Perhaps it's not really the Sam Peckinpah movie some people expect it
to be but it's a real fine movie nonetheless.
It's not as violent as other Peckinpah movies (at least not till its final 20 minutes or so) and it's actually being more of a psychological thriller than anything else really. It's also a more of slow moving and subtly build up one, that takes its time to set up its character and to build up all of its tension.
But saying this is a psychological thriller doesn't mean it's being a very typical one as well. It's still a movie with its very own style and approach to the genre. It's as if Sam Peckinpah ignored the existence of all of the other genre movies out there and simply decided to do his own thing with it. The result is a real unique looking and feeling genre movie, that is a greatly constructed- and acted out one.
The style gets only enhanced by the fact that this is a '70's movie. That means that it's filled with some nice looking and experimental camera-work and editing. It's mostly a dark and gritty looking movie, that perfectly captures the atmosphere of rural England.
Because it's being a somewhat slower moving movie, it mostly relies on its characters and actors to keep things going and interesting. And this movie manages well with doing so. What I liked about Dustin Hoffman's performance and character was that he was being a very average guy, in about every way imaginable. And even more than that; he was being somewhat of a weakling and pushover, until things go too far.
Like basically every Peckinpah movie, this movie has a big and violent showdown, with still a very humane and emotional touch to it. Lets just say it's like "Home Alone" gone wild, after the main character finally decides to make a stand against the 'evil' townspeople. It's not half as ridicules as it might sound to you and it's something that absolutely works out well, since it's basically the moment the entire movie had been building up to.
A greatly done psychological thriller with some rich characters and great depth to it as well.
8/10
It's not as violent as other Peckinpah movies (at least not till its final 20 minutes or so) and it's actually being more of a psychological thriller than anything else really. It's also a more of slow moving and subtly build up one, that takes its time to set up its character and to build up all of its tension.
But saying this is a psychological thriller doesn't mean it's being a very typical one as well. It's still a movie with its very own style and approach to the genre. It's as if Sam Peckinpah ignored the existence of all of the other genre movies out there and simply decided to do his own thing with it. The result is a real unique looking and feeling genre movie, that is a greatly constructed- and acted out one.
The style gets only enhanced by the fact that this is a '70's movie. That means that it's filled with some nice looking and experimental camera-work and editing. It's mostly a dark and gritty looking movie, that perfectly captures the atmosphere of rural England.
Because it's being a somewhat slower moving movie, it mostly relies on its characters and actors to keep things going and interesting. And this movie manages well with doing so. What I liked about Dustin Hoffman's performance and character was that he was being a very average guy, in about every way imaginable. And even more than that; he was being somewhat of a weakling and pushover, until things go too far.
Like basically every Peckinpah movie, this movie has a big and violent showdown, with still a very humane and emotional touch to it. Lets just say it's like "Home Alone" gone wild, after the main character finally decides to make a stand against the 'evil' townspeople. It's not half as ridicules as it might sound to you and it's something that absolutely works out well, since it's basically the moment the entire movie had been building up to.
A greatly done psychological thriller with some rich characters and great depth to it as well.
8/10
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