Robert Duvall month: The Apostle

A retrospective by Brooks Rich

Robert Duvall's directorial debut is a deep-fried southern treatise on faith and guilt. This could be considered a forgotten film Friday as why the film was critically acclaimed and garnered an Academy Award nomination for Duvall, I think it has been relegated to the back burner of film history. That is a shame because I think this is one of Duvall's best performances and not only did he direct this film, he wrote it as well.

Duvall plays Sonny Dewey, a charismatic Pentecostal preacher who flees his Texas congregation after he kills the man sleeping with his wife. Sonny ends up in the bayous of Louisiana where he baptizes himself as an apostle of the Lord and begins another church. But his sins have a way of catching up to him.

The power of this film is in Duvall's performance, who is breathtaking as Sonny. He is in almost every frame of this film and you can't take your eyes off him. Even as we know that Sonny did a terrible thing he should be punished for, and in a way is a hypocrite, I think Duvall is saying something about the hypocrisy of those who claim to be righteous but are guilty of terrible things, we can't help but root for Sonny. It is a stunning character study.

The film is well made and Duvall has a good eye. The setting is almost another character due to how Duvall composes his shots. The cast of course is fantastic and Duvall shows himself to be a solid actor's director. If you have not seen this film, please check it out, especially as we celebrate Robert Duvall this month. You can't praise his work without exploring this film.

Comments

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...

Oscar Bait month: The Shipping News

A retrospective by Brooks Rich Lasse Hallstrom is one of those directors I think is incredibly talented but his films normally don't do a thing for me. There just always that comes up short for me, whether its the story or how its shot or the acting or something. Most people will know Hallstrom as the director of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the breakout role of Leonardo Dicaprio. That is probably my favorite of his films. I know everyone loves Chocolat. Great, enjoy, I think it's lame. But today let's discuss his follow up to The Cider House Rules, his film from 1999 which did very well come awards season, and Chocolat. Both of these films did very well, especially The Cider House Rules. The big reward it got was Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine. It also won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving. This isn't fair to Cider House Rules but I think it's overrated as far as nominations go. 1999 is one of the greatest years in cinema and really? We nominate...

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this. This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...

Cinema Basement

Search This Blog