The chosen clips are scorching reminders of Lumet’s diverse but thematically focused catalogue.
Another of Sidney Lumet’s dark police procedurals is given light in this stunning, but nearly extra-free BD from Kino Lorber.
It takes a confined, banal real-world location and makes it completely dynamic, using incredibly nimble camera movements to establish character motivation and theme.
On our list, the folks in question host game shows, parties, and, yes, troublesome phantom entities.
What very good company Robert Redford keeps indeed.
In compiling my Top 10 film list, I tried to avoid obvious choices based on general consensus.
Eons ago, while still in high school, I composed a list of my all-time favorite films for the first time.
The explosive qualities and historical importance of Sidney Lumet’s film are only amplified by Criterion’s stellar Blu-ray release.
It packs a wealth of caring and admiration for its subject without ever feeling sanctimonious, showy, or overly nostalgic.
Most sadly, The Wiz collapses under the weight of its creators’ own good intentions.
The original title for this episode was “My Black Eye,” due to the massive shiner I gave myself after faceplanting onto my bookshelf.
The last third’s attempt to frame the drama as King Lear-level tragedy plays as an unnecessary reach.
Sidney Lumet contributes a professional commentary, unexciting but competent, like many of his films.
