Goldfinger Review Revisited "Ejector seat? You're joking!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, figured it was time for another post on here and this one is yet another revistation of sorts and will be of the one of the great James Bond classics, Goldfinger. So, it will be the usual expansion stuff of the previous review, also given it is the film's 60th anniversary, its as good a time as any to revisit it. 

So, let's take another look at this classic Bond flick from the 60's once again.

The usual warning is of course coming up...

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!! 

STORY 

So, the story begins with Bond (Sean Connery) sent on a mission to destroy a drug laboratory in Latin America (followed by the credits).  After this Bond goes to Miami where he receives instructions from his superior, M (Bernard Lee) via CIA agent Felix Leiter (Cec Linder) to observe a bullion dealer named Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) who happens to be staying at the same hotel as Bond.  Bond then spies on Goldfinger as he spots him cheating during a card game and he locates Goldfinger's employee, Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) who observes the card game from a telescope and via a microphone tells Goldfinger the hand of his opponent.  Bond however foils Goldfinger's game and tells him off for cheating and switches off the mic and proceeds to seduce Jill, however after they sleep together, Bond is knocked out by Goldinger's Korean manservant, Oddjob (Harold Sakata) who then kills Jill by spraying her body with gold paint, thereby suffocating her.

Bond then returns to London where he meets with M who tells him he is to determine how Oddjob smuggles the gold internationally.  Bond then meets Goldfinger for a game of golf where they play a high stakes game, which Bond wins by switching Goldfinger's golf ball during the game.  Bond later follows Goldfinger into Switzerland and stops off at a point where Goldfinger buys some fruit but a gunshot is fired from above at Bond by a girl, Tilly (Tania Mallett).  Bond follows her and disables her car with a special gadget that blows out her wheels and he later drops her off.  Bond later at night infiltrates Goldfinger's plant and discovers that he smuggles the gold by melting it down and having it structured into the bodywork of his car.  

Bond soon finds Tilly again who turns out to be the sister of Jill and she is out for revenge for Goldfinger having her sister killed, however Tilly is soon killed by Oddjob with his bowler hat and Bond is captured.  Bond later comes to, to find himself strapped onto a table and Goldfinger has a laser beam aimed at the table and activates it as it starts cutting its way slowly up the table towards Bond's privates.  As Goldfinger is ready to having Bond killed, Bond reveals that he knows something of Goldfinger's operation "Operation grand slam" as he overheard him say it earlier in the film, which causes Goldfinger to spare Bond's life and instead Bond is taken onboard Goldfinger's private jet piloted by Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman).

Bond is then taken to Goldfinger's stud farm situated near Fort Knox where he is placed in a cell.  Goldfinger in the meantime meets with some American mafia associates and he tells them of his operation to enter Fort Knox where he intends to use nerve gas to disable the army personnel surrounding it.  Bond then manages to escape his cell after luring in and knocking out one of the guards and he spies on the meeting only to be spotted by Pussy (does that sound right?!).  However after the meeting Goldfinger has the Mafia associates all killed using a lethal nerve gas.  

After the meeting Bond talks with Goldfinger who tells him that he intends to detonate a bomb within Fort Knox that would render the gold within it useless so he can increase the value of his own gold.  Bond later walks with Pussy and the two of them having a playful play in the....erm hay where Bond seduces her (albeit forcefully!).  Bond is then soon taken to Fort Knox along with Goldfinger after Pussy and her team of female pilots spread gas over the area knocking out the army soldiers and the CIA.  And from here Bond must find a way to stop Goldfinger from his nefarious plan.....

THOUGHTS AND SOME BACKGROUND NOTES

Goldfinger is often regarded as one of the very best Bond films and it has to be said its easy to see why as to this day its still a highly entertaining and at times thrilling movie which features so many memorable moments not to mention memorable characters and action set pieces.  The film was also quite racy for its time in terms of its double entendres and introducing such an outrageously perversley named character as Pussy Galore, which for its time surprisingly there was little controversy over it even though at one point the producers considered renaming her "Kitty Galore".  

The film was also well noted for its scenes at Fort Knox during the film's climax where Bond is trapped inside Fort Knox and handcuffed to the bomb that is set to go off as for the filming of these scenes, the film crew were not allowed to actually film inside Fort Knox itself.  So as a result of this the film's designer, Ken Adam, imagined and designed a set for Fort Knox as they thought it might appear and later on Adam himself received a letter from the management at Fort Knox complimenting him on the set design itself.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES 

As for the performances well they are pretty good here.

Starting off with Sean Connery who is great once again in his role as Bond and he plays part with a sly charm and strong sense of self assuredness.  

Connery naturally has some great scenes in the film such as his opening scene in Latin America where he fights off a henchman come to kill him and he throws the henchman into the bath and then flings a fan at him, electrocuting the man and afterward Bond says "Shocking!  Positively shocking!" before leaving.

Then we have the scene is when Bond after sleeping with Jill goes to get some wine from the fridge of her hotel room and he tells Jill "My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!" just before being knocked out by Oddjob. 

Then there is the scene where Bond meets with Q and he shows him his new Aston Martin and highlights some of the gadgets in it including the ejector seat and as Q tells him about it the button that activates. So, Q says to Bond "Whatever you do don't touch that button?" and Bond asks "Why not?" and Q tells him "Because it will remove this section off the roof and with it, it will eject the seat" and Bond says incredulously "Ejector seat?!  You're joking!" and Q says "I never joke about my work, 007!".  

Another good scene is when Bond plays golf with Goldfinger (Connery himself later took up the game after the film) and as Goldfinger loses his ball on the fairway, Oddjob drops another one discreetly.  And Bond's caddy says "If that's his original ball I'm Arnold Palmer" and Bond says "It isn't" and the caddy says "How do you know that?" and Bond says "I'm standing on it!" and he lifts his shoe to reveal the ball.  

And of course there is the classic scene when Bond is captured and tied to the table with the laser beam being fired and edging closer to his private parts!  And in the scene Bond tries to persuade Goldfinger to switch it off by saying "You're forgetting one thing, if I fail to report back, 008 replaces me!" which falls on deaf ears to Goldfinger who says "I trust he will be more successful".  And Bond continues to try and stop Goldfinger from killing him by saying "Well he knows what I know" and Goldfinger says "You know nothing, Mr Bond" and Bond nervously says "Operation grand slam for instance".  And Goldfinger takes a moment and considers the implications of Bond knowing this and says "Two words you may have overheard, which cannot have the slightest significance to you or anyone in your organization" and Bond anxiously says "Are you willing to take that chance?" which leads to Goldfinger finally switching off the laser.  

Another interesting but controversial scene is when Bond plays with Pussy Galore in the haybarn and as she is about to leave he grabs her and says "What would it take for you to see things my way?" and Pussy defiantly says "Alot more than you've got!" and they proceed to playfully throw each other in the hay.  And Bond finally seduces her by saying "Let's both play!" and Pussy finally gives into his forceful advances.  

Then lastly there is the scene near the end when the CIA rush in and switch off Goldfinger's bomb and Felix asks Bond how did he get Pussy to change her mind about switching the gas canisters to knock out the army soldiers rather than kill them, and Bond says "Well I guess I must have appealed to her maternal instincts!".

Next is Gert Frobe who is great as the ruthless Auric Goldfinger and he delivers one of the series most memorably villainous performances. It is worth noting however that Frobe's actual voice was not used during the film as it was dubbed by the British actor, Michael Collins but Frobe's real voice can be heard in the scene where Bond is directly underneath the room where Goldfinger briefs some gangster associates over his plan to rob Fort Knox. 

Frobe also has some great scenes such as the scene where Goldfinger first meets with Bond for a game of golf and after he loses he warns Bond not to cross him again and points to Oddjob's hat, who takes it off and throws it and cuts the head off one of the statues on the grounds of the club. So, Bond says to him "But what would the club secretary have to say" and Goldfinger says "Oh nothing, Mr Bond.  I own the club!".  

Then there is the classic scene where Goldfinger has captured Bond and places him on the table with an industrial laser aimed right at the table it starts to cut through it.  And Bond says to Goldfinger "You expect me to talk?" and Goldfinger turns and says to him "No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!".  And in the same scene Bond says to Goldfinger "You're forgetting one thing!  If I fail to report back, 008 replaces me!" and Goldfinger smugly says "I trust he will be more successful!". So, as Bond tells him about overhearing the words "operation grand slam" and Bond says "You will take that chance?" that he doesn't really know anything. So, Goldfinger relents and turns the laser and says to Bond "You're right, your more important to me alive".  

Then there is the scene where Goldfinger tells the American mafia associates his plan to infiltrate Fort Knox and later he leads out one of the associates, Mr Solo who decides to renege on Goldfinger's plan and he is driven away by Oddjob and later killed and crushed inside the car down at a junkyard.  And in the scene Goldfinger says to Bond "You will need to excuse, Mr Solo, he has a pressing engagement!" only later to see the car come back in a neatly squashed square and he says to Bond "Forgive me, Mr. Bond, but, uh... I must arrange to separate my gold from the late Mr. Solo!".

And last of all there is the last scene where Goldfinger smuggles himself onboard a private jet for Bond going to the Whitehouse and Goldfinger wearing a high ranking army uniform says to him "You have interferred in my plans for the last time, Mr Bond!". So, Bond asks "Where is Pussy?" and Goldfinger says "I will deal with her later but right now she's up at the controls" and Bond struggles with him and fires off Goldfinger's gun shooting out one of the windows, which causes the plane to lose cabin pressure and Goldfinger is then sucked out of a plane window!

Then there is Honour Blackman who is very good in her amusingly named role of Pussy Galore, Goldfinger's personal pilot who later switches allegiances to help Bond and has a good chemistry onscreen also with Connery.  

Blackman also has some good moments in the film too such as her first scene where Bond wakes up to see Pussy and she says to him "My name is Pussy Galore".  And in the same scene she takes out her gun and rubs it closely on his cheek saying "You like close shaves don't you?". Bond then tries to use his charm on her and she says "You can turn off the charm, I'm immune" which has suggested as the book states that she is a lesbian but of course Bond sees to that later!  

And as Bond teases her about being Goldfinger's personal pilot he says to her "Oh, just how personal is that?" which pisses her off and she snaps back "I'm a damn good pilot!  Period!".  And then there is the scene where Oddjob opens the door of a car for Bond and Pussy to get in and Bond says to her "You know he kills little girls like you" and Pussy retorts "Little boys too!".  

Then there is the scene where Bond and Pussy play in the hay and he grabs her and eventually seduces her. So, in the scene as they walk together, Bond says to her "Oh, trying a different tactic" and as they go into barn, Bond tries to persuade her to see that Goldfinger is crazy "He's quite mad, you know" but she doesn't listen. So, Bond then grabs her as she tries to leave and he says "What would it take for you to see things my way?" and Pussy says "Alot more than you've got!" and Bond asks "How do you know?" and Pussy says "I don't want to know!". So, they playfully toss each other about in the hay and Bond finally says "Right, let's both play" and he forces himself on her and she gives in for a passionate embrace. 

Harold Sakata even though he never has any lines of dialogue also makes a memorable appearance in his role as the Korean mute henchman, Oddjob who does Goldfinger's evil bidding.

Sakata also has his moments in the film such as the scene where Oddjob first throws his bowler hat at a statue, decapitating it and later in the scene Bond throws him Goldfinger's golf ball saying "I believe this is yours" and Oddjob catches and crushes it with his fist, smiling.  Then of course there is the climactic fight scene between Oddjob and Bond which is one of the best fight scenes in the series and ends up with Bond frying Oddjob by electrocuting him.

And last few cast members I will mention include Desmond Lewellyn who is great again as Q and his only scene is a highlight in itself where he tells Bond about the different gadgets of his Aston Martin. 

So, in the scene Q points out a red button on the gearstick of the car "Now this one I'm particularly keen about. You see the gear lever here? Now, if you take the top off, you will find a little red button. Whatever you do, don't touch it!" and Bond asks "Why not?" and Q tells him "Because you'll release this section of the roof, and engage and then fire the passenger ejector seat. Whish!".  And Bond says "Ejector seat?!  You're joking!" and Q seriously says "I never joke about my work, 007!".

Then there is Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson and she is quite good as Goldfinger's employee but after she sleeps with Bond, she is famously bumped off by being covered in gold paint, suffocating her skin.  

So, I will mention the scene where Jill lies down looking through a telescope, spying on Goldfinger's card game to help him cheat via a hidden microphone. 

So, in the scene, Bond turns up in the room and she turns around and asks "Who are you?" and Bond says that classic line "Bond, James Bond". So, Bond asks her "Tell me, what's your name?" and Jill says "Jill Masterson" and Bond asks "Tell me, Jill, why does he do it?" and Jill says "He likes to win" and Bond asks "Does he pay you to do it?" and Jill says "He pays me" and Bond asks "Is that all he pays your for?" and Jill says "And being seen with him" and Bond enquires "Just seen?" and Jill says "JUST seen" and Bond smiles and says "I'm so glad". Bond then turns off Goldfinger's connection and taps the mic loudly and says to him "Now, you better losing, Goldfinger. Nod if you understand?" and Goldfinger, frustrated nods, which allows his opponent to win and Goldfinger breaks his pencil in disgust. So, Bond says on the mic "Over and out" and he turns it off and turns to Jill who says to him "I think I like you, Mr Bond" Bond then says "What are we going to do about it?" and "I'll tell after dinner" and Jill asks "Where?" and Bond says "Oh, I know the best place in town!" and they kiss. 

Bernard Lee also makes a brief appearance again in his role as Bond's superior M and he is solid as ever in the part but given little to do though. 

So, I will mention the scene where M meets with Bond not long after Jill's death and Bond explains to M "She died of skin suffocation. Its alright if you leave a small bare patch of the skin at the spine to breathe" and M says "Someone obviously didn't" and Bond says "I know who". M then warns Bond "This isn't a personal vendetta, 007. Its an assignment like any other. And if you can't treat it as such, coldly and objectively, then 008 can replace you". M then continues to chastise Bond "You were supposed to observe Mr Goldfinger, not steal his girlfriend. Its only by the good grace of God and your friend Letier, that you are not in the hands of the Miami beach police!". Bond then says "I am aware of my shortcomings, sir. I will continue to approach this assignment in the spirit you suggest, if I KNEW what it was about". M then asks "What do you know about Gold? Not painted bullion." and Bond says "I know it when I see it" so M tells him "Meet tonight at seven. Black tie". 

And last of all we have Cec Linder who does very well in his role as Felix Leiter and I would have to say he ranks as one of the better Leiter's in the series.  And Linder has some good lines in the film as well such as in the scene near the end where Leiter leads Bond toward a private jet that will take him to meet the president at the Whitehouse and Leiter says to Bond "I told the stewardess liquor for three" and Bond asks "Who are the other two" and Leiter says "Oh there are no other two!".

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

Now getting on the director, Guy Hamilton who has done an excellent job in his debut Bond film (with Terence Young having directed the first two) and he confidently handles the film's action scenes and he never let's the film's pace lag at any time and he has almost succeeded in creating the perfect Bond film here alone.  Hamilton would then go on to become a directorial stalwart of the series as he would direct several more films in the series including Diamonds are Forever and Live and Let Die.

As for the film's music it features a great score by John Barry which is also very memorable and it features some great tracks and notably one of the pieces of music was even sampled by the band Sneaker Pimps taken from the scene where Bond finds Jill's body covered in gold paint.  Then of course there is the film's very memorable Bond title theme as sung by Shirley Bassey which easily goes down as one of the series best and most recognisible Bond themes.

FLAWS

As for Goldfinger's flaws.... yeah OK its not quite perfect and to start it has to be said it has some silly moments in the film such as the scene at the start where Bond infiltrates the drug lab and he climbs the wall by shooting the grappel gun, but we clearly see the rope shoot up long after its being fired!  So it makes for one of the film's more clumsy technical moments.  And in the next scene we have Bond set his plastic explosives around neatly placed barrels of nitro explosives and it makes you wonder just why the hell would they even be placed there in the first place???!  Certainly the drug dealers and drug lords associated with the lab will not assume that this could be at any stage problematic!

Then there is the scene where Bond derails Tilly's car off the road by using retracting blades that come from his tires and cuts right her wheels and into the bodywork of the car itself.  Now the fact that Tilly survived the crash herself is in itself a miracle but not only that she never really suspects that it was Bond the did the damage himself!  But clearly Bond was the only one that was right next her on the road so she must have figured it had to be him!  And to top that off its also a bit of a cliche that Tilly is as Bond puts it "a lousy shot" when he fails in her attempt to kill Goldfinger on the hilly roads in Switzerland.  Not only that the gunshot doesn't even get any sort of reaction at all out of Goldfinger himself and only just a smile from Oddjob!  These guys really aren't concerned much by this are they????!!

Another thing that springs to mind is in the scene when Goldfinger has all the American mafia associates killed after his meeting with them.  Now he has just killed, what I presume to be several high ranking Mafia associates and with them dead, questions will surely be asked and no doubt eventually the Mafia would suss things out and send someone to kill Goldfinger himself!  But of course because of the convenience of the film we never really get to that and instead we just carry on with the rest of the plot and well...Goldfinger will meet his end soon enough.

Then there is of course the famous or infamous scene where Bond seduces Pussy Galore, which even has some romantic music in the background by John Barry. However, this scene looking at it today, seems to be far from romantic as Bond really does force himself on Pussy, giving her no choice but to accept his aggressive advances, which is almost tantamount to sexual assault. In fact the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) said recently if the film was ever to be re-released again it would be certified as 12 instead of a PG, for this scene alone. So, in retrospect this scene definitely is quite uncomfortable to watch. 

Another silly moment comes in the Fort Knox sequence where Pussy and her pilots fly over Fort Knox and spray the nerve gas knocking out the army and CIA immediately, which seems a bit daft at just how quickly it affects them!  Now I don't really know if the affect of such a nerve gas would be as instantaneous but far as I'm concerned its one of the scenes that stands out as being really comical and stupid the way we see the actors instantly collapse, although its later claimed they were faking it???  Hmmm.  Well if that was the case surely this would have roused the suspicion of Goldfinger as he must know of the effects the gas will have on the soldiers and whether it would be instant or not.  

Then we have the scene of course where after Bond has dealt with Oddjob he tries to find a way to switch off the bomb, which is counting down pretty fast, so fast in fact there is no way it wouldn't count down to zero BEFORE Felix and the other CIA agents could race down the stairs!  So that whole scene in itself is bullshit and one of the agents neatly knows just where the off switch is also and it stops at 007!  Nice touch but then if there was an off switch its funny how Bond didn't try and think of looking for that himself rather than piss out about with trying to pull out the wires!  Ah well common sense eh?   

And last of all there is the scene where Bond offs Goldfinger by shooting one of the windows of the private jet during their struggle causing Goldfinger to be sucked out of the plane window and for the plane to suffer cabin depressurisation.  But in reality there is no way this would happen not to mention that if anyone were to be sucked out surely it would be Bond and not Goldfinger given how heavy he is by comparison! ;-)

Anyway that's it for my looking at the flaws.

SUM UP

So summing up I think Goldfinger remains one of the strongest Bond films in the franchise and after 60 years its still as entertaining as it was on its release.  The film is easily one of the most memorable as well and it has so many memorable moments, characters and lines that's what makes it one of the best and for that alone its a film that warrants repeated viewing. 

So, I will rate Goldfinger:

9.5 out of 10

So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post.

Till then its bye for now! 

Face/Off Review (Revisited Part 2) "Woo-wee you good lookin!"

 

 

 

 

So, its only a couple of years since I did a relook at the subject of this post, which is of course my review of the 90's action thriller, Face/Off starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage.

So, with that all said, let's take another look at this actioner and see how it fairs 27 years onward...

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So, the story begins with an assassination attempt being made on FBI special agent, Sean Archer (Travolta) by a freelance assassin Castor Troy (Nicholas Cage) which Archer survives however his young son Michael was killed instead as a result.  Six years later Archer carries on with his personal vendetta to try and bring down Castor and he eventually manages to ambush and capture Castor at a small aiport in Los Angeles along with his brother Pollux Troy (Alessandro Nivola).  

Castor however reveals a plan to detonate a bomb somewhere in LA during his fight with Archer but is knocked into a coma before he can say anymore.  Archer then confirms that the threat of bomb is real but he is unable to get Pollux to talk about where it is.  However Archer's partner Tito (Robert Wisdom) tells Archer that there is another option open to them which would involve Archer having to undergo facial surgery to have his face removed and replace with Castor's who is being kept alive while in a coma.  Archer eventually agrees to undergo the surgery and he takes on the appearance of Castor (with Cage now playing Archer) with the idea of going into the prison where Pollux is kept where he must try and learn the location of the bomb.  Archer goes into the prisoner as a prisoner and he manages to persuade Pollux to tell him where the bomb is.

In the meantime however Castor awakens from his coma to discover his face is missing and he calls his gang and they force the doctor who supervised the surgery, Dr Walsh (Colm Feore) to put Archer's face on Castor.  Castor (now played by Travolta) kills Walsh and Archer's partner Tito and everyone linked with the undercover operation and pays a visit to Archer in prison where he goads him by saying he intends to take over his job and personal life.  Castor then has Pollux released from prison by posing a deal that Pollux tells them where the bomb is located giving Castor the idea to get credit for finding and deactivating the bomb which he does.  

Castor then starts to move in on Archer's personal life as he get's close with Archer's wife Eve (Joan Allen) and daughter Jamie (Dominique Swain).  Archer while still in prison manages to stage a prison riot and escapes from the prison along with the help of fellow inmate Dubov (Chris Bauer) who is killed during the riot.  Archer then makes it back to LA where he heads to Castor's headquarters and meets Sasha (Gina Gershon) who is the sister of Castor's drug kingpin, Dietrich (Nick Cassavettes).  Archer while there meets Sasha's and Castor's son, Adam who bears a resemblance to Archer's son Michael.

However Castor soon learns of Archer's escape and raids his headquarters with FBI agents in a bloody fight with fatal casualties on both sides, including Dietrich and Pollux however Archer, Sasha and Adam manage to escape.  Castor distraught at Pollux's death is soon confronted by Archer's boss Victor Lazarro (Harve Presnell) who blames him for the raid turning bloody but Castor then quietly admits to Lazarro in his office that he is in fact Castor Troy and then kills Lazarro and makes it look like a heart attack.  

Archer then meets with Eve and eventually manages to convince her that he is Archer by telling Eve his real blood type and Castor's.  Eve then takes a blood sample from Castor during the night and tests it revealing it to be as Archer said.  Eve says that however as Castor is now the acting director of the department that he will be very tough to get to but with Lazarro's funeral being planned, Castor will be in attendance and Archer could take Castor there.  And from here it leads into the film's climax with literally all guns blazing.....

THOUGHTS

As an action film Face/Off works pretty well and its an entertaining action movie which was saw its director John Woo makes a successful transition from his Hong Kong action flicks to America (although this was his second Hollywood action film with Blue Arrow being his first also starring Travolta).  The concept for the film also makes for something slightly different and unique in the action genre with both Travolta and Cage playing their opposite roles for the better part of the film.  Woo here also employs his trademark use of slow motion and visually stylised action scenes, guys flying through the air while firing their guns of which this film has plenty of that!

PERFORMANCES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers and strong language!)

As for the performances things are pretty good here with both the leads giving enjoyably hammy performances.  

Starting with John Travolta who relishes the double role of Archer and Castor and he plays both of them pretty well as his Archer is pretty sombre and serious whereas his Castor is playful and psychotic all at once. Johnny Deep was actually once considered to play the role himself but was later replaced as he was not so keen on the script, so Woo ended up casting Travolta.

Travolta naturally has some highlights in the film such as the first scene where he is revealed as Castor (wearing Archer's face of course, yep its confusing!) to Archer in prison.  And in the scene Castor smiles looking at Archer saying "Wooo-wee you good lookin! Its like looking in a mirror but not!" and follows it up by saying "Now I've got to go.  I've got a government job to abuse and a lonely wife to fuck!".

Then there is the moment where Archer having deactivated the bomb get's alot of credit and applause from the FBI agents back at the office and smiles thriving off the attention he says to them "Everybody I want to thank you for enduring all these years that I was an insufferable bore!". And one of the agents Wanda, asks him "Sir, did you have a surgical procedure?" and Castor a little agitated asks "What do you mean?" and the agent says "I mean did they successfully remove the stick from your ass?" and they all laugh as does Castor.   

Another good scene is when Castor does his one good deed in the whole film when he prevents Jamie from being raped and afterward tells her "Dress up like Halloween and ghouls will try and get into your pants!".  And then Castor asks Jamie "While we're on the subject, do you have protection?" and Jamie asks "What like condoms?" and Castor then expertly pulls out a switchblade and says to her "Protection. Next time, let Carl take his pants down, slip this in his thigh, twist it. So the wound won't close.." and he closes up the knife and hands it to her and says "Now get out of here" and she leaves and he sits down and says to himself "I am the king".

And another one of Travolta's best moments comes when as Castor he suddenly for the first time (and only time) personality wise becomes like Archer when he hears that Archer has escaped but is presumed dead and Castor says "Where is his body? I must see his body".  And the agent, Wanda says "It hasn't been recovered yet" and Castor suddenly explodes "IT HASN'T BEEN RECOVERED YET????!!!  Get the LAPD on this!". Wanda then says to Castor "Even if he is alive, Castor isn't sutpid enough to come back to the city" and Castor puts his hand on her face gently and says "You must trust me...he's already here".  

Then there is the scene which is one of the best visual moments in the film where Castor raids his own headquarters to kill Archer and the two of them stand either side of a double glass windowed pillar.  And Castor says "I don't know what I hate wearing more... your face or your body!  Let's face it we both like it the other way yes?  How about we trade back" and Archer says "You can't give back what you've taken from me!" and Castor says "Oh well plan B.  Let's just kill each other!" and they both point their guns at each other from either side of the mirrors.  

Another good scene is when Castor confesses to Lazarro that he really is Castor Troy and he says to him "I've got a confession to make and you won't like it" and he grabs Lazarro and says in his ear "I AM Castor Troy!" and he attacks him and puts him on the ground with his hand over Lazarro's mouth. He then get's up and makes a call on his phone and says "Could you call the paramedics? Victor Lazarro has just had a heart attack!".   

And last of all is the scene where Castor and Archer face off (again!) at the church with Eve caught in the middle of their guns. So, Archer says to Castor "This is between us. Leave them out of this" and Castor says "No. You should have left them out of it. Your son was an accident. I wanted to kill you. But, you took it too personally. Why couldn't you just kill yourself or let it go?!" but Archer says "No father could" and Castor says "No brother could either!". And as more of Castor's men show up with their guns and the stand-off ensues, Castor smiles and says "Woo-wee! What a predicament!".

Nicholas Cage next also provides a bizzare but also pretty good performance that has a mixture of seriousness and decency as Archer and gleeful madness as Castor.  

Cage also has his moments in the film such as the start where dressed as a priest activates the bomb at the LA convention centre.  And he afterward joins the choir spotting a pretty choir girl and he goes up to her and says "I never really enjoyed the Messiah, in fact, I think it's fucking boring. But your voice makes even hack like Handel seem like a genius!" and proceeds to grab her ass and groan in orgasmic delight (classic Cage moment!).  

Then there is the scene where Castor arrives at the private airport and he pays off guards protecting Pollux and he tells them "You're paid to protect him from everyone including himself" as he hands them their money.  And Castor then says to them "Oh and avoid dowtown on the 18th as things may get a bit smoggy!" and Pollux grins as he boards the plane.  

Another good moment is when Castor and Archer face off each other at the start off the film in the airport hanger and Archer has Castor at gun point.  And Castor feigns being scared as he says "Please don't shoot me, man. I'm scared, Sean!" and then "Well, I think you better pull the trigger, because I don't give a FUCK!" and he discreetly pulls a knife out from behind his back and signs (rather annoyingly I have to admit!) "I'm ready, Ready for the big ride, BABY!".  

And then we have the scene where Castor wakens from his coma with his face wrapped in bandages he removes to see his face missing and yells out in hysteria.  And after calling his gang they bring Dr Walsh over to him and Walsh asks "What do you want?" and we see the reflection of Castor's bloody visage of the skin removed from his face he says "Take one goddamn guess!".  

Then once Archer undergoes the facial surgery there is probably the unintentionally hilarious scene where he is sent to prison and whilst in line waiting for dinner he spots Pollux but he is attacked by another prisoner Dubov.  And Archer starts to try and take on Castor's persona by suddenly grinning madly at Pollux and then beating Dubov and yelling at the inmates "I'm Castor Troy!!" and making "Wooo!!!" noises but we clearly see his pain and anguish as well.  

Then there is the scene where Archer finally speaks to Pollux and he get's him to admit the location of the bomb. And in the scene Archer says to Pollux "We're gonna blow up LA, bro, ain't it cool?" and Pollux says "Rub my nose in it, why don't you? 10 million dollar design and those Militia nuts get to keep their cash". Archer than angles for Pollux to admit to the bomb's location by teasing him and saying "Its so fucking unfair! That bomb of yours does deserve an audience. I mean its work of art. It belongs in the Louvre!" and Pollux finally admits "Yes it does. Oh well, I guess the L.A. convention center will have to do" and Archer suddenly changes tone and smiles and says to Pollux "Thank you" and Pollux, a bit surprised asks "For what?" and Archer says "You are so fucking pathetic!" and walks off.

Another amusing scene later on in the film is when Archer in prison figures out the only the way to have his magentic boots removed is to be put in the chair where they administer electric shocks.  So Archer attacks a guard and grabs a cigarette and he is taken away by the guards for electrocution and he yells out " I NEED A LIGHT!! I NEED A LIGHT!! HAS ANYONE GOT A LIGHT?!" with the inmates all cheering him on.  

Another notable scene is where Archer having made it back to LA he steals a car and calls the FBI office and speaks to Castor who answers saying "This is Sean Archer speaking" and Archer says "Well if you're Sean Archer, I guess that makes me Castor Troy!" and he hangs up with Castor sighing to himself and saying "Oh yes".  

Then there is the scene where Archer goes to Castor's headquarters and Dietrich gives Castor some drugs and under the influence he tells them his plan to get Castor (well Archer really, yep confusing!).  And one of the gang asks "When we get him, what next?" and Archer says "Tiny, tiny surgery" and then "Yes I want to take his face off".  And Dietrich asks again "I'm sorry you want to take his face off?" and Archer says "Yes.  I want to take his face... off. Eyes, nose, skin, teeth. It's coming off!".  

Another good moment from Cage is when Archer sneaks back into his house and he tries to convince Eve that he is himself and he says to her "The last time I saw you was in this room, we had a fight when I said I had to go away again I spent the night in Mike's old bed, the assignment was to enter a federal prison as Castor Troy, just fucking insane!  A special ops surgeon gave me Caster's FACE and somehow Castor came out of his coma and killed everybody who knew about the mission not before transforming into me!". And before Archer goes he tells Eve "I know you don't believe a word I'm saying, well here's proof doctor your husband, me, my Sean's blood type O-negative Castor's AB" and put his hand on her face and tells her "And I love you" before leaving a shaking Eve.   

Joan Allen provides a very good performance as Archer's long suffering wife Eve, who is a also a doctor.  

Allen also has some good moments in the film such as the scene where Castor is as Archer, drives back to Archer's home and nearly drives right past Eve as she comes out of the house. So, Castor backs up the car and get's out and smiles and Eve somewhat bemused says "Well, Sean I knew it was only a matter of time before you forgot where we lived!" and Castor grins and says "Oh come on, give me a break, all these houses on this block look the same".  

Eve and Castor visit Michael's grave and she lays down some flowers on the grave and breaks down in tears "Happy Birthday, Mikey. He took our baby, Sean. He took our little boy!" with Castor consoling her feeling a bit of remorse as a result.  

Another good scene is when Eve discovers that Castor is indeed the man posing as Archer as she has taken a sample of his blood (while Castor was asleep) and analyzes it the hospital where she works and shows Castor's blood type "AB".

So, its shocked and stands back and says to herself "Oh my God!" and we see that Archer stands behind her and says "I thought you might come here. Thank you for trusting me" but Eve then grabs her purse and takes out a gun and points it at him and says "Right now, I don't know who to trust!". Archer then moves toward her and gently moves the gun aside and places his hand on her face (in that annoying way he always does!). Archer then shares a story of their first date together and Eve finally realises that he is Archer and she says "I've been living with that man for a week!" and Archer tells her "Eve, I put you in that position and I don't know if I can ever make it up to you" and Eve turns to him and says "Well you damn well better try!".     

And lastly there is the scene I will mention is when Eve comments on her daughter Jamie not showing up for Lazarro's funeral "She stole $50 from my purse this morning and just took off.  She wouldn't even come to our son's grave so why should she give a damn about your boss's funeral!" and gets in the car leaving Castor looking a bit annoyed.  

Gina Gershon is also excellent as Sasha Hessler, one of Castor's lovers who also has a son, Adam and is mixed up their drug business along with her brother and drug kingpin Dietrich.  

And Gina has some good scenes also such as where Sasha introduces her son to Archer (as still Castor) and she says to Archer that guns are his, and Archer says "He's a good looking boy" and Gina says "Yeah, he's yours too".  And as Sasha tells Adam to go over to Archer he gives the boy a warm hug as the boy resembles his own dead son Michael and Archer starts to sob saying "Michael...Michael!" and Sasha says "Cas, stop it!  You're scaring him!".  And during the FBI raid on the headquarters there is the moment where Sasha runs carrying Adam and one of the agents stops her and she kicks him in the nuts and says "I never want to see you do that!".  

And lastly there is the scene where Sasha turns up at the funeral and points her gun at Castor (as Archer) and she asks Archer (as Castor) "Are you OK, baby?" and Castor says "Sasha, baby, I'm Castor.  THAT'S Archer" and Sasha says "And I'm bored.  Put the fucking gun down!". And after the gun fight ensues and Sasha is mortally wounded in the stand-off, she grabs Archer with her dying breath and says of her son "Take care of our baby. Make sure he doesn't grow up like us" and Archer nods and says "I promise".

And the last couple I will mention are Nick Cassavettes as Dietrich who is also good in his role and he also gets some good lines.  And as a couple of examples there is the scene where Archer arrives at Castor's headquarters and Dietrich gives him a warm welcome and says "You know, I should never have sold you those bombs, its my curse I can't say no to my friends" and Archer says "You can't say no to money!" and Dietrich says "That's my other curse!". And Archer makes a half-hearted grin at him and says "You drug dealer!" and Dietrich says "What's the matter?  You look like you've just fucked your mother!".  

And then there is the moment where Dietrich gives a glass containing solvent drugs and as Archer in a drug induced haze says of Castor "I want to take his face off!" and leaves to go to the bathroom.  Dietrich says "You want to take his face....off!" making a gesture with his hand and then says to the others "No more drugs for that man!".  

And last of all is Dominique Swain as Archer's daughter Jamie, a teenage upstart and she is also quite good in the part.  Dominique also has some good moments such as the scene where Jamie is almost raped by her boyfriend and is saved by Castor.  And afterwards as she sits in the house Jamie says "That's typical Dad.  Somebody tries to rape me and I'm to blame!".  

And lastly there is the moment where Castor (as Archer) grabs Jamie holding her at gunpoint and she manages to take out the switchblade Castor handed her earlier and she stabs him in his thigh and Castor limps off.  And Jamie hysterically sobbing hugs Eve saying "Will someone tell me what planet I'm on???!!".  

DIRECTOR

As for the director, John Woo does a fine job here and effortlessly handles the film's action scenes as it is his forte and he manages to make the scenes almost balletic in his use of slow-motion and this is most noticable in the scene where a big shoot-out is going on while Castor's son wears headphones listening to "Somewhere over the rainbow".  Woo's pacing of the film at times however is a bit inconsistent as he tends to drags things out but nevertheless he manages to keep the pace going fairly well at the right rate.

MUSIC

And then there is the music score by John Powell which is OK but it isn't anything too great to write home about and its sounds like your average, pretty generic Hollywood action score, so there's not much to separate it from other action film soundtracks out there. It does fit its purposs but overall its not one of the more memorable scores. The film also features some other tracks such as Papa's got a brand new bag" by James Brown, "Don't lose your head" by INXS and "Somewhere over the Rainbow" sung by Olivia Newton-John.  

FLAWS

So, moving onto flaws... yes, Face/Off isn't quite perfect and does have a few.

And for starters it has to be said that as I previously mentioned that the film's pacing is pretty inconsistent at times and there even some sections of the film which are a bit boring.  This is especially the case in the film's long and I mean LONG drawn out climax where after what seems an age Archer finally kills off Castor.  And the film almost has the feel of Lord of the Rings - Return of the King as it has appears to have a few moments where you think "OK now THAT should be the ending!" but it still keeps on going!  Not to mention there is also the scene where Archer escapes from the prison and he jumps off the roof and we see four separate shots of him fall toward the water before he actually finally goes in!!!  It really is overkill.   

Then there are some plot inconsistencies and one that really sticks out is the moment where Dr Walsh tells Archer after he has undergone his facial surgery he has a small micro audio sensor taped to his chest to make him sound like Castor.  And Walsh says to him "Now be careful as something as simple as a sharp sneeze could dislodge it".  OK now if that is the case then how come it never got dislodged when Archer was in prison getting the crap beaten out of him?!  I mean if I sharp sneeze could dislodge it then surely being kicked and punched in the face and stomach will certainly do it and it would instantly blow Archer's cover!  

Its also bizarre to imagine in the scene where Castor, in Archer's form while romancing Eve and taking her to "bed" upstairs, where it is implied they have sex that she wouldn't notice maybe his genitals are  a different size! Unless they somehow managed to surgically give Archer the same penis size as Castor, I mean hell, I guess they could have done that! ;-)

Another thing that bugged me was Archer's insistence on stroking his hand gently down his wife and daughter's face and (of course his late son's as seen at the start of the film) as if it was some sort of special gesture.  But I just think that this is actually pretty creepy!  And after a while it just becomes grating to watch Archer do it over and over and surely you would think his family would eventually find it tiresome as well and would say "OK!  Stop doing that!  You are creeping me out!".  But nah this is Hollywood and its seen as a sign of affection.

I also felt it was a stupid decision on Archer's part to get Pollux to admit to where the bomb is located and then instantly throw it back in his face as he calls him pathetic. Wouldn't it have been smarter for Archer to try and play along with Pollux rather than immediately call him out to his face?? Ah well, I guess in the end it doesn't matter so much given that Castor reawakens anyway.

The film also has some ridiculous moments in its action scenes such as where Archer during his escape somehow miraculously manages to dodge the prison guards bullets by diving into the corner of the room.  Also he conveniently finds a bottle of sulfuric acid nearby and having grabbed the gun from one of the guards he expertly throws it into the air and shoots at directly at two guards which explodes in their masked faces.  Now that is either some serious sharpshooting or its just a pile of ridiculous Hollywood crap, but I think we all know the answer to that one! ;-).

Its worth noting another example of this is in the scene where one of the FBI agents fires a grenade launcher right at Archer (i.e. with Castor's face) and Archer narrowly misses the explosion and the ensuing fire. Now when you look at this on screen, you just know there is no real way Archer would have survived this as he would have been fried for sure! But hey, as I said, its Hollywood! ;-)

Not to mention in the prison escape sequence as Archer finally reaches the prison's security systems he suddenly knows how to deactivate it and get outside but surely to God he would have NO real knowledge of how to actually do that given that its a prison that he knows nothing about and doesn't even know where its located!  But again, yep its a Hollywood film that defies all sense of logic and convention.

Also its funny how the film is filled with a ridiculous amount of explosions such as during the scene when during the opening chase scene with Archer trying to take down Castor shoots out one of the engines with his gun and it causes an explosion in the engine.  Now I don't know if such a small bullet could make such an impact on a big plane engine but it does seems a bit improbable to me.  And later there is the final speedboat chase scene where one of Archer and Castor's speedboats (can't remember which!) does a ramp jump through a boat causing the boat to suddenly explode into flames which frankly IS ridiculous!  Unless of course the boat itself had some flammable containers or items onboard there is no logical reason for the boat to suddenly explode like that.  So again convention is thrown out of the window.  

There is also a strange curiosity to how things go in the film in terms of Castor's better deeds in the film acting as Archer, as the most specific case in point is Castor, as Archer, saving Jamie from being raped by her high school boyfriend. This however never get's brought up at any point and is the one good deed that Castor performs in the film, although this is negated I guess by him holding Jamie at gunpoint later and licking her face. So, yeah there is a curiosit to all this but Castor could have said "Hey, I saved your daughter from being raped, can you thank me for that at least?!". but again I guess Archer wouldn't be prepared to listen. I don't know, just a thought.

And then we have the issue of Eve taking a blood sample from Castor (as Archer) when he is asleep, as he she uses some kind of sampling pen to take it with a fairly big needle, yet Castor barely flinches when she does it. Now, surely you'd imagine if someone really did that, you would feel it for sure, but again hey, its just a film.

And lastly I have to say its bizarre how Eve and Jamie don't really twig sooner how different Castor (as with Archer's face) is in terms of personality than Archer is, although Eve twigs it alot sooner but Jamie never does until the funeral!  And also even Archer's fellow FBI agents must surely twig that something is up in Castor's (again as Archer, yep it is getting confusing) drastic contrast of personality in comparison to Archer's drab and dour demeanour.  But yet again being just a movie this is never really questioned at any time and everyone just excepts it for what it is.

So, that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, Face/Off is an entertaining and highly over the top and cheesy action film, which is improbable as Hollywood action films get (or just about) but the two lead performance of Travolta and Cage make it worth watching as well as the skillfilly directed and paced action scenes by John Woo. The supporting cast are also pretty good with Joan Allen, Gina Gershon and Nick Cassavettes providing some solid performances.  

However the film is of course really silly and preposterous and its premise will intriguing leaves a whole bunch of plot holes that don't quite add up when it comes to Archer and Castor's biological make-ups as well as John Woo abusing slow-motion to the hilt throughout the film. However all that aside, Face/Off is still worth a look even 25 years onward from its original release.

So, I will give Face/Off:

8 out of 10

So, that's it for now and I will return soon with another post.

Until then, bye for now!

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, its time for yet another review and this one will be on a video game this time (or video games) and the games in question are the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered trilogy, which are the original games from the 1990's featuring the legendary heroine Lara Croft. 

Now the remastered games are purely based on the originals in terms of controls, concept visuals and combat with only the updated graphics being the real difference here.Now, I won't really go into any real major plot details for the games, so I will instead say a bit about each game in terms of gameplay and features instead. 

So, with that, let's take a look at how these games fair after almost 30 years with their new update...

TOMB RAIDER I 

So, Tomb Raider I of course started the entire series and features archaeologist and adventurer Lara Croft travelling the globe for a precious artefact called the Scion under the employment of an entrepeneur named Natla. However as things progress, they take a sinister turn as on obtaining the Scion, Natla has her henchman capture her and take the Scion. So, from Lara follows them to try and take it back and stop Natla from using it for her own ends...

THOUGHTS

Well, there is little doubt that Tomb Raider I was a groundbreaking game with its impressive use of 3D graphics for their time (although by today's standards they are extremely dated looking of course!) as well as its use of platforming and puzzle solving combined with combat. However, depsite its great innovation out of the three games, it really remains my least favourite as I find the level design to be less compelling and side characters to be less interesting for the most part despite one or two exceptions. However, there is no doubt that the voice acting by Shelley Bond was excellent and she remains one of the most definitive actresses to do Lara's voice and the game's theme remains highly memorable, which was composed by English composer, Philip McCree.

So, even though I do not find the first Tomb Raider to be the great game it is often considered to be, its certainly still worth a look but I personally didn't feel greatly compelled to finish it compared to the sequels. 

GAMEPLAY 

As for the gameplay quickly I will say that it features a mix of combat, platforming and of course puzzle solving. In terms of combat, Lara will use her two pistols that have unlimited ammo but she will also pick other weapons such as a shotgun, magnum pistols and of course, uzis, which lara will find ammo for spread throughout the game. Lara mostly will shoot animals in the game such as tigers, monkeys, apes, rats and birds and even dinosaurs! However there are a limited number of human NPC's she will fight also as well as some humanoid bosses.

The game's platforming is of course very prominent here and Lara has an impressive moveset where she can run, jump, climb, shimmy on ledges, somersaults and backflips as well as swim underwater where she will have limited oxygen and drown if she stays under too long. The game will also provide quite a few puzzles for Lara to solve that will allow her to gain access to new areas or obtain key items, some of which will also be traps. Lara will also need to be wary of taking fall damage as she easily falls to her death and you will get that rather graphic sounding neck snap sound effect! Lara can also use medpacks to heal herself, which come in a small or large variety and can be found throughout the game.

CONTROLS 

The controls however remains faithful to the original game but they can of course be frustrating to adapt given the lack of a jump back option in the modern controls and a very annoying forced camera perspective that can result in getting players killed as you fail to keep Lara in a straight line! This even worse to contend with regarding the tank controls where its very difficult to keep Lara running straight also, so in that regard, general movement is better in the modern controls.

GRAPHICS

As for the remastered graphics, the visual upgrade is very impressive as its a big step up from the very dated visuals from the 1990's as environments now look very detailed and have more impressive shadows. Lara's character model is now much better looking and actually bears a resemblance to the Lara we see on the original game cover for TR1. The shadows however can be a too dark at times, which can impact your ability to see what is going on. However you do have the option to switch between the updated graphics and the original ones, which can be helpful in moments where areas are simply too dark in the remaster visuals, although apparently a new patch has been released that helps with this issue. 

SUM UP

So, to sum up, Tomb Raider I remains a classic title in its own right but for me its still the weakest entry in the three games, as it lacks the refinement that the sequels offfered, which made them more compelling games. So, with that said I will rate Tomb Raider I:

8 out of 10

TOMB RAIDER II

Now as for Tomb Raider II plot wise, Lara this time round is in search of the magical dagger of Xian, which gives its owner the power to turn them into a dragon. However, Lara encounters an Italian cultist group lead by Marco Bartoli, who are obssessed with the dagger and want it for themselves. So, Lara continually has to fight against Bartoli's men as they both have a race against time to seize the dagger for themselves...

THOUGHTS

Tomb Raider II is not only one the best of the three games in the trilogy, it is also one of my favourite games of all time and its vastly improves on the original in almost every aspect in terms of its gameplay, combat, visuals, story and music. The game's environments are also more expansive with more challenging puzzles and platforming than the original and there is a heavier emphasis on action this time round as Lara takes on Marco Bartoli's army of cultists.  

However there is one aspect of the game I am less impressed with this time round and that is new voice actress for Lara Croft, Judith Gibbons, who replaced Shelley Bond from the original, who was not available to return. So, unfortunately, Gibbons voice acting is pretty wooden by comparison as she delivers Lara's dialogue in a somewhat dull manner and Lara's quips also fall pretty flat as a result. So, overall, Gibbons perforamnce is the most disappointing aspect of the game imho.

GAMEPLAY

As for the gameplay however, this is where Tomb Raider II really excels as the sequel really upped the ante in terms of its ambition to make the follow-up a bigger and better game. This time round Lara in addition to her usual moveset from the original can now climb ladders and wade through shallow water to reach areas. Another new addition is the use of flares as Lara can light flares in darkened areas to see where she is going but they last only a limited time before they burn out but they can be found throughout the game. Similar to the first game, Lara will also use medpacks to heal herself from damage and come in the usual small and large variety. 

As for the combat, this is where things have taken a big step up as Lara is no longer just shooting at animals, she is plenty of human enemies to fight against as she is up against a number of armed men with guns and melee weapons such as crowbars and pipes. Then of course there are the VERY annoying snowbikers, who can run over Lara with great ease which can be very frustarting to deal with and are pretty hard to kill! Lara, also has a larger weapon selection this time round as in addition to her dual pistols, shotguns and uzis, she also can use automatic pistols, M16 assault rifle, harpoon gun and a grenade launcher (which literally blows enemies apart!).   

There are also a number of secrets to be found in the game in the form of small dragon statues and each level will have three to find in obscure areas. The bonus however on getting all three will result in Lara getting extra ammo for certain weapons and in later cases, she will be able to obtain again her weapons, which are taken from her at a certain point in the game.

Also traps and obstacles play a big part in the game too, where Lara will need to avoid falling boulders, spike pits, large spinning wheels as well as retracting blades that will cut Lara up! She will also need to watch out for certains areas that have pits of lethal substances such as acid or in some cases even lava all of which will cause Lara to give out a rather feeble groan rather than a major scream, particularly if she were to fall lava, you'd expect to react stronger than that!!

GRAPHICS

As for the graphics, the original TR2 visuals are even a big improvement over the first game, as they provide a good bit more detail (albeit they are still quite blocky!) and the environments feel more expansive as well as diverse as Lara travels to different places such as Venice, a Tibetan monastery and even the Great Wall of China. Again the updated visuals look very impressive as they are far more detailed although Lara's character model is still the same as in TR1 and in fact its identical in all three games come to think of it. However, dark areas can be a real issue here though again as some areas are way too dark, such as the spider cave, as I could barely what was going on in there at all even when I turned up the brightness to max on my TV!! However, I will need to check out the latest patch, which hopefully will have improved this issue with the darker areas of the game. 

SOUND AND MUSIC

As for the sound effects, they are pretty good but they do sound quite dated and also compressed in their quality but nonetheless they have their own charm and can even be quite brilliantly creepy, especially the sound effects in the Dagger of Xian and Floating Islands levels, which is very eerie. The music again by Nathan McCree again returns to composed the music and he does an excellent job as there plenty of new tracks such as the disco beats one when Lara uses a snowbike in Tibet and also the atmospheric one where Lara climbs ladders. Its a very solid score overall and quite memorable. 

SUM UP

So to sum up, Tomb Raider II simply put is a fantastic game and one of the all time greats if you ask me as it greatly expanded on the original in every aspect in terms of its platforming an action as well as intensifying the combat. It does still have minor issues to do with some very frustrating tank control and modern control issues, which can impact certain parts of the game badly at times and yes again the modern graphics are way too dark. However, all that aside, Tomb Raider II is a superb game and one that really warrants replaying. So, I will rate TR2:

10 out of 10 

TOMB RAIDER III

And finally onto Tomb Raider III in which Lara goes on a journey to find four pieces of meteorite scattered throughout the globe as she is recruited by Dr Willard, a scientist working for the company RX Tech to retrieve them. So, from here Lara goes on another dangerous adventure to find the meteortie pieces in different parts of the world.

THOUGHTS

Even though it doesn't quite hit the heights of TR2, Tomb Raider III is still a very enjoyable and worthy follow-up, which again expands on the previous games in terms of its environments, platforming and puzzle elements. The combat this time however has been scaled back a bit as while she fights some human enemies, its not the large numbers that we got in the previous game and instead its a mix of humans, animals and almost mythical like bosses. The game also sees the return of the Judith Gibbons in the role as Lara Croft and she does a better job this time round than in TR2 but she is still the weakest performer in voicing the role imho, she's not terrible, just her delivery is a bit flat even if her accent isn't too bad for Lara in general. Regardless of this though, this is still a very solid entry in the series. 

GAMEPLAY

As for the gameplay, TR3 adds some new elements this time round, which are quite welcome by this stage as Lara can now sprint (or dash) in order to cover ground faster, or run away from boulders or get through timed doors. Lara can now also crouch, as there numerous parts of the game where she will need to crouch to get in some tight small areas and passage ways, either to pick up items or progress through the levels. In addition to this in the remastered version, Lara can now do a forward flip to jump out of tight areas where she was crouching, which I believe wasn't in the original, so its a nice touch they added in. Lara can also now monkey swing using overhead grab bars to do so in order to get to other areas. Lara also can access new vehicles such as quad bikes and also kayaks in one of the water levels, where she has to navigate dangerous rapids.

Moving onto the combat, Lara similar to the previous will have her standard dual pistols but this time round she will have access to a few new weapons such as the desert eagle, which is pretty powerful, an MP5 assault rifle and also a rocket launcher, which comes in handy against powerful enemies. These weapons are all pretty good although the MP5 is probably a bit slow to aim, which can be annoying against faster enemies.  

As for the enemies, Lara will face again a mixture of humans, who are often armed with firearms and in some cases also flamethrowers (similar to TR2) and just like the previous games, they will drop ammo or medpacks on dying. Lara will also face the usual mix of animals such as tigers, monkeys, birds and this also dinosaurs such as a T-Rex and raptors (similar to the original). However there is one new enemy, which is easily the MOST annoying one in the entire game and that is the green wasps as there are tons of these not-so little buggers and they DO NOT stop respawning in a later level! Lara will also encounter several bosses throughout the game but fighting them can take different methods to complete rather than just shooting them although Lara of course does that too! 

Last of all are the platforming and puzzles elements, which this time round are pretty challenging as there are various traps and dangers Lara will need to overcome such as spike traps, falling boulders, collapsing spiked ceilings or sliding spiked walls. There are also some invisible platforms in certain parts of the game, which Lara can only see through statues that emit fire to make them visible.

GRAPHICS

As for the graphics, again even the original game's graphics are pretty impressive this time round with improved lighting effects and better texture and details and Lara's chest is now more smooth and not so pointy and polygonal! ;-) However the remastered graphics are easily way better of course with much more detail and the character models much improved over the blocky originals but again the game suffers from excessively darkened areas in shadowed or sheltered areas but again hopefully the new patch will have resolved this.

MUSIC AND SOUND 

As for the music, we get another score by Nathan McCree and this is easily the best score yet in the series up to this point with plenty of new tracks with some favourites include the one where Lara has to solve puzzles and there is also another where Lara is generally in combat. It also recycles some of the music from TR2 at cetain points particularly the atmospheric track for Lara climbing or the one for her making discoveries. So, overall this is an excellent score, which also has a nice warm vibe to it too. 

Sound effect wise, TR3 is also a big improvement as the audio is now a lot cleaner sounding with general sound effects sounding less compressed than before especially Lara's footsteps when running or the sounds for firing weapons. Basically the in-game sound effects now match the quality of the cutscenes, which is a welcome change and a step in the right direction audio wise. 

SUM UP

So, to sum up, Tomb Raider 3 is an excellent sequel to TR2 and again offers a nice visual upgrade and particularly a nice audio one in terms of the sound quality of the effects for gunfire and other effects. The game also features a good challenging mix of platforming and puzzle solving, although if there is one big cavaet here its to do with finding the secrets as they are a bit too well hidden this time round and it can be very difficult to get them all and yes the tank and modern controls can wreak havoc again with the gameplay. 

The game also sees the return of Judith Gibbons, who I always thought was lacklustre in the role of Lara Croft but she does OK here but she would then be replaced by the excellent Jonelle Elliot in TR4: The Last Revelation, who did a terrific job in the role and her voice much suited Lara better. 

Regardless of any of its drawbacks though, TR3 is still a very solid entry in the series and one, which is well worth replaying or playing for the first time, just be prepared to get used to those pesky controls like in the previous games though! 

So, I will rate Tomb Raider III:

9 out of 10

So, that's it for my review of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered and I will be back again soon with another post.

Until then bye for now! 

Trading Places Review "Happy New Year!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, as its Easter weekend, I thought I'd start by wishing everyone a Happy Easter and as this post will be typed over a day or two, it will eventually be posted probably by the end of the Easter holidays (or try to but I digress!). 

Anyway, so this post will be a new one and not a revisitation as I will look at a comedy from the 1980's I haven't reviewed, which is Trading Places starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Akyroyd in a modern version of th Prince and the Pauper. So, after 41 years how does Trading Places far??? Let's find out!

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!! 

STORY

So, the story is set in Philadelphia around Christmas time and follows the fortunes and misfortunes of two men from different backgrounds, Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) a well to-do, successful managing director of a commodities brokerage and a small time crook, Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy). So, one day, both men clash as Valentine accidentally bumps into Winthorpe, who drops his briefcase, who Winthorpe thinks wants to steal it and Valentine himself is soon arrested by the cops when they spot him with it as he flees into Winthorpe's club. On being taken away, the founders of the brokerage, Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer Duke (Don Ameche) witness Valentine's arrest and the brothers decide to make a bet to switch both men's lives by having Winthrope disgraced and made broke and letting Valentine take his place in the firm.

So, the following day, Winthorpe is framed by the Dukes security associate Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason) for theft and is soon fired from the firm and arrested and at the police station, he is also charged for possession of drugs (planted by Beeks). Winthorpe is eventally released after being bailed out by his fiance, Penelope (Kristin Holby) but Beeks frames him again as being unfaithful to her by getting a prostitute, Orphelia (Jamie-Lee Curtis) to come onto him infront of Penenlope, who walks out on Winthrope in disgust. Winthorpe also has his bank cards and accounts frozen and is locked out of his house by his own servant, Coleman (Denholm Elliott) leaving him penniless and homeless, he begs for Orphelia to help him, which she does but insists she wants a financial reward in exchange for doing so once his name is cleared. 

Meanwhile, Valentine learns the ropes of his new job and of the Dukes brokerage as well as moving into Winthorpe's home. Valentine at first goes on a self indulgence binge as he goes to a local bar he hangs out at and invites everyone there home for a party, however its not long before he grows tired of the mess they make and soon throws them out. Valentine soon learns fast in the job and impresses Randolph with his business acumen much to the displeasure of Mortimer, who looks set to lose the bet as Valentine impresses and charms his peers and everyone else he meets. 

In the meantime, Winthrope becomes more desparate in his efforts to get back at Valentine as he goes to a pawn store to sell off some of his valuable items but also spots a gun for sale, which he buys. Winthrope then decides to try and frame Valentine as a drug pusher, as he sneaks into his office at a Christmas Eve party (dressed as Santa Claus) and tries to plant various drugs in his desk but is soon caught by Valentine. The Dukes also soon walk in on the scene, where Winthorpe desparately pulls a gun on them warning them they will all be sorry and runs out the office into a rainy night.

The Dukes afterward express sympathy for Winthorpe's breakdown but Valentine insists that they shouldn't take him for a fool as he had money to buy the drugs and they can't be easy people on like that. Not long after, Valentine goes to the bathroom to smoke a joint (which he confiscated from the stash of drugs Winthorpe planted!) but the Dukes soon go into the bathroom (unaware that Valentine is in one of the stalls) and Randolph declares he has won their bet to Mortimer, which Mortimer begrudgingly pays the sum of one dollar. Valentine then overhears their scheme and how they plan to use Beeks to help them with secret work that will make them very wealthy. 

Valentine then goes after a very drunk Winthrope, who get's on a bus and later get's off and after a dog urinates on him and it begins to rain, realising he is at rock bottom, he tries to shoot himself with his gun but the safety is on and he throws it away (only then to go off!). Winthorpe then heads back to Orphelia's apartment where he takes an overdose of pills, just as Valentine enters looking for him. 

The next morning, Winthorpe is nursed back to health by a doctor called by Coleman as Winthorpe wakes up back in his own bed but on seeing Valentine, he tries to throttle him but Valentine explains the Dukes set them up and used them in their experiment. Winthorpe and Valentine however soon see Beeks on television and both identify them as being secretly on the Dukes payroll and Winthorpe deduces that the Dukes are trying to corner the orange juice market to make a huge profit. 

So, its from here that Winthorpe and Valentine set their plan into place to try and get back at the Dukes for their experiment and find a way to put them into the poorhouse for a change...

THOUGHTS

There is little doubt that Trading Places is a very entertaining and clever comedy, which is a modern take on the classic novel by Mark Twain, the Prince and the Pauper. The film itself was actually originally cast in mind for the comedy duo of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder however both actors were not available to play the lead roles, so the roles eventually went to Aykroyd and Murphy as Landis worked previously with Aykroyd and Murphy had become a very popular name after his screen debut in 48 Hours. 

The film also is well known for its clever ending (SPOILER WARNING!!!) where Winthorpe and Valentine turn the tables on the Dukes, which is done on stock exchange trading floor as the Dukes trying and corner the orange juice market only for them to be foiled. Now, I'll be the first to admit, I don't fully understand the financial jargon that goes on in that trading scene but ultimately, I get the gist of the outcome but it is of course explained in numerous videos on Youtube and even on Wikipedia. 

With that said though, the film also makes good use of its themes and also brings in good supporting characters with Orphelia, the prostitute that helps Winthorpe and Coleman, Winthorpe's faithful servant, who is forced to then serve for Valentine during the experiment. Then of course there are the manipulative Dukes, who are both pretty devious and loathsome yet also very shrewd although ultimately they bring about their own downfall. 

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains strong language and spoilers!) 

As for the performances, the cast are all excellent here and on top form. 

Starting with Dan Aykroyd is excellent as Louis Winthorpe III, a snobby managing director of the Dukes broker firm, who is soon discredited and fired from the brokerage to be replaced by Valentine, a small time crook, who unwittingly bumped into Winthorpe and picked up his briefcase only for Winthorpe to think Valentine was stealing it, which lead to Valentine's arrest and the Duke's devious plan to switch them. 

And Dan has some great moments in the film such as the scene where he boasts to his fiance, Penelope about how he stood up to Valentine. So, in the scene both Winthorpe and Penelope have dinner, which is prepared by Coleman and he says to Penelope "You know what its like in these situations, its either kill or be killed" and Penelope says to him quietly "I want you Louis...now!" and Winthrope says to Coleman "I think we'll have our drinks in the other room" and Coleman asks "What about your desserts, sir?" and Winthorpe dismissively says to him "You have them" and Coleman says "Thank you, sir". Then in the next scene, Winthorpe and Penelope undress as they discuss their future plans and he says to her "We're going to have a great time, we're going to have a great life" and Coleman sudddenly appears and asks him "Excuse me, sir but will you be needing me again tonight?" and as Penelope, in her underwear hides behind Winthrope, who has his trousers down, he says "No, I think I have everything I need" and smiles at Penenlope.

Then there is the scene where Winthrope having been fired from the firm for alleged theft and taken to the police station, he is met by some hostile police officers, who want him to undress for strip search. So, as one of the cops says to Winthorpe "Take off your clothes!" Winthorpe taken aback says "Now, you are making a serious career mistake here" and the cop repeats firmly "Take OFF your clothes!". However Winthorpe continues to complain and a black officer stands up and threatens him and says "Strip, you little shit before I tear you a new asshole!". Winthorpe then says "Did you hear what this man said to me?! I have witnesses! This man is physically threatening me!!" and the two cops grab him. 

Another good scene is when Winthorpe, posing as a Santa, turns up at Valentine's office (or his old office) to plant drugs in his desk during a Christmas party. So, as Winthorpe plants the drugs, Valentine walks in on him and asks "Just what do you think you're doing?!" and Winthorpe shouts out "Randolph! Mortimer! Come in here quickly! I've caught him!". So, the Dukes then come in and Winthorpe shows the suppy of drugs in Valentine's desk drawer and says "See! He's get all the drugs here, uppers, downers, amphetimines, crack pipe, cocaine grinder! HE'S the pusher NOT me!!". Valentine however says to the Dukes "Really?? I just came in here and found this man planting this stuff in my desk! Its obviously some primitive attempt to frame me!". So, as Valentine tries to call security, Winthrope takes out what he thinks is a gun but is a cut of beef and he says "Put that phone down!" and Valentine dials and then speaks to someone and says "Hello security..." and Winthorpe then pulls out his gun and Valentine smiles and quickly says "Merry Christmas!" and he hangs up. So, as the Dukes plead with him, Winthorpe refuses to listen and backs out and says "You're gonna be sorry! You're gonna be very, very sorry!!" and he runs out screaming and jumps up on a table and spins around with the gun in his hand, people duck for cover and he smiles to himself and jumps down and strolls out.

Then there is the scene where the following morning, Winthrope wakes up from having had an overdoes the night before in his own bed rather than at Orphelia's place. So, he sees Coleman infront of him who says "Good morning, sir. Merry Christmas" and Winthorpe smiles with relief and says "Oh, Coleman! I had the most absurd nightmare. I was poor and no one liked me. I lost my job, I lost my house and Penelope hated me and it was all because of this terrible, awful negro". Winthorpe however then looks up and sees Valentine and he leaps out of bed and tries to strangle him, as Valentine choking says "It was the Dukes! It was the Dukes!" but Winthrope says full bloodied "You're dead man, VALENTINE!!!" but he is pulled away by Coleman and Orphelia. So, as Valentine get's his breath back he explains the Dukes scheme. So, Winthorpe asks "The Dukes ruined my life over a bet?! For how much?" and Valentine says "A dollar" and Winthorpe trying to control himself says "One dollar...if that's how they want to play it, fine, no problem!". 

And lastly there is the scene where Winthorpe and Valentine head to the World Trade Center in New York city and Winthorpe gives Valentine a pep talk on how to deal with the trading. So, Winthorpe confidently tells Valentine "Think big, think positive, never show any sign of weakness. Always go for the throat. Buy low, sell high. Fear? That's the other guy's problem. Nothing you have ever experienced will prepare you for the absolute carnage you are about to witness. Super Bowl, World Series - they don't know what pressure is. In this building, it's either kill or be killed. You make no friends in the pits and you take no prisoners. One minute you're up half a million in soybeans and the next, boom, your kids don't go to college and they've repossessed your Bentley. Are you with me?!" and Valentine fired up says "Yeah, we're gonna kill the motherfuckers! We're gonna kill them!" and they both smile and walk to the center.

Eddie Muprhy next up is great in his role as Billy Ray Valentine, the small time crook, who takes Winthorpe's place as part of the Dukes bet.

So, Murphy himself has plenty of great scenes starting with the one where he is in a jail cell after being arrested for allegedly stealiing Winthrope's briefcase. So, in the scene, Valentine brags to some of the other cellmates about how he took on the cops during the arrest but he is challenged by two big black cellmates. 

So, in the scene, Valentine says to the cellmates "I beat the shit out of 10 cops, and I had to change my strategy all around". However, one of the big black cellamtes challenges Valentine and says "Hey when they booked you and brought you in here, you were cryin like a pussy!" and the other black cellmate sitting next to him says "Yeah!". Valentine then lies and says "Because they used teargas on me, so I still walked in here like a man, so get outa my face!". The big black cellmate then says "I mean you beating up 10 cops. You put a man in hospital. How come I don't see any marks on you?!" and the other black cellmate again says "YEAH!". So, Valentine bluffs them saying "Because I'm a KARATE MAN and karate men bleed on the inside! They don't show weakness! But you wouldn't know that because your a big Barry White lookin motherfucker! So get outta my face!".

Then there is the scene where Valentine is shown around Winthorpe's place as they try to place him in his job and Valentine keeps trying to steal items that surround him as he keeps asking if these are his own personal things. 

So, in the scene Valentine says "So, this is all mine! All my own stuff! I like this TV, its very nice! You know this stuff happens to me every week!". However, Mortimer approaches Valentine and removes the items that he put in his pockets "This is YOUR Home! These are YOUR possessions! You would only be stealing from yourself!". So, Valentine skeptically asks "First off, you throw me into jail, then you bail me out and tell me this garbage and how this is my place, my stuff and this is my own personal slave too?!" referring to Coleman. Randolph however assures him that it is his place and his own belongings, so Valentine spots a vase and picks it up and says "So, this is my place and my stuff? This is Billy Ray's vase?" and he picks it up and starts playing with it "So, I can do some Harlem Globe Trotter shit with it yeah?!" but he drops and breaks it. Valentine then says "Hey, I'm sorry about that" but Randolph reassures him that its insured and they estimated its value as being higher and they have just made a profit of it 15,000 dollars, so all the men laugh together. So, Valentine smiles and asks "You want me to break something else?" and they all say "No!".

Then there is the scene where Valentine impresses Randolph by showing his shrewd business acumen as there is a sell going on and Valentine recommends they hold off and explain why. So, Valentine says "Okay. Pork belly prices have been dropping all morning, which means that everybody's waiting for it to hit rock bottom so they can buy cheap and go long. Which means that the people who own the pork belly contracts are goin' bat-shit. They're saying, "Hey, we're losing all our goddamn money, and Christmas is just around the corner, and I ain't gonna have no money to buy my son the G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip, right? And my wife won't f... my wife won't make love to me 'cuz I ain't got no money, right?" So they're panicking right now, they're screaming "SELL! SELL!" to get out before the price keeps dropping. They're panicking out there right now! I can feel it! They out there!". So, Randolph looks at the prices on their computer and says "My God, Mortimer! He's right!" and Valentine says "I'd wait until you get to around sixty-four, then I'd buy. You'll have cleared out all the suckers by then".

Then we have the great scene where Valentine catches Winthorpe planting drugs in his office desk, so in the scene Winthorpe calls in the Dukes and shows them the drugs. So, in the scene, Valentine says "Really?! I just caught this man planting this stuff in my desk. Its obviously some primitive attempt to frame me. This man is obviously a lunatic, I'm calling security". So, Valentine picks up the phone and Winthorpe goes to his Santa outfit and pulls out some beef and says "Put that phone down" and Valentine continues to dial and says on the line "Hello secuirty?" and Valentine pulls out his gun and Valentine suddenly smiles and says on the phone "Merry Christmas!" and he hangs up.

And then there is the scene where Valentine having discovered the Dukes bet and tells Winthorpe about it, he states his plan to make the Dukes poor. So, Valentine in the scene watches Winthorpe check a double barreled shotgun and he says to him "You can't shoot a guy in the kneecaps with a double barreled shotgun just because your pissed at them" and Winthrope asks "Why not?" and Valentine says "Because its called assault with a deadly weapon, you can get 20 years for that shit". Winthorpe snobbily then asks "You got any better ideas?!" and Valentine says "Yeah, it occurs to me the best way to hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people". 

And last of all is the scene on the New Years Eve party train, where Valentine and Winthorpe concoct a plan to steal the fake crop report from Beeks and replace with the genuine one, so they both dress up as does Coleman and Ophelia. 

So, in the scene on the train, Valentine turns up in an African outift in Beeks's carriage and grins and says "Merry New Year!" and Beeks corrects him "HAPPY new year. In this country we say Happy New Year". Valentine than laughs exaggeratedly and says "Thank you for correcting my English, which stinks! I am Nenge Mboko, exchange student from Cameroon! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha ha ha!!". So, as he sits down he begins to say prayers in a very exaggerated and loud way and then says "Beef jerky time!" and as Coleman comes in dressed a drunk Irish priest, Valentine in his Nenge accent "Happy New Year!" and he smiles at Beeks as he get's it right. 

Jamie-Lee Curtis next is also really good in her role as Ophelia, a prostitute, who helps out Winthorpe with his plight as he loses his job and is framed for theft and drug dealing. 

And Curtis has some good scenes of her own that include the one where Ophelia takes Winthorpe back to her apartment and tells him about herself and her intentions to get Winthorpe back on his feet. So, as Winthorpe complains about his situation, Ophelia snaps and tells him "Shut up, Louis! Look rent costs money, food costs money! If you want my help, I expect alot in return. Look, I'm 24 years old and from some small mining town you've probably never heard of. All I've got in this world, is this body, this face and (points to her brain) what I've got up here". Ophelia then takes off her curly wig to reveal she has short dark hair and she tells Louis "I don't do drugs and I don't have a pimp. I have 42,000 dollars in NT bills, I figured I'll retire a few years from now" and Winthorpe looks at her and twigs and says "You're a prostitute!". Ophelia then goes up to Louis and says to him "I'm offering you a business proposition, Louis" and she goes back into the bathroom and undresses and says to Louis "By, the way, food and rent aren't the only things that cost around here. YOU sleep on the couch!" and she kicks the door shut. 

Then there is the scene where Winthorpe is ill having been out in the rain, getting drenched, Ophelia checks his temperature with thermometer but then a client of hers rings the door and we see Ophelia is wearing a cocktail dress of sorts. So, Ophelia goes to the door and we see a middle aged man with some flowers and he says "Here's Johnny!" and Ophelia says "I'm sorry, baby, my mother's in town just now and she's really sick, can we do this another time?" and she looks at the flowers and take them and says "Oh, flowers for me" and she shuts the door on him. Ophelia then goes back in and stops Winthorpe from getting out of bed and she strips off and get's into bed with him and strokes his hair gently, as he lies on his side. Winthorpe soothingly says "Oh, Ophelia! I can' tell you how good that feels" and Ophelia says "I'm just protecting my investment, that's all. Shut up and go to sleep". 

And last of all is the scene where Winthorpe, Valentine along with Ophelia and Coleman are at Grand Central station and they have their money in envelopes ready to give them for the trading. So, Ophelia tells Winthorpe as she hands her money over to him "I've worked real hard for this money, Louie. I hope you know what you're doing" and Winthorpe says "Thank you, Ophelia" and Ophelia asks "What ARE you doing?" and Winthrope just smiles and he kisses her for good luck after she takes her gum out and hands it to Coleman. So, after Winthorpe and Valentine go, Coleman says to her "I could use a stiff drink. Would you care to join me?" and she locks arms with him and they walk off.

Next up is the duo of Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, who are both great in their roles as the Duke brothers, Randolph and Mortimer respectively and as their scenes are often together, I thought I would quote their scenes together. 

So, their first scene of note together is the one where after they witness Valentine being arrested at their club, Randolph says to Mortimer "That man is the product of a poor environment, there is nothing wrong with him, I can prove it" and Mortimer says "Of COURSE there's something wrong with him, he's a negro! Was probably stealing since he could crawl!". Randolph then surmises "I bet he could run our business as well our man Winthorpe" and Mortimer intrigued asks "Are we talking about a wager here, Randolph?" and Randolph smiles and says "We've done it before". So, Mortimer says "Suppose Winthorpe was to lose his job" and Randolph suggests "Oh, I think we could heap more misfortune on those narrow shoulders. If here we to lose his job, his house and his fiance then I think he would take to crime like a fish to water!". 

Then there is the scene where Randolph and Mortimer sit Valentine with them in what was Winthorpe's office and they have laid out some food items such as bread, orange juice and pork bellies to explain what they do. 

So, as Valentine sits down and looks at the food items he says "Its Ok guys, I already ate breakfast this morning" and Mortimer testily says to him "This is NOT a meal, Valentine. We are trying to explain to you what it is we do here". So, Randolph says to Valentine "We are 'commodities brokers,' William. Now, what are commodities? Commodities are agricultural products... like coffee that you had for breakfast... wheat, which is used to make bread... pork bellies, which is used to make bacon, which you might find in a 'bacon, lettuce and tomato' sandwich" and here Valentine breaks the forth wall and looks at the camera. Randolph then continues to explain "Now, some of our clients are speculating that the price of gold will rise in the future. And we have other clients who are speculating that the price of gold will fall. They place their orders with us, and we buy or sell their gold for them". Mortimer then says "Tell him the good part" and Randolph says "The good part, William, is that, no matter whether our clients make money or lose money, Duke & Duke get the commissions". So, Mortimer than asks "Well, what do you think, Valentine?" and Valentine smiles and says "Sounds to me like you guys are a couple of bookies!" and Randolph pats his back and says "I knew he'd understand".

And then there is the scene where after a deranged Winthorpe turns up at the office Christmas party dressed as Santa and fails to incriminate Valentine by planting drugs in his office desk, he runs out wildly. So, afterward, the Dukes go into the men's room and Randolph looks under the stalls to see if anyone is there and fails to notice Valentine is sitting on the seat in his cubicle. 

So, Randolph gloats to Mortimer "Pay up, Mortimer, I've won the bet!" and Mortimer grudgingly hands over a single dollar bill "There, one dollar!". So, both men stand at the sinks and wash their hands and Randolph cheerily tells Mortimer "We took a perfectly useless psychopath like Valentine, and turned him into a successful executive. And during the same time, we turned an honest, hard-working man into a violently, deranged, would-be killer!". Randolph then asks "Now, what are we going to do about taking Winthrope back and sending Valentine back to the gutter?" and Mortimer says "I don't want Winthorpe back after what he has done". Randolph then looks incredulously at Mortimer and asks "You mean keep Valentine on as managing director???" and Mortimer looks at him in disbelief and asks "Do you really believe I would have a NIGGER run our family business, Randolph?!" and Randolph says "Of course not! Neither would I" and we see Valentine's eyes widen with shock as he hears this. 

Randolph then continues and says "I do think we should hold off on switching them back until we get that crop report New Year's Eve, dont you?" and Mortimer agrees "Absolutely, no sense in rocking the boat until then". Randolph then says "If Mr Beeks does what we paid him to do, then we are going to have a very happy new year" and Mortimer grins and says "Indeeeeed!" and they both laugh and walk out.  

And last of all is the scene where (SPOILER!!!) the Dukes are left completely broke when their plan to corner the orange juice market backfires on them after the genuine crop report they publish scuppers their plans. 

So, in the scene after they have lost their fortune to Winthorpe and Valentine, the officials of the exchange appear to settle their debts. So, the President of the exchange says to the Dukes "You know the rules of the exchange. All accounts are to be settled at the end of the day's trading, without exceptions". Randolph outraged then shouts "You know perfectly well we don't know 394 million dollars in CASH!!". The second official then says "I'm sorry boys. Put the Dukes seats on the exchange up for the sale at once and freeze all their accounts associated with Duke and Duke Commidities Brokers and all personal holdings of Randolph and Mortimer Duke". 

Mortimer then furiously says to the official "This is an outrage! I DEMAND an investigation! YOU can't sell our seats! A Duke has been SITTING on this Exchange since it was FOUNDED! We FOUNDED this Exchange! It's OURS! It belongs to US!". Randolph then clutches his chest and says "My God!" and collapses and the official says "Mortimer, you brother is not well, we should call an ambulance" but Mortimer callously shouts "FUCK HIM! No, you listen to me! I want trading reopened! Get those brokers back in here! TURN THOSE MACHINES BACK ON! TURN THE MACHINES BACK ON!!". And as Randolph is lead away in a stretcher, Mortimer yells at him "You and you're noble prize! YOU IDIOT!!". 

Denholm Elliot next up is also excellent in his role as Coleman, a butler in the service of the Dukes and works for Winthorpe and Valentine and later helps them both out in their plan to get back at the Dukes.

Elliot also has some good scenes that include the one where he takes a phone call from one of the Duke brothers about their plan to switch Winthorpe for Valentine. So, Coleman answers the phone and says to the Duke brother (not sure who it is) "Hello, Mr Duke" and after a pause he says "Well, that all sounds original. Well, it is your house, sir and I work for you. Yes, I will make the necessary arrangements. Goodnight sir" and he hangs up and says to himself "What a scumbag!".

Then there is the scene where Coleman drives Valentine to work for his first day and having encountered Winthorpe earlier in a taxi in traffic, Valentine is suspcious. So, Valentine get's out the car and says "There is some strange shit goin on here, Coleman" and Coleman tries to play innocent "You better go in, sir, you don't want to be late for your first day". Valentine doubtful then says "But what if I can't do it?" and Coleman says "Just be yourself, sir. They can't take that away from you".

And then we have the scene where Valentine and Winthorpe learn of the Dukes plan to corner the orange juice market. So, Winthorpe watching the TV and seeing Beeks, the Dukes security associate in charge of the fake crop report and framing Winthorpe, he puts two and two togther and says "My God, the Dukes' are trying to corner the entire frozen orange juice market" and Ophelia says "Unless someone stops them" and Coleman joins and suggests "Or beats them to it! and he offers them bowl of eggnog "Eggnog?!". 

Then there is the scene where Coleman on the train pretends to be a drunken Irish priest and enters the same carriage as Valentine, who pretends to be a Cameroon student and Beeks. So, in the scene as he sits down, Coleman in his Irish accent offers whiskey to Valentine "Would you like a sip of whiskey?" and Valentine says in his Cameroon accent "It is against my religion to drink" and Coleman says "Religion, is a good thing I say, taken in moderation". Valentine then offers Coleman some beef jerky "Beef jerky?" and Coleman "Oh no thank you, son, it gives me the wind something terrible!".

And last of all is the scene where Coleman hands his life savings over to Valentine as Valentine and Winthorpe prepare to head to the World Trade Center to carry out their plan to get rich and put the Dukes into the poor house. 

So, in the scene Coleman hands his life savings in an envelope over to Valentine and he says "These are my life savings, sir. Don't lose them." and Valentine reassures him "Lose them? Why, in a couple of hours you're gonna be the richest butler that ever lived, man!". So, as Winthorpe and Valentine leave for their train, Coleman looks to Ophelia and says to her "You know I could do with a stiff drink, would you care to join me?" and they lock arms and walk off.

Last of all in the cast members is Paul Gleason is who very good also in his role as Clarence Beeks, the Dukes devious security associate, who they hire to frame Winthorpe and take care of the fake crop report, so they can get rich off their plan to corner the frozen orange juice market.

And Gleason has a couple of good scenes I will mention starting with the one where Beeks is on a payphone to the Dukes outside and we see a woman waiting behind him. So, in the scene Beeks says to the Dukes on the phone "Operation Strange Brew proceeding according to plan. I anticipate penetration and acquisition at 2100 hours tomorrow and on noticing the woman he says "Hold on" and he tells her bluntly "Fuck off!".

Then there is the scene on the train where Winthorpe, Valentine, Ophelia and Coleman all dressed up enter the same carriage as Beeks. So, as they play around with him, he notices them switch briefcases for the crop report, and as Winthorpe disguised as a black student asks Beeks "Will you be getting off at the city of brotherly love, Mr Beeks?" and Beeks suddenly produces his gun and says "Yeah I will but you won't, Winthorpe!" and he pulls off Winthorpe's dredlock wig. So, at this point the two men looking after the caged gorrilla suddenly but into the room and Beeks warns them "Hey back! I'll rip out your eyes and piss on your brain!" so they leave. Beeks them grabs Ophelia at gunpoint and warns them "Alright you bunch of fucking weirdos! I want you all to leave now, and if anyone tries anything then the whore loses a kidney!". 

So, they head through the carriages to the section where the gorilla is being held in a cage and he cocks his gun at quartet, So, Beeks then gloatingly says to them "This is as far as we go. No more cockamamie cigar smoke. No more Swedish meatballs there, tootsie. And no more phony Irish whiskey. No more goddamn jerky beef! The party's over!". At this point one of the passengers dressed as a gorilla walks in and says "The party's over?! Its not even ten o'clock ya dummy! Come on, lighten up, its almost New Year's Eve!" and Beeks knocks him out and the gorilla outraged knocks Beeks unconscious, leaving the others to tape him up and put him in the gorilla outfit along with the real gorilla.

DIRECTOR 

As for the director, John Landis does a fine job here with the direction as he keeps the film's pace moving along nicely and the laughs aplenty as you would normally expect from Landis's films, as this was a real purple patch during Landis's career having already directed a string of hits before this. Landis also does the usual thing of including his sight gag of "See you next Wednesday" which is incuded as a poster in Ophelia's apartment. So, this is defintely one of Landis's best films of his career although it would take a bit longer for him to return to form with his next collaboration with Eddie Murphy in Coming to America, five years later.

MUSIC

As for the music, the score was composed by the great Elmer Bernstein, who often composed Landis's movies back then and here he provides another fine score here. The score itself is most notable for starting with a rendition of Mozart's opera, The Marraige of Figaro during the film's opening credits. This was quite apt given the the Marriage of Figaro was about a servant who was wrong by his employer, a Count, who the employee takes his revenge on. The film also includes some vintage pop tracks such as "The Loco-Motion" by Little Eva and "Jingle Bell Rock" by Brenda Lee. 

FLAWS

As for flaws, yes Trading Places does have some worth a mention.

For starters, I think the film does have some uncessary moments of racism in it, particularly with the scene the Dukes have a private chat in a bathroom where Mortimer expresses his disgust at the notion of having a black man run their family business. Its a pretty unpleasant moment in itself and ironically Don Ameche was opposed to it and saying any of the bad language he was given to say during filming as he would often apologise for it on set. I guess though, it does highlight that the Dukes are very much old fashioned and traditionalists, who aren't very forward thinking in their approach to how their business is run.

Another issue I had was to do with Valentine's suddent and abrupt change from being a sleazy small time crook to a snob overnight as he invites a bunch of people he meets in a local bar he use to frequemt back to his new home (i.e. Winthorpe's). However, as soon as he invites them back, he does nothing but complain about the mess that they have made. Its like his snob genes suddenly kicked in as soon as he arrived at the place with them there and in short, he really shouldn't have invited them back in the first place! 

Then there is the issue of the Dukes plan to switch back Winthorpe with Valentine only for Mortimer to say in the bathroom scene to Randolph "I don't Winthorpe back after what he's done" as Winthorpe pulled a gun on them earlier. Yet in the next moment, Randolph talks about switching them back anyway regardless and Mortimer even agrees to it despite what he just said! Ah well, you could put it down to old age and forgetfulness maybe. ;-) 

Another issue I had was to do with just how did Winthorpe and Valentine manage to get Beeks into the gorilla's cage??? Because I am guessing that the gorrila cage is locked and they didn't appear to have access to a key to get him inside, so its somewhat bizarre in that respect that they somehow managed to get him in there without one unless the two workers watching the gorilla were daft enough to leave the cage unlocked (which they could have as they did go off to get drunk!) but who knows??? 

I also have to say that being very much a layman in terms of understanding financial jargon, that I found the film's climax at the stock exchange to be very hard to follow and just how Valentine and Winthorpe thwarted the Dukes plan to corner the frozen OJ market and because of this, I think the finale would be quite hard for most audience goers to understand also. From what I do understand, I know that the Dukes having driven the prices up for orange juice based on the fake crop report suddenly lose their value once the real crop report is announced, forcing all the other brokers to sell their shares at a lower price and this somehow results in what is a called a "short" that allows Louis and Billy Ray to make a huge profit. But again this is bound to be pretty baffling to the average person and can be easily missed, so ultimately we just have to accept that they got rich and the Dukes got poor.

Further to this also, I found it wasn't at all well explained just why Ophelia and Coleman had to give over their life savings to both Winthrope and Valentine at the train station either. Is this so they could use it as funds to buy up the contracts they wanted for the orange juice market?? Im guessing this is why they did hand their savings over but again it just isn't explained in the film and you are left scratching your head here if you are none the wiser to all this kind of stuff. 

And last of all, I thought given all this, it was a pretty stupid gamble by the Dukes to bet everything they had on this scheme of theirs to corner the frozen orange juice market and this is reflected in the line where Mortimer angrily shouts to Randolph "I told you we shoudn't have commited everything, you asshole!!". This left them with a massive financial hole that would and did bankrupt them, so given that, shouldn't they have held some of their assets back, so they weren't left completely broke by the end of it?? But I guess their greed got the better of them in the end.

So that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to finally sum up, Trading Places is a very funny and entertaining comedy, which is also very clever in how it swaps the fortunes of two men's lives at the whim of two greedy brorthers. The peformances of the film are also excellent all round as Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy making a successful and unlikely pairing and Jamie-Lee Curtis also adds some nice sex appeal as the hooker, Ophelia as well as two great performances by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche as the two wealthy and devious Duke brothers. The film does however have a confusing climax, which if you are not up on your financial jargo, can be hard to follow but that aside, this is a lot of fun and worth watching. 

So, with that said, I will rate Trading Places:

8.5 out of 10

So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post, until then Happy Easter!