Copkiller (1983)

 

A pair of corrupt cops spend their illegal cash on an uptown New York City apartment.

From memory: Fast-paced and quite exciting left-field thriller with a surprisingly convincing performance by John Lydon and Harvey Keitel at his best.

Halliwell (no star): "A curiosity, with its duel between Keitel's violent cop, obsessive about order, and the overmatched Lydon..., as an anarchic fantasist; there are vague echoes of the far superior Performance amid the wallowing in guilt and suffering." 

Maltin***: "Intriguing, entertaining psychological thriller...Fine performances..."

 

 

 

Sylvia Sidney

Street Scene (1931)

 

 

Twenty-four hours elapse on the stoop of a Hell's Kitchen tenement as a microcosm of the American melting pot interacts with each other during a summer heatwave. 

 

Remarkable adaptation of a award-winning play literally creates the titular street scene in a studio with good details and sense for realism; enhanced by overall excellent performances.

 

Halliwell*: "Slice-of-life drama from an influential play; never much of a film, and very dated."

Maltin***1/2: "Heartbreakingly realistic account of life in N.Y.C. tenements...Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play...enhanced by fine performances, George Barnes' striking camera-work, Alfred Newman's classic music score."

Sylvia Sidney

Sylvia Sidney

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Sidney

God Told Me To (1976)

 

 

A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that "God told them to."

 

A bit over-the-top and illogical horror thriller that nonetheless is an unusual and intense mixture of crime mystery and the supernatural.

Halliwell (no star): "Unsavoury mix of several genres, insufficiently well written to compel."

Maltin**1/2: "Weird, confusing shocker...Some good scenes."

 

 

You and Me (1938)

An altruistic department-store owner hires ex-convicts in order to give them a second chance at life, and one of them marries a co-worker, unaware she's on parole.

Strange mixture of romance, crime drama, comedy and musical (music by Kurt Weill!) does show Fritz Lang's signature moments and some great Noir photography, but simply doesn't add up to a convincing story; and George Raft seems at loss cast as a good-guy ex-convict.

Halliwell (no star): "Curious comedy drama which never has a hope of coming off."