jaemskeray
William
tincolor
ThomasFiled under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1970s, Barely watchable, ben gazzara, crime, gangster, John cassavetes, the killing of a chinese bookie, Thriller
Ben Gazzara is a nightclub owner who can’t stop losing huge amounts of cash to shady gangsters. The gangsters he owns money to now are willing to forgive the debt, but only if he kills a Chinese bookie. There are apparently two very different cuts of this film and it looks like the only one that is available here in Japan is the terrible one, and man was it terrible! But before I completely condemn it, apparently the “good” cut removes at least some of what I disliked. But no amount of editing could change my major gripe with this film: the main character just isn’t compelling and neither is his predicament. I guess cutting out 27 minutes from the mess I saw might add a little energy to the pacing, but I can’t see myself going any higher than a watchable with this one. Gangsters, nightclub owners, Chinese triads, white people mafia, they’re all there, but presented in the most boring fashion possible. For the 135 minute edit: barely watchable.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2000s, ben kingsley, crime, gangster, Spain, Thriller, UK, Worth watching
“Gal” is a retired gangster living as an expat in idyllic Spain — until fearsome former colleague Ben Kingsley shows up to give him an assignment. Sir Ben is a psycho, his performance bolstered by the barely concealed anguish that everyone else expresses whenever he’s around. The film is shot and edited in an abstract, ethereal way that creates a neat contrast to the ever present threat of violence. Worth watching.
Pinhole Movie Reviews 