TV Tomb: The Sandbaggers – Season 1 May 10, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : TV Reviews , add a commentNeil Burnside, the lead character in this classic ITV series, lets the viewer know early on that this isn’t going to be a series full of 007-style outlandish plots and over the top action –“If you want James Bond go to a library” he informs a colleague in the first episode. The Sandbaggers is more interested in the backroom boys than with the agents in the thick of things, it’s the political wrangling that’s at the heart of the show and it’s the characters making the life and death decisions (with other peoples lives) who are the most compelling.
The Sandbaggers of the title are an elite group of covert operatives under the command of Neil Burnside. The seven episodes in this first season see them tracking down defecting government officials, finding kidnapped scientists and plotting to overthrow a foreign government. But the real battles are between Burnside and his superiors, not to mention his own conscience.
Ray Lonnen, who would go on to star in the well regarded Harry’s Game, plays Sandbagger 1, Willie Caine. For Caine it’s simply a job, one he often doesn’t like but is extremely good at, and Lonnen plays him as an honest working stiff, with none of the airs and graces of the higher-ups. Caine is the most honest character in the show, and because of that he’s far less interesting than some of the more politically savvy characters.
I’ve always associated Diane Keen with comedy but she’s surprisingly good here. She plays Laura Dickens, the emotionally scarred trainee agent who’s seconded by Burnside into his Sandbaggers outfit. Her relationship with Burnside becomes more than merely professional, which allows us to see a human side to the career focused Sandbagger chief, and it’s testament to how good she is that we accept this change in character.
But the star of the show is Roy Marsden’s and he makes Neil Burnside one of the most complex characters ever seen on British TV. At times he’s an egotistical, ruthlessly ambitious bastard but he’s also fiercely protective of his Sandbaggers and his relationship with Laura Dickens is touching, partly because he’s so inept at dealing with emotional issues. The political battles between Burnside and his superiors (Richard Vernon as Sir James Greenley aka ‘C’ and Jerome Willis as Deputy Chief Matthew Peele) and his attempts to manipulate his ex-father-in-law Sir Geoffrey Wellingham (Alan MacNaughton) are the show’s highpoints, with the planning usually more enjoyable than the missions themselves.
Series creator and chief writer Ian Mackintosh (he wrote all the episodes for this first season) brings an authenticity to the show, with the writers Royal Navy background and (possible) ties to the intelligence community giving him an insider’s perspective. Mackintosh’s scripts all had to be vetted by the Government before they could be made, with one proposed second season episode a casualty of the Official Secrets Act.
The Sandbaggers was a firm favourite of my Dad but had little to appeal to a thirteen year old boy, which is how old I was when the show first aired. Watching it now I can see why he enjoyed it so much and why he became a lifelong Roy Marsden fan. I’m looking forward to discovering seasons two and three immensely.
Back…At Last! May 6, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : DVD Viewing Journal, Site News , 1 comment so farWhere have I been this last ten days or so you may be wondering and the short answer is offline. Thanks, apparently, to a technical problem that coincided with Virgin Media moving all the old NTL customers to a new server, I’ve been without internet access since the 26th April, as they were unable to sort the problem until the migration was complete. Having been plunged back into the dark ages, before the wonders of the web, for over a week, I’ve realised how dependant I’ve become on it for everything from banking to looking up bus times or just finding the answer to a question. Anyway I finally got back online yesterday so here’s a round-up of what should have been on here the weekend before last –
The Friday Night Fright: The House on Sorority Row
Oh the joy of Music Zone and their 97p DVDs! I’ve got a high tolerance for crap movies, particularly horror, and I picked up some real stinkers from the now defunct Music Zone chain. This isn’t the worst of them, which is a shame as some were so appallingly bad they entertained for all the wrong reasons. No, The House on Sorority Row is just a very ordinary and cheap (so not even any decent gore) slasher flick from 1983.
Written (or maybe that should be cut and pasted) and directed by Mark Rosman, the film takes elements from Black Christmas, Halloween and Friday the 13th (with a little Animal House thrown in for good measure) blending it together to create 90 minutes of boredom. The only time the film shows anything like originality, and even manages a little tension, is when the mad doctor (yes it even has a mad doctor, although he’s not really mad enough to be entertaining) drugs the last surviving sorority girl and uses her as bait to catch the deranged killer. Unfortunately the scene only lasts a couple of minutes before she gets away and we’re treated to more Halloween-style chasing round the house.
The Weekend Western: Posse
Not your usual manhunt western, this is an oater with political aspirations. Kirk Douglas is the lawman with his eye on being elected senator and all he has to do to get there is bring in train robber Bruce Dern, which, as it turns out, is much easier said then done.
Douglas is excellent, as is Dern as the charismatic outlaw. He’d come a long way since being shot down in a gunfight with Douglas and John Wayne in The War Wagon.
It’s not going to top any “greatest westerns” list but it’s solidly directed by Kirk and clearly a reaction to the political climate of the times (mid-seventies). It’s the political subtext and the somewhat unique ending (which may put of those looking for flying lead) that makes it standout. Well worth a look if you like a more leftfield western.
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting: DOA - Dead or Alive
Films adapted from games are usually duds and DOA is no exception but it’s a dud that’s full of scantily clad ladies kicking ass, so there’s some entertainment to be had.
This treads similar ground to Charlie’s Angels but, unlike that films ADD suffering director, DOAat least has a man at the helm who knows how to put an action sequence together. Hong Kong action maestro Corey Yuen even manages to craft some decent, if decidedly silly, fight scenes with the beautiful stars he’s given, aided by stunt doubles, snappy editing and a lot of wirework.
SF & Fantasy Sunday: Children of Men
It seems if you put Clive Owen in a film with a pregnant woman you’re on to a winner, with both this and the utterly deranged but hugely entertaining Shoot ‘Em Up forcing me to confess that I’m actually starting to like the actor.
But this couldn’t be farther from Shoot ‘Em Up if it tried. It a unrelentingly grim look at a future Britain, something we rarely get to see, and it makes Blade Runner look like utopia by comparison. Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón’s view of the Britain’s future may not be flattering but it does feel real. I’ve watched his breakthrough film, Y tu mamá también, and found it entertaining enough but there was nothing in that film to suggest he could handle action as well as he does here. There’s a genuine sense of peril as the bullets fly, partly because it seems unlikely the film will have a happy ending, but mostly because the battle scenes are so realistic.
One of the best and most intelligent SF films of the 21st Century.
That’s the round-up over, next week things will (fingers crossed) get back to normal. As for the rest of this week, well you’ll almost certainly see a review of The Sandbaggers Season 1, possibly a review of the classic American war series Combat – Season 1 Part 1 (if I get the last few episodes watched). And maybe even a review of Iron Man.
Comic Tales: Death Note – The Last Name April 25, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : Thriller, Fantasy, Comic Book , add a commentThis sequel to the original Death Note picks up directly where the first film left off, no real surprise as the films were made at the same time, and has the same strengths and weaknesses as that film. The plot gets ever more intricate, as do the machinations of Light Yagami when he tries to keep the fact that he’s the vigilante Kira a secret.
As with the first film, it’s the plot’s twists and turns that keep you hooked, with the Gods of Death lacking substance as both CGI creations and as characters. They merely serve as catalysts to pit Light and “L” against each other. This time a couple of different characters get their hands on the Death Note book (or books, as there is a second one featured this time) but as they are both manipulated by Light we don’t really get to see how someone with a lesser sense of “justice” would handle it.
The final resolution is well handled, you’re never quite sure if Light will get away with his scheme or if “L”, who always seems to know, or at least suspect, more than he lets on will come out on top.
There is plenty of the mythology of the Death Note and the Gods of Death still to be explored, with one follow up already having been made. L: Change the World focuses on the enigmatic sleuth with a sugar habit and, with Hideo Nakata, of Ring and Dark Water fame, taking over the director’s chair it could well top both the original and this and should almost certainly be more visually inventive as well. I’m looking forward to seeing Ken’ichi Matsuyama again, his portrayal of “L” is the best thing about the Death Note films and he’s someone I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the future.
Watching the Detectives: William Powell and Myrna Loy are Nick and Nora Charles in Shadow of the Thin Man April 24, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : Comedy, Thriller , add a commentThis is my favourite of the series so far, with William Powell as Nick Charles not only having to get to the bottom of the usual murder mystery but also deal with the demands of fatherhood. The opening few minutes set the tone for the film, with the laughs coming thick and fast as Nick and Nick Jr. go for a walk in the park before the elder Charles mystically hears the siren song of a cocktail shaker in his wife’s hands, the mystical element arising because she’s way out of earshot in their penthouse apartment.
This time it’s a crooked betting racket that Nick and Nora uncover but it really is incidental, what’s important is the repartee between the characters, particularly that of the pickled detective and his spouse. There’s a timeless quality to the humour that makes it as fresh and funny today as it was in the forties.
But the real star of the show is of course is Asta the dog, having started the series uncredited he’s now got his name in larger type than his two legged co-stars.
Literally Speaking: The ODESSA File April 23, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : Film Reviews, Thriller , add a commentFrederick Forsyth’s onscreen blurb at the start of the film tells the viewer that the film (of his novel) is based on real events but how closely the film mirrors the facts isn’t really important, it could be complete fiction and it would still be gripping thriller.
When freelance journalist Peter Miller is given the diary of a recently deceased survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, he, somewhat out of character, becomes obsessed with tracking down the camp’s commanding officer, Eduard Roschmann. Why the mercenary Miller is so affected by the journal is kept secret until the films climactic confrontation with Roschmann, but along the way he becomes involved with Israeli Intelligence, goes undercover to infiltrate ODESSA (the organisation formed by former SS officers) and has to contend with an ODESSA assassin and Derek Jacobi’s German accent.
That probably makes the film sound more action packed than it is, as it’s really quite a talky thriller; there are no car chases, no shootouts, and no explosions. It builds tension from the situation, when Miller is grilled by one of the ODESSA leaders we know his life hangs in the balance and all it will take is one mistake to give him away. Even when Miller is beaten after attending a rally of war veterans it takes place off screen.
Future Doctor Who companion, Mary Tamm, plays Miller’s exotic dancer girlfriend and adds a bit of glamour to the dreary Berlin locations while Derek Jacobi plays an ODESSA forger who’s also a bit of a mummy’s boy but it’s Jon Voight’s film, at least until that final confrontation.
As Miller, Voight not only does a decent German accent but also convinces as an obsessed journalist, even if the viewer isn’t privy to the reason for his obsession. He makes Miller’s jeopardy real and without that the film wouldn’t work, certainly not as a thriller at any rate. When he finally gets to confront Maximilian Schell as Roschmann, the scene plays out almost like the final act in a play, just two actors in a room throwing words at each other and it works all the better for that almost stagey feel. Schell puts a human face on evil, with Roschmann, only previously seen in flashback, now a balding, overweight old man clinging to a past when, as he puts it, “We ruled the world”.
Ronald Neame’s direction is pretty faceless, the film lacking a true visual style. A more gifted director would have been able to make a little more of the story and the Berlin locations but Neame does a serviceable job and does get good performances out of his actors.
One credit that did surprise me, which I didn’t remember noticing the first time I watched the film many years ago, was that of West End maestro and current lord of Saturday teatime TV, Andrew Lloyd Webber. I wasn’t aware Webber has actually scored any films, and he hasn’t done many, just this and Gunshoe (a film I really must get around to watching). He’s not bad, although at times the music seems to peter out when it’s just getting started.
Ex-Nazi’s were a favourite cinematic bad guy in the ‘70s, almost like they were making the most of them before they became too old to be a threat. The ODESSA File isn’t as good a film as Marathon Man, and its not as much fun as The Boys from Brazil but it is a good solid thriller.
I Spy: Thunderball April 22, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : Film Reviews, Action, Thriller , 5 commentsBond hunts for two stolen nuclear warheads and comes face to face with SPECTRE’s Agent 2, Emilio Largo . By this point in the Bond series the freshness had started to dissipate but there is still much to enjoy here.
As was becoming the norm with the series, the ability to deliver your lines was a secondary requirement to appearance when casting villains and Bond girls. Both Claudine Auger as the beautiful Domino and Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo were dubbed but Auger does what the producers wanted, namely show of her figure in a series of skimpy swimsuits, and Celi’s Largo would provide the basis for Robert Wagner’s Number 2 in the Austin Powers films.
By comparison with previous films in the series, Thunderball is a little light on action, but John Barry’s excellent score keeps the suspense mounting as it blends itself into almost every scene. And once the action does kick off we are treated to a superb undersea free-for-all, with the goodies and baddies conveniently wearing colour coded wetsuits to allow us to keep track (villains, sticking with tradition, in black and the good guys wearing orange but with white oxygen tanks). In fact it’s the undersea photography that’s the most striking part of Thunderball, giving the film more of an exotic feel than even Ms Auger could provide.
Sean may be getting a little bored with the part, craving something a bit more challenging (something he got with Sidney Lumet’s The Hill) but he still delivers the quips with panache and certainly looks the part. After one more film though, we’d be saying bye-bye Sean, for a little while anyway.
James Bond will return in You Only Live Twice
Next Week on Mine Was Taller April 21, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : Site News , add a commentI Spy: Thunderball
Literally Speaking: The Odessa File
Watching the Detectives: Shadow of the Thin Man
Comic Tales: Death Note - The Last Name
The Friday Night Fight: The House on Sorority Row
The Weekend Western: Posse
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting: DOA - Dead or Alive
SF & Fantasy Sunday: Children of Men
SF & Fantasy Sunday: Tokyo - The Last Megalopolis April 20, 2008
Posted by Ian W in : Film Reviews, Fantasy , add a commentTokyo: The Last Megalopolis blends the development of Tokyo as a city in the early years of the twentieth century with the occult battle between the powers of good and evil going on behind the scenes. Blending history and fantasy is an intriguing idea but the film is far too unfocused and talky to make the most of it, perhaps if I had more of knowledge of Tokyo’s history it might have been more rewarding. It also has aspirations that go beyond its budget and the special effects capabilities of the time which results in some pretty silly moments. There are a few effective scenes but on the whole this was a real chore to sit through, with the two hour running time feeling almost double that. Even Shintarô ‘Zatoichi’ Katsu, in one of his last roles, couldn’t save this.
The Weekend Western: Yankee
Posted by Ian W in : Film Reviews, Westerns , add a commentBefore he became famous as a director of erotica, Tinto Brass made this early spaghetti western that’s very much in the Fistful of Dollars mould. A stranger known only as “Yankee” (Philippe Leroy) rides into a Mexican town that’s under the despotic rule of El Grande Concho. After seeing the wanted posters of Concho’s men in the sheriff’s office he suggests to Concho that they split the reward money. Strangely the bandit isn’t too keen on the idea of turning all his men in to the law, deciding he’ll make more money with them than without, particularly as he has designs on a shipment of gold being transported along the Rio Grandee by the US Cavalry. This leaves Yankee to collect the money for himself, provided he can kill them.
As you might have gathered, the plot is rather silly but Brass keeps the viewers attention with visual flourishes, always looking for odd angels to shoot from. Unsurprisingly the camera lingers over Mirella Martin as Concho’s woman, particularly when Yankee kidnaps her out of her bathtub and rides away with her across the desert with her modesty barely covered.
Adolfo Celi, the villain in the James Bond film Thunderball, is a suitably loud and intimidating El Grande Concho, but Philippe Leroy is sadly no Clint Eastwood, looking uncomfortable in western garb. The Frenchman lacks the sort of screen presence needed for the part and seems an odd choice. That he wears a rather silly looking hat doesn’t help either.
With a flimsy story and a weak lead performance the main reason to watch Yankee is to see one of the most well know Italian directors trying his hand at something a little different. Tinto Brass does enough here to leave you wondering what might have been if he hadn’t elected to concentrate exclusively on titillating his audience.
Just a brief note about Koch Media’s spaghetti western DVDs released in Germany. For some reason, unknown to me, their DVDs don’t list English subtitles on the packaging (only German), nor can you select English subs from the menu screens, yet most do have English subtitles and they can be selected using the subtitle button on your DVD remote. So don’t be put off by the apparent lack of English-friendliness.
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting: Zatoichi the Outlaw
Posted by Ian W in : Film Reviews, Action, Martial Arts , add a commentThis was the first Zatoichi film produced by Shintarô Katsu’s production company and it’s trying a little too hard to be a blind swordsman epic. The storyline is more complex than normal and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, all of whom have a significant part to play.
As is the norm for the series, Zatoichi comes into a town and sorts things out before going on his way. This time he leaves the workers with a benevolent boss (having killed the previous one) and a sword-less samurai looking out for their wellbeing. Or so he thinks. Months later he returns to find the boss was not as benevolent as he appeared and the sword-less samurai has been taken prisoner for trying to organize the workers (and inciting them to give up gambling and whoring and get to work in the fields). Of course Zatoichi puts things right, or as right as he can given some of the characters have already died, slicing up the bad guys before once again leaving town.
Zatoichi the Outlaw has all the things that have become familiar through the series, and I do mean all. The film feels like a compilation, sort of a Zatoichi’s greatest hits. We get the decent woman forced into prostitution, the noble samurai looking to make up for past deeds, the evil boss (in fact more than one), the crooked gambling den, and of course Zatoichi’s usual tricks, one of which starts the film, as he’s challenged to hit a target with a bow and arrow but asks for a smaller target first.
Apart from the sprawling nature of the story there’s something else that sets this apart from the rest of the series – the blood. Previous Zatoichi films had been pretty bloodless affairs with the sword fights memorable for the choreography rather than spurting arteries, this time we get severed arms, severed heads and blood aplenty, and yet the fights are far less exciting than before.
I’d have to say that this is probably my least favourite Zatoichi film so far but it may improve with future viewings, as it becomes easier to keep track of who’s who. Shintarô Katsu is, as always excellent, but he gets swallowed up by the film here, seeming more like one part of an ensemble cast rather than the star of the show.