Patterns, a review by Antares
Le Samourai (1967)
4/5 - I got this DVD from my state's library exchange program and unfortunately, the DVD wasn't in the greatest shape. At least six times it stopped, then skipped forward to a clearer section of the disc, and of course this only happened at key moments in the film. Beyond that annoying problem, I loved this film. I have come to be an ardent admirer of French gangster films as of late and this film is one that I'm definitely going to re-visit in the future, when I can procure a better copy. I'm pretty sure my rating will increase too.
Patterns (1956)
4.5/5 - Everyone thinks of Rod Serling as the creator of
The Twilight Zone, but prior to that seminal TV science fiction/horror show, he was an award winning writer for live television. The screenplay that brought him his first taste of fame was
Patterns, a drama set in the executive boardroom of a Manhattan corporation. The broadcast was so popular that it was repeated a few weeks later and plans were made to make a big screen version. The ability to expand the original work from just under one hour to ninety minutes only increased the tension in this superb drama. This is first rate writing that keeps you glued to the verbal action onscreen and never lets up for a moment during its ninety minute duration. Van Heflin, Ed Begley and Everett Sloane are so incredible in their performances, you'll wonder how none of them were honored with Oscar nominations.
The Rabbit Trap (1959)
3/5 - TCM was showing films last night that focused on the corporate world, and after
Patterns came this B-movie starring Ernest Borgnine. Basically it's about a draftsman who is struggling to get ahead under a boss whom he thinks takes him for granted. It was OK, but the theme of the film wasn't exactly abstract. The trap that Borgnine sets in the woods for the rabbit is meant to convey Borgnine's situation in his company. His dilemma over whether or not to return to the woods to set the rabbit free or keep his job wasn't too subtle in its delivery. But again as in many other films, Borgnine shows his emotional range and proves that he is one of the more underrated actors in film history.
(From Antares' Short Summations on January 11th, 2011)
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July 15, 2025, 12:17:39 PM
