Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Nightmare - 1964 film


Nightmare is a low-budget Hammer movie from 1964 that didn't make a huge impact on its original release. In more recent times, however, a number of critics - including the insightful Sergio Angelini - have expressed appreciation for its twisty plot. So I decided to take a look. The screenwriter and producer was Jimmy Sangster, no stranger to melodrama, and the director was the accomplished camera man Freddie Francis. The title is far from original but at least it's better than the unspeakably bad working title: Here's the Knife, Dear: Now Use it.

The film begins with a young woman of seventeen wandering around a gloomy old building at night and finding herself tormented by another, older woman. This turns out to be a nightmare, and Janet, the young woman in question, proves to be deeply troubled by an incident from her past. She's played by Jennie Linden; the role was originally to be taken by Julie Christie, until she got the chance to appear in that terrific film Billy Liar instead, and wisely seized it. Jennie Linden is okay in the role, but she's no Julie Christie. Her performance is rather one-dimensional.

Accompanied by a sympathetic teacher (Brenda Bruce), Janet goes back home, where she's the responsibility of her guardian, Henry Baxter (David Knight), to whom she is devoted. Henry has arranged for her to be looked after by a companion, Grace (Moira Redmond) and the housekeeper and chauffeur (Irene Richmond and George A. Cooper, who for once plays a sympathetic character) are also supportive of her. But poor Janet continues to be tormented.

There are some jarring elements in the storyline (early on, for instance, we're told that everything in Janet's family life was wonderful - until the day her mother stabbed her father to death - which seems a little hard to believe) and David Knight is unimpressive in a key role. However, the events unfold at a brisk pace and this kept me interested. Not a lost classic by any means, but okay viewing. 

Monday, 10 February 2025

Misery - 1990 film review


I've not read many of Stephen King's novels, though I'm a fan of Danse Macabre, a book about the craft of horror fiction, a genre of which he's a master. I did, however, very much enjoy the film of his book Misery and on watching it again, I found it still hasn't lost its compelling power. Part of the appeal to me comes from the fact that it's a film about writing; there have been quite a few of them, but this is one of the very best, if not the very best. 

Books about the writing process are one thing, and I've no doubt that King's novel, which I still haven't read, is excellent, but writing is rather difficult to film, and it's quite an achievement on the part of Rob Reiner, the director, and his brilliant screenwriter William Goldman, to make the film so pacy and yet create a feeling of authenticity when the creative process is discussed.

James Caan is very good as Paul Sheldon, a capable writer who has made a fortune by writing romantic stories about a character called Misery Chastain. But he's become a prisoner of his success and he wants to write more serious stuff that is more deserving of critical respect. I've talked to commercially successful writers who have faced this dilemma and although many would envy their fame (and wealth) the sort of dilemma that King and Goldman portray is a real one. 

The stand-out performance comes from Kathy Bates, who was little-known when cast as Annie Wilkes, who proclaims herself as Sheldon's 'Number One Fan'. She captures the character's mood swings brilliantly and the result is a truly scary performance. There are excellent supporting roles for Frances Sternhagen and Richard Farnsworth, while Lauren Bacall plays Sheldon's agent. And I do like the fact tha Annie is a big fan of Liberace!

Friday, 7 February 2025

Forgotten Book - Kilo Forty



Miles Tripp's last book appeared as recently (in relative terms) as 1999 and he died the following year. In his day, he was a highly regarded writer, if not a stellar name. But I think it's fair to say that he really is a forgotten author. But I've always found his books interesting and well-written, even if sometimes they reveal a lack of interest in plot that is disconcerting.

Kilo Forty (1963), one of his earliest novels, is regarded in some quarters as his best. I first heard of it when it was included in the 'Curiosities and Singletons' section of the first edition of Julian Symons' Bloody Murder. He said: 'All of the books written by Miles Tripp...under his own name (he has written some commonplace thrillers as John Michael Brett) are about people whose nerve-ends are showing, but Kilo Forty...is outstanding amongst them, a psychological study of the emotional conflicts between four people on holiday by the Red Sea, which explodes into savage violence. There is a touch of Simenon, some similarity to Highsmith, but a sort of tortured veracity runs through the story that is conspicuously Tripp's own.'

Alas, in later editions of the book, Symons did not mention Tripp at all. Perhaps he was disappointed by the later novels; I don't know. At all events, this rather reflected the steady decline of Tripp's reputation as a cutting-edge crime writer. Symons' summary of the novel is spot on, but I wouldn't say that this is an outstanding book, nor even as good as some of the other Tripp books that I've read.

I felt there was a certain waywardness about the way the ingredients of the story were put together. The prose is taut, with no padding, and the unusual setting is well-evoked; Tripp wisely resists the temptation to indulge in a travelogue. But I didn't warm to the characters and the way they behaved towards each other wasn't as compelling as it should have been. So, a bit of a disappointment, given that I had high expectations. 


Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Spy Game - 2001 film review


Spy Game is a film that appears to have a lot going for it. First and foremost, the cast is stellar. Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Stephen Dillane, and David Hemmings, for a start. I've been a huge fan of Redford ever since he played the Sundance Kid. Hemmings, sadly, died in 2003, just a couple of years after this film was released. He was a great loss. I remember watching him in Blow Up at a school film night, and although perhaps his career didn't result in quite the superstardom one might have expected, he was never less than watchable, whatever role he played. 

The film begins quite promisingly. After a dramatic action scene in China, Pitt's character, Tom Bishop, is arrested. We learn that he's going to be executed in 24 hours. Back in CIA HQ, Tom's old mentor, Nathan Muir (Redford) is on his last day at work prior to retirement. He's called in to deal with the situation, or so it seems. But why are his bosses so reluctant to take decisive action to rescue Bishop?

A race against time is on the cards. But then, something strange - at least to my mind - happens. The story gets bogged down in a sequence of extensive flashbacks, charting the progress of the relationship between Muir and Bishop. It's almost watching like a portmanteau movie, with some - it has to be said - not very exciting office scenes in between each action segment.

I'm afraid this method of storytelling didn't work for me in what was supposed to be an action movie. The stop-start approach might be perfectly suitable for some kinds of stories, but not this one. It became difficult for me to get interested in the characters or their fate. I've read some reviews (and to be fair, the reviews are on the whole relatively positive) that compare this film to Three Days of the Condor, but that is a genuinely exciting film and, to my mind, far superior to this one. Great cast, pity about the structure of the script. 

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

The Life of Crime Newsletter

A quick post to say that I've just published my second free monthly newsletter on Substack. If you haven't already subscribed and would like to do so, you'll be welcome.

You can subscribe here: https://substack.com/@martinedwardsbooks

The newsletter doesn't replace this blog (and will not do so) but amplifies it in various ways and offers fresh opportunities for me to connect with readers, which has brought me a great deal of pleasure over the years. And, of course, I very much welcome constructive feedback.

Monday, 3 February 2025

The Castaways - Channel 5 TV review


The Castaways
is a five-part thriller serial from Paramount which has just aired on Channel 5. Unlike so many TV shows, it didn't outstay its welcome, and I enjoyed it, with relatively few reservations. The premise is that an aeroplane flying to Fiji disappears and crashes on an uninhabited island. But is it possible that this was more than a tragic accident? Celine Buckens, who plays Erin, the sister of Lori Holme (Sheridan Smith), who was on board the flight, wants answers. And we want to know why Erin wasn't on the flight, as planned...

Sheridan Smith and Celine Buckens make unlikely sisters, I have to say. Fortunately, their acting ability is considerable and their tense relationship was well drawn, and well portrayed. The script was written by Ben Harris and based on a novel by Lucy Clarke, which I haven't read. In some ways, it's the ultimate airport thriller - a lively book involving odd goings-on connected with a flight - but the pace is pretty relentless, and that helps the viewers to suspend their disbelief.

So too does the structure. We switch back and forth between the present day, with Erin - six months after losing her sister - desperate to find out whether Lori is still alive, and the events before and after the plane crashed. Surprise, surprise, Lori survived - but the mystery surrounding the crash is cleverly maintained. Alas, the final plot twist was not a great idea, in my opinion, but it didn't really matter. 

This is good, undemanding light entertainment. Yes, the story is implausible, but I was never bored, and that's a lot more than I can say for certain other TV serials. I've enjoyed Sheridan Smith's performances for years (she was a great Cilla Black!) but I was equally impressed by Celine Buckens, while of the supporting cast, Brendan Cowell is good as the dodgy pilot.  

The Lesson - 2023 film review



I started watching The Lesson when flying to the Nashville Bouchercon last year. Unfortunately, my screen went kaput half-way through the film, which was frustrating to say the least. Finally, I've caught up with the rest of the movie. Its immediate appeal is that it's about writing and writers, although in almost every such film I've ever seen, a key plot ingredient is plagiarism, and director Alice Troughton and writer Alex MacKeith fish in precisely the same waters. Yet even though it's not as unpredictable as it would like to be, this is an interesting movie.

The set-up is simple and the action of the film takes place in and around the country estate of a famed but reclusive writer called J.D. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant), who hasn't published anything for ages. He is married to a French artist, Helene (Julie Delpy). They have a son, Bertie, who is aiming to read English at Oxford. They hire Liam, a young Irishman with literary aspirations played by Daryl McCormack, as his tutor. 

Part of me thinks, I must admit, that if someone who has had a highly expensive education and many advantages (although not, as it turns out, a pleasant home life) still needs a tutor to scape into Oxford, perhaps the place should go to someone with fewer advantages and greater ability. But one does have to feel sympathy for a boy who has grown up surrounded by a narcissistic father, cold mother, and enigmatic butler, especially when one learns that his brother drowned in the lake in the estate.

Richard E. Grant is an interesting actor and although sometimes he takes roles that don't really seem to suit his particular gifts, that isn't the case here. His compelling performance is central to The Lesson, elevating the film from the mediocre to the definitely watchable. There's a certain lack of tension in the script, and I don't think Liam's character is as well-developed as it should have been. But visually it's good to look at from start to finish, and I'm glad I did actually get to see the end of the film, even if I did have to wait a while to do so. 

 

Friday, 31 January 2025

Forgotten Book - A Shroud for Grandmama


A Shroud for Grandmama is a forgotten book in more ways than one. I must have read it perhaps thirty years ago but when I looked at it again, I had no memory of it whatsoever. It was only when I saw a comment I'd made on John Norris's excellent (if slightly spoiler-y) review that I realised I had enjoyed the story once before. The great advantage, of course, of this failure of memory is that the second time around, I enjoyed the mystery all over again.

This is a truly eccentric book, with eccentric suspects, an almost endless succession of weird incidents, and an eccentric cop. Perhaps the oddities aren't so surprising when one realises that the author was John Franklin Bardin, who had previously published three impressive psychological suspense novels under his own name. It seems characteristically strange that he published this one, at different times, under two different pen-names - Gregory Tree and Douglas Ashe. I can't begin to explain why he did that. My own copy is a tatty paperback that is literally falling apart, and I've taken the above cover image of the Gollancz file copy of the UK edition from the Heartwood Books site, and I see that Gollancz cheekily hinted that Tree might be another name for Francis Iles! To add to the confusion, the book has also been published as The Longstreet Legacy

This is a Gothic novel set in post-war New York City and featuring the Longstreets, a family that is only marginally less peculiar than the Addams family. The narrator - who is by no means entirely reliable - is Abigail Longstreet, a beautiful woman with a fondness for Jane Austen and the decorous manners of the past. When, prompted by a visit from a mysterious young man called Arthur Crump, she calls on her reclusive blind grandmother, Abigail is shocked to find Ella Longstreet dead, and wearing (of all things) nothing but a white bikini. On the floor of Ella's eerie mansion where her body is found are footprints in the dust - as if someone has been dancing. But how did she die? If it was murder, it seems like an impossible crime and this aspect of the story is highlighted on another great blog, Beneath the Stains of Time

From this vivid and rather disturbing opening, the plot thickens as an assortment of suspects, mostly members of the Longstreet family, are introduced. It's a very talky book, with only a limited amount of action, but Bardin was a skilled entertainer and good at keeping the reader anxious to turn the page. In many way, it's a classic whodunit with macabre trimmings. And a good one. 

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Mr Brooks - 2007 film review


Mr Brooks is a film that I'd never come across until recently, although it had a great cast and was very commercially successful. When I finally caught up with it, I found myself watching a gripping thriller with a plot so crafty that I never could guess which way it was heading. Some critics felt there was too much plot, but I don't agree. After watching so many films and TV series which have outstayed their welcome because there wasn't enough imaginative storytelling to fill the time, this (admittedly rather dark, but occasionally funny) film made a very refreshing change.

The film begins with Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) receiving an award as Portland's Man of the Year. He's a rich businessman with a happy marriage, a gorgeous wife and a pretty daughter who is away at college. But his wife (played by Marg Helgenberger) is worried about young Jane (Danielle Panabaker) and there are subtle hints that she is right to be worried.

She isn't, however, worried about Earl. Which is a mistake, because this amiable, under-stated guy is actually a serial killer, a man seriously addicted to committing murder. For a couple of years he's been a reformed character, but now his dark side is urging him to have fun again. In a brilliant piece of casting, Earl's id is played by William Hurt, who is at his best, menacing and playful at one and the same time. The back-and-forth between Costner and Hurt (which nobody else is privy to) is hugely entertaining: two gifted, but very different actors at the top of their form.

When Earl commits a double murder, the investigating officer (Demi Moore) is convinced that 'the Thumbprint Killer' is back in business. But the person who discovers Earl's secret first is actually a witness to the crime, a voyeuristic loser who calls himself Smith (Dane Cook) and possesses evidence that could destroy Earl. But when Smith tries his hand at blackmail, things take an unexpected turn...

And that's only the start. Unexpected developments come thick and fast. I like the deft way director and co-writer Bruce A. Evans handles the material. Apparently he originally conceived the story as a TV series and later contemplated a trilogy of films. But the single movie works extremely well. One of the best crime movies I've seen in ages.

Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Blink Twice - 2024 film review


Blink Twice
is a recent film directed and co-written by Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lenny) and is a feminist thriller with horror elements. In some respects the storyline follows a well-worn path: two women join a group of rich strangers who invite them to party on a mysterious island paradise. So you can confidently expect Bad Things To Happen. As indeed they do. But although there's quite a lot of predictability and moralising about evil rich white men, whose horrible behaviour makes them suitable candidates for messily violent revenge, there are some interesting aspects to the film which have appealed to some, although by no means all, of the critics.

The protagonist is Frida, a nail artist and cocktail waitress, who is played by Naomi Ackie, a British actor whose compelling performance is one of the film's major strengths. She is peculiarly interested from the outset in a tech zillionaire called Slater King (Channing Tatum), who is apologising on TV for his past unacceptable behaviour. He's spent a year hiding out on his own island and says he is a changed man.

Frida and her pal Jess (Alia Shawkat) meet King at a glitzy event and don't hesitate in accepting his invitation to join him and others on the island. There are enough sinister incidents to make even the most gullible person question what is going on, but it is only when Jess goes missing that Frida really becomes concerned. But will it be too late?

The soundtrack music is eclectic and contributes effectively to the movie. I felt the writing was a bit slack in places; the film could have benefited from a bit of cutting and sharper characterisation of some of the other people on the island. There's undeniably a preachy element to this film, but despite various reservations I remained interested until the final scene - which is very neat.