A Tale of Two Movies

I just finished watching another of my Netflix selections and thought I would make a comparison of the two most recent movies. They are both in the same genre, so that's helpful.

First of all I am not much into action films so I don't bother choosing things that star Arnold or Tom or Bruce (I think I'm dating myself. If I am, there is plenty more coming.). The other night as I have mentioned, I watched "The Machinist" - if you feel you want to rent it sometime (if you can find it, I had never even heard of it but the preview on Netflix looked good enough), then skip the post, or don't, whatever, I can't tell you what to do. So it starred Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh and some other people I've not seen before (which is fine). It is billed as a thriller, and made in like I don't know, 2004. It IS a thriller, the main character (Bale) has not slept in a year and starts hallucinating a new co-worker and is involved in all manner of wierd situations that we assume are all about his insomnia. He has clearly not eaten much in the last year either, and is thin as a rail. It's frightening, actually. The movie is interesting, starts out where it looks like he has killed someone and is trying to dispose of the body right before the flashback to the rest of the story.

It's "thriller-y" I guess, but more along the lines of psychological thriller, which means you have to think and all that. Thinking is good I suppose, but if I want to think during a movie I would sort of prefer it be some sort of drama. Would I recommend "The Machinist"? I don't know yet.

Tonight, however, I watched another choice, also a thriller, from 1983. Charles Bronson, Andrew Stevens, some girl that you see in a lot of feminine protection commercials and a youngish Wilford Brimley in "10 to Midnight". What a great movie! I haven't seen it in a while but it totally delivered everything I want in a thriller. Basic premise, Charles Bronson plays his normal role as rogue cop with Andrew Stevens (never remembered his head being so big) as his rational new sidekick. The tampon girl is Chuck's daughter, spunky, hard-headed and a blooming love interest to Big Head. Anyway there is the requisite psycho, who spends 80% of the movie nekkid (no full frontal for the boy, only for all the girls he stabs), and Chuck being all rogue and trying to nail this guy who always has an allibi. Alibi? Allibi? You know what I mean. Anwyay, the story is pretty familiar, the outcome predictable, the good guys kinda bad and the bad guys pricks. It ends the way it has ended every time I have seen it before: well. Would I recommend it? Hell yes! You gotta love cops like Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood (well, Dirty Harry Clint, anyway, he lost me at "Bridges of Madison County".)! They're rugged, good looking in an older tough guy sort of way, and always doing things THEIR way. We don't get that any more (Bruce Willis doesn't count).

My verdict: New Thriller 2 out of 5 - too much thinking involved for simple entertainment. Old Thriller 5 out of 5 - I've seen it before and I will see it again. You should too.