The Big Lebowski Review (Revisited) "F*** it, dude, let's go bowling!"

 

 

 

 

 

Well, its time for another post as I have been rooting through my archives for a post to update and found a perfect candidate, which is the Cohen brothers cult classic comedy, The Big Lebowski. So, the previous post was a revisit but it is pretty outdated in its format, so I will do a revamp for it just now.

So, with the film now 26 years old, let's take a look at The Big Lebowski and see if it is still a modern classic comedy...

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!

STORY

So, the story begins with the main character, Jeffrey Lebowski or "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges) being assaulted by two thugs who are looking for some money.  However the thugs have got the wrong man, as it soon turns out that they were looking for another Lebowski, who is a millionaire, who's wife Bunny owes money to a man called Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara).  On realising their mistake, they leave, but not before one of them takes a pee on the Dude's rug.  

After this the dude decides to go and approach Lebowski (David Huddleston), the millionaire who is wheelchair bound, to get some compensation for his rug, but Lebowski turns him down, however on his way out, the dude tells Lebowski's associate, Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) that he was to take any rug he wanted.  Soon after however, the dude is visited by some people, one of who knocks him out, and after he comes round, he sees that his rug has been taken.  Further complications arise when Lebowski contacts the Dude, who tells him that his young trophy wife, Bunny (Tara Reid), has been kidnapped, and he wants the Dude to help get her back, as the kidnappers have sent a letter demanding money.

So the Dude along with his bowling buddie, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) a hot headed Vietnam veteran, go along to make a pay off, with a case full of money to the kidnappers, however Walter decides to get involved and changes the case of money with a "ringer", which is filled with his old undies!  After this, the kidnappers, who are three German nihilists (lead by Peter Stormare) get angry and pay the Dude a visit, while he is at home in his bath, they let a marmot off the leish and throw him into his bath, and they demand their money or they will "cut off his johnson!".  

Meanwhile the Dude also gets a call from a woman, Maude (Julianne Moore) who turns out to be the daughter of Lebowski, and that she was the one who took the Dude's rug, which which actually belonged to her and was of sentimental value, and asks that the Dude recover the ransom.  Maude also reveals that Bunny was in actual fact a porn film star and plays a low rent porn film for him showing this, and that the three nihilists were her friends, the leader being Tortsen Voges (Stormare), who also appeared in the film.  

The Dude is soon taken to meet Jackie Treehorn, a pornographer and loan shark, who wants to know where Bunny is and his money.  The Dude then tells Jackie that the kid, Larry Sellers, who allegedly stole the Dude's car, has his money, but Jackie doesn't believe him and drugs the Dude's drink, who soon passes out, and comes to in a police car, where he is taken to the police chief of Malibu, who warns him to not come back.  After the Dude get's back home, he finds his home ransacked, and Maude stands over him, naked, and after a bit of coital action, the Dude soon works out what has been going with Bunny as he suspects that Bunny actually faked her kidnapping and basically she was looking to extort money from her husband, the Big Lebowski, by using nihilist friends.  After that the Dude decides to go with Walter to pay the Big Lebowski a visit and confront him about the whole damn thing...    

THOUGHTS

The Big Lebowski is without a doubt one of my favourite comedies, and it remains the funniest of the Cohen brother's films.  The Cohen brothers, Joel and Ethan, have been no stranger to comedy, and very strange, quirky comedy at that, but with The Big Lebowski, it seems like they finally got the perfect combination of all those quirky traits together.  The film itself however was not well received on its release and had mixed reviews and its only in the interim years that this film has started to gain acclaim and has become something of a cult favourite.  

In terms of the main character the Cohen brothers actually came up with the idea for the Dude based on a man they met, Jeff Dowd, they met while they were trying to promote their debut film, Blood Simple.  Dowd himself was a man who liked to drink White Russain cocktails just like the Dude does in the film and he was also even based on a friend of the Cohen brothers, Peter Exline, who was a former Vietnam veteran who own a squalid apartment and at the time had a small rug which it to quote the Dude, "tied the room together".    

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

Getting on to the performances the film is also great all round. 

Starting with Jeff Bridges playing one of his best roles, as the Dude, who is basically just normal average guy, who is a lazy down and out, who hangs around and likes to smoke grass, drink White Russian cocktails and go bowling.  And Bridges plays him in quite a cool laidback way and succeeds in actually making him likeable, and while he is no hero, or that much of a detective, you get that he is bright enough to work things out as they go along.  

Bridges also get's some great scenes such as in the one where the Dude is attacked by the two thugs who mistake him for the other Lebowski and one of them says "You're Jeffrey Lebowski, you're wife's Bonny" and The Dude says "My wife?!  Do you see a ring on my finger?!  Does this place look like I'm fuckin married?!  The toilet seat is up, man!". One of the thugs asks the other "What do you think?" and the other one says "He looks like a fuckin loser!" and the Dude says "At least I'm house broken!".  

There is also the scene where the Dude is taken on a tour around The Big Lebowski's mansion by his assistant, Brandt and they meet, Lebowski's young trophy wife, Bonny, who tells the Dude "I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars!" and The Dude is then lead away by a nervous laughing Brandt, and the Dude says "I'm just gonna go and find a cash machine!".  

scene when he is grabbed roughly by the big Lebowski's limo driver, while he still holds his White Russian drink in his hands and he yells out "Careful, man, there's a beveridge here!".  

And in this scene the Dude proceeds to be questioned by an angry Lebowski about the ransom money for his young wife, Bonny, and the Dude explains "I've got information.  New shit has come to light.  And shit, man... she kidnapped herself.  Look at it, a young trophy wife, she owes money all over town, including to known pornographers.  I'm saying she needs the money, man!  And of course they will say they didn't get it because she wants more.  She's got to feed the monkey!". 

There is also the scene where the Dude having just gotten his car back after it was stolen, happily listens to some Creedence on his tapedeck, whilst he smokes a joint and drinks a beer and he goes to flick it out the window but neglects to notice that the window is still shut and it lands in his lap and he ends up pouring his beer on his crotch and crashes his car! Only then for the Dude to spot what appears to be a piece of paper containing a school kid's homework.  

Then there is the scene where the Dude in an effort to stop anyone from opening his door, he nails down a block of wood and jams a chair up against the door.  And while the Dude does this he is on the phone to Walter, not long after they have unsuccessfully confronted a young teenager about the missing ransom money and the Dude says to Walter "No, Walter I don't think Larry was about to crack!  Yes well you're right, Walter, there is an unspoken message here.  Its "FUCK YOU!!!  LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" and then he calmly says after a beat "Yeah I'll be at practise".  The Dude then hangs up and the front door is opened from the outside by Jackie Treehorn's thugs and the chair wedged up against the block simply falls down! 

Then there is funny scene is where The Dude after having had some sex with Maude watches her curl herself into a foetel position and he asks her what she is doing and Maude says "It helps increase the chances of conception" and the Dude proceeds to violently spit out his drink!". And shortly after, the Dude confronts a private eye who appears to be following Maude and he warns him "Stay the fuck away from my lady friend, I'm trying to help your conceive, man!".      

And last of all is the Dude's final scene with the narrator, where they chat briefly at the bar in the bowling alley. So, in the scene the narrator tells the Dude "Take it easy, Dude" and the Dude smiles and says "Well, the dude abides!" and he walks off leaving the narrator to his reverie.        

John Goodman is also hilarious as Walter, the half crazed, hot headed, Vietnam veteran, who is so confident in his opinions, but half the time he is wrong, especially when he thinks that the big Lebowski can actually walk at the end (which we soon find out he can't when Walter drops him out of his wheelchair!).  

Goodman has plenty of scenes worth mentioning starting with the scene with Walter is when he is at the bowling alley with The Dude and Donny and one of the rival team members apparently plays a foul shot as Walter yells out "OVER THE LINE!".  And as the man argues with Walter, Walter takes out a gun and says "Smokey, you mark that eight and you're entering a world of pain!  A world of pain!" and as Smokey protests, Walter points the gun at him and says "Have I gone crazy?!  AM I THE ONLY WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE RULES?!!  MARK IT ZERO!!" and he continues "MARK IT ZERO!  You think I'm fuckin around?!  MARK IT ZERO!!". Smokey reluctantly does so and says "You happy now you crazy fuck?!" and Walter puts his gun away and says "This is a league game, Smokey".

Another funny scene from Goodman is when Walter goes along with The Dude on the drop to give the kidnappers the ransom money and Walter has "a ringer" which is a briefcase full of his old undies.  And Walter says to The Dude as he also produces an uzi submachine gun, "At fifteen mph, I'll roll out, double back and beat it out one of them!" and in regards to the uzi "You didn't think I was gonna roll out here naked, did you?!".  And as Walter rolls out the car so does his uzi which sprays bullets all over the road, which also hit the back of the Dude's car and after they failed to make the drop off, Walter stands idly on the road and says "fuck it, Dude!  Let's go bowling!".  

Goodman also get's pretty much the best lines of the film, and my favourite scene in the whole movie is where he interrogates a kid, Larry Sellers, who they think stole the money and the Dude's car. So, Walter opens his briefcase and takes out the homework paper and he says to him "Is this your homework, Larry?" and Larry says nothing, so Walter repeats "Is this your homework, Larry?".  The Dude however becomes impatient and asks "Where's the fuckin money, you little brat?!" but Larry doesn't flinch and Walter then says "Have you ever heard of Vietnam, Larry??? You're enterting a world of pain, son!  You're killing your father, Larry!". Larry however stays silent and Walter says to him "Alright this is pointless, time for plan B" and he locks up the briefcase, gets up and he says to Larry "You might wanna look outside that window, Larry. This is what it looks like when you FUCK a stranger in the ass!".  

After this, Walter proceeds to go out and smash up a fancy sports car with a crowbar, which he assumes belongs to Larry, which actually belongs to a next door neighbour, ranting at Larry "This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass!!". Walter then continues to smash up the car, yelling at Larry "YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS, LARRY?! YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK A STRANGER IN THE ASS??!!". However, the enraged neighbours storms out and yells at Walter telling "THIS IS MY CAR! I ONLY HAD IT FIXED LAST WEEK!!" and "I'll fucking kill your car!!" and he proceeds hysterically to smash the Dude's car with the crowbar yelling "I'LL KILL YOUR FUCKEEN CAR!!". 

Another good scene is when the Dude meets with Walter at a coffee shop and he shows Walter a severed toe sent a message from the kidnappers, which Walter mocks saying "I can't get you a toe!  Believe me there are ways.  You don't wanna know".  And as the Dude continues worrying about the toe, Walter yells "FORGET ABOUT THE FUCKING TOE!" and the owner complains about his outburst and Walter says to the woman "Excuse me, dear?  The supreme court has roundly rejected prior restraint!"  and then "Lady I've got buddies who died face down in the muck so that you and I can enjoy this family restaurant!".   

Then we have the scene where Walter and the Dude go to confront Lebowski at his mansion, as the Dude unravels his ploy to get rid of his trophy wife, however Walter firmly believes that Lebowski isn't even disabled despite being in a wheelchair. So, in the scene Walter says to the Dude "I've seen alot of spinals and this guy is a fake!" and he walks towards Lebowski and he says "This guy fucking walks! I've never been more certain of anything in my life!". So, Walter grabs Lebowski out of his wheelchair and the Dude pleads "Put him down, Walter!" and Walter says "Sure, I'll put him down, Dude! Here we go!" and he drops Lebowski, who falls flat on his face, humiliated, the Dude and Walter akwardly help him back up. 

And last of all is the scene where (SPOILER!!!) go to the top of the cliff somewhere to scatter Donny's ashes and Walter gives an eulogy in his name. So, in the scene, Walter holds the tin and says "Donny was a good bowler, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved the outdoors... and bowling, and as a surfer he explored the beaches of Southern California, from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and... up to... Pismo. He died, like so many young men of his generation, he died before his time. In your wisdom, Lord, you took him, as you took so many bright flowering young men at Khe Sanh, at Langdok, at Hill 364. These young men gave their lives. And so would Donny. Donny, who loved bowling. And so, Theodore Donald Karabotsos, in accordance with what we think your dying wishes might well have been, we commit your final mortal remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean, which you loved so well. Good night, sweet prince". So, Walter proceeds to open the tin and scatter the ashes but they blow back in his face and the Dude's instead! 

Julianne Moore is also excellent as Maude, the cool tempered feminist, who asks the Dude to help get the ransom money back, and later on has sex with him, in order to help her conceive a baby (purely for her own reasons, but not to ask the Dude to be a father to the baby). 

Moore also has some good scenes such as her first one where after performing some bizzare overhead painting, whilst hanging from a wire, naked, she then get's and dresses and goes over to the Dude and says "My art has been commended as being strongly vaginal which bothers some men.  The world itself makes some men uncomfortable.  Vagina!". So, in the scene Maude gives the Dude the number of a doctor to examine him as he was punched by Maude's men and she says of the Doctor "He's a good man, and thorough".  

And later on when the Dude finds Maude at his apartment, Maude stands over him wearing the Dude's robe, she simply says "Jeffrey.  Love me!" and strips off with the Dude only managing a feeble "that's my robe!". So, post sex, Dude get's up and has a White Russian while Maude sits up in bed with her knees pulled back over her head and Dude asks her "What is that some sort of yoga thing?" and Maude says "It increases the chances of conception" and Dude spits out his drink. Maude then says "Look, Jeffrey, I want a child but I don't want the father to be really involved". 

Steve Buscemi is also priceless, as the Dude and Walter's less than bright bowling buddie, Donny, who keeps wandering in on the middle of the Dude's conversations, and is often the butt of Walter's cruel put downs, and the often used line "Shut the fuck up, Donny!".  

It is however hard to pick scenes for Buscemi as his character is pretty bitty and doesn't have a great deal of dialogue in them, so I will mention some snippets of some scenes he is in.

One suchs cene is the one where Walter and The Dude mentions something that the Russian revolutionary Lenin once said. So, the Dude says "Its like Lenin once said, the person who will benefit most..." and Donny mistakes it to be John Lennon and he says "I am the Walrus?". The Dude ignores Donny and says to Walter "Well you know what I'm saying" and Donny again says "I am the Walrus". Walter finally snaps at Donny and shouts "Shut the FUCK up, Donny! Lenin! Vladmir Illiych Ulyanov!". 

Then there is scene where the Dude having been threatened by the nihilists in his home by telling him they will cut off his "johnson" unless he gives them the money and again Donny doesn't get what the Dude is on about. So, the Dudes says to Walter "Fuck sympathy, man! I don't need your fuckin sympathy, I need my johnson, man!" and Donny asks "Why do you need that for, Dude?". 

David Huddleston is great also as the title character, the Big Lebowski, the tetchy millionaire, who is wheelbound and insists that the Dude go and get his wife back, although as the film progresses it appears that he doesn't really want his wife back, and he just used the Dude in his own ploy.  

Huddleston  also has some good scenes such as his first scene where Lebowski meets with the Dude and is less than impressed by him and he says to the Dude "Did I urinate on your rug?!  I just want to understand this, sir.  Every time a rug is micturated upon in this fair city, I have to compensate the owner?!".  And at the end of the scene as the Dude starts to walk out "You're revolution is over, Mr Lebowski.  Condolences.  The bums lost.  My advice is to do what your parents did: get a job, sir!  The bums will always lose!  Do you hear, Mr Lebowski?!  THE BUMS WILL ALWAYS LOSE!".

Then there is the scene where Lebowski has the Dude dragged into a limo by the driver and he is confronted by Lebowski, who is with his assistant, Brandt about the ransom money he gave him. So, Lebowski angrily asks "Where is my money, you bum?!". The Dude then tries to explain and says "Its OK, nothing is fucked here, man" and Lebowski furiosuly shouts "Nothing is FUCKED??!! THE PLANE HAS CRASHED INTO THE GODDAMN MOUNTAIN!". So, as the Dude finishes trying to explain that Lebowski's wife "kindapped herself", Lebowski says "Since you have repeatedly betrayed my trust, I have told these men to do whatever it takes to get the money back from yourself!".  

Peter Stormare is also pretty good and funny as the nihilist, Voges, who threatens to cut off the Dude's johnson (or chonson as the script says!), and its a far cry from his chilling portrayal of Grimsrud from Fargo, and in the end Voges is actually just a coward, which Walter later proves by kicking his ass.  Stormare has amusing scenes as well such as the scene where Voges barges into the Dude's apartment whilst he has a bath and drops a ferret into his bathtub and says "We vant the money Lebowski!  We believe in nothing, Lebowski.  Nothing!  And tomorrow we come back and cut off your Johnson!" and the Dude, who is agitated after the nihilists have thrown a marmot into his bath, asks "What?" and Voges repeats "We cut off your JOHNSON!!!". 

Stormare also has a hilarious moment where Voges turns out to be a porno actor and Maude shows the Dude a cheesy porn film called "Log jammin" which has Voges turn up dressed as a TV repair man at a flat with two mostly naked girls. 

Philip Seymour Hoffman is also very good in his role as Brandt, Lebowski's mild mannered assistant, who aides the Dude temporarily in his task to give the ransom money to the nihilists who allegedly kidnapped Lebowksi's wife Bunny.

So, I will mention two of his scenes starting with the one where Brandt shows the Dude around the grounds of Lebowski's luxurious mansion's grounds and he stops as we see Bunny, who is in a bikini and sits in a reclining chair. So, she tells the Dude "I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars" and Brandt laughs nervously and says "Ha ha ha ha! Wonderful woman, we are all very fond of her! Very free spirited!". Bunny then says to the Dude candidly "Brandt can't watch though, or he has to pay an extra hundred" and again Brandt nervously laughs and says "Ha ha! That's marvelous!". 

Then the second scene is where Brandt gives the Dude the briefcase and instructions on how to pay the nihilists. So, Brandt then tells the Dude "Her life is in your hands, Dude" and the Dude says "Man, don't say that, man!" but Brandt tells him "Mr Lebowski asked me to repeat that, her life is in your hands" and the Dude groans and says "Ah shit!" and Brandt again says "Her life is in your hands, Dude!". 

John Turturro, occassional regular in Cohen brother films, is also really good as Jesus, the egomaniac bowler, and paedophile, who delivers one of the best lines which he says to Walter about pulling his gun at the bowling alley "If you do that to me, I will take that gun from you and shove it up your ass and pull the trigger to it goes click!" and also that "No one fucks with the Jesus!".  

And finally Sam Elliott as the Stranger, the film's narrator does a fine job, with his deep Southern voice, providing the perfect voice over for the movie, and appears briefly in the middle and at the end of the film.  

So, I will mention part of Elliott's opening narration as we see the Dude wander around a store to get some milk. So, the Stranger narrates "I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? But sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about the Dude here. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude, in Los Angeles. And even if he's a lazy man - and the Dude was most certainly that. Quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide. But sometimes there's a man, sometimes, there's a man. Aw. I lost my train of thought here. But... aw, hell. I've done introduced him enough". 

Then there is the scene where the Stranger appears at the bar in the bowling alley and he speaks to the Dude and tells him "I like your style, Dude" and then says "There's just one thing: do you have to use so many cuss words?" and the Dude stares at him and says "What the fuck are you talkin about, man??" and the narrator smiles and says "Alright Dude, have it your way". 

Last of all is the final scene of the film where the Stranger talks again with the Dude at the bowling alley. So, the Stranger says "Take it easy, Dude" and the Dude "Oh yeah!" and the Stranger says "I know that you will" and the Dude says "Yeah well, the Dude abides" and he walks off leaving the Stranger with a smile. So, the Strangers says to the camera "The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners".

DIRECTOR(S) 

Getting onto the directors and writers, the Cohen brothers, Ethan and Joel Cohen themselves who couldn't really have done a better job here as they pace out the film nicely and it doesn't feel overly long and their script is hilarious and as usual they know how to coax fine performances from their cast (but I've already just mentioned all that of course!). The Cohen Brothers also during the shoot used the Hollywood Stars Lanes bowling alley in Santa Monica for all the bowling scenes, which they shot there for 3 weeks out of the 11 week shoot. It was also said that the Cohens' barely gave any direction to Jeff Bridges with the exception of when Bridges asked if the Dude would have smoked a joint on the way over (presumably in each scene he enters). That aside of course, this is definitely one of the Cohens most entertaining films.

MUSIC

The film also has a good soundtrack composed by Carter Burwell, the Cohens regular composer but it also makes use of tracks by other artists as well. So, the most notable tracks in the film include the Bob Dylan song "The Man in Me" (even though I'm not a fan of Bob Dylan!) over the title sequence, which works pretty wel.  And other songs are well used, particularly Creedence's "Looking out my back door" and "Running through the Jungle".  And one of my favourite tracks used in the film is Kenny Rogers "Just dropped in", which is again well used in the Dude's dream sequence, as he plays the lead part in a film "Gutterballs!".  Great name! 

FLAWS 

As for flaws.....  The Big Lebowski has some small niggles...

To start with it has to be said it is a film that is probably guilty of being in the love or loathe category, so it may not be a comedy to everyone's taste given the goofball nature of the comedy. In fact you could say, its a film that warrants repeated viewing to try and appreciate as there certainly things you might overlook or miss on a first view. 

Another issue, albeit not a serious one is the large amount of profanity in the film, as it starts to feel like the Cohen's were trying to push in as many f words as they possibly could (in fact on a sad nerdy note there are over 280 uses of the word fuck in all in the film!) just to try and get some laughs out of it, but in the end it does feel a bit forced and a whole load of swearing doesn't really make a great film.  And one prime example of this is how Walter continually uses the line "Shut the fuck up, Donny" practically every time Donny says something, which soon becomes tiresome and is only funny when he stops saying it at one point when Donny mentions a change in the bowling schedule (and when poor Donny has his heart attack). 

Then there is the silly aspect are the dream sequences, which are pretty daft, with the Dude dreaming of being a star in the film Gutterballs, and also flying on his magic rug through the skies at night as well as the image of the nihilists coming with large shears to cut off his "johnson".  Another scene worth mentioning that is also a bit annoying is the one where we meet Maude's campy friend (played by David Thewlis) and the two of them take a phone call and start laugh hysterically, which just feels pointless and unecessary to the film. That aside though, the rest of the film is great.

So, that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, The Big Lebowski remains a very enjoyable comedy, which is well worth watching and features priceless performances by Jeff Bridges and John Goodman and they ably supported by a fine cast of actors such as David Huddleston, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Buscemi. The film's dialogue is also priceless with so many quotable lines and it features a pretty good sountrack from both Carter Burwell and its choice of other tracks and to this day, its still one of my favourite Cohen brothers films.

So, I will rate The Big Lebowski:

9 out of 10

So, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post, till then take it easy dudes!

 

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".  

Tania Mallet is also pretty good in her role as Tilly, the sister of Jilly, who is out for revenge after Goldfinger has her killed and Bond tries to help her. 

So, I will mention just one of her scenes, as she only has a couple really and its the one where Bond finds her in the dark as she tries to find a way to kill Goldfinger. Bond, who is trying to infiltrate Goldfinger's base finds Tilly and he says surprised "What the hell are you doing here?" and Tilly angrily says "Let me go, I want to kill him!" and Tilly says "Goldfinger, he killed my sister". Bond the asks "Why were you shooting at me?" and Tilly says "I wasnt, I was shooting at Goldfinger!" and Bond says "Well, you're a lousy shot!".

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 crap 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!