Wednesday 6 January 2021

Musical Interlude - January: "Don't worry about it. They always hire bums like me for jobs like this."

It seems to have been a long time since I did one of these, but in lockdown, like a lot of people, I found myself gravitating back to old favourite films. And I noted that a lot of them were musicals.

And yes, there will be a bit of overlap with 2011's 'Soundtrack Retrospective', it's inevitable.

So here goes. And...is this one even really a 'musical' in the normal sense at all?

Ahh, who cares.  It's got a stunning Steinman/Cooder soundtrack and a stellar cast. It's a bonkers look at a totally illusory America by Water Hill. And any film that starts with the hero striding into battle with an old lever action Marlin rifle and ends with him duking it out with the villain with a ball pein hammer just has to be in here.

It's the two big numbers ('Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young' and 'Nowhere Fast') that get all the attention, and they are indeed great. But this is my personal favourite:

 

2 comments:

Mac the Knife said...

It's a dire film, but I keep watching it too. Cinematic flypaper?

JuliaM said...

I ended up buying it again - along with 'The Shadow' - for an Eighties night. Already had it on DVD but I mostly watch on tablet now.