Reviews (39)

Like having 57 Channels with somethin' on.1978-2000-2 DVDs!
Track rundown-Disc 1:Rosalita, The River, Thunder Road, Atlantic City, Dancing In The Dark, Born In The USA, I'm On Fire, Glory Days, My Hometown, War, Fire, Born To Run, Brilliant Disguise, Tunnel Of Love, One Step Up, Tougher Than the Rest, Spare Parts, Born To Run(acoustic) Disc 2:Human Touch, Better Days, 57 Channels (and Nothin' On), Leap Of Faith, Streets Of Philadelphia, Murder Incorporated, Secret Garden, Hungry Heart, Dead Man Walkin, The Ghost Of Tom Joad (video and from The Tonight Show), Highway Patrolman, If I Should Fall Behind, Born In The USA (from Charlie Rose Show), Secret Garden (Alternate version with strings). I love the music of THE BOSS and this should be a welcome addition to any collection. I've watched the original video 1978-1988 until it broke, so I was so happy to get this awesome DVD set!

Sringsteen's video are cinematic
Springsteen's songs are so cinematic in nature, that on some levels, videos seem a good match. Sure enough, that is reflected in the titles here. We have no less than 3 videos here with film clips, all stellar films. We have John Sales directing a short story version of I'm on Fire. Brian DePalma, Jonathan Demme, Tim Robbins, & Sean Penn also make appearences in the credits.

This is a fine collection of videos, like the music, that is basic, non-flashy, and direct. It also contains many live concert videos, which, of course, are wonderfull glimpes into the magic that Springsteen brings to the stage.

The Atlantic City, I'm on Fire, Brilliant Disguise, Human Touch, Secret Garden, Ghost of Tom Joad, Streets of Philidelphia, and Highway Patrolman videos are the highlights of the non-performance selections. Of the live footage, an extremely energetic 'Rosalita' from '78, a hilarious 'Fire,' a totally reworked and beautiful 'Born to Run,' an angry 'Spare Parts,' a spectacular 'Leap of Faith,' and a moving If I Should Fall Behind are the best.

Best of all is the closing clip of Bruce reworking Born in the USA solo on guitar for the Charlie Rose show. This ledgendary athem of rage is transformed into a dying horse whisper.

This is video collection with very few misses, and a rich collection of Springsteen's quiet but successfull stroll into the world of videos.

Near Perfect!
A nice summary of Bruce's early video work. However, why the edit on "Rosalita" - the band introductions (which were originally included when the video came out in the 80's) were a lot of fun. I'd love to find a copy of them.

Otherwise, a great presentation

Good live performances on disk 1
Disk 1 is very good with live performances. Disk 2 was not that great and is videos. I wanted the song Rosalita as that is the best song and is missing from latest DVD's.

Ecompasses the Best of Springsteen
This chonological colection of Springsteen's work is great for any Springsteen fan. The 2 DVD set is essentially his greatest hits in video form. A lot of these videos are live performances and show how great Bruce Springsteen is as a live performer. Bruce Springsteen truly is The Boss, and this video collection adds to the legacy. Highlights of the DVD include a rivoting live performance of War, found on the bos set, and a rare version of Fire, a song he wrote for the Pointer Sisters. This also shows some of the later work, including Secret Garden from Jerry Maguire, and Murder Incorporated from his greatest hits album. 4 out of 5 because of Weak representation form the pre-BITUSA era. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Brian De Palma's 1998 thriller is largely an exercise in airing out his orchestral, oversized visual style (think of his Blowout, Body Double, or Raising Cain) for the heck of it. The far-fetched story features Nicolas Cage as a crooked police detective attending a championship boxing match at which the Secretary of Defense is assassinated. The unfortunate Secretary's right-hand man (Gary Sinise) happens to be Cage's old friend, a fact that complicates the cop's efforts to reconstruct the crime from conflicting accounts--a directorial strategy bearing similarities to Kurosawa's Rashomon. The outrageousness of the scenario essentially gives De Palma permission to construct a baroque cathedral of spectacular camera stunts, which (he well knows) are inevitably more interesting than the hoary conspiracy plot. (The opening scene alone, which runs on for a number of minutes and consists of one, unbroken shot that moves in from the street, following Cage up and down stairs, and in and out of rooms until finally ending ringside at the match, is breathtaking.) The shifting points of view--based on the contradictory statements of witnesses--also give De Palma license to get creative with camera angles and scene rearrangements.The script bogs down in the third act, but De Palma is just revving up for a big, operatic finish that is absolutely gratuitous but undeniably impressive. Yes, it's style over substance in Snake Eyes, but what style we're talking about. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (110)

Disappointed mostly
I wanted to see this movie when it first came out, but decided against it. I finally saw it for the first time tonight, and was quite disappointed. Nicolas Cage is such a great actor, but he makes a fool out of himself in this film...he plays a weak character, and does the best he can at it, but it still falls way short of what we've seen. (Watch 'The Rock' or 'Con Air' for best acting by Cage.) Gary Sinise does a decent job, but I have never seen him make a role seem outstanding, so I didn't mind too much. The plot was weak--2 stars out of 5--the script was quite poor--1.5 stars out of 5--but Brian De Palma (Mission: Impossible) did a good job as usual. I love how the first fifteen minutes of the movie were filmed, and how an entire scene would be shot from start to finish without being cut. Overall, even a good director like De Palma couldn't save this film...neither could Cage. A poor script, weak plot and characters nobody could relate to--unless you're a married man with a son while cheating on your wife and taking bribes to support yourself--doomed this movie before it was ever filmed. Too bad...this really had something it could've worked off of, but even the ending seemed rushed...now that I think of it, this movie had no climax, but I'll give it 3 stars for Cage's attempt at making this work. Hope this helps.

A very complex film -- much more than it's given credit.
The editorial review here by the Amazon guy (Keough?) is totally off the mark. He missed out on the entire point of Sinise purposefully plotting the crime where he did and not "coincidentally" with his friend. Forget all the dazzling camera work and just focus on the two main characters. Sinise's motivation is one of the more compelling that I have seen in ANY movie villain, and not easy to dismiss. To the film's credit it never marginalizes him, and winds up making some pretty serious statements about how we view loyalty. Cage's character and his relationship with Sinise really brings this out. Quite simply, a brilliant script. The only thing I would say is a bit hokey is the outfits of the ladies. But really, that just kind of makes it fun. Gorgeous Ryuiki Sakamoto score. This movie is not about DePalma flexing his technical muscles. It's one of the best American films in decades.

great film, needs a special edition though
Great film, good cast, but it was the lack of special features that disapointed me. All it has was the original theatrical trailer.

snake eyes, you crapped out
this was a nice Brian DePalma flick and it had its ups and downs in the middle and I read the book and the ending of the book is better than the ending of the movie because in the ending of the book Gary Sinise's character gets squashed by a big globe thing and in the movie he shoots himself. Cage is just plain crazy people and I like that about him. though the let down is the fight scenes with Stan Shaw and that other boxer.

Entertaining, But Unoriginal
This movie was so pointless and ordinary that I finished watching it just fifteen minutes ago, and I've already begun to forget its plot. Frankly, I was expecting much more from this movie. I figured that when you have a great director, an Academy Award winner, and an Academy Award nominee working together on a movie, it might be worth watching. For this particular movie, I was wrong.

This movie takes place in Atlantic City, where there is a big boxing match at which the Secretary of Defense of the United States is in attendance. He's assassinated as the match commences, and at first this murder seems like a textbook case of a political fanatic who kills a politician in order to raise awareness about his cause, but soon the plot thickens. Nicholas Cage plays the detective in charge of uncovering this plot, and Gary Sinise is his friend and fellow law enforcement official who is really the brains behind the assassination. The rest of the movie involves some hackneyed cat and mouse scenes, but nothing incredibly memorable.

There are two very talented actors in this movie, and they weren't able to display their talents here. This type of movie is really too simplistic for actors of this caliber. The truth is that you'll be entertained for the duration of the movie, but if you're looking for something that's Oscar worthy, this isn't it. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Like having 57 Channels with somethin' on.1978-2000-2 DVDs!
Track rundown-Disc 1:Rosalita, The River, Thunder Road, Atlantic City, Dancing In The Dark, Born In The USA, I'm On Fire, Glory Days, My Hometown, War, Fire, Born To Run, Brilliant Disguise, Tunnel Of Love, One Step Up, Tougher Than the Rest, Spare Parts, Born To Run(acoustic) Disc 2:Human Touch, Better Days, 57 Channels (and Nothin' On), Leap Of Faith, Streets Of Philadelphia, Murder Incorporated, Secret Garden, Hungry Heart, Dead Man Walkin, The Ghost Of Tom Joad (video and from The Tonight Show), Highway Patrolman, If I Should Fall Behind, Born In The USA (from Charlie Rose Show), Secret Garden (Alternate version with strings). I love the music of THE BOSS and this should be a welcome addition to any collection. I've watched the original video 1978-1988 until it broke, so I was so happy to get this awesome DVD set!

Sringsteen's video are cinematic
Springsteen's songs are so cinematic in nature, that on some levels, videos seem a good match. Sure enough, that is reflected in the titles here. We have no less than 3 videos here with film clips, all stellar films. We have John Sales directing a short story version of I'm on Fire. Brian DePalma, Jonathan Demme, Tim Robbins, & Sean Penn also make appearences in the credits.

This is a fine collection of videos, like the music, that is basic, non-flashy, and direct. It also contains many live concert videos, which, of course, are wonderfull glimpes into the magic that Springsteen brings to the stage.

The Atlantic City, I'm on Fire, Brilliant Disguise, Human Touch, Secret Garden, Ghost of Tom Joad, Streets of Philidelphia, and Highway Patrolman videos are the highlights of the non-performance selections. Of the live footage, an extremely energetic 'Rosalita' from '78, a hilarious 'Fire,' a totally reworked and beautiful 'Born to Run,' an angry 'Spare Parts,' a spectacular 'Leap of Faith,' and a moving If I Should Fall Behind are the best.

Best of all is the closing clip of Bruce reworking Born in the USA solo on guitar for the Charlie Rose show. This ledgendary athem of rage is transformed into a dying horse whisper.

This is video collection with very few misses, and a rich collection of Springsteen's quiet but successfull stroll into the world of videos.

Near Perfect!
A nice summary of Bruce's early video work. However, why the edit on "Rosalita" - the band introductions (which were originally included when the video came out in the 80's) were a lot of fun. I'd love to find a copy of them.

Otherwise, a great presentation

Good live performances on disk 1
Disk 1 is very good with live performances. Disk 2 was not that great and is videos. I wanted the song Rosalita as that is the best song and is missing from latest DVD's.

Ecompasses the Best of Springsteen
This chonological colection of Springsteen's work is great for any Springsteen fan. The 2 DVD set is essentially his greatest hits in video form. A lot of these videos are live performances and show how great Bruce Springsteen is as a live performer. Bruce Springsteen truly is The Boss, and this video collection adds to the legacy. Highlights of the DVD include a rivoting live performance of War, found on the bos set, and a rare version of Fire, a song he wrote for the Pointer Sisters. This also shows some of the later work, including Secret Garden from Jerry Maguire, and Murder Incorporated from his greatest hits album. 4 out of 5 because of Weak representation form the pre-BITUSA era. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Brian De Palma's complicated horror story from 1978 never did come together correctly, but it still has pockets of real inspiration as only the director(Carrie,Mission: Impossible) could conceive. Andrew Stevens and Amy Irving play teens with telekinetic powers that intelligence agencies want to harness, and Kirk Douglas stands between his kids and their nefarious exploiters. The film bogs down during Douglas's guilt-ridden, booze-fueled quest to find his son, but De Palma's elaborate, sometimes operatic violence and action sequences are genuinely mesmerizing. The final scene involving just desserts for the film's villain is a big surprise.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Fury- another De Palma triumph!
The Fury is a great film that takes some elments from other films such as Carrie, and spins a totally different tale of violence and psychic powers. This was De Palma's first blockbuster movie- even if it didn't do as well as they thought at the box office. It's about a teenage boy named Robin who is kidnapped after a murder attempt at his father. The father (played by the magnificent Kirk Douglas) survives, and is still trying to find his son after 11 months. But the boy has psychic powers- which is the reason they want him in the first place. These "powers" psychically link him to a girl named Gillian (Carrie's Amy Irving), who tries desperately to help the father locate his son in an attempt to meet him.

But the experiments that the people who kidnapped him make him under-go have a strange effect on Robin- they turn him into a destructive beast who will stop at nothing to get his own way. Gillian also has destructive powers- if she touches someone at a certain moment, they will bleed, some a little, some a lot. And she can either use these for good, or for evil...

The father and Gillian search for Robin, and when they find him, he turns out to be a shadow of his former self. One who was once a good, fun-loving teen has turned into a monster that will kill to get what he wants...

While not as good as Carrie, it is a well done thriller by a master of suspense, Brian De Palma. The film has shocking moments that will make your mouth gape open, so be prepared. This is, all in all, a scary yet fun film.

Also recommended films by De Palma: SISTERS, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, CARRIE, DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT, BODY DOUBLE, and RAISING CAIN.

TOTALLY COMPELLING
Exuberant and glossy, this DePalma follow-up to CARRIE is a telekinetic feast. Incredulous and mind-blowing, this is a great pop movie with some fabulous DePalma sequences -- Amy Irving's flashback on the stairs is a dizzying and imaginative plot-mover; the opening assault will take you by complete surprise. In addition, there are some affecting performances mixed in among the hambone, but effective, performances of Kirk Douglas and especially John Cassavettes, who plays this role as if he is Rosemary's husband all grown up and evil. Carrie Snodgress is truly moving in a way too small role, and Amy Irving glows in those richly textured close-ups DePalma does so well. The story is compelling, if a bit convoluted, what with its undertone of doom and a special-effects romance that never plays itself out. If you love engrossing suspense/horror films, you can't miss with this one. Pino Donaggio's dense and lyrical score adds a mesmerizing dimension to the increasingly gory proceedings...And the finale is supremely satisfying.

Beautiful, bloody, and intense
This sci-fi horror espionage thriller has a weak script and clumsy plot but some beautiful horror set pieces. As with Brian De Palma's previous film, CARRIE, the focus here is a sweet young girl (Amy Irving) with awesome telekinetic powers. She's searching for her "psychic twin" captured by a secret government agency for use as a military weapon; Kirk Douglas plays the boy's superspy father who's also looking for him. As with CARRIE, you fall in love with the girl just as the most awful things start happening to her--and, this being De Palma, those awful things involve lots and lots of blood. The movie builds its tension slowly, leisurely, and then, wham, you're hit with some of the most intense horror sequences ever put on film. De Palma's a very smart director who's not all that interested in script or plot--he's just interested in orchestrating the terror sequences for maximum effect. If you give in to the film's sometimes quirky rhythms and oddball attempts at humor, it's quite a ride.

DE PALMA AT HIS BEST
Long maligned as an Alfred Hitchcock rip-off, Brian de Palma can rest on his laurels, having given us such visually stunning examples of horrific ballet. In "The Fury" there are so many scenes of intense but beautiful violence that you wonder where the imagery originated. While DePalma has often said he was influenced by the masterful Hithcock, he doesn't rip him off; he accentuates the master with his visually stunning style.
The slomo and quiet scene in which Carrie Snodgress meets an untimely fate is mesmerizing, even knowing what the ultimate outcome is; likewise the scenes where Amy Irving "sees" events that have or will happen. DePalma's camera swerves and sizzles. The lovely Fiona Lewis' demise is horrifically fascinating in its cruelty. (No, I'm not sadistic). The cast: isn't it fun to see scruffy Dennis Franz in one of his first roles as the gum-chewing, love my car cop? And Kirk Douglas, no longer a youngster, still looked amazingly fit and masculine in a role he would never get to play in today's youthful standards. Amy Irving is gorgeous and quite a good young actress; Andrew Stevens is handsome and effectively icy; Charles Durning and Carol Rossen appropriately vile; John Cassavettes is a devilish villain; and the almost forgotten Carrie Snodgress is a delight. Writer John Farris wrote the book which he adapted for the screen, and did a fine job. Too bad he waited so long for sequels---they probably won't get filmed, but they should. THE FURY is one of DePalma's best.

Very Little Suspense, Very Many Unintentional Laughs
When I was a young child in 1978-79 watching this on HBO I thought this movie was cool because people blew up in it and a fairground ride went spinning out of control.

25 years later, I watch it again and hardly anything is cool about it. The dialogue is laughable, Kirk Douglas is ridiculous as a geriatric James Bond who leaps out 4 story bedroom windows in his underpants, comandeers a shiny new Cadillac just to drive it off the end of a pier, and seranades his girlfriend with an obscene phone call.

John Cassavetes looks like he's trying to parody some Dr. Strangelove-type villian by walking around in a sling with a black glove on his useless hand, glaring at everyone and spouting the worst sort of "bad guy" cliches.

What else? Well, when Carrie Snodgrass goes flying through the windshield of a car, the windshield shatters like some plate glass saloon window from a low-budget Western. And there's plenty of blood in this movie, but not a drop of it looks real.

Andrew Stevens goes from lovable son to patricidal maniac without so much as a shred of explanation. Amy Irving escapes from a supposedly fortress-like prison by simply shoving a bunch of packages at someone and running out the backdoor. Oh, yeah, you know when Andrew Stevens is really, REALLY mad when the veins on his forehead pop out. Sometimes his eyes even glow blue. There's more, but what's the use recounting it?

I'll give it two stars because it's not the worst movie ever. But at times it really comes close. Isn't DePalma supposed to be a genius or something? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

if only the sequel and other remakes were this good
well done, it might upset some lovers of the original b/c it doesn't always stay true but it is still a good movie that has some amazing effects and some amazing scenes. if only the sequel and other remakes were this good

This is a cool book!
I think this is the coolest book ever. Very good descriptions. Ethan Hunt rules! ... Read more

Description

Femme Fatale is a contemporary film noir about an alluring seductress (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) suddenly exposed to the world -- and her enemies -- by a voyeuristic photographer (Antonio Banderas) who becomes ensnared in her surreal quest for revenge. ... Read more

Reviews (107)

Femme Fatale
Brian DePalma has a delightfully wicked sense of irony, and a twisted sense of humor which is sadly lacking and sorely missed in today's overly self-serious pop culture. This makes watching Femme Fatale feel fresh and exciting, even though such irony was a prime staple of movies in the '70's -- a decade largely regarded as DePalma's prime. That is when he directed Carrie, Phantom of the Paradise & Dressed to Kill, among others.

The Femme Fatale in this movie is a diamond thief/con-artist named Laure who assumes the identity of another woman to escape some partners she double crossed. She is wonderfully evil, and great fun to watch as she manipulates the men around her using her body and her tears in order to get what she wants.

But there is a great deal more of this movie to love. Brian DePalma delights in playing tricks with cinematic conventions both narrative and visual. His love for unusual camera angles is still present in this film, which delivers a plot that twists and turns as seductively as Laure's strip tease. I picked up clues as to one major plot twist early on, hoping I would be wrong. I was partly right, DePalma took something that would have left me groaning in lesser hands and twisted it so that I was laughing with delight as the climax approached.

DePalma has also mellowed out a bit with this movie. Much of his prior films would feature gallons of bright red blood and gruesome, creative, deaths of beautiful women. This film keeps much of the fake blood away from the women, cutting away from any of their more potentially gruesome death scenes.

This movie is highly rescommended to those who enjoy being surprised. Watch it. You may think you have it figured out, but there is no way anyone could guess the ending. As the credits start to roll, you will realise that you were in the hands of a cinematic master with an impish sense of humor.

Femme Fatale excellent transfer to DVD
This movie was the "love it!" or "hate it!" experience of 2002. It's a Brian De Palma affair, and if you liked DRESSED TO KILL and BODY DOUBLE you will love it! I thought it was a fun erotic ride with a lot of style. Beautifully photographed, and teasingly esoteric - it became sort of a "what if De Palma made MULHOLLAND DRIVE". Sit back and have a lot of fun! At it's heart this is just a big beautiful popcorn movie!

The performances of the actors are surprisingly fun. Rebecca Romijin Stamos plays the lead role, and she's sexy and fun. She's been a victim of weak scripts for some time, and here she emerges as a very capable and strong actress. Antonio Banderas plays a European paparazzi who falls into the web. He's playful and quick!

The DVD has a great transfer of the film! Included are many featurettes with interviews of almost everyone involved. Brian De Palma never records commentaries for his DVDs, but he does do interviews which plunge the depths of anything you might want to know. There are two trailers - one foreign and one domestic. The French trailer is a real treat! It shows the entire film in high speed from opening credits to final, and then teases you with "You just saw the new Brian De Palma film ... didn't get it? ... try again!" The perfect sentiment to this film! Either you get it or you don't.

Roger Ebert named it one of the best films of the year, other critics either praised it or panned it. There was no middle ground! But the passion for film-making is here - the joy and the style make it infectious. A movie you can watch again and again!

sparkel22 watch it again and learn!
No offense intended towards the reviewer name "Sparkel" but he/she needs to WATCH the movie, in its entirety to KNOW why the woman in the bathroom stall 'allowed' her diamonds to be stolen. ...went right over your head i guess.

loved the film, and was suprised that i waited over a year to see it and was refreshingly suprised with what i saw. EVEN if you disagree with depalma's style or the overall quality of the film, you'll (provided you're breathing) will love the visuals and how stunningly beautiful rebecca and her french 'freind' are.

sit back and enjoy this one!

j

A mesmorizing classic!
this movie is amazing from beginning to the end. It's even better when you watch it for the 2nd or even the 3rd time because you see clues you didn't see before and appreciate the stylish and the artistic film and also understand the film better. the story is great and clever and never slows down to the end. I was totally mesmorized. many people didn't like this movie. It'll be one of those films that people either didn't like or missed that will be a total classic in the future. It's one of the best movies I've seen in the past 5 years. It's totally non-hollywood so if you like that kind of movie, you won't like this, which is very intelligent.

little hit&alot of miss
this film was interesting for a minute then it lost me.the story writing was a bit under developed on a whole&after a while the pacing of the film got fragged down.it had a few moments but not enough to maintain my interest. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Handle with care--this one's a bomb! Director Brian De Palma seemed an unlikely choice to transfer Tom Wolfe's mammoth bestseller-- a vibrantly satiric story about race, politics, and greed in 1980s New York--to the screen. In this case, the first impression was correct.Made with a tin ear to everything that made the book so real, the movie gets it wrong every time, starting with casting Tom Hanks in the central role (which, as anyone with brains knew, should have been played by William Hurt). Move along to the choice of Bruce Willis for the sneaky British tabloid journalist and, well, need I say more? As stylish as any De Palma film, this story of a Wall Street broker whose extramarital shenanigans trigger a racial incident that becomes front-page news gets no help from Michael Cristofer's tone-deaf script. After watching it, read Julie Salomon's behind-the-scenes book about its making, The Devil's Candy, which is much more entertaining. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An extra star for being unfairly maligned
OK, so it's not exactly the same experience as reading Tom Wolfe's wonderful novel, but who would expect a movie to be a perfect reflection of a book? It certainly was not the bomb that everyone claimed it was, and has held up quite well considering how universally hated it was. Tom Hanks was miscast, but he did the best he could in the role. Bruce Willis took a lot of heat for a supposedly poor performance, mainly because in the book, his character was supposed to be British. Who cares whether his character is British or American? His main job was to serve as a somewhat sporadic narrator, and he did that as well as anyone.

Melanie Griffith gives an excellent performance as Maria, pushing right up to the edge without becoming a caricature. Kim Cattrall is cool and credible as Hanks' vacuous society wife. Morgan Freeman gave perhaps the strongest performance of the entire film, ruling his courtroom with an iron but equitable fist and delivering some of the best lines in the script, as well.

Perhaps the expectations were just too high for this movie at the time of its release, but I enjoyed it as much as many recent films that have received critical accolades. At first I thought that the pacing was going to be a bit slow, but I was sufficiently involved in the film that the time passed very quickly.

The DVD video transfer is good but not spectacular, and the sound is adequate but nothing special. There are no extras, but that is to be expected on a DVD that is sold in some retail outlets for [less money].

I give the film 3 stars, plus an extra "consolation" star for having been excessively and unfairly criticized.

Woefully underestimated!
I picked up this movie for only $1 at a local rummage sale without knowing anything about it. I have since watched my VHS copy so many times that it finally stopped playing. This movie taken on it's own merit is fantastic!

Bruce Willis is absolutely wonderful with his portrayal of the drunken journalist, and my favorite character from the movie. Melanie Griffith makes an excellent bad girl, as she tries worming her way out of trouble. F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hanks, and many more!

This is one hell of a sleeper movie, and I am glad I finally found the DVD version. My suggestion is rent it, and if you love it as much as I do, then buy it!

Let's set the record straight!
This is a good movie! Forget about the miscasting quibbles about Tom Hanks. He does an amiable job with Sherman McCoy. If one wants to nit-pick, Bruce Willis was the odder casting choice for the drunken british journalist Peter Farrow. Melanie Griffith is perfect as Maria and the rest of the cast does just fine. The directing is handled with De Palma's usual blend of exellence and professionalism. The movie looks like a million dollars with fantastic cinematoghraphy by Vilmos Zsigmond (The opening title sequence is breathtaking!) It seems to me that the problem is that this is based on a beloved book that was on everybody's coffee table and book shelf in the 1980's and everyone had thier own preconceived notions about who should star. Maybe Hanks is too likable in the film as Sherman but having not read the book until after I saw the movie, I was thoroughly swept away by the plot and it's cast. It seems that critics were all set to destroy this film based on the casting announcements alone and De Palma could have made any variation of the book and it still would have taken a beating. Watch it with an open mind and enjoy. For crying out loud gang, it's only a movie. And a fine one at that. Give it a chance.

one of the most under-rated films of all time
Next to Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, David Lynch's Dune, and Francis Ford Coppola's One From the Heart, Brian De Palma's Bonfire of the Vanities is a savagely under-rated film. De Palma once again demonstrates he is a master of wit. The film was initially criticized, or rather misinterpreted, for being somehow 'lightweight.' If anything, the film is over-the-top! De Palma's choice for lavish sets and stunning cinematography (by vilmos zsigmond) in wall street upper class New York perfectly match the subject matter and commentary on the 1980s greed infested 'me' decade and Reagan/Bush era, adapted from Thomas Wolfe's popular novel. Critics howled that the film downplayed Wolfe's themes...people act like Tom Wolfe, albeit a talented writer, is somehow as deep as James Joyce or something. The message of the book is pretty darn simple people! and it translates very obviously, perhaps even too obviously, in the film. Not to mention the fact that film is a totally different medium than literature, and one should not expect a film to be exactly like the book. as for the miscasting criticism, it is true Hanks doesnt exactly perfectly fit the role of McCoy, but he doesnt take away from the movie. The supporting cast, however, is better than him. Griffith is fantastic, and Willis gives a performance that practically carries the movie. I think this film was very ambitious and ahead of its time, and will in the future eventually be recognized as a very good film.

UGGGGHH!..
This was, without a doubt, the worst movie I ever suffered all the way through in a movie theater (I walked out on Jodie Foster's "Hotel New Hampshire"). From what I understand, this film doesn't do the book justice, but I never read the book. All I know is that a movie should be made to hold one's interest, even those who didn't read the book. The script was roundly uninteresting, and hard to follow, to boot. And the acting... What acting?? This is the worst work of Tom Hanks' illustrious career. It must pain him, to be reminded of it. And Bruce Willis is as stiff as a cardboard cutout. To say that he has all the acting skill of a mannikin, would be an insult to mannikins everywhere! If Melanie Griffith's acting is the best thing you have to hang your hat on, you don't have much to speak of. I have always thought that Melanie's looks, facial expressions, and sympathetic voice were the best things about her acting. She has proven to be rather one-dimensional. Still, she deserved better than this, and it seems that her career is the one that suffered the most from being associated with this stinker.... For "The Bonfire of the Vanities" to AVERAGE out to a 3 stars, should tell you all you need to know. Avoid this one, or you'll be sorry... If, that is, you can stay awake through it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Brian De Palma's 1981 thriller is something of a homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's masterful Blowup, though there are hints of Francis Ford Coppola's paranoia-inducing Conversation sprinkled throughout. John Travolta plays a sound-effects man who witnesses what appears to be a tragic car accident killing a presidential candidate. The audio tape he happened to be recording at that moment (adding to his collection of natural sounds), however, suggests but doesn't prove that a murderous conspiracy is afoot. Trying to tease a shred of evidence from murky doubt, Travolta's character turns to a hooker (Nancy Allen) for help and stumbles into a web of evil spun by a right-wing kook (John Lithgow). De Palma's fetishistic fascination with obscured truth in a universe ruled by chance makes Blow Out one of his most operatic films. It's also perhaps one of his most revealing about the inherent decadence of creating verisimilitude for art. Sometimes knocked for its outrageous camera technique, Blow Out contains several exciting sequences that underscore De Palma's amped-up admiration for many of Hitchcock's best moves. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (31)

BLOW OUT-- another De Palma masterpiece!!
While it may be deriative of other films (Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW and even De Palma's own BODY DOUBLE and DRESSED TO KILL), this still stands as one of his best.

A movie sound man (John Travolta in one of his best performances), inadvertantly records an accident while recording effects for a new film-- one that kills the governor. He saves the other passenger, a hooker (Nancy Allen in another great performance that reminds one of her hooker character in DRESSED TO KILL) who tries to help him solve the case.

Meanwhile, a killer is on the loose, killing off Nancy Allen look-alikes in a most brutal fashion-- strangling them, and then stabbing a picture of the liberty bell on their stomachs. Travolta and Allen try to put the pieces of the puzzle together by putting together a film of the accident, which is purposefully erased to make it look like Travolta is full of crap.

The killer calls Allen to meet her at a subway so she can give him the tapes of the accident, disgusing himself as a TV reporter. Travolta figures out a way to rig a microphone onto Allen so he can hear everything they are saying from his car. When he hears the guys voice, he knows it is not that reporter, and he races to find them before it is too late...

In some ways, this is a very complex, disturbing, suspenseful, and often confusing thriller. But that's that way it was meant to be. And you'll see that, at the end, the pieces of the puzzle all really do fit together (despite a very sad ending, you'll figure it out, through the tears).

MGM does a great job on the presentation on BLOW OUT, giving you a choice of widescreen or fullscreen on a two sided disc. Unfortunately, the only extra is the theatrical trailer, and that is a major disappointment on the issue of the DVD. Both CARRIE and DRESSED TO KILL got documentaries and tons of extras, and one wonders why BLOW OUT couldn't have, but what you have to realize is this: those two films were special editions, while BLOW OUT is not. It was the same thing with the original CARRIE DVD-- the only extra was a trailer-- until they released it in a special edition version.

Frankly, I think all of De Palma's films are worth owning on DVD. These are his horror titles I recommend that are available on DVD: SISTERS, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, OBSESSION, CARRIE, THE FURY, DRESSED TO KILL, BLOW OUT, BODY DOUBLE, and RAISING CAIN.

One of DePalma's best films
Brian DePalma has been (sometimes correctly) accused of manufacturing little more than brilliant pastiche (which is another way of damning him with faint praise). I confess to be as guilty as anyone of this practice, finding films like Dressed to Kill slick, fun, but ultimately less works of art than of skillful post-modern artifice.

Blow Out is a haunting exception. Yes, it has clear antecedents in Antonioni's Blowup and Coppola's paranoid classic, The Conversation. But it is unfair to judge Blow Out by its similarities to these films. One need only pay minimal attention to realize DePalma has his own goals in mind. No mere retread of the standard paranoid political thriller, Blow Out is a bravura exercise in nuanced, multi-layered story telling.

Low budget movie soundman Jack Terry (John Travolta) is in the right place at the wrong time - while out recording some nature sounds for a B slasher flick (in which DePalma seems to poke fun at some of his own earlier work), he catches the sounds of an auto accident. In an incident reminiscent of Chappaquiddick, a car driven by a presidential candidate suffers a tire blowout and careens off a nearby bridge. The candidate dies, but Terry manages to rescue his "lady friend", a party girl named Sally (Nancy Allen). Key to the story is his recording, which seems to contain a double-bang - perhaps the blowout preceded by a gunshot? Naturally the story leads Terry into a web of intrigue featuring slimy political operatives, corrupt cops, and nefarious CIA henchmen.

Blow Out's visual style has drawn criticism from some quarters as being too flashy. Ridiculous! The camera movements are precise and deliberate; designed to communicate story points with great efficiency. The visual technique draws no more attention to itself than anything directed by Scorsese. Raging Bull (released about the same time) is far more "flashy" and nobody complains about it.

The DVD itself lacks any special features, but the film transfer is vivid and detailed, with good color fidelity (essential, since the art-direction is a major "star"). It is also double-sided, with a pan-scan presentation on one side, and enhanced widescreen on the other. Don't even bother with the pan-scan; DePalma and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond's compositions are edge-to-edge, making full use of the Panavision frame.

Blow Out is not perfect. Some of the dialogue is contrived and sophomoric. Assassin Burke's (John Lithgow) golf pants in one scene make him look silly when he should seem sinister. But, on balance, John Travolta's solid performance and Brian DePalma's skilled direction more than make up for such lapses. With Blow Out DePalma reaches deeper than usual - with a disquieting sub-plot about guilt, unrequited love, and the futility of seeking redemption. Its conclusion is the punch line to a bitter, existential joke. Read closely, it's a scathing commentary on the Hollywood film industry itself, and the vampiric way it often feeds on very real, sometimes very sad, lives.

Great, but Annoying at the Same Time
Having heard before hand, that Brian DePalma's "Blow Out" was like a tribute to Antonioni's "Blow Up", i was definately intreagued. "Blow Up" is one of the greatest art films I've ever seen, and knowing that tributes are never as good as the original, i knew not to expect too much.

Basically, "Blow Out" involves a sound man (Travolta) recording sounds in a park at night, when a speeding car has what seems to be a blow out, crashes through a fence and into a lake. Travolta is able to rescue the woman, but the man behind the wheel was dead before he could be helped. Upon listening to the tape he'd made that night, Travolta recovers what he believes to be two sounds. Naturally, he can't help but get involved, and try to solve the case.

I Enjoyed Blow Out for the obvious reasons; good acting, complex script, lots of well-drawn suspense. And, if you've never seen or liked Antonioni's "Blow Up", the review can end here for you. You'll probably enjoy this version. Despite my complaints in the next paragraph, i really liked this movie.

However having seen and enjoyed "Blow Up", it looked to me like Brian De Palma did what everyone was tempted to do, but that no one should have done. Made "Blow Up" a Hollywood movie. "Blow Up" actually has a lot a great suspense and intreague, but the end is sure do disappoint those who need a clean-cut ending, which is to say, most theatre goers. Basically, they smushed the plot of "Blow Up" down about 30 minutes, added some more murders and people skulking around shadowy rooms, and then gave it a conclusive ending.

Needless to say, it's frusterating to see a great piece of art turned into a decent Hollywood movie. But hey, if you like a good suspense thriller, this works.

nice paranoia thriller
John Travolta plays this sound effects guy and then something happens..he is then abyssed into a web of thrills and paranoia....and its Directed by Brian DePalma(Scarface, Femme Fatale, Snake Eyes)..though it gets boring with all the circling of the cameras and all that but its a great thriller...a B effort from Travolta leading him up to Pulp Fiction I'd say.

ONE OF DE PALMA'S FINEST
'Blow Out' is one of my favourite De Palma films, right after 'Dressed To Kill'. John travolta and Nancy Allen are perfect. I adore these two actors and there's something alluring about these two characters they play. De Palma's use of direction he takes the film is superb and the musical score is astounding. A must see for DePalma fans.
By Justine Ryan ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Fine Suspense Thriller
Okay, bare with me. This movie is kind of confusing. First of all, the horrendous reviews on this page do not do this fine film justice. They must've seen a different film. Brian De Palma directed this stylish thriller With John Lithgow playing twin brothers, who don't know wether or not to help their nutso father(also played by Lithgow)steal children so he can perform experiments on them. It's a dark and disturbing subject matter that might turn off some people. There are a few twists and turns here that keep this movie incredibly interesting. De Palma definitley has a style that's all his own. Odd camera angles, slow motion scenes, etc. Besides the roles mentioned above, Lithgow plays a few more as well. Everybody knows that Lithgow is an incredibly brilliant actor. With this role, he gets to show off his tremendous talent. He steals the show and eats up every scene he's in. A remarkable performance. Lolita Davidovich plays his wife who's having an extramarital affair with character actor Steven Bauer. Frances Sternhagen("Misery") also shows up as a psychologist. The movie is dark and weird. The first half is pretty talky. It sets up the characters and what's going on. If you hang in til the second half, you'll have fuun because things start rolling and everything goes nuts. It's an interesting film where it's tough to really say too much. What you can say doesn't describe the film and what it's really like well enough. If you say everything then you'll definitley be letting some secrets out. De Palma definitley has a Hitchcock thing going. Good for him. Somebody needs to keep that kind of classic filmmaking alive. All in all, this is an odd and intriguing film. You might not think much at first, but it'll hook you and you won't want to turn away. It's a creepy film that is destined to give you the willies. Raising Cain is one of the better psychological thrillers to come around in a while. Do not listen to the negative reviews. They know not what they say.

superb !
One of my favourite DePalma movies - this is an incredibly contrived but hugely enjoyable thriller with some fantastic fluid camerawork from Stephen Burum and a tremendous score from DePalma regular Pino Donnagio.
John Lithgow delivers a towering performance (or is that performances?) that holds the attention right through the film.
Top stuff. A definite keeper.

Over-the-top Or Not, LITHGOW ROCKS!
Alright, look. So many people say that this is DePalma's worst. Okay, fine. Who cares. Apparently it meant enough to you to spend your time writing a review. The bottom line is this is a cool movie. To say that this is a Psycho rip-off, is to single it out from the dozens of other films that have stolen from Hitchcock. Everybody steals from everybody. When something works, you use it. You make it your own. Get over it.

Norman Bates and Carter Nix comparison: both have a female multiple who has them wearing a dress and both dump bodies in a lake. That's it. Otherwise, they're nothing alike. A split personality is a good ailment to pair with murderous tendencies. Hollywood latches on to a lot of lame ideas that didn't work from the getgo, but this one they got right. And if nothing else, it has John Lithgow giving one of the finest performances in his career and people need to recognize that. Quite a stretch from Third Rock From the Sun, eh? Range is everything.

I was confused by the dream sequences and continue to wonder exactly how Lolita Davidovich got from Steven Bauer's hotel room back to her and Carter's home if her car ride was a dream. Bizarre, yes. Bad, no. Deserves to be seen becasue Lithgow is amazing to watch.

More Good Fun from a true Movie-Loving Director
Those who expect movies to teach moral lessons ought to stay away from most of the work of De Palma (with the weird exception of "Untouchables" which the moral lesson-types will enjoy until the very last scene, when the real De Palma has the last laugh, indicating that the entire "moral drama" of the picture has been a big joke!). For those who enjoy giving themselves over to De Palma when he is at his most inspired with in-jokes, absurdly brilliant cameras moves, and bravura scares, this is a total gem. One of De Palma's best for those with a sense of humor!

John Lithgow
Lithgow's performance is the reason to own this film. Classic. I also reccommend purchasing "Riccochet" to see Lithgow spit out some of the best one-liners in movie history. Yes, movie history! This guy is/was awesome as a bad guy. ... Read more

Reviews (131)

Good versus Evil in a deadly dance of operatic proportions.
Sometimes dubbed "the Master of the Macabre," director Brian De Palma is best known for his enactments of the supernatural ("Carrie"), mania ("Dressed to Kill") - and his mob stories. The latter part of his reputation is primarily grounded on four of his movies from the ten-year period between 1983 and 1993: "Scarface" (1983, starring Al Pacino), "Wise Guys" (1986, starring Danny De Vito, Joe Piscopo and Harvey Keitel), "Carlito's Way" (1993, again starring Pacino) ... and "The Untouchables" (1987), featuring an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith. Among these, "The Untouchables" stands out as the only movie not primarily told from the gangster's but from the lawmen's perspective - but what it does share with all of De Palma's works is an almost voyeuristic appeal to its audience's visual senses; going far beyond the lavish display of film blood it is most often cited for.

Less fact-based than cinematic grand opera par excellence, the movie takes as its premise the end of the career of Chicago's ganglord of ganglords, Al "Scarface" Capone, who (after a few half-hearted attempts to prosecute him for murder had failed due to the unavailability of witnesses) pled guilty, in 1931, to evading federal income tax, and was sentenced to an 11-year prison term and a $50,000 fine. Capone's downfall was brought about by a group of initially 50 but later only nine Treasury Agents, formed in 1929 (not in 1930, as suggested here) with the express purpose of breaking up his operations, and headed by Eliot Ness, whose 1957 book "The Untouchables" posthumously gave new rise to his fame - Ness died of a heart attack without ever having witnessed the full extent of his book's success - and inspired, inter alia, the like-named 1959 television series starring Robert Stack and Brian De Palma's 1987 movie.

Scripted by Pulitzer Prize winner and Chicago native David Mamet ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), "The Untouchables" is not so much a study in character development as based on a western's classic "good versus evil" setup; although that doesn't mean that its protagonists are two-dimensional in any way. On the contrary: Robert De Niro imbues his Capone with a ruthlessness and glib charm very likely matching those of the real "Scarface," who was known for his little hesitation to commit murder and other acts of violence as much as he cultivated a reputation as a savvy businessman and benefactor of the poor, for example by running several soup kitchens. (And yes, all of De Niro's mannerisms are on full display, too; but rarely have they fitted a role as well as here.) Kevin Costner's Eliot Ness may be a little too assertive - Robert Stack once commented, after several conversations with Ness's nearest and dearest, that the real-life Treasury Agent had been described to him as "rather soft-spoken, but very effective and brave" - but mildness is certainly not the principle trait written into the larger-than-life role of the man who "got" Al Capone, and Costner *is* an effective lead; although he is matched (not entirely sidelined, but darn near outplayed) by Sean Connery, who deservedly won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a National Board of Review Award as the crotchety old-timer Malone who has seen it all, somehow managed to stay both clean and alive, and now lets Ness talk him into becoming his tutor in all things Chicago Gangland. Andy Garcia, in his break-through role, is instantly likable as George Stone, the smart, fast kid from the South Side who doesn't take kindly to put-downs of his origin but can nail a human target with one hand while lying down and holding a baby stroller with the other hand. Charles Martin Smith finally brings humanity and subtle humor to the character probably closest to the real-life "Untouchables," accountant Oscar Wallace, who first has the idea to charge Capone for income tax evasion. Strong performances by Billy Drago as Capone's right-hand man Frank Nitti (who of course was not really thrown off a rooftop by Ness), Richard Bradford as Police Chief Mike Dorsett, Patricia Clarkson as Ness's wife, Jack Kehoe as Capone's bookkeeper Walter Payne and others round out an altogether impressive cast.

Unmistakeably scored by Ennio Morricone (whose style often, and certainly here, doesn't even take a full bar to recognize; and who with an ASCAP Award, a Grammy and a BAFTA Award was the movie's other major winner besides Connery), "The Untouchables" lives off its splendid cinematography, production design - costumes courtesy of Giorgio Armani - and the exquisite timing of its sharp-edged dialogue and editing: Not only is screenwriter Mamet known to have his actors practice their lines according to a metronome; the editing of some of the movie's most memorable scenes has the distinct feeling of a carefully choreographed, veritable ballet. This is particularly true for Malone's death, pointedly set against the aria "Vesti la Giubba" from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera "I Pagliacci" ("The Clowns"), which is based on a real-life murder and which Capone attends while his lieutenants waylay Malone in his own apartment; and the famous shoot-out in Chicago's Union Station, which turns into a deadly dance of bullets, blood and a baby stroller, shot almost entirely in slow motion.

Paradoxically, the one plot element this movie is most often criticized for - the jury switch at Capone's trial - is one of the few facts that actually did take place (although Capone's attorney would have had to be given the right to conduct a new voir dire). But ultimately, it doesn't even really matter how much of the plot is fact-based and how much fiction: Even if "The Untouchables" doesn't quite reach the mythical status of the "Godfather" trilogy - particularly its Parts 1 and 2 - as the mob movie to end all mob movies, it is one of only a handful other films that at least come close to the proportions of Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece.

"What are you prepared to do?"
Brian DePalma's 1930s gangster film is none-the-less ingenius. Sean Connery deservedly won an Oscar for his moving performace, and the screenplay is fantastic.
Kevin Costner is Eliot Ness, an idealistic crime-fighter who moves to Chicago with his family to fight the infamous gangster Al Capone, brilliantly played by Robert De Niro. Ness enlists the help of Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), an aging cop who knows how to defeat Capone. also helping Ness are George Stone (Andy Garcia), a young, streetwise cop, and FBI accountant Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), whose knowledge may help crack open the violent war that has broken out. Chicago gangsters are battling a hapless police force in the Prohabition.
the coolect scene has to be when the "four riders" take on a shipment of alchohol on the U.S.-Canandian border. after their triumphant victory, however, Capone retaliates violently, which leaves our friends - and the audience - in shock and for-lasts the film in tragety.
truly one of the greatest detective/action movies ever made, "The Untouchables" is a modern masterpiece. rent it and then buy the DVD!

Touchable...
This film marks several remarkable firsts: The first true representation of a David Mamet film script (although "The Verdict" in 1980 came first), the leading-man status of Kevin Costner (deservedly so, since despite disasters like "The Postman" and "3000 Miles to Graceland", he's a very good actor with a very impressive resume and an Oscar to boot), Sean Connery's first Oscar win, also very much deserved, and most importantly, the first good film from Brian De Palma. People call films like "Body Double", "Carrie", "Blow Out" and "Dressed to Kill" classics... why they do, I have nary a clue. Those are some of the worst rip-off films in history. His "Hitchcockian" feeling is, to me, straight-up plagarism. He rips off plots and shots that are embarassing mish-moshes of Hitch's best (and worst) stuff. And did you see "Mission to Mars"? I didn't think so. And the only people that I can imagine that liked "Femme Fatale" were fans of the bathroom sequence (If you saw it, you know what I'm talking about). The only other film of his that was worth watching was "Mission: Impossible". But "The Untouchables" is a real work of art. I won't go into plot points, but I'll comment on the film's great points: 1) The dialogue is sparkling. Mamet makes these people real as opposed to just making them standard action caricatures (the young idealist, the grizzled old wise-man, the cocky rookie, and the dorky fifth-wheel). 2) The performances are top-notch. Costner, Connery, Martin Smith, Garcia, De Niro, and an underrated performance from Richard Bradford as Chief Dorsett really help to pull this film off. They give it all they got. They make the tragedy and drama and excitement and horror and triumpth of this film work. 3) The visuals are stunning. Stephen Burum really makes that camera work, especially with those beautiful shots of LaSalle Street. This film is a great revisionist telling of the Eliot Ness vs. Al Capone brawl. The film obviously takess a lot of liberties with history, but they really work, especially with the dispatching of one particularly bad man which in my opinion makes for the MOST satisfying film death EVER. It really makes you happy to watch this guy bite it ("Did he sound anything like THAT?!?"). This is a great film and I could not recommend it more highly. But go ahead and skip the rest of De Palma's 'classics'.

i love the movie and it's series
hello,my name's aaron johnson
the reason i'm writting this review for the untouchables film
is because i've seen it so many times that i enjoy how malone says his famous line to elliot , the one about getting capone
anyway, the whole entire plot is excellent
especially when the federal agents try to stop capone's men in time

the other reason i'm writting in this review , is because i've seen the untouchables tv series
and i'm wondering this very question ;
"when will the untouchables tv series from 1993
be out on dvd"

because i think that people would enjoy the entire [whatever how many seasons it ran for [if it was one or two] of the series

i'm sure a lot of other customers would appreciate the untouchables tv series on dvd

Great gangster cartoon!
The Untouchables tells the story of four policemen who fight Al Capone during the prohibition of the 30's. Don't expect anything like The Godfather though: this movie merely aims at -sometimes cartoonish- entertainment. Don't be surprised with the stereotypical characters and story and the all too colourful 30's setting. It's just how this movie works. Robert de Niro's Al Capone is excellent as the funny bad guy, Kevin Costner and Sean Connery both fit excellently in their roles as two persistent police officers with a mission. Yes, several happenings in the story may be somewhat cliché, but it is nothing less an exciting movie to watch. Executions, shoot-outs, trials and much more: it's all here. It's still better to pinch something well than to invent something badly! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The 1980s were wearing thin when Tom Wolfe delivered this biting commentary about the shallowness of an investment banker in a messed-up place called New York City. Sherman McCoy knows how to make a lot of money. But that's about it. He is oblivious to his wife, his daughter, even his mistress, and shows little interest even in the deeper machinations of business. His focus is on the surface, and when he makes a mistake, it seems that all the dark forces he was so ignorant about circle like a pack of wolves. As usual, Wolfe writes ferociously, showing no favorites among the rich, the poor, the black,or the white and painting each with at least one absurd stroke. The novel is both hilarious and telling, delivered in a distinctive voice by Wolfe, one of our top stylists. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

An extra star for being unfairly maligned
OK, so it's not exactly the same experience as reading Tom Wolfe's wonderful novel, but who would expect a movie to be a perfect reflection of a book? It certainly was not the bomb that everyone claimed it was, and has held up quite well considering how universally hated it was. Tom Hanks was miscast, but he did the best he could in the role. Bruce Willis took a lot of heat for a supposedly poor performance, mainly because in the book, his character was supposed to be British. Who cares whether his character is British or American? His main job was to serve as a somewhat sporadic narrator, and he did that as well as anyone.

Melanie Griffith gives an excellent performance as Maria, pushing right up to the edge without becoming a caricature. Kim Cattrall is cool and credible as Hanks' vacuous society wife. Morgan Freeman gave perhaps the strongest performance of the entire film, ruling his courtroom with an iron but equitable fist and delivering some of the best lines in the script, as well.

Perhaps the expectations were just too high for this movie at the time of its release, but I enjoyed it as much as many recent films that have received critical accolades. At first I thought that the pacing was going to be a bit slow, but I was sufficiently involved in the film that the time passed very quickly.

The DVD video transfer is good but not spectacular, and the sound is adequate but nothing special. There are no extras, but that is to be expected on a DVD that is sold in some retail outlets for [less money].

I give the film 3 stars, plus an extra "consolation" star for having been excessively and unfairly criticized.

Woefully underestimated!
I picked up this movie for only $1 at a local rummage sale without knowing anything about it. I have since watched my VHS copy so many times that it finally stopped playing. This movie taken on it's own merit is fantastic!

Bruce Willis is absolutely wonderful with his portrayal of the drunken journalist, and my favorite character from the movie. Melanie Griffith makes an excellent bad girl, as she tries worming her way out of trouble. F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hanks, and many more!

This is one hell of a sleeper movie, and I am glad I finally found the DVD version. My suggestion is rent it, and if you love it as much as I do, then buy it!

Let's set the record straight!
This is a good movie! Forget about the miscasting quibbles about Tom Hanks. He does an amiable job with Sherman McCoy. If one wants to nit-pick, Bruce Willis was the odder casting choice for the drunken british journalist Peter Farrow. Melanie Griffith is perfect as Maria and the rest of the cast does just fine. The directing is handled with De Palma's usual blend of exellence and professionalism. The movie looks like a million dollars with fantastic cinematoghraphy by Vilmos Zsigmond (The opening title sequence is breathtaking!) It seems to me that the problem is that this is based on a beloved book that was on everybody's coffee table and book shelf in the 1980's and everyone had thier own preconceived notions about who should star. Maybe Hanks is too likable in the film as Sherman but having not read the book until after I saw the movie, I was thoroughly swept away by the plot and it's cast. It seems that critics were all set to destroy this film based on the casting announcements alone and De Palma could have made any variation of the book and it still would have taken a beating. Watch it with an open mind and enjoy. For crying out loud gang, it's only a movie. And a fine one at that. Give it a chance.

one of the most under-rated films of all time
Next to Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, David Lynch's Dune, and Francis Ford Coppola's One From the Heart, Brian De Palma's Bonfire of the Vanities is a savagely under-rated film. De Palma once again demonstrates he is a master of wit. The film was initially criticized, or rather misinterpreted, for being somehow 'lightweight.' If anything, the film is over-the-top! De Palma's choice for lavish sets and stunning cinematography (by vilmos zsigmond) in wall street upper class New York perfectly match the subject matter and commentary on the 1980s greed infested 'me' decade and Reagan/Bush era, adapted from Thomas Wolfe's popular novel. Critics howled that the film downplayed Wolfe's themes...people act like Tom Wolfe, albeit a talented writer, is somehow as deep as James Joyce or something. The message of the book is pretty darn simple people! and it translates very obviously, perhaps even too obviously, in the film. Not to mention the fact that film is a totally different medium than literature, and one should not expect a film to be exactly like the book. as for the miscasting criticism, it is true Hanks doesnt exactly perfectly fit the role of McCoy, but he doesnt take away from the movie. The supporting cast, however, is better than him. Griffith is fantastic, and Willis gives a performance that practically carries the movie. I think this film was very ambitious and ahead of its time, and will in the future eventually be recognized as a very good film.

UGGGGHH!..
This was, without a doubt, the worst movie I ever suffered all the way through in a movie theater (I walked out on Jodie Foster's "Hotel New Hampshire"). From what I understand, this film doesn't do the book justice, but I never read the book. All I know is that a movie should be made to hold one's interest, even those who didn't read the book. The script was roundly uninteresting, and hard to follow, to boot. And the acting... What acting?? This is the worst work of Tom Hanks' illustrious career. It must pain him, to be reminded of it. And Bruce Willis is as stiff as a cardboard cutout. To say that he has all the acting skill of a mannikin, would be an insult to mannikins everywhere! If Melanie Griffith's acting is the best thing you have to hang your hat on, you don't have much to speak of. I have always thought that Melanie's looks, facial expressions, and sympathetic voice were the best things about her acting. She has proven to be rather one-dimensional. Still, she deserved better than this, and it seems that her career is the one that suffered the most from being associated with this stinker.... For "The Bonfire of the Vanities" to AVERAGE out to a 3 stars, should tell you all you need to know. Avoid this one, or you'll be sorry... If, that is, you can stay awake through it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I love this movie!
This movie is such a classic! I especially commend the acting talents of not only Robert DeNiro, but that young Judith Thomas! She was robbed of her oscar in 1969 for her wonderful performance!

The Wedding Party
A great movie with an early Robert DeNiro who's great and everything he does and this is one of the first movies before he worked with Martin Scorsese and became a legend in Hollywood so enjoy this Bobby classic ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A powerful and provocative film from the young De Palma
I saw both "Greetings" and "Hi, Mom!" back in the early 1970s at a college art theater, which was well before director Brian De Palma and actor Robert De Niro became big names. "Greetings" was De Palma's 1968 anti-war movie and "Hi, Mom!" was sort of intended as a sequel of sorts. In this 1970 film De Niro plays John Rubin, a Vietnam vet who returns from the war to settle in Greenwich Village. His big idea is to film the people in the apartment across the street and to sell Pepping Tom type films (where you even have to look through a the little windows in a little brick front to get the correct experience). Eventually John's obsession with making films gets him involved with a radical "Black Power" group. This results in two unforgettable sequences, the first involving what we would not call a Yuppie audience being subjected to urban guerrilla theater in the play "Be Black, Baby," and the second an act of urban terrorism that gives Jon a chance to say the film's title while smiling into a camera.

De Palma is clearly exploring the idea of breaking the barrier between actors and audience in the act of performance. I can appreciate this idea because every time I see theater in the round I keep watching the audience watching the play instead of just watching the play. Pay attention to De Palma's use of the split screen to explore the dual perspectives and get the audience watching the movie involved more involved in the equation as well. Repeatedly, it all comes down to point of view, meaning the point of view of the camera. This idea is reinforced by Jon, for whom life is not real unless it is on camera, a point most notably made in his sexual encounter with Judy (Jennifer Salt).

However, the most powerful part of this film is the "Be Black, Baby" sequences, and this is where you either find this film totally brilliant or grossly offensive. Throughout "Hi, Mom!" De Palma and De Niro have made the viewers party to Jon's voyeurism, albeit in more subtle ways than splatter flicks that let the audience see through the killer's eyes. Having persuaded (coerced?) us into this perspective, De Palma makes us pay for it in a most brutal manner. If you cannot appreciate the payoff of this sequence, and that could well be most of the people who bother to watch this film, then you are not going to be able to appreciate this film. But at the very least you should be able to understand not only what De Palma is doing, but why.

After that point the film section of the film seems quite anticlimactic. De Palma is trying to take his argument to the next level, but having been blown away by "Be Black, Baby," there is no way for the director and actor to top that moment. "Hi, Mom!" is a provocative film that provided me with one of the most memorable experiences in a movie theater that I have ever had. Watching this film again, this time knowing where De Palma and De Niro were taking me, really made me appreciate the purpose behind that powerful moment. Of course from the vantage point of today it is rather startling to compare this rather raw film with the slick Hollywood productions for which De Palma is best known, but this film is so powerful it is hard not to consider it his best work.

a trip out film
I was just gonna watch the film because I think RObert De Niro is one of the Greatest Actors Ever, but then the film takes on a behind the scenes of Being Black&that truly adds another factor to this film.it's a trip out film.

Hi, Bomb!
The most overlooked movie of the 1970's. Probably one of DePalma's best efforts. Also, a great example of DeNiro's early acting range. Funny, terrifying, brilliant. A great dissection of race issues, voyeurism, war, random violence, the family, and gender relations as well as a terrific homage to Hitchcock's Rear Window...

Strange Movie
Robert De Niro has played many odd ball characters in his day and perhaps none more so than Jon Rubin, in Brian De Palma's Hi,Mom! The movie begins with De Niro renting a run down apartment in the city where he can begin his new career. This career, he has decided, will be in the adult film industy. He tries to convinces a smut producer to give him a budget to film his neighbors in the buiding across from him. Eventually, he agrees so using a telephotolens De Niro begins recording their every move. Unfortunatly his targets(who have no idea they are being watched) are not very interesting. So De Niro begins to date a girl in the building he has noticed is lonely in an attempt to spice up his video. However, this does not pan out and De Niro's porn career is over. He turns his camera in for a television. This leads him to take a role in a play called Be Black Baby playing a police officer. It is being put on by some black radicals to illustrate to white people what it would be like to be black in contemperary America. The play is shocking and probably the most interesting part of the film. After the play is over De Niro returns to the girl from the building across from him and the movie ends in a melodramatic and bizarre fasion. This movie is definatly worth watching. This film put Brian De Palma on the map, and De Niro shows flashes of the brilliance that in years to come would create so many classic characters.

AWESOME
I loved it! This film is not only funny but also describes a serious issue like racism in a realistic way. And of course De Niro's performance! Incredibly powerful, especially when he played the police officer. This is definitely worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (211)

Unique blend of horror and sentiment.
There's one thing I specifically like about certain horror films, and that is those that contain the horror elements, yet have a story that allows you to feel a great deal of emotion for a main or secondary character, depending on the focus of the plot. When Stephen King wrote his first novel, Carrie, it was shocking as well as emotionally heart-stopping. Brian de Palma's film, following soon after, is groundbreaking and intense, and captures the horror of the character's actions as well as the horror of her secluded and alienated school and home life.

Carrie White has never been popular in school, and the verbal and physical abuse has apparently gotten worse with each year. One day, she gets her first period in the showers of the girls locker room, and frantically running to everyone for help, she is bombarded by shouts of banter and flying tampons. After it is learned that she was never told by anyone about this process of life, we soon learn the reason why: her mother is a Bible-thumping embodiment of a true maniac, who believes that every action committed by man is a sin in the eyes of God. Her treatment of her daughter is extremely harsh, but only until Carrie learns that she possesses a special gift, the ability to move objects with her mind. Meanwhile, Sue Snell, one of the girls involved in the malicious locker room incident, feels guilt over her actions and asks her boyfriend Tommy to take Carrie to the prom. Carrie accepts, and attends the event despite her mother's warnings of doom and sin. But something much worse will happen, something more terrifying than Mrs. White could ever imagine.

"Carrie" is one of the most well-known horror films of all tim