Action

  • André De Toth – Play Dirty (1969)

    1961-1970ActionAndré De TothUnited KingdomWar

    Quote:
    The Dirty Dozen meets the Stiff Upper Lip. A British Petroleum executive (Sir Michael Caine) is assigned to work with the British Army in North Africa handling port duties for incoming fuels. This gives him the official rank of Captain in the British Army. The Colonel (Nigel Green), in charge of the Dirty Dozen, is told he must have a British officer accompany his men on a dangerous mission four hundred miles behind German lines and is saddled with the Petroleum executive, who tries to argue his way out by saying that his contract states he is to only work port duties. Read More »

  • John Sturges – The Magnificent Seven [+commentary] (1960)

    1951-1960ActionJohn SturgesUSAWestern

    Synopsis:
    A remake of “The Seven Samurai.” Seven men are picked to defend a Mexican village from banditos that come every now and then to take whatever the town has grown since their last visit. When they are hired, they go to the town and teach the villagers how to defend themselves. When the leader of the bandits comes, they fight him and his men off. The second time he comes, the villagers give the seven to them, due to a heated argument. The leader of the bandits takes their guns and throws them out of town. He gives them horses and gives their guns back to them when they are far out of town. The seven decide that they aren’t going to run, and head back to the village for a final showdown.Read More »

  • Enzo G. Castellari – La Polizia incrimina la legge assolve AKA High Crime (1973)

    1971-1980ActionCrimeEnzo G. CastellariItaly

    Description:
    Franco Nero is Commissioner Belli, a tough cop going hard after a very large international narcotics ring. Naturally there are people who do not like what he is doing. Belli plays it cool until they mess with his family. Then it’s not only about bringing the pushers to justice, but getting revenge as well. With a truly mesmerizing score by Guido De Angelis & Maurizio De Angelis, High Crime is a truly great film experience that lives up to it’s hype.Read More »

  • Åke Lindman & Sakari Kirjavainen – Tali-Ihantala 1944 AKA 1944: The Final Defence (2007)

    2001-2010ActionÅke LindmanFinlandSakari KirjavainenWar

    The Soviet army breaks through the Finnish defences on the Karelian Isthmus in June 1944, advancing with overwhelming force. Somehow, the Finnish troops must find the strength to fight back, with all odds against them. The Battle of Tali-Ihantala was the largest battle ever fought in the history of the Nordic countries. This film depicts the true events through five separate stories.Read More »

  • Arnold Laven – Geronimo (1962)

    1961-1970ActionArnold LavenUSAWestern

    In the saga of Hollywood’s slow, slow maturation in the depiction of Native Americans, Geronimo highlights an early ’60s turning point — his character is drawn with sympathy — but no more than that. Chuck Connors, an obviously Caucasian actor, plays the great chief, and there is not a single Native American actor in the cast. The story centers on Geronimo’s escape from oppressive conditions on his reservation, and his garnering of forces in Mexico to wage war against the U.S. Several misconceptions are still scattered throughout the tale, especially the indication at the end that Geronimo was successful in obtaining fair treatment for all Native Americans at the hands of the U.S. government.

    ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie GuideRead More »

  • Takashi Miike – The Man in White Part 2: Requiem for the Lion (2003)

    2001-2010ActionCrimeJapanTakashi Miike

    Synopsis:
    A rowdy, young yakuza takes revenge against a gang of thousands for the death of his boss.

    Review:
    Wow! The second and final part Miike’s Yurusarezaru mono (or: The Man in White) is pretty damned impressive! Following directly from the previous part’s cliffhanger ending, Miike steps up the action tenfold, adding new deranged characters to obstruct Azusa’s path of vengeance for the death of his boss.Read More »

  • Takashi Miike – Yurusarezaru mono AKA The Man in White (2003)

    2001-2010ActionCrimeJapanTakashi Miike

    Asuza is a yakusa always dressed in white, a pure, yet tarnished man. A child from the streets, he saw his father assassinated by his older brother, and his mother commit suicide. These traumatizing events haunt him in the present. Asuza is now a member of a criminal group. He has been taken under the wing of the gang’s leader, his new adoptive father. When this second father figure is suddenly assassinated, Asuza plunges rapidly into an infernal revenge scheme. As he searches tirelessly for the killer, he discovers that once again, his older brother is the culprit. A confrontation is inevitable. When Asuza meets his brother face to face, he learns that behind every murder committed, lie motives more complex than they first appear.Read More »

  • William A. Wellman – Yellow Sky (1948)

    USA1941-1950ActionWesternWilliam A. Wellman

    Synopsis:
    A band of bank robbers on the run from a posse flee into the desert. Near death from lack of water they stumble into what appears to be a ghost town, only to discover an old prospector and his granddaughter living there. The robbers discover that the old man has been mining gold and set out to make a quick fortune by robbing the pair. Their plan runs foul when the gang leader, Stretch, falls for the granddaughter, which sets off a showdown between the entire gang.Read More »

  • George Sherman – Tomahawk (1951)

    1951-1960ActionGeorge ShermanUSAWestern

    Synopsis:
    In 1866, a new gold discovery and an inconclusive conference force the U.S. Army to build a road and fort in territory ceded by previous treaty to the Sioux…to the disgust of frontier scout Jim Bridger, whose Cheyenne wife led him to see the conflict from both sides. The powder-keg situation needs only a spark to bring war, and violent bigots like Lieut. Rob Dancy are all too likely to provide this. Meanwhile, Bridger’s chance of preventing catastrophe is dimmed by equally wrenching personal conflicts. Unusually accurate historically.Read More »

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