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This is the final day of Twin Cinema Week. Sorry about the delay from yesterday, but I don't feel like typing up all the stuff that I wrote about yesterday's two movies, so I decided to watch two more. Now I'm on yet another Philip Kaufman movie, which I needed considering that I pay so little attention to him. I read on Letterboxd that the reviews there were quite good, so I had really hoped for a hit here.
The new guy in town, Perry, is tough enough to take on the local street gang the Baldies, so the Wanderers accept him into their own. During this time, they get into a fight at school with the all-black Bombers, the Wanderers start looking for new recruits, including a REAL mafioso to help. Unfortunately, that's when all hell breaks loose. Even on school grounds or at the prom, a fight could start at any moment.
Based on my experiences with great movies like The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, as well as overrated movies like The Warriors, I already have my standards for comparing street gang films. The one thing I was paying the most attention to was the plot, and it seemed to progress fairly well. Most of what happened did a decent job recreating the vibes and struggles of hood life, and even left some room for twists, like when the Baldies left the movie. I didn't always think it was a SENSIBLE movie, though. Some scenes felt pretty dumb, like when the teacher is having his class exchange racial slurs to prove a point, and it ends up in a fight. I don't feel like I learned anything from that personally, and I don't see why the students should. On top of that, while the Baldies thing made a nice twist, I felt like forcing them out halfway wasn't exactly the way that should've built up to the next more tragic twist, becayse anything could've lead up to that with more story. And by the end it feels like they're throwing things together for the sake of “resolution.”
The acting is tolerable, but I don't really see anyone standing out here. I feel like these people are largely just trying to be themselves, but none of them have that unique charisma that really helps them stand out. Oh yes, and the leader of the Baldies... his voice just can't be real. I think he's adjusting his voice to sound tougher, but he comes off like he's voicing a Muppet. If it weren't for the light bits of characterization and the fact that one guy's bald, the Wanderers would all blend in with each other perfectly. In fact, much of this light development has very little effect on the movie overall, much like Danny's boys from Grease.
So B-movie fans may find some John Carpenter charm involving movies like Escape from New York or Assault on Precinct 13, but its movies like this that make me really wish for a hood movie that actually gives development to the whole gang. This has some activity to it which I greatly appreciate the effort of, but overall the story is only a little better than The Warriors, as it needs to be more organized and more character-driven.
Philip Kaufman's Directorial Score (3 Good vs. 1 Bad)
The Right Stuff: 95
Invasion of the Body Snatchers: 91
The Wanderers: 66
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid: 33
Score: 71.25 / 4
Philip Kaufman moves down on my Best Directors List from #186 to #194 between John McTiernan and Donald Petrie.
TWIN CINEMA WEEK, DAY 7, MOVIE 1
The Wanderers
The Wanderers
(1979) - Directed by Philip Kaufman
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Hood Film / Drama / Coming-of-Age
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Hood Film / Drama / Coming-of-Age
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"Listen, I ain't callin' those guys Turkey, I got my pride."
This is the final day of Twin Cinema Week. Sorry about the delay from yesterday, but I don't feel like typing up all the stuff that I wrote about yesterday's two movies, so I decided to watch two more. Now I'm on yet another Philip Kaufman movie, which I needed considering that I pay so little attention to him. I read on Letterboxd that the reviews there were quite good, so I had really hoped for a hit here.
The new guy in town, Perry, is tough enough to take on the local street gang the Baldies, so the Wanderers accept him into their own. During this time, they get into a fight at school with the all-black Bombers, the Wanderers start looking for new recruits, including a REAL mafioso to help. Unfortunately, that's when all hell breaks loose. Even on school grounds or at the prom, a fight could start at any moment.
Based on my experiences with great movies like The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, as well as overrated movies like The Warriors, I already have my standards for comparing street gang films. The one thing I was paying the most attention to was the plot, and it seemed to progress fairly well. Most of what happened did a decent job recreating the vibes and struggles of hood life, and even left some room for twists, like when the Baldies left the movie. I didn't always think it was a SENSIBLE movie, though. Some scenes felt pretty dumb, like when the teacher is having his class exchange racial slurs to prove a point, and it ends up in a fight. I don't feel like I learned anything from that personally, and I don't see why the students should. On top of that, while the Baldies thing made a nice twist, I felt like forcing them out halfway wasn't exactly the way that should've built up to the next more tragic twist, becayse anything could've lead up to that with more story. And by the end it feels like they're throwing things together for the sake of “resolution.”
The acting is tolerable, but I don't really see anyone standing out here. I feel like these people are largely just trying to be themselves, but none of them have that unique charisma that really helps them stand out. Oh yes, and the leader of the Baldies... his voice just can't be real. I think he's adjusting his voice to sound tougher, but he comes off like he's voicing a Muppet. If it weren't for the light bits of characterization and the fact that one guy's bald, the Wanderers would all blend in with each other perfectly. In fact, much of this light development has very little effect on the movie overall, much like Danny's boys from Grease.
So B-movie fans may find some John Carpenter charm involving movies like Escape from New York or Assault on Precinct 13, but its movies like this that make me really wish for a hood movie that actually gives development to the whole gang. This has some activity to it which I greatly appreciate the effort of, but overall the story is only a little better than The Warriors, as it needs to be more organized and more character-driven.
Philip Kaufman's Directorial Score (3 Good vs. 1 Bad)
The Right Stuff: 95
Invasion of the Body Snatchers: 91
The Wanderers: 66
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid: 33
Score: 71.25 / 4
Philip Kaufman moves down on my Best Directors List from #186 to #194 between John McTiernan and Donald Petrie.