Sunday, January 2, 2011

Emperor of The North

1933, The Depression. Lee Marvin is a veteran hobo, Keith Carradine is a tenderfoot. Ernest Borgnine is the sadistic railroad man who doesn't want them riding for free on his train. Directed by Robert Aldrich.

This film is the opposite of Point Blank. Aldrich is an old school, classic Hollywood director - there's none of that arty stuff. It's a good film, but not great. There's a kind of father and son relationship building between Marvin and Carradine, to be torn by the ending. There is however no emotional release when the endcredits start, more of a That's it? It feels a bit unsatisfying after almost two hours. Borgnine is very good in his role. The music is pretty terrible, more 60s than 30s. The fake blood looks really fake.

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