Category: 1970s

Newly appointed sheriff Pat Garrett, portrayed by James Coburn, is forced to bring down his old friend Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson). Circumstances lead me to watching both the preview and special editions of the film, which is definitely an interesting way to compare a director’s vision with that of people less connected to the production. While the cast is strong and I enjoyed Bob Dylan’s soundtrack here, I realized that I find myself more disconnected from revisionist Westerns than the classic Hollywood versions. The revisionists are definitely more gritty with no real good characters, but they don’t feel any more realistic to history than the glossy, moralistic stories of the past. 

In Steven Spielberg’s theatrical debut, Goldie Hawn is a struggling mother who breaks her husband William Atherton out of jail to reclaim their son from foster care. Based on a true story, what follows is an often slow police pursuit across the state of Texas after the pair hold officer Michael Sacks hostage and eventually become folk heroes in the eyes of the public. Hawn gives perhaps the best performance I’ve seen from her, equally determined and vulnerable in her singular goal. It’s really a solid bit of storytelling with little excess from a young director now known for greater things. 

A few days before Christmas, Toronto mall bank teller Elliott Gould discovers that his bank is going to be robbed and uses that information to his advantage. Unfortunately for him, it does not take long for ruthless robber Christopher Plummer to discover his ruse. What I thought was going to be a simple heist film turned out to be an absorbing meeting of the minds. I’m not used to Plummer being so sadistically evil, but he carries it off well. Gould might be the protagonist of the story, but he’s no hero. I continued to wonder if and how he was going to get out of his various predicaments.      

Charismatic professor and errant gambler James Caan owes his bookie tens of thousands of dollars. The film follows him as he scrambles to get the cash, amidst the disapproval of his girlfriend Lauren Hutton and his family, all while still searching for the thrill of the next big win. Caan works well in the role, but the writing really ups the stakes. I kept waiting for the moment of no return disaster for Caan, but that’s not how gambling works. There are both incredible highs and terrible lows and you don’t know which it’ll be until the card flips or the dice settle, which keeps the gambler craving that unknowable result.

Fashion photographer Faye Dunaway begins seeing visions of gruesome murders being committed through the first person view of the killer. She learns from police lieutenant Tommy Lee Jones that many of her provocative photos bear a striking resemblance to those of unpublished crime scene photos. The photo setups, and the film in general, has a pretty cool disco aesthetic. Dunaway is strong in the lead as are the number of men surrounding her, such as Brad Dourif, Raúl Juliá, and René Auberjonois. The resolution is a bit far-fetched but not completely coming out of nowhere, still leading to a exciting climax.   

Suffering an identity crisis after the end of her marriage, Talia Shire embarks on a journey to visit old boyfriends, including Richard Jordan and John Belushi, and recreate events from her past. It’s a very weird movie with Shire playing a character who is not completely unsympathetic, but also quite dislikable. She jumps in and out of the men’s lives with no consideration at all for what her sudden appearance does for anyone she encounters. What’s worse is that there doesn’t even seem to be any catharsis for her in doing so.