Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Caution!, November 8, 2003
By A Customer
This DVD does not have english subtitles for the Italian dialogue. Some minor plot points are not clearly expressed because of this (Unless of course you are fluent in Italian). The old VHS versions have the english translations. The film itself suffers from its flaws. The plot is a bit convoluted but still acceptable. Andrew McCarthy, John Pankow, and Sharon Stone all deliver somewhat lifeless performances. The already bland script is diminished by the poor delivery from the actors, and some questionable editing. The cinematography vacillates between bland and wonderful. Despite all of its problems, I still manage to like this film. It is a must for any Frankenheimer devotee, also for any admirer of the wonderful Valeria Golino.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of Frankenheimer's better later films - but a frustrating DVD, February 15, 2008
The latter years of John Frankenheimer's career were mostly a downward spiral with only occasional rare steps in the right direction, but Year of the Gun is certainly one of his better late entries thanks to a terrific premise. A less annoying than usual Andrew McCarthy is an American writer in Rome secretly working on a Day of the Jackal-style novel about a Red Brigade plot to kidnap Aldo Moro, only to end up in their bad books in a very big way when it turns out to be a virtual blueprint for the real-life crime they're on the verge of committing. Sharon Stone, in the best of her pre-Basic Instinct films, plays the pushy freelance photo-journalist after his story who gets down to her trademark horizontal gymnastics (sans icepick this time) for good measure, while no-one else is what they seem to be.
The plot creates its own momentum, leaving Frankenheimer free to evoke the chaotic Italian political landscape and the shocking violence of the Red Brigade's outrages in a series of convincing set-pieces. The action is well-handled - especially a bank getaway and a prolonged chase sequence - the story engrossing and for once the ending catches you off-guard. Not up to the standard of Frankenheimer's earlier classics, this is still a superior thriller, though the lack of English subtitles for the Italian dialogue is a bit frustrating - they're not to be found on the UK DVD or the widescreen German DVD (which cuts one sex scene from the US and UK versions but includes it as a deleted scene) either.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent film, awful DVD, February 13, 2007
This is a moderately entertaining late work from John Frankenheimer. The basic premise - a young journalist writes a novel about the Red Brigade in 1970's Italy, only to have it stolen and mistaken for the truth, causing him and his friends to be hunted for murder - is strong. The film itself is hampered by an obviously low budget and a lackluster leading man, though Stone and Golino are quite good. Even with schlocky stuff like this, Frankenheimer's talent with the camera and his actors shines through.
The DVD, however, is a complete disaster. Many scenes are in Italian, but Sony has left off the original subtitles, as another reviewer mentioned. Scenes going on for five minutes at a stretch become incomprehensible. In addition, though the case says the film is in 1.66:1 widescreen, it is actually fullscreen.
The film is not a masterpiece by any means, but it deserved better treatment than this.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
