Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 9, 1995 TAG: 9509110016
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``American Yakuza'' leans more toward the silly side of the spectrum, but it certainly has its moments, particularly at the beginning when director Frank Cappello tosses in some strong visual flourishes. It concerns Nick Davis (Viggo Mortensen), a cop who impersonates an ex-con to infiltrate a Japanese gang working in Los Angeles. The real point of the film is Nick's relationship with the gang's leader Shuji (Ryo Ishibashi). Taka Ichise's story owes some obvious debts to John Woo's wonderful action movies with its emphasis on honor and loyalty. The big action scenes also show Woo's influence, and the two leads are excellent. If the long middle section hadn't bogged down in plot details, this one might have been a four-star sleeper. As it is, it's still better than average and it'll be interesting to see what Cappello does next.
``The House on 92nd Street'' is a 1945 World War II spy thriller belatedly released on home video. Director Henry Hathaway based his story on fact - the efforts of a German spy ring to steal secrets from the team of scientists who were creating the first atomic bomb. He made the film on many of the New York and Washington, D.C., locations where the events depicted actually occurred. He had the full cooperation of the F.B.I. - J. Edgar Hoover appears briefly - and so the Bureau and its agents, led by Lloyd Nolan, are presented as flawless heroes.
Curiously, the film's documentary techniques work against it. If the facts had been smoothed out with a bit more fiction, the tale would be more enjoyable today. (In fact, this is a good, suspenseful story that would be served well by a contemporary remake.) Also, since "92nd Street" was made so soon after the real events, it lacks any historical perspective. A coda proudly notes the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent, a reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor that's now seen as one of this country's more shameful acts.
``Trade Off'' is yet another attempt to remake "Double Indemnity" and "Body Heat," but with a notable lack of success. The setting is Jacksonville, Fla., where Thomas (Adam Baldwin) is unhappily married to Karen (Megan Gallagher) when he meets Jackie (Theresa Russell) in a bar. As luck would have it, she's got an inconvenient husband she'd like to be rid of and suggests that they help each other out. Thomas is reluctant but persuadable.
Yes, fans of the genre have seen it all before, but they've seldom seen it handled so transparently. It's easy to stay one or two steps ahead of director Andrew Lane's script. The performances are so-so, and the "passionate" affair at the heart of the story is pretty timid. Virtually the same stuff was handled with much more trashy elan a couple of years ago in "Dead On."
``Wings of Fame'' is a curious comedy/drama about celebrity. It begins in 1966 when struggling writer Brian Smith (Colin Firth) shoots movie star Caesar Valentin (Peter O'Toole). Smith is killed at the same time, and the two men awaken (if that's the right word) in a boat crossing the River Styx. On the other side, they find that the afterlife is a huge art deco hotel, one that might serve as the setting for a really spacey perfume ad. It is, as one of the residents puts it, a place of "jealousy, vanity and boredom."
In this purgatory, religious beliefs and good works count for nothing. The departed are ranked according to their fame on earth. Smith and Valentine get good rooms while serious composers are moved to cramped garrets.
Writer/director Otakar Votocek aims for a Felliniesque quality and sometimes achieves it. At other times, the influence of Terry Gilliam is apparent. The real key is Firth's assured performance. His sense of wonder and curiosity carries the story over the rough spots. The finish is weaker than the first half of the film, but this one is still a serious attempt to tell a good story. For my money, it's much more entertaining than Albert Brooks' similar "Defending Your Life" and well worth seeking out.
Next week: Jefferson on video!
New releases this week:
Pulp Fiction *** 1/2
Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel. Directed by Quentin Taretino. Buena Vista/Miramax. 154 min. Rated R for strong violence and language.
Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning script tells three interrelated, circular stories about mid- to low-level gangsters in Los Angeles: Jackson and Travolta are two philosophical hitmen; Ving Rhames is their boss: Uma Thurman is his wife; and Bruce Willis is a fighter who's been ordered to take a dive. Those may sound like stereotypes but what happens to them isn't. Though the violent element of the film has been widely commented upon, it's not that strong. Tarentino is more interested in the inner lives of these crazed, desperate, flawed characters. Some are redeemed by love and faith; some are not.
Major Payne ***
Starring Damon Wayans. Directed by Nick Castle. MCA/Universal. 97 min. Rated PG-13 for blunt humor, some violence.
Even though it doesn't vary a millimeter from the limits of a service-comedy formula, "Major Payne" is genuinely funny. Damon Wayans - who stars, co-wrote and co-produced - has finally found the right vehicle for his kind of humor in a story of a tough Marine who takes over a Virginia academy's R.O.T.C. program.
The Essentials:
American Yakuza ***
Columbia TriStar. 96 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language, brief nudity, sexual content.
The House on 92nd Street ** 1/2
FoxVideo. 89. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.
Trade Off *
Republic. 92 min. Rated R for subject matter, violence, strong language, brief nudity, sexual content.
Wings of Fame ***
Paramount. 100 min. Rated R for strong language, subject matter, brief nudity, sexual content.
by CNB