hotel, where the meeting will take place, as do the other ones, each uncertain who the others are.

Now we get some very clever scenes of charades until it all boils down to da showdown on the boat where the money is being kept.

This is a very enjoyable and cleverly scripted movie, only let down by the love-interest that is so unnecessary that it is annoying and a not-so-good final that is basically not very sensible.  A smart move is to make this whole thing play like a game of poke: Who is bluffing, who holds which cards, who folds to early, who goes all in. Very cleverly done indeed.

Photography is good and the leads are up to B-standard. Nothing fancy here but a good, good and enjoyable film noir. The 70 year old print looked quite good and was not too much worn out. Very preferable to the many public domain sources of this movie.

None of the actors, though made me wish to inquire more. Ah yes. a very young Lee van Cleef is in there too as the womanizing crook.

The three trailers that come before the second feature were:

"Angel Town" Obviously the trailer was not convinced of itself so the name of the movie has to be repeated over and over again and of course each time with more echo. This one stars one "Oliver Gruner" who obviously is big on MA, hitting his kicks everywhere. Actually nothing but the same kicks. Versatility is not his thing. I have no idea what the movie is actually about, the trailer was not very clear about this. But angel town --- ANGEL TOWN --- ANGEL TOWN -- AN-A-GN-EAGN-EL T-OWOWOWNNNNNN....

"Excessive Force" however goes to the exact opposite, containing only highly stylized 80ies videos aesthetics and no spoken line at all, except for "Feel to be killed" or something like this. I am mildly intrigued by the trailer and tempted to watch this one, just to increase the current 20% rating on rotten tomatoes. 

But then we get "Death Warrant" (1990) starring cutie-pie JCvanDAMME and looking good. He has to infiltrate a prison an gets beaten up until he gets up to beat up. There are seriously no women in it, so it's one for the boys and the beer.

STONE COLD 1991

So we get to the second feature:

That is is the overwhelming, surprisingly well made and thoroughly entertaining bad taste movie of Stone Cold 1991. 

Produced by Michael Douglas (it is on the German print), this is about your beefed-up Miami Vice undercover cop (Brian Bosworth), complete with reptile housepet who has to investigate the morder-plot of a biker gang led by Lance Henriksen. Well to say that this movie is cliche-ridden and all over the place is a complete understatement.

It is a banger. The script is ridiculous but camera-work and stunts are top-notch and the rowdy rock music is on spot. Very intriguing female lead Arabella Holzbog is the only one that is allowed to keep her shirt on (at least in our print) and this movie just smelles of all the cocaine that must have been available on the set.

Naturally, it is unnecessarily violent, but who cares with a good-time-sixpack-movie like this. The print was very sharp and the whole experience was a pure delight. We got a bad wrestle-match that spoils the fun but then we got a nice motorcycle-through-helicopter scene. Generally the physical effects are first class.

The scenes where the biker gang storms a court-building reminded me very eerily about the White-House intrusion after the Trump speach. 

Very rewarding for the last remaining braincells after some long drinking stunt.