M. Emmet Walsh

  • Clean and Sober (1988)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, April 2022) Michael Keaton spent most of the 1980s working as a comic actor, so it was really clever for him to use Clean and Sober as his breakout dramatic role. The genius of it was picking a dramatic role that relied a lot on the instincts he developed as a comedian: his easily likable demeanour, fast-talking patter, and comic timing all come into play in the role of a real estate agent with an addiction issue who thinks he can trick the judicial system by faking his way through a recovery program. The protagonist has no intention of committing to the process – he just wants people to think he does, and he’ll use his charm to fool others. It’s a good plan, even one with good comic potential – but Clean and Sober is written from the trenches of addiction recovery, and both the script and its characters are there to remind us that it’s not an easy process and that it’s designed to take into account those who don’t really want to get sober. There are many interesting names in the case, from Morgan Freeman (already old in his earliest roles!) as a tough addiction counsellor, M. Emmet Walsh as an impossibly wise ex-addict mentor, and Claudia Christian in a small but striking role as a fellow addict. The film, like many of the 1980s best dramas, feels lived in with credible performances yet packed with compelling narrative hooks. Directed transparently by Ron Howard, Clean and Sober implausibly crams a year’s worth of events into a mere month, and does reach for a sombre finale on the way to the protagonist’s recovery –capping a superfluous romantic subplot that is increasingly at odds with the main theme of the film. Still, it marks an enjoyable turning point in Keaton’s career. (Word on the street was that this is the film that led to him getting the lead in Batman, with the rest of his career being subsequent history.)  It’s surprisingly compelling even in dealing with such downbeat themes, and it makes for an engrossing viewing even if you think you’re familiar with what the film has to say about addiction and recovery.

  • Brubaker (1980)

    Brubaker (1980)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, February 2020) Making a movie about prison reform, inspired by real-life events, isn’t exactly the most compelling subject matter. But make sure that your hero is a two-fisted reform advocate, pit him against an entire corrupt prison/town/state and given the role to Robert Redford and suddenly Brubaker gets far more interesting. Redford’s legendary charisma is well suited to his role, as he takes on an establishment that actively profits from old-fashioned prison practices. A gallery’s worth of character actors (including Yaphet Kotto, M. Emmet Walsh, Wilford Brimley and very young Morgan Freeman—recognizable by voice rather than by sight) are united against him. This being from a true story, don’t expect a triumphant ending: at most, the character gets applause and an end title card explaining the scandal that erupted afterward. Still, much of Brubaker’s entertainment value comes in seeing an incorruptible character uncover the vast web of old-boys corruption that surrounds the prison, and defending himself against attacks. It does make for dramatic intensity and narrative interest. It also represents a good entry in Redford’s filmography as a progressive champion, a role matching his political interest with his megawatt charm. Plus, he gets to shoot a shotgun, which isn’t to be neglected.

  • Critters (1986)

    Critters (1986)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, April 2019) In the mid-1980s, you couldn’t swing a bag of popcorn without spilling some on high-concept horror movies that ended up spawning multiple sequels. As one such horror/Science Fiction hybrid, Critters starts out being a bit more ambitious than your usual creature feature, what with intergalactic bounty hunters hunting down tribbles carnivorous pests so that they don’t take over the world. But budgetary constraints quickly show up, as most of the action takes place in a Kansas farmhouse. While there are a few familiar names in the credits (Lin Shaye, Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh), the most distinctive thing about Critters is its lack of distinction. If you’re looking for the median 1980s horror monster film with practical creature effects, this may be the one: not too depressing, not too funny, not too impressive but not too cheap either. The science fiction aspect does add a bit to it, but it’s a wonder as to why there were so many sequels. Oh well—you can do worse than watching the first one.

  • Blood Simple. (1984)

    Blood Simple. (1984)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In theaters, November 2000) This thriller by the Coen brother takes a long, long, long time to get going, as we’re introduced to an array of increasingly unsympathetic characters who all seem to be doing their best to become even more unlikable. Eventually, though, the plot mechanics so laboriously introduced all come into play, and the film gets progressively more interesting. Already obvious from their first film is the Coens’ eye for good images, which remains interesting even when the rest isn’t.

    (On Cable TV, March 2022) I hadn’t seen Blood Simple in decades, so sitting down to re-watch it with a much better neo-noir frame of reference was certainly interesting.  I liked it quite a bit better this second time around, especially considering the film’s heavy meta-textual references.  The Coen Brothers’ first film is rife with homages to earlier movies, well-established tropes and a wicked sense of dark humor.  A simple tale of lust, violence and deceit set in small-town Texas, it’s far more complex in execution, with a strong visual detail and a plot in which no one knows anything, and the details are cleverly put together.  Acting-wise, the standout performance here is from M. Emmet Walsh, with an astonishingly young Frances McDormand making her big-screen debut.  The rough and gritty cinematography is low-budget but very precise in its effects, taking this neo-noir closer to slasher horror at times.  I don’t completely love Blood Simple, but I like it well enough – especially this second time around.