Bovie Movie

Whether or not, as some contend, this is a better movie than The Silence of the Lambs (the second and more celebrated film adaptation of novelist Thomas Harris’s source material), it is undoubtedly a gripping psycho-chiller. William Petersen plays the former FBI whizz, hauled from retirement to help hunt down a sophisticated serial murderer. Strong performances, especially from Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor, combine with a clever plot and top-notch direction by Michael Mann to produce an atmospheric and arresting thriller. 

One would’ve thought that Guy Ritchie would have shied away from replicating Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels after the glut of British gangster movies that followed its success. Sadly not. Although Snatch has its merits — among them originality and the talents of Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, and Jasons Statham and Flemyng — the diamond heist and East End Mob plot are just more of the same. Gangs, cheeky chappies, bare-knuckle boxing and cameos from Vinnie Jones and Mike Reid merge into a “seen it all before” mix. Ritchie can direct, but perhaps he should get someone else to write the material. 

Robert De Niro played this action picture for laughs and, as a result, had his first hit in years. Made by Martin Brest, director of the original Beverly Hills Cop, it’s a variant on the odd-couple theme, as De Niro’s bounty hunter goes on the run with an accountant who has embezzled $15 million from the Mob. The accountant is Charles Grodin, whose underplaying is an absolute joy: he looks like a puppy that’s lost its poop tray. As with all the best road movies — and this is one of the best — the picture really moves, as a simple air trip from New York to LA turns into a saga of trains and automobiles, car crashes, and skirmishes with the FBI and a dozen other interested parties. 

Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez are reteamed for this sequel to the box-office smash Stakeout, released six years earlier, but here the chemistry is missing. Once again the two bickering cops find themselves on surveillance duty, this time watching over a potential witness in a Mob trial, played by Raging Bull’s Cathy Moriarty, and with feisty assistant DA Rosie O’Donnell along for the ride. The comic playing between the three leads can’t be faulted, and there’s even a brief appearance by Dreyfuss’s love interest from the original, Madeleine Stowe, but director John Badham can’t bring anything new to a winning formula. 

Ben Kingsley gives a witty portrayal of a hitman who joins Alcoholics Anonymous in this black comedy from The Last Seduction director John Dahl. As with that film noir, Dahl thankfully sees no point in trying to redeem his (anti)hero, and the dark laughs arise from Kingsley’s blasé approach to killing (during a date he explains that he’s trying to quit the booze because it interferes with his aim). A love interest in the form of Téa Leoni appears, but this doesn’t signal a softening of the film’s edges. Leoni plays it just as cool as Kingsley, though it’s a pity that her character is treated merely as a sounding board for his often warped philosophy. As the relationship deepens, the gags tail off and the plot becomes harder to swallow. But even then, it’s impossible to take your eyes off Kingsley, who delivers the goods with lethal precision. 

Writer/director/actor Edward Burns tries to emulate Woody Allen with this romantic comedy that doubles as an ode to the city of New York — the movie’s release was originally scheduled for last autumn but was delayed following the events of September 11th. It follows the interrelated romantic liaisons of six individuals. Stanley Tucci is suitably sleazy as the philandering husband having a relationship with a younger woman (Brittany Murphy) while his wife (Heather Graham) considers a romance of her own with a TV producer (played by Burns himself); Rosario Dawson and David Krumholtz round out the odd group as a recently divorced couple. Charming in places, this never quite gels into a captivating storyline, despite a memorable turn from Dennis Farina as an ageing lothario. Burns certainly has a long way to go yet before he can comfortably occupy Allen’s territory. 

This entertaining thriller benefits greatly from a few fun plot twists and a colourful cast. Ben Affleck plays an ex-con who assumes the identity of his dead cellmate in order to hook up with the guy’s gorgeous pen-pal girlfriend (Charlize Theron). They share a few passionate moments before her nasty brother, sleazy Gary Sinise, coerces Affleck into robbing a casino. Sinise plays his role with just the right touch of menace and humour, but John Frankenheimer’s workmanlike direction ultimately robs this promising movie of any distinctive personality, and the end result is merely good rather than brilliant.