MCW: Best Political Thriller(s)

My Top Five:

#5: Shooter: Marky Mark is an ex sniper who lives up in the mountains trying to have a chill life when Danny Glover and some other heavies show up and ask him to figure out how to stop an assassination. But its a set-up that frames him as the assassin. What follows is a nice cat and mouse routine, some delightful conspiracy theories, and a satisfying payoff at the end. Micheal Pena plays a bewildered FBI novice to perfection.

#4: Enemy of the State: Jon Voight is the head of the NSA who wastes a senator that wont vote to pass an oppressive security bill. Wildlife photographer catches it on film; it ends up in labor lawyer Will Smith's Victoria Secret bag and an epic chase ensues. The way that NSA technology is used to track and thwart him is a lot of fun. Neat interweaving of Mafia interests too. Gene Hackman stars as an ex spook who knows the score. Lots of fun.

#3: The Lives of Others: A good look at the Stasi in East Germany and what being a tool of an oppressive State requires of a man. In German, with subtitles.





#2: Hunt for Red October: cat and mouse game with subs. Sean Connery wants to defect. Or does he? Jack Ryan helps out. Its a good movie -very hollywood and fairy-tale like, but still. Chock full of great male actors; of course. Theres no wimmen on subs! (are there?)

#1: Salvador: a long time ago, Oliver Stone was an upstart guerilla director with a righteous point of view. Salvador is the very best of him. James Woods and Jim Belushi drive to Salavador in order to get great footage and story to salvage Woods' dying freelance career. It starts off as a alcohol and drug fueled road trip until our boys find out that inserting themselves between leftist rebels and military dictators can get real ugly real fast. John Savage, who is a very cool actor, plays a photojournalist with a much greater understanding of how things are.

I know, I phoned this one in. No clips today. Very Busy.

Happy MCW everyone!