The Grifters (rewatch)

Decided to make it a Frears double-feature, since I just bought this on DVD (meaning they’ll inevitably announce a Blu-Ray release soon).  Considering I gave this movie a 7 last time, perhaps it’s odd that I purchased it.  But an old episode of the “Out of the Past” podcast got me excited to see again, and that last time was seven years, before I caught the noir bug.  But neo-noir isn’t the same as classic noir.  Often it’s too knowing (Brick), too clever (The Long Goodbye) or just too goofy (The Good German).  This movie pretty much gets it right.  It doesn’t feel like “updated” noir, it feels like the genre never died.  Except for the ubiquitous Annette Bening nudity, a couple of f-bombs and a much more direct reference to incest than would have been permissible at the time, the film would be right at home among those of the 40’s and 50’s.  The doomed protagonist, the crisp dialogue, the seediness, the double-crosses, the double femmes fatale… it all works very nicely, coalescing into a gripping tale of desperate, broken people on the make.  It’s not perfect: neither Cusack nor Bening seems quite right for their roles, and the cinematography could be more evocative (though there are a few great shots).  But Anjelica Huston is wonderful, as are many of the character actors, and it’s a fantastic script with some amazing scenes.  For whatever reason, I’ve never been compelled to read hard-boiled fiction, but I really would like to dig into Thompson’s novel one day (especially to clear up a certain plot point).  Rating: 8

IMDb