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Year of the Gun | Year: 1991 Classification: Drama Directed: - John Frankenheimer Actors/Actresses: - Andrew McCarthy - Sharon Stone - Andrew Mccarthy A Small And Forgettable But Decent Frankenheimer Movie I rented this movie merely because I was in the mood for an action movie. "Year Of The Gun" is one of the more passable films that Frankenheimer has made in recent years. In 1978, Italy is politically divided over the terrorist group The Red Brigades. An American journalist(Andrew McCarthy) is writing a fictional novel about The Red Brigades and the storyline coincidentally presages the actual terrorist plans of the group. The Brigades steal a manuscript of the novel and consider McCarthy to be a threat. As a result, McCarthy is on the run for his own life. "Year Of The Gun" is a modest and unmemorable but decent Frankenheimer thriller. The acting is mostly wooden and the story has some logic problems. The film also features a very poorly executed bank robbery-sequence. As a Frankenheimer picture, "YOTG" doesn't come close to matching such great films as "Seven Days In May," "The Manchurian Candidate," and "Black Sunday." Nevertheless, "YOTG" actually manages to be one of the more decent thrillers that Frankenheimer has made in recent years. "YOTG" is only slightly inferior to "Ronin." The movie generates a reasonable amount of suspense. The picture also has none of the blatant ludicrousness that has plagued many of Frankenheimer's post-1960s films. "YOTG" is a forgettable but decent time killer. great idea, awful execution What a shame that such an interesting idea for a story was botched so, so badly. The acting and dialogue are damnable, and certain segments are pretentious in the extreme. Thankfully most of the movie is bad in a very conventional way. This is one film that I hope gets remade someday with more competence. Frankenheimer is usually reliable, but goodness me, this movie fails with a vengeance. The Movie is Better than the Book This is one of those occasions where the film beats the book. The greatest enemy of this movie has nothing to do with the film. It has to do with the fact that how many viewers will care enough about Italy and its communist 70's problems. Dialogue is dialogue unless its written by Ed Wood. The twists in the plot are enough to keep you watching. And you may even be surprised. Polical films require the viewer to accept some amazing coincidences, the kind of coincidences that occurred in "The Day of the Jacket," which is referred to in this film also. The film didn't and wouldn't win an award, and who cares who the director is. The novel was thin also, but again, there is no international intrigue, just an American caught in a duplicious situation. Caution! This DVD does not have english subtitles for the Italian dialogue. Some minor plot points are not clearly expressed because of this (Unless of course you are fluent in Italian). The old VHS versions have the english translations. The film itself suffers from its flaws. The plot is a bit convoluted but still acceptable. Andrew McCarthy, John Pankow, and Sharon Stone all deliver somewhat lifeless performances. The already bland script is diminished by the poor delivery from the actors, and some questionable editing. The cinematography vacillates between bland and wonderful. Despite all of its problems, I still manage to like this film. It is a must for any Frankenheimer devotee, also for any admirer of the wonderful Valeria Golino. Buy Year Of The Gun at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Year Of The Gun Search with the Priority Search Engine on Year Of The Gun This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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