I found this small classic from the eighties I'd never seen in a thrift store. It was an old VHS cassette, but it cost only 20 cents, so I thought I'd grab it. I'm glad I did, since it's a pretty decent film, although not a masterpiece.At Close Range is a piece or rural noir, with young Sean Penn as the son and Christopher Walken as the father and also as the leader of a ruthless gang of criminals who operate in a small Pennsylvania town. Penn and Walken don't really know each other in the beginning of the film, as Penn lives with his mother (played by wonderfully understated Millie Perkins) and the family tries to reject the father. Penn leads an unhappy life with his mother and gets attracted to his father's exuberant way of life. Complications ensue, and the ending is a tragedy. There are other familiar faces in the crowd: Mary Stuart Masterson as Penn's girlfriend, Christopher Penn as the brother of Sean (as in real life), Crispin Glover as one of Penn's friends lured by the criminal life, David Straithairn and Tracey Walter as members of the gang. There's also Kiefer Sutherland, but I recognized him only in the last scenes.
There are lots of nice touches here and there and some of the scenes are very well done. Some of the small-town scenery and atmosphere reminded me of Twin Peaks. The climax is gripping, with lots of stylishly done shootings. The story about a father and a son allying and then fighting fiercely each other has overtones of a classical tragedy. There's still a feel of distance that might leave you cold. I'm sure this doesn't work well on the small screen. My main grudge, though, is that while Walken is an excellent actor, I just don't buy him as the leader of a Hicksville gang of criminals. Yet the film goes on to show that not all the Hollywood films of the eighties supported the Reagan-era ideology of keeping families under the Father's Rule, as critic Robin Wood has claimed.
The director of At Close Range, James Foley, has an interesting filmography, with lots of noirish films, but seems like he's never done a really good film, though Glengarry Glen Ross comes very close. Some say After Dark, My Sweet is one of the best Jim Thompson films, but I'm not sure if I've seen it.
More overlooked films here.
7 comments:
I remember that one--I think I believed Penn was an actor to watch after it.
Yeah, Penn's great in this. Believable, timing is good. But me not mentioning him just shows how little I care about the actors...
One other thing I forgot to mention: Madonna's song "Live to Tell" is from this film, but I think it's pretty bland. It was made for another film, but Madonna wanted it to be in her husband's film.
Brief marriage that.
I have this on an old VHS. Haven't watched it for ages, but I recall being impressed by Walken. He certainly can be menacing.
About Foley, note that inbetween this and "After Dark, My Sweet" he did "Who's That Girl" - a perfectly dreadful Madonna comedy. Seems odd, considering what came before and after.
Anders: was Madonna still married to Penn at the time of WHO'S THAT GIRL? Maybe it has something to do with this. I've never seen it, but I know its reputation and it probably destroys some of Foley's reputation for me.
As for Walken, yes, he's menacing without any big gestures, but I just can't think him in the role.
Penn and Madonna did not divorce until 1989 and Foley served as best man at the wedding in 1985, so there you have it. I have tried to watch WTG when it has been on TV, but I never made it past the first 20 minutes or so. Dumb, cheesy eighties flicks may occasionally have their odd charm, but this one is just unbearable.
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