Reviews of movies with Steve McQueen.
Monday, May 12th 2008
Grade: B+
Synopsis: A group of Allied prisoners attempts to escape from a Luftwaffe P.O.W. camp during World War II.
The Great Escape is a grand adventure film highlighted by a stellar cast including Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Garner, and James Coburn. Each of these men has enough charisma and presence to carry a movie on his own, but director John Sturges does a good job of keeping everyone in check as he manages the cast. Granted, his decision to have Coburn play an Australian is questionable, but it’s a minor quibble and if it’s an Australian Coburn versus no Coburn at all; you take the Australian. MORE »
Posted at 7:08 PM in Movie Reviews, John Sturges and Steve McQueen.
No responses
Friday, January 18th 2008
Grade: D+
Synopsis: In World War II Burma, an American Army Captain (Frank Sinatra) leads a small band of natives determined to hold off the much larger Japanese force.
Never So Few is a frustratingly uneven film that should have been better.
The film starts out stumbling. Frank Sinatra looks ridiculous with a goatee and the dark jungle scenes feel stagy. The film waffles between action and melodrama, never really committing to either, until Steve McQueen makes his entrance. Things then pick up briefly as McQueen works his charm, but soon stumble once again as the film tries to work in an awkward love story. Finally, in the film’s final quarter, Never So Few finds its stride. The striking cinematography as Sinatra and company come across a battalion of slaughtered soldiers is excellent, and at long last gives some real sense of the jungle. Further, the script tightens up considerably, as the characters finally have something to do, but unfortunately, it’s too little too late. MORE »
Posted at 11:45 AM in Movie Reviews, Frank Sinatra, John Sturges and Steve McQueen.
One response
Monday, November 19th 2007
Grade: B+
Synopsis: In 1930’s Louisiana, an up and coming poker player (Steve McQueen) seeks a game with the reining king of stud poker (Edward G. Robinson).
The Cincinnati Kid is a very good poker movie. Unlike recent entries such as Rounders or Lucky You, The Cincinnati Kid doesn’t concern itself with side plots involving the mob or romance, but instead, like The Hustler, it focuses on one man’s obsession and the collateral damage it creates.
While director Norman Jewison does a solid job, I can’t help but think original director Sam Peckinpah would have elevated this film to true greatness. That he was fired for shooting a nude scene with a then-unknown Sharon Tate is a testament to the dark, adult, tone he would have brought to the picture. Further, the story’s themes of obsession, loyalty, betrayal, tradition, and chance are right up Peckinpah’s alley, having served as the foundation for many of his best films. MORE »
Posted at 1:50 PM in Movie Reviews and Steve McQueen.
One response
Thursday, October 4th 2007
Grade: C+
Synopsis: The search for his parent’s murderers transforms a naive half-Indian (Steve McQueen) into a hardened killer.
Nevada Smith is really three movies, each representing one of the killers the titular character tracks down.
The first, and easily best, makes up the first half of the film. Brian Keith plays a cynical gun merchant who takes Steve McQueen’s character under his wing, and the interaction between the two is great. Director Henry Hathaway also leverages the majestic landscapes to make the normally larger than life McQueen seem small and vulnerable.
Then, in a ridiculous plot twist that seems designed solely to change the scenery, the film shifts to the swamps of New Orleans and begins to drag. A new supporting cast is introduced, including Pat Hingle, Arthur Kennedy, and Suzanne Pleshette. Unfortunately, her over-emoting ruins the climax of this section, which is already a let down compared to the film’s first half. MORE »
Posted at 2:31 PM in Movie Reviews and Steve McQueen.
No responses
Wednesday, September 5th 2007
Grade: B
Synopsis: A cynical Navy engineer (Steve McQueen) finds himself changed by his experiences aboard a gunboat in 1927 China.
The Sand Pebbles could have gone wrong in so many ways. Steve McQueen could have sat back and chewed up the scenery, instead of delivering the restrained performance he does. Director Robert Wise could have been much more heavy handed with both the dramatic and political aspects of the story, instead of letting them creep up on you subtly. Screenwriter Robert Anderson could have painted the US sailors as innocent bystanders, instead of the monsters some of them were. The Sand Pebbles could have gone wrong in so many ways, but the worst it does is stumble at the end. MORE »
Posted at 12:37 PM in Movie Reviews and Steve McQueen.
One response
