whole town rivers edge

Edward G. Robinson gets a chance to prove his tough-guy persona is all make-believe in The Whole Town's Talking (1935), breezy little mistaken-identity comedy that casts the actor in two roles: Arthur Ferguson Jones, an unassuming law clerk with a secret crush on his co-worker (Jean Arthur), and "Killer" Manion, a notorious criminal whose face is plastered on every newspaper. But it turns out both men share the same face. And after the police arrest Arthur, he becomes an overnight celebrity, attracting the attention of Manion himself who sees an opportunity to use his doppelganger to get revenge.

Although his films always featured plenty of comedic elements, director John Ford was never known for cracking-wise (cracking skulls? Maybe.) But he handles the body-swapping humor of The Whole Town's Talking with an exceptionally light touch, bolstering Robinson's showy dual role with a supporting cast that's more than up to the challenge (although more Jean Arthur certainly couldn't have hurt). Already typecast as a gangster thanks to his turn in films like Little Caesar, it's easy to see why Robinson found the script appealing, offering him a chance to mock the public persona that he'd so convincingly created onscreen. But his performance as the nebbish Arthur - squeaky shoes, bad haircut and all - is equally compelling. And some clever cinematic trickery from Ford to put them in the same frame makes both of them utterly convincing.

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray looks nothing short of incredible! No extras this time around except the usual astute set of liner notes, but it's a must-buy for any classic film fan all the same.

Melodrama, western and film noir all rolled into one, The River's Edge (1957) goes one step further by casting Anthony Quinn in the role of Ben Cameron, a cuckolded husband blackmailed into leading his wife and her murderous ex-boyfriend to the safety of the Mexican border with a million dollars in tow. The fact that Ben is one step ahead of everyone else, mentally and physically, makes Quinn's macho performance really shine... and makes for an unusually twisted love triangle.

Planning to leave Ben and her boring life on the cattle ranch, Margie (Debra Paget) jumps at the chance to run off with Nardo (Ray Milland), her former lover and partner in crime. But after Ben becomes their only chance to avoid the law, Margie begins to question just which man has her best interests in mind. Meanwhile, Ben and Nardo square off in a battle of nerves to see who will wind up with the upper hand...and Margie's heart.

A gorgeous cinemascope production shot in Mexico, The River's Edge feels a bit sleazy for a Fox production. There are moments of shockingly bloody violence and Paget is paraded around like she just popped out of a cake. But it's that B-movie vibe that makes director Allan Dwan's film so damn interesting; you're never quite sure what it will do next! Milland makes for a particularly oily villain despite the fact that Quinn has the drop on him almost the entire film. Nature itself turns out to be the biggest bad guy of all, placing mountains, storms and venomous snakes in the survivors' path. As an example of extreme couples' counseling, nothing beats crossing the border with the law on your tail and a gun in your side.

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition is another stellar-looking transfer all the way around. Extras include an isolated music and effects track, audio commentary with film historian Alain Silver and James Ursini, original theatrical trailer and liner notes that cry foul on director Allan Dwan's cinematic anonymity.

A 1966 spy thriller that takes a drastically different route from the Bond films, yet keeps one toe on them at the same time, it's easy to see why The Quiller Memorandum has slipped between the cinematic cracks. Starring George Segal as the titular CIA agent, sent to Berlin investigate an underground neo-Nazi organization, the story unfolds with the sedate pace of a BBC mini-series. But as the audience acclimates to director Michael Anderson's take on Cold War secret agents and the handlers pulling their strings, the film becomes a fascinating anomaly amidst its more flamboyant competitors.

Replacing a pair of agents who were murdered before him, Quiller (Segal) resents playing by the rules of his stuffy British contact, Pol (Alec Guinness), and strikes off on his own to find his quarry's secret base. However, they find him - which might have been the plan all along - and an intense confrontation with Oktober (Max von Sydow) winds up with Quiller under drugged interrogation, threatening to reveal his entire operation...including the beautiful German school teacher (Senta Berger) whose connections led him there in the first place.

The aforementioned torture scene could have been lifted right out of a 007 film ("Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"). But in The Quiller Memorandum it's much more chilling and, one would imagine, true to life. Max von Sydow has super villain charm in spades and contrasted with Segal's smart-aleck attitude their scenes crackle with energy. Yet it's the unglamorous approach to the material that makes it so compelling. Even regular Bond composer John Barry contributes a score that's more eastern European dirge than jazzy music to stage set to accompany explosions. This is a film that expects its audience to enjoy how it players play the game, not necessarily the moves themselves.

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray is beautiful, sharp and more than worth an upgrade. Special features include isolated score track, audio commentary carried over from the previous DVD with film historian Eddy Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer, original theatrical trailer and liner notes

Veterans of the short-lived California counter culture revolution (better known as The '60s) have an arrogance that's all the more ironic since most of them sold out their social consciousness for cold hard cash by the time the '80s rolled around. Richard Dreyfuss' otherwise lighthearted detective comedy The Big Fix (1978) proves the meltdown came even earlier than that, focusing on a private investigator hired to investigate a case of political sabotage involving '60s radicals whose mere association with a conservative candidate could spoil his chances. Director Jeremy Paul Kagan's film doesn't whether to make you laugh or cry, so in the end it just soldiers through to rather cynical anti-ending...much like the '60s themselves.

Moses Wine (Dreyfuss) is a divorced dad with two kids, an undependable ex-wife and only a few bucks in the bank when he's gifted with a case that teams him with his long lost love (Susan Anspach) from the Berkley days. Charged with tracking down an infamous activist who's gone into hiding, the duo run into one dead end after another....which eventually turn into dead bodies. Moses' personal interest forces him to confront man he was versus the life he leads now; a painful bit of soul searching that just might help him crack the case.

Based on series of mystery novels by author Roger L. Simon, The Big Fix is as convoluted as anything in The Big Sleep; the script piles on more suspects, side characters and red herrings than is humanly possible to sort out (Moses practices his technique by playing Clue every night, which is a good narrative comparison). But the end result is a film that really doesn't care about the case in question, so we don't either. It's Moses himself - and his complicated family life - that keeps things interesting. With his nervous mannerisms and endearing sarcasm, Dreyfuss makes for an unusually charming PI. His take on the character as a frustrated dad trying to do his best despite odd working hours and occasional gunplay makes him relatable in a way Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe are not. The film's bigger questions about post-'60s apathy find their answer in a guy who just gets a kick out of tucking his kids in at night.

Twilight Time's 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray looks superb, especially for '70s film stock, which can be notoriously grainy. Extras include an isolated score track, original theatrical trailer and liner notes.