longrifles

This is great stuff, if not perfect. Charles Bronson gives a great performance here as the wronged man out for justice, which is a standard Elmore Leonard set-piece. (See "Valdez is Coming" and "Hombre".) But I never get tired of these situations as he writes them, because the stories are all unique, thrilling, well told, and (if you stretch a little) believable. Majestyk is a simple guy who just wants to get his melon crop in, but he steps on some toes, winds up in the drunk tank, and then accidentally foils a ham handed attempt to break a big time criminal out of the same jail. Well, he's too much for any of them when the crap hits the fan, and of course he can't be bought off. He just wants to get his melons in, remember? One thing leads to another, the criminals come to get him, and you can fill in the blanks from there. But it isn't all cut and paste; there is some really good story telling here and bravura performances by the man who plays the main criminal. (His hame escapes me, but he was also the bad guy in "The Getaway".) When things get hot and heavy, he looks at Majestyk with grudging admiration and says "You know something? You move, melon picker. You don't say much...but you move!" True fact, and so does this movie, which is also the home of one of the two or three best car chases on film, along with "Bullitt", although this time it isn't a Mustang, but a good old Ford F-150. What could be more perfect? Also a nice job by the man who plays the worthless little weasel wannabe crook...you just want to slap him. Neither side likes him worth a flip. Great fun.

This is a rollercoaster of a movie, one with everything you want in a good film. It is probably as close as you'll get to an accurate portrayal of the longhunter culture that existed in the eastern frontier from the 1740s to perhaps 1810, where frontiersmen like Nathaniel Bumppo got "off the boat" from Europe and, in a very brief time, learned to out-Indian the Indians. The film is gorgeous to look at, with incredible scenery and everything bathed in a rich, liquid light. The script is sophisticated and tight, and the movie pulls you along at a good clip. Boredom is not a problem. Sure there are inaccuracies here and there, and the truth of the 18th century frontier is a much better tale than any fiction you'll ever read about it, but all in all this is a grand effort, and one that will probably become a screen classic. The real star of the show, however, is Magwa, played by Cherokee actor Wes Studi. He gives an absolutely chilling performance as a man deeply harmed by the gruelling life of the frontier, who seeks to exact vengeance. Imagine yourself and your family in a tiny cabin in the middle of an old growth wilderness, in 1750, with Magwa and several other men like him trying to beat your door down to do God knows what (kill you quickly? torture you slowly? steal some sugar and tobacco and go away? take you captive and treat you like a brother? kidnap your children and leave you to wail with grief?) and you get some idea of what life must have been like for our forefathers. Last of the Mohicans makes the past come alive for 2 hours, which is all you can ask.

...there is nothing like a Grateful Dead show." Truer words were never spoken. This film portrays as nearly as possible the concert experience of the Grateful Dead. Although it was shot in 74, it could as well have been 84 or 94, because things never changed that much. The music is as timeless as "Greensleeves" or "Amazing Grace", and therefore will never go out of style. (How hip do you think Eminem will seem in 25 years?) Like Levis, the Dead are forever, and this film catches them on a really good night, one of thousands, when heaven came down very close to earth, and if you reached up high over your head, you could brush it with your fingertips. If you never saw the Dead, that's too bad, but this movie is pretty damn close. 1974 - wow. Jerry looked so young then. But didn't we all?