Stormy Monday
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Movie Reviews of Stormy Monday
Movie Review: A 'Sleeper' Of A Modern-Day Noir
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those sleeper films, meaning a good one that is not very well- known.....but should be. I really liked this modern-day film noir when I first saw it a dozen years ago and stlll do today, even with four viewings.
The movie has all the features of a good noir, most of all a feeling of impending doom throughout, which a good noir exhibits. You know some bad things are going to happen, but you just don't know what and when. That uneasy mood runs throughout the film.
Add some tough characters, great cinematography (nice colors, too, in this case) and even a good blues music score and you have an interesting film. The story here revolves around a ruthless American businessman trying to buy up an entire block of the businesses in one area in Britain.
There's humor in here too with a goofy Polish jazz band, which looked and sounded just awful, and just enough action throughout to keep from getting too talky. Tommy Lee Jones, Melanie Griffith, Sting and Sean Bean star and all are fascinating to watch.
Movie Review: Early Figgis, dark-themed, worth a look
Summary: 4 Stars
One of Mike Figgis' first films, Stormy Monday fuses an intriguing mix of American greed, crudeness, and innocence with British coolness, toughness, and civility. But added to the mix, interestingly enough, is a Polish element (more on that later).One American is Melanie Griffith as a cocktail waitress and vaguely defined moll (or former moll) of the other, Tommy Lee Jones, a ruthless moblike businessman who plans on making Newcastle, England his own--commercially, of course. (Political takeover is a little hard to imagine circa 1988). Melanie emits a sexy blend of sensuality and innocence, pretty much irresistible. The British are Sting, as the owner of a club (a role he neatly reprised in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), and Sean Bean as his cleaning person/gofer. Both are civil and, as it happens, tough as well. And Sting's coolness is in the ultra category, a real neat piece of work.
Sean and Melanie meet and then do a whole lot more; they do the romantic thing, all the while being pursued, as is Sting, by Tommy's henchmen. Tommy plays rough, as it turns out. The mingling of Yank and Brit romantically (Melanie and Sean) is paralleled by battling of Yank and Brit commercially (Tommy and Sting).
The Polish element? Melanie's character is half Polish, and, as well, the band slated to play in Sting's club has an accident so the Cracow Jazz Ensemble (or some such), all Poles, steps in instead, among which is Andrej, a sympathetic band manager, the only one who speaks English. Andrej is destined to play a critical role in the film, but rather than provide a spoiler here, see the film to understand what this means.
Violence plays a large part in the proceedings, as is obvious from the above description. This is a well-plotted film that put Mike Figgis on the map. Doesn't hurt that he not only wrote and directed it, but also composed the music for it, an effectively moody jazz score.
Recommended.
Movie Review: Clash Of the Acting Styles--A British Crime Drama Brings Four Unlikely Actors Together
Summary: 4 Stars
Having seen "Stormy Monday" many years ago, I was completely enchanted with this small and interesting picture. Nowadays, it is commonplace for every self-aware "cool" British crime drama to be embraced by American audiences. But in 1988, this stylish film from Mike Figgis was a bit more unorthodox. Where else can you get Sean Bean, Sting, Tommy Lee Jones, and Melanie Griffith together? It's such a weird amalgamation of acting styles, and yet somehow it works.
This, I suppose, is a gangster flick at heart. But what I like about "Stormy Monday" is that the familiar crime elements are downplayed. There is action when needed, and some brutality--but you've also got a credible romance, a peak at the Polish subculture, a commentary on American commercialism, and a loving tribute to jazz. Music plays just as great a role in setting the tone of "Stormy Monday" as the plot does. It's cool and leisurely and the picture flows over you in comfortable waves. This movie doesn't try too hard, it's not designed to be in your face--it's subtle and smart.
Sean Bean is great in the lead. Bean is someone I've always admired, but he never really connected in American roles as a leading man. Forever the villain or sidekick here--you have to turn to his British resume for his greatest performances (check out the Sharpe's saga). Melanie Griffith is subdued and believable in a somewhat sketchy part--we never know quite what she does. Tommy Lee Jones provides his usual bravado. And Sting is surprisingly good. For someone who only flirted with acting, this picture will show you a potential that went unrealized.
"Stormy Monday" is definitely a small picture, but very worthy. It's an effective mood piece--one that may initially seem a bit slight, but it's effect lingers with you. KGHarris, 11/06.
Movie Review: Great Movie, bad disk
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a great movie, a five, but I've had two copies of the DVD and both started out fine but became useless after two or three playings. All other DVD's I play work fine in my player.