Point Blank (1967)
The boyz discuss Point Blank.
Comments (43)
Old Man Dick and it was used on Mississippi Burning.
There's obviously a lot of French new wave in this: the jump-cuts and scrambled timeline in the opening feels like Godard, the corny flashbacks of Walker, Lynne and Mal is like something out of Truffaut's Jules & Jim, the dream-memory logic is pure Resnais, but I think the movie ultimately settles into something akin to Melville in tone -- Le Samouraï came out the same year, but even more similar is Melville's Magnet of Doom (1963), his first color feature which is partly set in America and shares an outsider's perspective on the US (the cars, the neon, the architecture) with Point Blank. I really like this movie, it was a fun rewatch, first in 20+ years for me. I don't have any particular gripes with the plot, I think it's more of a mood piece than anything else, you just have to roll with it. To that point I think it's possibly an advantage to not have read the book, I get why inconsistencies and plot holes could be annoying. If you dug Point Blank and haven't seen Soderbergh's The Limey, please do. It's absolutely insane that Lee Marvin was 42-43 when he made this. Mf looks like a million years old. Loved the cold open!
Carrol O’Connor is incredible as an overzealous American General in Kelly’s Heroes
Action Boyz, you may or may not have seen James B Siking in the Michael Douglas film “Star Chamber”. He’s a grieving father but real intense ya know. Check it out.
How “The Organization" appears / operates in Point Blank is closer to Sterling Cooper than the mafia. I think Boorman definitely wanted to contribute to the 60’s wave of hip critcism of the hegemonic “Organization Man”. https://youtu.be/6U8mZR39LBk?si=HMRtkIyesrRPygVj
those Darwyn Cooke graphic novels are incredible!
Love how Gabrus wanted Lee Marvin to save the guns and ammo like it's Resident Evil
Ok... Just do a simpsons podcast already. You know we all want it.
Hope the boyz talk about the Alec Baldwin tribute to Sam Neil - someone posted it on the abz reddit - def teared up
There's like 23 Parker books!
Those bult in modular mixer/blender into the countertop are peak 50s modern design. Although they were much better in theory than practice.
The directors cut of Payback is definitely worth a watch if you didn’t like the Mel & Studio edits. The only thing I don’t like about it is the romance that softens Gibson’s “Porter”. The movie doesn’t do enough to justify it being there in the first place. Otherwise he’s a one track mind psycho that wants his cut of the money, and nothing else in the DC.
Thanks for picking such an old movie i really love to see it. Feels so fresh and vivid
The McCauley comparison from Tarantino isn't too far off the mark, it's kind of what Parker evolves into over the course of the series. If I recall correctly he was originally supposed to get gunned down by the cops at the end of The Hunter and Westlake began to make him slightly more restrained after being convinced by his editor to keep him alive.
I also found the comparison more apt. The Hunter DOES contain an anomaly in that Parker was originally planning to rip off Mal, but obviously didn't since Mal double crossed him first. Parker ripping off his colleagues after a job wouldn't have occurred in subsequent books.
the director's cut of the Mel Gibson 'Payback' is 1000x better, much, much darker and grittier, they changed so much between the two versions, the back half is almost entirely different, Kris Kristofferson isn't even in the director's cut because he was added
This was a first time watch for me and I really dug it! The criterion Blu-ray was a great get. Good special features.
Question for Ben: does Point Blank feel like proto-David Lynch noir? From the first time I saw it I always figured this flick had some kind of impact on Lynch.
Also went back for a look at Marge on the Lam. Didn’t remember it includes one of my favorite Homer moments. “Ahhh ballet” as he imagines a bear in a fez hat driving a tiny car in circles
My precious antique cans!
“Johnny… listen to my commercial Johnny”
Want a burga?
everyone should definitely check out this video version of the chapter of Cinema Speculations where Tarantino talks about Parker adaptations and Point Blank and the Outfit specifically. Its an extremely well made and edited video where apparently the creator used AI to replicate Tarantino's voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQ3YfGX4AI
Evan the comment you’re replying to is deleted so I’ll respond here. What we said on the show was accurate, and it’s from Westlake himself, he said he would write under his own name on sunny days, and as Richard Stark when it rained or got dark. Stephen King likes to use that quote when describing his use of his own pen name.
Happy to hear Rodgers call out the Darwyn Cooke-made Parker books. They’re probably my favorite adaptations, not least because Cooke is such a masterful visual story teller. The four that he made before his death are all forward momentum - simply drawn, action oriented. The fucking best.
You guys know about babyfit?
Congratulations on DINKS Gabrus. Excited for it and happy for you!
Hell yea
“FORGET THE READINGS!” We definitely need Dante’s Peak soon. Just so we could hear the boys imitate Bronson
Shit, Stallone used AI in Rocky Balboa, "That computa fight has got people talkin!" Fingers crossed for a Thunderlips prequel with Tilly Norwood
Tango & Cash 4 would have been amazing.
I dont think Gabrus should have doxxed himself saying he lives 1.2 miles from that house. Now there's a group of weirdos drawing a circle on a map of LA now.
He’s single now. The OPEN sign is glowing in his window.
Do The Boyz know about the soon to be released doc Boorman And The Devil about the making of The Exorcist II? It comes out Sept 1st. Looks pretty neato.
During the romance montage when they're jumping in the surf and stuff I had to stop and look up Lee Marvin's age at the time - 43! Dude just never looked young. That scene just kept reminding me of the similar montage in Naked Gun when the age gap is part of the joke. Still love this thing though, what a film.
If any fellow janitors are looking for another Lee Marvin rec I highly recommend Violent Saturday, directed by ABZ favorite Richard Fleischer and featuring the pod’s favorite masturbator Ernest Borgnine. It was included in the Murderous Melodramas collection the Criterion Channel did last month and it’s a lot of fun
He's also a real piece of shit noir baddie in The Big Heat around the same time. Fritz Lang, Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, it's rare that violence in a movie from the 50's is shocking but pretty heavy and effective for it's time
God, I love these books.
Great watch. I really want that green office.
Film makers, you never go Full Tarantino, unless your are Tarantino
and even then, maybe pull it back a little
What a banger of a Movie!!!
Excellent. Thank you for doing this one.