The Iron Giant (1999)

RARELY DOES A FILM COME ALONG like The Iron Giant that ignites a passion in people.

Part of that passion comes from the fact that it’s a terrific film on all levels – a fantastic story featuring rollicking action, touching relationships, and the last gasp of top-notch 2D animation (only the Iron Giant himself is computer-animated).

Another part of that passion is even more fascinating: Watch the reaction of someone who’s seen The Iron Giant when another person tells them, “I’ve never seen it.” The first person will start to stammer, eyes widened, falling over themselves to tell the other person how great it is, and that they must see it immediately. That reaction is justified by the person, and earned by the film.

Set in Maine at the height of paranoia surrounding the Cold War, The Iron Giant follows nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), an avid reader of comic books and watcher of the many B-movie sci-fi flicks of the era. When a giant metal alien (voiced by Vin Diesel) lands in Hogarth’s town, he hides him as best he can from prying eyes, primarily those of sneaky government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald). While it feels like a childhood dream come true for Hogarth (“My very own robot!”) and the two start forming a bond, he seeks help from a local beatnik (the perfectly cast Harry Connick, Jr.) whose scrapyard provides a safe haven from the paranoid townfolk and the US Army…but for how long?

Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) does a masterful job of developing the relationship of Hogarth and the Giant (via Tim McCanlies’ terrific script) as Hogarth explains the ways of Earth as he sees them – from the awesomeness of Superman, to the joys of doing a cannonball into a lake, to the violence and sadness of guns.


Cynics may dismiss The Iron Giant as nothing more than E.T. with a robot, but they’d be wrong on several levels, the biggest one being that the source material for The Iron Giant – the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes – predates E.T. by nearly 15 years. However, there is one similarity: If you cried at the ending of E.T., you’ll probably blink back tears during The Iron Giant’s finale.

Warner Brothers’ mishandling of The Iron Giant’s theatrical release in 1999 is one of the more colossal blunders in the history of the business. The studio barely promoted or advertised the film, so it vanished from theatres in weeks. Luckily, it found a second life through home video and word of mouth, and is now considered a classic.

The Iron Giant is a tremendous, powerful story featuring lessons on life, death, friendship, love, and sacrifice. Simply writing this review makes me want to watch it again. If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.

Rating:

What did FilmBoy think?

He and I share the rating. He couldn’t put his finger on any favorite part, but he thoroughly enjoyed The Iron Giant – laughing at several scenes of Hogarth and the Giant bonding and playing, and getting caught up in the finale when the Giant must evade and ultimately face off against the US Army, who are determined to destroy him.

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Iron Giant is rated PG for “fantasy action and mild language.”
Violence/Scariness: Hogarth gets a nosebleed after running into a tree branch; a deer is shot and killed (we hear the gunshot then see the lifeless body); Mansley knocks Hogarth unconscious with a chloroform rag; two boys are in peril of falling off the top of a building; the army shoots a mass amounts of weapons at the Giant, including guns, tanks, and missiles; the Giant responds with his own catalog of weapons that destroys several tanks and army trucks (no soldiers are killed). The finale, involving Hogarth’s town, the Giant, and a nuclear missile, may be emotionally intense for very young children.
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: There are passing mentions of alcohol that will probably go over young kids’ heads. Mansley smokes a pipe on occasion. Hogarth gets comically wired after drinking an espresso.
Language: There are mild profanities: “hell” (2x), “damn it” (2x), and in the finale, Mansley declares, “Screw our country!”

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Yes. And if she’s not sure, make her. It’s a great film she shouldn’t miss.

 

That's either the Giant, or the squirrels are

throwing an all-nighter in their penthouse suite.

The Iron Giant
* Director: Brad Bird
* Screenwriter: Tim McCanlies
* Stars: Eli Marienthal, Vin Diesel, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Christopher McDonald, John Mahoney
* MPAA Rating: PG


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L.A. Confidential (1997)

IF SOMEONE TOLD YOU they were making a movie about police corruption in 1950s Los Angeles, starring two unknown Australian actors, and directed by the guy who did The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, would you believe it would win two Oscars and turn out to be one of the best films ever made?

Plot:
Against the background of 1950s Los Angeles, L.A. Confidential intertwines stories of police corruption, the battle for control of the L.A. underworld, a mass shooting in a late-night café, and a pimp who has his prostitutes surgically altered to look like famous Hollywood starlets.

Critique:

It shouldn’t have worked. A period piece, two virtually unknown foreigners as the leads, and half a dozen plotlines running concurrently over a span of nearly two and a half hours. Yet L.A. Confidential is one of those rare instances when all the elements come together to create, without hyperbole, a modern masterpiece.

From the performances of the actors (perfectly cast by the legendary Mali Finn), to director Curtis Hanson’s vision of the L.A. of yesteryear (he’s a lifelong Angelino), to the Oscar-winning script by Hanson and Brian Helgeland (brilliantly pared down and adapted from James Ellroy’s mammoth book), to the infectious soundtrack (mixing standards and Jerry Goldsmith’s score), to Ruth Myers’ costume design, all the pieces of L.A. Confidential connect masterfully into one perfect, ambitious puzzle.

In terms of the performances: Yes, Kim Basinger’s Oscar-winning performance as high-end call girl Lynn Bracken is good and worthy of recognition, but it’s hardly the best performance. It doesn’t even come in second or third. She’s trumped by a top-tier ensemble cast that includes:

• Russell Crowe, whose brutish Bud White has a deep-rooted issue with criminals who abuse women
• Guy Pearce as clean-cut Edmund Exley, who won’t step outside the law to deliver justice, but learns how to work the system
• James Cromwell as police captain Dudley Smith, who questions Exley’s abilities to go above the law to stop criminals and get confessions
• Kevin Spacey as slick detective Jack Vincennes, who thoroughly enjoys his gig as advisor on Badge of Honor, the hottest cop show on TV
• Danny DeVito as Sid Hudgens, publisher of the scandal magazine Hush-Hush, who’s always looking for an angle or scoop
• David Straithairn as Pierce M. Patchett, a respected businessman and philanthropist who also employs prostitutes who are “cut” to look like movie stars

With L.A. Confidential, Hanson perfectly captures the dichotomy of Los Angeles that exists to this day: The idea of image versus reality. The glitter and fame of Hollywood that masks the city’s seedy, violent underbelly. And a supposedly honorable police force that’s mired in corruption, racism, and brutality. (The fact that Hanson opens and closes the film with Johnny Mercer’s “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive” is no accident.) It’s a world where polar opposites join forces to help each other’s cases and uncover awful truths – and where one cop sworn to serve and protect turns out to be a callous, cold-hearted criminal behind the very crimes and corruption our anti-heroes are investigating. It all culminates in a final shootout that’s a master class in choreography and editing.

L.A. Confidential is one of those films that requires a second viewing to catch everything you missed, but it’s hardly a chore to do so. Character nuances become more noticeable, the narration and multiple storylines flow together better, and terrific instances of foreshadowing are much more appreciated.

Kevin Spacey has said that if L.A. Confidential hadn’t been released the same year as Titanic, it would have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Off the record, and on the QT: He’s absolutely right.

Rating:
Is it suitable for your kids?

Despite being set in a time when movies were largely free of inappropriate material, L.A. Confidential has plenty of content not meant for all audiences. There are scenes of brief nudity, discussions of drug use, graphically violent footage of mob hits, and more than a dozen people dying by bloody shootings. There’s also frequent adult language, plus occasional glances at vintage nudie and S&M magazines. High school kids and older is probably the benchmark to use when deciding if L.A. Confidential is suitable for your kids.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Factoring in its subject matter, nearly all-male cast, and police procedural setting, I’d gamble that L.A. Confidential is more for dads. In fact, it should be required viewing for all dads who love movies.


L.A. Confidential
* Director: Curtis Hanson
* Screenwriters: Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland
* Stars: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell
* MPAA Rating: R


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Aladdin (1992)

EVER SINCE DASH AND I have been watching movies together, he’s had a very anti-princess policy. That is, he recoils at any movie that features a princess in its leading cast.

For weeks, I’ve been trying to convince him to watch Disney’s Aladdin. But forget the fact that the movie a) is named after the male lead; and b) features a big blue genie. All Dash saw was Princess Jasmine, and that was that.

Finally, after much haggling and haranguing, I broke him down. Before he could change his mind, I grabbed his little brother Jack-Jack and threw the tape (yes, VHS) into the player.

Plot:

When resourceful "street rat" Aladdin (Scott Weinger) meets and falls in love with beautiful, independent Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin), there's nothing he won't do to win her heart -- including enlisting the help of an outrageous genie (Robin Williams).

Critique:

It took this recent viewing for me to remember how great Aladdin is – it truly deserves to be called a Disney classic, without reservation. (A sobering thought: To locate classic Disney films, you now only need to go back less than two decades.)

Of course, the most remembered aspect of Aladdin is the genie, voiced by Robin Williams in a rapid-fire, tour de force performance. Williams fires on all cylinders without becoming overbearing or repetitive. To the contrary, he’s quite hilarious – spewing out dozens of jokes, pop culture references, and impersonations that largely hold up today.

It’s no surprise that little girls still love Princess Jasmine 20 years later. She’s not some passive, defenseless princess or possession; she’s a strong, independent heroine who’s not impressed by the arrogance and excesses of princely behavior. She draws on her authority as princess when needed – and puts the men in their place when they deserve it.

Like other animated Disney films of its era, Aladdin owes its amazing musical score to composers Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, and Tim Rice. And while our hero Aladdin’s solo songs at the beginning are a bit too Broadway, things change with the Genie’s more Disney-esque (and undeniably catchy) “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali.” And of course, the most successful song from Aladdin is the ballad, “A Whole New World,” whose version by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle was a number-one hit.

Disney released Aladdin at a point when the Mouse House was on a tear, having resurrected itself a couple of years earlier with the critical and commercial blockbusters The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. (For an intimate look behind the scenes of this era of Disney, check out the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty.)

In the history of animated films – CGI or 2-D, Disney or otherwise – Aladdin is an animated classic that shouldn’t be forgotten, overlooked, or ignored. Make a point to (re)visit it soon.

Tidbits:

• Watch for the quick yet funny nods to other Disney classics Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid.
• In the opening song "Arabian Nights," Arab-Americans took offense to the lyric, “Where they cut off your ear, if they don't like your face." The line was changed to, “Where it's flat and immense, and the heat is intense."
• Williams and Disney butted heads over pay, royalties, and usage rights – to the point where Williams withdrew his support for Aladdin. Things were not patched up between them for several years.

Rating:

What did Dash (and Jack-Jack) think?

While Dash was still initially resistant to watching Aladdin as the opening credits rolled, both he and Jack-Jack were quickly glued to the screen and thoroughly loved the film. (“This is a funny movie” declared Jack-Jack with a smile at one point.) When it was over, Dash pretended to be asleep – probably too proud, in my opinion, to admit he was wrong in his earlier protests against the film. The very next morning, Jack-Jack popped in Aladdin again – and I must admit, I stopped what I was doing and sat down to watch it again as well.

Is it suitable for your kids?

Aladdin is rated G, but depending on your sensitivities, there may be occasional content that you’ll need to explain or gloss over: a character says he needed to “slit a few throats” to acquire a certain artifact; there are mentions of death by beheading; a produce cart owner threatens to cut off Princess Jasmine’s hand; and at one point, Aladdin is given the Arabian equivalent of “cement shoes” and tossed in an ocean.

Will your kids like it?

I should probably just re-arrange that header to say, “Your kids will like it.” Aladdin is tons of fun for all ages, let alone kids, but yeah – they’ll have a blast with it.

Will your FilmMother like it?

Absolutely. With a strong female lead, a budding love story, a funny and endearing cast of characters, terrific musical numbers, and the Disney pedigree behind it, Aladdin is a guaranteed pleaser for everyone – FilmMother included.

Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow hot hot hot hot…

Aladdin
* Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
* Screenwriters: Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio
* Stars: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, Douglas Seale
* MPAA Rating: G


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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

YET ANOTHER FIRST for Dash: We finally took a step out of animated movies and watched his first live-action film.

And we did it with one of my all-time favorites – not just from my childhood, but to this day.

Plot:

Poor paperboy Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) and his Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) dream about what lies behind the factory walls of reclusive candymaker Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder). Then one day, Wonka throws a worldwide contest by hiding six golden tickets among his chocolate Wonka bars, granting the winning ticketholders a tour of his factory.

Critique:

So many elements come together to make Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory a deliciously timeless classic that it’s best to address them one by one…

The cast.
Wilder seems to be genuinely enjoying if not relishing his role as the eccentric Wonka. He comes off as alternately endearing and maniacal – spouting off quotes from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Keats as he implicitly tests the honesty and goodness of the kids touring his factory.

13-year-old Ostrum does a great job of getting the viewer to root for good-hearted Charlie, who ultimately finds a golden ticket (in one of the film’s most exciting, uplifting moments) and is joined on Wonka’s factory tour by the other winners: German glutton Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner), obnoxious Violet Beauregarde (Denise Nickerson), spoiled brat Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole), and television addict Mike Teevee (Paris Themmen).

The music.
The songs by composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse have stood the test of time, with many still memorable after 40 years: Wonka’s signature tune, “Pure Imagination;” “Cheer Up Charlie,” which could have come straight from the classic Disney songbook; the cautionary songs by the Oompa Loompas, Wonka’s pint-sized, orange-skinned employees; and “The Candy Man,” written for the film and later made famous (or infamous) by Sammy Davis, Jr.

The settings.
From Charlie’s could-be-anywhere village town (in reality, Munich) to the fantastic rooms of Wonka’s dream-like factory, the settings are truly the stuff of fairy tales. The set pieces in the factory are amazing – a world of chocolate rivers, candy trees, fizzy-lifting drinks, and fruit-flavored wallpaper (director Mel Stuart credits the imagination of Oscar-winning art director Harper Goff).

Author Roald Dahl adapted his own book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the Willy Wonka script (with a polish by first-time screenwriter David Seltzer), yet apparently he hated the film. With all due respect to Dahl, it doesn’t matter. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a wonderfully yummy treat with a morality-tale center – a fun adventure that speaks not only to children, but the kid inside each of us.

Tidbits:
* Both Anthony Newley and Sammy Davis, Jr. wanted to play the role of the candy store owner who sings “The Candy Man” in the film, but director Stuart felt it would be too showbiz and would shatter the illusion of the story. (The role went to Aubrey Woods.)
* When the children first enter the sprawling Chocolate Room, their reactions are real – it was actually their first view of that set.
* Skip the 2005 DVD release and watch the 2001 edition, which features a bunch of extras including an insightful, often funny commentary by the now-adult Wonka kids.

Rating:

What did Dash think?

Dash did enjoy Willy Wonka, giggling and chuckling along the way – though I don’t think he was as enthralled with it as I’ve been over the years. Maybe it was because it was his first non-animated film, or because it ended an hour past his bedtime. Bottom line: While I think he liked it, I don’t anticipate repeat viewings.

Will your kids like it?

Kids of a certain age (I’ll say 7 and older) will really enjoy Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It’s a visual and musical feast, Wilder’s Wonka is an iconic character, kids can really get behind the character of Charlie…and really, isn’t it the dream of any child to have their own chocolate factory? (Though maybe these days, it’s more about owning a fruit-snack factory.)

Depending on your sensitivities, there may be a few things to consider if you’re thinking of letting wee little ones watch Wonka:
* The implied off-screen fates of the children who didn’t listen to Wonka during the factory tour, including being made into fudge, de-juiced before exploding, burned in a furnace, and stretched with a taffy-pulling machine
* A scene where a wife must choose between her kidnapped husband’s life or giving his captors her case of Wonka bars (it ends with a soft punchline aimed at adults)
* Passing references to Grandpa Joe’s pipe tobacco
* The boat ride on the chocolate river is a nightmarish, bad acid trip with Day-Glo colors, creepy images (including the beheading of a chicken), and Wonka’s scary a capella song (with a reference to “the fires of Hell”) which ends with him screaming the lyrics before stopping the boat

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

I hope that she had already seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a child, but if not, here’s your chance. It’s great viewing for you and her to share, either with or without kids.

I want my right arm back and I want it NOW!!!

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
* Director: Mel Stuart
* Screenwriter: Roald Dahl
* Stars: Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum, Jack Albertson, Michael Bollner, Denise Nickerson, Julie Dawn Cole, Paris Themmen, Roy Kinnear
* MPAA Rating: G



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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

I ADMIT IT: I’m a Pixar snob.

For me, Pixar can do no wrong when it comes to animated films. (Well, nearly any wrong; A Bug’s Life was too “shouty” for me, and I still feel let down by Ratatouille.) So when Sony Animation Studios released Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs last year, I brushed it off with the belief of, “Whatever, faceless global conglomerate; you don’t have the heart, the Pixar touch, to make me want to see your silly little film.”

Fast forward to this month, where I decided to rent Meatballs in the interest of fairness – and made it family viewing at our home. Accompanying Dash and I were our own FilmMother and a special guest critic: Dash’s 3-year-old little brother, Jack-Jack.

Plot:

The little island town of Swallow Falls has a major export (heck, it’s their only export): sardines. But when the rest of the world realizes that sardines are gross, no one buys them anymore – causing Swallow Falls to suffer its own unique recession/depression. That is, until young inventor Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) creates a machine that turns rain water into food. As Flint becomes famously popular for his creation, he faces two foes: a doubting father (James Caan) who thinks Flint should stop before things get out of control; and a greedy, gluttonous mayor (Bruce Campbell) who wants to exploit Flint’s work for his own gain. All the while, Flint tries to score with an on-the-scene weather girl (Anna Faris) who may not be as scientifically challenged as she seems.

Critique:

Going into Meatballs, I wasn’t familiar with the source material: the children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett. I consider that to be a good thing, because any familiarity with the book would have clouded (pun intended) my enjoyment of this fantastic film.

I was either smiling or laughing nearly the entire time I watched Meatballs. Its humor is inspired and rapid-fire, and the animation is both nimble and gorgeous – truly a feast for the eyes. And it’s all accompanied by a majestic musical score from veteran composer and former Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh. (Side note: I defy you to get the closing song, Miranda Cosgrove’s “Raining Sunshine,” out of your head; it’s just so damn happy.)

And just when I thought writer/directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were spending too much time on laughs and not enough on character, they evolve Flint, Sam, and Flint’s father into fully fleshed out people (animatedly speaking).

A large portion of that fleshing-out comes from Meatballs’ theme of the fragile father-son relationship so many men deal with in their lives: Trying to please a father without being stuck in his old-fashioned ways, yet hoping for love and approval from him at the same time…and ultimately living up to your potential, no matter what anybody says.

Watch your back, Pixar – if Sony Animation and/or the team of Lord and Miller make another film as great as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, your spot as king of motion picture animation may have a worthy challenger to the throne.

Rating:

What did Dash think?

Dash thoroughly enjoyed Meatballs. He was laughing and talking at the screen the whole time. And he has watched some or all of the film every day since then. But while Dash enjoyed Meatballs as a whole, it’s Jack-Jack who provides the pull-quotes for this review:

"It’s the food-maker maked it!” [“Food-maker” = Flint]

“The food-maker was funny.”

And for posterity’s sake, Jack-Jack even took a picture of the TV screen with his camera while we paused the film for a popcorn refill.

Is it suitable for your kids?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is rated PG for “brief mild language,” but aside from “lame,” “nerd,” and Flint muttering something like “holy crapples” when being attacked by a horde of plucked chickens,* there wasn’t anything offensive in Meatballs that would make it unsuitable to children of any age.

* I took this scene back three times and still couldn’t figure out what he said, so I doubt any child would pick up on it.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Absolutely. And if she doesn’t, make her anyway. She’ll thank you when it’s over.

Do you see what I see?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
* Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
* Screenwriters: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
* Stars: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Andy Samberg
* MPAA Rating: PG (brief mild language)

High Plains Drifter (1973)

THROUGH THE HAZE of a desert plain, a stranger (Clint Eastwood) on horseback appears in the distance. He makes his way across the plain, down a hillside, past a graveyard, and into the small lakeside desert town of Lago.

The stranger stops in Lago’s saloon for a drink, and here’s the greeting he gets:


Oh, and after the above mayhem, he proceeds to rape the insulting town tramp (Marianna Hill).

Welcome to the first 10 minutes of High Plains Drifter.

Plot:
The people of Lago hire the nameless stranger to protect them from a returning trio of outlaws (led by Eastwood regular Geoffrey Lewis) who have a score to settle with the town. While many of the townsfolk want the stranger to protect their town, several others (who want the secrets of the town preserved) scheme to have him removed…permanently.


Critique:

There are many elements that make High Plains Drifter such a powerful film. The strong script by Ernest Tidyman (The French Connection, Shaft). The eerie, piercing, foreboding musical score by Dee Barton. The performances of the ensemble cast. But a large amount of the film’s success belongs to the superb direction by Eastwood.

High Plains Drifter was only Eastwood’s second film as director (and his first western), but already he was showing his skills behind the camera. In addition to a strong use of point-of-view camerawork, Eastwood fills the film with masterful shots using angles, reveals, foregrounds, backgrounds, mirrors, lighting, and shadows. He spends exactly the right amount of time with each shot; not a second is wasted on any given scene.

A thesis could be written about how Lago is an allegory for Hell. (Tidyman’s script is truly on a literary level.) Some examples:
• The stranger rides down a hillside to enter Lago (a descent into hell)
• The following passages of dialogue after the stranger demands every building in town be painted red…
o Preacher (Robert Donner): “You can’t mean the church, too!” Stranger: “I mean especially the church.”
o Bartender (Paul Brinegar): “When we get done, this place is gonna look like hell.”
o Later, after the hotel owner (Ted Hartley) declares, “200 gallons of blood-red paint…it couldn’t be worse if the devil himself had ridden right into Lago!” – we cut immediately to the stranger sleeping in bed.
• And when you see him backlit during the fiery climax, wielding his bullwhip, you’d swear the stranger is the devil himself.

Eastwood’s stranger is an antihero for the ages, and High Plains Drifter is a dark morality tale that just happens to be a western. As the story unfolds, it becomes all too clear who the stranger embodies – an “avenging devil” who’s come to collect on the sins of the town’s past.

High Plains Drifter often gets dismissed or lumped in with Eastwood’s “spaghetti westerns” (A Fistful of Dollars, The Good The Bad & The Ugly) or lackluster efforts like Hang ‘em High. I admit, I was guilty of this perception until I actually watched High Plains Drifter years ago. It’s now one of my top 25 favorite films of all time. (See the others on my profile page or my reviews under the label “filmfather favorite.”)

Trivia:
• “Lago Averno” was the entrance to Hell in Dante's Inferno.
• Shortly after the film's release, Eastwood wrote to John Wayne, suggesting they make a western together. Wayne sent back an angry letter, denouncing High Plains Drifter for its violence and revisionist portrayal of the Old West. Eastwood didn’t reply back, and they never worked together.

Rating:

Will your kids want to watch it?

High Plains Drifter may be a western, and kids may love cowboys, but this is one dark, R-rated western that young’ins shouldn’t see till they’re older. Many people are shot, a woman is raped, two men are whipped to death, and another is hung by a bullwhip. There are also a couple of morning-after bedroom scenes with Eastwood and a lady friend. And to top it off, a horse is shot and a little person (The Wizard of Oz’s Billy Curtis) gets punched out by a full-sized man.

Will your FilmMother like it?

The perception (correct or not) is that girls don’t like westerns. Well, I often say that High Plains Drifter is a western for people who don’t like westerns – but love a good tale of morality, revenge, and the price for covering sins of the past. Also, push the literary angle if you think that’ll play to her intellect; I’m still trying to get it to work on my English-teacher wife. (How about tonight, honey?)

Dammit, I said RED. This is clearly mauve. That’s it, I’m off the project.

High Plains Drifter
• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Screenwriter: Ernest Tidyman
• Stars: Clint Eastwood, Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Mitch Ryan, Jack Ging, Stefan Gierasch, Ted Hartley, Billy Curtis, Geoffrey Lewis, Walter Barnes
• MPAA Rating: R


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