Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967)

So, I finally get The Limey.

Steven Soderbergh's 1999 crime drama (one of my absolute favorites of his films) tells the story of a vengeful Brit trying to put the pieces of his daughter's mysterious death together. The director has stated more than once, including, if I remember correctly, on the audio commentary for the film, that John Boorman's Point Blank is one of his favorite films and a big influence on the story, visuals and editing for The Limey.

This makes sense. Boorman's film is similarly a 'man on a mission'-type flick, with Lee Marvin playing a wronged crook after his share of some stolen cash. Slickly shot (the 35mm print that screened was gorgeous, and absolutely begging for a Blu-Ray release) and well paced, Point Blank is certainly a cool movie.

But is it a very good one? I'm not so sure. Combining film noir and the French New Wave is a novel idea, and it works with varying degrees of success. The editing is excellent throughout, cutting from past to present with appropriately jarring effects, and it's no surprise why Soderbergh was struck by this. Where the film comes up short is in the acting and story departments. Lee Marvin isn't given much to do besides kick a lot of ask and yell about his money, and most of the supporting cast doesn't fare much better (but hey, at least we get Angie Dickinson looking all sorts of hot). And though the film moves along at a decent clip, the whole 'chasing the money' angle gets a little tedious towards the end.

Overall, is it a cool movie? For sure. An influential one? Definitely (though I prefer The Limey without hesitation). A good one? Meh. [C+] 92min, 35mm