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65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great comedic discovery....., September 13, 2003
This review is from: Flim Flam Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Not too many people have heard of the 1967 film "The Flim Flam Man," and that's too bad for them. I have owned this lovely valentine of a movie for several years, and have always appreciated its comedic/dramatic allure. Everything clicks perfectly in this old fashioned film, from its authentic locations (this movie was filmed in small town Kentucky) to a wonderful musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. I love George C. Scott's rip-snorting performance as a train-hopping con-man whose legend precedes him. He literally stumbles upon a military AWOL drifter in Michael Sarrazin, and the unlikely pair join forces to make a little cash. Camping in abandoned railroad cars, hiking cross country and stealing a car or two, this colorful pair eventually has the county police hot on their tails. Along the way, Sarrazin falls in love with the mayor's daughter, Slim Pickens loses his paycheck (great scene) and Scott samples a bit of the local moonshine. "The Flim Flam Man" is aided by a cast of extraordinary character actors, including Harry Morgan, Jack Albertson, Strother Martin, Albert Salmi and Pickens. Morgan, as the local sheriff, is especially funny in a grand slapstick role. But director Irvin Kershner has done an excellent job in balancing comedy, drama and romance with skilled ease. It's the quieter moments in "The Flim Flam Man" that I truly admire, such as the scene when Scott reminisces about the purple-eyed girl he once loved in Missouri, or when Sarrazin discusses his dreams of the future with Sue Lyon. This is such a charming movie, that each time I watch it I'm sad to see it end. "The Film Flam Man" transports us to a dreamy Southern land, colorful and optimistic, train whistles in the background, vibrant town squares, campfires beneath railroad bridges, bustling general stores. While this film was made in 1967, the small town ambiance of "The Flim Flam Man" harkens back to a time 30-40 years prior. It's a romantic recreation, in some ways a tender tribute to a past way of life. I always find the final image, of the abandoned bicycle resting at the railroad crossing, to be haunting, with Scott's character having disappeared to rustic parts unknown. I would love to join him on his journey. For those anacquainted, "The Flim Flam Man" is a great discovery.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mordecai!, October 30, 2002
This review is from: Flim Flam Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The sad truth is you will be very, very lucky to find this movie on TV, and unless you know a store that has a copy on VHS you are destined to miss one of George C. Scott's finest performances. Most people know Scott for his portrayal of Patton. His portrayal of Mordecai Jones although less honorable is far more funny. To my knowledge Scott did not play but perhaps in two other comedies, Dr. Strangelove which he did a memorable job, and "They Might Be Giants", which was more cerebral. This is the funniest and lightest. Great fun for the whole family. Good support from Michael Sarrazin, Sue Lyon, Harry Morgan, Slim Pickens, and the rest the cast. Some Keystone Cop type chases are funny along with the preachings of Morticai about the dishonesty of man to his new protege Curley. This is a beautiful film with some wonderful scenes of what a small rural town was like in the early to mid 1960s. Hopefully this will come out on DVD since in my humble opinion it is one of Scott's greatest performances. It frustrates me that so many comedies that are out on DVD lack humor and believe it funny to trash people, and this exceptional comedy is not available yet.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Forget Patton - give me Mordecai!, June 19, 2003
This review is from: Flim Flam Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)
As loveable rogue Mordecai Jones, George C. Scott endures bad community theatre make-up and inhales acres of gorgeous Southern scenery in this picaresque crowd-pleaser about a veteran con-man and his reluctant apprentice (Michael Sarrazin). Three years shy of the career-defining "Patton," Scott clearly relished the chance to let his hair down amid "Flim-Flam Man's" feel-good flood of chicanery, slapstick and car chases (this one has a couple of beauts). Sarrazin, a good actor who unfortunately never found his big break-out role, is fine as Curley, an Army deserter whose talent for larceny is undermined by a stubborn streak of honesty. Flaxen-haired beauty Sue Lyon, who epitomized, in the Sixties, the image of the girl you wished lived next door, is wholesomely alluring as Sarazzin's love interest. Rounding out the cast is a dizzying assemblage of fun character actors - Harry Morgan, Strother Martin, Alice Ghostley, Slim Pickens, Jack Albertson, Albert Salmi - whose presence makes for a lively game of "Name That Second Banana." An unassuming curio from the same year (1967) as the iconoclastic "Bonnie and Clyde," "The Flim-Flam Man" is good-looking, well-acted, imaginatively directed (by Irvin Kershner, who later skippered "The Empire Strikes Back"), and wildly successful at its sole purpose: to entertain. Hollywood used to excel at this brand of lightsome fare. Today, hopelessly vulgarized and dumbed-down, and hell-bent on dragging the audience down to its level, Tinseltown wouldn't know where to begin to make a flick like this. That's everybody's loss.
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