A film that is not from the golden age or silver age of american cinema. but i felt like i should post about it here. it is definitely a modern noir aimed at classic movie fans. JOE PESCI got a $15 million solo hero movie (the film would have cost $27 million if it were made today) after the success of GOODFELLAS. PESCI plays a crime scene photographer BERNSIE who takes his job very seriously. he considers what he does to be an art form and takes unimaginable risks to photograph shootouts and crime scenes. he is hired by a beautiful club owner (BARBARA HERSHEY) to snoop on the mafia who seems to be intent on ousting her from the club. BERNSIE is secretly very lonely (there is a scene early in a club when a prostitute humiliates him after she sees him take the photograph of a couple) and is in love with HERSHEY.
it is one of those films which you want to like very badly. but it never really rises above a certain level. the scenes lack tension. too many supporting characters but none of them make an impact. the grave background score which is used in black and white scenes when BERNSIE watches people going about their jobs in NEW YORK is not very memorable. roger ebert liked it a lot. i guess it could be compared to THE CONVERSATION. both films feature characters who are immersed in their weird and somewhat unethical jobs but are pulled out of loneliness because of the outside world creeping into their lives or because they are driven by some sense of morality.
the great JOE PESCI has acted in so few films. so i had to watch it. i watched a really bad print. so that might have hampered my enjoyment. it was a big flop. but i guess PESCI made enough out of this movie to retire early and play golf.
(6/10)
it is one of those films which you want to like very badly. but it never really rises above a certain level. the scenes lack tension. too many supporting characters but none of them make an impact. the grave background score which is used in black and white scenes when BERNSIE watches people going about their jobs in NEW YORK is not very memorable. roger ebert liked it a lot. i guess it could be compared to THE CONVERSATION. both films feature characters who are immersed in their weird and somewhat unethical jobs but are pulled out of loneliness because of the outside world creeping into their lives or because they are driven by some sense of morality.
the great JOE PESCI has acted in so few films. so i had to watch it. i watched a really bad print. so that might have hampered my enjoyment. it was a big flop. but i guess PESCI made enough out of this movie to retire early and play golf.
(6/10)