An American western directed by William A. Wellman, starring Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark and Anne Baxter.
A group of outlaws rob a bank and cross salt flats to escape. They end up in a ghost town inhabited by a violent, young woman and her gold mining grandfather. The outlaws fight over gold and the woman.
This is the last film I'm watching from the acid western page. The plot and visuals mark it as the first acid western. There is a surprise ending which really breaks expectations. Lots of the film was shot during the day and underexposed or edited to create night. Usually, clouds are not that visible in a night sky. Generally, I found the whole film just odd enough to be cool. Those looking for a traditional western may not notice, but those versed in acid westerns will recognize the beginnings of the outlandishness which would follow. I rate it adequate. You might want to watch it.
An American thriller by Michael Crichton, starring Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Richard Widmark and Rip Torn.
A female nurse is having relationship troubles with her doctor boyfriend when her best friend goes into a coma and dies after routine surgery. This sets her on alert for the next death under the same circumstances. She gets in trouble with the administration for looking into the problem, but continues to pursue it anyway.
This was really good. I liked how the plot deepened as it went and the characters were acted convincingly. The main character's growing fear is also reflected in external events. The rising action at the climax got really intense. The style was very much of the time, but that is a good style if you ask me. Camera-work and editing made sense for all of the scenes and they even got in some appropriate extremely wide and extremely close shots. Overall, this seems to be nothing special, just another hospital suspense flick from the late '70s. That is what makes it so cool when the epic plot develops into a crescendo by the end. It goes above and beyond expectations and standards. I will now stop singing it's praises and rate it awesome. Watch this!
