Film Response - The Last Seduction (Directed by John Dahl)

 

3.8

The Last Seduction is a film I have very mixed feelings about. The highly gritty nature of the film, at times, can seem a bit too accessive; the nudity, the language and the general emotional overtones can seem over the top and there to just make the film purposefully shocking. However without it I don't believe the film woul be as effect to create dominance and strength for the character Bridget. Bridget, as vindictive and sour as she may seem, is such a refreshing character to come across. It is rare these days that we see such a strong and masterful female character, anti-heroes like this are a joy to watch and I am a sucker for an anti-hero.

The film falls in to the Neo-Noir genre, but I like to think of it very separte from Noir itself. The Last Seduction has thrown the Hays Code out of the window, not a window - more like cliff. It is so far from any kind of any restrictions, the creators really have gone for it and gone for it hard. It is possible that with some restrictions that the film could have creatively gone around them, but would this of made a better film? I don't think so. The film was made for a modern audience, this is obvious, but it is so far past the original genre, I think it's stiring it to a wrong place.

Film Response - Double Indemnity (Directed by Billy Wilder)

4.5

Double Indemnity is a story about an insurance representative who lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigator's suspicions. I really enjoyed this film. It was, admittedly, the first noir I ever watched and I feel that it won't be the last. What was especially enjoyable to me was the fact that many of the visuals often had second meanings, for example the venetian blinds could mean entrapment or the use of cigarettes to show the friendship between Barton and Walter. Sixty years later, it's as taut and engaging and beautiful as any contemporary story. It simmers, it sizzles, the tension between Neff and Dietrichson is positively palpable. But, as the tension between Neff and Dietrichson fizzles, the tension between Neff and Keyes heats up. It's as pure a sample of classic film noir as there is, and it does it with unparalleled style. The story of how and why he dunit, of how he was intoxicated and bewitched, yet came to his senses, not soon enough to save him legally, but at least to come to terms with his own failure was it's own level of great. Fun, different, refreshing. At least to me, that's Double Indemnity.