Nobody

Yesterday I tripped over a movie called:

Nobody (2007).

Not to be confused with the Bob Odenkirk movie called Nobody from 2021, this is a small, I guess indie movie, written and directed by Shawn Linden and starring Costas Mandylor and Ed O'Ross, amongst others.

Now, this will be pretty spoiler heavy or I can't do more than tell you that I watched it. That's okay though, since Nobody is a movie that is all about the experience rather than the plot, which is pretty confusing to follow.

Nobody is a Neo-Noir movie set in some kind of mid 20^th century city. No location is ever given, all we know is that there is an empty city, a lake and it's winter.

Our main character is Mortemain (Mandylor), a hitman dressed in black, complete with wide brimmed hat, a long coat with a broad fur collar and occasionally black shoe polish on his face. In the opening scene, he holds a gun to the head of local gangster boss Rolo Toles (O´Ross) and takes a package from him. Later, while making a call to his employer from a phone booth, he notices a man in a similar coat and hat stalking him. A running gun fight takes place and while Mortemain escapes, he is wounded. He goes to a ratty hotel to get a room, but to his surprise he already has a room. Later on, he returns to the boat where the terrified Toles is hiding with his men and to his shock overhears himself having the same conversation with Toles that he did earlier. Soon he follows himself to the same phone-booth and the same gunfight ensues.

Nobody is a loop movie. Or a movie about hell. Maybe some kind of dimension movie or... I don't know. As I said, the movie is very confusing, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that Nobody is incredibly stylish and atmospheric. I had to pause the movie early on to check that the director wasn't Alex Proyas, who made The Crow (1994), Dark City (1998) and I, Robot (2004). Clearly the director is Shawn Linden, but Nobody looks like a cross between Dark City and Miller's Crossing (1990).

Frankly I can't remember whether the movie has any music or not, so never mind that. I don't remember because the plot is so convoluted, even though it makes sense in a way and because scene after scene, shot after shot are so nice. Dark paintings come to life was a thought that bounced through my brain while watching.

There is a total of fourteen actors in this movie and they are all fine, but it is the interaction between Mandylor and O'Ross that matters and it is really good. The cold blooded Mortemain contrasts nicely with the snarling, screaming Toles. Mortemain tries to figure out what is going on and how to break the loop, while in between rants and threats, Toles frantically prays for the night to be over as he can't take much more.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes. Nobody isn't rated very highly which is a shame, but I think people are turned off because of the weird plot. I enjoyed it a great deal, and if you enjoy movies like Dark City and Miller's Crossing with the same sort of mystery as in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, then have at it, you should have a good time. If you want to turn off the brain and relax, choose another movie.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!

 

Dead Man Walking

Today I want to talk about something a bit different.

Today we're talking about an extremely rare phenomena called Dead Man Walking. There are books, songs, albums and other idioms called Dead Man Walking, but we are only interested in the super rare tornadoes called Dead Man Walking.

From what I found out, these tornadoes are multi vortex tornadoes, that is a tornado that has more than one visible funnel. This is rare in itself, but if the conditions are right, or very wrong depending on your perspective, you can get a tornado that looks like it is walking across the land instead of gliding like they normally do.

These Dead Man Walking tornadoes seem to always be EF5 storms, or tornadoes that reach up to 200 mph / 320 kph winds. This is strong enough to cause severe damage to anything they come across, but the Dead Man Walking tornadoes can be even worse.

The name comes from Native American myths, and it is said that if you see one, you're going to die. Legends aside, being anywhere near a tornado is dangerous, but winds that strong can hurl tanker trucks long distances, and a small piece of debris traveling 300+ kph can easily kill you, so it's an understandable myth.

I'm linking a video about the Jarrel Tornado below. If you like storms watch it. It was a scary but fascinating video. Normal tornado is already scary, but seeing it slowly walk across the land, slowly destroying everything it touches is incredibly creepy. It's the kind of thing that can trigger more than one phobia, none of which I have, but it really creeped me out. I know you have to see it from the right perspective and all, but it is and always will be terrifying.

If you don't want to watch the whole video, go to about the 40 second mark and you can see the Dead Man Walking.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xRjHPusRC4

 

 

 

No Way Out

Yesterday I watched:

No Way Out (1973),

aka, Big Guns and Tony Arzenta.

Minor spoilers ahead, even though several synopses mention this anyway.

Tony Arzenta (Alain Delon) is a hitman for an international crime syndicate. He is very good at his job and he's been doing it a long time. He is however married to Anna (Nicoletta Machiavelli) and they have a son, so for their sake, he wants out. He goes to his boss Nick Gusto (Richard Conte, The Godfather) and tells him he is out. Gusto is not sure the other bosses will agree as Tony knows too much. To no ones surprise, they refuse and accidentally kills Tony's wife and son while targeting Tony. Tony, obsessed with a desire for revenge sets out to kill all the bosses.

If you think this sounds familiar, it is. Variations on the theme are common, including John Wick. The variation comes from whether the main character is a killer by trade and who exactly gets killed to spark the roaring rampage of revenge.

The plot in No Way Out is not actually very interesting in itself. You can pretty easily tell what is going to happen to whom very early on. There were a couple of minor surprises here and there, just enough to keep you guessing, but nothing out of the ordinary.

No Way Out is a French Italian production, set mostly in Milan and Sicily, but a good part is filmed on location in Copenhagen which was a neat change of venue.

With the plot being somewhat lackluster, what makes this movie interesting? The way it is filmed! No Way Out has some really good car chases / stunts and the overall cinematography is spectacular. I had to rewind a couple of times just to take in the shot composition, it is that good.

The other elements, like acting, music and so on are fine, no complaints, but for my money, No Way Out is worth watching just for how nice it looks. I will say that the characters are well written. Tony isn't an 80's action hero. He isn't bullet proof, he gets tired and the thugs he has to face are really nasty and despicable. There is nothing glamorous in any of the crimes being committed. It's all dirty and grubby from start to finish. On top of that, there are many faces familiar to fans of 70's cinema, including two who appear in The Godfather, Richard Conte who plays Don Barzini and Corrado Gaipa who plays Don Tommasino. Solid actors, no doubt about it.

So, do I recommend this movie? For fans of 70's action, yes. No Way Out is a bit slow at times but all in all it comes through as a solid and very enjoyable revenge story. Despite its pedestrian plot, it is well worth watching.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

Rulers of the City

Today we're talking about:

Rulers of the City (1976),

aka Mister Scarface, this Italian crime comedy/thriller is written and directed by Fernando Di Leo, who has been featured three time before on this blog with; Caliber 9, The Italian Connection and The Boss.

Where the three above mentioned movies are quite heavy, Rulers of the City is much more lighthearted. Even when people get brutally murdered, it's not that bad. The movie doesn't dwell on the violence that much and the tone never gets too dark. It's almost in the same vein as an action adventure movie in that sense.

The story is this:

We meet Tony (Harry Baer), a handsome and happy young man who collects gambling debts for his mid level gangster boss, Luigi, who runs an illegal gambling and loan sharking business. Tony would like to rise in the ranks, but is told to wait his turn. One night, a young man, Rick (Al Cliver) accuses the house of cheating and is kicked out. He then returns in the entourage of high level gangster Scarface Manzari (Jack Palance). Scarface is angry that someone disrespected one of his men and takes all the “casinos” loose cash in return for a check no one is going to dare to cash. Rick is then beaten and thrown out of the gang for being stupid enough to let himself get cheated in the first place.

Tony helps Rick and they become good friends. Being young and cocky, Tony soon volunteers to get Luigi's money back and that sparks off a gang war with the two young men and their older ex-pickpocket adviser in the middle.

Rulers of the City is set in Rome, a place Di Leo knew very well, and he brings it to life in a way that is a joy to watch. The cinematography is first rate, and the acting is good. The fight scenes are excellent, illustrating that these criminals know how to handle themselves. Tony especially knows how to fight and makes it look effortless and almost fun. We get some good chases, both on foot and in vehicles and the gunfights are really nice.

Rulers of the City is one of those rare crime comedies that somehow manages to keep its focus and balance, without veering into either too much slapstick or becoming too heavy due to the serious subject matter.

So, do I recommend this movie? Absolutely! You could accuse Rulers of the City of being a bit slow, and you'd be right, but this movie is all about the journey. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy, and the movie takes care of the rest. Rulers of the City is a rare gem in that it manages to be both grim and brutal without being the least depressing. A mean feat and one to be lauded. If you have any love for 70's cinema or just want a fun time, give it a go, just don't take it too seriously.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

Assassinorum: Kingmaker

I recently finished reading:

Assassinorum: Kingmaker,

and I want to talk about it.

This standalone novel set in the Warhammer 40.000 (40k) universe is written by Robert Rath, and is set in the most recent timeline in 40k.

Three assassins are sent to a Knight world, a planet ruled by two noble houses, where the nobles pilot huge bipedal war machines, called Knights. Their job is to kill the current High Monarch before he secedes from the Imperium of Man, while causing as little damage as possible and steering the election of a new High Monarch in a way favorable to the Imperium. This seems at first to be an impossible task, but the characters aren't just deadly in combat, they are smart.

From the start, Rath sets up believable and compelling characters that are easy to like. Not a small task since Imperial Assassins are a truly brutal bunch. He also weaves in many elements that might come into play later, but in such a way, that you don't notice them. There is a theater concept called Chekov's Gun, that states that if you show the audience a gun, it has to be used at some point in the play. Rath manages to hide his Chekov's Guns amongst the rich details of this book all without overloading you with details. A hard task many authors fail at, but Rath pulls off with aplomb.

I have read a lot of novels set in the 40k universe, ranging from very good to completely abysmal, and I can confidently say that Assassinorum. Kingmaker is up there with the best. Many fans recommend the famous Eisenhorn Trilogy as the best place for a completely new reader to start, and I don't disagree, but after finishing with Eisenhorn, I highly recommend Assassinorum: Kingmaker.

A lot of the books in 40k are understandable focused on war, with the setting originally being just a tabletop war game, and this can be a bit boring for those who are just getting into Warhammer. What both Eisenhorn and Assassinorum: Kingmaker do so well is skirt around most of the battle stuff and instead show you what sits behind all the warring, in the cultures, the worlds and everything else that happens in the setting before and on the side of the battles.

All in all, Assassinorum: Kingmaker is an exciting book that never gets dull or bogged down, is always on point and constantly managed to surprise me even though I've been a Warhammer fan since the late 1980's. It felt fresh and fun all throughout.

If you are a fan of 40k and you haven't given Assassinorum: Kingmaker a chance, you are doing yourself a disservice, it really is that good. I wish I could tell you more about it, but that would spoil it and it doesn't deserve that.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!