The Defiant Ones
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Movie Reviews of The Defiant Ones
Movie Review: Before Richard Kimball, There was Noah Cullen & John Jackson
Summary: 5 Stars
* ''The Defiant Ones'' is one of those rare films which after having been seen only once had the ability to stick with me for an entire lifetime! (Other such gems having had a similar effect on me include Chaplin's first 'talkie,' ''The Great Dictator,'' the original ''Night of the Living Dead,'' the cheesy and awful but fun sci-fi cult flick ''Laserblast,'' and Orson Welles' ''Citizen Kane.'') I've just had the opportunity to purchase the DVD and view this film for only the second time, and it was every bit as good and intense as I remember from that first time!
''The Defiant Ones'' teams up the legendary Tony Curtis and the equally legendary and talented Sidney Poitier as convicted felons John ''Joker'' Jackson and Noah Cullen who, as a result of a racially sparked physical scuffle between the two of them, partly contribute to the road accident their transport vehicle becomes involved in. The resulting crash gives these two chained together prisoners an opportunity to escape on foot.
But this is pre-1960s southern USA, so when the arriving law officers responsible for tracking the prisoners down learn that the two chained together escaped cons are of different racial backgrounds they become somewhat lax in their pursuit, erroneously assuming that the two escapees would likely kill each other out of racial hatred before they'd even get five miles.
Forced to cooperate despite the racial tensions between them, Joker and Noah do not take their predicament lightly and are constantly on the move to stay as far ahead of their pursuers as possible. In the days that follow both men form something of an uneasy camaraderie, and the conversations they strike up between themselves actually seem to help smooth over some of those racial tensions they exhibit toward each other, to where each man gains a certain amount of respect for the other. Joker is also made to confront some unpleasant realities, such as being forced to admit in his heart that Noah is the more rational of the two and, especially, having to come to terms with the fact that his white skin is no safety net when he is an escaped criminal on the run.
There is also a 'human interest' story in the subplot of the film, some of it just somewhat ahead of its time: The County Sheriff becomes the catalyst which keeps the chase from becoming a reckless and disorderly ''Good Ol' Boy'' guns, dawgs & testosterone party, and one of the townspeople, portrayed by the legendary Lon Chaney Jr., keeps a town's citizenry from becoming an emotionally irrational lynch mob.
The cinematography is excellent for a movie of its time, although some of the sets could have been better constructed and arranged (for example, there's one set where the city lights of Los Angeles shine in the background beyond the studio lot). It is also nice to hear actors talking with southern accents that don't sound like ''Foghorn Leghorn'' rejects.
To even consider ''remaking'' this classic film would not only be a terrible mistake, but it would also be a virtual impossibility ... so hopefully no one in Hollyweird, or anywhere else for that matter, would ever think of doing such a thing, and thus let this great piece of movie making history stand on its own and to continue to stand the test of time.
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Movie Review: "That's a hell of a way to live- you keep quiet all your life and the only time you open your mouth is when you're dying."
Summary: 5 Stars
The Defiant Ones is one of the great American films. Released in 1958, this starkly filmed story of two convicts on the run for their freedom evokes powerful emotions for the viewer. Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier are wonderful in their roles and display a level of screen chemistry that has been sadly lacking in contemporary films. It is hard to say which one is better due to their very different but equally powerful performance. As one might expect, the two cons start out hating each other, but slowly develop a grudging respect for one another as they learn about the others life and eventually a kind of friendship is formed. The secondary story concerns the posse on their trail and the friction that develops amongst them as the chase goes on. Cara Williams is memorable as the woman that Curtis cares for while on the run and is the character that causes a change in his attitude that leads directly to the bittersweet ending. Theodore Bikel is also very accomplished as the beleagered Sheriff and Lon Chaney Jr. is very good as a townsman who has a special reason for aiding the 2 cons in their escape. The Defiant Ones is a great film that almost 50 years later still prods us with the reminder that YES, WE CAN learn to overcome our differences over race and live with and care for each other. Both Curtis and Poitier are at the top of their game here and each received an Academy Award nomination deservedly. A final note: watch the last scene and decide for yourself- was it an accident or did one friend make a sacrifice for another?Movie Review: Not only defiant, but life changing
Summary: 5 Stars
There is no need for me to go into what has been reiterated many times by other's opinions and reviews; that being the black & white thing. However, what I noticed in this movie was the under tones of homoeroticism, which to me was also groundbreaking during this period. Not only were black and white separated by realities that Joker constantly reminded Cullen of, but also there seemed to be a line that was being crossed in regards to the relationship itself. They were falling asleep in each other's arms for heavens sake! Cullen even carries Joker to bed LOL! Then Joker leaves a white woman to be with a black man by arguing with her that "she doesn't know him" and I couldn't help but to see what wasn't stated by him that "Cullen does know him". The two defiant ones got to the foundation of their hatred, that it is all conditioned based on their mutual acceptance of what they had learned during this period of American history. With the walls torn down the heart surrenders to the love that caused it. And then there is the ending. A sacrifice for a friend because it is more powerful than any walls or chains. At first they were bonded by the chain and then by the end, by the heart. Cullen hinted at this near the end as well. Simply quite beautiful and because I am a gay man these things stick out to me maybe more so than the average viewer. But, then again if this is based on the story of Huck and Jim there are questions re: that relationship as well. Just sayin.Movie Review: The Defiant Ones
Summary: 5 Stars
ESSENTIAL MOVIE!!! Here's another great "prison" movie from Hollywood. This one stars Tony Curtis & Sidney Poitier. They are chained together when they make their escape. It's not as simple as it sounds; the movie takes place at an unspecified location in the southern U.S. in the late fifties. This was a very unususl situation, the chaining of white & black together in that period. Of course, the Tony Curtis character is a bigot which makes the escape & survival of the two convicts a very complicated thing.
Sidney Poitier is excellent, he should be recognized as one of America's greatest actors. Mr. Poitier must be given credit for breaking down some of the walls that hindered black actors in those days. Tony Curtis, though not the greatest of actors, does a very credible job in his role, Bronx accent not withstanding. In fact, the characters are so well constructed that the audience feels empathy toward them. Director Stanley Kramer has done one of his best jobs ever. This was a very risky movie to be making in 1958; but the control of the huge movie studios were slipping, and in fact, this was an independent production, which is why this movie got made in that day.
Enjoy a movie that was ahead of its time in 1958. It's not only a good movie, it's also an historically important movie.
Movie Review: Magnificent and still keeps freshness!
Summary: 5 Stars
This film was a challenging issue in its age . Nevertheless the racial prejuices and the involved circunstances around the ethical crossroads that surrounds the film are still present , fifty years ago.
Imagine what it means to get the freedom linked with a man you hate due his color . Curtis and Pottier make a glorious tour de force . Both of two are credible in this drama who join these two man initially divided for different conflicts but , (once more the mythical journey) convinces to each other one of them that they must to act as just one man if they want to survive , because they have a common enemy .
You know that Stanley Kramer was always a director that loved to make incisive and bitter films .
In this case he made a masterpiece around a simple story that it could happen again in any other region of the globe .
The remarkable point is this moral question somehow permeated the filmography of famous directors in the future , as Norman Jewison (In the heat of the night) , Mississippi burning (Alan Parker) or The green mile (Durabont) , to name three films of different decades .