A slow moving, but "quality" murder mystery that manages some sub-plots.
Here's my breakdown:
STORY: "Money makes the world go round ..." and here it affords an investigation, a missing person hunt.
Aside from the obvious plot of solving the mystery of a missing person, we have sub-plots that open up along the way. Some of these don't really offer much, others are just trendy (for the time), and others help balance an otherwise creepy but tepid story.
The story is unusual, but that quality fades as we're left waiting until the very end ... slowly ...
ACTING: Superb acting by Fonda and Sutherland, both being consummate artists. My only complaints are two: >> Fonda so often got pegged as the seductress when her skills were so much greater, often exceeding peers >> Some of the acting feels TV-ish, so I won't be surprised if the production crew include TV-moles
Frankly, this film's worth is (mostly) a result of the actors pulling the slow-moving and burdensome story around.
ENTERTAINMENT: Moderate value
TEMPO: Slow, very slow
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Decent, but shot very tight in close quarters which adds to the "TV feel"
MUSIC / SOUND: The creepy background music is effective initially, but eventually becomes redundant (mix it up)
DIRECTING / WRITING: Director: I think Pakula was a capable director, and of the films I've viewed, these are how I'd stack them: >> "Klute" (1971) - Good >> "The Parallax View" (1974) - Lousy (the case with most Warren Beatty films) >> "All the President's Men" (1976) - Good >> "Sophie's Choice" (1982) - Excellent (Meryl Streep :)
Notice a pattern?
Writers: The Lewis brothers were about 99% TV writers ... surprise!
Is it a good film? Yes
Should you watch this once? Yes
Rating: 7.5.
Here's my breakdown:
STORY: "Money makes the world go round ..." and here it affords an investigation, a missing person hunt.
Aside from the obvious plot of solving the mystery of a missing person, we have sub-plots that open up along the way. Some of these don't really offer much, others are just trendy (for the time), and others help balance an otherwise creepy but tepid story.
The story is unusual, but that quality fades as we're left waiting until the very end ... slowly ...
ACTING: Superb acting by Fonda and Sutherland, both being consummate artists. My only complaints are two: >> Fonda so often got pegged as the seductress when her skills were so much greater, often exceeding peers >> Some of the acting feels TV-ish, so I won't be surprised if the production crew include TV-moles
Frankly, this film's worth is (mostly) a result of the actors pulling the slow-moving and burdensome story around.
ENTERTAINMENT: Moderate value
TEMPO: Slow, very slow
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Decent, but shot very tight in close quarters which adds to the "TV feel"
MUSIC / SOUND: The creepy background music is effective initially, but eventually becomes redundant (mix it up)
DIRECTING / WRITING: Director: I think Pakula was a capable director, and of the films I've viewed, these are how I'd stack them: >> "Klute" (1971) - Good >> "The Parallax View" (1974) - Lousy (the case with most Warren Beatty films) >> "All the President's Men" (1976) - Good >> "Sophie's Choice" (1982) - Excellent (Meryl Streep :)
Notice a pattern?
Writers: The Lewis brothers were about 99% TV writers ... surprise!
Is it a good film? Yes
Should you watch this once? Yes
Rating: 7.5.