RARA-AVIS: Phoenix
BaxDeal@aol.com
Thu, 10 Sep 1998 18:21:47 EDT
PHOENIX is an electrifying neo-noir, now in limited theatrical
release here in
Los Angeles. made independently, producers couldn't find
domestic
distribution, so the picture originally debuted on either HBO
or Showtime,
similar to the situation with John Dahl's THE LAST
SEDUCTION.
Ray Liotta is Phoenix homicide cop Harry Collins, a decent guy
with a major
gambling jones. in hock to his bookie to the tune of 32 large,
he's told he
can get off the hook if he bumps off this punk in the lock-up,
who the bookie
fears will squeal on his operations. unable to perform this
unsavory task,
Collins instead decides to knockover the local loanshark, who
one of his
associates happens to provide muscle for. things take a darkly
comic turn
before going bad for all involved.
very hardboiled. very noir. and so much better than most of the
pablum that
passes for "noirish" thrillers these days by people who know
nothing about the
genre.
Anthony LaPaglia is the thuggish cop who muscles for the
loanshark. Daniel
Baldwin plays another one of the detectives involved in the
caper. Tom
Noonan, who terrifyingly essayed the Red Dragon in Michael
Mann's underrated
MANHUNTER is Liotta's bookie. Angelica Huston is a hard-bitten
dame Liotta's
Collins takes a shine too, but alas, things are not to be in
this bleak world
of theirs. just the way we like it.
any Rara-Avians who get the opportunity to see this flick will
be most
grateful to me for recommending it.
BD/jl
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