It’s a hot revenge story. Lee Marvin plays Walker, a thief who gets double-crossed and left for dead in a heist on Alcatraz. His single-minded mission is to hack away the chain of command of the “organization” that screwed him over and claim the rather inconsequential amount owed to him ($93,000).
Definitely a men’s movie, Point Blank is based on the novel The Hunter by Richard Stark, and directed by John Boorman, best known for directing Deliverance (1972). The tone reminds me of the slick, dark, brooding gangster movies from the ’60s by Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samourai, Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows), where quiet and stylish men’s men are on a singular mission. Lee Marvin turns in an economical but powerful performance, and the luminous Angie Dickinson as Marvin’s sister-in-law is a total thrill to watch.
It’s 1967. The clothes are great and the cars are fantastic. All the men, even the thugs, do their bidding in well-cut suits, smart ties, and polished shoes. It’s a fantastic film.
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