Appointment with Death (1988)

Before the will can be read, Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie) blackmailed the family lawyer, Jefferson Cope (David Soul) into using an older will that gave her complete control over the estate.  She was the 2nd Mrs. Boynton and step-mother to all but one of the Boynton children, all of whom were adults.  They mostly knew there had been a new will but could not prove it.  Soon afterwards, the family went on a world tour and everyone pondered how to kill Emily Boynton.  On a cruise from Trieste to the Levant, the family revealed all unwittingly in earshot of the eminent Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov).

While on a day trip to an archeological site in Palestine, Mrs. Boynton was discovered to be dead!  Poirot quickly deduced that it was murder!  But who could it be?

Was it Lennox Boynton (Nicholas Guest), the oldest of the Boynton children who was forced to live with his step-mother despite being married?

Could it be Nadine Boynton (Carrie Fisher), Lennox's wife?  She was Mrs. Boynton's nurse and had met Lennox by way of that occupation.  She was tired of her oppressive mother-in-law.

Maybe it was Jefferson Cope the lawyer who was having an affair with Nadine.

Perhaps Raymond Boynton (John Terlesky) killed her so he could run off with Dr. Sarah King (Jenny Seagrove).  Speaking of Dr. King, maybe she killed the old bat to clear the way to marrying Raymond.

Then there is Carol Boynton (Valerie Richards), who had plotted with Raymond while on the cruise ship.

Of course, there is no reason at all to suspect Lady Westholme (Lauren Bacall) who just happened to be on the same trip and has an alarming amount of screen time for a character with no link to the plot.  Really, it is a complete mystery why she is even included.  What possible motive could she have?

The story is half-baked but the scenery is great and the acting passable.  The cast is impressive.  In addition to the above, John Gielgud played the local military commander, Colonel Carbury, Hayley Mills appeared as an archeologist.

Just okay.  Fun to see Ustinov in his final appearance as Poirot.

North West Frontier (1959)

It is 1905 in the northwestern region of India where Prince Kishan is heir to rulership.  However, he is only 5 years old.  Captain Scott (Kenneth More) and a small detachment of Indian Soldiers escort him to Hyderbad, where the plan was to take him by train to Delhi.  The last train has already left and now Muslim troops have circled the city.  Governor Sir John Windham does not believe the city will be able to hold out against the impeding siege and plans a daring escape for the young prince.  There is an older train engine - Empress of India - that could breakthrough the siege lines and race to safety.  Captain Scott is placed in command of the effort.  In addition to Gupta the engineer (I. S. Johar) and two Indian soldiers, there is Catherine Wyatt (Lauren Bacall) the prince's governess, Lady Windham the governor's wife, Mr. Bridie (Wilfrid Hyde-White) the ex-patriot, Peter van Layden (Herbert Lom) the reporter, and Mr. Peters the arms dealer.  The train trip is not without its dangers, from attacks by mounted horsemen, damaged railways, and an unstable bridge.  Can this aging train and ragtag crew take the prince to safety?

I.S. Johar is the most entertaining character of the bunch.  His broken - but entirely intelligible - English always brings a smile and his constant good cheer despite the stresses of the trip and his responsibility for the train makes him the standout.  Kenneth More, who was a top British actor at the time, is fine as the lead.  He plays the never-say-die heroic type quite well.  It's a solid performance but not particularly memorable.  Bacall likewise makes for a good leading lady and love interest for Capt. Scott.  Wilfrid Hyde-White felt very out of place.  Though I liked Gupta's upbeat attitude, it was odd to have a second sunny face on this grim adventure.  Hyde-White is such a genial and gentlemanly fellow, hardly the kind of man to take on this journey.  He was more concerned with teatime than the rebel bullets.  By contrast, Herbert Lom provides most of the acerbic attitude on the train.  He wheedled his way onto the train against the governor's wishes and clashes with many of the passengers.

It is noteworthy that Pakistan did not yet exist in 1905; it was the northwestern frontier of India until it claimed independence in 1947.  Of course, this is a fictional story, not even a based on real events type of movie.  It has been described as a British Western and even an adaptation of Stagecoach (1939).  In any case, it is good popcorn fun.  Recommended.

Harper (1966)

Lew Harper (Paul Newman) is a private detective based in Los Angeles.  This morning, he has a meeting with Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall).  Her husband is missing and she doesn't want to involve the police.  Sampson's lawyer is Albert Graves (Arthur Hill), an old friend of Harper's and also the man who suggested him for the job.  Harper begins his investigation by talking to the pilot who last saw Sampson, Allan Taggert (Robert Wagner).  This leads him to a high-end hotel where Sampson has a room, which leads to a once famous actress, Fay Estabrook (Shelley Winters), and so on.  Harper has a talent for adopting personalities that allow him to pump people for information.  However, the further he digs into the case, the more he finds himself in danger.  It isn't a simple missing person case.

To add to Harper's troubles, his wife (Janet Leigh) has filed for divorce.  Harper has repeatedly dodged lawyer appointments to stave off the divorce.  Sheriff Spanner (Harold Gould) is unimpressed by Harper's methods.  Miranda Sampson (Pamela Tiffin) is the missing man's daughter and enjoys flaunting herself in front of men for a lark.  She has a contentious relationship with her stepmother.

It amazes me that I had not seen this film or that it isn't more hyped as one of Newman's great roles.  Oddly, I did see The Drowning Pool (1975), but I remember virtually nothing of it since that must have been 40 years ago.  I'll have to watch it again.  Harper is hugely entertaining and highly recommended.  Great popcorn fun!

Key Largo (1948)

Frank McCloud (Humprey Bogart) is on a bus to the Florida Keys.  The bus is stopped by the police, who announce they are looking for a pair of Seminole Indians who escaped from jail.  Frank gets off the bus at Hotel Largo and asks for Mr. Temple.  The men who are there prove to be particularly unwelcoming and announce that the hotel is closed for the season.  Frank persists and is finally told that Mr. Temple is out on the pier.  Turns out that Frank was a Major in WWII and the commanding officer of George Temple.  James Temple (Lionel Barrymore) is George's father and Nora (Lauren Bacall) is his widow.  Frank tells stories about George during the Italian campaign where he died.  Then warnings of a hurricane arise.  The unwelcoming guests prove to be mobsters, led by the notorious Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson).  They had come in from Cuba by boat in order to do a deal with another mobster who was to come down from Miami; the hurricane has complicated matters.  Tension is high and emotions flare as the police are still looking for the escapees.

The story is great, the characters are well-developed and are giving opportunities to shine.  Rocco's goons are each unique and are all given lines.  These aren't nameless thugs like the men who surround a James Bond villain.  Robinson is in top form as the exiled mob boss.  He's a killer but he's also not stupid.  He plays his hand well, but fails to account for Frank McCloud.  Bogart gives a strong performance as a conflicted man.  Sure, Rocco's a bad man but this isn't his fight.  He had his fill in Italy.  Some view him as a coward for his reticence to fight Rocco.  The standout is clearly Claire Trevor, who won an Oscar for her role as Gaye Dawn, Rocco's girlfriend.  With Rocco having been in Cuba for some time, their reunion is not what she had hoped.

This is the last of the Bogie & Bacall movies and a definite must see for any fan.  Great popcorn fun and highly recommended.

Dark Passage (1947)

Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) has just escaped prison; he was incarcerated for murdering his wife.  He is on the side of the road and must risk getting a lift.  He waves down a car.  The driver is a talker and becomes increasingly suspicious of his passenger.  The radio report decides the issue.  Parry pummels the driver and steals his clothes.  Before he can abscond with the man's car, Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall) stops in her station wagon and urges Vincent to hide under the tarp in the back.  Soon, they are back at her apartment in San Francisco and he is baffled why she has helped him.  She had attended the trial and thought he was innocent.  Thanks to some fortunate breaks, Vincent meets a plastic surgeon who offers to change his looks.  After the surgery, Parry recuperates at Irene's apartment.  Once the bandages are off, it's time to find out who really killed his wife.

The movie is awkward and the story doesn't flow well.  First, Bogart doesn't "appear" for the first half.  Either the scene is filmed from his point of view or his face is hidden in shadows.  After the surgery, he is now in view, but his face is concealed by bandages.  Next, there are the convenient and inconvenient meetings.  That Parry finds the one cabby in all of San Francisco who has a plastic surgeon friend is just a bit hard to swallow.  As far as suspects for his wife's murderer, there aren't many available from the characters we meet.  Clifton Young is quite good as the blackmailer.  Agnes Moorehead, whom I had only ever seen as Endora, Samantha's obnoxious mother on Bewitched, plays an annoying busybody who is determined to make sure everyone else is as unhappy as she is.  It is a wonder any of the characters were on speaking terms with her.  The level of paranoia is high.  That Vincent thinks he is going to be arrested any moment is fine, but that a random police officer busts his chops over a stupid comment about the races was a bit much.  That Irene sympathized with his plight was fine but falling for him was rushed.  Maybe she had a crush on him since the trial, so she was primed to fall for him.  Meh.

This is the weakest of the Bogart & Bacall movies.

The Big Sleep (1946)

Phillip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) arrives at the Sternwood Estate and is met by Camilla Sternwood.  She thinks he's cute but short.  She hits on him.  Though amused, he declines and meets with General Sternwood.  It happens that Sternwood has received a large bill attributed to Camilla.  He'd like Marlowe to deal with it.  Marlowe agrees.  On the way out the door, he is summoned to meet Sternwood's other daughter, Vivian Rutledge (Lauren Bacall).  She grills him to find out what her father wants him to do and proposes that he is meant to find Sean Regan.  While digging into Camilla's troubles - which becomes littered with corpses - Marlowe continual gets questions about Sean Regan.  The rumor is that he ran away with a casino owner's wife.  Why do all roads lead to Sean Regan?

Though the plot is generally inscrutable, the repartee is awesome.  The banter between Bogart and basically everyone is a joy to watch.  That every woman he meets is immediately in love with him is hilarious.  Again, the dialogue is terrific and his sharp replies and keen observations show real talent from the screenwriter.  As with To Have and Have Not, this was directed by Howard Hawks and had William Faulkner among the screenwriters.

Of the three versions of Marlowe I have watched, this is by far the best.  Robert Mitchum was too old and the setting wrong in the 1978 version of The Big Sleep.  Of course, that one was more willing to expose the dark features of the story that are left to the imagination here.  Elliot Gould was horrendous in the astonishingly bad The Long Goodbye.  Liam Neeson will take on the role later this year in Marlowe; I doubt he can match Bogart, but I'll be interested to see.

Highly recommended.

To Have and Have Not (1944)

Harry Morgan (Humphrey Bogart) arrives at the harbor in Martinique to take Mr. Johnson on a fishing trip.  That Martinique is now controlled by Vichy France creates some bureaucratic hassles for an expat American like Morgan.  He has a perpetually drunken mate, Eddy (Walter Brennan), who talks incessantly.  During the trip, Mr. Johnson fails to catch a marlin and even loses the rod and reel.  Worse, he skips out on paying Morgan, leaving him in the lurch.  Though he had declined an offer to smuggle French Resistance onto Martinique, he now must in order to survive.  The Vichy French Gestapo are soon sniffing for fugitives, paying particular attention to Morgan.  On top of this, a woman has arrived in Martinique, Marie Browning (Lauren Bacall).  Sparks fly from the first meeting of Harry and Marie, though they never use those names.  She calls him 'Steve' and he calls her 'Slim.'  Their flirty banter is far more interesting than the Casablanca knock-off storyline.

"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?  Just put your lips together and... blow."

Though based on a novel by Ernest Hemingway, it was reworked to have a happy ending and a laudable hero.  William Faulkner wrote the screen play.  Howard Hawks directed.  This movie was where Bogart - then 44 - and Bacall - only 18 - met.  Within three weeks, they were having an affair.  By the following year, Bogart had divorced his third wife and married Bacall.  They remained married until his death at 57.

Here is a bland story that has some terrific acting and some lively dialogue.  It even includes Hoagy Carmichael who, strangely enough, is how Ian Fleming pictured James Bond.  Unexpected.

Good popcorn fun!