Format: TCM on DVR
Viewing: First
Decade: 1970's
Director: Peter Yates
I've been hearing about this one for a while, and I can see why. Mitchum was in a weird period here where he was far older than in his prime two decades earlier, but his age and everything he'd done to himself for his adult life comes with him when he shows up in a role. Add in his bona fides as part of the noir movement and his already naturalistic (if swaggerish) acting style, and he fits into the era well. That said, I've not seen his outings as Marlowe, so that's soon, I think.
It's funny, I've definitely had the same thoughts that I saw reflected in this article from The Ringer that I read yesterday about the 1990's neo-noir movement. Particularly the thought that resonated was that the 1990's noir movement had as much or more to do with filmmakers of the 1990's wanting to make movies like they grew up with in the 1970's than it had to do with anyone wanting to remake Kiss of Death (which they did, and is not the original, but it's fine). And, likewise, the filmmakers of the 1970's using noir tropes to say something about the same world that insisted on Donnie and Marie.
