Night of the Hunter (1955)

"They abide and they endure!"

This film is, I suppose, unique. Yes, it's a '50s film noir...but it feels like something else entirely. But it's a masterpiece, with Robert Mitchum's "preacher", Harry Powell, being surely one of the most fearsome villains of all time.

Incredibly, it was a flop upon its release, hence its being the one and only film that Charles Laughton ever directed. But I suppose one can see why it may not have been what an audience may have expected. It's fairly short, with a fairly simple plot. It shows a bleak and dark West Virginia of the Depression, suffused with poverty, hypocrisy and lurking evil. One mighy expect a film like this to be shot with gritty realism, but no- the camera angles, the framng and... well, the owls(!) owe far more to the German Expressionism of the silent era than anything of its own era.

Robert Mitchum is superb as a serial killer who hides behind the appearance of respectability, and the combination of his performance and the direction push the menace up to truly intense levels. The cellar scene...brr!

The other standout performance, though, is from Lilian Gish, another totem of the silent era, as Rachel, a surprisingly well-rounded, grizzled yet kindly character who feels very real, and stands for hope, decency, forgiveness and understanding. This is a film of grim beauty, of bleakness, a meditation on the suffering that is life... yet it has heart, too. One of the greatest films I've ever seen.

The Delta Force (1986)

 "You don't need beds. You're gonna die tomorrow..."

I seem to be very much in the mood for cheesy '80s action films and this very much seemed to fit the fill- by Cannon, themasters of the genre, and starring Chuck Norris yet featuring a rather impressive-looking cast.

And it is, indeed, a fun watch, slowly going through the events of a hijack based loosely on one from real life the previous year. While there's plenty of action towards the end, there's plenty of tension throughout and the decision to take us through the mechanics of the hijack is in itself highly engrossing.

It helps, too, that we spend time getting to know and like the passengers and crew, many of whom are played by rather high profile character actors. It's very odd indeed to see a young Robert Forster, who I know from Jackie Brown and Mulholland Drive, as the chief hijacker... but he's very good indeed.

The film is, however, of its time. Very gung-ho, and the main flashpoint of the world is of course Beirut. The presentation of Arab characters- not just the hijackers but air traffic control and so forth- is, let us not mince words, quite shockingly racist. And there's a very prominent pro-Israeli subtext throughout the film. It's not crudely overdone, but it's ever-present.

However, there's no denying that, if you're in the mood to switch your brain off and enjoy a proper '80s action film, this very much does the trick.

Batman: The Greatest Mother of Them All & Ma Parker

The Greatest Mother of Them All

"Her legs remind me of Catwoman."

"Yu're growing up, Robin..."

After this second season has given us a few stories of varying quality we suddenly get this wonderful work of genius. This is certainly the wittiest, most original and enjoyable script yet, and a real highlight of the series, with Shelley Winters having infectious fun as the mother of a gang of notorious hillbillies who have come to Gotham.

Ma Parker gets a splendid introduction- winning an award for mother of the year and announcing "This is a stick up!" while receiving her award, robbing all the other ladies including one who protests at being called fat. And this story dispenses completely with the usual storytelling formula, showing us a group of baddies who, cleverly, want to be captured and put into prison for their own nefarious purposes. But it's all such fun.

I love the first scene with Bruce and Dick, as the surprisingly learned Aunt Harriet puts Dick through his Ancient Greek grammar. Also wonderful is Ma Parker insisting that her "boys" at their meal properly as their hideout is surrounded. We even have a rocket powered wheelchair. But the climax is clever and unusual; Mar Parker and her "boys" are caught suspiciously easy, but over months they've planned to take over the prison, a perfect base of operations for crime. and as for Batman and Robin, it's Speed, twenty-five years early...


Ma Parker

"Only forty-eight years until your next parole."

"Gee, I never thought of that. In forty-eight years, I'll be a free man!"

The above two lines alone put this episode into the annals of true greatness.But on top of this we get a cameo from Julie Newmar as Catwoman (Joker and Penguin are apparently in solitary, unable to accept Ma as top dog!). But things don't last, in spite of a suspicious inspection by a returning dynamic duo, saved from being blown to pieces by a fifty-five mph speed limit, which is perfect, as Warden Crichton- quite a regular character- ultimately spills the beans.

The Caped Crusaders nearly get a jolt from electric chairs (a tasteless item, surely?) but are saved by Morse code. This second episode has a lot o work to do and doesn't quite sparkle quite as much, but there's no doubting that this two parter is one of the finest so far.