Joy is snuuuuuggled up into my lap right now. Hardcore. She’s happy I’m home I think.
I finished The Parallax View today, just the last fifteen minutes of it…and those last fifteen minutes ended up making me way more of a fan of that movie than I expected. And not because the ending is so wild or game-changing, because it isn’t—it’s still a great ending, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t want to give the impression that the movie is all about the ending. It isn’t. Rather…it was just the right ending. And it left me thinking. About the time it represented. About the movie actually having something to say. And it was stylishly, excitingly done. I…really enjoyed the movie. It should be more seen.
It’s not perfect. There are several choices they made, particularly with Beatty as the lead, that are either head scratching (why is he so disheveled, though?) or unbearably on-the-nose (the bar fight? why???) that it makes the film jarringly pulpy sometimes, but it’s not a pulp film in the end. It’s thoughtful. Exciting. Stunningly shot. The set-pieces, several of them anyway, are legit classic top-notch stuff. Like, some of the best stuff I’ve seen, ever. And I’m just such a sucker for a thriller, especially the political kind, with a little tiny dash of sci-fi mixed in there (The Manchurian Candidate anyone?).
Four and a half stars out of five for me, and I was not expecting that. It’s way better than Marathon Man, which I only bring up as a comparison because that was the last 70s thriller I watched. And it’s inspired me to watch more 70s thrillers. Turns out I love them! One of the only genres from that time period I really really enjoy. I love the mix of old timey charm they still have to them, even though they’re starting to get more intense, too, more real. It’s a sweet spot for me. Not so over the top yet as what comes later in the 80s and 90s (though don’t get me wrong, there are obviously some incredible thrillers in those and more recent years, obviously).
So, yeah. The Parallax View. Check it out. It’s really good.