Reviews
Wuchak

Wuchak

May 9, 2024
7.0
**_Big city drama (with Tommy Lee Jones and Annette O'Toole) tackles the hard issues_** In a dubious neighborhood in Manhattan, a Catholic priest (Jones) starts to question his occupation after talking with a dying man (David Strathairn) and meeting the woman in whom the victim was once involved (Annette). M. Emmet Walsh is on hand as a know-it-all detective. I guess “Broken Vows” (1987) is technically a television production helmed by a proven TV director (Jud Taylor) and this can be observed in the wooden delivery of the characters’ dialogues (like they just learned their lines the night before). Once you get past that issue, however, this ranks with Tommy Lee’s best movies, just don’t expect the action thrills of “The Fugitive.” Rather, it has ‘thrills’ in the sense of real-life drama, which can be more compelling than overkill action if done effectively, at least for the mature-minded. Annette was still in her prime at 34 years-old during shooting and so was Frances Fisher, who has a smaller part as Maureen. Meanwhile Jones was 40. I also appreciated the unexpected depiction of artists and their studios in the big city. I had a couple of friends in this uncertain line of work; one was my best friend at the time and his studio looked very similar to Stuart Chase’s in the movie, aka Amil. The film works on three fronts: There’s the murder mystery, there’s McMahon’s struggles with the usefulness of his profession and the Catholic sect in general, and, lastly, the relationship of the two protagonists. As my title blurb suggests, the flick commendably addresses the good, the bad and the ugly of life’s blessings & curses and everything in between. The lowkey route is taken and the movie's the better for it. For instance, we sense what's going on underneath the surface, but it's not spelled out. Lesser flicks require a passionate sex scene to 'wow' the viewer whereas this one opts for a revelatory statement or the simple clasping & kissing of hands. It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Montréal, Québec. GRADE: B+

Recommendation Movies

5.5
Action
View
5.5
Black Moon Rising
Black Moon Rising1986
6.6
History
View
6.6
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII2002
8.5
Comedy
View
8.5
Parasite
Parasite2019
8.1
Crime
View
8.1
Joker
Joker2019
7.2
Comedy
View
7.2
Last Christmas
Last Christmas2019
8.3
Crime
View
8.3
Se7en
Se7en1995
8.6
Drama
View
8.6
The Godfather
The Godfather1972
7.9
Comedy
View
7.9
Amélie
Amélie2001
7.6
Science Fiction
View
7.6
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 20492017
7
Adventure
View
7
The Road
The Road2009
8.1
Romance
View
8.1
Call Me by Your Name
Call Me by Your Name2017
7.1
Drama
View
7.1
Nomadland
Nomadland2021
7.1
Action
View
7.1
Tenet
Tenet2020
8.4
Drama
View
8.4
Fight Club
Fight Club1999
8.1
Mystery
View
8.1
Memento
Memento2000
8.1
Animation
View
8.1
Soul
Soul2020
8
Drama
View
8
Room
Room2015
7.4
Comedy
View
7.4
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2019
8
Fantasy
View
8
My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro1988
7.7
Drama
View
7.7
Marriage Story
Marriage Story2019
© 2025 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt