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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Moody, tense--film noir the way it's spozed to be, November 15, 2001
Based on the short story "The Corpse Next Door" by Cornell Woolrich (dating back to the '40s), Union City is a great example of what you can do with practically no money for a feature length film noir.A big reason for this is the director, Marcus Reichert. Prior to (and after, as well) making this film, Mr. Reichert was known principally as an artist. Sense of color is a particularly strong element in this film; in almost every interior set, we see striking primary colors predominating. In Harlan (Dennis Lipscomb) and Lillian's (Debbie Harry) apartment, the living room is a deep disturbing red; another room's blue; a third, green. In one scene, Lillian wears a bright yellow dress that almost makes your eyes water. The actors are all fine here. Lipscomb and Harry are well matched as a dysfunctional couple. Everett McGill turns in a solid performance as the hunky superintendent. And Sam McMurray, CCH Pounder and Pat Benatar (I guess this was a queen of rock casting film!) are all right on target in their respective roles. This is a story of anxiety, obsession, murder, and guilt. It's an edgy work well complemented by the moody colors of its sets. The dialogue is a little stilted, but you can see that these slightly awkward phrases work well in the context of the jittery atmosphere. The two principals both have something to be agitated about--murder and adultery. And with the price of this DVD, this is a real bargain. Buy it before it goes out of print!
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~ Blondie
DVD ~ Blondie (III)
DVD ~ Jeanne Moreau
by Roberta Bayley
DVD ~ Harry Belafonte
