| Mulholland Falls | | Cast : | Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly | | Director : | Lee Tamahori | | Studio : | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | April 26, 1996 | | DVD Released Date : | November 02, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 01, 2005 | | Summary | Full talent casting, perfect story, great direction | Content
 | This is one of the best movies in his league.
If u like LA Confidential (great movie¡) u'll love MFalls. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 11, 2005 | | Summary | Don't mess with Hoover and I dont mean J. edgar | Content
| Let's face it. The director was probably overwhelmed by the talent and let control slip. The movie doesn't quite work until about three quarters way through and enjoyment of it will rest a great deal on whether you like the actors. Me? Most of them could read a relephone book and I would be fascinated. Nick Nolte is just brilliant in this and can pack a whallop with a blackjack not seen since the thirties. Not a great movie but a hell of a lot better than most that go under that name. The big car cruising with the hats aboard, terrific music on the soundtrack, an anti hero who does not take banana from anyone, and great costumes also add to the pleasure of this noir. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 02, 2005 | | Summary | Fifties Noir, And Close To Being First-Rate | Content
| This an almost first-rate noir-like detective mystery that takes place in Los Angeles in the early Fifties. Almost, but not quite. Max Hoover (Nick Nolte) is an L. A. police detective who leads a group of three other detectives. They call themselves the Hat Squad because they always wear hats and dress well. They also dispense vigilante justice with the winking knowledge of department higher-ups. One morning they're called to investigate the death of a young woman (Jennifer Connelly) whose body has been found at a construction site. It's half buried with just about every bone shattered. Hoover recognizes the face; it's a woman he'd had an affair with for six months before breaking it off to stay with his wife (Melanie Griffin). The investigation into the death reveals that the woman had a number of male friends, that one of them was a general, Thomas Timms (John Malkovich) who was key to the development of the atom bomb. The investigation also uncovers that a friend of hers had secretly, without her knowledge, made films of her encounters, including films of her with Hoover and of her with Timms. It also appears that a film she took for fun shows something that really might affect the atomic defense program. Important people want her tape and the tape involving Timms. When Hoover and his men persist in investigating the murder which may lead to Timms, the tape involving him is sent to his wife. Hoover, already a tough cop used to giving out rough justice, is now determined to solve the woman's murder and to wreak vengeance on those who involved his wife.
The good things about the movie are the performances, the look of the film (if you like how Chinatown and L. A. Confidential looked, you'll know what I mean), and the story line involving the murder and the attempted cover-up. Where the movie fails, in my view, is in two areas. First, the relationship between Nolte and Griffin seems drawn out; her distress and his angst slows the movie appreciably. Second, Tamahori seems to confuse drama with melodrama. This is, after all, a murder mystery. Nolte's relationships with his wife and with the Connelly character seem to me to be too much, too overdrawn and too obvious. This is particularly true at the end of the movie, when Hoover and his wife have their closing conversation.
With all that said, however, on balance the movie is one I enjoyed. The DVD looks great, and with DVD there's always the fast forward button. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 07, 2005 | | Summary | Film Noir in Color: Mulholland Falls | Content
| The biggest problem with Mulholland Falls, is that it is often compared with "Chinatown" and "L.A. Confidential", both masterpieces in my opinion. It should not. It should be viewed on it's own merit. Yes, it has a "hat squad" and takes place in vintage Los Angeles... but this is a different kind of film.
What I love about this film are the marvelous performances. In particular: Nolte's character, who has married a one-time "ornament" in Griffith, and now after a few years, she has matured and he now takes her for granted. His eyes roam a bit, and she confronts that. Their interaction is fascinating. Treat Williams also is amazing as the military man who shows he has more than one side... and it's compelling to watch. I feel like I care about nearly all the characters in this film.
My main reason for loving this film, however, is the magnificent way old Los Angeles is recreated in many actual locations. The photography, set decoration, costumes and even the dialog has been carefully recreated to be accurate. I saw the film "Bugsy" recently, and remember how the fine production value was almost ruined by the 90s style four-letter words which peppered the dialog. It was very distracting and "put on". Not so here. This movie looks and sounds very authentic and from a person who was raised in L.A. during the 1950s, it was nostalgic for me on several levels.
Finally, there is a beautiful score by Dave Grusin. Though not sounding accurate in style to the music of the period, it is thoughtful, atmospheric and appropriate. I own the soundtrack and the music truly carries the mood of the film in a fresh and vibrant way. Haunting and beautiful.
Before this beautiful film was released recently, eBay was selling copies from Brazil for up to 60.00 each because there because there was such a demand for this film on DVD. I am thrilled MGM has decided to release it. One of the very few film noir classics made in the past 40 or 50 years. One of the pitiful few film noir films made in color. The new DVD is gorgeous in color, clarity and transfer, by the way.
I highly recommend this fine film! |
| Rating | | | Date | December 29, 2004 | | Summary | Exactly who do I cheer for in this movie? | Content
| It certainly isn't the police. LAPD Lieutenant Max Hoover (Nolte) opens up the film by throwing a NJ bad guy off "Mulholland Falls" an overlook on the drive by the same name. From there, the action picks up. Hoover's lover, Alison Pond (Connelly) is killed--apparently dropped from a great height with some interesting forensic details about the body. This sends Hoover and his squad on a quest for her killer---and pits Hoover in a battle for time to find a film of him making love with Pond before his wife Kate (Melanie Griffith) finds out. In the process, we discover secret experiments conducted by the US Government that painted the 'higher branch' of government far more rotten than even the LAPD.
While the plot moved quickly and the mystery was interesting, I prefer having a character or two that actually has some characteristic I would choose to cheer for. I suppose this film is like much of life--you're grateful when the lesser of two evils has a momentary triumph.
This is definitely a film I wish I had rented, not purchased. It's not something I would want to see again. |
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