The Parallax View
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Movie Reviews of The Parallax View
Movie Review: Really good but with unintended consequence?
Summary: 4 Stars
I was trying to think how to describe The Parallax View and I realized its the conspricy movie Oliver Stone would make if he had more talent and less ego.
Since that won't happen we're left with Parallax View which is a series of events that vaguely correspond to actual occurances. The point is not to theroize about an actual asasination; its to show how a fictional conspricy might unfold.
Alas, the unintended consequence is all the single bullet/talk radio/grassy knoll nuts attaching undue importance to it. May I remind you that our current government--as sinister as any I can recall--can't even fake WMDs? How would people like this create a Parallax Corporation?
Movie Review: Intense, creepy thriller.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Parallax View is chilling. The DVD presentation is great visually, but the sound is quite variable throughout, meaning that when it's loud, it's really loud, and when it's soft, it's really soft. Constant running back and forth to the volume controls. Probably the worst sound on any DVD I own. However, the quality of the movie is such that I can overlook this problem. Makes me wary of Paramount's DVD releases, though. No supplements, no actor bios or anything like that, either.Movie Review: Conspiracy theorists ahoy
Summary: 4 Stars
If you like films which are about this then this is a winner.
If you like films from this era then buy it.
I would have liked some extras
Good film and a good price
Movie Review: Looks great
Summary: 3 Stars
Other reviewers have noted the excellent cinematography of this movie. Many of the shots are static and artistic - not so static as Lynch or Kubrick, but static enough to allow action to occur within the frame. It's also amazing to witness the depth of field, where characters enter or exit a scene by walking toward or away from the camera. Perhaps this is meant on some level to evoke the titular "parallax." Regardless, it's impressive.
It's a 70s movie, so there are action scenes. One jawdropping scene involves a fight on top of the Space Needle, which looks like it was actually shot on top of the Space Needle and not in front of a backdrop. I am still wondering how they did that. Of course, you take the good with the bad, where the bad includes a 70s style car chase complete with the obligatory hillbilly music to start it off.
Beatty turns in a fine performance, and the script delivers some surprises. All in all, a decent movie with some amazing cinematography that shows well on DVD. So why just three stars? It's not a spoiler to say that the ending leaves you wanting some additional explanation. Perhaps I'm just dense when it comes to this kind of film, though.
At a minimum, it's worth a rent, particularly if you liked "Three Days of the Condor."
Movie Review: Distinctive 70's cynicism
Summary: 3 Stars
On this Amazon website The Parallax View is linked to Three Days of the Condor, another classic conspiracy thriller from 1975, also produced by Paramount. But I contend that Paramount's 1974 The Conversation fits with The Parallax View. I say this because there is between them both a harsh violence and an atmosphere created that doesn't bathe the characters in safety or a belief that everything will be alright. As was the case in this era of films, including Chinatown, Night Moves, Three Days of the Condor, Serpico, The Last Detail, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Nashville, Z, Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon, etc., things are not alright.
What I appreciated about The Parallax View though, was the anger and fear it engendered. The suspense was palpable and the reasoning unclear. All you know is that Beatty is on the hunt, oblivious to his place in the game, and his opponent's true nature.
The Parallax View is a very effective thriller, though it includes a ridiculous bar fight, and a somewhat standard car chase. It does though, feature an ominous beginning and ending, creepy music, and acting that moves it all along fine.