This is one of the first movies I remember seeing and thinking, “I want to make movies,” I think I even remember the conditions of the first viewing – 2.5” mini TV, under the bedsheets at school after lights out, lol.

It’s very awkwardly done in places and I imagine some people won’t give it the time it deserves because of that fact, but the story here is fantastic if you can wrap your head around it – it’s quite amazing how much Brian De Palma manages to fit into 90 minutes. Pino Donaggio’s score is one of his better efforts, particularly the music box theme, some of the photography is pretty interesting, and John Lithgow’s performance – while it’s was never going to win him any accolades – is delightfully over the top (I love the scene in the police station when he, as Cain, is ‘playing’ Carter). Throw in the usual De Palma homages to Hitchcock (one of the best in this one – a direct salute to Janet Leigh’s car sinking into the swamp in Psycho, with just a little sting in the tail), and this is a movie I can watch over and over.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 17th, 2005 at 10:57 am in 4 hearts, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.