Die Another Day (2002)

For as long as I can remember watching the James Bond series, the entity or country that has most tried to "Kill Bond!" (as Blofeld shrieks in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE) are either the crime organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E or the Soviet Union aka Russia. But with the disintegration of the old Soviet Union into satellite countries during its "glasnost" period in the 90s, the Bond filmmakers were going to have to find some new "bad players" for Bond and MI-6 to tussle with. Enter North Korea. North Korea has been anti-West since the Korean War. It's secretive, isolated, and ruled by a dictatorial family for decades. Only of late has it become a little less shy and a little more saber rattling, threatening the West with ominous threats and launching numerous missile tests near its neighbors Japan and South Korea. China had never been sexy for the Bond filmmakers (except for a lone Chinese representative Burt Kwouk in GOLDFINGER). North Korea was to be the new villain for the 20th film in the Bond series, DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002).

After a positive, exciting start with a brand new James Bond in Pierce Brosnan for GOLDENEYE (1995), the next two Bond/Brosnan films in the franchise were positively disappointing. TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997) and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999) were directed by capable English directors (Roger  Spottiswoode and Michael Apted), had interesting locations (Thailand, Azerbaijian, Turkey), well respected actors as the main baddies (Jonathan Pryce and Robert Carlyle), and pretty, diverse Bond women (Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Sophie Marceau, and Denise Richards). But the stories were tired and uninteresting, the action sequences tepid, and the momentum Brosnan and company brought with GOLDENEYE had evaporated. Luckily, the fourth and last Brosnan entry DIE ANOTHER DAY would end on a slightly higher note with North Korea as the new dangerous adversary, non-stop action, and the lovely Halle Berry as a Bond Girl named Jinx. 

With a screenplay by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who had become the Bond franchise's go to writers) and directed by Lee Tamahori (MULHOLLAND FALLS), DIE ANOTHER DAY opens with Ian Fleming's ageless British agent James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) surfing onto a North Korean beach at dawn. Bond impersonates a South African diamond courier bringing illegal conflict diamonds to Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee) in exchange for weapons. Moon shows off his fleet of hovercrafts that can float over land mines separating North and South Korea. Col. Moon's trusted associate Zao (Rick Yune) receives notification that Bond is a spy. Bond's arrested and about to be executed when General Moon (Kenneth Tsang), the younger Moon's father arrives. Gen. Moon is unaware of his son's business dealings. Bond sets off a booby trap, exploding the case full of diamonds. Bond escapes on a hovercraft, chased by Col. Moon and his soldiers. Moon's hovercraft goes over a waterfall and is presumed dead. Bond is caught by Gen. Moon and made a prisoner for 14 months, interrogated and tortured. Moon wants to know who corrupted his son. Bond wants to know who betrayed him to the North Koreans. A prisoner swap is arranged. Bond is traded for an incarcerated Zao, now bald with pieces of diamonds imbedded in his face from the earlier explosion.

Recuperating in Hong Kong, Bond's boss M (Judi Dench) is not happy to see Bond. The Americans led by NSA superior Damian Falco (Michael Madsen) believe Bond gave up one of their agents. Bond sneaks away from his confinement, cleans up, and connects with a Chinese agent Chang (Ho Yi) who tells Bond that Zao is now in Cuba. Bond flies to Cuba (actually Spain) and encounters an American NSA agent named Jinx Johnson (Halley Berry). After a frisky one night stand, Bond follows her the next morning to a clinic on Isla Los Organos just off the coast. A Dr. Alvarez (Simon Andreu) is performing extensive DNA gene therapy that can give people new identities. Jinx shoots Dr. Alvarez. Bond finds Zao in the clinic with a gene therapy mask on. Bond and Zao fight. Zao escapes by helicopter and Jinx jumps into the ocean where a boat awaits her. Bond discovers a host of diamonds bearing the insignia of Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), a British billionaire who's recently emerged on the world scene for discovering a diamond mine in Iceland. 

Bond returns to London and visits the Blades Club where fencing instructor Verity (played by Madonna, yes that Madonna who also sings the film's title theme song) points Bond to Graves and his personal assistant Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike). Bond and Graves get into a heated fencing duel that evolves into an actual sword fight with real blades. Bond barely wins. Impressed, Graves invites Bond to his Iceland Ice Palace where he plans to make a big announcement. M reinstates Bond to his double O standing. Bond swings by MI-6 to see Q (John Cleese) who updates Bond with a camouflage Aston Martin that can become invisible and some other more useful gadgets. M meets with Frost who's actually an MI-6 agent. M wants Frost to keep an eye on Bond in Iceland. 

Bond and Jinx arrive at Graves's Icelandic Ice Palace separately. Frost warns Bond not to try to seduce her (it doesn't work but ...). Graves reveals his pet project to the world called Icarus, a giant reflector satellite that can bring intense solar power to areas of the world to help make crops more sustainable. Jinx is caught by Graves and Zao trying to sabotage the device. Bond rescues Jinx and discovers that Graves is really Col. Moon with a new face courtesy of the DNA gene therapy. Bond kills Zao and Graves flees with Frost who turns out to be a double agent, the person who betrayed Bond to the North Koreans. Graves destroys his Ice Palace. Bond and Jinx fly back to the Korean DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between North and South Korea where they are ordered by M and Falco to take down Graves/Moon who unveils his real purpose for Icarus: blast a solar path thru the DMZ so North Korean troops can attack South Korea. Bond and Jinx sneak onto Graves cargo plane for a final showdown with Graves/Moon and Frost.

For Brosnan's final Bond film, the DIE ANOTHER DAY filmmakers pulled out all the stops, some good and some a little too unbelievable even for a Bond film. The good was DIE ANOTHER DAY'S nostalgic nod to past Bond films from Halle Berry's Jinx emerging from the sea like a water nymph similar to Ursula Andress's Honey Ryder introduction in DR. NO (1962) to the facial identity change of Col. Moon to Gustav Graves plot line that echoes THUNDERBALL (1965) when a S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agent was transformed to look identical to a NATO pilot to steal a nuclear warhead or villain Blofeld duplicating himself two times over in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971). There's John Cleese channeling the recently deceased Desmond Llewelyn as Q (Cleese first appeared as Q's protege R in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH), providing Bond with his favorite, trusty sports car the Aston Martin V12 but with a catch (and the beginning of the unbelievable parts of DIE ANOTHER DAY).

Action set pieces are the norm in any James Bond film. Director Tamahori in DIE ANOTHER DAY stages several fine sequences (assisted by expert 2nd Unit Director Vic Armstrong) including the military hovercraft opening that harkens back to the exciting tank chase in Brosnan's first Bond film GOLDENEYE (1995) and an exhilarating finale in Graves/Moon's out of control cargo plane as it avoids the deadly Icarus ray. Bond action sequences sometimes teeter on the brink of unbelievability but try to stay closer to reality. With the advances of CGI by 2002, DIE ANOTHER DAY pushes that over the limit. First, Bond's Aston Martin has a camouflage device that can make it invisible. It's a little too science fiction even for Bond. A car chase between Bond and Zao that begins on ice and moves inside Graves's Ice Palace lair borders on the THE BLUES BROTHERS absurd. And Bond will be propelled to the edge of an ice shelf, hanging on by his fingernails before wind surfing to safety on a tidal wave caused by the collapsing ice shelf to safety that defies reality. 

Greek mythology plays a part in DIE ANOTHER DAY, raising the quality of this film above the previous two Brosnan/Bond films. Graves/Moon's deadly Icarus Satellite is aptly named. In the Greek myth, Icarus was a young man who escaped King Minos's labyrinth on Crete by making wings out of feathers and wax to fly away. Icarus is warned by his father Daedalus not to fly too close to the sun which Icarus fails to heed, soaring higher and higher until the sun melts his wings, causing Icarus to fall into the ocean and drown. Icarus's tale was a metaphor for overreaching and self-destruction which sums up Graves/Moon. He wants to impress his father General Moon and carve a new path through the DMZ for North Korea to destroy its neighbor South Korea using the sun power of the Icarus satellite. Like Icarus, Graves/Moon overreaches, flying too close to the sun in his cargo plane with the sun represented by the satellite's solar powered laser beam. Graves/Moon is defeated by his own hubris (with some assistance from Bond and Jinx). 

Graves/Moon has an Icarus complex. As the brash young colonel at the beginning of DIE ANOTHER DAY, Moon defies his father like Icarus had with his father Daedalus's warning, trading in conflict diamonds for weapons, the diamonds for a more sinister use.  It's a deal the older, wiser General Moon knows nothing about and doesn't support. After it's revealed young Col. Moon did not perish over the waterfall back in North Korea and has stealthily transformed himself into wealthy entrepreneur Gustav Graves, that metamorphosis courtesy of a gene therapy mask making Graves/Moon even more overconfident and overreaching. Graves/Moon is so wired he never sleeps, making him more violent. A friendly fencing duel for a wager between Graves/Moon and Bond turns into a bar room battle at a posh fencing club. Graves/Moon's recklessness like Icarus will lead to his downfall. 

Pierce Brosnan's run as James Bond was hit and miss over the four 007 films he appeared in but Brosnan never gave less than one hundred percent. For DIE ANOTHER DAY, Brosnan has some added motivation for his character when Bond's betrayed behind enemy lines by someone, leading to over a year of torture and interrogation by the North Koreans before he's released in a spy swap for Zao. We've never seen Bond humiliated like this. Bond's betrayal will fuel him to search for the traitor and regain his reputation in the intelligence community and his license to kill status reinstated by M. Brosnan parlayed his stint as James Bond (after playing a similar suave character on television in REMINGTON STEELE) into a successful film career that's still going strong today with roles in John McTiernan's remake of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1999) co-starring Rene Russo, as the bad guy in Edgar Wright's THE WORLD'S END (2013), and most recently playing an M like intelligence bureaucrat in Steven Soderbergh's BLACK BAG (2025) with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.

One of the delights of DIE ANOTHER DAY is having Bond team up with an American agent to battle Graves, Frost, and Zao. Even better, the American agent Jinx is played by the beautiful Halle Berry. After getting to know each other in bed first (hey, we're talking James Bond here), Bond and Jinx discover they are rival spies fighting against the same common enemy.  Jinx will not be Bond's first interracial relationship. Roger Moore has that honor in LIVE AND LET DIE (1973) when he slept with fellow agent Gloria Hendry. Berry's introduction in a bright orange bikini pays homage to Ursula Andress's white bikini entrance in DR. NO. But Berry is not just a pretty face as Jinx as she punches and kicks the baddies in DIE ANOTHER DAY just as hard as Bond himself.  Berry had been underutilized in films like Bryan Singer's X-MEN (2000) or not used correctly in CATWOMAN (2004). A breakthrough performance and Academy Award for Best Actress winner in Marc Forster's MONSTER'S BALL (2001) starring Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger let the world know Berry is the real deal as an actress. 

It's not uncommon for Bond films to have two actresses involved with Bond. One is usually on the good side and one on the bad side. DIE ANOTHER DAY has the good fortune of not only having Halle Berry but also a fresh, relatively unknown at the time British actress named Rosamund Pike as the other possible love interest Miranda Frost. We're misled at first thinking that Jinx might be the bad apple and double agent Frost who's imbedded with Graves is the good one. But that belief will be turned on its head mid-way through the film.  Like her name, Pike's Frost is icy, remote, possibly a young version of what M (Judi Dench) was like at her early spy beginning, perhaps using sex to further her career no matter the side. Only Frost is a traitor to MI-6. Frost is the one who betrays both Bond to the North Koreans and corrupts North Korean Gen. Moon's son Col. Moon to the possibilities of the decadent West. Pike has become an accomplished actress, in a long line of accomplished British actresses appearing with Brosnan in THE WORLD'S END, as the missing wife in David Fincher's GONE GIRL (2014) with Ben Affleck, and as a war correspondent in Matthew Heineman's A PRIVATE WAR (2018).

Toby Stephens as megalomaniac billionaire Gustav Graves may not be the most well known Bond villain in the series. What the Shakespeare trained Stephens brings to DIE ANOTHER DAY is a youthful energy. Graves is Bond's evil doppelganger. Like Bond, he's dashing in a tuxedo, excellent at most things from setting land speed records in a rocket car to fencing, and easy on the eyes for the ladies (although there's something asexual about him). The fact that Graves is the presumed dead Col. Moon with a new face is a nice touch. Other projects to catch Stephens in include the popular pirate streaming series BLACK SAILS (2014-2017) and Donovan Marsh's submarine thriller HUNTER KILLER (2018). 

As usual, the supporting cast for DIE ANOTHER DAY is eclectic with one mega pop star popping up unexpectedly for a cameo.  Judi Dench (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) returns as MI-6 boss M for the 4th time (just like Brosnan). Dench is so good in the role. We will learn more of M's backstory in future Bond films. Who would have thought Quentin Tarantino's favorite blue collar killer Michael Madsen (RESERVOIR DOGS) would be cast in a Bond film. Yet the gravelly voiced Madsen is perfect as M's American counterpart NSA boss Damian Falco. Monty Python's John Cleese as the new gadget master Q channels the great, late Desmond Llewelyn who had passed away in 1999. Rick Yune is creepy as the man with the diamond studded face terrorist Zao. And yes, that's Madonna as fencing instructor Verity in DIE ANOTHER DAY. Madonna may set the record for the first vocalist to appear in the same Bond film she sings the theme song for. Madonna's song Die Another Day is heavy on the electronics. I needed her credit to tell me she was singing the theme song. 

Some final DIE ANOTHER DAY trivia tidbits. This was Rosamund Pike's feature film debut as Miranda Frost.  There had been plans to make a spinoff movie with Halle Berry's character Jinx Johnson in a solo film.  But the poor box office reception to McG's all girl action film CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (2003) made MGM Studios change their mind. Toby Stephens who plays the villain Gustav Graves is the son of actress Maggie Smith (THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) and actor Robert Stephens (THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES). With all its outrageous stunts and CGI, there is one scene at the end of DIE ANOTHER DAY where we think the impossible is finally happening: Miss Moneypenny passionately kissing James Bond, something that has never happened in a Bond film. It turns out Miss Moneypenny is wearing Virtual Reality goggles, playing out her fantasy. She's interrupted by Q. It's a funny scene to end Pierce Brosnan's run as the world's greatest spy. 

I was a fan of the Pierce Brosnan era as James Bond even if some of the films were disappointing. Although not as good as Brosnan's first outing GOLDENEYE and borrowing some plot from other Bond films like DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and MOONRAKER, DIE ANOTHER DAY is a decent enough sending off for the fifth actor to portray 007. But was James Bond beginning to show signs that the franchise was beginning to show signs of wear and tear? Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli were going to have to find a new Bond and even more, find a way to recharge the series for it to survive in the 21st century.  Little did they know another action film was going to show them the way. 

The Mummy (1932 and 1999)

My love of horror film monsters can be traced back to a children's book I ordered in grade school through Scholastic Book Services called Monster Holidays by Norman Bidwell published in 1974. It's a cute book showcasing the four classic monsters (the vampire, the werewolf, Frankenstein's monster, and the mummy) as playmates for humans and how the monsters can spice up any holiday.  Bidwell both wrote and illustrated the book and the monsters are well drawn, more friendly than scary yet the monsters look cool. The book takes the reader through all the holidays from New Year's Day to Christmas with clever art, captions, and even rhymes as the monsters celebrate human holidays. This book may have pointed me in the direction of the Universal horror films that gave audiences FRANKENSTEIN (1931), DRACULA (1931), and THE WOLF MAN (1941).  Those were the first horror film monsters I gravitated to. It was only later that I became more interested in the fourth monster from the Monster Holidays book. The mummy. 

Unlike vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein's monster, mummies are real. The advent of history shows on cable television ushered in a new appreciation for all things Egypt especially mummies. Archaeologists continue to dig up Egyptian kings, queens, and advisors, wrapped in layers of shrouds, buried in ornate sarcophaguses from the deserts of Giza to the banks of the Nile. Throw in the horror film aspect of a curse on a dig site causing a mummy to rise from the dead from its tomb delighted the horror film fan in me. The one knock against the mummy in horror films was they were very slow when pursuing a victim like in Karl Freund's THE MUMMY (1932) and more so in its sequels. How could the sloth-like mummy kill its victim when all the victim had to do was run away? Oh sure, I can understand one possibly two poor souls frozen in terror and unable to flee. But not every one. Director Stephen Sommer in 1999 would come up with a simple approach in his reworking of THE MUMMY. Sommers just had his mummy run and chase. Very fast. 

Sommers made another good choice in his reimagining of THE MUMMY.  Rather than have old archaeologists tracking to stop the mummy like in Freund's THE MUMMY, Sommers took a page from Steven Spielberg's RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981). Similar to the intrepid, globe trotting Indiana Jones, Sommers introduces us in his THE MUMMY to Rick O'Connell, a down on his luck soldier of fortune who teams up with a beautiful librarian Evelyn Carnahan to battle the resurrected mummy Imhotep. The original THE MUMMY has one of the best openings of any Universal horror film (with the possible exception of 1943's FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN) as the mummy Imhotep is awakened by an impatient Egyptologist, steals a sacred scroll, and walks out of his upright sarcophagus into the desert night. The new THE MUMMY will amp up the action, romance, and terror tenfold with giant sandstorms, insidious scarab beetles, and supernatural guardians that protect Imhotep and his lover Anck Su Namun. 

With a screenplay by John L. Balderston (DRACULA) based on a story idea by Richard Schayer and Nina Wilcox Putnam and directed by cinematographer turned director Karl Freund, THE MUMMY begins in 1921 at the British Museum Field Expedition in the canyons of  Egypt. A team of archaeologists including Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron), German Dr. Muller (Edward van Sloan), and Ralph Norton (Bramwell Fletcher) have unearthed a mummy. An inscription on the sarcophagus reveals the mummy is Imhotep (Boris Karloff), High Priest of the Temple of the Sun at Karnak. Muller believes Imhotep was buried alive based on the scratch marks inside the coffin. A small wooden box was found with the mummy, containing the Scroll of Thoth. The box contains a warning there's a curse from the pharoah Amon-Ra to anyone who opens the box. While Sir Joseph and Muller debate outside on whether to open the box, young Norton opens it, begins to decipher the Scroll, and accidentally awakens the mummy who takes the Scroll and walks out, causing Norton to go mad.

We jump ahead to 1932 and a new British Museum Field Expedition, this time led by Sir Joseph's son Frank Whemple (David Manners) and Professor Pearson (Leonard Mudie). We learn Norton ended up in a straightjacket back in London and died and Sir Joseph never returned to Egypt. Frank and Pearson have had no luck finding any artifacts on their dig when the dignified, mysterious Ardeth Bay (Karloff) shows up on a donkey with a pottery shard connected to Princess Anck-es-en-Amon. Bay (who's really the resurrected mummy Imhotep) shows the two men where he thinks Princess Amon's tomb may be. Frank and Pearson move their diggers to the new area where they find Princess Amon's sarcophagus and tomb hidden for 3700 years. The Princess's mummy and treasures are brought to the Cairo Museum. Bay hovers over his lost love Princess Amon in the museum. We cut to a party where the beautiful Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann) gazes out at the Pyramids of Giza with Dr. Muller. Bay sneaks back into the museum after hours and begin chanting incantations from the scroll to bring Princess Amon back to life. Helen is mysteriously drawn to the museum where Frank and his newly returned father Sir Joseph find her at the museum's front door. They take her back to their home for observation. 

A museum guard finds Bay trespassing. Bay kills the guard then flees, leaving the Scroll of Thoth behind. Sir Joseph and Muller are alerted about the guard's death at the museum. When they arrive, they discover the lost Scroll and bring it back to the house. Bay shows up at the Whemple residence, looking for his Scroll. Bay hypnotizes Whemple's Nubian servant (Noble Johnson) before entering. Bay is introduced to Helen who looks like his lost love Princess Anon. Sir Joseph hides the Scroll in his bookcase. Frank takes Helen back to her home. Bay threatens Sir Joseph and Muller if they don't return his Scroll and departs. Muller tells Sir Joseph to burn the Scroll. Bay watches Sir Joseph try to burn the Scroll through his mystical pool of water. Bay causes Sir Joseph to have a heart attack. The Nubian enters the room and grabs the Scroll. Muller gives Frank an Isis amulet to protect him from Bay.  Bay uses his mind power to put Helen in a trance and bids her to visit him. 

Bay shows Helen his past in a pool of water. We see that Imhotep aka Bay had a forbidden love affair with one of the Pharoah's vestal virgins, the Princess Anon. The Princess dies and Imhotep secretly visits her burial site, trying to resurrect her. Imhotep is caught by the Pharoah's guards and sentenced to death. He's wrapped head to foot in bandages and buried alive for all eternity. Bay professes his love to Helen before awakening her. Helen returns home where Frank promises to protect her. Muller tells Helen to go to Bay the next time he beckons her.  He and Frank will follow her and destroy Bay. Bay causes Frank to collapse. Helen returns to Bay's home where Bay dresses Helen up as Princess Anon. Bay plans on transferring Helen's soul into the body of Princess Anon. He must kill Helen to resurrect his love Anon. Muller revives Frank. They rush to save Helen before Bay can plunge a dagger into her. Helen prays to the goddess Isis. A nearby giant Isis statue emits a bolt of light that burns the Scroll of Thoth and turns Bay/Imhotep into dust and bones. Helen is saved.

The original THE MUMMY has a lot in common with Tod Browning's DRACULA (1931) which should not be surprising as both films were made by Universal and both film's screenplays were written or cowritten by John L. Balderston. Both films have a supernatural creature (vampire, mummy) who arrive at a big city (London, Cairo) and discover a beautiful woman who resembles their long dead former lover. For Dracula, it's Jonathan Harker's fiancee Mina. For Imhotep/Bay, it's Helen Grosvenor, daughter of the governor of Sudan. Both creatures have a human they control into their personal slave (Renfield for Dracula; Sir Joseph's Nubian Servant for Imhotep/Bay). Both monsters cause a person to go mad and develop a creepy laugh (Renfield again by Dracula and archaeologist Norton by Imhotep). There are objects in both films that protect the innocent from the monsters.  The crucifix in DRACULA and an Isis amulet in THE MUMMY. And both DRACULA and THE MUMMY have a wimpy, romantic leading man and a resolute doctor of science to battle the supernatural evil facing them, played by the same two actors in both films. 

Actors David Manners and Edward Van Sloan play similar characters in both THE MUMMY and DRACULA. Manners is the prototypical romantic lead that emerged as talkies became the norm. Matinee idol handsome, a soft voice but wishy washy when it comes to fighting mummies or vampires. He's more interested in love than battling evil. Archaeologist Frank Whemple in THE MUMMY is a more exciting role for Manners than his Jonathan Harker in DRACULA (which isn't saying much). Edward Van Sloan's Dr. Muller in THE MUMMY is a younger version of his Dr. Van Helsing performance in DRACULA. Whether it's a mummy's curse or a vampire's lack of reflection in a mirror, Van Sloan's medical men are wise in their knowledge about the monstrosities they encounter. Van Sloan even had the triple crown of appearing in James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN (1931) as Dr. Frankenstein's counterpart Dr. Waldman. The only DRACULA actor missing from THE MUMMY is Dwight Frye. Frye played the solicitor turned fly eating slave with the sinister laugh in DRACULA. Frye would have been perfect to play the Egyptian linguist Ralph Norton who goes mad when the mummy Imhotep comes to life in THE MUMMY. Instead, Bramwell Fletcher (who was married to DRACULA'S Helen Chandler in real life) got the role and the opportunity to create his own insane laughter. 

The comparisons between THE MUMMY and DRACULA don't end with just the actors. German Karl Freund who was the cinematographer on DRACULA was promoted to director for THE MUMMY. Freund famously photographed films for famed German directors F.W. Murnau (THE LAST LAUGH) and Fritz Lang (METROPOLIS) during the Silent Era. Freund's direction and staging in THE MUMMY is far superior to Tod Browning's direction in DRACULA. The lighting and sets in the Cairo Museum and Imhotep/Bay's house reflect Freund's German Expressionistic background. One can only wonder if Freund had directed DRACULA instead of Browning what the results might have been. THE MUMMY is visually superior and better paced than DRACULA (which still has some impressive sets and the iconic Bela Lugosi). Freund's only other notable directorial contribution to the horror genre was MAD LOVE (1935) starring Peter Lorre. Freund finished his career as the cinematographer on the I LOVE LUCY SHOW (1951-1956) where he's credited for developing the three-camera system that TV sitcom comedies have adapted ever since. 

1932 would be a turning point in Boris Karloff's young career. After having been hidden under Jack Pierce's impressive Frankenstein makeup in FRANKENSTEIN where he still managed to convey pathos and terror, Karloff got his chance to show his face (still with some special makeup) and acting ability in both Charles Brabin's THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) and THE MUMMY. Karloff is briefly hidden under Pierce's amazing mummy makeup at the beginning of THE MUMMY as the recently dug up Imhotep. When we next see him as the fez wearing Ardeth Bay (Imhotep's alter ego), Karloff looks more human if not wrinkly, exuding dignity and a sense of fragility. Afterall, he's been dead for over 3700 years. One bad fall or collision with someone and Bay could crumble to dust. Karloff would never leave horror films (his bread and butter) but he would be noticed by mainstream directors for their projects as a supporting performer including a gangster in Howard Hawks SCARFACE (also 1932) and a religious soldier in John Ford's THE LOST PATROL (1934). THE MUMMY is Karloff's best speaking horror film with Whale's THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) Karloff's best overall horror performance. 

Hungarian born actress Zita Johann preferred the stage to film yet she will be forever remembered for her performance as the modern Helen Grosvenor and Imhotep's lover Princess Anck-es-en-Amon in THE MUMMY. With her expressive round eyes, Johann makes us believe her struggle as Imhotep/Bay tries to bring his 3700 year old lover back from the dead using Helen's soul. Apparently, Johann and director Freund did not get along on the set yet Johann gives the performance of  her brief film career in THE MUMMY. Johann's only other significant film was Howard Hawks TIGER SHARK (1932) with a young Edward G. Robinson. Besides Karloff, the other horror film veteran in THE MUMMY is African American actor Noble Johnson who plays Sir Joseph's Nubian Servant. Johnson's horror credits include Robert Florey's MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932) with Bela Lugosi; Ernest B. Schoedsack's THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932); and Merian C. Cooper's KING KONG (1933). Arthur Byron brings a nice presence as Sir Joseph Whemple, the lead archaeologist that unintentionally unleashes Imhotep on the world. Byron's wife Kathryn Byron is in THE MUMMY too as Dr. Muller's wife. 

Some final trivia tidbits for the original THE MUMMY. The fantastic mummy makeup for both Imhotep and Ardeth Bay was done by legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce.  Pierce was Universal's head makeup man from the 30's thru the early 50s.  Pierce's mastery would give us the iconic look of Karloff's Frankenstein's monster and Lon Chaney, Jr's THE WOLF MAN. THE MUMMY had a couple of scenes that were either filmed or at least staged for still photos that never made the final film. A reincarnation montage (and actress Johann was a true believer in reincarnation) that showed Princess Amon resurrected throughout the ages including the Roman period, the time of the Vikings, and the Crusades was cut from the final print. And a photo showing Karloff head to toe in mummy makeup taking the scroll from Fletcher never appears in the film either.  Instead, we only see the mummy's hand touch the scroll. Screenwriter John L. Balderston used the real life discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 as the inspiration for THE MUMMY story. Balderston was a news reporter at the time and was actually in Egypt and witnessed the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb. 

After THE MUMMY (which was a relatively successful at the box office), there wasn't a rush to make MUMMY sequels like Universal did with the FRANKENSTEIN franchise. It wasn't until the early 1940s and audiences needing a diversion from World War II that Universal resurrected the mummy back from the dead in a spate of mummy movies including THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940), THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942), THE MUMMY'S GHOST (1944) and the final and weakest of the five films THE MUMMY'S CURSE (also 1944). These films introduced a new mummy named Kharis who rises from his tomb to find his own long-lost love, Egyptian Princess Ananka. The production value for Universal's mummy revival would go downward with each film and the timeline jumped all over the place making the plots confusing to follow at times. There would be another break from mummies until the late 1950s when Britain's Hammer Films began remaking all the horror classics in Technicolor which included Terence Fischer's THE MUMMY (1959) starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. 

Colorized movie lobby poster of a scene that does not appear in THE MUMMY (1932).

The public's fascination with mummies jump started again in the 1970s with the arrival of King Tutankhamun and his treasures touring the United States (I saw the artifacts including Tut's incredible gold death mask in Seattle with my grandmother and sister).  In the 1980s, television history shows highlighted new mummy discoveries not only in Egypt but also Peru and China). It wasn't only mummies that were grabbing the spotlight. With the success of the Indiana Jones films like INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989), the public became fascinated with the archaeologists and tomb raiders that were crossing the globe to unearth new and incredible discoveries in jungles, deserts, and even underwater.  Director Stephen Sommers would come up with the perfect vehicle to merge treasure hunters with the supernatural.  Sommers would resurrect THE MUMMY and he would go to the studio that started off the mummy craze. Universal Studios.

The new THE MUMMY is a loving homage to the original that expounds on the plot of the original while deviating from its source material with a host of young characters, a sense of humor that is woefully missing from the 1932 film, and adding exciting action sequences and horror frights that modern audiences today expect. Director Sommers chooses to show Imhotep's backstory right at the beginning of THE MUMMY rather than Freund's film that reveals it in the middle of his version. Sommers had one huge advantage that Freund did not. CGI (Computer Generated Images) technology that allows Sommers to push the limits of his imagination with some breathtaking visual effects. 

Written and directed by Stephen Sommers based on a screen story by Sommers, Lloyd Fonvielle, and Kevin Jarre, this new THE MUMMY begins in the ancient city of Thebes in 1290 BC as the Pharoah Seti the First (Aharon Ipale) returns to his palace.  Seti catches Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo), his High Priest and Keeper of the Dead, cavorting with Seti's mistress Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez). Seti is stabbed to death by both Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun. Imhotep is whisked away by his priests. Anck-Su-Namun kills herself in front of Seti's guards rather than be separated from Imhotep. Imhotep swears to resurrect her from the dead. Imhotep and his priests steal Anck-Su-Namun's body and take her to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. Imhotep uses the Book of the Dead to try to raise his lover back to life. Seti's guards burst in and stop the ceremony. Imhotep's priests are killed.  Imhotep has his tongue cut out, he's wrapped in bandages head to foot, and buried alive for eternity with a horde of flesh eating scarab beetles. 

We jump forward to 1923. American soldier of fortune Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his semi-friend Hungarian Beni Gabor (Kevin J. O'Connor) fight with French Legionnaires against an army of Arabs at Hamunaptra. Rick and Beni retreat into the ruins about to be killed when Imhotep's spirit scares the marauders away. Rick wanders into the desert, watched from the cliffs by the Medjai, a secret group of mercenaries that protect Hamunaptra and keep Imhotep buried led by Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr). Flash forward three years later to 1926 at the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo, Egypt. Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz), a librarian at the museum catches her scoundrel of a brother Jonathan Carnahan (John Hannah) goofing around in a mummy case. Jonathan shows her a puzzle box he says he unearthed in Thebes. Evelyn discovers a map of the city of Hamunaptra inside. Jonathan confesses he stole the map from a man now incarcerated in a Cairo prison. Evelyn and Jonathan visit the prison. The man they want to see turns out to be Rick. The Warden (Omid Djalili) is about to hang Rick. Evelyn makes a deal with the Warden, saving Rick's life so he can take them to Hamunaptra. 

Rick, Evelyn, Jonathan, and the Warden (he wants in on the expedition) arrive at Giza Port to catch a ship on the Nile. They encounter a trio of Americans treasure hunters also looking for Hamunaptra: Henderson (Stephen Dunham), Daniels (Corey Johnson), and Burns (Tuc Watkins). The Americans have their own Egyptologist (Jonathan Hyde) and are guided by Rick's former friend now nemesis Beni. After everyone gets to know each other on board, the ship is attacked by the Medjai looking for the map and key. A gunfight ensues and the boat catches on fire. Both parties jump ship and hire camels for the rest of the journey. They wait in the middle of the desert for the sunrise to reveal Hamunaptra in all its ruined glory. The groups split up at the site. It's the clumsy Jonathan who accidentally stumbles across Imhotep's coffin with a gooey mummy inside. Bay and his Medjai ride in and give the explorers one day to leave. The Americans discover the Book of the Dead and canopic jars with Anck Su Namun's internal organs. But Evelyn has the key to unlock it. Evelyn "borrows" the Book, opens it with the key, and reads from the Book awakening Imhotep from the dead. Imhotep sees Evelyn and thinks she's Anck Su Namun reincarnated. Bay and the Medjai return and declare that Imhotep must be destroyed. Imhotep turns Beni to his side and they flee to Cairo, pursued by Rick, Evelyn, Bay, and the rest of the group. 

They regroup at Fort Brydon in Cairo. Rick wants to leave. Evelyn's committed to stopping Imhotep since she's the one who awakened him. Imhotep begins to go after the Americans who stole his beloved's canopic jars and her internal organs. With each jar he retrieves, Imhotep sucks the life literally from each American, returning to his human form. Imhotep plans on using Evelyn's soul to bring back Anck Su Namun's body to life. Evelyn realizes they need to find the Book of Amun-Ra or "Gold Book" to stop Imhotep. At the Museum of Antiquities, Evelyn deciphers that the Gold Book is inside the Statue of Horus back at Hamunaptra. An angry mob controlled by Imhotep separates Rick and Jonathan from Evelyn. Evelyn gives herself up to Imhotep who takes her back to Hamunaptra. Rick hires an old former RAF pilot Winston Havelock (Bernard Fox) to fly him, Jonathan, and Bay to Hamunaptra where they race against time to stop Imhotep from killing Evelyn to resurrect his lover Anck Su Namun. 

As previously mentioned, Freund's THE MUMMY'S best set piece is its opening sequence as Imhotep the mummy comes to life. Sommers THE MUMMY has multiple set pieces, both big and small, that distinguish it from the original. From our first encounter with Rick fighting with the French Foreign Legion to the gun fight with the Medjai on the boat on the Nile to Rick, Jonathan, and Evelyn battling Imhotep's supernatural revived mummy priests underground at Hamunaptra, Sommers makes sure that his THE MUMMY is going to be an action adventure film in the vein of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. 

The new THE MUMMY had the good luck that CGI special effects were just beginning to reach a new level during its making.  When Imhotep brings different versions of the plague upon our heroes back in Cairo, the swarm of locusts and army of scarab beetles looking frighteningly real.  A biplane flight back to Hamunaptra turns into a perilous journey when Imhotep transforms a sandstorm into his gaping, giant head, trying to swallow the plane with Rick on it. The finale with Beni accidentally tripping a booby trapped Hamunaptra, causing the ancient city to sink back into the desert is the final example of script transformed beautifully and realistically into an impressive visual climax. 

Director Sommers may have made a big budget THE MUMMY but he reveres the original and respectfully pays homage to it.  Sommers film is set in the 1920s, just like Freund's THE MUMMY and the real life discovery of King Tut. Imhotep's backstory and his tragic love for Anck Su Namun is pretty much the same in both films only Sommers opens his film with the Imhotep's treachery while Freund's film waits until the middle to show it. In both MUMMY films the lovers are caught by the pharoah and Imhotep is banished to an agonizing burial alive but not before swearing to return and resurrect his lover. The modern MUMMY shows the two lovers briefly kiss before they're caught. In the original, Imhotep is caught after Anck has died, trying to bring her back from the dead. Lastly, Ardeth Bay was Imhotep's alias after escaping his dusty casket in the first THE MUMMY. In the new version, Ardeth Bay is the leader of the Medjai who protect Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. 

THE MUMMY'S cast were relatively new faces who make the most of their big budget film opportunity in an action adventure/horror film. Brendan Fraser had displayed a good combination of physicality and humor in Sam Weisman's GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE (1997) which made him the perfect choice to play soldier/swashbuckler Rick O'Connell in THE MUMMY fighting Arab marauders or mummies brought back from the dead. Fraser's exuberance would carry over to two MUMMY sequels. I had never seen English actress Rachel Weisz before THE MUMMY.  Weisz's Evelyn Carnahan is a clumsy yet brainy heroine in the vein of Katherine Hepburn in Howard Hawk's BRINGING UP BABY (1933). Evelyn might get Rick and her in a jam from time to time but she uses her brains and knowledge of Egyptian language and hieroglyphics to rescue them from these predicaments. Weisz parlayed THE MUMMY success into more dramatic roles including Fernando Meirelles THE CONSTANT GARDNER (2005) with Ralph Fiennes where she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. 

John Hannah (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) brings a nice dose of humor to THE MUMMY as Evelyn's roguish brother Jonathan. Kevin J. O'Connor who plays the shifty Beni is a favorite of director Sommers, appearing in both the director's horror debut DEEP RISING (1998) with Treat Williams and the big budget monster palooza VAN HELSING (2004) as Igor, co-starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. South African actor Arnold Vosloo (HARD TARGET) exudes compassion along with horror as the tormented lover Imhotep. We forget that both MUMMY movies are about a forbidden love between Imhotep and an Egyptian princess. All Imhotep wants it to reunite with his long dead love. Finally, Israeli actor Oded Fehr (RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION) adds authenticity and Omar Sharif good looks as Ardeth Bay, protector of the lost city of Hamunaptra and Imhotep's final resting place. 

For a film that cost $80 million dollars to make, THE MUMMY made $450 million worldwide (Karloff and Freund must have flipped in their graves). Sommers followed up his hit with the great horror film sequel title THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001) moving the action from Egypt to London and reuniting with most of the original cast including Fraser, Weisz, Hannah, Vosloo, Fehr, and Velasquez not to mention introducing Dwayne Johnson aka the Rock in a cameo as the Scorpion King. THE MUMMY RETURNS was a better than average sequel that succumbed to the pitfalls that numerous big budget action and sci-films were discovering: too much CGI effects. Sommers overindulged in CGI, making some of THE MUMMY RETURNS action sequences unbelievable (Sommers had this issue again with VAN HELSING). 

There would be one more MUMMY film with Fraser as Rick O'Connell, Rob Cohen's THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (2008) set in China. This MUMMY movie was the weakest of the three and cursed with one of the issues that the old MUMMY sequels had.  Uneven timelines. In TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, Rick and Evelyn's son Alex who was around eight years old in THE MUMMY RETURNS is now in his early 20s. TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR takes place in 1946 yet Rick has barely aged.  Rachel Weisz did not return for this sequel so Maria Bello (with black hair and a fake British accent) stepped in to play Evelyn Carnahan. THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR is entertaining but fails to live up to the freshness and excitement of the first two films. 

Recently, Universal Studios had the plan to bring back all the Universal horror film icons in a series of films to be known as Dark Universe. Scripts and actors were already set for remakes of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and THE INVISIBLE MAN. The first film out of the gate was Alex Kurtzman's THE MUMMY (2017) starring mega star Tom Cruise. Mummies had been so popular 18 years earlier, the public had to be craving for more, right?  This THE MUMMY was cursed at the box office (even with Tom Cruise in the film) and Universal got cold feet and dropped the idea of having a Dark Universe in the vein of the successful Marvel Universe and its huge collection of superheroes. 

Will that blip keep a good mummy down in the future? Author Anne Rice wrote a good horror love story novel in 1989 called The Mummy set in 1914 that focuses on the discovery of the pharaoh Ramses II mummy and subsequent coming to life in London that's just waiting to be made. Mummies have captured the public's imagination both in real life and on the big screen for nearly one hundred years.  The proof is evident from the success of the first THE MUMMY with Boris Karloff and its sequels a decade later to Hammer films THE MUMMY remakes in the late 50s and early 60s and culminating in the tremendous success of Stephen Sommers THE MUMMY and THE MUMMY RETURNS as we entered the 21st century. The answer is you can't keep a good mummy movie down, no matter how tightly the bandages are wrapped and how deep the sarcophagus is buried. 

Born to Kill (1947)

When Quentin Tarantino's debut RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) was released, moviegoers and critics were blown away by the eclectic group of actors that he had assembled for his low budget crime thriller. Tarantino had veteran actor Harvey Keitel joined with new faces like Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Steve Buscemi. But there was one bullet-headed older actor who plays crime boss Joe Cabot, the man who bankrolls the robbery that no one seemed to know who he was except Tarantino. The actor's name was Lawrence Tierney. Tierney was best known for playing tough guys in film noirs back in the late 1940s, making him the perfect bridge from classic film noir to Tarantino's modern LA noir. Casting Lawrence Tierney in RESERVOIR DOGS would be an introduction to Tarantino's incredible cinematic memory as he would resurrect forgotten actors in future films including John Travolta (PULP FICTION), David Carradine (KILL BILL, VOL 1 & 2), Pam Grier (JACKIE BROWN), Rod Taylor (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS), and Dennis Christopher (DJANGO UNCHAINED). 

BORN TO KILL (1947) with a young Lawrence Tierney in the lead role sounds like a Tarantino film. Tierney apparently carried his tough guy persona off-screen as much as on-screen (more about that later). BORN TO KILL was directed by of all people a young Robert Wise who began his career as an editor on Orson Welles CITIZEN KANE (1941) before advancing to directing with a couple of Val Lewton horror films including THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944) and THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) starring Boris Karloff. Before Wise went on to direct classic films like WEST SIDE STORY (1961), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), and THE SAND PEBBLES (1966), Wise cut his teeth directing film noirs like CRIMINAL COURT (1946), THE SET-UP (1949), and BORN TO KILL.

With a screenplay full of poisonous dialogue by Eve Greene and Richard MaCaulay based on the novel Deadlier Than the Male by James Gunn and directed at a fast clip by Robert Wise, BORN TO KILL open in Reno, Nevada where Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) has just been granted a divorce. Helen returns to the boardinghouse she's staying at where the alcoholic owner Mrs. Kraft (Esther Howard) and young pretty boarder Laury Palmer (Isabell Jewell) offer her a beer to celebrate Helen's new found freedom. Helen declines. She's ready to return to her hometown of San Francisco. She settles her bill with Mrs. Kraft. Laury brags about dating two men at one time. She's going to see the younger one Danny Jaden (Tony Barrett) tonight to make the more handsome, stronger beau jealous. Helen goes to the casino one last time hoping to win a few bucks. She encounters Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney) playing craps. They make eye contact as Sam rolls her a few winning bets before losing. Helen runs into Laury and Danny. Sam sees Laury from afar. It turns out Sam is Laury's other boyfriend and he's the jealous type. When Laury and Danny return to the boardinghouse, Sam's waiting for them. Sam tells Danny to scram. Danny won't and pulls a knife on Sam.  Sam kills Danny in anger and then murders Laury who stumbles across Danny's body. As Sam flees the murder scene, Helen returns to find the two dead bodies in the kitchen. Surprisingly, instead of calling the police, Helen calls the train station for the next train to San Francisco. 

Sam chills at his flat. His roommate and associate Marty Whiteman (Elisha Cook) returns. Sam confesses to Marty he murdered Laury and Danny. Marty tells Sam to get out of town. Marty will check to make sure there aren't any loose ends and join him later. At the train station, Sam recognizes Helen from the casino. He helps her with her luggage and they both head to San Francisco on the train, chatting in the club car. Sam flirts with Helen and asks for her phone number when they arrive in San Francisco. Back in Reno, Mrs. Kraft hires the sleazy private investigator Albert Arnett (Walter Slezak) to find Laury's killer. Helen visits her new fiance Fred Grover (Phillip Terry) who's waiting for her at Helen's wealthy half-sister Georgia Staples (Audrey Long) home. The reunion is short lived when Sam unexpectedly shows up. Sam is surprised to learn Helen's engaged so soon after her divorce. Georgia sees the newspaper headline about the two murders in Reno. Helen confides to Georgia she discovered the two bodies at the boardinghouse she was staying at. She didn't call the police so as not to get Fred involved. The four of them go out dancing. Helen is not happy Sam followed her. Sam switches dance partners. Georgia becomes smitten with the good looking but rough Sam. After a few dates, Sam and Georgia become engaged.

Helen's upset about the marriage. Helen's secretly in love with the volatile Sam. Marty arrives in San Francisco for the wedding, trailed by Arnett. At the wedding, Arnett lies his way into working in Helen's kitchen. Arnett asks a lot of questions about Sam to the staff. Helen gets word of it and throws Arnett out. Sam and Georgia go on their honeymoon but return sooner than expected due to an argument. Sam wants to run the newspaper Georgia inherited from her father. Georgia doesn't believe Sam has the experience. Sam overhears Helen taking a phone call from Reno and thinks Helen's setting him up. Helen secretly meets with Arnett. Arnett's close to pinning Sam for the murders. Helen wants to protect Sam. Helen tries to bribe Arnett to drop the case. Helen offers $5,000. Arnett wants $15,000 to disappear. Sam confronts Helen when she returns. Helen tells Sam about the detective Arnett who has been hired to catch Laury's killer.  

Marty follows Arnett to the Felton Hotel where Arnett meets Mrs. Kraft to update her. After Arnett leaves the meeting, Marty appears and promises Mrs. Kraft some information about the murder. But she has to meet Marty later that night at a predetermined street corner. Back at the house, Sam catches Marty coming out of Helen's room. Sam becomes jealous again. Marty updates Sam on his plan to deal with Mrs. Kraft. Marty meets Mrs. Kraft that night. Marty attempts to kill her but Mrs. Kraft struggles free. Sam shows up out of nowhere and stabs Marty. The police show up at Georgia's to tell them Marty has been murdered. Helen grows tired of cleaning up Sam's messes. Helen visits Mrs. Kraft and threatens her if she doesn't drop her investigation. Fred breaks off the engagement with Helen. Arnett calls Helen, upset that Mrs. Kraft has ended the investigation. BORN TO KILL speeds toward its finale as the greedy Sam and Helen plot to murder Georgia and take her money before they turn on each other as the police close in on them. 

BORN TO KILL is hard-boiled film noir with a fascinating group of flawed, morally corrupt characters. What's interesting with BORN TO KILL is a film noir trope is flipped. Usually, it's the femme fatale who turns the sap into a killer for her. With BORN TO KILL, it's bad boy Sam who warps Helen. When we first meet Helen, she's freshly divorced and already engaged to the wealthy and kind Fred Grover. But deep down in Helen, there's a bad seed waiting to sprout. She just doesn't know it until she encounters Sam. Helen discovers the two bodies but doesn't call the police. Helen doesn't know Sam's the killer yet. She wants to protect Paul from any bad publicity. She's protecting her asset, marrying into money she was denied when her deceased father gave the newspaper company to her half sister Georgia. First attracted by Sam's rugged good looks at the Reno casino, Helen becomes enamored by Sam's ruthlessness as she gets to know him. Both Sam and Helen's actions are driven by class. They're from the lower side. They feel like life has cheated them, given them the short straw. They're trying to scratch their way to the top by marrying into wealth.

But Sam and Helen are destined to be bad together. They may be engaged to nice, good-hearted people but they desire each other. If BORN TO KILL was made today, Sam and Helen would be sneaking away to have sex in seedy hotels. In 1947, it's clandestine kisses in the hallway or kitchen. Helen finds  "goodness and safety" with Fred. Fred can keep her from turning bad with his "peace and security." In Sam, she finds "strength and excitement and depravity." Helen doesn't kill anyone but she begins to run interference for Sam and his actions, partly to protect her sister, partly because she's attracted to Sam. She tries to bribe the shady detective Arnett to drop the investigation. "Obstructing the wheels of justice is a costly affair," Arnett reminds her. Later Helen threatens Mrs. Kraft if she goes to the police about Sam killing Marty. "Perhaps you don't realize it's painful being killed. A piece of metal sliding into your body, finding its way into your heart." Only when Fred calls off their engagement, does Helen turn to a disastrous, last ditch plot for her and Sam to kill Georgia for her money. 

It's not only Sam and Helen who are rotten in BORN TO KILL. In a clever twist, private detective Albert Arnett (Walter Slezak) is not a straight, honest gumshoe.  Arnett's down on his luck and as morally compromised as Sam or Helen. He's chased by creditors and owes money to the coffee shop woman for using her phone but he has a lead that could change his fortunes. Mrs. Kraft hires him to find her friend Laury's killer for $500. In San Francisco, Arnett receives a counter offer from Helen to quit investigating Sam.  "I'm a man of integrity, "Arnett tells her, "but I'm always willing to listen to an interesting offer." Now, Arnett holds some blackmail power over Helen as he has Sam in his crosshairs. In true film noir fashion, Arnett's advantage will crumble.  He never will get paid by either Mrs. Kraft or Helen. At least he manages not to get killed.

Sam's bunkmate and associate Marty Waterman (Elisha Cook) is another character operating in the gray areas of morals and ethics in BORN TO KILL. Why Marty hangs around with a guy like Sam with his volcanic rage is never explained. Marty might idolize Sam. He's definitely intimidated by Sam. He's wormed his way into Sam's favor by cleaning up his messes (soon Helen will fall into the same trap).  Marty talks a good game but we know he's no Sam when he clumsily fails to kill Mrs. Kraft to silence her investigation into Sam. Marty was a dead man the moment he began hanging around with Sam. 

BORN TO KILL is lucky to have three leads who should be in the Film Noir Hall of Fame (if there was such a thing). Lawrence Tierney broke onto the film noir scene with his breakthrough performance as bank robber John Dillinger in Max Nosseck's 1945 DILLINGER (Tierney would also play western bank robber Jesse James in 1946's BADMAN'S TERRITORY). Tierney apparently hated the role as Dillinger yet it paved the way for more leading man roles for him. Tierney's fantastic in BORN TO KILL, charming one moment, a paranoid, raging sociopath the next. Tierney's Sam Wild (prophetic last name) has an inferiority complex. He's lower class, born on the wrong side of the tracks. He covets wealth, power, and respect. Marrying newspaper heir Georgia Staples almost brings him to his goal but Sam can't get out of his own way, his ego and hair trigger temper his downfall. The way Tierney switches from charmer to jealousy in half a second is impressive.  

Other film noirs that Tierney appeared in include Gordon Douglas's SAN QUENTIN (1946), Felix E. Feists's THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947), Richard Fleischer's BODYGUARD (1948), and Nosseck's THE HOODLUM (1951). Right before BORN TO KILL was to be released, Tierney was involved in a drunken brawl that brought him more notoriety. Several arrests in the 1950s for fighting at bars and Hollywood parties would derail Tierney's promising film career.  Tierney would bounce back (although his off-screen issues like being stabbed in 1973 never quite left him) appearing in small parts on television and film with Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS shining a spotlight once again on a true film noir legend.

If Tierney was the king of tough guy roles for a brief period, Claire Trevor cornered the market on the fallen woman for over a decade. It all began for Trevor (with blonde hair no less) in John Ford's STAGECOACH (1939) where she had top billing over the young, unknown John Wayne as prostitute Dallas run out of town by a women's "Law and Order League." As newly divorced Helen Brent in BORN TO KILL, Trevor's Helen is best described toward the film's end by Mrs. Kraft as "the coldest iceberg of a woman I ever saw, and the rottenest inside. And I've seen plenty, too." Helen wants a second chance at married life, to marry the kind and wealthy Fred and have a safe, secure life. She becomes compromised by the brutal but handsome Sam Wild who touches her inner dangerous side. It's a juicy role that Trevor plays perfectly. Trevor would have a good run of film noir roles in the 1940s including Jack Hively's STREET OF CHANCE (1942), Edward Dmytryk's MURDER, MY SWEET (1944) with Dick Powell based on the Raymond Chandler novel, and her Academy Award Best Supporting Actress performance as the washed up, drunk former nightclub singer Gaye Dawn in John Huston's KEY LARGO (1948) with Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and Lauren Bacall. 

Nobody played a born loser better than character actor Elisha Cook, Jr. who is noted for having appeared in 21 film noir movies (more than any other actor) according to one film book. Ever since audiences and directors took notice of the diminutive actor in his breakthrough performance as Kasper Gutman's stooge Wilmer Cook in John Huston's THE MALTESE FALCON (1942), Cook, Jr was the go-to-supporting actor to playing roles from a doomed petty criminal to a drug addicted jazz drummer. In BORN TO KILL, Cook plays Marty Waterman, Sam Wild's only friend and conscience. Whether Marty idolizes Sam or he's intimidated by him (probably both), Marty cleans up the messes of his bigger, volatile pal. Unfortunately for Marty, as he becomes more confident of his influence with Sam, he forgets that Sam's the jealous type. Like murder jealous. When Sam catches Marty innocently coming out of Helen's room, Sam snaps. He kills Marty on a lonely beach after Marty fails to murder Mrs. Kraft. Some of Cook, Jr's best film noir performances include Robert Siodmak's THE PHANTOM LADY (1944), DILLINGER with Tierney, Howard Hawks THE BIG SLEEP (1946), and Stanley Kubrick's THE KILLING (1957). Later in his career, Cook, Jr appeared in small roles in Roman Polanski's ROSEMARY'S BABY (1969), Sam Peckinpah's PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973), and Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979). Not bad for a pipsqueak. 

Austrian actor Walter Slezak should have been in more film noir films like BORN TO KILL. Instead, Slezak bounced around playing numerous ethnic roles including the German U-boat captain in Alfred Hitchcock's LIFEBOAT (1944) to Latin American politicians and pirates in Frank Borzage's THE SPANISH MAIN (1945) and Vincent Minnelli's THE PIRATE (1948). Slezak's crooked private investigator Albert Arnett has the perfect name. Arnett would be at the front of the phone book under A for clients to look up like Mrs. Kraft. Arnett is anything but A class. He's a good detective, tracking Sam to San Francisco, convinced he's most likely the killer in Reno. But Arnett's greed and financial issues will cloud his moral judgment. Slezak's interesting voice and Sydney Greenstreet like stature make him a good candidate as a film noir player. Slezak would appear in a few other film noir films like Richard Wallace's THE FALLEN SPARROW (1943), Edward Dmytryk's CORNERED (1945) with Dick Powell; and Ted Tetzlaff's comedy noir RIFFRAFF (1947). 

Actors Phillip Terry as Fred Grover and Audrey Long as Georgia Staples have the unenviable task of playing the dull, honest significant others to the morally questionable Helen and Sam. Their roles sound boring yet in BORN TO KILL, Fred and Audrey are important supporting characters who are the key to Helen and Sam trying to better their standing in society. Fred will the first to realize Helen's moral compass has done a 180 and he drops Helen sooner than Georgia discovers Sam's true intentions. Actor Terry appeared in more than 80 films (mostly uninteresting except for Billy Wilder's 1945 THE LOST WEEKEND). His better claim to fame was as actress Joan Crawford's husband for four years in the 1940s. The pretty Long mostly appeared in low budget films in the 40s and early 50s like George Blair's DUKE OF CHICAGO (1949) and Ray Nazarro's INDIAN UPRISING (1952) before retiring after an uncredited cameo in Billy Wilder's LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON (1957). Special mention to actress Esther Howard who plays the good-hearted, alcoholic Mrs. Kraft who uses her life savings to find the killer of possibly her only friend in life Laury. Howard was part of director Preston Sturges stock company appearing in THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942) among others.  Howard had parts in two well known film noirs MURDER, MY SWEET and Edgar G. Ulmer's DETOUR (1945).

Some final BORN TO KILL trivia tidbits.  The reason Helen goes to Reno, Nevada to get a divorce was that Reno was the only place at the time in the U.S. where a person could get a no-fault divorce.  They just had to establish residency for six weeks in Reno which is why Helen was staying at Mrs. Kraft's boardinghouse at the start of the film. Actor Lawrence Tierney was the older brother to actor Scott Brady who appeared in more westerns than film noirs in the 50s including Allan Dwan's MONTANA BELLE (1952) with Jane Russell and Nicholas Ray's JOHNNY GUITAR (1954) with Joan Crawford. Put two photos of the men together in their handsome heyday and you can see the resemblance. Look for actress Ellen Corby, better known as Grandma Walton in the TV Series THE WALTONS (1972-1980) as one of Helen's maids at the wedding. 

BORN TO KILL is a unique film in the annals of film noir. It's a brutal, dark film filled with not famous Hollywood stars but hardcore film noir actors and actresses who play their parts perfectly in this lurid tale of murder and sexual attraction. Like young Quentin Tarantino making his mark in the film world with his first film RESERVOIR DOGS, young Robert Wise staked out his presence as an up and coming director who would springboard from film noir films to other genres including science fiction and musicals that would become classics.  BORN TO KILL is a film noir classic. 

Hook (1991)

My first encounter with J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan was through Walt Disney but it wasn't the animated PETER PAN film from 1953. It was the fairly benign Peter Pan ride based on the animated film at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. The ride consists of sitting in a small pirate ship and flying over sequences from the film. It's the beginning of the ride where you feel like you're soaring over London that captured my imagination immediately.  The Peter Pan Ride is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland in large part to that feeling of flying like Peter Pan.

It was inevitable that Peter Pan and Steven Spielberg were going to cross paths at some point in their careers. Both were boys who didn't want to grow up. Peter Pan wanted to hang out and have fun with Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys on the island of Neverland forever. Spielberg had turned his childhood passion of making Super 8mm films into a wunderkind career with hit films like RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) and E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTIAL (1982) that showed a filmmaker in tune with young audiences. Finally, in 1991, Spielberg and Peter Pan would team up for a new take on the J.M. Barrie's beloved characters from screenwriters James V.  Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo called HOOK based on J.M. Barrie's 1911 novel called Peter and Wendy.

When HOOK was first released, I was outraged. Spielberg had been so great at filming his movies on real locations, capturing incredible images. HOOK was filmed entirely inside studio soundstages. The nerve! How could Spielberg and company deprive us of real locations. But if you think about it, that's the only way that HOOK was ever going to get made. A giant pirate ship, the most famous director in the world at the time, and an all-star cast (with big salaries) including Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, and Julia Roberts, the budget of HOOK might have exceeded ten times what it was if they had tried to film in Hawaii or the Caribbean or Tahiti. Spielberg had learned his lesson from JAWS (1975). Filming on water is hell.  

In Steven Spielberg's modern update of the Peter Pan story, co-written by James V. Hart and Malia Scotch Marmo based on a story idea by Hart and Nick Castle, the never grow old Peter Pan is now paunchy, adult Peter Banning (Robin Williams), a successful corporate Merger & Acquisitions lawyer with a wife Moira (Caroline Goodall) and two children, 11 year old Jack (Charlie Korsmo) and 7 year old Maggie (Amber Scott). Whether it's taking business calls at Maggie's school play (she's playing Wendy in her school version of Peter Pan) or missing Jack's baseball game, Peter has become too consumed with work to notice he's missing out on his children's lives. The Banning family fly back to London for a dedication of a hospital wing to be named after Moira's Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith) for her work with orphans. Its been ten years since Peter last saw Wendy and her her maid Liza (Laurel  Cronin) and friend Tootles (Arthur Malet). Peter doesn't remember the adventures he had with them when he was a young Peter Pan. When Peter, Moira, and Wendy return from the dedication, they find the flat covered with scratch marks and Jack and Maggie gone, kidnapped by Peter's nemesis Captain James Hook (Dustin Hoffman) who leaves a note requesting Peter Pan's presence in Neverland. 

Granny Wendy tries to help Peter remember his past, that he's the real Peter Pan. Peter has no memory of his childhood. Peter's glowing fairy friend Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) arrives to nudge Peter. Peter still has no recollection. Tinkerbell ends up kidnapping Peter and flies him to Neverland and a Pirate Town where Hook has taken Jack and Maggie.  Disguising himself as a pirate, Peter watches as Hook and his loyal boatswain Mr. Smee (Bob Hoskins) show off a trussed up Jack and Maggie to their crew. Seeing his kids in danger, Peter reveals himself to Hook. Hook doesn't believe he's Peter Pan. He's overweight, afraid of heights, and cannot remember how to fly. Hook gives Tinkerbell three days to get Peter back to his old self or he will kill execute him. Peter wakes up back with his old gang the Lost Boys at their hideout.  Only they have a new leader named Rufio (Dante Basco). Tinkerbell asks the Lost Boys to help get Peter in shape and remember who he was.  The Lost Boys are torn. They're not sure if the adult in their midst is Peter or not. 

Back on his pirate ship, Hook wants to die. There's no adventure left in Neverland. His greatest foe Peter Pan is now just a boring lawyer. Smee suggests Hook make Peter's son Jack like him. Hook can become Jack's new father to make Peter become jealous and return to his old self. The Lost Boys eat a pretend dinner until Peter regains his imagination. Suddenly, their plates and bowls are teeming with colorful food. Hook becomes frightened by the sound of Jack's pocket watch. He thinks the crocodile that ate his hand has returned. Smee reminds him the crocodile is dead. Hook takes Jack to a broken clock store. Hook urges Jack to break a clock for every time his father Peter broke promises to him. Jack smashes away, slowly brainwashed by Hook and Smee. Hook stages a baseball game in Jack's honor. Peter and the Lost Boys show up in disguise. Jack hits a home run, the ball blasted into the sky. Hook waits at home plate to congratulate Jack. Peter realizes he must remember how to fly so he can defeat Hook and win his son back. Peter still can't fly until Jack's baseball falls back to earth and hits him on the head.

Peter looks into the water and sees a reflection of his younger self. Peter's shadow leads him to an old tree and the remnants of Wendy's house. Tinkerbell is waiting for him. Peter begins to remember how he became an orphan, how Tinkerbell rescued him, how he first met young Wendy (Gwyneth Paltrow), now Granny Wendy. Peter realizes becoming a father as his happy thought. Peter flies again. The Lost Boys rejoice. Tinkerbell reminds Peter he needs to save his children. Tinkerbell grows to human size and kisses Peter. She tells Peter she loves him. Peter tells Tinkerbell he loves Moira and his kids. Hook prepares to make Jack a real pirate when Jack and the Lost Boys show up for a final fight. Peter rescues Maggie first. Hook stabs Rufio. Peter bests Hook in a duel. He lets Hook live. When Hook tries to kill Peter again, his errant sword pierces the giant stuffed Crocodile that ate his hand. The Crocodile momentarily comes to life and falls on Hook, swallowing the pirate. Peter brings Jack and Maggie back to London where they happily reunite with Moira and Granny Wendy. They are a family again.

After watching HOOK for possibly the third time, my opinions of the film have not changed drastically. I have a little more clarity about some of the plot and production. HOOK has some truly magical moments that you would expect from a Spielberg film but it's an uneven film that takes a while to find its footing. Although the opening, modern scenes in Los Angeles set the tone for the schism in Peter and Jack's relationship, the beginning seems disjointed until the family reaches London (more familiar Peter Pan territory). Peter's first time back at the Lost Boys hideout is too over the top and noisy as if Spielberg was reverting back to his younger anything goes 1941 (1979) days. Only when Captain Hook arrives on the screen does HOOK start to feel like something special.

The meat of the story in HOOK is the tug of war between Hook and Peter Pan for Peter' son Jack's fidelity. Spielberg expertly shows Hook and Smee slowly turning Jack against his father, using all the times Peter promised to catch one of Jack's baseball games only to miss it as the bait. What young Jack doesn't realize is Hook is using him to trigger adult Peter into turning back into young, carefree Peter Pan, the adversary Hook is craving to battle and kill. Hook pretends to care for Jack but it's just a charade. When we see Jack dressed as a mini-Hook, it's terrifying for the audience and Peter. The transformation is almost complete. Jack is about to go over to the dark side. This triangle between Hook, Jack, and Peter is the heart and soul of HOOK and corrects the film from its early bumpy beginning. 

I never thought I would hear myself saying this but what saves HOOK and Spielberg's film is the music by composer John Williams. Williams music is synonymous with some of the best known musical scores in cinematic history: JAWS (1975), STAR WARS (1977), and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Williams scores are like another character. You don't forget them.  You hum them in the shower. HOOK's score would probably never even come up on a Top Ten list of John Williams best scores. It doesn't have a hook (no pun intended) like JAWS although I heard a few flourishes in HOOK that will find their full sound in Chris Columbus's HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (2001). 

After an awkward beginning in HOOK with some awful modern music to coincide with Peter's corporate job, Williams demonstrates why music can be so important to a film as a whole and to a scene in particular. Williams music in HOOK elicits the right emotions that Spielberg visualizes throughout the film, tugging at our heartstrings again and again. Peter realizing he's losing his son Jack to Hook. The Lost Boys rejoicing when Peter rediscovers his imagination and his ability to fly. And Peter reconnecting with his wife and kids. Williams music for HOOK may not be as unforgettable as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) or E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTIAL. The music is emotional. 

HOOK is buoyed by strong performances by its two leads -- Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook and Robin Williams as Peter Banning/Pan. At this point in his career, Spielberg never had two bigger stars in one of his films. The moment Hoffman appears with his black curly locks and red suit, he dominates the screen. Many actors would play Hook flamboyantly. Hoffman plays Hook as charming and funny rogue always with an undercurrent of menace. He doesn't go into histrionics but make no mistake, Hook's still a cutthroat. Winner of two Best Actor Academy Awards in Robert Benton's KRAMER VS KRAMER (1979) and Barry Levinson's RAIN MAN (1988), HOOK should have been another feather (and Oscar) in Hoffman's pirate hat. It was not to be. HOOK is still one of Hoffman's finest and fun performances.

Who else could have played the adult Peter Pan than the human dynamo with more energy than the boyish Peter Pan himself but Robin Williams. Williams was born to play the adult Peter who must find his youthful past self. As you would expect, Spielberg reins in Williams for a good part of HOOK, having him play the adult Peter as boring and rigid corporate pirate. Other Williams films like George Roy Hill's THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (1982) and Peter Weir's DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989) managed this tall task of clamping down on Williams manic energy with success, achieving fine performances from Williams. Spielberg maybe holds on a little too long with letting the genie out (yes an ALADDIN pun). When Peter does rediscover his youthful, mischievous self, we all exhale with relief. Williams lets loose, staying in character, resisting ad libs and improvisation. Williams continues to show his growth and maturity as a dramatic actor in HOOK.  

At the time, casting Julia Roberts to play Tinkerbell in HOOK seemed like divine inspiration. A rising movie star after a string of hits including Herbert Ross's STEEL MAGNOLIAS (1989), Garry Marshall's PRETTY WOMAN (1990), and Joel Schumacher's FLATLINERS (1990), Roberts may have caught Spielberg's attention in PRETTY WOMAN where she's outgoing and bubbly. Just the type of personality needed for Tinkerbell. Roberts doesn't deliver. Whether it was a cancelled wedding with FLATLINER co-star Kiefer Sutherland or her inexperience dealing with green screen special effects and not working directly with her co-stars (she does play a miniature fairy that flits around after all), Roberts seems out of her element in HOOK. There's very little whimsy to her fairy. Her best scene is when she grows to human size to tell Peter she loves him. I think an older, more experienced Julia Roberts would play Tinkerbell beautifully now. In 1991, HOOK was too big a moment for her.

Every villain needs a good sidekick. Bob Hoskins as Mr. Smee provides that partnership with Hoffman's Captain Hook in HOOK. Smee is a friendlier, Iago like confidant to the pirate king, part psychiatrist, part administrative assistant. It's Smee that proposes to Hook he step in to replace Peter as Jack's father figure, brainwashing the young, impressionable boy, turning him on his real father Peter. Smee and Hook are like childhood buddies that have stayed friends for years. Hoffman and Hoskins are terrific together. Hoskins began his career playing tough, British blue collar characters in films like John Mackenzie's THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (1980) and Neil Jordan's MONA LISA (1986). Hoskins would prove he was deft in comedy too, showcasing his ability in Robert Zemeckis's WHO KILLED ROGER RABBIT? (1988) and soon after, in HOOK. 

Spielberg once again knocks it out of the theater with his child actors in HOOK. From Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore in E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTIAL to Christian Bale in EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987) to Joseph Mazzello in JURASSIC PARK (1993), Spielberg's direction of child actors has been mind boggling. Add HOOK'S Charlie Korsmo (and to a lesser extant Amber Scott) to that list. Korsmo gives a heartbreaking, emotionally nuanced performance as Peter's son Jack, grappling with longing for his father's love and support versus siding with Peter's sworn enemy Hook who has stepped in to fill the vacuum Peter has left. Other fine films to catch Korsmo in include Paul Brickman's MEN DON'T LEAVE (1990) and Warren Beatty's DICK TRACY (also 1990).

Korsmo and Scott aren't the only child actors in HOOK. The Lost Boys provide Spielberg with his largest young cast of his career (and apparently a handful on the set). Spielberg wisely makes the Lost Boys diverse so that the audience can differentiate between each one. Memorable Lost Boys include Dante Basco as their new leader Rufio, Raushan Hammond as Thud Butt, James Madio as Don't Ask, and Thomas Tulak as Too Small. HOOK is full of fun cameos.  Look for singer/drummer Phil Collins (Genesis) as a police inspector, Glenn Close as the unfortunate buccaneer Gutless, Jimmy Buffett (Margaritaville) and David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash) as members of Hook's pirate crew, and a young Gwyneth Paltrow as young Wendy. 

Some final HOOK observations. Spielberg channels his inner Michael Curtiz with the Lost Boys swinging from one ship to another to attack Hook's pirates ala Curtiz's CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935) and THE SEA HAWK (1940). HOOK was made just at the dawn of CGI (Computer Generated Images). Yet, the Tinkerbell effects are underwhelming and may contribute to my overall unhappiness with Julia Roberts performance. Where Spielberg did succeed is with the use of shadows in HOOK which play an important visual. It's Peter's shadow that leads him to uncover his past self and become the impish Peter Pan again. Earlier in the film, Jack's shadows looms over adult Peter as he takes a business call on his phone, hinting at the splintering of their relationship. 

With my initial disappointment with HOOK when it was released in 1991, my favorite live action version of the Peter Pan story was Universal's PETER PAN that came out in 2003. It didn't have big movie stars (Jason Isaacs is the most recognizable star in it) or a famous director (P.J. Hogan directed) but it seemed a more faithful, reliable telling of J.M. Barrie's story. Upon further review of HOOK, Steven Spielberg's film is a worthy addition to the Peter Pan cinematic library. It's not a perfect film but it takes chances with its story and setting and has the luxury of two excellent performances from Dustin  Hoffman and Robin Williams as the titular characters of Captain Hook and Peter Pan as they duel for the soul of Peter's young son Jack and a film saving musical score from the great John Williams.