Mulholland Falls - 1996 film review

Mulholland Falls is a very good thriller dating from 1996. I liked the script, acting, camera work, and music, and I'm rather surprised that critical reaction seems to have been mixed, although that eminent film critic Roger Ebert was a fan of the movie, which was set in the early 1950s, a period captured with verve and style.

Nick Nolte, as Maxwell Hoover, leads a four-man squad of the LAPD, apparently based on a real life team, which takes a ruthless approach to law enforcement. The title of the film comes from the cops' habit of dropping miscreants from a great height off Mulholland Drive. Bruce Dern, who makes an impact in a cameo role, is the chief of police who turns a blind eye to his men's violent way with criminals.

A young woman is found dead at a construction site. She seems to have fallen from a great height - but there are no cliffs nearby. She turns out to be a good-time girl called Allison Pond (evocatively played by Jennifer Connelly) and the big twist is that, although Maxwell Hoover is happily married (to the equally attractive Melanie Griffith), he had a torrid six-month affair with Allison.

The plot thickens when a film emerges of Allison having sex with a Very Important Person. I don't want to give spoilers, but the story builds pace after a relatively steady start and I found the plot development - the script was written by Pete Dexter - quite gripping. Dave Grusin's soundtrack is well-crafted, and Chazz Palminteri, who plays Maxwell's sidekick, a man much influenced by his psychiatrist's advice, almost steals the film. All in all, a very entertaining film.