I had never heard of this oddly titled movie (no, it's NOT about snakes) until it showed up on TCM. With people like James Caan and Peter Boyle involved, I had to take a look.
It's an odd movie, being ostensibly a crime-and-chase flick. But all the absurdly comic shenanigans and traditional crime teasers lead ultimately to an oddly deflating conclusion which somehow points to the ultimate absurdity of things. All the crime premises of the movie seem to be an elaborate McGuffin, to use Hitchcock's phrase. The closest film to it I can think of is "Charade," where all the complicated events seems to go nowhere, but you enjoy the ride anyway.
The movie does indeed keep you involved, if only to see what silliness will occur next. The script, acting and direction are all fine, although many times during the film I had to wonder what Alan Arkin would have done with James Caan's role. Also, the film's production values are topnotch; it's great to look at.
Altogether a very entertaining hour and a half. But I'd love to know just why they titled it "Slither."
It's an odd movie, being ostensibly a crime-and-chase flick. But all the absurdly comic shenanigans and traditional crime teasers lead ultimately to an oddly deflating conclusion which somehow points to the ultimate absurdity of things. All the crime premises of the movie seem to be an elaborate McGuffin, to use Hitchcock's phrase. The closest film to it I can think of is "Charade," where all the complicated events seems to go nowhere, but you enjoy the ride anyway.
The movie does indeed keep you involved, if only to see what silliness will occur next. The script, acting and direction are all fine, although many times during the film I had to wonder what Alan Arkin would have done with James Caan's role. Also, the film's production values are topnotch; it's great to look at.
Altogether a very entertaining hour and a half. But I'd love to know just why they titled it "Slither."