Thunderbolt’s Reviews

Suspicion (1941)
Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine) is quickly swept off her feet by a charming and smooth Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant). After abruptly marrying him she becomes suspicious he may not be the honest man she first met. Could he be responsible for his friends death to gain a fortune?

Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine star in this Hitchcock movie branded as a film noir but is more a straight up mystery. There isn’t too much to to get you gripped until the finale arrives. The plot does intrigue to a point but the first half is more light hearted with many moments of comedy.

If this movie had an unknown cast and Hitchcock’s name not attached to it then it may not have gained too much interest. The finale plays out well with the question of is Johnnie Aysgarth trying to poison his wife? Also a gripping cliff top drive has the viewer wondering if he will push his wife over the edge. Here we have the typical Hitchcock suspense everyone knows and loves. If only the film had more moments like this.

This pans out to be an average Hitchcock caper relying on the stars to keep the audience entertained rather than the plot.

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What would Hitchcock do?

Apocalypto (2006)

Apocalypto follows a young man named Jaguar Paw whose village is invaded by another Mayan tribe. Many men and women are slaughtered and their village devastated. Survivors are bound and trekked through the harsh jungle to a Mayan city where they are on show for a human sacrifice ritual.

If you are looking for something slightly out of the ordinary to watch then this is a good call. Directed by Mel Gibson this poses great action which is quite often gory but necessary for the tone of the picture. Towards the last third of the film there is very little dialogue as the action does the talking with many breathtaking moments. The cinematography is beautiful to watch and you soon get sucked into the tribesmen/hunters way of life and their fight for survival. Our protagonist learns that fear cannot be tolerated and only courage will make him successful.

The 2 hour length flies by as you are taken on an absorbing spiritual and historical journey. The cast are so convincing and must have gone through sheer hell filming this picture.
This is a must see. Historically factual and gripping, this is masterful film making telling a great story.

Scarlet Street (1945)
The story of Chris Cross (Edward G Robinson) who is stuck in a loveless marriage. After he is aquatinted with a much younger woman he becomes infatuated when she seems interested in him. Chris’s love of painting soon becomes apparent and Kitty and her abusive fiancé use his artwork signed by Kitty to make a buck. But as their scheme becomes apparent, Chris turns to murder when he realises he is being taken for a ride.

This is quite a different approach to noir as there is no twist ending. The viewer is in on the scheme from the start and the plot is just the downward spiral of the protagonist Edward G Robinson. I really felt for his character who has an over controlling wife and just wants to break free for happiness. He’s highly gullible thinking this young femme fatale is really attracted to him. Kitty’s fiancé is also very controlling and is the mastermind behind their scheme. But as Chris is pushed to the limits he turns to murder in a fit of rage.

Fritz Lang gets some top performances out of the very small cast. Kitty and Johnny are one of the nastiest duos I have seen in a noir. They seem to loathe each other but their relationship thrives on it. The main focus is however on Chris who is going to see that Johnny takes the fall for Kitty’s murder come hell or high water. But as the credits roll Chris’s luck is cursed as he has lost everything and is endlessly haunted by the outcome. His future seems doomed.

The Lodger (1927)
Hitchcock finds his feet with this silent masterpiece. Ivor Novello is perfectly cast as the mysterious lodger renting a room in a London house. But paranoia soon sets in with the family members who live there as a killer is murdering beautiful women in the surrounding area.

This is regarded as the first Hitchcock classic and even though it’s a silent film, it is truly gripping. It must’ve been hard to get true emotions through the screen in the silent era but Novello manages this perfectly with his creepy aura and stargazing stare. Is he the believed London ripper known as “The Avenger” or does he have an ulterior motive for his arrival?

As in previous Hitchcock pictures a love triangle evolves with the mysterious lodger, the Daughter of the house and her partner who happens to be a local policeman. Her partner tries everything in his power to prove that his rival is the real killer especially when he realises the two have an attraction for each other. The love triangle theme seems to be a common occurrence in Hitchcock’s silent films and early British years talkies.

Hitchcock uses many experimental methods including a false perspex floor to show the suspicious lodger pacing around his room above the family below, who fear their tenant as the killer. Every detail is so well thought out. Hitchcock had little directorial experience at this point but the end result must’ve given him so much confidence. The finale with a cuffed Novello caught on an iron fence whilst being pursued by a lynch mob through the streets should go down as one of the golden moments of the silent era. This film was raved about by critics at the time of its release and should still be celebrated today.