Friday, May 23, 2025

The Short Con

 DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is a stroke of clever genius to cast top comic actors like Michael Caine and Steve Martin as con-men trying to one-up each other. It is cleverer to have both be foils as one is a world class con man passing himself as a prince always in need of financial assistance from women, and the other is a fool who cons women into thinking he needs funding for his sick grandmother. Most of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" can be easily anticipated yet it is still fun and engaging to watch with these charismatic pros.

Caine is Lawrence Jamieson who lives the high life in the town of Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. Jamieson is cultured and suave, a true delight as an intellectual who can bribe and steal without losing his devilish, charming wit - you can see how women fall for his act. Martin is Freddy Benson who has arrived on Jamieson's turf and is ready to go on wild shopping sprees. An arrest is arranged by Freddy and his police inspector pal resulting in one of Martin's funniest bits (most likely improvised) as he is aching to remember Jamieson's name as the inspector waits. Eventually, Freddy has to leave the country until he realizes that Jamieson is no aristocrat - he is a con-man too. Like a comedy of infinite errors, Freddy returns hoping to learn from Jamieson on how to be a cultured con-man. He returns once, and then twice - like a hopping, out-of-control energetic bunny, Jamieson can't get rid of him. Finally, a $50,000 bet is placed to see who can con a sweet, compassionate, selfless woman, Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). 

Directed with affectionate restraint by Frank Oz, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is a bit long when cutting to the chase sooner would have worked in greater comic fireworks. A scene where Benson is in a wheelchair while trying to convince two sailors that Jamieson, who is dancing and smooching with Janet, is the man who stole his girlfriend - it just carries on far too much screen time. Also, the passage of time is a little too expanded between Janet and Freddy's scenes, particularly when he is trying to bed her. Still, the movie is frequently funny and inventive, particularly towards the end, and it shows how comic flair and mastery of body language from Caine, Martin and the underrated Headly lead to sparks of hilarity. 

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Neither God nor Devil but a man!

 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

John Huston's "The Man Who Would Be King" is one of the most finely crafted adventure stories to ever grace the silver screen. It is humorous, unpredictable (unless you read the original Kipling story) and wild in its gorgeous, layered vistas and epic moments of grandeur and high sense of adventure and action scenes that must have been more difficult to film than having Michael Caine do needlepoint. It is an unabashed view of a civilization where few white men ever dare to tread. 

Michael Caine and Sean Connery play ex-sergeants of the British Army who have nothing better to do than swindle and steal in India in the latter 1880's. Caine is Peachy Carnehan, who begins this story when he tells a "Northern Star" newspaper editor/correspondent named Kipling (Christopher Plummer) of his arduous trip with his fellow comrade, Daniel Dravot (Connery), through the snowcapped mountains of Afghanistan to reach the village called Kafiristan (Only Alexander the Great once set foot there). This remote area has riches beyond anyone's dreams, including several pieces of gold and giant rubies. Daniel and Peachy eventually reach the site only to be at first hissed as demons, then later welcomed as heroes from the sky. Only Daniel is seen as a god since he was struck by an arrow during battle and survived. Daniel is clearly not a god yet he relishes the opportunity, a golden opportunity at that, to retrieve whatever riches he desires. Peachy is on board and ready to boogie with all the gold after Daniel proves his godly worth with a freemason necklace he wears that resembles one of their all-seeing-eye god statues (he survives a final stage of proof of his godly ways when he is almost hit with an arrow to the chest). Only Daniel is loving his stature, and decides to stay and have a wife and beget many sons who could become kings. Peachy has other ideas, not understanding Daniels' need to be seen as a demigod. 

"The Man Who Would Be King" holds us enthralled, amused and often in suspense as we wonder if the jig will ever be up - will these village people and the nearby religious sect, the Kafirs who do practice Masonic rituals see that Daniel is only human? Only time will tell and Huston manages to make it all gloriously entertaining and detailed in how different the customs are between one civilization and the other. A major plus is the magical teaming of the titanic, god-like presence of Sean Connery (who else could fool someone into thinking he's a king?) and the dry wit of Michael Caine. The both make for the most winning combination of a buddy-buddy adventure unlike any I've ever seen. 

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Unbelievable tryst

BLAME IT ON RIO (1984)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Blame it on Rio" is a slightly decent if haphazard comedy of manners, improved greatly by the presence of Michael Caine as a 43-year-old man who is having an "allegedly" tough time keeping his hands off of a 17-year-old girl. That girl would be Michelle Johnson, a former model and sunshine-and-smiles type with an upbeat sense of herself. She is perfect for her role, regardless of the uneasy factor of an older man having sex with a girl that hasn't graduated high school yet. 

The uneasiness is projected throughout this silly movie. Jennifer is the girl madly in love with Caine's Matthew, a married man working in Sao Paulo along with his colleague, Victor (Joseph Bologna). They go on vacation to Rio and through some convoluted, senseless scenes, Matthew's wife (Valerie Harper), decides to go to Bahrin instead. So she trusts her husband to go to Rio? Anyways, Matthew and Victor, along with his two daughters (the aforementioned Johnson as Jennifer and a young Demi Moore) go to Rio. Geez, what could possibly go wrong. 

A wedding on the beach leads to a sultry and very naked Jennifer coming on to Matthew and they both make love on the beach. Then she keeps wanting him, and Victor has no idea that his own daughter is bonking his best friend. How can he not know? Even Demi Moore knows and the windows to this villa are always open for that distinct Brazilian breeze where conversations can be heard, how can Victor not know or figure it out? If the tryst had happened in other places, this might be more believable. Case in point: Jennifer in one scene arrives for breakfast on the patio with a sliver of shaving cream on her face. Victor notices it and asks her what that is and she says, "Oh, it is whipped cream!" Moments later, Matthew arrives for breakfast with a sliver of shaving cream on his face and Victor doesn't notice. Say what?

Caine made me smile with his attempts to hide his involvement with Jennifer, especially when Victor reads Jennifer's diary and Matthew blurts out, " I can explain!" Caine makes all the other actors look good, especially Michelle Johnson and he's able to bring the best out of all them. The movie is frequently funny despite the situation which is never played for sleaze yet still makes one uneasy. But nothing in "Blame it on Rio" is remotely believable and a rather convoluted last act involving Jennifer's mental condition and its resolution made me almost give up on the movie. Not the worst film Caine ever made but not one of his more superlative efforts either.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

You're a Lady

 MONA LISA (1986)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
I knew of Neil Jordan's "Mona Lisa" long before his ultimate triumph, the classic and unusual love story known as "The Crying Game." "Mona Lisa" often shares a kinship with that film, certainly in terms of a love story that is unexpected and doesn't actually involve sex. For a British underworld crime drama, "Mona Lisa" doesn't have much violence (except towards the end). True, Michael Caine's mob boss, Mortwell, is rough around the edges yet he hopes his former employee, a tough, snarling gangster and ex-con named George (Bob Hoskins), is at least...happy. Strangely enough, that is all anybody wants in this movie.
With George out of prison and facing an ex-wife who hates him, all he can do is give his daughter rides to school. Meanwhile, a job is still needed and George decides to head back into the criminal underworld only to become a chauffeur for a high-class prostitute, Simone (Cathy Tyson). They don't get along yet slowly a relationship based on trust and personal tidbits about their lives builds into a love story. Again, not your usual love story but one that could be since it is not consummated. Simone insists on buying a proper suit for George who has no idea how to dress and always looks cheap. Simone also has an avid interest in a section of London where hookers parade a bridge - she's hoping to find a 15-year-old prostitute whom she's in love with. George doesn't know the extent of their relationship yet but he's determined to help Simone find her in some of the sleaziest parts of London. 

"Mona Lisa" is intriguing and completely original. Scene after scene we are absorbed in George's character and his private life (which also includes Robbie Coltrane as a mystery-novel loving mechanic). Simone also fascinates because we are never sure if she imagines some other life beyond prostitution and, though money is her governing principle, we are not sure it is her only principle. Is she happy? Is George truly happy or has he found a true friend in Simone? And has Mortwell, George's boss, have designs on Simone's clients that she is unaware of? Happiness in this world is very fleeting.

The entire cast is first-rate and helped enormously by the excellent, gritty, unpredictable screenplay by director Neil Jordan and co-writer David Leland. Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson have unfathomable chemistry - they are such opposites in every sense of the word that you can't imagine them running each other under different circumstances. Both are tough individuals with a need for some intimacy beyond what they do for a living. And there is Michael Caine here, full of bluster and a quick snap of anger when least expected as Mortwell. 

"Mona Lisa" is the twin to Neil Jordan's "The Crying Game" in retrospect and both would make a winning double-feature. And you will come away from this full-throttle movie humming Nat King Cole's signature song. To this day, the song still reminds me of the movie.  

Monday, December 12, 2022

Caine never sees that final twist coming

 DEATHTRAP (1982)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

There is nothing better than a mystery that throws curveballs at you at every turn, and you are never sure where you stand. "Deathtrap," based on the hugely popular Broadway play by Ira Levin, keeps you guessing. Having seen it twice before, I forgot some of the intricate details and nuances in dialogue and the surprises in store with characters you think are dead when in fact they are not.

Michael Caine is a famous New York playwright, Sidney Bruhl, who is watching his latest mystery play come apart at the seams. Sidney hears the audience whisper at their disbelief that it was written by him, and then we get the polite applause at the end. Sidney gets drunk and heads home to his rustic house in East Hampton though he sleeps through the ride and winds up in the northernmost tip of East New York, that is Montauk! Sidney lives with his literally heartsick wife (Dyan Cannon), who screams every time she sees Sidney or anyone else entering the home. He is distraught over the bad reviews by actual film/theater critics like the late Stewart Klein, the late Joel Siegel and the still living Jeffrey Lyons. What can he do? Well, there is a manuscript sent to him titled "Deathtrap" by a former student of his from a seminar. It is clever, polished and has exquisite twists and turns. Sidney would literally kill for it.

Sidney invites the student, Clifford (Christopher Reeve - absolutely fabulous), and they have a discussion about the manuscript. Meanwhile, Sidney's wife is wondering if her husband will actually kill the writer and pass off this new play as his own. Oh, but there is also the sneaky neighbor, a psychic, who sees a lot more than Sidney thinks. And, well gee, I will not get into it any further because that would mean spoiling the surprises and the twists that seemingly come out of nowhere. 

"Deathtrap" is not exclusively over-the-top or too theatrical and that is largely due to director Sidney Lumet who restrains his actors just a tad. This also makes the art direction of the rustic house with a windmill always watchable - you never quite see the same interior shot over and over again as the angles get tighter in certain shots and wider in others (some of this reminded me of Lumet's canny debut "12 Angry Men"). Michael Caine is devilishly good as the playwright who is hoping for another hit - money means everything to this guy. Christopher Reeve is thrillingly alive and gives a coiled snap of a performance as the student with more up his sleeve than we previously thought - less mannered than in his Clark Kent/Superman roles. Only Dyan Cannon seems far too histrionic, too panic-stricken though she's much calmer in close-up reaction shots. 

"Deathtrap" also includes a little too much of that nosy neighbor, and it can be a bit of a migraine to listen to this character endlessly pontificating about her suspicions of "pain" all around this house. Still, I was consistently thrilled and involved with "Deathtrap" and it works up a sweat keeping up with these characters' uttering their whip smart dialogue. It is also helpful to have Michael Caine as the anchor of this movie, exuding callousness, nervousness and an alert intelligence throughout. Of course, he never sees that final twist coming.   

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Caine's Eyes are the real menace

 THE HAND (1981)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

When Michael Caine gets angry or acts tough, his mouth tightens up and his eyes become reptilian and menacing as if he is ready to hunt his prey. Such piercing eyes are really the focus, or should have been, for a peculiar and quite fascinating psychological horror film called "The Hand." I remember watching it on video back in 1982 and thought it was a primal, scary film. Today, I can say the film still works a nerve and makes you sweat a little. Caine is the lead star and his eyes say much more than some severed, crawling killer hand. The eyes have it, as far as I am concerned.

Successful cartoonist Jonathan Lansdale (Michael Caine) is having a nearly loveless marriage with his depressed wife (a powerfully understated Andrea Marcovicci) who wants to seek a new environment and a new life. They have a cute, curious child (adorably curly-haired Mara Hobel, memorable in "Mommie Dearest") who one day notices a severed lizard's tail moving on its own (the source novel is titled "The Lizard's Tail") and wonders how that can be. Jonathan is on a car trip to deliver comic-drawing proofs when a near-accident with a truck and another car causes his right hand to be severed. He receives a solid prosthetic hand but it doesn't help with his drawings one bit. After his agent secures another cartoonist to draw and ink Jonathan's ideas and his marriage is going downhill fast, Jonathan takes a job teaching in California. There he has a quick roll in the hay with a dynamic student (Annie McEnroe) who wants to keep it old-fashioned by, you know, "doing it on the bed." Meanwhile, the severed hand that Jonathan and his wife tried to find has a life of its own and starts offing people. One is a bum (Oliver Stone, no less, who also directed) who is also a hand amputee. There are others and it is clear that Jonathan through telepathy (!) and murmuring something in his sleep (and while he's awake) can command that severed hand to kill. 

The ending is quite thrilling though it is perplexing as it leaves some questions about whether the hand is murderous or if Jonathan is actually killing people or is it both. In one highly dramatic scene, that special hand scribbles all over his proofs which causes Jonathan to lose his job which begs more questions - is this hand trying to help Jonathan or ruin his life? Call it a hand with pin-sized plot holes in it. Oliver Stone already knew how to direct his actors and also manages to create a creepy atmosphere utilizing the scenery of the country setting, though he never did another horror film (Stone completists will notice his early attempt to change color to black-and-white in a couple of scenes, which do precious little to explain if Jonathan has a gradual psychosis or not). 

"The Hand" is never boring and Michael Caine has his incredible charm and steely, reptilian eyes which makes the film far more watchable than you might think. He is a master craftsman who makes the cast look good - that is a special gift. It's the eyes that sell it. The less of the hand that we see, the better. Why nobody ever cast Caine in a remake of "X - The Man With X-Ray Eyes" continues to baffle me. 

Friday, February 18, 2022

Abracadabra

 THE PRESTIGE (2006)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Though I admire director Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy, I had always hoped he would return to the unforeseen twists of a hyperbolic mystery like his "Memento." I am late to the party with my 2022 review of a 2006 film called "The Prestige" yet here we are. "The Prestige" is a solid production with incredible cinematography and two superb performances at its center yet I never quite felt that everything was beyond the mere surface of its various tricks up its sleeve. The unbelievable finale will leave you with your mouth hanging.

Two magicians at the turn of the century begin as "volunteers" for Milton the Magician (Ricky Jay). One of them is Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who can conjure simple magic tricks yet has very little showmanship. The other is Angiers (Hugh Jackman), who has showmanship and can conjure more elaborate, showier tricks like placing his wife, tied up with ropes, inside a water tank. If anything goes wrong, Cutter (Michael Caine), a magician and stage engineer, will be on hand with an axe - he has a career of being the engineer of such tricks. Something goes fatally wrong when Angiers' wife (Piper Perabo) can't free herself from being bound inside the water tank and drowns. Guess who is blamed? Alfred, who simply made the rope knots too tight. 

The rest of "The Prestige" focuses on Borden and Angiers and their attempts to wow the audience. Borden conjures a trick where he is seemingly transported from one wardrobe to the next. Angiers can't figure out his trick - how does he do it? For assistance, he consults Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, talk about electrifying casting) who is working on alternative currents of electricity where our bodies serve as conductors. The idea is that maybe Tesla can build a teleportation device for Angiers, one in which miraculously, oh, heck, I shan't give it away. It is the secret of the film, the prestige factor, that can undo one's enjoyment if I give it away.

"The Prestige" is a handsomely mounted and elaborately detailed production with some very fine performances, notably Hugh Jackman who is and looks larger-than-life so playing a magician was perfectly tailored to his abilities. Christian Bale is a little more remote as he can be, more muted in expressions yet a galvanizing actor all the way (especially since he is playing more than one role, and we will leave it at that). Michael Caine informs the film with his more nuanced portrayal of a man who has seen it all and knows that extreme obsessions (Angiers needs to know how Borden performs his teleportation trick) can lead to destruction. The whole film plays on Angiers and Borden trying to disrupt their own illusions on stage. The film derails a bit with the inclusion of the women in these magicians' lives. Scarlett Johansson is never believable in this time period as Borden's mistress and assistant, who also has an affection for Angiers. Rebecca Hall fits the time period to a tee as Borden's wife, though her character is more than a bit undernourished. 

"The Prestige" is quite forceful in its narrative, especially with the magician rules such as  (1) the Pledge, in which a seemingly real situation is set up, (2) the Turn, in which the initial reality is challenged, and (3) the Prestige, where all is set right again. Once we get past the foreshadowed final twist involving a magical act, the idea of The Prestige rule doesn't quite settle in. All is right again when the film is over yet, not unlike the fabulous sleight of hand narrative tricks of "The Usual Suspects," we come up empty wondering how we arrived at its conclusion. A solid Nolan effort that will make you want to rewatch it and see what you missed.