The movie's obviously autobiographical hero is played by Mickey Rourke, in a performance that takes a lot of chances, and wins. The original screenplay for this movie was written by Charles Bukowski, a Los Angeles cult novelist and poet who based it on his own life-a life spent largely in gutbucket saloons and the more disordered corners of Skid Row. The late Charles Ludlam provides brilliant supporting work as Quaid's lawyer-but then all the supporting work in this movie is offbeat and precise, and so are the leads. Neither the movie's romance nor its thriller aspects seem familiar McBride and his actors particularly put a new spin on everything, even including the usual clichГ©s about one-night stands. They become friends, survive some scrapes together, fall in love-and then wind up on opposite sides of a case in court.Дirected by Jim McBride, ' The Big Easy' is one of the most definitely regional American films ever made the music on the sound track underlines the specific sense of place, and the Barkin and Quaid characters seem to grow naturally out of the story. Quaid plays a vice cop who is not above participating in the department's illegal 'widows and orphans' fund.

Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin enter so effortlessly into the cadences of Louisiana that the sound track provides an uncanny sense of place. This is a film to listen to as well as watch. This is not only a great film, but one of the year's best entertainments. ' House of Games' is the first film directed by the playwright and screenwriter David Mamet, and it is an ideal presentation of his style - the elegantly simple dialog, clipped, turning back on itself, works with the set decoration and the barren urban landscapes to create a world which has been emptied of all bystanders, and narrowed down to the con and the mark. Then we realize we've been trapped right along with her, in a labyrinthine plot where nothing is at it seems. At first the audience feels superior we can see what's happening to Crouse, even if she can't. I did enjoy the use of subs for the Vikings which really added to the quality (real Icelandic) and the rest of the cast is decent with Urban possibly in his best film so far, gets a little loose towards the end but this is a fine historical cum fictional offering if you enjoy savage clashes.The therapist turns out to be as addictive as her patient, and she is skillfully drawn into a con game by Mantegna and Mike Nussbaum, as two old partners in deception who seem able to communicate telepathically. I did enjoy the film and if you like '300' then you will probably like this as its even more slick and brooding than that really, a real living graphic novel but probably helped by the release of '300'. Although the stunts and battles are tremendous looking the film is pretty shallow and offers nothing more really, unlike '300' which is based on truth this film is fictional so it feels more of a silly fantasy film than anything. Local young tribesman leaves village, village gets destroyed by nasty barbarian types, young man comes back, gets upset and vows revenge, gets it, the end. The whole film basically one lavish set piece after another with not much dialog but there doesn't need to be as the plot is the most used and basic going. But its the cast used for the Indians that adds real class, Russell Means as a tribal chieftain really gives the film a more believeable feel. The American Indians also look really good and much more realistic with some lovely costume and adornment design along with good makeup and hair styling. Its not entirely accurate of course with the Vikings being really built up and laden with heavy metal armour and horned helmets to make them look fierce, it does work as they look amazing and powerful but obviously more comicbook than reality, almost a 'Conan' feel to them really. The film is highly stylised much like the graphic novel and looks gorgeous, the whole film is virtually in black, white and grey with hints of faded colour and only broken by the spray of blood spilt during some brutal battles. Loving the idea for this pitting different types of native tribes against each other, nice concept which was taken up by 'Dark Horse' comics and made into an equally decent graphic novel with amazing brooding artwork. Fictional story about Viking raiders landing in modern day North America and fighting against native American Indians as they try to colonize.

Pathfinder movie 1987