'Nam

This was a really crappy war but it inspired some really great war movies. In terms of human deaths - and these numbers are oft debated - 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5 to 2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and 58,159 U.S. soldiers lost their lives. And then there were also millions of wounded Asians. And we thought we had lots of casualties! The war lasted 16 years and came close to destroying this country from within.

I already mentioned my attachment to this genre. I thought I had seen a ton of 'Nam films until I started researching the subject. An archive from Slippery Rock University lists 510 films about Vietnam and its aftermath. And, here's a great link - from Wellesley College - to an amazingly comprehensive list of news films and documentaries (primarily). After reviewing these lists I did acquire a few new titles and at least one has made my list.

One of the common themes through all these movies is the use of 60's/70's music - much of which was inspired in one way or another by the war. Some of the most famous songs include Vietnam by Jimmy Cliff, The I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag by Country Joe & the Fish, Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire, Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel, Ohio by CSN, Fortunate Son by CCR and many, many more.

The top movies in this category are hard to rank - so I won't try. Even though there are always a few that stand out, in this category there is no difficulty finding a top ten. The hard part is limiting the list to that. There really are a lot of quality films on this topic so my list will include 13 movies that deserve top ten consideration.

Still a few really jump out and there are certainly a top FIVE: - make that SIX:

Platoon - Oliver Stone film - I think his best. Won four Oscars including best director and picture. And, another Willem Dafoe film (nomination for best supporting). GREAT cast (Johnny Depp, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker, Tom Berenger, Keith David, etc.). Maybe the reason it was Stone's best was because he actually was an infantryman in Nam and wrote this movie as a counter to John Wayne's The Green Berets (could be the lead in a class on Propaganda and Film). Music from the Doors was to be used liberally in the film and Jim Morrison was invited by Stone to play the lead but never even replied to the request. Instead the Doors music was prominent in Apocalypse Now.

The Deer Hunter - One of the films that marked my generation. This movie had it all - great cast, compelling story, love, war, tragedy, heartache, redemption and some of the greatest tension in any movie made (in particular the MOW MOW scenes). It won FIVE Oscars and had a cast that included Streep, DeNiro, Walken and Cazale. This is a bit strange: Cazale (best known as Fredo from The Godfather) had cancer and died shortly after filming. In the Russian Roulette scenes involving Cazale (which were shot first due to his illness), DeNiro suggested using a live bullet and Cazale agreed! He was engaged to Streep at the time. Very interesting tidbit - Cazale was in a total of five films. ALL FIVE were nominated as Best Picture. Can you name them (answer below)? Another piece of trivia - to make himself look more ghostly, Walken exclusively ate rice, bananas, and water for the week before he filmed the third act.

Apocalypse Now - Amazing cast. A Coppola (the Godfather series) film with Martin Sheen, Brando, Harrison Ford, Duvall, Fishburne, Hopper. This was a very intense film. Some critics have written it off but I thought it was great. It was nominated for eight Oscars but only won two minor ones. Sheen was great in this role and he was about the sixth choice. McQueen, Pacino, Nicholson, Redford and Caan were first approached. And, Brando was paid $3.5MM for one month of work -- and this was 1976, when $3.5MM was actually a lot of dough.

Full Metal Jacket - The biggest name in the movie was Mathew Modine, and most people don't know who he is. Lots of great characters played by relative unknowns - like Vincent D'Onofrio and Pvt. Pyle - incredible scene in the latreen (the one that gives the movie its name). Directed by Stanley Kubrick (2001, Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, Spartacus, Lolita, Paths of Glory - wow, what a list - and then Eyes Wide Shut (boy was that a terrible movie))

Tigerland - Not a well known film but a great portrayal of what training for the war must have been like. Excellent scenes of the trainign programs to get recruits ready for Nam. Way beyond basic training. Takes place at Ft. Polk, La. Stars Collin Farrell and a bunch of people I had never heard of.

Good Morning Vietnam - I just don't think of Robin Williams in roles like this one but he was fabulous. As the AM DJ in the armed forces radio his monologues are vintage Williams and no one does a stream of consciousnous like he does. Great scene when is out with the troops stopped by a truck convoy.

Seven through 13 are as follows:

The Boys in Company C - Again, Ermey as the DI. Excellent portrayal of boot camp and a tour of duty. Really helps one understand the military concept of FUBAR.

Hamburger Hill - Breakout role for Don Cheadle. Follows the story of an actual single assault over ten days on a worthless military objective on the Laotian border. Great battle scenes and a strong feeling for what a multi-day siege must have been like.

The Siege of Firebase Gloria - I had not heard of this movie till a couple of weeks ago. Very powerful. Great action scenes during a long siege at a small firebase. Lead role played by R Lee Ermey who you'll now remember as the drill Sgt. in Full Metal Jacket. He also had roles in Apocolypse Now, The Boys in Company C, China Beach, and Purple Hearts - obviously somewhat type cast as the "Gunny." (He was formerly an actual US Marine Corp Drill Instructor.)

Coming Home - Jane Fonda was terrific and Jon Voight moved me as the disabled vet. According to IMDB the film is about "A woman whose husband is fighting in Vietnam falls in love with another man who suffered a paralyzing combat injury there." Interestingly it won three Oscars - best writing, best actor and best actress, but not best film. That went to ...surprise, The Deer Hunter.

Forrest Gump - I hadn't really thought of this movie as being a Vietnam film but many others do. Many parts were about the war and its impacts here and abroad. So, its in. And it was excellent. Gary Sinise is outstanding as Lt. Dan. And the parts where Forrest plays ping pong are hilarious.

Hearts and Minds - Documentary about the war. Made in 1974 by a significant group of military officers against the war. Notably (and the main reason this movie makes the list) is the appearance (multiple scenes) in the film by one Randall Floyd, a former main squeeze of my sister Janet. He was a Captain and flew numerous bombing missions before finding a way out. Randy was one of a select few who attended Patty and my wedding oh those many years ago.

Born on the Fourth of July - Based on a true story. Oliver Stone directed. After a while you get a little sick of Cruise but still an excellent film. Willem Dafoe also in this film and he is almost always good.

Honorable Mention:

Dead Presidents - more about a vet after the war, but still very entertaining.
Heaven and Earth - the third in the Oliver Stone Trilogy, from the perspective of a Vietnamese woman. Even though Tommy Lee Jones has a small part he is featured on the movie cover.
Casualties of War - Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. Intense.
The Quiet American - Michael Caine and Brendan Frasier. The 1952 version was also pretty good. About Vietnam, pre-THE war.

We Were Soldiers - Lots of people rave about this movie but I thought it was weak and boring. Maybe I have just had enough of Mel.

Watchable:

Hanoi Hilton - slow at times but still pretty intense
The Green Berets - The original Vietnam film all decked out in red, white and blue.
Rescue Dawn - POW film with Christian Bale
Rambo - First Blood - Sly goes to Nam - good action, lousy film
Missing in Action - Chuck Norris goes to Nam - good action, lousy film
Flight of the Intruder - Danny Glover stars. Not bad.
Rolling Thunder - Not about Nam, really a revenge flick with Tommy Lee and William Devane.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Godfather, Godfather II, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon, The Conversation.

NEXT POST: Gangsta' Movies

Courtroom Movies

This post will cover movies where the primary action is in the courtroom. There are scads of movies that have dramatic or hilarious courtroom scenes but are do not fit my definition as somewhat of a purist. So, outstanding movies like Chicago, A Man for All Seasons, The Untouchables, Miracle on 34th Street and Kramer vs. Kramer don't qualify for this list. Nor do several comedies with wonderful courtroom scenes, notably, Liar, Liar, Legally Blonde and Bananas.

Number one in this category is easy. It is one of my all-time favorite films:

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - Stars Gregory Peck, a bunch of people you've never heard of and Robert Duvall (his very first movie) in a bit part but playing a central character who isn't really seen till the end of the movie. It won three Oscar's - Best Actor included - and was nominated for five more. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee. A great story of the south (so-called Southern Gothic) and of chivalry and respect. A coming of age tale, a story of courage and a dramatic treat. Three of the best kid actors I've ever seen (Dill, Scout and Jem). According to an American Film Institute poll, Atticus Finch (played by Peck) is the number #1 movie hero in film history. Few movies have inspired as many - as this post in Wikipedia shows.



Numbers 2-5 are as follows and are very close in order:

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott, Ben Gazzara and Lee Remick star. Another trial with rape as the central theme - but handled with a lot of style and even humor. An Otto Preminger film (his best), it was nominated for seven Oscars. Tough year - Ben Hur took most of the hardware that year.

Inherit the Wind (1960) - In 1925 in a small town in Tennessee a school teacher - John Scopes - was tried for teaching Darwinism. Two of the most famous lawyers in the US - Clarance Darrow and William Jennings Bryan - squared off for this landmark case. The Scopes Monkey Trial made for a great movie with Spencer Tracer and Fredric March playing the two lawyers in this outstanding courtroom drama. It was nominated for four Oscars.

Reversal of Fortune (1990) - Glen Close, Jeremy Irons (Oscar for Best Actor) and Ron Silver as Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz. The Case of Claus Von Bulow. An American Saga of Money and Mystery (so says IMDB). Wonderful courtroom scenes. Irons really is brilliant in the role. The real Dershowitz appears in a cameo as a judge. One of those films where you never really know whether he did it or not.

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - The subject was a tough one - Nazi war criminal trials, but it was masterfully handled. Film won two and was nominated for 11 total Oscars. Maximilian Schell and Spencer Tracy both nominated for Best Actor (Schell won). Phenomenal cast - Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Widmark, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Werner Klemperer (Col. Klink from Hogan's Heroes) AND William Shatner. According to Wikipedia: The film examines the questions of individual complicity in crimes committed by the state. Really well done.

In 6th through 10th place, in no particular order are:

My Cousin Vinny (1992) - The first time I saw this movie was with Dav.., I mean Dr. Alston in Minneapolis at the Final Four in 1992. It was the day between the semi's (squashed Indiana - okay we won by 3) and the finals (about to squash Webber and the Fab Five - by 20!) . This was also the year that we went to the NCAA Regionals in Philadelphia and saw the Duke-Kentuchas game - the one most people think was the greatest college basketball game ever played. The Grant Hill to Christian Laetner pass and shot at the buzzer have been replayed thousands of times - and I still enjoy seeing it (and Thomas Hill grabbing his head in shock).

What a hilarious movie. Joe Pesci is unbelievably funny - his best work - and Marisa Tomei is fabulous as his Joisey girlfriend come down south to help Pesci defend his cousin. She won Oscar for Best Supporting. Fred Gwynn is fantastic as the judge. Some of the funniest courtroom scenes ever.

The Verdict (1982) - Another great Paul Newman film. Also stars James Mason and Jack Warden. Nominated for five Oscars including all the biggies - Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actor.

The Caine Mutiny (1954) - Stars Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray. Another one based on a Pulitzer Prize winner by the same name. Great scenes in the military court. Nominated for seven Academy Awards.

The Paradine Case (1947) - Lesser known Hitchcock movie starring Gregory Peck, Charles Laughton, Louis Jordan, Leo G. Carroll and Ethel Barrymore (nominated for Best Supporting).

Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton (he is absolutely perfect in the role of the lawyer). Directed by Billy Winder (Stalag 17, Sunset Blvd). Based on an Agatha Christie story.

There are a bunch of honorable mentions in this category.

Primal Fear - Ed - this is the one with Norton and Gere we were trying to think of.
Philadelphia
Fracture
A few Good Men
And Justice For All
Suspect
Breaker Morant
Class Action
Music Box

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Act II, Scene II - Prison Movies, Part Deux

The second half of the Prison Movie category is all about criminals. Same rules as Prisoner of War movies, predominant action in the film must take place in the slammer, so movies like The Blues Brothers, Bad Boys, Face Off or 48 Hours would not make my list but are on many others. There are again, like POW movies, hundreds of films to choose from but many fall in the Grade B (if that) area. Some notables: Slammer Girls, Caged Heat, Women of Cell Block 9, and The Big Bust Out. One reviewer said this about Bust Out - "This movie is so confusing, ridiculous, and absurd that it is liable to cause temporary insanity."


Fortunately there are some really excellent movies on this subject.


In this category four films rise to the top.

1 - Cool Hand Luke - This is my favorite Paul Newman film (and there are a bunch of great Newman films - like Butch Cassidy, Hud, The Hustler, Torn Curtain, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof and Exodus). He was nominated for best actor but Rod Steiger won the award for the film In The Heat of the Night. Well deserved but a tough call still. 1967 was a pretty strong Best Actor year with Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate), Warren Beatty (Bonnie & Clyde) and Spencer Tracy (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner). Newman only ever won one Oscar; Best Actor in The Color of Money. "Takin' it off here boss" is a well-known phrase from the film that has endured over many years as is "What we have heyah is a failyuh ta communicate." And, the hard boiled egg sequence would be in contention for best all-time individual scenes. (Trailer)

2 - Shawshank Redemption - This movies could just as easily be number one on my list. By far, Morgan Freeman's best work. Tim Robbins also did a terrific job in this film. It was nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Actor and Best Picture. And, this movie is rated #1 on IMDb's Top 250 List. One of the few where almost the entire picture takes place in the prison. This film can be watched several times. (Trailer)


3 - Midnight Express - The first 15 minutes of this film are as heart pounding as you will ever see. They even use a beating heart as part of the soundtrack and it really works. If you weren't convinced before that foreign prisons are not a great place to hang out, you will be after seeing William Hayes (try pronouncing it the way the Turks do) in there for a while. (Trailer) Excellent soundtrack and theme song. Whatever happened to star Brad Davis (maybe top 10 for One Hit Wonders in the movies)?


4 - The Green Mile - This film is a bit unusual for a prison movie. But it is powerful. Tom Hanks performs beautifully as the righteous southern prison guard. Nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture. I think the most memorable line is "Coffey...just like the drink only spelt different." Michael Duncan does a fabulous job as John Coffey and somehow they make him seem 7 feet tall from every angle. (Trailer)


The remaining films getting 5 to 10 ;-) are:

Carandiru - Subtitle alert - but worth it. The most brutal prison in Brazil, through the eyes of an AIDS doctor. VERY intense movie.

Papillion - Steve McQueen as Henri Charrier, The Butterfly. And, Dustin Hoffman as his compatriot, Louis Dega. See Steve run and run and run. Seems very realistic in terms of the conditions they must have endured. And, watch out for that self-abuse stuff; it can be very dangerous.

Murder in the First - Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, William Macy and Kevin Bacon (another excellent one for the Seven Degrees game) in a very creepy film. Based on a true story that led to the closing of Alcatraz.

Dead Man Walking - Susan Sarandon gets the Best Actress Oscar. Sean Penn also stars and Tim Robbins directed (and got nominated).

The Hurricane - Denzel as Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, made somewhat more famous by the Bob Dylan tune of the same name. Outstanding song. Movie not quite as good; but it did help get the guy out of jail.

Stir Crazy - This may violate my own rule (because it is not predominantly filmed at the prison) but Pryor and Wilder are just too funny together to leave this one off the list.

Nearly got paroled but didn't make it include:


In the Name of the Father - Daniel Day Lewis in another strong performance. Where did he get that hairdo?

Brubaker - A little over-the-hill, Robert Redford plays con and warden. Somehow he is too clean cut for either part. Still entertaining.

The Last Castle - James Gandolfini is excellent as the warden. Another one with Robert Redford pretty far past his prime.

In Cold Blood - This is a chilling movie. Based (very closely) on a true and grisly story. Truman Capote wrote the book and inspired multiple movies on the subject. Robert Blake was freaky as a murderer years before he did it for real.

The Count of Monticristo - This movie has been made about 18 different times - literally. There is an animated and an anime' version, one made for TV and a mini-series; one made in 1908 and several more made in the 40's and 50's. I like the 2002 version.

Special Mention: Primal Fear - a great performance by Edward Norton, Jr., but I put this in the Courtroom Drama Category (Top 10).

Don't ask about: Escape from Alcatraz or The Birdman of Alcatraz - I just didn't like them (too slow...)

Also, Gideon's Trumpet was good but it was made for TV so it doesn't count.

And, last, The Rock. A very entertaining film with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage, but breaking into a museum that used to be a prison doesn't qualify for this category.

Bet it's Best

After a great round of comments on my last post, this post will tackle the fun topic of movies about gambling. There are many excellent films in this category and, as usual, some real stinkers. One of the hot recent movies on this topic was "21." Interesting results; lots of casual or non-gamblers liked it. Almost all the "real" gamblers I know thought it was hollow, silly and quite annoying. "Winner, winner, chicken dinner," sort of sums it up for them. The real story behind the movie did produce an excellent documentary that came out a few years ago and followed the book (Bringing Down the House) about the MIT ring that beat Vegas - for a while anyway. The History Channel documentary was called Breaking Vegas and was very well done.

On to the Top 10:

The Top Three on my list (and I would expect on many others) include:

The Cincinnati Kid - This movie made a big impression on me as a kid. It was my favorite movie for several years. The final scenes seem sort of obvious now after seeing SO MUCH poker on TV. But they pulled that last hand off well and ended the movie with the little extra twist with the kid on the street corner. It was many years later that I saw it again and it held up well. Without any recording devices we only ever saw movies once or maybe two times, except ones like Wizard of Oz, that mysteriously was on TV every spring; and A Wonderful Life & Miracle on 34th Street that, for some strange reason, always played at Hannuka-time

Rounders - Even before The Grave Wolf and his gang of merry men taught me all about Texas Hold 'em, I liked this movie a lot. Matt Damon is cast perfectly as is Edward Norton, Jr. I also liked Martin Landau as the Jewish law professor. The only weakness was John Malkovich trying to use a Russian accent. It sounded so weird; like he was short of a full deck. John Turturo, who I don't ordinarily care for was terrific as Knish - the Grinder. This is one of those movies I tend to always stop at for at least a few minutes when channel surfing.

The Hustler - I never liked The Jackie Gleason Show - at all, but Abe did, so we watched it. But boy was he great as Minnesota Fats. Paul Newman played Fast Eddie and the audience got some great pool scenes. George C. Scott was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor (as was Gleason) but he refused the nomination. West Side Story picked up four of the top six awards that year and the film only received two awards - both for B&W filming/cinematography.

Following that group - in order - are:

The Sting - Fantastic cast. Won seven Oscars (and nominated for three more). Paul Newman, Robert Redford together again. Add in Robert Shaw, Ray Walston and Charles Durning and you get a well done period piece that maintains suspense throughout and seems pretty authentic/realistic. Interesting that Redford and Newman are thought of as one of Hollywood's great pairs, yet they only ever acted together twice. Both were George Roy Hill films, this one and Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.

Casino - Joe Pesci stole the show and, along with DeNiro, Sharon Stone (Oscar nomination) and James Woods made a great cast. Throw in some cameos - Dick Smothers, Don Rickles, Alan King - and all that Vegas action and you have an excellent movie.

The Color of Money - Paul Newman in his third film on this list (not a sequel to The Hustler but he plays the geriatric Fast Eddie with Cruise as his protege'.) Not a big Tom Cruise fan but he was the perfect conceited bad-boy for the role. Interesting that Newman won his ONLY Oscar for the lead in this film. He was nominated eight other times for Best Actor - and there is no way this was his best. Make-up call, maybe?

Casino Royale - Yes, a Bond film on the list. Daniel Craig pulls off all of the normal Bond acts, including dying and bringing himself back to life DURING the break of a monster Hold 'Em tournament with millions of dollars AND world peace on the line.

High Roller (The Stu Ungar Story) - (final scene, no trailer found) ; also called "Stuey" - Stu was played masterfully by Michael Imperioli ('Christefeh' from The Sopranos). Ungar was the only three-time winner of the World Series of Poker, and the only three-time winner of Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker - a truly amazing feat. Thought to be the best poker and gin player ever (he won his first gin tournament at age 10), Stuey was a tortured soul and died of heart problems due to drug abuse. Despite winning a reported $30MM during his short life, he died with a whopping $800 to his name.

The Croupier - This was the first film I saw with Clive Owen and I really liked him. The film was a bit off beat - taking place at a London gaming club as an ordinary Joe takes on a second job as a croupier and then it takes him over.

Honorable Mention:

The Cooler - William Macy was great. And Alec Baldwin showed his evil side quite well. But, the film overall was kind of depressing and slow at times. Paul Sorvino in this as well (boy, does he look old).

Ocean's 11 - the original from 1960 (not any of the three with George Clooney), with the Rat Pack plus. Great scenes from "old" Vegas' big five hotels of the day (I think only two remain - the Flamingo and the Sahara).

The Gambler (opening scene) - James Caan, Paul Sorvino (boy, does he look young) and Lauren Hutton; Caan shows way too much chest hair (and Hutton not nearly enough), but it's a pretty suspenseful film. Dick Schapp, Chick Hearn, Stuart Margolin and James Woods all with bit parts.

Breaking Vegas (the first 10 minutes of the film; full film available on YouTube) - Made for TV so doesn't really count; but worth the watch. This is the actual story that 21 was based on - the MIT crew that inspired the book Bringing Down the House.

Hard Eight (also known as Sydney) - John Reilly stars with Phillip Hall, support by Samuel Jackson, Gweneth Paltrow and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Slow at times but some excellent casino scenes. Reilly well cast as the pawn.


Next Post - Back to Prison(s)!