Kurosawa Fan
06-04-2009, 04:50 PM
Yes, it's nine months late, but fuck off, at least I did it. Derek still loves me, and that's all I need to know. Also, this review contains MANY SPOILERS, and I'm not putting the whole review in spoiler text so those who haven't seen the film can skip down to the last paragraph for my feelings without being spoiled.
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews22/a%20fritz%20lang%20you%20only% 20live%20once%20henry%20fonda/UK%20you%20only%20live%20once% 20lang%20fonda%204208.jpg
You Only Live Once
Fritz Lang (1937)
If there's one thing I hate in a movie, it's when I feel like the characters are intentionally making bad decisions or are throwing common sense to the wind in an effort to push the plot in a certain direction. Unfortunately, that seemed to happen numerous times in this film.
First, when Eddie and Joe are asked to leave their honeymoon spot when the owners realize Eddie is an ex-con, Eddie doesn't explain their situation or try to reason with them, just shouts "Okay!" and slams the door in their face. Chalk that one up to hot-headedness and move on. Next comes the moment when, instead of informing his new boss that he will be meeting his wife and they will be stopping to look at a house for sale and thus he might be late with the company truck, Eddie decides to just be late and explain himself afterward. He's fired, which is no surprise to anyone but Eddie. Chalk that one up to too much time in "the joint" and a lack of understanding how a real job works and let's move on again. Now (and this one refutes the hot-headed excuse we used in the first example) Eddie tries to beg for his job back, becoming quite reasonable and patient (to a point) when logic should have told him to go back to Joe's boss, who got him the job in the first place, explain what took place and have him try to step in on his behalf and ask for a second chance. Chalk that one up to being your own man and not wanting to ask for help, and again I'm moving on.
The unforgivable moment to me came when Eddie is breaking out of jail on the night of his execution, and during the escape a pardon comes through (Oh sweet coincidence!) and people beg for him to give up the gun and the hostage he has. He thinks it's a trap (which is logical for once) and won't budge. So the priest at the jail, someone Eddie has become fairly close to and who cares for Eddie, takes the telegraph tape that came through to have Eddie read and see for himself that it's not a trap. Eddie won't let him come close to him, and threatens to shoot him. Now, instead of two very reasonable alternatives, either reading it aloud to him or if that's not good enough, putting the tape on the ground and stepping back from it while Eddie ushers himself and his hostage forward to pick up the tape and read for himself, the priest just keeps inching forward saying the same thing over and over until Eddie shoots him, to no surprise to anyone other than the priest. Unforgivably stupid, and made it impossible to ignore the other transgressions that had come before.
The film wasn't all bad. The cinematography was excellent, with some wonderful noir elements setting a bleak mood. I especially loved the shot I posted above this review. Such a great setting while Eddie sits on death row. Fonda and Sidney were both great, as was most of the supporting cast. I just can't look past the many flaws, which aside from the above copmlaints include a very rushed second half and too much finger-pointing at society rather than Eddie to explain Eddie's downfall. I also am a little confused by what the final line of dialogue seemed to imply.
Any way you look at it, the film was a pretty big disappointment for me. Definitely my least favorite Lang film.
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews22/a%20fritz%20lang%20you%20only% 20live%20once%20henry%20fonda/UK%20you%20only%20live%20once% 20lang%20fonda%204208.jpg
You Only Live Once
Fritz Lang (1937)
If there's one thing I hate in a movie, it's when I feel like the characters are intentionally making bad decisions or are throwing common sense to the wind in an effort to push the plot in a certain direction. Unfortunately, that seemed to happen numerous times in this film.
First, when Eddie and Joe are asked to leave their honeymoon spot when the owners realize Eddie is an ex-con, Eddie doesn't explain their situation or try to reason with them, just shouts "Okay!" and slams the door in their face. Chalk that one up to hot-headedness and move on. Next comes the moment when, instead of informing his new boss that he will be meeting his wife and they will be stopping to look at a house for sale and thus he might be late with the company truck, Eddie decides to just be late and explain himself afterward. He's fired, which is no surprise to anyone but Eddie. Chalk that one up to too much time in "the joint" and a lack of understanding how a real job works and let's move on again. Now (and this one refutes the hot-headed excuse we used in the first example) Eddie tries to beg for his job back, becoming quite reasonable and patient (to a point) when logic should have told him to go back to Joe's boss, who got him the job in the first place, explain what took place and have him try to step in on his behalf and ask for a second chance. Chalk that one up to being your own man and not wanting to ask for help, and again I'm moving on.
The unforgivable moment to me came when Eddie is breaking out of jail on the night of his execution, and during the escape a pardon comes through (Oh sweet coincidence!) and people beg for him to give up the gun and the hostage he has. He thinks it's a trap (which is logical for once) and won't budge. So the priest at the jail, someone Eddie has become fairly close to and who cares for Eddie, takes the telegraph tape that came through to have Eddie read and see for himself that it's not a trap. Eddie won't let him come close to him, and threatens to shoot him. Now, instead of two very reasonable alternatives, either reading it aloud to him or if that's not good enough, putting the tape on the ground and stepping back from it while Eddie ushers himself and his hostage forward to pick up the tape and read for himself, the priest just keeps inching forward saying the same thing over and over until Eddie shoots him, to no surprise to anyone other than the priest. Unforgivably stupid, and made it impossible to ignore the other transgressions that had come before.
The film wasn't all bad. The cinematography was excellent, with some wonderful noir elements setting a bleak mood. I especially loved the shot I posted above this review. Such a great setting while Eddie sits on death row. Fonda and Sidney were both great, as was most of the supporting cast. I just can't look past the many flaws, which aside from the above copmlaints include a very rushed second half and too much finger-pointing at society rather than Eddie to explain Eddie's downfall. I also am a little confused by what the final line of dialogue seemed to imply.
Any way you look at it, the film was a pretty big disappointment for me. Definitely my least favorite Lang film.