Review #4: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (list number 27)

Review # 4

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (list number 26)

For the first time in a long time I am purely speechless. So to avoid making this sound as though is was written by Doge I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.

     Much Smith

                                                                                                                     Very Washington

                                                          Wow

“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington's” plot is fairly straightforward: good guy, through a contrived set of circumstances, winds up in the last place you'd ever expect while the bad guys scramble to keep him in his place. Of course the bad guys fail, because this was made in 1939 and it was practically illegal for anything else to happen. Oh, and the good guy gets the girl, but I'm sure you would have figured that one out yourself (again, 1939).

The acting was good, considering overacting seems to have been commonplace back in the day. Of course Jimmy Stewart was great as the honest-to-a-fault Jefferson Smith, and though he could have carried the movie by himself, the supporting cast of characters were both written and performed well enough to compliment the lead. That being said, what struck me most about this film wasn't the acting but the timelessness of the story and it's message: always stand up for what is right, even to your detriment.

I'm gonna stop here to avoid getting on my soapbox, as this movie strikes a cord with my political beliefs.

Story: 2.5/3

-the central plot of Jefferson Smith vs the Establishment is wonderful; his romance on the side is not. I find it far too cliché, though I only take half a point because it wasn't quite as overdone as some other movies I've seen.

Acting: 2.5/3

-Excellent, because Jimmy Stewart.

Music: 1/1

-Not overbearing, so I'm cool with it.

Tone: 2/2

-The David and Goliath hopelessness wasn't overbearing, and though you know Smith has to ultimately succeed (see 1939), it wasn't so obvious that you'll feel the urge to walk away from it.

Production value: 1/1

-Well done. There's nothing I can say bad about it.

After effect: 1/1

-I walked away feeling inspired to take on the machine and set the world right again, so I guess I'll have to award full points.

Total: 10/11

Translated to the ten point scale that's a 9.1, putting it up and over the requirement I have set for movies to be allowed in my 'Top 100' list.

Review #3: High Noon (list number 27)

For the third time in a row I have had to endure annoying background music. Fortunately though, this one's theme was more subdued and they kept it low and quiet throughout. Okay, now that I've got my number one problem out of the way, lemme take a minute to explain just what this movie is.

For those of you that haven't seen it, which I'm gonna assume is all of you, 'High Noon' is a 1952 western starring Gary Cooper as Will Kane, a Marshall that is literally moments away from handing over his badge. But of course he gets word that some guy he'd put away five years ago just got pardoned and is on his way back to town via train. Being Gary Cooper, he decides not to leave town (as he was just about to do with his new bride) and stay until the new Marshall arrives to handle the situation. Problem is, that isn't until the next day, because suspenseful storytelling requires it to be that way. So we watch for the next hour as Kane tries to get up a posse to deal with the freed killer and his gang of hooligans. I say tries because apparently everybody in the town is allergic to confrontation and refuses to help.

I could go on and tell you the rest, but I'm lazy and the movie is on Netflix.

H'okay, let's get down to business. First of all, the music bugged me a bit because they NEVER STOPPED PLAYING IT. Like, ever. And by music I don't just mean instruments; there was an old country western singer that liked to repeat the same lyrics over and over again, like he was OCD and just HAD to get it right before he could move on. Otherwise, this movie was a run-of-the-mill western that only seemed to stand out because it was actually written pretty well. For example, unlike many of Eastwood or the Duke's movies, I was actually unsure whether or not the protagonist would survive (please note that if you don't know who the Duke is, you are required to look it up and watch all of his movies before you are allowed to talk to me again). There was real, palpable despair in Kane's eyes as he wrote his will, and not a little fear, which made the character believable. It showed that he was just a man trying to do the right thing and not some immortal gunslinger that could hit a perfect bulls-eye from well beyond his weapon's operational range.

Now I do need to complain a bit about a few tropes and cliches that reminded me I was watching a cowboy flick from the 50's. First of all, there's the fact that the bad guys couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. (Why yes, I am using a cliché myself. I never said I wasn't a hypocrite.) Secondly, there's this hinted-at love quadrangle that just feels like it was something that was probably overused even back in the day. Lastly, something Kane's new bride does near the end was so predictable I actually would have been more surprised had it not happened. Of course, I can't tell you exactly what that is without spoiling the ending, so I'm not gonna elaborate.

Enough commentary, let's break this down.

Story: 2/3

-while it was a good story, the aforementioned clichés drag it down a bit too much for me to give it full credit.

Acting: 2/3

-much like 'Gone With the Wind,' this movie's acting has to be looked at through the lens of time, and appreciated for what it was. And, since it was fairly good, I can't penalize them much.

Music: 1/1

-Okay, so although it annoyed me, it won two Academy Awards for music alone, so I suppose I have to give credit where it is due.

Tone: 2/2

-as I said before, the movie conveyed a sense of hopelessness that I had never before gotten from a western, and from many films from other genres that are made today (I'm looking at you, 'Die Hard').

Production Value: .5/1

-Meh. It was well done, certainly better than many movies of it's day, but it lacked the flair needed to get full points.

After effect: 1/1

-The resolution satisfied me, and the overall message I walk away with is enough to keep me satisfied for a couple more hours.

Total: 8.5/11

Translated to the ten point scale, that's 7.7, exactly what I rated 'Silence of the Lambs.' And just like 'Silence,' though the movie was good it didn't quite make the mark. However, I must say that it would deserve a place on anyone's list of Best Westerns (not the hotel) and any movie fan's collection.