POINT BLANK is an early outing for DELIVERANCE director John Boorman, who acquits himself ably with the hard-boiled crime format. Tough guy Lee Marvin stars in one of his most memorable roles as a small-time gangster who's double-crossed by his partner and his own wife!
The story sees Marvin going on a rampage of revenge as he tracks down various gangsters who owe him money, including a deliciously slimy John Vernon and other effective character actors. Angie Dickinson shows up as a femme fatale, while Boorman has style to spare, creating a gorgeous-looking movie full of sun-bleached city-scapes.
In fact, as a movie, POINT BLANK ticks many of the boxes in its journey to the twist ending. The action is sparse and well-handled; Marvin's tough beyond belief in the type of role that Charles Bronson would later make his own; the plot is lean and mean, and there are some wonderful set-pieces, like the bit in the drainage canal. Altogether a fine little movie and one of the most impressive of its decade.
The story sees Marvin going on a rampage of revenge as he tracks down various gangsters who owe him money, including a deliciously slimy John Vernon and other effective character actors. Angie Dickinson shows up as a femme fatale, while Boorman has style to spare, creating a gorgeous-looking movie full of sun-bleached city-scapes.
In fact, as a movie, POINT BLANK ticks many of the boxes in its journey to the twist ending. The action is sparse and well-handled; Marvin's tough beyond belief in the type of role that Charles Bronson would later make his own; the plot is lean and mean, and there are some wonderful set-pieces, like the bit in the drainage canal. Altogether a fine little movie and one of the most impressive of its decade.