Reviews by johanlefourbe

I know, this movie has a terribly lame reputation (according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, it was even one of his worst movies) but when I was a kid, I actually really enjoyed the damned thing. Back then, I was about 12 years old and I didn't know it was a huge flop and a laughable matter and I thought it was actually quite entertaining. Eventually, 20 years later, I though it was time for a re-watch and, this time, I saw it with Nick, my step-son. Honestly, I still don't get the hatred towards this flick. Indeed, there was some cool music by Ennio Morricone, the whole thing (costumes, sets, props,...) looked pretty awesome and, even though the story was really pedestrian, it thought it was entertaining enough. Of course, something I didn't notice when I was a kid was that the acting was actually really weak, especially concerning Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen. I still think they were both pretty bad-ass though. On top of that, they were not helped either by those terribly cheesy dialogues. Still, all in all, I don't think it deserves its bad reputation, as a matter of fact, I think it is a decent fantasy feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, beforehand, I have never heard of this movie before but since it was on the list '1001 movies you must see before you die', I was definitely eager to check it out. First of all, I had to admit it, I'm not really familiar with John Wayne's work and, in my opinion, he basically always portrayed typical tough guys so I was rather surprised to see him being cast in a such a romantic feature. And the best thing is that it actually worked. Basically, it is a rather simple and very old-fashioned romantic feature. Still, the fact that it was so old-fashioned made it, at the same time, very cute and charming but also sometimes rather annoying to watch. Still, I thought it was quite enjoyable to watch and the whole thing had an extra personal dimension (indeed, my own father moved from the Netherlands to live in France and I myself moved from France to live in the Netherlands). Eventually, it remains a harmless romantic flick and I thought it was pretty good, even if it was nothing really mind-blowing. To conclude, it is a decent (meaning that it deals with decency) romantic feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

After hearing so many things about this movie, I was definitely eager to check it out. Basically, it is one of those movies which are more famous for their troubled production than for the movie itself. Indeed, not only Marilyn Monroe was reportedly impossible to handle during the shooting but all 3 major stars died soon after this movie (Clark Gable died just after filming this movie, Marilyn Monroe died a year later before completing any other project and Montgomery Clift died just a few years later). Sure, that’s all really fascinating but what about the movie itself? Well, it was an intriguing piece of work but I was not sure what to make of it. Indeed, it basically deals with some outcasts, who were in fact pretty much some losers confused with themselves and about what they should do with themselves. Seriously, it was pretty eerie when considering where those actors stood at this point in their own life. Still, even though it was sometimes quite fascinating to watch, those characters were also, at some point, pretty pathetic and annoying (especially Marilyn Monroe's character). Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a rather spellbinding movie to watch, especially if you are interested in the actors involved.

Since I saw him in 'Tigerland', I always had a weak spot for Colin Farrell so I was definitely eager to check this flick. As a matter of fact, it is the very first movie Farrell made after 'Tigerland'. Ok, I have to admit it, I'm maybe too harsh with my rating here but, in my opinion, it is probably the worst movie he has made so far. Indeed, I thought he was totally miscast as Jesse James (but the rest of the cast was not much better, I'm afraid...). Above all, I thought the story was really boring and totally uninteresting. Basically, it is one of those (very) light Western where it seems to be jolly fun to be there and where everybody is nicely good looking and clean shaven. Personally, I prefer the gritty approach but that's just me. After this movie, Colin Farrell will constantly switch between interesting projects and terrible misfires so I'm not sure where I stand concerning this actor but I still believe he is very talented. To conclude, in my opinion, it is a very weak Western and it is absolutely not worth a look, even if you are a fan of the genre.