The Warriors (1979)

 

In the near future, a charismatic leader summons the street gangs of New York City in a bid to take it over. When he is killed, The Warriors are falsely blamed and now must fight their way home while every other gang is hunting them down.

From memory: Deliberately stylized (costumed gangs!) gang drama is a brilliantly staged and photographed pulp opera, violent and colorful and full of stilted dialogue and artificial romanticism, quite entertainingly so.

Halliwell*: "Slick exploitation movie, a retelling, in urban teenage terms, of Xenophon's epic retreat with his Ten Thousand following the death of Cyrus; the pace is fast, and the action violent, though stylised."

Maltin***: "Comic-book plot...is redeemed by lightning pace, tough action sequences, creative us of color...but worthy of some respect."

 

The Driver (1978)

A getaway driver becomes the latest assignment for a tenacious detective.

From memory:  Stylish, straightforward exercise in making a purified genre picture is indeed successful for what it strives to be, but nearly hollow in content; most memorable element, however, are the excellent car chase sequences.

Halliwell***+: "Deft and clever thriller that has been stripped of all redundancies and reduced to its core, of two obsessional men on different sides of the law locked in deadly conflict. It is a simple, spare story of bleak lives, brilliantly told."

Maltin***: "Tense throwback to the Hollywood film noir era...Oddball melodrama doesn't seem like much at the time, but has a way of staying with you afterwards.Great car chase sequences."

The Long Riders (1980)

The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.

From memory: Stylish, atmospheric and violent modern Western with a good cast and beautiful cinematography.

Halliwell (no star): "Well-worn territory with new-fangled violent detail. Not much of an attraction despite the gimmick of having the various anti-heroesplayed by real brothers."

Maltin***: "...stylish but extremely bloody film. Typically meticulous direction by Hill..."

Wild Bill (1995)

The early career of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickock is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.

Ambitious, but in the end failed attempt to demystify a Wild West legend is well produced, but lacks coherence and a stringent plot; Jeff Bridges is good in the title role, but most of the star cast is condemned to playing sallow bit parts.

Halliwell*: "A complex, fragmentary look at the life of Wild Bill Hickock that strips away the heroics to present a confused and unhappy killer; spasmodically interesting, if rather too glum."

Maltin**: "Odd revisionist take on Wild Bill Hickock, told in episodic form that creates distance from - rather than understanding of - the legendary hell-raiser of the Old West...Barkin is fun as Calamity Jane, but other characters are superficially drawn at best."

Last Man Standing (1996)

A drifting gunslinger-for-hire finds himself in the middle of an ongoing war between the Irish and Italian mafia in a Prohibition era ghost town.

Yet another remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo is an interesting, but not fully satisfying mixture of genres, especially of Western and gangster movie; good star cast and expertise direction make it watchable, though.

Halliwell*: "A Hollywood Western influenced by other schools of film-making. The wit and charm of Kurosawa's original, Yojimbo, has been replaced by a raw energy and gunfights in the style of John Woo; but its glum, conscienceless protagonist lacks the style of Toshirô Mifune or even Clint Eastwood in the spaghetti Western version, A Fistful of Dollars."

Maltin**: "...rife with gunplay, but overcome by sheers boredom."

Bullet to the Head (2012)

After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington, D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.

Violent, but unoriginal actioner with a buddy team that doesn't fit together too well.

Maltin**: "Old-school action yarn asks you to check your brains at the door, which is the only way to derive any enjoyment  from it. Kang is a weak partner for Stallone, a larger-than-life cartoon character in this would-be buddy action film.And most of the "action" is extreme violence."

The Warriors (1979)

In 1979 a charismatic leader summons the street gangs of New York City in a bid to take it over, but when he is killed, The Warriors are falsely blamed and now must fight their way home while every other gangs are hunting them down to kill them.

Trespass (1992)

Two Arkansas firemen get hold of a map that leads to a cache of stolen gold in an abandoned factory in East St. Louis.

Despite the evident expertise in the production the plot is messy and the action and violence hardly exciting.

Halliwell**: "Tense and violent thriller, like a modernized, interior, technological version of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre."

Maltin***: "Fast, furious, culturally disreputable entertainment filmed in potent cat-and-mouse style by director Hill - his most entertaining movie in years."