people are always giving me guns

Average rating: 7.5

Snatch (2000) - "Illegal boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) convinces gangster Brick Top (Alan Ford) to offer bets on bare-knuckle boxer Mickey (Brad Pitt) at his bookie business. When Mickey does not throw his first fight as agreed, an infuriated Brick Top demands another match. Meanwhile, gangster Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro) comes to place a bet for a friend with Brick Top's bookies, as multiple criminals converge on a stolen diamond that Frankie has come to London to sell."
length: 1 hour, 42 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: I'd seen it before (2016) but never reviewed it, I love Jason Statham, and the late Dennis Farina was always so good!
IMDB: 8.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 74% Audience: 93%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "Look in the dog."

directed by: Guy Ritchie

my notes: it would help to be very drunk while watching this film, because it's possible to spend so much energy trying to figure it out that you can miss the point. In fact, now that I think about it, there is a strong resemblance to Pulp Fiction (1994; reviewed here). 

    My favorites: Statham as the deadpan and woebegone Turkish, Farina as nutty Cousin Avi, Vinnie Jones as surprisingly funny and uplifting Bullet-Tooth Tony, and Rade Serbedzija as the indomitable Boris the Blade.   

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I somewhat agree. "Snatch is fun to watch, even if no reasonable person could hope to understand the plot in one viewing."

overall:  recommended

 

The Big Sleep (1946) - "Private investigator Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood to help resolve the gambling debts of his wild young daughter, Carmen (Martha Vickers). Sternwood's older daughter, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), provides assistance when she implies that the situation is more complex, and also involves casino owner (John Ridgely) and a recently disappeared family friend. As people linked to the Sternwoods start being murdered, Marlowe finds himself getting ever deeper into the case."
length: 1 hour, 54 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: having seen To Have and Have Not, the pairing of Bogart and Bacall is enthralling
IMDB: 7.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 8/10

AFI: 100 Years … 100 Heroes and Villains (2003) Hero #34

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'You like to play games, don't you?'

    [meaningful pause] 'Mmm hmmmm" 

directed by: Howard Hawks

my notes: there's no doubting the chemistry between these two, sheesh. Some of the looks that pass between them are so intimate, it's almost painful to watch. It's also a wackadoodle story that careens about for a couple of hours with no clear purpose, but is watchable nonetheless. High marks for the palpable, intense heat, as well as the excellent costuming.

    Roger Ebert's review is here, by which I am amused and charmed. "The Big Sleep is a lust story with a plot about a lot of other things."

overall:  enthusiastically recommended

La Femme Nikita (1990) - "Convicted felon Nikita (Anne Parillaud), instead of going to jail, is given a new identity and trained to be a secret police assassin controlled by the government. Her lonely life is warmed when she falls in love with a man who knows nothing of her mysterious life."
length: 1 hour, 57 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library    
I watched it because: I knew I'd seen it before (2006!) but had not reviewed it. Plus, Jean Reno

    previously mentioned here
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 89% Audience: 84%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "'I'm scared.'

    'The worst's over.'"

directed by: Luc Besson (also wrote and co-produced)

my notes: when I saw this the first time, it really screwed with my head. I think that was more about who I was dating at the time—Nick brought this to me—than the movie itself. I had tagged it "do not see". However, time heals all wounds and some preferences (or fears), so I tried it again. 

    And I loved it.

    It's an uncomfortable film, with some scenes that are offensive, or scary, or intense and chaotic. There are also some unexpected, touching moments (Jeanne Moreau as Amande, teaching Nikita about grace) and also some real joy. I love, love, love Tchécky Karyo as Bob. It's such a tough role and he's superb. The expression at the end of the clip below ... brilliant. Naturally, Jean Reno (Victor the Cleaner) is terrific. 

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I strongly agree.

overall: highly recommended

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - "In 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organization's ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians."
length: 2 hours, 7 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Stephen Graham... all favorites
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 84% Audience: 65%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: R (probably for the owl scene, which is unforgettable)

notable quote: "After today, Peter, you have to assume they're watching you. If there's anything you need tidied up, now's the time."

directed by: Tomas Alfredson

my notes: I thought that Tchécky Karyo in La Femme Nikita brilliantly conveyed a character of supreme, stoic quiet—and then I saw Gary Oldman in this film, imbuing Smiley with a similar mien, and realize that I'm drawn to such characters. It's an extremely twisty film and I'm sure I didn't catch all the layers. 

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I agree, most of all that "the screenplay ... is not a model of clarity. I confess I was confused some of the time and lost at other times; the viewer needs to hold in mind a large number of characters, a larger number of events and an infinite number of possibilities."

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Oldman

• Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay—Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

• Best Music, Original Score—Alberto Iglesias
overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from The Big Sleep]