Updated RankingsThe Stars Look Down (1940)
★ ★ ½ Mining community drama that looks like it was shot in the same place as How Green Was My Valley, which is a compliment to Valley’s production design since it was made in California. While John Ford’s classic has universal appeal, the setting and events in Reed’s film are more culturally specific, making it difficult to get into, even with a relationship drama in the center.
The Way Ahead (1944)
★ ★ ½ A look at life during wartime opens with a random sampling of people at the dawn of war. I liked this approach and was hoping this was going to be the entire film, Slacker set during the war. Instead, this opening is just Reed putting the ensemble together. It’s an unusual work of propaganda, especially coming out towards the end of the war. I liked bits of it, but every time Reed broadens his scope or makes a big leap forward in time, it kills the pacing by reducing my interest in the characters.
Trapeze (1956)
★ ★ ½ It was many years before I learned Burt Lancaster used to be a circus acrobat and now I find it fascinating to watch films where this training comes in handy. The effects used to make co-stars Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida look like they’re swinging from the top of the tent are terrible, which made me appreciate Lancaster’s ability to perform most of his own stunts even more. As for the film, it’s a routine love triangle melodrama. Nothing to make it stand out except for Lancaster, and even he shows that he’s a better movie star than dramatic actor.
Our Man in Havana (1959)
★ ★ ½ Droll spy film where the twisty espionage plot turns in a style closer to screwball comedy. It’s not as funny as a screwball, more like an Ealing Studios comedy, with lots of smiles but not a single killer line. Performances are excellent, but there’s too much cool reserve to call it more than mildly pleasant.
The Running Man (1963)
★ ★ Attempting to be a jet-set crime movie about insurance fraud, there isn’t enough charisma in stars Laurence Harvey and Lee Remick to keep them from being swallowed up by the beautiful scenery. Carol Reed seems to aiming for a Thomas Crown Affair style, but it’s too breezy. A couple of good suspense scenes or an occasional moment of thrills would’ve gone a long way.