Awesome Movie

As Good As It Gets

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Three huge stars get an all expense paid trip to France. The audience gets beautiful Parisian scenery and a ton of action. There's also a bit of comedy, romance and Beethoven. What is missing is a solid mood that keeps this flowing sensibly. Another element that they get are pieces of recent hits jumbled together in a film that can be entertaining, but lacks in structure that makes memorable cinema.As head of an American agency involved in investigating drug trafficking, Anthony Quinn must find a hit man to knock off powerful drug cartel leader James Mason, and ironically he hires old pal Michael Caine who utilizes his wiles with women to break into Mason's circle. That's through his daughter with whom he has an impromptu drag race with on the mountain roads heading into Marseille. The scene is almost erotic, and just one sequence where this feels like a cartoon.Finding out that Caine is wanted allegedly in Paris for murder and bank robbery, Mason has him do an impromptu hit that is beyond comical. An architect standing on a skyscraper under construction gets a simple push off the roof, and when Caine encounters his body, he's face first in dirt. The way this is filmed you half expect them to remove the corpse yo leave the man shaped hole in the ground exposed. But wait...there's more! By this point the film just falters in its obvious attempt to emulate "The French Connection" where it fails miserably.I was more interested in the scenery than the plot, although these are three of my favorite actors. But the veteran stars were showing up in the 1970's in all kinds of trash, and it's obvious that this was not made with artistic integrity in mind. Still, the opportunity to see real streets of Paris and the parks and rivers surrounding the Eifel Tower and the train system (where Quinn jumps off and fools several of Mason's men) is fascinating. There are certainly memorable single sequences than the ones I mention, including one with Quinn being chased by Mason's men through the underground after they abduct him that concludes with them in a lavish but abandoned train station. Even at only 90 minutes, however, I was hoping for more than just moments, particularly a story with structure, character and real motivations, not just the thought design that "If it's written down on paper, then people will believe it."

A bland film starring Anthony Quinn as a US narc in Paris trying unsuccessfully to take down ruthless drug lord James Mason. He brings in hit-man Michael Caine to do the job. Although there's plenty of action, the movie is really too drab to be recommended. Director Robert Parrish tries every camera angle imaginable in an effort to breathe life into this hokum. Quinn dominates the first half of the film with a very forceful performance as the world weary government man and Caine takes over for the second half. They're both terrific, but Mason is really miscast. Who ever thought he'd make a convincing drug peddler? Clearly it's a tip of the hat to THE FRENCH CONNECTION's dapper drug pusher Fernando Rey. The oddball supporting cast includes Alexandra Stewart, Maurice Ronet and, in a cameo, former JFK crony Pierre Salinger (as Quinn's crusty superior).

As a fan of Micheal Caine and of action thrillers from the seventies I was looking forward to watching this film. I'd listened to the wickedly funky soundtrack by Roy "Get Carter" Budd, and spent a while tracking down a copy of the film on VHS.Firstly i'll deal with the good points. Marseille is a good location to film a thriller, think of French Connection 2 for example, and it is well used. I'm in love with the Citroen DS, especially in black, so I was pleased to see them used throughout the film. There's a playful "cat and mouse" car scene, which was later copied in a more OTT style by John Woo in MI:2! There are a few interesting killings. Caine looks very seventies cool.Now for the not so good points. Budds soundtrack although is efficient, it is too efficient for my liking, i'd like to hear more of it in the film. The music never really gets going. There are a couple more chase scenes thrown in for good measure, but they are boring. The acting is very very average, as is the film.In my opinion I think that the director should have made a decision to go with either A) A gritty, hard hitting thriller. Or B) A more tongue in cheek, stylish caper movie. This film has both qualities at certain points within the movie, but it doesn't have the mix right. This is a shame because it could have been much better, perhaps a bigger budget was needed, who knows.So to sum up, if Michael Caine in various seventies fashions such as roll neck sweaters, giant aviator sunglasses, a smoking jacket with cravat and the odd kipper tie floats your boat, this is the move for you!

Since the beginning it appears that the director has a good knowledge and ability in the "noir" gender. The actors (mainly Quinn) give the impression that a classic, perfect movie is going on. Unfortunately after a few scenes the script shows its weakness. The story is acceptable, even if not original. But the dialogues reveal soon a number of commonplaces and the director seems not to be really convinced about the movie. A very good performance by Anthony Quinn, while Michael Caine plays below its average.