Clint Eastwood (Blood Work, Space Cowboys) directs the Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale, Payback) adaptation of the popular Dennis Lehane novel of the same name revolving around the build-up of mystery surrounding the assault and apparent...
Acclaimed action director Wolfgang Petersen (Shattered, The NeverEnding Story) gets top notch performances from his strong cast, and an excellent Academy Award-nominated screenplay by Jeff Maguire (Timeline, Gridiron Gang), making In the Line of Fire one of the...
Introductions are hardly necessary for Sergio Leone’s grand epic western, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, the greatest of the spaghetti westerns. Though Leone had directed two very impressive entries already in in the...
Although not the creator of the sub-genre of film known as the “Spaghetti Western” (Westerns produced primarily in Italy), Sergio Leone made (arguably) the best three of them, collectively known as the “Dollars trilogy”,...
by Vincent Leo · Published September 29, 2006 · Last modified July 9, 2018
The fifth and final Dirty Harry film may not go out with a bang, but it is an amusing and exciting enough cop thriller to please the genre fans. There are no social obstacles to hurdle...
As long as you aren’t expecting this follow-up to Dirty Harry to live up to the style, influence, and thematic resonance of its predecessor, Magnum Force delivers the goods to action movie junkies, as well as Eastwood’s myriad...
by Vincent Leo · Published August 17, 2006 · Last modified February 6, 2019
“Dirty” Harry Callahan (Eastwood, Kelly’s Heroes) is among the most disgruntled of San Francisco’s police force. He doesn’t like the fact that criminals seem to have more rights afforded to them than their victims. Now a...
Eastwood may be a well-respected director these days, crafting such Academy Award winners as Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby, but he has made a few duds in his time as well. Does anyone remember Firefox? True...
1990s / Action / Drama / Thriller / Western
by Vincent Leo · Published December 12, 2005 · Last modified May 29, 2019
Unforgiven is one of the rare films where I agree with the Academy Award voters, who proclaimed it the Best Picture of 1992. It ranks among the best Westerns of all time, almost a...
A stateside Clint Eastwood vehicle that definitely emulates his spaghetti western days, Joe Kidd isn’t quite as entertaining as the Sergio Leone masterworks, but it does deliver the goods for those hungry for more. Unlike the other...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.
