Sweet Virginia (2017)

I sometimes still think about Sweet Virginia (2017) which I watched one grey afternoon on Netflix several years ago. I think it’s a good neo-noir thriller, not a great one; it flirts close to the nihilistic edge of something like No Country For Old Men, but sort of flinches, which is both a good and […]

Drunken Angel (1948)

Past Movie Squad reviewer Paul Grace wrote a recommendation of Drunken Angel (1948) for an old issue of the VHS Tracking zine. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, I only realised after I had watched it that it was his first collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune. While he’s always been a handsome, attractive man to me, Mifune […]

Klute (1971)

I watched Klute (1971) a long time ago and simply remembered it as a good 70s thriller. One Saturday night, dusting off the DVD I own, which held up well visually considering the darkness and shadows of Gordon Willis’ artful cinematography, this re-watch opened my eyes: Klute is a masterpiece! This isn’t exactly news as […]

The Drop (2014)

I don’t think Tom Hardy can ever play a normal guy – he’s one of those actors who always has to do something, some bit of business to make it interesting for him. On the surface, he seems to be playing an ordinary joe in The Drop (2014), a Noo Yawk neo-noir in the downbeat […]

Friday Night (2002)

I remember SBS programming Friday Night (2002; Vendredi soir) when I was younger and I was intrigued to see it even though, at the time, I didn’t have much awareness of who director Claire Denis was (or had to see Beau Travail at the very least). The sound of the plot – two people meeting […]