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13 Rue Madeleine: I have to be honest, I really wasn't looking forward to having to watch this movie when I first tuned in. The feeling didn't improve much for the first 20 minutes or so of the film; for me it took a long time to really get heated. But once it did, I was riveted. I wanted to figure out who the double agent was and I got the answer wrong at first, until I started paying attention and putting the signs together. James Cagney had a very realistic style of acting, I realized while watching this movie. He wasn't overly dramatic, not too serious, just realistic. An effortless blend to me is what separates the actors from the true legends. The movie wasn't overly thrilling or dramatic, but it was realistic, was based upon something that was a very real threat and covered it well. Once the movie had my interest, however, boy did it have it. I didn't want to miss a moment, for missing one moment once the movie got rolling would throw you off. Some hard decisions were made throughout the movie and this was not a "happily ever after," a very real result of war. I think it was important that especially for the time period the movie was created in to keep it as realistic as possible, and I think they accomplished the goal. One thing I like is that in films of yesteryear, they weren't afraid to axe the main character, to kill off the big name stars. Sometimes in tv shows today, you pretty much know that the main characters or the big names aren't going anywhere and this often takes away from the realism of the show or movie. They're getting back to that element of surprise these days thank heavens, but I did see that in this movie and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm still not sold on war flicks, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. I can see why this movie scored right in the middle on the ratings and reviews, and it wasn't through fault of the actors or even the plot. It wasn't too thrilling, was just interesting enough to catch the eye, wasn't too boring, wasn't too much of anything. It was just okay, and that was okay with me.
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Compulsion: One of the first notes I took on this movie was "Judd seems to have a conscience. Artie, however, does not and he seems to be taking Judd's away from him because the other wants Artie's approval so badly." and it was dead on. Within the first 5 minutes of the movie, I could immediately tell who the leader and who the follower was in this duo. Artie got a perverse pleasure out of a number of things--committing crimes, the power he gained from committing said crimes, the joy he got out of pretending he didn't know a thing and ordering Judd. He called crime "beautiful." If you were paying attention, his eagerness "to help" hid just the slightest desperation to not be discovered, therefore his reasoning for tagging along with the reporters to see their every move. It was creepy to watch, at least for me. I wanted him to get caught so badly. I found it so odd how condescending and rebellious Judd was with others, yet how submissive he was with Artie, so desperate for the other man's approval. They behaved like lovers, if you ask me, not friends. The way that Judd would want Artie to "order" him to do something, and from that moment would look and behave as if in a trance, seemed to get off by being ordered, seemed like the behavior of a submissive lover trying to get the Master's approval. Yet he seemed to look tortured in the very next breath after desiring to be ordered to commit a crime. It was strange to watch. He wanted the approval of a man who had no loyalty to him, alluded to such earlier in the movie and I can say that one complaint I had with the movie was how it glossed over the actual crime. I can sort of understand why though; directors weren't as daring back then and the public wouldn't have been as accepting of watching a young boy killed on-screen, especially because the story was based upon real-life events. For all of his intelligence, Artie's slip-up toward the middle of the film was elementary and that's always where those who feel they are above the world make their mistakes. Same for Judd, which led to his eventual confession. I can't necessarily say I loved this movie which is why I didn't give it a full five, but I found it to be very intriguing. To tell the truth, my eye wasn't even on Orson Welles; my eye was on the two who committed the crime. They did a damn good job and I enjoyed watching the psychological game they played with the world...and each other.
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Edge of the City: Not going to lie, this was another one I was kind of reluctant to watch, even though it starred Sidney Poitier. I just couldn't see myself enjoying it too much, which is one reason why this review post is so late. It was nice to see an interracial friendship at a time when it definitely wasn't a good thing to be Black. Tommy (Poitier) and Axel (Cassavetes) seemed to make fast friends and it seemed genuine from day one, very believable. I loved their friendship, despite the obstacles Tommy had a easygoing and lighthearted nature about him, and I think he helped Axel belong somewhere for the first time in awhile. There was something different about this movie. It wasn't a romance, wasn't a crime drama, wasn't a straight drama (to me), it was a movie about life happening to these two characters and I guess that's why I felt it moved rather slow. The lack of loyalty towards the end of the movie broke my heart though. One major complaint that I had about this movie was how much of a coward Axel was; it pissed me off. So quick to run away from problems. His cowardice was selfish and gutless. But that was more a character complaint that needed to be there more than a complaint with the movie. Finally, though, Axel gained his juevos and justice was served. The friendship between the men was true blue and loyal to a fault on Tommy's part; but in the end Axel finally manned up and paid proper tribute to his friend, which I enjoyed. Glad I decided to watch this movie.
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