The Package is a 1989 suspense-thriller directed by Andrew Davis and stars Gene Hackman, Tommy Lee Jones and Joanna Cassidy and arrives on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber on June 13th
Aside from my issue with plot, Blow Out is a film that should be seen along with Coppola’s similarly themed The Conversation starring Gene Hackman which came out in 1974, 7 years earlier.
I wasn’t nearly as impressed with Dressed to Kill as others have since it doesn’t offer much mystery and the psychological elements which De Palma is normally a master of (look no further than Blow Out), isn’t very enticing either. I guess Angie Dickinson and Nancy Allen excelled in their roles as Michael Caine, while not entirely remarkable, still manages to turn in a sufficient (and unique) performance.
American Buffalo is what you think a stage play adaptation would be with singular locations, though a more open world in the beginning, and all the Mamet-isms you expect from his dialogue. The acting though is good from both Dustin Hoffman and Denis Franz so even though it is a slow film, it might be worth checking out especially if you can’t see the real thing.
City of Angels has some cheesy moments and Nic Cage early on doesn’t quite exude leading man who can act creepy yet still nab pretty (and smart) surgeon, but once you get beyond that, the story mostly works and somehow Cage and Ryan share good on-screen chemistry.