FILM LIST
No Way Out (15) (Roger Donaldson, US, 1987) Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young. 114 mins. Few will readily recall the 1948 production The Big Clock in which Charles Laughton's repulsively tyrannical magazine editor inadvertently sets his ace crime reporter, Ray Milland, the task ol solving a murder that he had committed. This contemporary reworking of that basic premise is worlds removed lrom its predecessor but makes terrific entertainment in its own right; a wily fox of a thriller that keeps the adrenalin flowing and the brain permanently locked in top gear. Kevin Costner, he of the thousand-
watt charisma, is straight-as-a-die naval hero Tom Farrell. Above the petty political lray, he is assigned to Washington as a uselul liaison officer between the Secretary oi Delense David Brice (Gene Hackman) and the CIA. Hitting the Washington social scene, he has a frenzied backseat encounter with the tempting Susan Atwell (Sean Young), initially unaware that he is sharing her iavours with Brice. When Brice learns of her iniidelity he storms into a jealous rage and accidentally murders her. Facing the ruination of his public career, he turns to his trusty assistant Pritchard (Will Patton) who organises a monumental cover-up that uses Brice’s recollection of a shadowy ligure at Susan’s house to pin the blame on a iictitious Soviet agent. Farrell is
ex-cop Ford tries to track down his wife's killer and nab a crime ring with the assistance of (irahame's sympathetic tnoll. Marvin is a blisteringly vicious villain; stubbingout cigarettes on a human ash-tray and scalding Grahame with the contents of a coffee pot. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
I Bigloot and the Hendersons ( PG) (William Dear. US. 1987) John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon. Don Arneche. lllmins. Disneyesque family adventure in which the all-American Hendersons crash into the legendary Bigfoot and adopt the surprisingly genial beastie as a domestic pet with predictable complications from the neighbours and blood-hungry hunters. Strathclyde; Cannon. ()deon Ayr. ()deon Hamilton
I Bloody Kids ( 15) (Stephen l’rears. 13K. 1979) Derrick ()‘(‘onner. (iary l lolton. Richard Thomas. 91 mins. Rare opportunity to see an earlier l-‘rears film. form a Stephen Poliakoff script. which concentrates on the criminal misdemeanours of a group ofpre-teen tearaways. Some undue straining after social significance. but (‘hris Menges does wonders with the hallucinatory emptiness ofthe city at night. Edinburgh; (‘ameo
I Blue Collar ( 18) (Paul Schrader. US. 1978) Richard Pryor. Harvey Keitel. Yaphet Kotto. 114 mins. Schrader's directorial debut concentrates on three production-line workers in the motor industry and their ill—fated attemptsto
uncompromising portrayal of the corruption of union ideals amonga workforce more interested in self-serving schemes than brotherly solidarity. Hard-edged. intelligent and worth seeing. Edinburgh; Cameo
I Business As Usual ( 15) ( Lein-An Barrett. UK. 1987) Glenda Jackson.John
blackmail their own union. Well-acted and
NO WAY OUT
assigned to the case and placed in the invidious position of both knowing Brice’s guilt and being the ligure in the shadows. With the entire resources or the Pentagon at his disposal, he becomes caught in a tightening noose as the finger or fabricated suspicion moves closer and closer in his direction.
A splendidly duplicitous plotline is loaded with double-dealing and an all too plausible atmosphere of a Watergate-style nightmare being seamlessly orchestrated by the supposed guardians oi the nation’s well-being. Roger Donaldson, with the help oi the script and performances, is a line judge of pace, creating the space
'l‘haw. ('athy Tyson. 89mins. The manageress ofa Liverpool boutique is unfairly dismissed by an odious area supervisor for complaining to him about his sexual harassment ofone of the female staff. Her fight for reinstatement rouses her politcal consciousness but takes its toll of her marriage to a former union activist.
Intelligent and provocative tale that
entertaininegexplorescontemporary British politics through the personal and domestic problems of an individual. Sympathetic performances all round. including a perfect Glenda Jackson. A laudable and unexpected delight from (‘annon‘s defunct New Directors Fund. (ilasgow: (EFT I The Color Purple (15) (Steven Spielberg. LS. 1985) Whoopi Goldberg. Danny Glover. Margaret Avery. 152 mins. Spielberg turns serious with this watered down version of Alice Walker‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that emerges as a kind of American feminist David Lean-style epic. Goldberg makes a magnificent screen debut as the downtrodden heroine and the calculated onslaught on the emotions is hard to resist. Edinburgh; EUFS I Come and See (15) (Elem Kllmov. USSR. 1985) Alexei Kravchanko. ()lga Mironova. Luibomiras Laucevicius. 142 mins. Byelorussia. near the Polish border. 1943. A village is systematically razed to the ground and its inhabitants exterminated by the Nazi invaders.
An appalling indictment of Nazi atrocities executed with a darkly expressionistic brio that becomes cumulatively fascinating and horrifying. Not recommended for those ofa nervous disposition.‘ Edinburgh; Filmhouse
I The Crazies (18) (George Romero, US. 1973) Lane Carroll. W.G. McMillan. Lynn Lowry. 103 mins. Leakage from a
Pi
;' ‘t g“ 9 «.1 i. f ;
tor characters to develop and subplots to unravel whilst never stinting on the genre requisites of exciting chases and nail-devouring tension. Gene Hackman is a shade understated as the compromised politician but the other performances are top notch, particularly Sean Young’s vibrant victim and Patton‘s obviously devoted hatchet man. Costner easily conlirms the star potential of The Untouchables and is all you could ask for in a screen hero— lean, athletic, resourceful and staggeringly sexy.
A rare instance oi a thrillerthat thrills and doesn’t outstay its welcome, No Way Out remains irresistibly devious to the very last drop. (Allan Hunter)
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chernical wartare experiment gets intothe water supply and turns its victims into violent maniacs. so the US Army stepin for a clean-up operation that will enable the accident to remain a secret. Well-handled. less bloody version of familiar Romero material . with the white-clad military cutting sinister figures. lidinburgh: l'iliiihthisc‘
I The Cremator(15)(.luraj Herz.(‘zech. 1968) Rudolf l lrusinsky. Jiri Menzel. 102 mins. A dedicated crematorium employee becomes even happier in is work as the fascist movement gathers momentum. lixpertly shifting from black comedy to the letli-century morality fable ofthe latter stages. this is essential viewing for those who can take it. Edinburgh; EUFS
I Cry Freedom (PU) (Richard Attenborough. LS. 1987) Denzel Washington. Kevin Kline. Penelope Wilton. 158 mins. Although not without its faults. .»\ttenborough‘s biographical re-creation of the friendship between black civil rights activist Steve Bikoand white liberal newspaperman Donald Woods in his best film to date; a powerful and moving drama that also stands as a vigorous condernnaton of the obscenityof apartheid. (ilasgow; (‘annon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh; (‘annon
I Dawn of the Dead 918) (George Romero, US. 1979) Society crumbles under the sudden onslaught of an inexplicable plague of zombies. and a groupof survivors take refuge in a shopping mall. Satisfying combination ofzesty comic
I horror and trenchant social satire. The
main evening performance will be followed by a discussion with artists Hannah Vowles and Glyn Banks on ‘Body Invaders and The Death of the Social'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. The film will also be playing Edinburgh; Cameo
I Days and Nights in the Foresl(U)
(Satyajit Ray. India. 1969) 115 mins. Four friends drive to the country and bribe a forestry worker to let them borrow a cabin. their enCounters with the girls from a nearby village ensure they return home having learned a little about life and love in this typically wise and subtle Ray offering. Edinburgh: Filmhouse
I The Dead (U) (John Huston. UK/W. Germany. 1987) Anjelica Huston. Donal McCann. Helena Carroll. 83 mins. Huston‘s final film is a superb adaptation of the James Joyce Dub/iners short story. Set during a traditional festive celebration in Dublin. its skill and perception draws you into another world where the dinner conversation and general rnerriment reveals universal truths about death and the beauty of true love. Glasgow: (irosvenor
I Desert Hearts ( 18) (Donna Deitch. US. 1985) l lelen Shaver. Patricia (‘harbonneau. Audra Lindley. 91 mins. Reno. Nevada. 1959. Vivian Bellarrives to complete the formalities ofa quick and convenient divorce. Her desert retreat is meant to provide tranquillity and solitude. Instead. the city of gamblers pushes her towards taking a chance on love with an attractive younger woman.
A cornrnendably intelligent and positive lesbian drama. Edinburgh; EUFS
I Dirty Dancing ( 15) (Emile Ardolino. US. 1987)Jcnnifer Grey. Patrick Swayze. 100 mins. Conventional girl-meets-boy from the wrong side of the tracks musical enlivened by a few telling period touches (1963) and some mildly suggestive boogieing. Glasgow; Cannon Clarkston Road. (.‘annon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh; (‘annon
I Down and Out in Beverly Hllls(15)(Paul Mazursky. US. 1986) Richard Dreyfuss. Bette Midler. Nick Nolte. 103 mins. Sugar-coated. reactionary update of Boudu Sauce Dr’s Ifaux. (ientleman tramp Nolte is saved from drowning in the swimming pool of wealthy coat-hanger king Dreyfuss. Recuperating in his plush Beverly l lills pad he becomes an indispensable addition to the household.
Glib. class-divide comedy where the humour is heavily reliant on iii-jokes. slapstick and cute dogs. Edinburgh; (‘ameo
I Duetloane ( 15) (Andrei Konchalovsky. US. 1986) Julie Andrews. Alan Bates. Max Von Sydow. 107 mins. Dismally opened-out treatment ofthe Tom Kempinski play about a world-class musician crippled by multiple sclerosis. Strathclyde; Odeon Ayr
I Easy Rider ( 18) (Dennis Hopper. US. 1969) Dennis l lopper. Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson. 94 mins. Artless. archetypal ‘road‘ movie in which two dope-loving bikers travel the highways and by-waysof America. Dated. low-budget feature with Nicholson especially memorable as a booze-drenched. straitlaced lawyer who is persuaded to join up for the trip. Glasgow: GET
I The Falls(15) (Peter Greenaway. UK. 198()) 185 mins. After the Violent Unknown Events a directory ofsurvivors is complied, many of them mutated by the experience and all of them immortal. The film presents a small section of the names under ‘F’. Grab this chance to Greenaway‘s gargantuan. crazy debut feature. Edinburgh; Filmhousc
I Fatal Attraction (18) (Adrian Lyne. US. 1987) Glenn Close. Michael Douglas. Anne Archer. 119 mins. Happily married lawyer Douglas discovers the price of casual infidelity when his one night stand turns out to be a dangerously psychotic woman who will stop at nothing to gain her man’s affection. Glossy. well-acted misogynistic Hitchcock-style thriller attracting more fuss than it merits. Glasgow; Cannon Clarkston Road, Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Cinema.
12 The List 5 — 18 February 1988