The Killing review

 Number 244 on the top 1000 films of all time is Stanley Kubrick's 1956 film noir 'The Killing.'

Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is a career criminal planning one last heist before settling down with his lover Fay (Coleen Gray.) He assembles a crack-crew of five other criminals to rob the local racetrack.

Sadly, the Killing was a film that suffered badly from unwanted studio interference. Studio execs demanded Kubrick include narration, which only functioned to give exposition. Or rather, to beat the audience around the head with exposition. It really slowed up what should have been a fast-paced crime-thriller. It was an unnecessary inclusion.

Otherwise, this would have been a very interesting film noir, even if it didn't bring anything new to the genre. It has the same morally-grey characters you would see in the Big Sleep, but without the overly-convoluted plot. Yes, the Killing employs a non-linear narrative, but I don't think this particularly complicated things.

The Killing also had the old familiar trope of the femme fatale: Sherry (Marie Windsor) wife of one of the gang who is plotting to double-cross him and run off with his share. And, of course, you had the low-key lighting and endless supply of men smoking cigarettes.

Yes, the fight scenes looked very silly, but the Killing was an interesting watch. It was one of Kubrick's earliest films, but also one one of his most influential, influencing the likes of Quentin Tarantino. It's just a shame that the studio couldn't keep their grubby hands away from Kubrick's work.

Seabiscuit review

 Number 960 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2003 sports film 'Seabiscuit.'

Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) is a jockey looking for a better life in the wake of the Great Depression. Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) is an industrialist moving on from a tragic accident. Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) is a kindly horse-trainer. What unites these three very difficult characters is the horse Seabiscuit - a racing horse who soon becomes one of the best in the country.

This was a dull film. Partially, because I wasn't interested in the subject matter, but also because there were some structural and character problems. Let's start with Charles Howard. He is initially presented sympathetically. At first, he runs a bicycle shop, but when that business fail, he moves into the automobile industry. It was nice seeing him struggle before he succeeded.

And his successes keep coming, as he marries and then has a son. But then his son *spoilers*

dies in a car accident. Tragedy! Except this moment was completely rushed. We have no time to feel this tragedy as Jeff Bridges quickly remarries. His new wife Marcela (Elizabeth Banks) has little character/personality outside of being his wife. And then he becomes a father-figure to Red Pollard - a young man who was sent away from his family during the Great Depression, in the hopes of finding a better life.

Tobey Maguire, unrecognisable from his Spider-Man role, brings the tragic Pollard to life, except again the tragedy of his character is also underplayed. In the run-up to the "race of the century," Pollard breaks his leg and is told he'll never race again. But no matter, he finds a substitute, and listens to the race on the radio.

There's no long, gruelling recovery or Pollard defying the odds to race once last time. Rather Pollard serenely lies back and accepts it. And I found this to to be a puzzling choice. Our protagonist is removed from the action. Instead, we are cheering on a strange character, when we should really be cheering on Pollard. But Pollard doesn't care, so why should I?

Although Maguire, Bridges and Cooper aren't bad actors, I do think a bad script with structural problems and wonky characterisations didn't do them justice at all.