The Grifters (1990)

Director: Stephen Frears
Writers: Jim Thompson (novel), Donald E. Westlake
DOP: Oliver Stapleton
Cast: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Benning

A small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend-- both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

I decided on watching the film after doing a simple Google search of neo-noir films and the name of the director seemed familiar (Philomena, High Fidelity). It turned out to be an adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel whose another novel was recently adapted as 'Killer Inside Me' which is a favorite of mine. The film has a very play like feel to it and the color tone and settings reminded me of Robert Altman's 'The Player'. It doesn't do any spoon-feeding at the beginning and it takes a while for you to figure out what their game plan is. John Cusack's character is playing short cons, while his girlfriend is in it for the long game. His mother is doing it professionally by massaging the odds for a menacing bookmaker. Both the mother and the girlfriend are stylistically similar in appearance which suggests the Oedipal nature of the relationships that becomes quite apparent towards the end.

There are many films featuring con-men but they tend to be always about a big con that they are trying to pull. This one is a bit different and is more of a character study. Both the leading ladies got Oscar nominations for the film and they do outshine John Cusack. It is a very good watch even though it takes a bit of time to get going.

Rating: 3.5/5

High Fidelity (2000)

Director: Stephen Frears
Writers:  Nick Hornby, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, Scott Rosenberg
Cast:       John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black

Rob, a record store owner who is fond of listing out his top fives on everything, recounts his top five breakups including the one in progress.

It is an adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel with the same name but location shifted to Chicago in stead of London. I have been meaning to read this, having bought a second hand one, but didn't get to it. Decided to watch the film after seeing Frears' 'Philomena' recently. The film is full of clever dialogs driven through narration and even has Bruce Springsteen making a cameo appearance. Performance by John Cusack is really good as he is totally immersed into the role as a snob who is not all that into what others feel even as he struggles to understand why he always ends up getting dumped. After recounting his top five breakups he proceeds to call each one of them up in a 'What does it all mean?' quest as Charlie, the number four, puts it. 

The film is predictable as romatic comedies go, with them getting back together again but the whole point is what happens between the beginning and end. It   is a very good watch but I would have liked it to be set in London itself.

Rating: 3.5/5

Philomena (2013)

Director: Stephen Frears
Writers:  Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
Cast:       Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clerk

A jobless political spin doctor picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her around fifty years ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in an Irish catholic convent.

The film is based on true events with Steve Coogan playing the role of former BBC journalist and spin-doctor Martin Sixsmith. It was great to see Coogan playing a normal kind of role in a drama, albeit with a great deal of humor. Like his character says cynically at one point when he first hears about the story, it is a human interest story for 'vulnerable, weak-minded, ignorant people'. This self awareness helps the film in not ending up as a melodrama largely because of Steve Coogan's script and the performances by the two leads. It also plays up on the odd couple road movie genre sensibilities with Martin Sixsmith being a posh Oxford-educated cynical atheist and Philomena, a religious and naive Irish old woman that many could relate to their mother/grand-mother. It is a very good watch that largely plays by the genre rules.

Rating: 3.5/5