Summertime Crime - 5 Films that bring the BIG HEAT

 It's mid-July and the Twin Cities is in the grip of a gnarly heat dome causing temps and humidity to spike way beyond what I would consider tolerable. In honor of this totally abysmal weather, I'm publishing a list from Apache Revolver #1 (currently sold out of its second run!) all about crime films characterized by unrelenting, sun-blasted environments. I can't tell you these films will help you beat the heat, but maybe you'll find some comfort in unfortunate miscreants that are having a harder, sweatier time than you are.

Nothing adds to the pressure cooker of stress and paranoia like cranking up the temperature. The following are 5 killer crime films dripping with perspiration. 

1. Dog Day (1984) -Tonally bizarre genre piece and the only French film I believe Lee Marvin ever did. After an armored car job goes sideways, Marvin's professional thief hides out at a farm populated by a family far stranger, cruel, and exploitative then himself. Absolutely gonzo, nihilistic thriller with echoes of Prime Cut.

2. The Hot Spot ( 1990) -A steamy thriller helmed by Dennis Hopper featuring Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, and Jennifer Connelly. The desert sun beats down mercilessly on a small town filled with bad people doing bad things. The blazing day gives way to neon nights in what amounts to a beautifully stylized, melodramatic neo noir

3. The Great Okinawa Yakuza War (1976)- One of the most ferocious Yakuza films of the 70s. An absolute ripper of bloody action and meanspirited violence couched against the relentless tropical heat of Okinawa. Sonny Chiba is both charmingly outrageous and terrifying brutal as a gang leader on the rise. Perhaps the most intimidating popsicle eating scene this side of 8 Million Ways to Die's snow cones.

4. Stray Dog (1949) - Kurosawa's elegantly lyrical but no less tense tale of very hot, very bad day for a young police detective played by Tashiro Mifune. This is a much classier film than I usually write about but the suspense is exquisite and it captures post-war Japan beautifully.

5. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)-Peckinpah's tour de force death trip is one of the sweatiest, grimmest, most fatalistic tales set to celluloid. Warren Oates never had a finer moment and the fact that he is in some ways channeling Fuller himself adds another layer of self-loathing to an already potent vision. Pour the tequila and fire up Guantanamera.

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Best of Hardboiled Crime - 2025

 Last November, I decided to do something different for a "Noirvember" watch list - instead of indulging in noir classics or filling long vacant holes in my own personal filmography, I decided to catch up on recent crime films and deliver a top ten list. It was one of my favorite things to work on so I've decided to continue the tradition this year. All of the same caveats apply when it comes to definitions; the list of films that could be considered within the crime genre is massive and hardboiled isn't strictly defined in terms of cinema either. Incidentally, 2025 was a great year for higher profile films from accomplished directors that are at least crime adjacent: Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cloud, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, Park Chan Wook's No Other Choice, and Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind are just a handful of films that will likely end up somewhere on Best of the Year lists. None of these films made the list below as they either didn't meet my deeply subjective criteria about what makes a film hardboiled or I felt like they were another kind of genre film altogether (I'd classify PTA's latest as more of a political thriller than a crime film). What I do have is a list of films were somewhat overlooked, didn't get wide theatrical release (if they got released at all), and I think are very much worth any crime film fan's attention. Much like last year, I could easily delay this list by another few weeks trying to catch every new film that seems worthy of consideration or hunting down the ones that evaporated post-festival, but I'm happy with the list I have. Please feel free to comment or hit me up on bsky or IG with films I may have missed, I'd love to know what people are digging this year in genre cinema.

10. Violent Ends - I love a film with a authentic sense of place and that's one of the great strengths behind John-Michael Powell's Arkansas set rural noir. Ends has a tremendous look and is heavy with autumnal atmosphere which provides the perfect accompaniment to its grim, melancholy tale of Lucas Frost (Billy Magnussen) - an honest man who can't escape the gravity of his family's crime affiliations. Ends features some great performances and the casting is excellent as well. Magnussen is solid but I was really impressed with both Alexandra Shipp as Frost's young fiancée - her role is critical in making the stakes of the film function believably and I think she's genuinely perfect for it. Also enjoyed James Badge Dale as Frost's cousin and the primary antagonist of the film. Dale can be charming but he plays his character (Sid) with such a degree of credible menace that he's a recognizably potent threat from his first moments in the film.  Ends is very much in the tradition of classic revenge films though it does meander a bit into family drama and police procedural tangents - but it won me over with a visceral, unsentimental treatment of violence, its gritty realism, and some terrific performances. Seems like a must-watch for fans of rural noir.

9. Striking Rescue - Another vengeance tale though the setting couldn't be much more different, Rescue is the latest actioner featuring Muay Thai stylist Tony Jaa. As much as Jaa blew me (and everyone else) away in his early films, I feel like I haven't seen anything that truly capitalized on his abundant physical talents in years. Though the plot is thin to the point of transparency and the performances are rough in spots, Rescue brings the goods in terms of fight choreography and stunt work. Loads of hard hitting combat that, while stylized and heightened, still keep things practical. Same goes for the stunt work which had me flashing back to Hong Kong films of the 80s and 90s in the sense that it's very clearly a bunch of stunt performers falling, flying, and generally getting knocked around. The hallway motorbike fight sequence is brilliant in this respect. There are still some goofy CGI enhanced driving sequences or blood effects, but compared to the digital sheen of something like this year's Havoc, Rescue looks and feels far more grounded in reality. For reasons beyond my comprehension, Jaa delivers many of his lines in English and it's clear that he's not going to win any acting awards anytime soon. Still, he has the screen charisma to hold the film together and once he's in motion, it's impossible to keep your eyes off of him. 

8. Tornado - More vengeance! More violence! Tornado is a wild conceit of a film from writer/director John Maclean (Slow West). Regardless of your opinion, Tornado will still be the best Scottish samurai revenge Western released in theaters this year. The premise is the stuff pulp genre dreams are made of and Maclean realizes it beautifully on film. Even though Tornado features a brief 90 minute runtime, I feel like I could luxuriate in its texture for days. It's marvelously shot and aesthetically meticulous. The detailed appearance of Tim Roth and his troop of outlaw irregulars and our brief glimpses into the world of traveling carnival folk had my brain reeling with possibilities of their characters and personal histories. Maclean employs some visual nods to Westerns (largely of the Italian variety) and Samurai films of the 60s and contrasts them magnificently against the misty bleakness of Scotland. Though it holds much promise on paper, Tornado never quite delivers in either deeply compelling characters or overblown genre insanity - more of either would certainly have nudged this one further up the list. Still, there's a lot to love here and it's a film I'm glad (and somewhat shocked) made it to production.

7. Honey Don't! - I have already written a full length review of the second film in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's lesbian B-movie trilogy, but I'll try and summarize my thoughts here. Don't received a somewhat indifferent response from viewers who I believe are looking for the next Coen Brothers' film and that's not what you're getting from Coen and Cooke. Still, they are working in a milieu I love and while they aren't necessarily nailing the mark every time, this is still very much in my wheelhouse. Don't is a classic detective story, Qualley is great as Honey O'Donahue, her chemistry with Aubrey Plaza is fantastic, and Cooke and Coen manage to thread enough sex, violence, and strangeness together for a truly entertaining 88 minutes. Having given it a recent rewatch, I think I can even better enjoy it now that my expectations are correctly calibrated. While I don't think it's quite as good as some of my favorite oddball, hangout 70s detective movies, Honey Don't! still shares some of that off-kilter, shaggy energy.

6. Night Call - Last year I wasn't able to put anything from France on my list, so I was very happy to have seen and enjoyed Michiel Blanchart's "one crazy night" crime thriller. This is also a Belgian production, but France seems like a film market that can still support modestly budgeted genre films that don't lean too heavily on special effect action sequences and Night Call is a fantastic example of just that. The film is centered on Jonathan Feltre as Mady - a locksmith who takes a late night job he's unsure of which leads him to an insane night across Brussels with consequences worsening at every turn. Blanchart manages to put together a real ripper of a film infused with nighttime urban adrenaline and a series of reveals that pull you further in. The propulsive narrative does falter a bit towards the last act and I wish it could maintain that energy more consistently, but the finale does land with significant impact. Not quite as blood pressure spiking as something from the Safdie's but still a very smart, stylish thriller. More of this, please.

5. Eenie Meanie - Shawn Simmons' directorial debut feels like a throwback to 70s genre films and in some important ways it is. Critically, this heist thriller with a dose of black comedy includes two absolutely stunning chase sequences that were planned and filmed as practically as possible. I generally do not go in for car porn, but these scenes are visceral and gripping and while I'm sure there are visual effects at work here, there's an element of realism that can't be denied. The other aspect of Meanie that spoke to me was the utilization of real locations across Cleveland and Toledo. Rooting the action in physical space and grounding the story in an authentic place may seem like a low bar, but I'm stunned by how many films fail to clear it. I also though Meanie was genuinely entertaining, funny, sometimes touching, and features a solid cast - Weaving holds the film together as the titular protagonist and there are some terrific supporting roles as well. I had some issues with the overall pacing and arc which I detailed in my full length review, but I still think the strengths outweigh the weaknesses here.

4. Kill the Jockey - I was uncertain whether Luis Ortega's El Jockey/Kill the Jockey was hardboiled enough to make this list. It's more closely aligned with arthouse sensibilities, isn't particularly explicit regarding violence, and leans into the fantastic and surreal more than any other film on the list. Still, this is a movie very much about gangsters, features several murders, and there's even a prison stint - so on the list it goes. Jockey was one of my favorite films I saw during MSPIFF this year and I wrote about it a little then. The premise defies standard storyline conventions but genre archetypes are employed to deliver the tale of Remo Manfredini - a gifted and incurably degenerate jockey who suffers a severe injury and personality crisis after performing disastrously in his last chance race for a mobbed up local business luminary. Lost and confused, Remo wanders the streets of Buenos Aires while adopting a new persona, Delores, and trying to avoid the wrath of the local syndicate. Ortega's visual and sonic language is lavish and propulsive and creates a feel not dissimilar to the Cinema du Look cycle of films. I was definitely reminded of Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva with Jockey's eclectic coterie of oddball characters. Luc Besson's Subway also came to mind as Ortega presents a kind of alternate reality version of Buenos Aires accessible to nighttime explorers much like Besson's nocturnal, subterranean vision of Paris. Jockey gets increasingly abstract as it goes along and I could see the artifice Ortega employs being off-putting for some, but I still think it's an incredibly entertaining film and has an infectious energy that's easy to get caught up in. 

3. Americana - Another debut film, this time from writer/director Tony Tost. Americana is very much in the tradition of indie ensemble noirs with a helping of dark humor. It's easy to see the influence of the Coens or Tarantino on Tost's film, but it distinguishes itself both with its South Dakotan setting and the undercurrent of melancholy that flows through this portrait of rural life. The story is centered around a Native American ghost shirt and the desperate actions various characters will take to obtain the priceless artifact. On one level, the shirt is a McGuffin that could just as easily be the Maltese Falcon or Marsellus Wallace's briefcase, but the provenance of the shirt is significant to this film that is taking a look at the Western both as a mythology and how we understand it in our own cultural story. To a degree, Americana subverts the classic Western conventions. The cowboys in this film are largely bad guys; violent and exploitative. While also multidimensional characters in their own right, both the Natives and the women in the film are essentially its heroes. Or at least the characters we're most willing to relate to. I tried to dig into this a bit more in my full length review of Americana after its brief theatrical run. Whether you're interested in the film as a cultural exploration or not, it still provides a satisfying noir yarn with a terrific cast. Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Zahn McClarnon, Sydney Sweeney, and Gavin Maddox Bergman are all excellent. 

2. Everybody Loves Me When I'm Dead - I saw quite a few middling reviews of this economic desperation noir coming out of Thailand, but I was very impressed with it. It has a degree of digital veneer that I've come both to dread and expect from modern genre films, but the premise of Everybody is more concerned with human desires and motives than it is over the top effects. Toh and Petch are both employees of a bank that is openly downsizing its veteran employees in favor of AI management tools. Both facing unique cashflow problems, they conspire to withdraw money from the suspended account of a dead woman only to realize that she stole it from a criminal organization looking to get it back. Some of the plot twists and reveals stretch credulity to the breaking point but Everybody is funny, surprisingly violent, and isn't afraid to get dark in its examination of financial anxieties facing a shrinking middle class. Also, the main antagonist dumps booze from his flask onto people and sets them on fire. What's not to love?

1. She Rides Shotgun - I loved Jordan Harper's original novel and I'm also a fan of director Nick Rowland's earlier film, Calm With Horses, so I was very much anticipating the release of She Rides Shotgun. I'm thrilled to say that the end result is accomplished and deeply satisfying. The film maintains the essential plot of the book - Nate McClusky (Taron Egerton) has recently been released from prison. However, he earned the enmity of a powerful Aryan gang while inside and now has a "green light" for his death as well as the death of his family hanging over him. Nate finds his daughter Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) so that the two can hide, survive, and possibly escape the threat of murderous gang members and those in their sphere of influence. Much of Polly's internal monologue as well as her elaborate relationship with her stuffed bear has been excised from the film, but Ana Sophia Heger still beautifully embodies the intelligent, independent, though highly sensitive Polly in what might be the child performance of the year. Egerton, to his credit, threads the needle between caring, committed parent and paranoid convict capable of ruthless brutality when necessary. I'm an especially big fan of Rob Yang who plays the detective looking to find Nate and Polly and strike a deal to help bring down the gang meth trade. The character was well written in the novel, but Yang brings a level of intellectual remove that adds a fascinating layer of intrigue to the part. Again, this is one I've written a full length review of which I recommend checking out, but I mostly urge you to seek out the film. It sadly didn't get much of a theatrical run but is out in the VOD world and currently very reasonably priced.


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Best of Harboiled Crime - 2024

For Noirvember this year I decided to do something a little different. Rather than burrow into classic and obscure noir films from the past, I wanted to watch, re-watch, and review some of 2024s crime film output. Film noir and neo-noir are slippery enough genres to get one's hands around and "hardboiled" crime might be trickier yet, but I think the following films contain sufficient explicit crime content to distinguish them from broader categories.

10. American Star - American Star is a character driven, atmospheric approach to the contemplative aging assassin canon. Gonzalo López-Gallego's reserved filmmaking places significant weight on Ian McShane's force of personality as well as beautifully desolate footage of Fuerteventrua, but I found myself willing to take the ride. McShane's Wilson is forced to wait for an anticipated target and spends his time exploring the island and interacting with both fellow travelers and the locals. Events take a turn when a fellow assassin from his past lands on the island to ensure the job is done correctly. The titular American Star refers to an actual ocean liner that wrecked off of Fuerteventura's coast and presents an object of fascination for Wilson. American Star is not a genre thrill ride but is enjoyable on its own terms if you understand what you're getting into. I found it thoughtful and lyrical and there are some wonderfully delicate scenes. The film ultimately cannot escape violence anymore than Wilson can so blood is definitely shed before the credits roll.

9. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In - Arguably more martial arts throwdown than capital "C" crime film, Soi Cheang's Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is still enough of a triad brotherhood drama to land it a spot on this list. Raymond Lam plays a mainland refugee with formidable fighting prowess who manages to find sanctuary and a surrogate family in the Kowloon Walled City. Living legend, Sammo Hung, plays an avaricious crime boss who wants to carve out his own territory in the City so he can profit on its eventual redevelopment. I sometimes struggle with 21st Century HK cinema - it's too glossy for my preferences and often leans into CGI in unfortunately ways. The Kowloon Walled City setting adds some much needed lived in texture in Twilight to contrast the larger than life action sequences. The city (naturally) needed to be recreated for the film and its labyrinthine, multistory immensity provides a interesting backdrop for the innovative, hard hitting fight sequences. Twilight does escape the gravity of reality for more of a comic/manga sensibility at times, but it's having so much fun doing so it's impossible not to get swept up in it.

8. Borderless Fog - Modern Indonesian action and horror seem to be having a moment, but Edwin's Borderless Fog largely dispenses with genre excesses to deliver a straightlaced, steely police procedural. Putri Marino plays a Jakarta detective who is travels to investigate a series of macabre killings along the Indonesian-Malaysian border. There is a unique socio-political context operating in Borderless Fog and I don't pretend to understand all of the nuances. Significant tension surrounds the Dayak people in the film and their autonomy in the face of Indonesian authority as well as the oversight of jurisdiction between Indonesia and Malaysia. Even if I don't have the context to interpret all of this - I do love a border noir and I found these details added some interesting wrinkles to the proceedings. While there is nothing overtly supernatural in Borderless Fog - it is still very dark, mysterious, and even strange at times. I found myself hooked into it immediately and it also features multiple severed heads for anyone questioning its hardboiled bona fides.

7. LaRoy, Texas - Shane Atkinson makes his feature debut with a Texas noir trip down to Coen Bros. territory. LaRoy is a ranging detective story starring John Magaro as a depressed hardware store manager (Ray) who is mistaken for a traveling hitman (Dylan Baker) and slips into a knotty conspiracy of infidelity, blackmail, murder, and betrayal. Steve Zahn plays a wannabe detective sporting a bolo tie and an oversized cowboy hat who bullies Ray into investigating the mystery only to sink further into trouble. None of this is strikingly original territory but it's rendered exceedingly well. Buoyed by a terrific ensemble - Zahn is as good here as I've ever seen him - and amidst the absurdity there's a lonesome darkness at the heart of this tale. LaRoy offers a distinctly evocative noir look - bleak earth tone days give way to expressive red and blue nights - and I believe this is cinematogrpaher Ming Jue Hu's feature debut as well.

6. The Shadow Strays - The all-violence MVP of this list. Timo Tjahjanto's epic assassin vengeance tale blends some Besson-ian plot threads into a exhaustingly brutal series of fight scenes and action set-pieces. Aurora Ribero stars as 13, a young member of an elite squad of trained killers (they're basically ninjas) known as the Shadows. After fumbling during a mission to Japan, 13 is sent back home to lay low where she becomes nearly instantaneously embroiled in a criminal conspiracy involving the kid living next door. The Shadow Strays employs only the barest skeleton of a plot or character motivations but makes up for that with a non-stop supply of gory, pulpy gangster insanity. Ribero's 13 is convincingly capable and resolute but the real fun is in the rogues' gallery of antagonists: A giggling psychopathic cop, a shotgun wielding madam, an inhuman hulk of an assassin, and spoiled rich kid sporting a gimp mask and a white Tony Montana suit. There are plenty of vfx "enhanced" sequences in Strays but the bedrock of the film is made of bone crunching fighting and stunt work. Some people definitely got set on fire to make this movie happen. At nearly two and a half hours, burnout is an understandable reaction to the marathon of onscreen mayhem and there's a postscript that I'm not sure how I feel about. Still, the action goes to such extremes that I was shaking my head in disbelief until the very end.

5. The Last Stop in Yuma County - Francis Galluppi's remarkably assured feature debut certainly shows influence from filmmakers in a similar milieu but also features a wonderfully charismatic ensemble, dark humor that actually lands, and a genuine facility for building suspense until it boils over in a thrillingly brutal climax. The early phase of the film consists of travelers stranded in a nowheresville service station/diner with a pair of fugitive bank robbers due to the lack of gas. Not everyone is aware of the criminals' true identity and this uncertainty propels much of the drama until things inevitably detonate in a satisfyingly gnarly standoff. From there ill-considered plans turn apocalyptically awful resulting in a soberingly grim conclusion. Yuma County's cast is solid all the way through featuring Jim Cummings as a anxiety ridden salesman wondering how he found himself in such a mess and Richard Brake positively exuding menace as one of the bank robbers. Yuma County is the kind of smaller, smart, stylish genre exercise I find easy to root for and I hope Galluppi turns his talents towards more crime features down the line.

4. The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon - Wong Ching-Po's The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon starts as a plausible, if high octane, action/crime thriller - gangsters, cops, foot chases through narrow corridors, bone shattering close range fisticuffs - and then takes a breath before becoming a much weirder movie. The plot is very loosely based on Zhou Chu and the Three Scourges: Ethan Juan is a notorious gangster (Chen Kui-lin) with a terminal diagnosis hanging over his head who decides to take on the other two most wanted men in Taiwan before he turns himself in or dies in the effort. The first leg of his journey is a nighttime vigilante mission where he meets a young woman essentially enslaved by his first target. The second part eschews neon lights and city streets for blinding daylight and pastoral scenes involving a spiritual organization/cult. Further mysteries are revealed before Pigeon erupts in one of the bloodiest, most nihilistic climaxes I've seen all year. It's a moment that truly harkens back to the East Asian cinematic insanity of the late 20th Century. Great, magnetic performances - not only from Juan but from the gangsters as well. Pigeon is unrelentingly violent, some of it coursing with adrenaline and other moments are startlingly abrupt. The plot certainly isn't predictable and even if the denouement goes on a little long - it hits like a ton of bricks by the end.

3. Love Lies Bleeding - Rose Glass' neon and synth drenched neo-noir revenge saga set around a New Mexico bodybuilding gym looks and sounds tremendous. It's swimming in blood, drugs, food, sweat, muscles, and guns. Irrepressibly carnal at times but also pervasively gross - including touches of body horror. Katy O'Brien's athletic stature clearly fits the needs of the story and she delivers an excellent performance as well - especially during some of the quieter moments before things get increasingly heightened. Kristen Stewart continues to be a supremely compelling screen presence and her instincts and line deliveries are impeccable here. I'd also say Ed Harris is brilliantly weird and sinister every time he's on screen. I'm 98-99% totally infatuated with Love Lies Bleeding. I think the first hour of scenario and character building is unimpeachable and I'm still on board as Bleeding follows Jackie (O'Brien) down a steroid and violence fueled trajectory of instability becoming increasingly surreal. However, I struggle with the level of magical realism employed in the finale. The stakes are ratcheted up ferociously and I crave something less fanciful in the resolution. Still, everything leading up to that is masterful and I rate Love Lies Bleeding highly for the year.

2. Outlaw - Electric, visually chaotic, and bursting with streetwise authenticity, João Wainer's Outlaw may, in fact, be the most hardboiled film I've seen this year. Based on Raquel de Oliveira's 2015 memoir, Outlaw features Maria Bomani as Rebeca, a street kid in the Rocinha favela who grows up to be one of the most feared drug lords in Rio de Janeiro. The subject matter unyieldingly brutal - Rebeca is sold to a drug dealer and pedophile by her gambling addict grandmother after being abandoned by her mother. She narrowly avoids the sex trade but is no less indoctrinated into the world of gangs, drug trafficking, and violence. Wainer renders the ensuing tale of crime, money, love, power, and betrayal with an anarchic, maximalist approach to filmmaking. Outlaw careens through aspect ratios, color, black & white, high def, low res video, archival footage, and even back and forth through time like a hail of bullets through the favela. It's an explosive, disorienting approach but it suits the onscreen bedlam perfectly. Maria Bomani is an absolute revelation in the role of Rebeca - tough as nails, smart, sexy, and capable in the midst of a firefight as well as the thoughtful narrator of the film. Outlaw is reminiscent of 90s L.A. street gang stories as far as its driving narrative arc, but it's a much grimier style and the focus on a female protagonist still feels singular today.

1. The Order - Based on the real events involving the titular group of radical white supremacists, Justin Kruzel's The Order is a magnificently taut heist thriller/police procedural in the vein of Michael Mann or Peter Yates. Jude Law plays FBI agent Terry Husk who instead of finding a quiet post away from high profile cases starts pulling threads connected to an increasingly dangerous group of domestic terrorists. Nicholas Hoult plays the young leader of the burgeoning militia and manages to be chillingly threatening without becoming a caricature. The crime content of the film is outrageously good. Bombings, heists, and shootouts are executed with white knuckle tension set to the metronomic score from Jed Kurzel. This is a period piece and it does feel like a bit of a nod to crime films of the 70s and early 80s - The Order is played perfectly straight and shows a professional fascination with how both criminals and law enforcement operate. My initial reaction was that the white separatists were shown as too competent - but reading into the backstory, they were actually frighteningly organized and effective. Jude Law is admirably grizzled as Husk and the supporting cast (especially Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett) lend sturdy performances as well. Overall just the kind of intelligent, impactful genre filmmaking I love to see.

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The French Had a Name For It – Top 5 Underseen French Crime Flicks

 Minneapolis' own Cult Film Collective recently released a zine of "top 5" lists contributed by its membership. The zine is only being distributed to members but I decided to reproduce my list here on the blog. The whole zine was a great read and hopefully we'll be able to do another one next year. If you're in the Twin Cities area, you should definitely be checking out the CFC and consider joining!

You can also check out some of the upcoming screenings being promoted by the CFC over at :   https://www.trylon.org/films/category/cult-film-collective/

Crime films and especially French crime films have always been part of my regular viewing but shortly after becoming a Cult Film Collective member, I started delving more deeply into the genre. This kind of noir cinema has a dedicated and passionate following and my pursuit led me to discover some fantastic programming work in theaters from San Francisco to Melbourne. Whether the following are truly "cult" films is probably a matter of debate, but they are some of my favorite underseen gems I've logged since the joining the CFC.

Witness in the City (1959)

A suspenseful, well composed cat-and-mouse game through Parisian nightlife. Henri Decaë shows off his total mastery of street footage and driving sequences, Barney Wilen's jazz score adds an additional layer of cool to everything, and Lino Ventura is as watchable as ever as the film's protagonist who also happens to be the bad guy.

Symphony for a Massacre (1963)

Genre banger from Jacques Deray that's heavy on cool 60s vibes and location work. There's not a deep mystery at the heart of Symphony but the suspense is exquisite through multiple dialogue free sequences that allow space for actions and motivations of the various players to unfurl.

Last Known Address (1970)

Lino Ventura and Marlène Jobert team up as an unlikely pair of crime solvers who scour Paris to find the missing witness in an organized crime trial. There's a degree of 70s cynicism at play here but the focus on the city as a character, shoe leather detective work, and the chemistry between Ventura and Jobert distinguish Address from the rouge-cop films that were gaining ascendency at the time.

The Cop (1970)

In contrast to Address, The Cop is entirely in the tradition of morally ambiguous, pessimistic, anti-authoritarian crime fiction and does it as well or better than many films that would follow. Unrelentingly hardboiled, gritty French crime from Yves Boisset with a cast so stacked that somehow Bernard Fresson doesn't even make the poster.

Police Python 357 (1976)

Police Python 357 takes the plot outline from The Big Clock, mashes it together with Magnum Force, and infuses the result with a powerful dose of Melvilleian honor code sensibility. The beginning simmers but the finale is an eruption of insanity. Yves Montand fully commits to the action hero role, but not without some internal torment and it's a joy to watch.

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Crimes de Noël - Four French Crime Films for Christmas

 Alternative Christmas movie watchlists have been going strong for years now and there's no shortage of resources to turn towards if you're looking for action, horror, thriller, or noir films with at least a tinge of holiday spirit. While I'm not the world's largest holiday movie enthusiast, I did think it would be fun to offer a list that I think you're only likely to find on this blog: French Christmas Crime Films! The degree of holiday trappings varies amongst these four films but they all take place firmly within the season so it's more than just a nod towards Christmas during a narrative that covers years of a character's life. However you celebrate (or don't) during the winter months, why not plunk down and enjoy some murder, existential angst, and the dark heart of the holidays.

Un Flic (1972) - If you are somehow unfamiliar with the work of Jean-Pierre Melville, I don't know that I'd recommend starting with his final film. However, if you have seen his other Delon films and either haven't seen Flic or haven't seen it in many years - this could be a great chance to catch up to it. Opening with a dreary seaside robbery and proceeding through a grim, wintry Paris - Flic presents a blue/grey modernist pallor that stands in stark contrast to the normally vibrant holiday colors. It's an incredibly stylish and stylized effort from Melville and one that's attracted admiration and dismissal in equal measure. Though Melville's use of rear projection, painted backdrops, and anachronistic details doesn't bother most viewers, his very obvious use of scale models during an otherwise tense railway heist sequence appears to be a step too far for many. For my own part, I can't fully subscribe to Melville's apologists for this artifice and yet it also doesn't prevent me from enjoying the film immensely. Flic is still a marvelous immersion into Melville's themes and symbols and I think it's a fascinating piece of hardboiled fiction even if it doesn't rise to the level of his greatest work. Delon is at his icy best before he started to become a caricature of his own cinematic persona and Richard Crenna (most recognizable to modern audiences as Col. Trautman from the Rambo films) performs admirably as his foil. Flic also stars Catherine Deneuve in a supporting role, but one that's uncharacteristically developed for female roles in Melville's filmography. There isn't an abundance of Christmas references in the film, but it is present particularly in Delon's many long drives through the city.

Who Killed Santa Claus? (1941) - Who Killed Santa Claus spends its first 45 minutes detailing the characters and intrigue inhabiting the French mountain town in which it is set: the local schoolmaster (an avowed atheist) is in love with the daughter of the local globe maker who also plays the role of Father Christmas for the town children every year. The globe maker's daughter lives in a world of her own fantasies and faerie stories, largely indifferent towards the schoolmaster's advances. There's a widow who wanders the town searching for her long lost cat. The local nobleman has returned from a years-long global journey during which he might have contracted leprosy? Most ominously, there's an shadowy figure roaming the streets at night who may be looking to steal the priceless jewel that hangs on the church nativity scene. Finally, there are the town children including one depressed little boy who has a bad leg and needs some Christmas cheer. It's a scenario heaving underneath the weight of its plot  and things only get stickier when theft and murder enter the picture. Honestly, the film doesn't resolve in a particularly satisfying way but it still has tremendous atmosphere - all the Christmas decorations, the Father Christmas scenes, the wintry mountain town. It's ethereal and has moments both fantastic and haunting. The movie is stolen (for me) by Marie-Hélène Dasté as La mère Michel wandering the streets in a veil, looking for her lost cat Mistou, and offering dire proclamations: "Everyone, everyday, loses a small piece of life." 

Farewell, Friend (1968) - Another Alain Delon film pitting him against an American actor, in this case none other than Charles Bronson. It's the story of two French Legionnaires, Delon and Bronson, returning to Marseilles after a deployment in Algeria. As part of an awkward scheme to return some bearer bonds to a financial institution before they're discovered to be missing, Delon plots to break in and crack their safe over Christmas weekend. Bronson insinuates himself into the job after overhearing millions could be held there and the two manage to get themselves locked into the vault room with no food or water. While they are initially at complete odds with each other, they ultimately join forces to escape and realize there's more to the heist than they imagined. Farewell, Friend has a somewhat bizarre structure that subverts many expectations one might have for a heist film but it's still such a visually rich thriller that focuses more on bonds of friendship and an honor code instantly recognizable to fans of Melville, Woo, or Mann. The film truly leans into the physicality of both actors and Bronson's rough playfulness counters Delon's reserve rather well. Of contextual interest to Bronson fans, Farewell, Friend was his first big European hit which set the then journeyman actor on the path to international stardom. Bronson would only ever play leading and co-leading roles for years to follow. 

Paris Pick-Up (1962) -  Pick-Up is a Parisian noir set during Christmas Eve and the events play out mostly over the same night running into Christmas Day. Robert Hossein plays a man returning home who encounters and pursues a beautiful married woman played by Lea Massari. They're both looking for someone to help alleviate their loneliness on Christmas but they both have dark secrets they'd rather not reveal to each other. They walk the empty streets, visit each other's respective empty apartments and navigate the pronounced sexual tension between them. The intrigue only increases following an unexpected death and the methodical reveal of those secrets. It's impossible to talk too much about the plot without spoiling it so it will have to suffice to say that Pick-Up is an elegant and melancholy dive into the darkness and isolation the holiday season means for so many people. It takes elements from American noir narrative conventions but also has strong elements of the "doomed lovers" of French poetic realism (Port of Shadows comes to mind). The film is bursting with holiday aesthetic from Parisian shopping sequences, Massari's decorated apartment, and even a midnight mass. I'm often taken by these 60s cool gallic interpretations of the genre and this was my favorite "discovery" of the list. I'd love to see Pick-Up in a collection of international or French noir films like we've seen from Kino Lorber and Radiance and it's certainly deserving of a wider audience.

Joyeux Noël!

Lowering the Stakes: Hangout Heists

 Over the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, there's often some conversation among film nerds about what to watch. There are a few holiday staples like Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Blood Rage but the turkey day cinematic offerings just aren't nearly as rich as Halloween or Christmas or even Independence Day. This has led to lists of "feast" themed movies or cannibal films and some brave souls even delve into the cavernous depths of Hallmark movies to fill the hours over a long weekend. I would like to propose an alternative that has little or nothing to do with the holiday itself (which has dubious origins at best) but offers an enjoyably comfortable milieu to slip into during the break: The Hangout Heist. I love a good heist movie and I believe the best of genre feature impressively skilled professionals applying their trade at the highest level in immaculately detailed set pieces - the mechanics are fascinating, the tension is white knuckle, the twists are breathtaking. These are not those movies. This is a list of movies that retain some elements of true heist movies but rely far more on relationship dynamics, the innate charisma of the performers, and the overall atmosphere. After a day of cooking or consuming your bodyweight in gravy, with sodium and alcohol coursing through your veins, these movies take the suspense down a few notches while still offering appealing characters and interesting situations to invest in. Even if you don't watch any of these over the holiday, they're worth keeping in your back pocket for any occasion that requires low-key yet compelling fare - hangovers, Sunday afternoons, sick days - the Hangout Heist might be just the trick.

Breaking In (1989) - In many ways this is the film that inspired my list in the first place. Burt Reynolds plays an older professional thief who takes on a young apprentice played by Casey Siemaszko. Taking place in Portland, the two rob grocery stores and bowling alleys but more importantly develop a kind of father/son relationship that resolves in unexpected ways. It's got a shagginess that I appreciate and the performers are endearing - unsurprisingly it's directed by Bill Forsyth (and penned by John Sayles!) who is exactly the right person to handle this material. It's bittersweet, it's funny, and it's become one of my favorite Reynolds performances. 

Going in Style (1979) - Not the 2017 remake, but the original Martin Brest helmed film featuring George Burns, Lee Strasberg, and blog favorite Art Carney. The tale of three septuagenarians drifting through their golden years with little to do and not much to show for it until they decide to rob a bank. I truly believed this would be a much sillier film when I first saw it years ago and I was shocked by how earnest and melancholy it turned out to be. There are certainly laughs but the robbery piece wraps up relatively early in the film and it becomes this heartfelt exploration of aging and mortality. The leads are all excellent and the film is filled with some beautifully quiet moments that counterbalance the gags. Art Carney singing "New York Ain't New York Anymore" while washing dishes has always stuck with me.

A Man, a Woman and a Bank (1979) - I have long thought that I've been overrating this rom-com/heist mash up but having recently revisited it, I still find it totally worthwhile. Donald Sutherland and Paul Mazursky play two overlooked and underappreciated computer experts who hatch a plan to use their hacking skills to rob a bank that's currently under construction. Things become complicated when a photographer played by Brooke Adams takes Sutherland's photo as part of a marketing campaign for the new bank. Sutherland pursues Adams and the two begin a romance though Sutherland is keeping his criminal plans a secret from her. It's a funny movie without being hilarious, the drama never feels urgent, and the suspense doesn't reach too high of a pitch - and yet it totally comes together for me. I love the location work - mostly in Vancouver but also in Macao - Adams and Sutherland are slightly aloof but in a believable way as two somewhat guarded people who are genuinely falling for each other. It's definitely a movie I think should be in front of more eyeballs.

How to Steal a Million (1966) - If the above suggestions are too sad-sack for you, then Million should address anyone's desire for effervescent 60s charm. Featuring the absolute powerhouse charismatic duo of Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole set against a backdrop of a mod fantasia Paris, there is a significant heist sequence but this is largely about the two of them being delightful as they attempt to rob an art museum. Hepburn is very much the "good" girl but William Wyler isn't afraid to let her be sexy too. O'Toole is absurdly disarming and it is notable that he was several years Hepburn's junior which is a nice counterpoint to her being romanced by the likes of Fred Astaire or Humphrey Bogart. Hugh Griffith (who I generally love in everything) has a great supporting role as Hepburn's art forger father and Eli Wallach is solid as a pushy American millionaire. At just over two hours, the length might be pushing it but Million offers such a feast for the eyes it's hard to complain.

Thieves Like Us (1974) - Robert Altman's naturalistic evocation of 30s America subverts expectations to such a degree that it might be considered an anti-heist movie. The criminal activity happens almost entirely offscreen in favor of automobile trips, dinner table conversations, and predominantly a tender and heartbreaking romance between two of Altman's favorite actors - Keith Carradine and Shelly Duval. I actually rankled seeing this one for the first time as I was so looking forward to an Altman helmed bank robbing film and instead got extended, quiet sequences of Duval and Carradine sitting on the porch or lying in bed. Having re-appraised it, I find these moments beautifully rendered and Carradine's and Duval's performances are profoundly touching. There's a lot of technical craft on display that isn't overt, but Altman's use of real Mississippi locations, period radio recordings, and non-actor extras builds this believable world of the Depression era Southern US. In many ways, this is the most challenging film on the list but I think if you know what you're getting into, you'll find a lot to appreciate here.

Larceny in Technicolor - 5 Ultra Cool Euro-Heist Flicks

I am a fan of all manner of crime flicks throughout the 20th Century from the gritty pre-code classics to the operatic Hong Kong gangster stories but I have always held a deep affinity for a swinging 60s Euro-heist. Immaculately styled capers featuring impossibly cool casts set against locales from the golden age of travel. I imagine my enthusiasm for this genre is somewhat akin to what James Bond fans feel — I just have an easier time rooting for thieves than I do for government agents. Maybe it's the Summer vibes and thoughts of taking a holiday but I've had heist flicks on the brain again. The following are some of my absolute favorites in this vein and the films I often find myself recommending to the curious or people stuck talking to me at cocktail parties.

Topkapi (1964) — Jules Dassin may not have invented the heist film with his unimpeachable 1955 classic Rififi but he very well may have perfected it. After Rififi’s breakout international success Dassin made a succession of European films outside of the crime milieu before returning to the genre with Topkapi. A much lighter affair than its predecessor, Topkapi makes explosive use of color and employs humor in the place of noir stylings. Peter Ustinov co-stars as the unwitting accomplice (schmo) to an international crew of master thieves looking to steal a jewel encrusted dagger in Istanbul. Despite the riot of sound and color on display for most of Topkapi’s runtime, the films highlight is a near silent burglary sequence crammed with white-knuckle tension. It's corny in parts and the plot doesn't make all the sense in the world, but I get swept away by Topkapi every time I watch it. 

Any Number Can Win (1963) — An absolutely gorgeous heist picture from Henri Verneuil featuring the first collaboration between cinema titans Jean Gabin and Alain Delon. Gabin plays the veteran crook who recruits Delon’s hotheaded rookie to help rob a casino on the French Riviera. The dynamic between the two is a lot of fun to watch and the actual heist sequence is excellent. I’ve always thought Verneuil had a real gift for framing a sequence and Any Number is no exception. The extended sequence of Delon trying to nonchalantly pass bags of stolen loot by the pool as police descend on the resort is perfection. More Gallic cool than crazy caper, Any Number oozes style from Michel Magne’s jazz score to the Cannes locale. As of this writing there is no in-print physical copy of Any Number Can Win available in the US and that’s a more serious crime than any robbery.

Grand Slam (1967) — Giuliano Montaldo’s international caper flick is a breezy, idiosyncratic affair that features a ridiculously fun score from Ennio Morricone and a wild cast including Janet Leigh, Edward G. Robinson, George Rigaud, Klaus Kinski, Adolfo Celi, and more. The set up is an assembled multinational crew of experts who plan to rob a bank in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival season. This is another fantastic heist sequence that is nearly wordless and involves close to 30 minutes of rappelling, suction cups, electric eyes, telescoping ladders, and the titular Grand Slam 70 alarm system. Some of the narrative twists and turns are a little hard to swallow but Grand Slam more than delivers on sweaty palmed tension. The actual footage of Carnival in the 60s is a genuine treat as well.

Gambit (1966) — Ronald Neame’s heist comedy employs a gambit of its own but manages to be clever enough to get away with it. The film was advertised with the line “Go Ahead: Tell the End (It's Too Hilarious to Keep Secret) But Please Don't Tell the Beginning!" Which hopefully is enough to dissuade you from reading too much about the plot. It also contains some elements which we’d call out as problematic in a modern context — Shirley MacLaine plays a woman of European and Asian descent while Harold Lom plays a Middle Eastern man from a fictional country. If you’re still able to appreciate Gambit as a product of its time; there’s abundant charm, wit, and tension to enjoy. Michael Caine plays a burglar, Harry Dean,  who recruits MacLaine’s Nicole Chang in a Hong Kong nightclub to help him rob a priceless statuette from the incredibly private and wealthy Ahmad Shahbandar (Lom). Dean believes they can use Chang’s resemblance to Shahbandar’s late wife to gain access to his penthouse and consequently his art gallery so that the statue can be stolen. I don’t want to say much more other than this is probably worth your time just to see 1960s Caine and MacLaine play off of each other. They are both delightful and look amazing. Definitely more of a comedy with a less technical heist than the other films on this list but still delivers some legitimate suspense. 

The Sicilian Clan (1969) — Another Verneuil film and another one featuring Delon and Gabin with the addition of this blog’s favorite actor — Lino Ventura. The Sicilian Clan was a large-budget affair that was shot both in French and in English (reportedly a source of consternation for Gabin who felt he should be paid twice) and had a wide international release. Beyond its marquee power Sicilian Clan features a phenomenal Morricone score and was shot by the master French cinematographer Henri Decaë. Delon plays a thief who manages to escape police custody in a thrilling sequence with the help of the Italian crime family led by Gabin. The new allies reach an uneasy agreement to rob a jewelry exhibition and Ventura plays a gruff police inspector determined to re-apprehend Delon and uncover the criminal plot. Between the firecracker opener and an epic finale, Sicilian Clan brings the temperature down to a simmer. The focus is frequently on the interpersonal relationships — the crime family dynamic, the outsider vs. the in-group, an affair, and the professional rivalry between Gabin and Ventura. It’s all done with consummate professionalism and intricate detail, though. It’s an absolute must-see for French crime cinema enthusiasts.

 

Ex-Fest 2022!

During the darkest of COVID times when movie theaters were closed and their future was uncertain, I made a promise to myself that if the world came to life again I would endeavor to make it to a film festival and particularly to a movie marathon. In the slightly less uncertain but still dark times of a Minnesota winter I purchased tickets to Ex-Fest in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania hoping I wouldn’t be sick and planes would be flying. Admittedly it wasn't the highest bar to set in the world but I was stoked when Erin and I were finally able to board that plane to Philly.

In fairness there have been movie marathons closer to home that I could have attended but they tend to sell out quickly, be entirely horror focused, and run a full 24 hours. Ex-Fest being a 7 movie, 12 hour affair was enticing and since the theme is classic exploitation and grindhouse films — you have the promise of a variety of movie genres as you go from film to film. The organizers — Exhumed Films — hold fantastic repertory screenings all over the Philadelphia area and are committed to exhibiting everything on film so I knew the selections would be solid. The festival was also being held at the historic Colonial Theater which is the theater featured in The Blob and is where they host Blobfest every year. As a fan of classic movie houses — I was certainly interested in visiting. What really put Ex-Fest on my radar and sold me on the idea was the Twitch of the Death Nerve podcast crew singing its praises during one of their episodes. Those folks know their shit and if they say an event is one of their favorites — I’m bound to listen.

Those of you that know me personally are probably aware of my general abhorrence towards cars and driving and that was the only logistic hurdle that we had to overcome in getting to Phoenixville. Despite being a mere 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia and being in possession of some lovely old railroad infrastructure — it’s a real pain to get there without a car. When I crunched the numbers it looked like hiring a cab was going to be cheaper and easier than renting a car. I’m not going to say it was cheap but it was easy. Phoenixville itself offers a historic small town downtown strip and we stayed at the one hotel in town. It’s not 100 percent my scene but they do close the main drag to car traffic on summer weekends which strikes a chord in my pedestrian heart. Once you’re there you can walk to everything — the hotel, the theater, restaurants, coffee, bars, etc. It’s in sharp contrast to the kinds of conventions held at isolated suburban hotels bound by freeways.

We landed the night before the fest and mostly wandered around eating and drinking. We had a chance to say "hi" to some folks and I got to meet/chat with Jon from TotDN and Erica from Unsung Horrors. I’m not the best at introducing myself normally and have gotten rustier in the last couple of years but I found a lot of the attendees easy to converse with randomly throughout the weekend. The festival opened at 10am the next day and there was already a line to get in an hour before that! We were a little slower to get going — we stopped for massive breakfast burritos to properly fuel beforehand — but had no problem getting some decent seats adjacent to the people we sort-of knew. The theater was great with reasonably comfortable seats and a balcony — my years served at the historic Uptown Theater in Minneapolis have made me a main floor guy but I admit that balconies are cool. There were a couple of merch tables so I naturally grabbed a t-shirt and picked up a copy of Vigilante from Jesse/DiabolikDVD which I’ve been meaning to buy for a long time.

There was a rough schedule/line up with some clues about what the movies were going to be and I overheard some wild conjecture regarding those. We buckled in an prepared for a day of cheap thrills.

Film #1 - High Risk (1981) - Not the Jet Li spin on Die Hard but a star-studded action/comedy from Stewart Raffill — the man behind such classics as Ice Pirates and Tammy and the T-Rex. It’s the story of a group of laid off auto workers who — under the leadership of James Brolin — travel to Colombia to rip off a drug lord played by James Coburn. It has some hangout vibes, some Deliverance elements, and some positively bonkers moments. Ernest Borgnine and Anthony Quinn turn up as total scene-stealers as an arms dealer and revolutionary turned bandit. High Risk got a huge reaction from the audience and was a great way to kick things off.

Film #2 - The Ladies Club (1986) - I knew this was going to be a rape/revenge flick going in so wasn’t sure how much of a downer it would be. I was genuinely surprised by how little this dwells on the former — while treating it honestly and with gravity — and how well it delivers on the latter. It’s the story of a group of women who have had their lives affected by rape in one way or another and formulate a scheme to abduct serial rapists and castrate them. It does have a bit of a Lifetime movie feel to it, but I found the cast terrific and the overall film well executed. 

Film #3 - Deadlier than the Male (1967) - Swinging 60s spy story that keeps things fun without moving into parody. I am not the biggest James Bond fan in the universe but I do love jet-set crime flicks from the same era. I found Deadlier than the Male had enough of that energy to hold my attention. The fact that it featured Elke Sommer, Sylvia Koscina, and an epic dummy drop from a London high-rise didn’t hurt. It loses some steam towards the end of the film but thankfully it's a breezy affair under the two hour mark.

Film #4 - Kill or be Killed (1976) - Somewhat surreal South African karate cult classic. This had been on my watchlist for a long time so this was probably the ideal way to check it out. Diamonds, Nazis, a dwarf named Chico, and lots of serviceable karate action. I didn’t quite know what the hell was happening in parts but I’m an easy sell when it comes to the “eccentric villain holds a martial arts tournament for reasons” genre of film. I especially loved all the exterior shots of what was definitely a toy model of a castle. There are so many of them.

Film #5 - Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman (1969) - Sadly, this is where we had to tap out for a minute. After a full shift of movies we were ready for a break and some food that wasn’t popcorn. Luckily that was easily obtained across the street and after a bowl of pasta and a negroni we were back in time to catch the final showdown. I can’t really speak to Crimson Bat other than it’s a riff on a Zatoichi style narrative with a female protagonist. It’s definitely on my watchlist now.

Film #6 - High Crime (1973) - The only film in the lineup I had seen previously but I was thrilled to see again in a theater on 35mm. A high octane, desperately pessimistic poliziotteschi from the legendary Enzo G. Castellari starring the peerless Franco Nero. Castellari is such a fantastic action director and there are some terrific sequences throughout High Crime. The violence is cranked pretty high in this one and it was a real joy to hear the audience reactions throughout. Fernando Rey and James Whitmore are both in excellent supporting roles and the music is by the De Angelis brothers. I need more non-horror Italian genre theatrical screenings in my life!

Film #7 - Killer’s Romance (1990) - To wrap up the festival, we were treated to a loose, Hong Kong adaptation of the Crying Freeman manga featuring Simon Lam looking both lovely and sad in a variety of autumn fashions. The titular romance between Lam and Joey Wong was not setting my world on fire but there definitely moments of inspired violence that would startle me back to consciousness. I was reaching my limit at this point and Killer’s Romance wasn’t quite the thrill ride I needed but we stuck it out to the end and immediately marched back to our hotel to crash.

This was such a fun experience and I’m so glad we made the trip. The film selection was terrific and delivered on the variety we hoped for. The facilities were excellent and being able to reach everything we need on foot was something that not every fest/marathon can offer. The crowd was great! Everyone had a lot of respect for what was happening — lots of audience engagement that was totally appropriate and nobody was trying out their MST3K material. My favorite movie of the bunch is still High Crime but if I had to pick a favorite viewing of the day it has to be High Risk. There is a moment towards the end that had the entire audience roaring in laughter and applause. I imagine there are some music rights issues with releasing it, but absolutely catch it at a rep screening if you have the chance. I don’t know if schedules and finances will allow for us to make the trip out to Ex-Fest every year — but having made the journey we’re definitely going to have to consider it.