"The Seven-Ups" with Roy Scheider (1973)

A terse police drama set against the backdrop of New York in the early 1970’s, “The Seven-Ups” is the story of an elite police anti-crime unit in the days before cell phones. Roy Scheider plays Detective “Buddy”, who, along with partners Mingo, Barilli and Ansel, comprise the special unit who wage a war against everyone in their path, and rack up some good “collars” in the bargain. (These characters have no last names except for the cryptic “Seven-Up” which is used to describe the minimum sentences each of the crooks will receive if found guilty of their crimes.)

While battling a counterfeit money laundering scheme, they inadvertently stumble upon a plot by one of their informants to kidnap, and hold for ransom, some of the city’s biggest loan sharks. The kidnappings are done by men in police uniform, who pose as cops and get the loan sharks to accompany them to “headquarters.” When one of the “seven –ups” is killed after being “outed” as an undercover officer, suspicion quickly falls upon the team itself as the source of the fatal leak.

Beautiful scenes of New York before it got cleaned up in the 1980’s; and a hair raising car chase through the city’s streets; round out this thriller. Victor Arnold, as Barilli; Jerry Leon as Mingo; and Ken Kercheval as Ansel; all give realistic performances in this story by Sonny Grosso, adapted for the screen by Albert Ruben and Alexander Jacobs.  Careful direction by Philip D'Antoni keep this film rolling without letting the plot become overly complicated.

"Catch .44" with Bruce Willis and Forest Whitaker (2011)

In this multi-layered thriller by writer/director Aaron Harvey, he heas taken the best parts of “Pulp Fiction”; with its plot twists and shifts in sequence; and blended it with a bit of Guy Ritches’ “Snatch”; and the result is a wild, enjoyable adventure.

Bruce Willis plays “Mel”, who is a crime boss; while Forest Whitaker plays a hit man in his employ, who is masquerading as a police officer named Ronny. The 3 women; Tes, played by  Malin Akerman, and her two cohorts Kara , played by Nikki Reed, and Dawn  played by Deborah Ann Woll, are also involved someway with Mel; just as Forest Whitaker is. The connection is vague; but clearly there. When Mel has the women go on an “assignment” 40 miles out of New Orleans to intercept a drug shipment and the money, something is clearly not adding up. Is it retribution for something they did wrong? Or, is it just an easy score to help them get back in the swing of things?

The film is dealt out in sequences, which all return to the fateful moment at the beginning of the film, keeping you guessing at what the real story is. Violence and “adult” language are dealt out appropriately; though gratuitously; in this film. This movie does not come near the level of violence of Quentin Tarentino’s “Kill Bill” series, which were way beyond belief to me. It also rises to the level of the Guy Ritchie film in that it challenges the viewer to think outside of the box in order to understand the plot. This is not an Agatha Christie “whodunit” by any means.

Bit by bit it becomes apparent that things have been pre-ordained. But for what purpose? And by whom? Can anyone trust the affable Ronny, or is he just another “shil” for the mysterious Mel? And why is Tes the only one spared from the initial carnage? Does Mel have special plans for her?

A fantastic musical score rounds out this colorful and exciting send up of today’s action films a la “Pulp Fiction”, while doing nothing to detract from that movie. Rather, this film may be the most coherent of the genre to date.

"The Usual Suspects" with Chazz Palminteri, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Spacey (1995)

With a cast like this one, this is a movie that I have revisited over and over again, for the sheer joy of watching the actors ply their trade. In this bizarre tale, written by Chris McQuarrie, a ship berthed pier side in San Pedro, is set afire and 27 victims are dead.  All of the “usual suspects” are then rounded up for interrogation. There is only one witness left, but his story makes little sense; or does it?

Veteran Customs Agent Dave Kujan, played by Chazz Palminteri, leaves New York, bound for the West Coast, in an attempt to find out who, or what, was the motivation behind the crime. And, just exactly what was the crime in the first place?

When a truck is hijacked in New York, six weeks earlier, things go horribly wrong, and five men; all career criminals; are brought in for questioning. As they sit in a common holding cell, they plot a way to “pay back” their hosts.

The Police in San Pedro Police discover $91 million worth of alleged drug money with the bodies. There are only two survivors. One is a badly burned, and scared, Hungarian terrorist; the other is “Verbal” Kint, played with perfection by Kevin Spacey, who is a crippled con-artist. Under pressure by Customs Agent Kujan, Kint is hard pressed to come up with a believable explanation for what went wrong. This is where the story really begins.

Dean Keaton, played by Gabriel Byrne, is one of the “usual suspects” rounded up. As an ex-police officer with a spotted career, he is the angriest of the 5 suspects. He is trying to go straight, and considers his incarceration to be an insult. He is talked into doing the proverbial “just one more job.”

Approached by the mysterious attorney Kobayashi, played by Pete Postlethwaite, the 5 men agree to the plan, which involves $91 million dollars, supposedly in exchange for some jewels. When the jewels turn out to be cocaine, the 5 men are less than pleased. But they are stuck, as Kobayashi represents a criminal mastermind known as Keyser Soze. As the 5 “suspects” are drawn deeper into Soze’s plans, they become aware that each of them have wronged Mr. Soze at some point or other; albeit unwittingly.

“Verbal” Kint, as the last survivor, is the only person who can put together the pieces of a puzzle so diverse, that it may take watching this film more than once to fully understand it. At least, that was my experience. “Verbal” is able to use all of his wits to outwit Customs Agent Kujan, and in the end the viewer is left wondering just who is Keyser Soze, and does he in fact even exist? This may be one of Kevin Spacey’s greatest roles. As a standout in a cast of some of Hollywood’s best character actors, this is a film you will want to re-visit from time to time, if only to watch his performance.

"Gun Crazy" with Peggy Cummins and John Dall (1949)

No film noir collection could be complete without this one in it. It's as cheezy as the cover looks, and maybe a bit more. The film starts out okay, a boyhood Bart Tare breaks into a gun shop and steals a pistol. He is immediately caught and sent to reform school, from which he graduates into the Army. After he gets out he returns to his hometown, now played by John Dall.

After meeting his two oldest friends, they agree to attend the local carnival. It's there where Bart meets Annie Laurie Starr, played by Peggy Cummins, a sharp shorter in a sideshow act. She shares Bart's fascination with guns. When he accepts a challenge, at 10 to 1 odds, he wins her instantly when he defeats her. After an argument with her manager concerning Bart, the two quit the sideshow and embark begin a crime spree, which is exactly what Bart would never have done on his own. He has clearly fallen victim to Annie, who now directs all their movements as they rob banks, gas stations and stores in a crime spree which is sure to end in disaster.

When Bart has an epiphany and wants to quit, Annie persuades him to take on just "one more job", which will set them up for life. Bart, thinking this is the quickest way out of the life he has fallen into, does what he did that night when he met her at the sideshow; he accepts her challenge to do "just one more job"; with predictable results.

Cool movie, if you're into a Mickey Spillane/Mike Hammer like type of scenario. Shot in black and white, in and around what seems to be Los Angeles in the late 1940's, the film is remarkably well preserved.

"The Wire" - Any Season

This is the explosive, street level drama that takes place in the neighborhood where I used to work in Baltimore during the 17 years in which I lived there. It is so realistic and factual in its portrayal of life in that neighborhood, that I have no doubt as to the veracity of the plots, or of the writing. It's shown exactly as I remember it.

Speaking of the writing, Ed Burns and David Simon are the two award winning fellows who brought you "Homicide:Life on the Street", the Emmy Award winning TV show, and the prize winning book "The Corner", which was later produced by PBS as a series, prior to this one. The lives depicted in this series are identical to the real lives portrayed in the pages of that book.

This is the main area of the action in "The Wire." The west side of Baltimore, from Martin Luther King Blvd to Monroe Street is a daily battleground between law enforcement and the street level drug trade. Stopping for a red light in this area produces all sorts of people coming up to the car window; prostitutes, drug dealers, rip off artists, you name it - they got it. And it goes on 24/7. In the daytime, the police are on top of things, but at night it's a different story, as the drug dealers and their customers steal, shoot and beat their way to the evenings "high". This usually involves at least one shooting and an assorted number of overdoses.

This series is well produced, and has an excellent theme song, which was re-recorded each year by a new group. Season 4 is my favorite version, which was arranged by Doreen Vail and recorded by the members of a Baltimore Boys Choir.

As usual, I'm about 5 years behind the rest of the world in watching this realistic and cutting edge show. The only excuse I have is that I was probably catching up on something else at the time, no doubt something which was 5 years old then. Like the neighborhood depicted in "The Wire", somethings never change.

"He Walked By Night" with Richard Basehart and Jack Webb

This is the film that gave birth to the TV series "Dragnet" with Jack Webb. He even has a small part in this movie. The opening sequence of the TV show, with the Los Angeles Police Station and the voice over, are identical.

The film takes place in Los Angeles, shot on locations around the city, and involves a criminal named Erwin Walker, a brilliant thief and somewhat of a sociopath. The real kicker here is that this is a true story.

At the close of World War Two, Erwin Walker is baffling the police all over Los Angeles as they search for a group of thieves. They are wasting their time. There is only one thief, and that is Mr. Walker, played in the film by Richard Basehart. By altering his modus operandi with each crime, he is able to lead the entire Police Department on a chase that has no apparent conclusion. Until one night, when Mr. Walker makes a mistake, resulting in his fatally shooting a Los Angeles Police Officer.

The investigation becomes a "Dragnet", as the police hunt to find the killer. The investigation leads the two detectives, Sgt. Chuck Jones (Scott Brady) and Marty Brennan (Roy Roberts) to an electronics dealer named Paul Reeves, who is able to put a face to the suspect. With no name to work on, the detectives embark on an exhausting, old fashioned manhunt, knocking on doors and rounding up all the usual suspects.

Released in 1948, only one year after the case was solved, this movie was a real shocker at the time. Richard Basehart, who later on would portray the Captain on "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", was never in better form as an actor. His part is played with all the guile and cunning one would expect from the real Mr. Walker.

Mr. Walker's preferred means of escape was through the vast system of Los Angeles' storm drains, which he used to great advantage in alluding the police. The scenes shot inside these tunnels are reminiscent of the sewer scenes in Orson Welles' "The Third Man", which was released the following year, in 1949. One can't help but wonder if Mr. Welles' effort was influenced by the true life crimes of Mr. Walker, or the film about them.

With it's slow moving and methodical pace, this movie is immediately identifiable as the genesis for the later TV show "Dragnet", which first aired in 1952 and made Jack Webb a star.

"Angels With Dirty Faces" with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart

This is one of the all time great gangster films. The incredible screen chemistry of James Cagney and Pat O'Brien (two very close friends in real life) along with the rough edged performance of Humphrey Bogart, make this film worth watching time and again. And there is always something new to be noticed with each viewing.

Briefly, the story concerns 2 young boys in the slums of New York during the 1920's. They go to church together, even sing in the choir. But outside of church they are caught up in the petty thefts that are necessary to survive. When Rocky Sullivan (played by Cagney) and the future Father Connolly (played by O'Brien) are caught breaking into a freight car to steal a load of fountain pens, Rocky goes to Juvenile Hall, while the future priest manages to escape. This single event sets the stage for both of their futures.

Rocky goes to reform school, where he gets a real "education" in the ways of crime. His pal goes on to become a Priest, serving in the parish where they both grew up. Rocky, has, by this time, embarked upon a life of crime that has him in and out of prison. He becomes a "name" in the daily papers. The neighborhood kids, where Rocky and Father Connolly grew up, see him as the guy who "made it big." This makes Father Connolly's job, trying to teach the kids moral values, that much harder to accomplish.

When Rocky returns to the neighborhood to live, he repeatedly offers the greeting "Whaddaya hear, whaddaya say?" to Father Connolly. In real life Cagney picked this phrase up from a bookie who hung around 1st Avenue when he was growing up.

The kids, Leo Gorcey and the rest of the "Bowery Boys", aka "The Dead End Kids", now give up on the church, turning instead to the pool room for their education. Their new found freind, Rocky, has stolen Father Connolly's "flock." Father Connolly asks Rocky to stop inspiring the boys, and finally lets him know that freindship is no longer a barrier in his quest to clean up the crime and corruption that plagues the city. Rocky agrees, thinking that "nothing will ever come of it."

Knowing that Father Connolly has been trying to build a gym for the boys, Rocky donates $10,000 anonymously to the fund, only to have Father Connolly return it as being unworthy. Interestingly, this $10,000 represents one tenth of the $100,000 which Rocky has extorted from Bogart. In other words, he was tithing 10% of his take to the church.

When the crime commission, at the direction of his pal Father Connolly, indicts Rocky, a contract is issued on the life of Father Connolly. But loyalty between friends runs deep, and Cagney cancels the contract in a very permanent way. Wanted now for murder, he is a fugitive caught in a web of his own design.

The warehouse scene, where Rocky is finally apprehended, is a movie legend of sorts. When the police are firing those Thompson machine guns at the window where "Rocky" is standing, the bullets are real. You can actually see the shattered glass shards on Cagney's hat and shoulders. According to Cagney, the shots were so close that this was the last time he would consent to live fire sequences in any of his films.

Rocky is captured, tried and sentenced to death in the electric chair. This leads to one of the all time greatest of movie endings. Father Connolly comes to see Rocky just before the execution, asking him to fake cowardice on the way to the chair. Only in this way can he make the boys understand the false bravado of criminals and that crime never really pays. Cagney is incredulous at this request and refuses his old friend, stating, "You're asking me to give up the last thing I got left!"

When the Warden comes with the guards to escort Rocky to the death chamber, Father Connolly walks alongside of him and pleads one last time for Rocky to "turn yellow." Rocky still refuses and stoically enters the last room he will ever see in this world. This is the payoff scene. Silhouetted against the wall, the viewer sees Rocky grasping at the radiator, the legs of the guards, in short, at anything that he can, while screaming "Please, I don't want to die!" Sobbing and struggling he is strapped into the electric chair. The switch is closed and the lights dim. Rocky is dead.

Father Connolly returns to the neighborhood, where he finds the boys in the cellar which they use as a clubhouse. They are reading the newspaper account of Rocky's death and refuse to believe that he died "yellow." Father Connolly, although doubting that Rocky had really turned "yellow" at the last minute, tells the boys it's true. He then asks them to come with him to the church and "say a prayer for a boy that couldn't run as fast as I could." The movie closes leaving the viewer to decide whether Rocky was faking his cowardice as a favor for Father Connolly, or if he really did turn "yellow."

This film was nominated for 3 Oscars and garnered Cagney the New York Film Critics Award as Best Actor for 1938. Seventy two years after the fact, this film remains relevant and inspiring. The clothes are different, and the cars are old, but the social problems outlined in the film are still with us. And that's what makes this film so worth watching.