Category: Celebs

The Deadly Companions (1961)

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Screenplay by:  Albert Sidney Fleischman based on his novel The Deadly Companions

Starring:  Maureen O’Hara, Brian Keith, Steve Cochran, Chill Wills, Strother Martin and Will Wright

Tagline: Trapped… by her past and the sins of the men who pursued her through a savage land!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers

Yellowleg (Keith), a gunfighter named Billy (Cochran) and Turk (Wills) ride into a small town.  When bank robbers come out with guns blazing, Yellowleg and Billy return fire killing the thieves.  One of Yellowleg’s shots misses and kills a young boy.  The boy’s grieving mother, Kit (O’Hara) decides she will take her dead son to be buried next to his father.  To do this she will have to pass through dangerous Indian country.

Yellowleg offers to accompany her, but Kit refuses.  Despite her not wanting his help, Yellowleg recruits Billy and Turk to join the journey.  The threat of hostile Indians is real, but Kit and Yellowleg will learn too late that Billy and Turk have their own reasons for making the trip.

This is Sam Peckinpah’s first time directing a feature film.  The Westerner tv series, which starred Brian Keith, had just been cancelled. Keith had been named the lead for The Deadly Companions and he recommended Peckinpah for the director’s chair.  Reportedly Peckinpah and Maureen O’Hara didn’t get along. At any rate, this isn’t your typical Peckinpah film.

Brian Keith is always good.  Chill Wills has the ability to get laughs even playing the heavy.  There is a love story subplot (of course) and a revenge subplot and both require a bit more suspension of disbelief than a gritty western would require.  Still Peckinpah-lite is better than no Peckinpah at all.  The Deadly Companions earns 3 of 5 stars.

The Protégé (2021)

Director:  Martin Campbell

Screenplay by:  Richard Wenk

Starring:  Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Patrick

Tagline:  Made for vengeance

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers

Anna (Q) and Moody (Jackson) are assassins.  Moody rescued and raised Anna since she was a child.  When Moody is killed by a hit team, Anna vows revenge.  Soon she finds herself in a cat and mouse game with Rembrandt (Keaton) an assassins with skills that match (surpass?) her own.

Maggie Q is more than capable as the world’s greatest assassin.  Michael Keaton steals every scene he’s in.  His “Nobody home” line still makes me smile.  Samuel L. Jackson is always good.  Poor Robert Patrick isn’t given much to do and what he is given isn’t great.  No fault to him though, it’s just not a great role.

The Protégé is at it’s best when in action mode.  The early scenes with Q and Keaton are fun, but after a while become repetitive.  There’s a twist I didn’t see coming and the ending also holds a surprise (if not in what happens, then in the, uh, execution).    The Protégé rates 3 of 5 stars.

Forsaken (2015)

Director:  Jon Cassar

Screenplay by:  Brad Mirman

Starring:  Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Michael Wincott, Brian Cox and Demi Moore

Tagline:  Haunted by his past, searching for peace.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers.

During the Civil War, John Henry Clayton (K. Sutherland) was a fearless fighter.  After the war, Clayton’s reputation as deadly gunman grew as he drifted from town to town.  After nearly a decade away, Clayton is ready to put down his guns and return home. He wants to make amends with his father, his mother and Mary Alice (Moore), the woman he loved.

Clayton learns that his mother has died. His Preacher father (D. Sutherland) is bitter at what John Henry became, and Mary Alice married and has a son. Clayton buries his guns and begins clearing a plot of land his mother wanted for crops.  In town, James McCurdy (Cox) has hired Dave Turner (Wincott) a infamous gunfighter and thugs to force local landowners to sell out to him.  If they won’t sell, they end up dead.

Clayton keeps his head down and stays out of the fray even when some of the thugs try to goad him into a gunfight.  Turner knows that Clayton is more than a match for any of them and may even be as good with a gun as he is.  He warns them that, “you keep kicking a dog and he’ll eventually bite.”   Turner is right…

Forsaken is a much better film than I thought it would be.  I’m not sure why I under-estimated it.  Forsaken features an excellent cast with Kiefer and Donald Sutherland, Brian Cox,  Michael Wincott and Demi Moore.  Kiefer has an emotional scene with his father that will bring a tear to the driest eye.  Brian Cox is perfect as the rich wannabe land baron who feels entitled to things because he can take them.  Michael Wincott steals every scene he’s in.  I’d love to see more of his character.

Jon Cassar directed several episodes of 24. He and Kiefer planned at some point to do a western together.  Kiefer commissioned Brad Mirman to write the screenplay and he came up with a winner.  I’d love to see them re-team for a sequel (and bring back Michael Wincott)!  Forsaken rates 4 of 5 stars.

No Time to Die (2021)

Director:  Cary Joji Fukunaga

Screenplay:  Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Story by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga

Starring: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Christoph Waltz  and Billy Magnussen

Tagline: Bond is Back

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Five years ago Bond (Craig) was almost killed in an assassination attempt that appeared to be setup by Madeline (Seydoux), a woman he deeply loves.  After putting her on a train and vowing to never see her again, Bond dropped off the grid.

Now Bond has been contacted by Felix Leiter (Wright), his friend and CIA contact.  Leiter wants Bond’s help in capturing Lyutsifer Safin (Malek) and taking down Project Heracles – nanobots created to kill people based on specific DNA codes.   Bond agrees and finds himself at odds with his MI6 (British Secret Service) as well as the new 007 (Lynch)!  The stakes are raised when Project Heracles is used against SPECTRE and Madeline becomes involved.

No Time To Die is the bookend to Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale.  No Time to Die doesn’t feel like a typical James Bond film.  It is grimmer.  There’s no subtle winks at the audience.  There’s a weight and sadness to Bond. Let’s break it down…

The Story: I liked the story. As with most James Bond films the stakes are high and probably never higher.

Craig’s Bond:  My favorite James Bond film is Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig.  I thought he was perfect as James Bond who is just coming into MI6.  He’s not yet the suave Bond who is capable to handle every situation.  With that said, Sean Connery remains my favorite Bond.  So, getting back to No Time to Die, Craig is now an older Bond.  He gets the opportunity to show us the suave Bond, but there’s a weariness to him.  It works for this film, but my preference is the Bond that Sean Connery embodied.

The Opening / Song:  Usually Bond films open with a big stunt.  No Time To Die takes a bit to get to the stunt sequence, but it should satisfy fans.  Billie Eilish provides the opening song.  I thought it was just okay and the same with the title sequence.

New 007:  Lashana Lynch plays the new 007.  I like the rivalry between Lynch and Craig; as well as their growing respect.  Lynch is good in what she’s given to do and has charisma.

Paloma: Ana de Armas is Bond’s new partner early in the film.  She’s pretty and believable in the action beats.

Madeline: Léa Seydoux returns and is believable as the woman that James Bond would fall in love with.

MI6: Ralph Fiennes returns as M.  This time he’s at odds with Bond.  Their scenes are tense and I loved their exchanges.  Ben Whishaw returns as Q.  He has a small but important role; he’s not just the gadgets guy any more.  I love Naomie Harris as Moneypenny.  I can never get enough of her.

Felix Leiter:  Jeffrey Wright is such a great actor.  It is great that he had an expanded role.

Lyutsifer Safin:  Rami Malek is perfect.  Safin is scary not because of his physical presence, but his voice and look (this dude never blinks) let’s you know you’re dealing with a cold blooded killer.

Blofeld: Christoph Waltz returns in a small but pivotal role.  The movie is better by having him.

Primo (Cyclops):  James Bond films are famous for their memorable henchmen.  Dali Benssalah excels as Primo, the killer with the bionic eye.

Logan Ash:  Billy Magnussen plays a character you love to hate… and does it well.

I really liked No Time to Die.  I can’t say it exceeded my expectations, but it did surprise me.  There’s a twist I didn’t believe was coming.  No Time to Die makes a good bookend to the Daniel Craig Bond era and rates 4 of 5 stars.