The Age of Commercialism

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

And to think I almost didn't rent this movie during my preparation for Anthony Quinn week on Hot Toasty Rag! I would have missed out on a very good movie, and a very good performance-and all because I was hoping to avoid Ray Milland. Get your suspension of disbelief out of the way: Anthony Quinn plays the stable husband, and Ray Milland plays the criminal ex-boyfriend Debra Paget can't get out of her mind. I know, it's pretty ridiculous that anyone who's married to Anthony Quinn would still be hung up on Ray Mi-bland. Still, that's the casting decision that was made.Years ago, Debra and Ray were a criminal duo, but when she was sent to jail and he ran off, she married the kind, hard-working farmer Tony. She's still in love with Ray, though, and when he shows up she runs to his arms. Ray's committed another crime, and he needs to cross the border into Mexico before he gets caught. Together, the three-Tony goes along to try and win his wife back-embark on a dangerous adventure against time, police, and the elements. Maybe the plot doesn't sound very exciting, but trust me, this one's pretty good. There are many, many suspenseful scenes, including a very scary confrontation with a rattlesnake! Plus, I absolutely love when Anthony Quinn is sweet and loving. I lost track of how many sweet-nothings he said to Debra, but every time he "sweetie-ed" or "baby-ed" or "honey-ed" her, I would have shouted at the television, "Why are you still hung up on Ray?" but I was too busy swooning.

Watching The River's Edge today put me in mind of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. Just imagine if one of those treasure hunters had been a woman on the trip. Think they had problems then?Ray Milland is the Fred C. Dobbs of the piece. Only he's not looking for gold, he's got a valise with a lot of money in cash. A notorious grifter he's on the run and headed for his former girlfriend Debra Paget. He wants the services of her current husband Anthony Quinn who is a guide and tracker to take him across the Mexican border and away from the law.Given Paget's beauty and her involvement with both of these men you can imagine what a tense trip this was. Milland commits two murders along the way, that of a US Border Patrolmen and Chubby Johnson an old prospector Like The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre 90% of the film is focused on the three leads. At no time is anyone truly sure of how they stand with each other. Paget the most confused of all, she loves her husband Quinn in her own way, but Milland is the guy who always scratched her itch.In the end what happens to Milland is almost eerily reminiscent of what happened to Humphrey Bogart in the previous film. And as I wrote in my review of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre, God really does have a sense of humor.

Ray Milland plays 'Nardo'--yes, Nardo! Nardo is a vicious crook who has a huge suitcase of cash and is willing to do ANYTHING to get across the border into Mexico. When he shows up at the home of a local guide (Anthony Quinn), it's not just a coincidence--Quinn's wife (Debra Paget) was once Milland's lover and partner in crime. Soon Quinn learns this and is disheartened--but agrees to escort Paget and Milland through the desert for $10000.The rest of the film consists of Quinn taking them through the desert and it's all pretty interesting. However, one HUGE plot problem remains--if Milland has, so far, killed at least two innocent people, why wouldn't he just kill Quinn when they make it across the border? And, more importantly, why wouldn't Quinn just shoot Milland when he got the chance--and several times throughout the film he had such an opportunity. In other words, Quinn says he knows that Milland will try to kill him--so why not shoot Milland and claim the reward?! The worst part is at the end--when Milland is trying to kill Quinn. Paget stops this when she gets the rifle--then stands so close to Milland that he EASILY strips away the gun. Duh!! As a result, while well made (with a lot of tension and nice acting), the film makes no sense--none. Now why would anyone want to watch a film that make no sense? In addition, at the end it just kind of peters out--running out of steam until, mercifully, it all ends.By the way, at the end of the film, note how Quinn, after having a HUGE boulder roll onto his leg, is able to hop up and run around with no visible effects. A moment later, he starts limping...just a bit! Double duh!

Sleekly gorgeous Debra Paget looks about as comfortable on a hardscrabble ranch as Paris Hilton would in a convent. No wonder she takes off with former boyfriend Ray Milland when he shows up at the door. At least he likes money better than scruffy cattle. Pity grimy husband Anthony Quinn left in the dust when the shower doesn't work, the oven blows up, and he shows more concern for calf serum than a night on the town. But then, as we find out, things are not as uncomplicated as they look.Interesting if not very believable melodrama. The first half presents intriguing mind games between the three main characters, but bogs down in the last third. Nonetheless, the story strays some distance from the usual, with a few unexpected twists and turns. Milland's character is certainly not geared to winning new fan club members, while Paget standing around in her underwear shows why the real life Howard Hughes reserved a special cottage for her. The movie must have cost a $1.80 to make since hardly anyone gets on screen but the threesome, while the action takes place either somewhere in the boondocks or on a cheap outdoor set. And when Paget runs from a speeding car to the safety of a cornfield, I wondered if the writer of North by Northwest was taking notes. Had the script played up the mind games to the end, we might have had a real sleeper. But the early promise settles in for a more conventional wind up; at the same time, the last scene borrows from the ironical caper film The Killing from the year before. All in all, I expect an obscure film like this has gotten a much bigger audience from cable TV than it ever got in theatres. A must-see for fans of cult director Allan Dwan.